——- MAIL Box——
Brief undermined
team’s victories

Dear Editor:

Your brief (March 12) report on the “elimination” of the
Carson Graham basketball wam in the second round of the
March 9 to 1] Provincial Jr. Boys tournament was inaccurate and
unfair to coach Gerry Van Samang.

The team was not eliminated after the unfortunate second
round game, but went on to play two more games and ended up
eighth in the 16-team tournament.

To achieve this level the team, which was undefeated in North
Shore league and playoff action and in Vancouver and District
playoffs, but never ranked in the Top 10 in the province prior to
the tournament, went 2-2, all games being played against teams
that were ranked in the Top 10 in the last pre-tournament poll.

Mr. Van Samang was not ejected from the game, although the
game was terminated prematurely. Some of the Carson players
reacted badly to a poorly officiated game, in which the team’s
leading scorer on the season was assessed four fouls in less than
10 minutes of playing time.

The player had participated in 42 games this year without
coming close to fouling out ofa game. It was not a physical game
and the number of fouls called was a reflection on the quality of
the officiating, rather than on the behavior of the player.

However, the failure of some of the team members to accept
the authority that an official has in a game, even a bad official,
did lead to the technical fouls, and the suspension of the game.
This is unfortunate, because it did take away somewhat from the
achievements of the exceptional group of athletes on this team.
Seven members of this team were also members of the team that
placed second in the provincial junior football tournament. No
other school in the province came close to this double-barreled
achievement.

Mr. Van Samang, who was an unpaid volunteer head coach of
the basketball team, and an assistant coach of the football team,
gave hundred of hours of his time supporting these boys in their
endeavours.

It would be unfortunate indeed if the last word on the
achievement of these boys, and the dedication of Mr. Van
Samang, was that contained in your misleading report on the
tournament.

Warren Standerwick
North Vancouver

Foreign fingers stir
international! unresi

Dear Editor:
. Re: “Lucky to live in
Canada,” (March 1 News).

I fully agree that Canada is a
unique. place to live in; it is the
land of freedom. But I disagree
with the Iranian gentleman’s
opinion that the small differ-
ences between groups, in many
countries, are leading to

“bloodshed. -

It is clear that he is hinting
at the developing countries
which have always been a tar-
get of the colonial super pow-
ers greed. ae

However, bloodshed in’
these countries is not caused by-

small differences but rather by
hidden dirty fingers that poi-
son’ and: misuse such differ-
ences.

which

control ‘these’ countries ‘is. by

feeding sectarian differences.

Hundreds of thousands of
Christians, Jews, Armenians
and Kurds have lived peaceful-
ly in these countries for
decades.

Bloodshed occurs only
when foreign dirty fingers stir
maliciously the existing differ-
ences in all various religions in
these countries, which are still
ruled by the power of religion,
unlike in the West where _ law is
the one lonely culing power.

A 65-year-old Canadian
Jady told me the other day that
she used to live in Quebec, but

she fled as a result of the vio-_

lence .of the °7Us° when
Quebecers resorted to violence
with the aim of separating from
Canada.

But do Quebecers really

“want to separate from Canada

or is it the same’ dirty fingers
poisoning and nususing the dif
ferences everywhere?

Hisham Boukhari

North Vancouver

‘Additions to Jensson’s
excellent tree articie

: Dear Editor:

The .Feb. 27 article writ-
by:-Roy Jonsson —
s better in for-
on” —- was

excellent. 0...
» = The tvo other facts I can
_add to this article that are
important to keep in mind

@ the very tall hemlocks are
susceptible.to wind, due to a
shaliow root system;

@ they are also quite often
affected by mistletoe, which

makes the tree limbs weak;
and thereby can cause loss to
lives and damage to houses.
In conclusion, his article
made a lor of sensz. -. ~”
~~ So when the time coines
to replace diseased and
therefore unsafe trees, we
now know that other

options where tree height is

safe are possible.

Thank you once again for
such an informative articie, -
G.G. Dax-Kuillak
North Vancouver

advertorial, March 15, 2500

SPENDING ESTIMATES

On February 2Sth the Liberal Govern-
ment tabled its spending estimates for
the budget year 2000/2001, and,
contrary to claims you may have heard
from the Minister of Finance, overall
spending /S going to increase, rising
from $151.56 billion jast year to $156.15
billion this year. It Is important to keep
in mind though that the numbers are
only estimates, and that the Minister
has actually exceeded his spending

- estimates in each of the fast three

years, by 2.86%, 6.6%, and 3.87%
respectively. ‘'e was saved from
running a deficit in each of those years
only by the rising tax revenues flowing
from booming previnces like Alberta
and Ontario.

BIG WINNERS

Of 110 departments and agencies listed
in the Estimates, 84 or 77% will see their
spending remain the same or increase. In
addition, 16 of the top 19 departments of
Government have been allocated
increases in their funding for, yes, you
guessed it, grants and contributions.
The scandals which surfaced following
audits of grants made by Human
Resources, CIDA, and Indian and Northern
Affairs, have done nothing to curb the
Liberal appetite for dispersing handouts
using your money.

Some of the more interesting
winners are as follows:

%* Minister Jane Stewart will get another
$222 million dollars for grants and
contributions at HRDC

* The Millennium Bureau will get $86
million this year, even though it already
blew away $146 million last year on
millennium celebrations, and despite
the fact that the Bureau assured
Parliament last year that no more than
$59 million would be required in
2000/2001. It is beginning to look as if
Mr Martin cannot bear io close down
the Bureau - maybe we will be stuck
with it for another thousand years!

* The Privy Council will get an increase
of $12 mition, including an extra
$700,000 for the Prime Minister's
Office, and an extra $700,000 for
Ministers’ offices.

%* National Arts Training, which includes
the National Circus School, and
receives its money from Sheila Copps
_at National Heritage, will get a total of
‘$10.7 million this year, up $3 million
from last year.

INCREASED GRANTS

As |} glanced through the Departmental
Estimates, | noticed how many
departments have received increases,
sometimes significant increases, in their
budgets for grants. In fact, cnly FOUR
dapartments are showing any decreased

spending on grants. Thess are: Treasury .

Board, down .37% to°.$23.7 million;
Fisheries and Oceans, down 36% to
$175.9 - million; one of the CGuebec
developmunt agencies (EDAC-Que), down
11% te $169.8 million; and the Ministry of
Transport, down 4% to $81.4 million. Keep
in mind, these numbers are not the total
budgets for the dspariments identified -
they represarit ONLY the GRANTS and
CONTRIBUTIONS porticis of those

As mentioned in past reports, virtually
every department of Government has
programs which invoive handing out your
money in the form of grants. Se, for your
consideration, here are some of the
estimates for the coming year. Again.
please remember that these numbers
represent ONLY grants and contributions:

Agriculture - $1.3 BILLION - up 67%

Canadian Heritage - $755 million - an
increase of more than 40% for Sheila
to spend, even though just last year
the Auditor General found her
department to be in complete disarray.

Citizenship/immigration - $387 million - up
18%

Environment - $$55.8 million - up 35%
Finance - $336 million - up 11%
Foreign Affairs --$330.3 million - up 6%
Health - $864.4 million - up 5%

indian Affairs - $4.1 BILLION - up 6%,
even though the Auditor Genera! also
found this department to be
disorganized, tacking direction, and
unable to show that benefits
consistent with its mandate are
resulting from its spending.

Industry - $1.6 BILLION- up approximately
15%

Justice - $318.5 million - up 7%

Natural Resources - $97.3 million - up
56%

Solicitor General - $60.5 million - up 1%
TRANSPARENCY NEEDED

After finding out that Minister Jans
Stewart would be receiving even more
money tor grants this year than last year,
Reform's Critic for HRDC, Diane Ablonczy,
put forward a motion in the HADC
Committee that, if passed, would bring
some transparency to the awarding and
tracking of grants by HRDC. Diane's
motion asked that the HRDC Committee
investigate the mismanagement and waste
of the public's money in order *...to satisfy
ourselves and thereby the House and
Canadians that HRDC Grants and
Contributions program spending meets
reasonable and prudent requirements
for safeguard end control, delivers
demonstrated and measurable value in
relation to public monies spent, and
meets high standards of transparency
and accountability”. .

To. nobody's surprise, the Liberal.

dominated Committee voted down Diane's
motion, and will now commence a "study"
of the HRADC grants situation without
having set any clear objectives for that
"study". As Diane said “It's as though
they (the Liberal Committea members)
don't want to be put in the position of
faving to arrive at any real conclusions
~ I'm not eure how they expect to
produce a report in the absence of any
clear objectives".

The bottom line? Don't axpect even a
one dollar reduction in the budget for this
year's grants by any of the departments of
the federal government, no matter how
many’ problems are uncovered by the
Auditor General. The money, after all, just
keeps on flowing into the Treasury, and the

= Dee Daniels is

back by popuiar
demand

The Capilana College
Performing Arts Theatre
presents intematianaily
renowned jazz performer,
Dee Daniels, in concert
on Saturday, March 18 ar
8 p.m. Performing with
Capilano College's pre-
mier jazz groups, Nite
Cap and "A" Band, Dee
will serve up an electrify-
ing mix of yospel blues
and soothing classic jazz.
For tickets and information,
call 990-7810.

» Eight menths

to a career in
health care

Looking for a career
where you can really
make a difference?
Capilano College's eight-
month, full-time Home
Support/Personal Care
Attendant program
prepares you for a career
helping people with
disabilities lead richer,
more independent lives.
Job prospects are excel-
Tent in group homes,
health care centres, pri-
vate homes, schools and
recreation centres. To
find out more, attend an
information meering on
Thursday, March 30 ac
6:30 p.m. in the Fir
duilding, room 204 or
call 984-4960.

> Patterns unfolding

An exhibition of work by
the Capilano College
Textile Arts department is
being held uneil April 2 at
the Seymour Art Gallery,
4360 Gallant Avenue,
North Vancouver. Pattems

Unfolding is an exhibition | *'

of tapestries, computer-
assisted jacquard weavings,
traditional Japanese shibori
used in new ways, as well as
traditional and contempo- |
rary surface design tech-
niques. A talk and slide _..:;
show will be offered on:
Friday, March 24 at 2 p.m.
at the gallery. . ‘

> Program .

information
meetings:
The Applied Infortaation’
Technology program is
hosting an information
meering on Saturday,’
March 18 at 10:30 a.m:
in the Arbutus building,
room 116, Joint informa
tion sessions will be held.
for the Asia Pacific :
Management | --"
Cooperative and the. : .
Latin American :

--Management programs 2
‘on Wednesday, March’ 22

at noon in the Cedar
building, room 347 and
at 7 p.m. in the Cedar:

‘building, room 225.;

Media program is of

an information meeting -
on Monday, March 20 at
7 pra: in the Library
building, room 145.°--:

CAPILANO.
COLLEGE