6 ~ Sunday, April 1, 19°0 - North Shore News Siegal Race tensions due | ACCORD ; IME SS Needle point made Vancouver introduced Canada’s first needle exchange program in an at- tempt to stop the spread of AIDS among intravenous drug users. And the experiment appears to be working. Critics of the program, in which users exchange used needles for new ones, charged that it would be abused by ad- dicts. Others said it was a waste of tax- payers’ money. But the program’s suc- cess thus far has largely proved those naysayers wrong. According to the Vancouver Health Department, 10 times as many users — 2,600 peopie — have taken part in the program in its first year as were original- ly estimated. And the Vancouver centre said it reclaims on average about 98 per cent of its needles. |= BEEN just over a year since The program costs $100,000, but the potential savings in medical costs — it costs $100,000 to treat just one HIV pos- itive person — are incalculable. To date, about 7,000 of this country’s 100,000 intravenous drug users are in- fected with the AIDS virus. Needle shar- ing poses by far the greatest AIDS risk to the heterosexual population. Earlier this week a group of health professionals met in Montreal to discuss the possibility of opening at least eight exchange centres across the country. Although intravenous drug use may be less widespread on the North Shore than in other major cities, establishing a cen- tre here would be ome way of educating addicts to the risks associated with needle sharing. And it could, in the long term, avert scores of preventable deaths. “If we cut them out, most of our complimentary letters to the municipality would dry up.’’ West Vancouver District Mayor Don Lanskail, responding ¢3 criti- cism over expenditures of $10,000 for hanging baskets in the district. “We are suggesting that PJ (Pauline Johnson school) is not the safest building for children.’’ West Vancouver School District 45 superintendent Doug Player, outlining plans to overhaul schools in the district. “I think some of them are out and out liars, but it doesn’t sur- prise me that they see we have some hidden agenda no matter what we give them.” North Vancouver District Ald. Subscriptions Narth and West Vancouver, $2! Mauing rates avartable on tequest Su! envelope suburban newspaper and gualited unger Scneduie 111, Paragraph Ul of the Excise Tas Act, 1s published each Wednesday. Friday and Sunday py North Shore Free Press Lid and destrbuted to every door on the North Shore Second Class Matt Registration Number 3885 welcome dul we cannot accept responsipiity for unsolicied maternal mciuding manuscupts and pictures s which should be acrompaned by a stamped addressed “NEWS QUOTES OF THE WEEK”? Rick Buchols responding to ac- cusations from Save the Lynn Canyon Park Association that the district is guided by an unwritten policy to develop all available lands within the municipality. “‘Now we happened to have sur- vived through the lean years and happen to be here when the en- vironment is a very trendy subject and we have to take criticism for that — it doesn’t make much sense. Finally we’ve got a receptive market place.”’ Rupert Wutschnik, manager of North Shore-based NPS Wastewater Systems Ltd., com- menting on criticism leveled at companies involved in the recent Globe '90 conference from en- vironmentalists. Publisher Peter Speck — feeseechaemutnanaarsrvarconsen Display Advertisin 980-0511 = > $ = Managing Editor Timothy Renshaw [res ou eg) Classitied Advertising 986-6222 Associate Editor Noel Wright = Bassoon oon aaa? Advertising Director Linda Stewart [liiaiineastihediedy mall Sunscriptions 86-1337 North Shore News, founded :n 1969 as an indepencent Fax 9935-3227 1139 Lonsdale Avenue. North Vancouver. B.C. V7M 2H4 59,170 (average. Wednesday Friday & Sunday) SDA DIVISION North Shore owned and managed “A few years ago they (Shaw Cable) said they were going to put the show on a reguiar format. I said: ‘Put it on any kind of a mat you like’, those were fancy words to me.” ‘Uncle’ Len Golder, recalling his adventures from his 15 years as an SPCA inspector and reflecting on his job as host of Shaw Cabie 4's That Dog and Cat Show. “f live in North Vancouver up by Grouse Mountain and I justi love the North Shore. F think it’s the most wonderful place in the world.’’ Dr. Brian O'Connor, the North Shore’s chief medical health of- ficer, commenting on life on the North Shore. MEMBER ——————— sm. & tee Nemes A bmeme Entire contents © 1990 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. i to mannerless few VERBAL BRAWLS OVER “RACISM” produce more hot air and deep-frozen logic than any other topic. But why make everything so complicated? Surely all we’re really talking about is individual) behavior. As in this imaginary scenario... uae The man, woman and six kids from somewhere well to the west of Hawaii knock on your door. *“‘We want to live in your home,”’ they announce via an interpreter,’ because it looks very comforta- ble.” Being a well-mannered Cana- dian, you say ‘Sure’? and take them in, even though things become a bit crowded. Next day they tell you they’ve got to learn English in order to earn money, so you must pay for ESL classes for them all. If this logic puzzles you for a moment, they insinuate that you and your neighbors are to blame for not knowing THEIR language. After quickly mastering the two key English words, the man applies for a job he’s never done before. It goes to a white neighbor of yours who’s done a similar job for years. The man returns and stands on your front lawn screaming ‘‘racist discrimination.”’ {n school, meanwhile, the kids find lots like themselves. So they form a gang — as they used to do back wherever — and beat up anyone they don’t like. In par- ticular, they don’t like white kids because they can’t talk to them. Then the woman informs you that four grandparents will be moving into your home as well — because there’s no way you can split wp a family, can you? ‘‘Sure not,”’ you say, being a well-man- nered Canadian. You buy a sofa bed and retreat into the basement. Finally, the man — who enjoys pushing folk around — learns enough Engtish to qualify for a job with the Mounties. But he insists that they must let him wear his turban with the uniform. “‘No problem,’’ say the Moun- ties, being well-mannered Cana- dians. ‘‘We’re already working on pigtails, skullcaps and feather headbands!”’ tee Obviously, this little fantasy about Canada in NO way fits the 95 per cent of polite, industrious and often talented non-Caucasian immigrants who work hard to assimilate into the new homeland they’ve chosen in order to better their lives. But it DOES fit the headline- grabbing five per cent who reguiar- ly mess up race relations for the 95 per cent and ail the rest of us. A tiny, all too visible minority of arrogant offshore jerks pampered by politicians who'd turn their own mother out on the street for a couple of votes — they come heve eager to grab everything that Canada HAS, while trampling on everything that Canada IS. Call me “‘racist’’ for wanting them to learn a few basic manners that are appreciated in their home and I'll haul you before the Human Rights Commission! ae WRAP-UP: So now they tell us...! Seems that 1-900 GST protest number given in Wednesday's col- umn won’t be in service before April 7 — stay tuned... Canadian Chamber of Commerce president Timothy Reid, spokesman for 170,000 businesses nationwide, addresses North Vancouver Chamber members over bacon and scrambled at 7:30 a.m. Wednes- day, April 4, in Cheers Restau- rant... West Vaa High Class of ’60 holds its 30th reunion bash May 25-26. if you qualify for the fun, call Sue, 922-3080 pronto for details... And happy birthday to- day, April ! (no fooling!) to North Van’s Cari Busby. tae WRIGHT OR WRONG: True, nine out of 10 people improve on acquaintance — but urfortunately not all of them enough. NEWS photo Mike Wakefield HANDING OVER THE KEY at Hillside Baptist Church's recent dedica- tion service....(left to right) past and present church board chairmen Dave Sutherland and Mark Chase, building chairman Wayne Biggers, project manager George Warkentin.