6 - Friday, December 12, 1997 - North Shore News request by North Vancouver District councillors for a pay ike reveals that they need remedial lessons in democracy. The last time councillors tried to increase their compensation, the pub- lic basically went bananas. -On-the-street interviews and com- ments in council chambers gxaphically illustrated that the citi- zenry: didn’t think councillors deserved a 50% raise last December. Eventually, the hike fell at the feet of the high-decibel protests. The question of councillor pay was then referred to the mayor.. On Monday, information on the raise for councillors was tacked on to the council meeting agenda at the last minute, Keeping the details away from public scrutiny as long as possi- ble. Mayor Don Beil proposed a 32% hike for councillors. The raise would oo ‘ suet 7 THE North Shore News Free Speech Defence Fund is closing in on $150,000. * To-press time Thursday, donations from over 2,000 News. readers and free speech supporters te the fund stood at $144,616. Legal fees expended thus far by the News ‘have already exceeded $200,000. - “, All funds received will help defray the legal costs faced _ <4 by the News in its battle with the Human Rights . Tribunal over 2 complaint laid against the news- U paper and. its columnist. Doug Collins by the Canadian Jewish Congress. The hearing into the marter, which began on May 12, concluded on June 27. Pp The decision from tribunal chairman Nitya Iyer was handed down on Nov. 12. Full coverage of \, ¢ the decision appeared in. the Nov. 14 News, =: Tyer found that Collins’ column was not hateful, “but also ruled that, while the legislation under which the News was prosecuted infringes upon -~ the Charter’s guarantee of free expression, it was constitutionally valid. Extra copies of the News’ Free Speech Supplement, ‘which was originally published in the Aug. 20 News, are available at the News offices, * .Another excerpt from the thousands of respon- dents to the cause: o00 I have often been aware of the pressure brought to bear by vocal groups whose ‘rights’ superseded all others, but I never anticipated government laws to assist them. Fight the good fight for all of us, even those whose intellects are in abeyance.” . Donations to the fund can be sent to: 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, V7M 2H4. Cheques should be made out to the North Shore News Free Speech Defence .- Fund. — treashaw@direct.ca A north shore: — Christine Hunter of North Vancouver - 900 -north shore news VIEWPOINT Raise wrangie increase their pay from $19,810 to $26,145 and vault them into third in the GVRD’s councillor pay derby. The question of whether council- lors who haven’t received a pay raise since 1993 needs to be answered. But council is going about it wrongly. Ic’s up to their employers — the residents of North Van District — to decide if councillors deserve a raise and determine what that raise should be. It’s not solely up to the mayor or the councillors he works with. Council should strike a public committee that will make recommen- dations on wage levels. Council can then act, knowing the public has beer involved in setting the rate. However, councillors might not like what they hear. Last year a com- mittee deemed councillors’ pay to be appropriate. It’s time these slow learners caught on. We ARE WAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE IN MEETING our Road works in West Van wantin I’ve driven along western West Vancouver's Marine Drive on dark mornings — pet- tified with fear. And I’ve noticed that Fm not the only one inch- ing along as if on a sheet of ice. Which is the case. Black ice! What’s going on in Canada’s richest (oh, stop protesting, Markham, Ontario) municipality? frosty nights? of road fright, wasn’t returned. of school and Greater Vancouver - Regional District taxes, was $1,990. Right? of the roads. surface. Bend between the Lighthouse Park North Shore News. founded in 1959 as an independent suburban newspaper and quaidied under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Cousse Tax Act, 1S published each Wednesday. ae > . Friday ana Sunday by North Share Free Press. Lid and distnbuted to every door on the North ‘Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mait Sales Product Agreement fo 0087233 Maziing rates available on request. Distribution Manager 966-1337 (124) 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday. Friday & Sunday) PETER SPECK Publisher 985-2131 (101) Dee Dhaliwal h Resources 985-2131 (177) jerry Peters Photography Manager 985-2131 (160) Jonathan Be! Creative Services Manager « 905-2131 (127) IS this the price of tax restraint? That thought flashed through what passes for my mind several times lately as Are the town’s coffers so low that the works department isn’t sending out crews to salt and sand the roads in the dark of I don’t know, My protesting phone call last Saturday, after another morning What I do know is that the average 1997 West Vancouver tax bill, exclusive That was stratosphcrically above the second highest in the GVRD, Delta’s $1,280, and almost double Vancouver’s. Premium taxes. Premium services. Nor judging from the scary condition On Nov. 12 I left my plain board house in the 5400-block Marine at 7:15 a.m. and looked, skeptically, ar the road My skepticism was justified. At the Big Doug Foot Compiolier 985-2131 (133} Stephcasen Classified Manager 986-6222 (202) Entire contents © 1997 North Shore Free Press Ltd. Alt rights reserved. entrance and Tiddlycove Corner, my nwo- ton Buick gave an ominous slip sideways a foot or three. Always cool in moments of danger, I snapped it back to attention. And, in the next moment, I glanced at the rearview mirror. A pickup truck behind me was sliding off, off, off the road as if in slow motion. In the next split second it snapped off the pickets of a wooden fence like toothpicks. Then, out of sight, it obviously came to rest. I swung on to the apron of the Tiddlycove fire station. Stopped. Looked back. Anyone hurt? A large young man got out. More angry than injured. He swung a fist at his tilted truck, so hard it hurt the air. Taking no chances that there was no bleeding passenger with him, I sounded the horn to get the attention of our town firemen inside. Then I sprang out with all the agility of my 208 pounds and pro- ceeded to the fire statton daor. No bell. No sign of life. I knocked. No response. I know how excellent the Tiddlycove firemen are, and salute them with deep gratitude. Several times they’ve respond- ed to our house very quickly in the night to attend emergencies involving my aged and infirm in-laws. This implies no criti- cism of them — only of a lack of simple organization. There was no bell, no directions to, say, go to a rear door in case of an emer- gency. Ironic. A phone call from five miles away would have brought the fire- men out instantly, but an accident within 50 yards of their door was going unno- ticed. A hoot and a holler to the truck’s driver, by then striding toward the fire- hall, established that he was OK. When I: drove off he was at the firehall door. Knocking. Yes, I wrote a polite letter to couticil about the condition of the road — and, what with the postal strike, didn’t mail it. - And have added a more edgy postscript, because nothing has changed since. Scary. But anyone who writes for a living should be ultra-cautious about writing letters to government. As I can attest, indced confess, you’re almost sure to go over the top. I signed and sealed the let- ter. Didn’t send it. _ a This gentle prod will have to do. oo0 I've been trying to find space to wedge in an item following my picce last | month on the black showboats whose juvenile grandstanding is marring the Canadian Football League. I watched for this foolish stuff in the. Grey Cup game. And what a difference - between the modesty of Toronto's Mike Clemons, a truly fabulous (black) runner and certain Hall of Famer who actually . merits the sports writers’ nickname of” Pinball, and the hot dog who makes a zood play and then milks the customers‘ for tribute by rocking, rolling, jiving and waddling like a duck on steroids with . hemorrhoids. , ot — The North Shore News believes strongly in freedom of speech and the righ of all sides in a debate to be beurd. 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