10 - North Shore News — Wednesday, December 15, 1999

BEAUTIFY NO

Give your home that luxurious
touch for the holidays

Dimples Fashions
& Hone Decor

* Luxurious Bedding
° Window Coverings

* Girls’ Party Dresses GALL TODAY:

(604) 552-0435
See our gallery of dreams on the internet at:
www.3.teius.netvdimple

HELPING THE WORLD
weirs Now

cope
Selt-sufficiency through .
titeracy in the developing wortd
For information, call 1-800-661-2633

All above with writien SCAM, inspection
Feport, rotate tires, fluids, toad te

HEATING &
Check radiator,

MAIL BOx

lied hy NiP’s poverty views

Dear Editor:

Re: MP Ted White’s Dec. 1 advertorial in the North Shore
News, “An end to child poverty.”

Narrow-minded, short-sighted and careless leadership should
shock us all, but sadly, I guess we're all used to it. The attitude
towards poverty in Canada shown by White was disgraceful. I can
only hope that his comments were out of ignorance, otherwise,
they are dangerous. I'll give Mr. White the benefit of the doubr
and assume it is ignorance. Here is some information he might like
to think about. .

@ 40% of single mothers in Canada live on pay of less than $10 per
hour. .

Conservative estimates peg Canada’s homeless population at
around 206,000.

@ 80,000 Canadians use food banks each month.

@ Tens of thousands of children arrive at our public schools each
morning without being fed a breakfast.

These are real statistics of poverty!

I would like to see Mr. White live on less than $10 per hour
while raising two young children who require day-care services.

_ He may own a colour TV, a washer and a dryer, but he'll most like-

Befuddled by furore over election

ly be suffering from tremendous insecurity, frustration.and bouts
of depression. By any standard that has a heartbeat in it, he will be
impoverished.

Mr. White goes on to say that the low-income cut-off line is too
high. I’m sure that he and his radical right-wing friends would be
more comfortable with the market-basket measure of poverty that
would lower the national poverty rate in Canada from 18% so 12%. :,
However, much these big-hearted people want co show a lower *
poverty rate, just changing the numbers wiil not feed hungry chil- .
dren, house a homeless person or create a decent paying job for a “
single mom! For the seven-year-old boy whose mother cannot. ;
afford exura moncy for hotdog day or an ice-skating field trip at
school, he feels impoverished. The fact is we can waste more time °
arguing about the numbers or we can be responsible citizens in a
caring, compassionate democracy and take action. .

And by the.way, if Mr. White, my MP, told me he would “seek
to achieve” something on my behalf, I would take that as a com-.
mitment, just as many people living in poverty did when all MPs
voted to tackle the problem!

Dallas Collis .
North Vancouver

- Dear Editor:

I apologize for my
ignorance regarding all the
furcre over the North
Vancouver District elections,
but I just do not get it.

I am’ referring to the
recent discussions in the

. News regarding the

Concerned Citizens
Association (CCA), and
Trevor Lautens and Ernie
Crist’s recente epistles.

Wait, I need to go to my
brochures — voila! I found

. the card from the CCA, I am

obviously one of the house-
holds in the district that
received the brochure from
the CCA. But you know
what? It didn’t “sway” me
one way or another. :

When I “viewed” the
brochure, I) perused it like
miany voters and decided that

.it_was_information, as. were |

the many other brochures I
received. Like many of your
readers, I did my own
research and I also cast my
votes based on the perfor-
mance of incumbents and
the candidates from informa-
tion-gathering that I did on
my own.

I have free will and I.am
able to make a decision for
myself,

Like most of the 82,060"

eligible voters in the district,

IT pay taxes, watch the TV

broadcasts, attend council
meetings and am capable
enough to make a voting
decision on my own.

What is the problem. with
these people? 1 just do not

get it! It absolutely infuriates -

me the time that is wasted on
this business.
I absolutely and vehe-

mently ,, ceiect. Trevor

Lautens’ statement that “two flyers or. run -ads”. as th

solid councillors ... were
blindsided by the Masked
Men of municipal election-
twisting calling themselves
the ...CCA.”
* Baloney! : ;
1 live in a democratic and

wish. - - ; :
I hope the district coun:
cillors ‘who were elected will
ignore these “troublem:
ers” and just get:do
business and start

with the issues at hand!
free country where we are : Slt
allowed the “passing of (a)
hat, and (anyone) can print

Publicize successes

very sad, not because it lacks competent research but because

not balance the unfortunate aspects. of mental illness

hape and success achieved by individuals with stable accommoda-

Tam fding the groan sattacoon in particpenng the Proven
am findi ¢ greatest satisfction in participating in isi

of decent housing and support for this often Trisuederstocd

Valerie Verechueren ¢ © 8

North Vancouver >. ae

Your look is your signature, And nothing can

express it beiter than a sturining timnepiece

from the Elegance Signature collection. This collection of watches :
~ was created by Citizen with individuality in mind. With sleek,
tailored bracelet designs, polished deployment buckles and

Water-resistant cies, this is the latest

or

interpretation of affordable hucury