‘” The North Shore News is published by North Shore Free Press Lid., Publisher Peter Speck, PETER SPECK Publisher 985-2131 (101) Thasthry Rew Managing Editor “885-2137 (116) Petar Reamstron 960-0511 (183) 996-6222 Bockar-News 985-2138 (114) MecLredie-Sports/Community Edit 986-2131 (147) LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must inckide your name, full address |_| & telephone number, - suigten newspaper and qpaitied unt Schedule 111, Pangaph 11 of the Excie Tan Act, & published exch ‘Wehrenthey, Fridhey anvd Sumusy by Nurth Shere Free Frew Lad Entire contents © 1996 North Shore Free Press Ltd. Alt rights reserved. cigarette issue remains too hot to handle on the North Shore. It’s a political hot potato that just keeps doing the rounds without coming to rest in any determined pair of hands. North Vancouver District looked ini- tially to be setting a courageous course in the battle against the evil weed when it first approved a 100% ban on smo- ing in all public places last June. That couragcous resolve, however, has since weakened. After the other two North Shore municipalities declined to follow the district’s lead — the city waiting to see what everyone else did and West SSS se ; E ise fabs REA NTO OE PE ae srr ED Smoke break Vancouver District proposing a phased- in approach — the district’s legislation came under steady attack from busi- nesses who moaned that the ban would drive tobacco-addicted customers to other less determined neighborhoods. Prior to the election, North Vancouver District Council deferred adoption of its 100% ban until after the Nov. 16 municipal election — hot pota- to for the new council to handle. At its Nov. 25 meeting, district coun- cil approved a motion by mayor-elect Don Bell to refer the smoking issue to a mecting of all three North Shore may- ors. This even though a previous —_—— OIiRice% attempt at reaching North Shore non- smoking solidarity failed to achieve an united front in the push to move ciga rette smoke out of public places. In the short run, cigarettes may bi good for business in a small percentage’ of local pubs and restaurants. But in the: jlong-run cigarettes are bad for the busi-* ness of life everywhere. . In B.C. alone smoking kills. ove: 5,000 people per year and was responsi ble for over 20% of all deaths-in th province in 1995. ; Lad North Shore councils need to- Dear Editor: ph I am writing in response. article “Mother bear and ‘cub ‘shot dead” in the Nov. 6° issue: of: North Shore News. :- -) °°" The owners of 1384 East ‘Kei : should be fined. heavily for. feeding; I the bears with handouts: and Bel: roviding a personal -garba : for the bears in their backyard Habimating wild animals to’ ina residential area was an a pidity that cost the bears their The conservation officers: shoul have saved the’ bears ‘and the pigs. _ Angela O’Shechan-Webb North Vancouver | _ MAILBOX POLICY: LETTERS to“th legible (preferably include your name, fu telephone number. West Vancouver's Dirty Little secre SHE was, frankiy, a fairly old woman, dignified, expensively dressed, though I would say the expenditure was made quite a number of faded years ago. She was in the checkout at a big Marine Drive store ity West Vancouver. She had a single item. She opened her change purse. She carefuily counted out the exact change for that item. I could sce out of the expe- Pench eve uh my ¢ eye that there was just one Si! in the purse — a crumpled old American doilar. . The cashier bagged her item, wished her a hearty good day, and the woman left. And I thought: Bet that’s one of them. Onc of — what? _ One of West Vancouver’s genteel poor. Or, alternatively, one of West Vancouver's genteel fearful. I suspect she is among that poignant demographic group, the West Van Widows. And I suspect thar she lives in one of Ambleside’s very nice apartments or condos, on her husband’s pension and the interest on the salc years ago of their West Van family home — when she thought the income would take her through the rest 0} her life in comfort if not luxury. And when she had the saddest illusion of all: that her government wouldn’t let her down. If she is still in the old family house that might well have been bought for $15,000 decades ago and is now worth something like half a million dollars — and that, cherishing her independence and walking with the ghosts of that beloved home, she is loath to leave -~ she may well be among those who are in on West Vancouver’s Dirty Liede Secret. As far as I know, it has never been reported. It is: In this, the richest community in British Columbia, one out of every 12 homeowners did not pay their property taxes this yeat. ancouver and West Van duke it out for top ~— or battom — spot among, B.C. municipali- ties for this unpleasant distinction. What is happening is lain. More and more omecowners in B.C."s wealthiest areas are land- rich and everything-clse- Ir. pe They are faced with ris- ing costs. (Do you believe the government’s cost-of- living index? I don’s. Or its shoppers put different things in their theoretical market basket than I do in my real one.) And they are faced with plunging interest income. I’m always intrigued at media enthusiasm when another quarter-point is knocked off the bank rate. It can only be explained by the media’s (imitating busi- ness’s) built-in bias for living on credit, buying on credit, prying those retail dollars out of con- sumers. But falling rates impoverish lenders — espe- cially old ladies with small change purses an “safe” GICs, Canada Savings Bonds etc. Nor do all of the vaunted mutual funds pay off. Some are drastic fosers, and when the market “I’m always intrigued at media enthusiasm when another quarter-point. is knocked off the bank rate. It can only be explained by the media’s built-in bias for living on credit, buying on credit, prying those retail poverty of widows who once lived well. dollars out of consumers.” turns fell history is clear. oot RE: % ut, hanging over even the more. prosper retirement ees is fear. Fear tha: hing ‘will worse, Fear that inflation | ‘ ‘ ast their long-term: fixed-income investmeni ‘car that the federal and provincial health ‘mi istries will stoutly hold fast to the sacred princip! of state monopoly medical = now heading toward sacred principle; profane care. So West Van homeowners are; astonishing numbers, deferring th property. taxes. They can't pay and they (and of course othe North Shore) are leaving a final oning to their estates. — Let their grandchildren se they’ still get a handsome inhe! It’s a crude reverse mortgage, witl the hassle. : Others, however, sold their hi years ago when maybe $150,000 «: looked like huge moncy. But at toda interest rates it’s a nest egg that laid : egg, so to speak. Thus the gentee! and now are holding on to the rim of = upper middle-class life by their finger- nails. a That may describe the woman 1. - saw at the checkout. Then again, [ could be - wrong. She may mercly have been buying a need- ed item before flying off ro Palm Springs for the: winter, Couldn’t get far on that worn-out.U.S. - dollar bill, though. . — The North Shore’ News believes strongly in freedom of speech and the right of all sidesin a” dAckate to be heard. The columnists published in the News present differing points of view, bis those — views are not necessarily those of the newspaper — stself. .