6 - Wednesday, dantuurs 20, 1988 Bri North Shore News HOW GOOD A PROPHET former B.C. Liberal leader and North Van MLA Gordon Gibson is these days I don't know, But his arguments are always stimulating. This time he’s forecasting an early spring federal election and giving Brian Mulroney a good chance of victory, Since retiring from active poli- tics some eight years ago to devote himself to business, Gordon has written a regular column for the prestigious Financial Post. His lat- est shows Brian arising Phoenix- like from the ashes, if only he doesn’t wait too long. Gordon bases his rationale on the ‘‘what have you done for me lately?’’ syndrome. In other words, promises get votes, while achievements rate merely a yawn, Prime example: Churchill, whom the Brits threw out in favor of the socialists as soon as he'd won World War Two for them. At the moment Brian is doing quite nicely on promises. The free trade deal hasn't yet come unglued, as it well may once Congress gets its teeth into it this summer. Neither has Meech Lake, a high-sounding concept which could wind up a disaster for Caon- federation. The economic boom (at any rate in vote-rich Ontario and Quebec) has gone on for a long time and, though worries about a new recession are increas- ing, prospects still look fair for the first half of the year. So the Gibson thesis is that Brian simply can’t risk waiting for all these temporary pluses to fall apart at the seams from June on- ward. Especially with the Tories now creeping back up the polls, no new scandals for the moment, and both Liberals and NDP flounder- ing policy-wise: the latter, in par- ticular, on defence, ihe former on everything — with a leadership dilemma called John Turner thrown in. That's why Gordon is convinced He ners NEWS photo Tom Burley WATER MUSIC... Carson Grahum Band students serenade young swimmers af North Yan Ree Centre’s recent open house. Dave Dye (tube), Mike Ison (trumpet), David Murphy (trombone), Clement Wong (French horn). ver-riding need HE CITY of North Vancouver should be a pro- vincial riding all its own, with its own MLA and its own representation sion-making. in government deci- Surrounced by the District of North Vancouver, the city is by association thought to heve the same needs, wants and concerns as the district. While many of the municipalities’ interests do overlap, many do not — and without its own MLA, the city and its residents are being short-changed in ihe political marketplace. When the city and district are at odds over provincial matters such as transit funding, liquor policy or highways im- provements, the ares MLA is bound to represent the majority population, which is the district — and tke city suffers if iis interests are not the same as those of the district. With a population of 35,698 — just under the average riding population of 38,500 suggested in a recommendation by boundaries commissioner Thomas Fisher, who is examining the province’s electoral boundaries — the city has enough people to constitute a riding on its own. The city has unique facilities and crown corporations — such as Lions Gate Hospital, the SeaBus, the insurance Corporation of B.C. and BC Rail — giving it its own specific concerns, concerns that may be imaccurately represented under the present Set-up. A distinct community historically and economically, the city deseryes political recognition as such. Wher such @ large portion of voters is inequitably repre- sented, the powers that be should set the situation straight. INSIGHTS am to gambie on y spring vote? we'll be going to the polls in April or, itt the latest, May. fn politics timing is crucial and, afier the spr- ing, time will no longer be on the Tories’ side. SHARING THE FLAME: One of our North Shore News family, delivery boy Michael Pellatt, is an Olympic Torchbearer and will be running his proud lap Monday, Jan. 25, at kilometre 85.7. on Highway ] just outside Hope. But the real item is that his dad is also in the mammoth relay — which is believed to make them the only fa- ther-and-son Torchbearer team in the area. Dad Robert Pellatt of West Van runs this Sunday, Jan. 24, in the only West Van lap on the way up to Cleveland Dam for the 9:44 a.m. civic cermonies, Rob receives the torch at approximately 9 a.m. on the north end of the Lions Gate Bridge, carries it ta Marine and Capilano, and then a quarter of a mile up Capilano Road before handing it on. If you want to be sure of recognizing him, have a look at the artwork on display in Park Royal this week — done by Grade 11-12 Sentinel art: students for whom Rob modelled his track suit and a torch, Like father, like son... or maybe in his case like son, like fa- ther! POSTSCRIPTS: Sufferers in India from cataracts and other curate eye afflictions got a nice gift Jast weck from Maplewood Communi- ty School students. They oresented $1,000 fram bake sales and other fund-raising efforts to West Van's Evelyn Gullison, widow of Dr. Ben Publisher Managing Editor... . Barrett Fisher Noel Wright Advertising Director .Linda Stewart Associate Editor Gullison, for the Operation Eyesight centres which that dedicated couple established dur- ing their 37 years of sight-restoring work on the sub-continent ... Coordinator for the Feb, 8-22 Heart Foundation fund-raising campaign on the North Shore is Louise Dyer and she can use all the help she can get. Call her at 922- 0470 if you can spare a few hours to fight Canada’s No.t killer ... And yes, you guessed right — Honorary Campaign Chairman for the whole of B.C. is West Van's heart transplant wunderkind, 64- year-old artist Daniel Izzard... Busy, busy, busy is Cap College planning director Alan Smith, chairman of the North Shore Economic Development Commit- tee and a similar task force in Squamish working on an economic strategy for Howe Sound. Now, SHARING THE FLAME he’s also co-chairing the North Shore Cultural Policy Committee, set up by the three mayors to keep us all in line on the finer things of life as well Meanwhile, a Cold-Turkey-Week question to federal Health Minister Jake Epp: governments already provide free methadone for heroin addicts. So it you're really serious about mak- ing Canada 100 per cent non- smoking, how about helping ciga- rette junkies with free ‘Nicorettes’ — the prescription chewing gum to ease nicotine withdrawal that cost would-be quitters the equivalent of more than a pack a day? WRIGHT OR WRONG — Mon- taigne said it all: No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the mistake is to do it solemnly. © the fumily way ... Olympic Robert Peitatt of West Van (R) and son Michael. 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