on Dear Editor:
$ Re: Another Snowboardcr Dies.

Should there be a law against going our of
bounds complete with fines? Should there be a fee
for being rescued?

This is supposed to be a free country. People are
supposed to have the right to do what they want, so
long as they don’t harm anyone else.

That being said, then I have to ask myself, “Do {
have the right to do something that may result in my
being injured cr even killed?”

If I want to slap on a snowboard and shoot off a
cliff for the thrill of a lifetime, as long as I don’t put
anyone else ar risk doing it, then why not?

The more I think about it, I find myself leanin;
towards the European approach. They mark the cli
so you'll have advance warning of dangerous terrain.
If you want to proceed and ski off the cliffs, that’s
your business. If you want to ski around them, that’s
OK too.

The one thing I’m grappling with is the problem

.of being rescued. If a bunch of community-minded
people want to get together and form a volunteer

of animal abuse

Dear Editor: ;
Last. month my teenage
son appeared with an eight-
week-old.. _ shepherd-husky-
cross puppy. _
F most: parents have
» [had to explain to him
reasons wiy we- could |
“not: keep the ‘puppy and try
anid find a home for the ani-
mal: My. “employer, Pet
Habitat —‘Lynn Valley, as a
personal favor to me, allowed
me to display ‘the animal in
the store to find a home for it. :
J was not concerned with -
monetary gain but‘am af
believer’ that “people: will not:
look “after; an .animal: that. is’:
given to them free. So I put a:
price on the animal of $69.99.
..) Three: hours after I carried --
the ‘animal ‘into ‘the store’ we
were. visited: by.a representa-
“tive ‘of the' SPCA. 'They:‘had™-
received a: complaint that a
shepherd-husky - cross... had
: been in the store fora’ week in
a:small:- wire- floored cage. I
sold: the: animal. three . days

mal was kept in.

‘Humane Society

more humane.

before taking action
Dear Ec 7 with search and rescue, is

_ going to try to teach the ani-
mal to locate avalanche vic-

tims.

“On Wednesday, Feb. 19,
an article appeared in the
North Shore News naming
the store and voicing con-
cerns about the animal and
the poor conditions the ani-

I strongly advise North
Vancouver District Council to
. always investigate any allega-
tions made by the Vancouver
and North’
-Vancouver’s Voices for the
Animals. In future, careful
consideration should be given
to animal abuse claims put
forward by Ingrid Pollak.

_« Couns. - Pat: Munroe and
Glenys Deering-Robb should
visit the SPCA centre and the
pet store and make their own
conclusions as to which is

Pet Habitat has never,
never. had to. kill an animal
because we couldn’t find a

Risks and responsibility

search and rescue team and help the lost and injured,
I say “Great”. They are doing the public a service
and should be commended.

But they have no business saying that there
should be laws or regulations to prevent the so-
called “carnage.”

Are these guys now somehow responsible for the
backwoods and responsible for all the people in it? I
hope not! Because if they are, then they'll start
claiming de-facto ownership.

The search and rescue teams do a marvelous job,
and [’m grateful that they are out there providing
the services that they do. But they have volunteered
to do this and they forget that volunteering means
not getting paid for the time and effort you donate
to the cause. If they don’t like it, then they should-
n’t do it.

There’s also the even bigger question of respon-
sibility. Our local search and rescue team somehow
feels responsible for what goes on in the back-coun-
try and becomes very apologetic if someone dies.

But, why are they so defensive? Do they feel
responsible for these deaths?

Investigate claims | Net News cheers

Dear Editor:
reading the North Shore News on

usually not very helpful, piece

departmental gobbi

to the Federal Government,

effectiveness within our

I just want to tell you how much I enjoy
the MimiSsn@aol.com — An L.A.
Internet. I also enjoy reading the paper when

ted white, m.p.
PETITIONS

One of the tasks performed by MPs in
Ottewa, on a fairly regular basis, is the
presentation of petitions to Parilament.
Each sitting day, during a period called
Routine Proceedings, time Is set aside
for MPs to stand, state the number of
signatures on the petition(s) they have
received, and briefly explair: the subject of
the petition(s). The papers are then sent to
the Government for an official response,
which ususlly materializes within a couple
of weeks in the form of a standard, and

Most of us have signed petitions from time
to time, and have probably wandered what
happened to them after they reached their
intended “target”. This week | decided to
provide some information about petitions sent
their
partiamentary
system, and where they eventually end up.

They would be held responsible if they had own-
ership of the back-country and were able to exercise

control over the activities of the people in the area.
Bur they don’t. And they shouldn’t. I for one don’t
want search and rescue owning the back-country and
dictating what can and can’t be done there.

Have we come to expect too much from the
search and rescue Teams?

In my opinion, search and rescue should be a full-
time organization — perhaps a branch of the mili-
tary. It should be funded by public funds.

There should also be a fee for being rescued and
the public should be able to purchase insurance
against the cost of being rescucd.

If we collected an annual fee of $25 from every
back-country hiker, skier and snowboarder, that
would go a long way towards offsetting the cost of
the rescues. If you have the insurance, the rescue is
free. If you don’t, then you pay the full cost!

The back-country should remain a no-man’s-
land. If yau die back there, then too bad. Nobody
should be held responsible for your death but your-
self.

It all boils down to responsibility. I’m responsible
for what I do and you are responsible for what you
do. That’s where it should end.

Eric Waddell
eric@wzone.com

Tam in Vancouver. The weekly Internet ver-
sion Jets me keep up with the news that
sometimes my ‘Couver families forget co tell
me. When I am not there I feel that I am still
in touch with things happening there.
resident

but a Vancouver grandmother -

advertorial, February 26/97

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

When | receive a petition, | have no way of
knowing which person on the form was the
originator, or which signatories would tike to
watch it presented, and/or receive a copy of
the Government's response. As a result, all |
can do is asx my Ottawa assistant to call a
few of the people near the tops of the sheets
to let them know which day to tune into the
Parliamentary Channei and watch me rise in
tha House. | just have to hope that the people
of we select manage to spread the word that the
petition did indeed reach its final destination.

Now comes the sad part of this whole
exercise. Unfortunately,. the Government
pays little or no attention to petitions or their
contents, regardless of the number of names -
on those petitions. The reason offered for this
position is that there is no way of knowing if
the signatures are genuine, so there is no
need to take those signatures seriously. As

Wednesday, February 26, 1997 — North Shore News — 9

‘Cam Capilano
c= College

AT CAP

% International

}> Assistance Available

- > begins Mcxch 10. Call

> International
i Events ers

_.; , throughout the day on’. »

“the day's events is: .

+. Birch building. There:
“ be'a special funchtime~

1:30 p.m, in Cedar”

- Paterson ‘Annual ©

Volleyball
Tournament

On Friday, February 28,
Japan's National
Women’s Volleyball
team, which will
represent Japan at the
World Student Games
later this year, takes on
the UBC Thunderbird's
Women's team, which is
ranked second in Canada.
Capilano College
Sportsplex. Doors open at
6 p.m. Game starts at 7
p.m. Adults $7; seniors
and students $5; youths
(6-12) $3; children under
5. free. Special team rates
are available. Call John
Dowler at 984-4977.
Tickets can be purchased
in advance from the
Sportsplex.

for the Unemployed

Looking for a wage-
subsidy opportunity to fe!
prove yourself to Sy
ermployers? Need help .
opening doors in a tight
labour market? If you are
receiving Employment :
Insurance Benefits, or
have received Ef withi:
the last three years, this’
program can help you.
Financial assistance *
available to qualified _.
candidates. Next program

Terry at 984-1711 for:
more information. . :.-

Women's Day.

to artend numerous free:
College lectures on”
women's issues.-. 0:

March 6. A schedule of

available at community...
centres, public librariés: °
and on campus at the...”
reception desk in the

presentation by Pennile
Theatre Group, 12:30 1

building, room 148 and °°
the Mary Catherine)...

Lecture with Marcia |.”

__ after I brought it to the store. -home for it. I would like to mentioned above, the limit of action taken is Toms, discussing
“A cou le from Squamish se the SPCA statistics. THE PROCESS the delivery of a “form letter’ style of “Wartime and Women:

. robs to si ith ¢ dog Employee, Pet Habitat Petition to the Federal Government must the nett to ir pebal inthe periame then Partisans oes “ os
and the husband, who works Lynn Valley Centre be worded in a specific manner , soif you are ‘he petition gets stored in fe patlle sleet 1945," ar 7:30 p.m. in the
anna oe ever involved in designing a petition form, Vaults, along with other petitions dating Cedar building, room >

to the turn of the century. Tons of paper,
representing millions of hours of campaigning
and signature gathsring, for the most part
forgotten, and collecting dust on shelves in
the basement of the Parliament Building.

VALUELESS???7

check first with your MP’s office. The number
of signatures collected on each form is not
important, but the total number of signatures
presented at one time by an MP must be
minimum of 25, so collect at least that many
tefore mailiig the petition to your MP in

148. For more ..
information, cal
984-4953.

p> Take a Tuscany ~ a
ArtTour =

Ottawa. - Discover the romance of ;
There are no rules requiring an MP to Reform tried in 1994 to get the Tuscany with Kiff’s
present a petition to Parliament, and some Governmarg to agree to set aside one day Company of Artists

tonight at 7 p.m. in the
Edgemont Public Library
(3045 Highland Bivd.,
North Vancouver). Join _
Kiff Holland, Michael
Svob and Suzanne ~ :
Northcott to learn more _
about this enchanting art
appreciation tour from ,
October 3-18, 1997.

Light refreshments will be
served,

actually refuse to deal with patitions which
express opinions contrary to their party
position, or their personal beliefs. | have
personally never'refused to take a petition to -
the House based on its subject matter,
because | believe it to be my duty to present
every petition signed by constituents of North
Vancouver. However, | have declined to
submit those which contain signatures
entirely from some other Riding, because !
consider it as a courtesy to forward them on
to the MP for that area.

per monthfto debate a selection of the
largest petitions received by the House.
Unfortunately, the Government refused
our request, but even so, all of the offort
put into petitions Is not entirely valueless.
The very act of gathering signatures helps
focus public attention on an issue, which
in turn can attract media coverage,
forcing politicians to sit up and take
notice. In addition, MPs can use the
petition topics and signature numbers in
speeches and questions in Parliament, so

Before an MP can present a petition, it Ni
must first be sent to the Clerk for that pressure Is applied to the ee
certification as to the form and number of Government to do something, or not do
signatures. Once this has been done, itis something, as the case may be. Petitions 2055 Purcell Way
entirely up to the MP which day he or she do Indeed have a place in the scheme of beh A sitpiale sd

will rise in the House. thi

986-1911