6 — Wednesday, May 27, 1998 — North Shore News Welc ST in case you were under the impression thai clarity of thought was being brought to bear on the untry’s in:migration situation con- sider this .... The feds are set to import a crew of questionable international rogues that no other country with any sense is willing to import. But sense is not an abundant resource in Ottawa. Consider that in the so-called public immigration hearings staged earlier this year across the and representation from real public persons was kept to.a minimum. Getting the lion’s share of hearing time was a wide assortment of special interest groups and profession- al immigration industry axe-grinders. - Still, some revsonably sensibie rec- ommendations for changes to the cur- - rent ‘immigration process. were . put “together by immigration types. north shore news VIEWPOINT The good sense of such recommen- dations as requiring immigrants to have proficiency in at Jeast one of the country’s official languages was applauded by resident Canadians everywhere. A MarkTrend poll of 600 Lower Mainland residents released in May found that 75% of respondents born in Canada and 73% of immi- grants favored that recommendation. Still, federal immigration minister Lucienne Robillard has been noted backpedalfing on instituting such a common-sense change. Zittle wonder then that the country is considering importing four suspect- ed Iraqi spies, two Iranian defectors, a hijacker and two Syrian defectors, all of whom are currently being held in an Israeli jail. Welcome to Canada, land of magna- nimity and empty-headedness. “mailbox lean up our forests Fam writing this letter because I think that people treat the forest'as a dump. Ir should be treated as a park. I think that the forests are becoming dumps because on Jan. 21 on the Baden Powel! Trail, above Mountain Highway, I found three cars, “three microwaves and two washing machines. I think you can solve this problem.by giving out fines. If someone sces some- one lsc: dumping something, they should report it immedi- ately.to city hall. My idea for cleaning all of the junk up is for every sctiool ' to be assigned a section of a trail to keep clean. For example, ‘our school (Caulfcild elementary) could be Ssighed‘a section of this.trail-and on a certain week in the ng we could go up and clean it out. This could be com- . spr bined wich a science field ip. Shaun Cooke, age West Vancouver heritage hokum = ey . Ref the heritage’ homie controversy. ; :While'some designated homes are quite worthy, others with litte to commend them other than age have allowed the ~ ‘owner or develoyier, provided he upgrades the relic, to ger the single-family residence 20 ng changed to permit the building of a multiplicity of homes. *In one case two similar houses exist on what was d single- c ‘family designation but you can’t tell one from the other. an ‘Another on East Keith is so surrounded by tall trees you can’t ~ 'sée it .2..buc a’ second house has been built in what was the s back garden. "ET have.a suggestion: place a visible H i in Gothic letters on . every designated home. Mr Ellis is wrong when he asserts thac the issue affects everyone. It doesn’t ... except perhaps where ~, it opens the way for rezoning into greater building density or ‘g.ennches the owner, Most. of the rest of us couldn’t care Iess. “"R'Earnshaw - - * North Vancouver. ‘y, ? 4 a _ north shore dosh Shore Hews, founded in 1969 35 an independent suburban nraspapes and quakfied ” under Schedule 111, Paragraptt 171 of ane Excise Tax Act. is publiched each Wednesday. Friday and Sunday by North Snore Free Press, Ud and distnbuted $c every cour on the North ‘Store, Canada Post Canackan Pubbeabons Mad Sales Producd Agreement No. 0087238 Savbara Emo Oistribution Manager 986-1337 (124) Jonathan Bell Creative Services Manager 985-2131 (127) 61,582 (average cireutation. Weanesday Freday & Sunday) THE Lions Gate Bridge “solu- tion” is a textbook case of democracy’s limitations. You can’t have everything you want — especially if your neighbors elect a bum government. After five years, up to a dozen “third crossing” proposals submitted, and nearly $7 million blown on endless discussion forums, “stakcholder” panels, reviews and elapsed government “time frames,” Victoria finally announced irs” : decision last week: a $78 million facelift of the existing 60-year-old span to slight- ly widen its three lanes and render it more earthquake-proof. Should make the venerable old struc-_ ture good for another 30 years, says Highways Minister Harry Lali. End of debate. The sheer range of the proposals themselves from 1993 onward spelled trouble from the start. A bridge or a run- nel? Ifa bridge, should it replace the pre- sent Lions Gate span, be built alongside it, or built some distance from it? Whether bridge or tunnel, should it provide for a light rapid transit (LRT) link to the North Shore or be limited to vehicular traffic only? Cost estimates (in 1995 dollars) ranged from $200 million to more than $1 billion. By far the most imaginative plan — the Bentzen Tunnel devised by the inter- PETER SPECK 995-2181 (101) Tery Paters : Photography Manager 985-2131 (160) Douy Foot Comptrotiet 985-2131 (133) Classified Manager 986-6222 (202) Entire contents © 1997 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All nights reserved. nationally renowned engineer w ho built. the George Massey Tunnel, and offering six traffic lanes plus nwo LRT tracks — could have cost the public virtuaily noth- ing. The proposal called for building an artificial island o « - Brockton Point with - earth excavated from the seabed and selling it — to real estate develop- ers. “No way!” roared Vancouver City, exercis- _ing its democratic right. “So bye-bye cost-free Bentzen ‘Tunnel. Finally, cash-strapped Victoria — ¢ash- strapped through its own incompetence — announced anything costing more than a $70-80 million facelift of the present” bridge would mean tolls (maybe $2. a time) on a new crossing costing up to $400 million. - Aside from all else, this would obvi-. ously tend to overload the toll-free. Second Narrows Bridge, aircady operat- ing to capacity. So, “No tolls!” shricked all three North Shore municipalities — as _ was their democratic right. : Then there are the demographics (in fairness to any government, make that voter demographics) of the Lower Mainland area. Of all its major provincial , crossings, the Lions Gate Bridge has the | lowest daily vehicle total (67,000). By comparison, the Second Narrows handles 120,000. The Knight Street, Oak Street, Pattullo and Alex Fraser spans all carry a greater daily load than Lions Gate. The reason is simple. The area’s ongo- ing population. + drif is sout ward | 0 Richmond, Delta and, Surrey, and inc of Langley, Abbotsford and Missio any ¢arly-morning sadio listener knov one of the biggest rush-hour traffic jams... -is Highway One from south, of the F which explains why Victori ously examining the possibili two extra lanes to the Port’ Mann. Bri ge Like it or not, in this overall pictur the crossing, problems of the western: of the North Shore.are, as they say, pretty. small potatoes. Democracy'i is based n the rule of the majority. ° Provincially, the Lower Mainland. majority lics south ‘and east of us..So’ your lovely North Shore, ranch them, and you'll-get new. or improve traffic crossings. faster than if you ren’ Or else, stay put in your lovely:North Shore rancher and thank your, lucky tars for small mercies. When work is completed, by 2000; ou dear old Lions Gate Bridge will-at least have a smooth new surface, its three [an “will be quite a bit wider, and hopefully it _Will.be a tad more quake-proof. Best of all — given the gang : presently got in ¥i ictoria — it won't k cost you a cent! AY gaa’ ae -WISH HAPPY birthday: today, ay. to Mt.Seymour Lion Stan’ “Kryszkiewi . And many happy rerurns of Saturda May 30. to North Van (Woodcroft) * birthday girl Nancy Tarter. ; aa WRIGHT OR WRONG: Meetings often resembic Pa LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letlers must include vour name, | full address & telephone sumber. VIA 2-tait: trenshaw @ ditect.ca ‘ Managing Editor 985-2431 (176) Teixi Agrios Promotions Manager 985-2131 (218) Gall Sneigrove General Office Manager 988-2131 (105) internet- http:/fwwew.nsnews.com Display Advertising Reaf Estate Advertising . Classified Advertising “Newsroom | » pistributioa’ Disptay & Real Estate Fax: Nev:sroom Fax Classified, Accounting & Main Office Fax." Michaet Backer - News Editor 985-2131 (114) a Andrew McCredie - Sports/Community Editor _B85- 2131 (147) The-Horth Shore Hews is published by North Shore Free Press Ltd., Publisher Peter Speck, from 1139 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver, 8.C., V7M 2Kn4. ate waste soos metre es wee eseneere mes sere esate ert alee AEN sere ee ees oa ort Teepe ee eps te eg es