6 — North Shore News ~ Sunday. November 12, 2000 ——--—_ YIEW POINT————_ cesource ST Vancouver school board chairman David Stevenson was in hot water this week for attributing his district’s brilliant educational achievement to “a good gene pool.” Stevenson made the remark in response to the news that West Vancouver pupils had excelled in the provincial Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) tests. Whether it was off-the-cuff or not, such a comment was bound to raise some hackles, as irate teachers and parents from both within and outside the district accused him of genetic elitism and misrepresentation. In reality, the genes of municipal parents are probably less important than their pocketbooks. As residents of one of the wealthiest communities have the advantage of plentiful resources, private tutors, and parents who have the time to dedicate to school volunteer programs and public meetings. It’s important to remember, too, that while West Vancouver’s results are impressive, the FSA is only a small part of a big educational picture, intended largely as a reference point for the education ministry. In all the furore over which stu- dents appear to be the best readers, writers, and mathematicians, it’s easy to forget the unique programs schools in every district may have to offer — and the unique talents of individual children whose intelligence is not necessarily measured by stan- dardized testing. All children are as good as the um I wort PERFECT \ Py ADMIT DIT. , SHOULD NOD NINE SLASHED €\ BENEFITS in Canada, West Vancouver’s children you said it “There are peo people who live near the golf course who don’t get any sun ight at all. They can only grow moss ‘in their yards, They'd really like to see the sun in their . yard again before, ey die.” - Ron Komn, president of the British Properties Area Homeowners Association. One of the most heavily-treed __ private properties is the Capilano Golf and Country Club, ‘- said-Komm. (From a@ Nov. é News Sunday Focus story.) “It’s the price of democracy.” North Vancouver City Mayor Barbara Sharp on the ‘$60,000 in by-election costs required if incumbent Coun, Bill Bell gives up his seat to go to Ottawa as an MP. (From oe “Nov. 8 News story.) . “Peop le get so enamoured with the technology bug thar they forget about doing business in the proper way. Sitting on your buet watching a computer screen is not su ion.” ‘North Vancouver District. Coun. Doug-MacKay- -Dunn s to the use of a GPS surveillance system in ‘municipal » (From a Nov. 10 News 07y.) ) T think people should stop and think especially for Remembrance: Day and prubably open their eyes a bit and realize what is going on in the world. We are so shel- |. teréd in Canada.”:: Priv Ryan Morgan, who ‘did a ‘six-month. tour. of - : anadian, Forces, (From & Nov: 10 News. - - votes are scarce. Several hundred in a ‘campaign. In his 1997 outing, Collis : a a ‘I'd rather see e the kids muddy than n bloody.” orth Vancouver. District Coun. Bill Denault supports a gravel opposed to .a concrete, curb outside Boundary. I. (From a Nov. 12 News sory.) 1 YOU HAVE A MEWS TIP? - jisine Hours: Michael Becker ~.; News Editor’ se local na ubutban newspaper and qualified under Schedule . Mt. _ Paragraph tio the Excise Ti Tax Act is published blications “Mait sale “Product ‘oveement my 387298. Mating | rates avaiable On request. Entire . contents ce 2000 HCN Publications Conipany. Au opportunities they are given. Local political HAD a bellyful of party-line trea- cle yet? If so, you might be interested in a local serv- ing of independent polit- ical thought. There's precious litde available in this federal election, precious litte in any election in this coun-. try for that matter. Party politics rule. But independence survives, even in the cloistered kingdom of the North Shore. mes and gentleman, I give you Dallas The 42-year-old North Vancouver resi- dent is into his fourth federal election cam- paign, only one of which has been fought under a party banner,.and that one, The Nationa! Party, was a fringe affair at best. No political party animal, this then. The local hairdresser belongs to the last of the independents. He walks a lonely road, along which” ished with 365 in the North Vancouver. riding. Not bad; when you consider that he matched the combined North Vancouver “+ vote total of both the Canadian Action and the Natural Law party candidates... . - . This year his North Vancouver election campaign war chest is all of $1,700 — * $1,000 of which is his entry deposit. . So, what’s the point, sir?, To make a poin No party platform bag- a Torry Peters 4 perhaps. Maybe more than one. Tadepenc dent candidates, after all,’ - travel pretty light. . page. No need to sweat follow-through on campaign promises. So the independent scope of ideas is wide. Real wide. And that makes for some interesting political departures the mainstream. After all, according to Collis, all the established ies “are doing the same thing at different speeds.” And, he adds, all your party "pols are __ running for their party,” not your country. ; So forget all the public ” relations steam being vented over such issues as ‘ health care and taxes. Consider this independent thought - from Mr. Collis: : Replace the Senate with a House of . Provinces made up of scientists, engineers, | housewives, house husbands, social . activists, environmentalists, labour activists, truck drivers, bartenders, construction workers, et al. The grassroots think tank |, - would be assigned to generate innovative | . _. democratic ideas. - ‘The value of those ideas would doubt: less vary, but whatever the House of ’ Provinces came up with would likely be "more compelling than anything your ; - Senate has come up with over the past cen- tury. year to hold court in L every province and. “territory. Guaranteed to juice up parfiamentary. *. channel ratings, the road trip might also -. . generate some real national input into'what - goes on in that place North Vancouver. . “Alliance MP.Ted White has described as , disgusting and dysfunctional... - . ical works, consider | Vancouver riding that’s hosting a pair’ * independents is also hosting a pair o - teenaged candidates for established "parties: Sam Schechter, 19, who’s carrying 7 .. the NDP banner; and Laurence Putnam, Collis also suggests taking the House of : .. Commons on t:4 road for 12 weeks of the thing from guarantecing political promises to developing a national domestic econ: ic strategy and suppo: rding organic food production. It’s a mixed bag of wisdom and whimsy that offers welcome relief from the usual bales of political wish-wash. Fo: more check out his Website at - . Over at Keith Lynn Alternate school, meanwhile, teacher Rusty Corben is li wise on the independent road. But his motivation for running in the North | Vancouver riding is different from Collis -. »According to a, Nov, 3 News story, he running for the’ kids: “as a vehicle for: .teaching my students about Canada and "the government.” Good for him, say ‘I. May’ the lessons . they learn be instructive and inspiring. ru ee ow for i , ative eHort. . And while we're pplauding good pol ep the same North 18, who's running for Joe Clark ive Conservatives. . Both 2 are ¢ fred up with involved in this country’s That bodes well for Code don’t agree, consider what you were doing : ‘at their age. ’s Ripping Y: : reported that there had 2,000 votes taken on the Nisga’a ‘trea . the House of Commons : the total. was 471 : Collis’ election platform calls for every-. a ~ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include your - “name, full address and telephone: number via s-mail to: mbes Editorial Manager : 985-3131 {160) 7 Mark Fenckes Creative Services Directot + | 885-2131 (127)