1139 Lonsdale Avenue .
North Vancouver, B.C. Ss ee aa Pay ; «pene aug TH Brg cee
VIM 2A \ ae oS Kearse

if you want to reduce fs
Rebutting |

just figure out a way
to tax it

photo radar .

response _

_Dear Editor: ‘
E, Alder’s. comments ‘in
his July 28. letter;.““Radar is’
another tax grab, ” “about:

ICBC premiums, tthe).
CounterAttack |” program,::
speed monitoring. cameras _
and the. drive to make select-
ed -intersections safe’
deserve responses. 2.3.

ICBC premiums, are ‘set:
according to the amount -of
money needed to pay. injury,

“and damage. claims incurred -}
‘by B.C. motorists every year.“

Unfortunately, the cost of“
these claims, has, more or::.
less, risen steadilycuntil, last
year,: it reached early $1 8
billion.

‘ Over ‘the long term, we. p-
work to break even.on opera-"*
tions to provide the people of

_ B.C. with. the. best. coverage
at the lowest cost:

We have bec: very. open:
about our- role in the current:
enhanced CounterA tack pro-,
> gram...

Our investment of $3 ‘mile
lion in voluntary overtime for,
police officers ‘and enhanced
alsohol breath-testing: equip-
mentis one that we hope will

vresultin upto $6, million in
claim cast savings, .:

It's” estimated® that ‘abo
18% of accidents. are due to:

", alcohol use — ‘costing us’ all
mere than $260. million’ last
year in claims alone.

L have-seen ono ¢videnc

“that the “typical | speeder", is
going a touch over’ the. Aimit

-onaclean, dry, semi- -deserted :
road, as Alder’ Suggests.’

Far fromtying up’ sc
‘police resources, the \use’o
‘speed monitoring cameras to
identify; chronic, specders:

- going weil over the. limit will:

‘help “free ‘officers « for’. other.,
law enforcement tasks. ©
Brian Geary © -">

: Media Relations Manage :

” PETE SPECK
“> Publisher’:
985-2131 (101)

“¢ Chris Johnson,
Opetations Manager“

Doug Foot ;
“, Comptroller

985-2131 a3) a5-2131 (166)

Tiactiy Renshara Unda Stewart -
<. Managing Editor “Sates & Marteting Director
985-2131 (116). 980-0511 (319) °

i: Display Manager. 2:2" See ate : ;
‘ceili 868-6 (zu) Kristen French and Leslie Mahatfy.
“He was sentenced to life.in prison and will
be eligible tor parole in under 25 years. He
“could be out of jail in half that time. He has
"already filed an appeal of his conviction...” °-:
‘His wife, Karla ‘Homolka, is serving a 12-
_ year. sentence, neg zotiated ‘in a. plea ‘bargain =
with the Crown, for her part in the gruesome
_ affair. The wreckag they and other murder-
ers leave in the lives’ of their victims’ families
is beyond estimation. And the consequences
they. face ‘for. their: actions © continue. to “fall:
__ ludicrously short,’ :
_ It has become the Canadian way: the inno-
“cent die and the guilty are spared. .. .
Canadians need to revisit the issue of capi- : ).
tal punishmeni. They need. to know that the.
country’s justice system can apply the most |
“serious consequences to the most serious .
- actions. ner ae do the criminals. :

HAUL BERNARDO mikes. convincing
argument for. something: capital” pun-
ishment.’

“1oyeare id Surrey girl recently abducted
from: her home, sexuatly assaulted and then’
pak tol "strangled witha bungee cord, fiseg
f “Thin! Agios
+; Promotions Manager * Photography Manager:
985-2131 | (218) 885-2131 (Tea. yE
ital | Panishment, "His Private "Member" $s
Motion‘ calling fora capital gunishment ref-
* erendum to be held with the next federal elec-
: tion will be debated on Sept. 20. ©
“it deserves more than: cursory ‘considera:
tion, because violent criminals are currently
rari .. getting away with murder in this country. © has,
° pisribution Manager” Production Manager «¢.) J. Bernardo; the sadistic sexual torturer, was:
988-1337 (124). 985-2131 (121): ee recently found guilty on nine charges, includ-
: : _dag two counts of first-degree murder in con-.
i mection with ‘the horrific deaths of teenagers

-. vole. No referendum, no vote fo
: him or her next time!
"For thosé who believe capital «
‘ punishment degrades society, fails EN
to deter, may kill the innocent, and;
. that the murderer's parents are real
ly.to blame, a referendum could

ars TIME for Canadians as 4
a whole — not our five-year
| dictators and their trained ©,
seals i in Ottawa — to decide
- about capital punishment.
"The long-simmering debate was

“would ¢ cast st genuinely personal i
votes, So there’s no guarantee the
end result would in any way reflect’
the overall will of the electorate.
That leaves. you ‘and me.
Obviously, the only satisfactory
solution is a NATIONAL REFER-

Distribition 060-1957
Diepiay 8 oni Estat Fax 985-1435
2 Rares \Wewar00m Fax 505-2104 :
‘Cinssitied, Accounting "
~ & Mala Office Fax 925-327,

te forth ‘Shore Hows, founded ‘i in 1969 as an”

independent suburban newspaper and qualified

under Schedule 111, Paragreph 11U of the

Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday,
Friday and Sundsy by North Shore Free Press
Lid, and distributed to every door on the North

whipped up to a near-boil two:
weeks ago with the conviction.of -
the sex-crazed monster Paul
Bernardo for double fi irst-degree
murder.

ENDUM at the earliest date.

: Consulting the people on capital
punishment for proven; premeditat-

ed murder is teday at least as’

urgent as Charlottetown was in °°

offer victory. -
By winning a mere 419% of the

* vote they could stop the return of
the execution chamber. #2:

PIE they couldn’t — if three or:

niore out of five voters demanded
that the Clifford Olsons and Paul
Bernardos should pay for their

* depraved atrocities in kind —
democracy would likewise have
spoken. .

1992. Asa safeguard against fatal=
miscarriages of justice, the question :
"might be worded thus:

Should first-degree murder con-.;
victions based on direct — as.
opposed to purely circnimstantial— :
evidence, and devoid of any extenu-— How else will we ever settle.
ating circumstances, be punishable such an explosive i issue? wt
by death? 4 Lo oo

., «As well, a decision this serious
demands more. than a slim 31%"
49% margin.’

“At least a 60% “yes” ‘majority

! would be desirable in order to be ”
binding on government.

How to get action?

.¢. Simply tell your MP repeatedly
‘— by phone, fax or letter —- to
“press the g government ‘for an early

; referendum if he/she wants your.

Since then the | gul- -wrenchitig”
abduction, rape and slaying of 10-
"year-old Melissa Deley in Surrey
“has raised public outrage to white.

* heat levels.
In many quarters that outrage is
demanding restoration of the death
= penalty for clearly proven cases of
planned or premeditated murder —
“especially of youngsters. :
Even before the two above.
cases, polls had shown 69% sup-
port for executing such bestial
’ killers. . we
: But forklift-loads of petitions
will have no effect. Nor will any.’
"change ever come about, of course,

“as aresult of government policy or. :
even of a'“‘free” vote in the pe
. Commons on the death penalty.

Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail.’
Sales Product, Agreement No. 0087238.
“1. Mailing rates  nailabl on request,

. -Any government proposing it
would risk ldsing 30-35% of the
. electorate on that single issue alone
> a sure recipe for defeat. The
‘alternative of a free vote by MPs i is”
also a non-starter.
On this emotion-laden question
_MPs' should be able to vote solely .
; according to their individual con-
sciences — deferring neither to
- cabinet policy nor to their con-
, Stituents’ wishes. Q
“But in practice some : WOULD
defer t to one or ‘the other. The rest .

“ OKTOBERFEST comes early to
West Van’s 1400-block’ Bellevue —
Saturday, Sept. 16,.1:a.m.to 5/055

“p.m. with bratwurst, beer ‘garden
and oompapa galore sponsored by:

. West Van Rotary. he

‘ WRIGHT, OR WRONG: Geniu
has limits; ‘stupidity has none. :

; PA ges

Entite contents =
© 1995 North Shore ~