Nov. 22, 1992 ~ North Shore News INSIGHTS ‘Two questions for West Van’s HARRIET... L-fAinK WEVE STUMBLED UPON ONE OF THE MISSING MIDDLE NEWS VIEWPOINT Tennis, anyone? EST VANCOUVER District Council is having trouble deciding whether the municipali- ty’s public tennis courts are indeed public. Al a recent council meeting, the issne was again raised as former West Van- couver municipal manager Terry Lester appeared before council to protest the practice of allowing the North Shore Seniors’ Tennis Association to reserve playing time on West Vancouver's public fennis courts. Gn the surface, the practice seems harmless enough: provide area seniors with facilities for good physical activity and social interaction. But, 2s Lester has pointed out, allowing the association to reserve time on pubiic courts gives the group preferential treat- ment over other members of the public and specifically membess of the com- munities in which tenmis court time is reserved. The association is currestiy permitted to reserve court time in ibe Benbow and AMtamont areas from 9 a.m. to I p.m. during one dsy each week, am errangement that ties ap area courts daviag prime tennis Pabiic tennis courts fy definition are opea to the pablic. They are sot for the exciasive use of any single user group. To allow one group ic mexecopoize coat time via 2 reservation system mits public use 2nd thereby undermines their purpose. Kither allow all merabers of the public or no members of the public to reserve fime on pablic teanis courts. } QUOTES OF THE “The experiments I can’t sell I put Former ep on my roof, and every now and then, I go up thece and throw them off.”’ Lions Bay glass artist Lawrence Ruskin, on what he does with his failed artistic experiments. a_ seniors” courts. West municipal manager Terry Lester, protesting the practice of allowing tennis association to / reserve time on public Vancouver West Vancouver lingerie retailer Maria Cullen, on catering to men in ber Petticoat Box store. tennis “‘TrathfcRy, mex come im sad they meed assistance. They're sot “These seniors....are not physi- cally oc mentally challenged, rather they are healthy, active tennis players.’” um...” ”’ Publisher Peter Speck Managing Editor. Timothy Renshaw Associate Editor... .. Noel Wright Sales & Marketing Director Linda Stewart Compitrailer . Doug Foot North Shora News, tounded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph Ml of the Excise Tax Act, 1S published each Wednesday, Friday and Sundgay by North Snore Free Prets Ltd. and adistnbuted to every door on the Nurth Shore Class Mail Registration Number 3885 Subscuptions North and West Vancouver, $25 per year. Mailing raies avaliable on request Submissions are welcome but we cannot accept sesponsibihty for unsohcited maternal inctuding manuscripts and pictures which shoutd be accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope. Newsroom V7M' 2H4 sere of sixes or of colers. They come in aad they say ‘I want ... wml ... you know wkat I ceean ... ee wats a meer ae aT WC pair of beots?*’ North Vancouver youth worker, Kate Giffin on modem social valucs. Display Advertising S80-051T Disiréution 986-1337 Real Estate Advertising 905-6382 Classified Advertising $88-6222 Fax Subscriptions $66-1337 906-3227 985-2131 Administration 965-2131 MEMBER MIMDAY - WERMTERAY - FEneaY 1139 Lonsdale Avenue. North Varcouver, B.C. SDA DARSON 61,582 tavcrage Croutaion. Wednesiay. Fray & Sunday) Entire contents € 1992 North Shore Free Press Lid. All nghts reservert Reform hopeiul HERB GRUBEL didn’t take long last Tuesday evening to convince West Van-Howe Sound Refomnmers he can knock off incumbent Tory MP Mary Collins and carry the Reform Party banner to Ottawa for them. Noel Wright Scme 500 of the party faithful packed West Van senior second- ary to crown the 58-year-old German-born economics professor as their candidate in next year’s election —~ with a resounding 53% vote on the first ballot over the three other hopefuls combined. Unlike the latter — who mainly chewed over the Tory govern- ment’s boringly familiar sins — Grubel gave a clear, positive pres- entation of his proposals for mending the damage. . They might not work, of course, but many of the audience found them a refreshing change from merely bitching about the problem. Totally committed to the Reform philosophy and its high priest, Preston Manning, he backs the right of voters to fire MPs who Mout their wishes. He would slash spending on the bureaucra- cy, corporate welfare, unnecessary programs and politicians’ perks. And he wants social programs confined to those in real need. Grubel would slap down special interest groups; pay UI only to workers losing their jobs through no fault of their own; use the in- come tax system to recover a por- HERBERT GAUBEL... explain, professor. tion of medicare costs, enshrine property rights in the Constitut- ion; and admit immigrants primarily on the basis of merit and what they can do for Canada. First and last, he preaches the free market gospel of private enterprise with minimal govern- ment regulation. His top priority is the economic, and even social, role of the entrepreneur ~- to whom he would entrust both job creation and the clean-up of the environment. Heady stuff, conraining much common sense, But at the same time ignoring two delicate balanc- ing problems Manning and his team can’t escape, if or when they get their hands on the levers of wer. The history of polls and refer- endums invariably shows opinions in a democratic society sharply divided on almost any subject — often by ciose to a 50-50% split within a community or from one community or region to the next. Democracy is the exact opposite of unanimity. So what happens in a national party caucus where every MP pledges to obey his own constitu- ents — or what he thinks is the majerity of them — regardless of what the party brass or fellow HITHER AND YON MPs want? Agreed, the rigid discipline demanded by leaders of the old- line parties has proved disastrous. But without SOME party unity - directed from the top how does anything ever get agreed to — let alone DONE? The other highwire act is be- tween free enterprise and regula- tion —- the latter, of course, un- needed in a perfect world. But humans, alas, have still a long journey ahead before reaching that world. Dog-eat-dog commerce, en- vironmental rape and soaring crime in both ex-comraunist countries and the recessien-torn West are daily reminders of the darker side of ‘‘entrepreneuzship”’ — even regulated. So just how does government strike the balance between _ harnessing people’s God-given energy and creativity, while sup- pressing their Devil-given tempta-. tion to profit from those gifts by trampling the weak -— and the planet itself — underfoot? I’ve yet to hear any Reformer — answer these two questions. Maybe the guod professor can fi- naliy give us some help with them. SIGN-OFF: Christmas ahoy — the mandarins are here again! Santa Claus, kimono-ciad Tat- sumi dancers and trade dignita welcomed the first 132,340 nine- pound boxes of Japan's Yulstide “ taste-tinglers last Tuesday at : Vanterm dock — with 1.8 million’ more on the way in the next four: weeks. ... Business will boom Wednesday, Nov. 25, at the Ia- ternational Plaza as local mer- chants, manufacturers and sup- pliers profit from networking from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Nocth Van Chamber of Commenrce’s ~- “Business After Business’’ trade show — admission $3 for non- members includes hors d’oeuvre and no-host bar. ... Anda fun- - filled evening of relaxation awaits Tiddlycove business types at the : West Van Chamber’s Christmastide supper reception Monday, Nov. 30, at the Ambleside Inn — call 926-6614 soonest to reserve. WRIGHT OR WRONG: If you want eggs, put up with the cluck-*. ing hens and 2 crowing rooster.