12 - Wednesday, September 15, 1993 - North Shore News a Anyone who has lived in southern: Ontario or Los Angeles would be familite with an air-quality index — a system for rating toxicity levels of air pollution (hat is a part of every weather forecast. Froin atop North Shore mountiins, one pets a better picture of the Lower Mainland's polludion problem by looking at the brown cloud that clings to the city. [Ts a problem (hat can’t be delegated to suthorifies (o clean up. Everyone must con- tribute, so the question is: LAST THURSDAY Lower Muaintind residents experi- enced something that, although common fo other farge North American urban centres, was new for the Van- conver area, The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) issued a warning Chat air pollution bad became bad enough that people should avoid using their vehicles (fo commute io and from work, Although breathing (he polluted air was not considered life-threatening, people with respiratory ailments were advised to stay indoors. Kevin What should we do to address our air pollution problem? Gillies ted ices F i UIRIN REGIONAL REPRE- SENTATION should be determined by the ballot box, according to two North Vancouver District coun- cillors. But Couns. Ernie Crist and Joan Gadsby have lost a bid that would have required the distric’s appointments to the Greater Vancouver Regional Council (GVRD) board and committees to be based on direct election by municipal voters. Under Crist’s scheme council hopefuls would indicate on the municipal ballot whether they wished to be considered for GVRD representation. Those successful candidates polling the highest number of votes for the GVRD committee of their choice would be the automatic municipal representa- tive. “The GVRD should be directly accountable to the people of the District of North Vancouver,” Crist told council Monday night. He charged that the present system allows ‘‘one member of council to determine policy’? at the regional level. Mayor Murray Dykeman is the district’s single vote at the GVRD board, where representation. is determined by the population of _ member municipalities. “T sincerely believe we have a serious problem with the board representation being one person. It’s) protected ground for the mayor,’* said Gadsby. “The mayor should be carrying the majority wishes of this coun- cil, and that is not happening all the time. “There’s not much reporting back either. | have to read about it in the papers,"’ she charged. Gadsby was one of four coun- cillors “who publicly castigated Dykeman during a June 21 council meeting for his decision al a GVRD water committee meeting to support aerial logging in the Capilano watershed. “tt should be put out to the people to elect from amongst those who put their name for- ward,’’ said Gadsby. She also asked why such a system had been abolished by the province approximately 15 years avo. Victoria Gazeley North Vancouver We have to get people out of their cars — especially people who are driving alone. That means improving transil and making it more at- tractive to people to use. Cecilia Curtis North Vancouver To start with we must car-pool more, and while Air Care should help, we have to use our cars less. Viola Ow West Vancouver Improve public transit to get people out of their cars. Especially North Shore to Vancouver. In rush-hour bridge traffic, there are too many cars with only one driver. Car-pooling would help. Peter Robinson North Vancouver We have to cut down our automobile use although it will be difficult. Look at L.A.’s smog — it’s terrible. Karen Cumpbell North Vancouver The rain helps clean it up, but we need stricter enforcement of pollution laws on industry. We also need {fo research less-polluting fuels, Liv- ing without cars will be next to impossible. Dykeman said that method had not worked and later argued that it would ‘not fit the functioning procedure of the board." Coun, Paul Turner told council that the issue had nothing to do with how good a job the GVRD or the mayor was doing. He argued that an elected GVRD could create a_ separate level of government and that a possibility existed of sending TREAT SOME HEART-STOPPING, NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL by Martin Millerchip mixed messages to the board. Turner said council might choose to send one message on an issue while the elected representa- live “answering to the peaple”’ could choose to deliver another. YOURSELF TO HAIR-RAELSING, EYE-POPPING FUN AND SAVE 4A BUCKS ON A “*E don’t see that this improves anything, and it may very well make everything worse,’* he said Turner argued that on the basis of full-time availability the mayor ‘is the logical person*’ to repre- sent council at the GVRD. “If Coun, Crist wants to be on the GVRD let him run for mayor,’” concluded Turner. Council defeated Crist’s motion, which means that an existing but GENERAL A TAMILY tET to have regional representation vote nixed untried policy will commence in December. Councillors will indicate at that time the GVRD committees on which they would like to sit and that list will be forwarded to the GVRD chairman for considera- tion. Gadsby was not impressed. “There is in existence an old boys’ network here and that’s wrong,’’ she said. FUN PA YOURSEL ELE