September 11, 1991 - North Shore News c ra A JOO [rs Geox “ 88 NEWS VIEWPOINT _ No party, please NVIRONMENTALISM’S double decade mark is upon us. Twenty years ago, many of today’s major eco-forces first banded tegether in an ef- fort to save the planet. The anniversary provides an occasion for retrospection and evaluation. Twenty years ago, Greenpeace, now the world’s largest environment group, laun- ched its first excursion. Aimest 20 years ago, the United Nations formed its En- vironment Programme in the wake of 1972’s international Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. And !ast year green crusaders marked the 29th anniver- sary of the first Earth Day. “‘Marked,’’ rather than ‘‘celebrated,’’ is generally the term used to describe such milestones. It’s difficult to celebrate when, over the past two decades, 200 million hectares of tree cover have been lost, as have thou- sands of plant and animal species and 480 billion tons of topsoi! — roughly equivalent to the amount on India’s cropland. There are positive changes, however. The elimination of tax credits that en- couraged forest clearing in Brazil has resuited in Amazon deforestation falling from eight million hectares in 1987 to three million hectares in 1989. And while there are a discouraging number of problems yet to be tackled, the increase in public awareness over the past 20 years means we may now be ready to utdertake meaningful action. Let’s hope 50. According to scientists, we don't have another 20 years to wait. LETTER OF THE DAY Bellevue needs crossing-light Avenue and then go back. onto Dear Editor: I am writing regarding the death of my father, Hugh C. McPhalen, as a result of a motor vehicle ac- cident on Bellevue Avenue in West Vancouver on Nov. 5, 1990. My father was crossing Bellevue Avenue in a marked crosswalk when he was struck by a car. He died approximately 2% hours later. I recently requested a copy of the coroner’s report and received it several days ago. My father died of multiple massive trauma — Publisher Managing Editor Associate Editor Advertising Director Comptroller Peter Speck Timothy Renshaw Noel Wright Linda Stewart Doug Font North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an multiple lacerations and abrasions to the face, arms, hands, legs and left hip; multiple fractures in- cluding cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, left hemipelvis, both lower legs, left ankle, left elbow, left clavicle and ribs bilat- erally. No charges were laid by the police and no recommendations were made by the coroner. : Apparently, there is a lot of speeding on Bellevue Avenue, and many motorists turn down off Marine Drive at the first signal light, then proceed along Bellevue Display Advertising 980-0511 Real Estate Advertising 985-6982 Newsroom 985-2131 100 VOCE 08 DIT AND HES? VANCOUVER incependent suburban newspaper and quatlied unde: Schedule 111, Paragrapn 11 of tne Excise Tax Act, ts published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by Narith Stare Free Press Lid and . Ww. y distnouted to every door on the North Shore Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885 est Vancouver, $25 per year. Mathng tales avaitabie on tequest Submissions are welcome but we cannot! accept responsibitity for uncdicited maternal including manuscripts and piciures which should be accompanied by a stamped, add:essec envelope. Subscriptions North and SUNDAY + WEDNESDAY - EMIDAY 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 Distribution Subscriptions Ciassitied Advertising 986-6222 Fax Administration Marine Drive after the last light. I am writing now to urge the residents of Bellevue Avenue and the ratepayers of West Vancouver to do everything possible to have the speed limit reduced and/or traffic lights installed in that area. There are many elderly people living in the area and their safety concerns me. We have 30 km. per hour zones for children, why can't we do the same for the elderly? Noreen S. Urquhart Powell River 986-1237 986-1337 985-3227 985-2131 MEMBER SDA DIVISION 61,582 (average citculation, Wednesday. Friday & Sunday) Entire contents €) 1991 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. referendums to mean ‘mob rule ‘“‘MOB RULE” is the knee-jerk reaction of Premier Rita Johnston’s critics to her two referendum questions for the upcoming election. Knee-jerking being, of course, easier than serious thinking. The questions to voters are: (1) Would you like to be abie {o fire your MLA? (2) Weuld you like to initiate referendums of your own — the result of which would be binding on the government? The answers to both will almost certainly be ‘tyes."" And why not — from voters disillusioned as never before with governments and politicians who pay no heed to them between elections? True, there are dangers in this kind of ‘direct democracy"’ unless it's carefully implemented. Nowa- days, well funded special-interest lobbies with skilled media manipulatcrs can sway public opinion on a scale out of ail pro- Portion to the group’s own membership. In theory, too, the ability of voters to recall MLAs and dictate policies at will could mean no government or politician ever dared to make a decision at all — the very job for which we elect them, But these dangers can easily be climinated once the government gets to writing the rules of its new “direct democracy’’ game -— the two most vital being the SIZE of petitions and the MONEY spent on them. A mere $,000-2,000 vuter signatures — 5% to 10% of a typ- ical riding — are not nearly enough to warrant firing an MLA or imposing a policy on the gov- ernment. A minimum should be 33%, but what’s wrong with the good old democratic 51%? A 10,000-name West Van-Garibaldi initiative, for example, would rightly leave no cabinet in any doubt that it had better appease the riding’s restless natives fast. And as with the election can- didaies, set a limit to petition campaign expenses. Require spon. sors to file with the Chief Elec- toral Officer all financial details of the campaign and its sources of funding. Enforcement would be simple — if the limit is exceeded, the petition may still be consid- ered but ceases to be binding on the government. In short, make petition orga- nizers work hard — within a budget that is fully disclosed — for their needed number of names. And then add such ob- vious checks as testing for phony signatures. Plus one more important feature: a government could henceforth be defeated ONLY on a money bills, thus freeing MLAs to obey their constituents, not the party, when voting on other legis- lations. Given those safeguards, Rita’s “direct democracy" could benefit everyone — except (wipe a tear!) our present four-year dictators. TAILPIECES: in the Ismaili tradition bride Salma Mitha's hands were beautifully painted with Hana (a henna-like color) to bring her good luck. Only daugh- ter to to North Van's Sadru and Gulshan Mitha, Toronto fashion writer Salma recently wed Mohammed (Moe) Somani, also of Toronto, at a ceremony in the Burnaby Ismaili Mosque and a civil ceremony in the Four Seasons — followed by a dinner dance for 300. The luck continues on a honeymoon te the Greek Islands ..- Brighten your walls with one of over 200 competition-level works by local artists at the North Van Arts Council rental exhibition 6-8 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, in Presentation House — monthly rentals average only $4 ... And tomorrow, with a happy Ruby Wedding anniversary to North Van’s Rolly and Stella Jo Dean — married Sept. 12, 1951. WRIGHT OR WRONG: Everyone Joves you for pulling a rabbit out of the hat — but they hate you fer letting 2 cat out of the bag! Photo submited LUCKY HANDS for a lucky bride... Satma Mitha with groom Mohanmmed Somani (see cclumn item).