The Korth shove Hews i is scicd ty Herth Shore Fras Press Ltd., Podllster Pater Seeck, from 1139 Lonsdale Avenue Worth Vancouver, B.C., V7M 2H4 PETER SPECK Publisher 985-2131 (101) raathy Rens iManaging Editor 985-2131 (116) Brocka Hews Et 985-2131 (114) > B85-2131 (147) LETTERS TO THE EOITCR Letters must include your name, full address . & telephone number. VIA intemet: trenshavi @ dirct.ca ‘Mert Bhoro Wow, foun fn 1965 0 indepen sibaten newspaper and qulified unter Schedule 111, Prrngraph (11 of the Excbe Tax Act, & published each {ened Friday wat Surcyby Nard Shore Fs Pea Lat and déstnbaded wn every door on the Nath Shore. Canada Rust Caradon Pubbeations Mail Sales Prxkact Apeoent No. Entire contents © 1996 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. MODERATING REFORM quctes of “7 think he is a great actor. He was able to confuse a lot of people and convince them ... to see him in a different light than what he has been for the last four years. _Now that he has gotten the elec- tion, I have no doubt that he will shed his skin and show what a true snake he is.” West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA Ted Nebbeling, on Premier Glen - Clark. (From a June 5 News story.). ooo “At the end of my travels I _ came to realize that I was as good _ 8s anyone. But ’'m no better ‘either. Once you come to that, life becomes an awful jot easier’? :” West Vancouver adventurer i Shane.Collins, on realities gleaned ‘ from life on the road. (From a dune ‘| 3 News Life fans Mg : “Let's live up to our coat of: arms,” » North Vancouver City Coun. . Stella Jo Dean, opposing a proposal ailbox A referendum for - Dear Editor: - In regard to:the constant input concerning Doug Collins articles printed in your paper, [ have a novel suggestion. . Mr. Collins appears to be a fer- " vent supporter of referendum. I put forth the idea your paper hold a mail-in referendum con- cerning the continuance of Mr. news viewpoint yy eee ie to build a martial arts centre next to Mosquito Creek, pointing out that the city’s coat of arms includes a salmon. (From a June 2 News story.) Sta tal at am stat ARI Qog0 “This is too much. It will offend ari awful lot of well-mean- ing people, including me.” North Vancouver District Coun. Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, on district council plans to institute diversity sensitivity training for district staff. (From a June 2 News story.) _ 900 “Why is it we have to set up an additional level of bureaucra- cy to administer the obvious? ... We're telling pecple to say good morning and be courteous to each other.” North Vancouver District Coun. Emie Crist, on new district diversi- ty sensitivity training and the estab- lishment of a district Diversity Advisory Committee. (From a June 2 News story.) . oug Coilins' articles. Put it to the: peopte, 1 say, it seems a fair and democratic method, which | am willing to bet may silence Mr. Collins’ ignorant drivel oncé and for all. ‘That is, if you and Mr. Collins have the guts. Steven Smith North Vancouver ere sine tart Mtr ntact | enna Leterme ah oteaimen lent kids | Noel “PARENTS may pay for kids’ crimes” blazed the newspaper headline last week. Great idea, clucked pclice groups and victims of youth crime. Manitoba Attorney-General Charles Harnick had just announced an upcorm- ing new law in his province enabling victims to sue parents of young offend- ers for damages. “It reinforces the responsibility parents have for their children, knowing where they are and what they're doing,” he proudly told a Commons committee on the Young Offenders Act. If that's Mr. Harnick's solution, one wonders what he is smoking.” But first, the facts. More than eight violent crimes a day by young | offenders now take place in-B.C., ‘according to our own attorney- gener- al —- whose statistics show a staggering’ 130% rise in such crime from” 1986 to’ 1994. Within that overall figure armed robbery jumped by ° 222%, minor assaults by 163% and assaults causing bodily hari by oy 93%, As shocking as those figures are, one other statistic must’ always ; remembered, At least 85% of tecnagers are decently behaved, lz i ing young people, The bad kids come from at most 15 And all we rized to do with the fatter, says Manitoba’ : cer, js frighten parents — with the. threat of stiff money penaltic into making their kids behave ‘and‘knowing Where they are’at ‘night Did nobody ever tell Mr. Harnick that no parents. lay a finger on their offspring lest they‘re. hauled into complaints if mom or dad says.a cross word to th Parents can’t block all the TV violence available Has he never heard of the “terrible twos.”-when toddlers: first how far they can rebel? Under today's laws,’ if they, scream’ enous they often find there are no limits to dolag exactly. as Is he aware that schools — which once. backed up parental discipii — are today virtually powerless to enforce: any. discipline and in some cases must even seek police protection themselves What Mr. Harnick aiso seemingly ignores is that violent teenagers with guns and knives art obviously long out of the control of their pi ents — who over recent decades have had their traditional right t as parents’ systematically stripped away. . This fetish for, "shielding youngsters jn their formative years even reasonable parental discipline is echoed all to often in thé with their wrist-slap penalties’ for vicious young thugs. -:. Savage child-beating by a minority of bad parents of course k be stopped. But 1 the resultant interference with the legitimate. rights a! the great majority of responsible, caring parents -— plus judicia pam pering of j juveni’ ie yahoos — clearly i isn i i working, ; : Far worse, it’s brought a growing crisis of violent youth cri forget about suing parents, Attorney-General Harnick, and think ‘agai Think instead how to help parents today i in thelr tough; tough job, ea0 WEST VAN: FOUNDATION i is feeling a bit like the lo in the TV ad whose customer refused the.“Extra’and lost $5 Two of its four 1996 post-secondary scholarships worth $1,200 euch found no upplicants. Ah well, ati the more lolly for 1997 students j aaa oe a WRIGHT OR WRONG: The ciosest we ever get to perfection is when writing a job application. A a rman 4A near tc ee pa eer | PRO MARNE Commuting chaos doublie-crossing. Victoria beating up on the North Shore in a game of bridge that involves thousands of com- | muters whose frustration levels and \internal temperetures sre already | reaching red zones. This even though Jan a classic provincial-imunicipal ‘the real game has just begun in earnest. | Inthe first day of the $9-million pro- ject to upgrade the Second Narrows Bridge, commuter back-ups had already reached hours and stretched miles tong bumper-to-bumper along North Skore feeder routes. _ Two lanes.of the six-lane bridge will be closed from now until August. The situation is only going to get worse. A stall at any time during rush-hour could bring the entire North Shore road system to a grinding halt. Ministry of Highways officials have counselled commuters to use alterna- tives: bicycles perhaps. Good counsel at any time, but of marginal impact at the best of times. Commuters themselves counselled the ministry for alternatives: do the work at night, for instance. _ Too long, said the experts. Work that would take two months during the day would take four years at night. Say what? Even if that bureaucratic arithmetic bafftegab confuses you, ‘the response from thousands of conimuters in chorus’ is as clear as crystal: SO WHAT. Take four years at night, if you must, but leave disruption to traffic and locsi bust. ness to a minimum. Of course, Victoria dons deaf ears to such public demands. Especially if they ‘come from the North Shore. Consider , thst a decision on the Lions Gate Bridge has been stalied for the past three years: tei tometat a pis FE ae Fe Seed pete Seth at and the reality of Vietoria’s North Shore « double-crossing becomes evident. The whole mess is a bad game of . | bridge that could cost the North Shore’. dearly.