IT’S A microcosm. Some would say it’s the local angle. We're fancier here. {call it a microcosm. There are’some mad-making examples right here on the North Shore of the what-the-hell spend- ing of taxpayers’ money that _ Finance Minister Paul Martin will — or will not — face up to when he brings down his federal budget next week, They're samples of the casual’ _ waste of public funds that’s - endemic in government circles at “all Tevels.. * . "My blood pressure, normally at the placid level of a tortoise, shot os high when I read of the scan- dalously sloppy spending at North’ : Vancouver’ s Capilano College. It’s a glaring example of what 4 goes on right under the noses of boards 'that are supposed to scruti- nize administrators. -To her credit, Cap College board chairman Robin Wilson has : been pretty up-front since provin- cial auditors checked the books and found numerous abuses. . They were attributed to lack of ‘ policy rather than wrongdoing ~~ 'Le., something that could lead to criminal charges. a ; . But it wasn’t the board that let the watchdogs off the leashes, It was atip.. -.’ It must have been a fairly well ”* substantiated tip.. Because the fis- cai snoopers sniffed out various Poter Speck Publisher 985-2131 (101). - Comptroller 1139 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver B.C. . 7M 2+l4- North Shore Managed garden of biases misuses of Cap College funds and concluded that the allegations were “substantially correct.” Now Robin Wilson has con- _ firmed to North Shore News | reporter Anna Marie D’ Angelo that college president Doug Jardine stayed at West ” Vancouver's Park Royal Hote} — ’ how many times remains undis- closed, or, perhaps because of breezy bookkeeping, undiscover- able — on occasions when college business kept him from returning home. Which is a ferry-ride away from the college. In Gibsons, on ’- the Sunshine Coast. That arrangement was written into his contract. So Jardine’s expense claims for . Staying at the hotel appear to be perfectly legit. Still, as just a lousy ordinary taxpayer, I would question why Chris Johnson Operations Manager 985-2131 (141) HE COURT business is our business. Not just the business of the North Shore News, it should be the business of any- one concerned with ensuring that Canada’s justice system remains open and just, On Tuesday, the North Shore News was successful in overturning a publication ban in connection with a local trial involving sex- related charges. The original ban, requested by the tocal Crown presecutor’s office, was extended from the usual ban on publishing the complainant’s name to banning the pubii- | cation of the accused’s name. In short, no names, no publicity, no oppor- tunity for the public through media outlets to see that justice is being done. And justice must be seen — whether in person or via media reports — to be done. In cases involving sex-related charges in which accused and complainant are related the names of both are traditionally covered by publication bans to protect the identity of complainants. Fair enough. But in the case contested by the News, the newspaper argued that publication. of ‘the accused’s name would not necessarily reveal. the identity of the complainant’s narne and was therefore inappropriate. , Crown counsel relented under the chal. lenge, agreeing that the original ban was broader than it needed to be. =. The issue is one of free expression, an issue upon which we cannot afford to be anything but vigilant. Court cases can be unpleasant; they can be tragic; and they can be disturbing. But they must receive continual public scrutiny or we will not longer have an open justice system and democracy will suffer a serious blow. . the hell the president of a college living such an awkward distance ‘away didn't sensibly move a Sot nearer to the institution he was serving. And thus obviate overnight hotel stays —- paid for by taxpayers. That's been going on for nine years. The auditors found other stuff besides. Like interest-free loans for employees. Staff parties. Undocumented expense accounts. Meanwhile, at another level of ° the bloated education industry, four top administrators for North Vancouver School District — one of them moving on to another job with Richmond district — collect- ed a coot $300,000 total for unused sick days saved up over a period of 20 months. Whhhhaaaat! ~ This grab is also available for teachers, not just administrators, in four of British Columbia's 75 school districts. Retiring teachers in Coquitlam, for example, get a month’s pay for every 75 unused sick days, of which 15 paid days are allowed per year. Incidentally, 1 can hardly be prejudiced about this. My wife’s a teacher. My No. | sonis a University of Toronto professor. And no, I don’t at all subscribe to the notion that teachers have it soft. My. children’s teachers are superb, and I’m not lathering them up so that they’ll give my little ones ‘an extra pat on their. Timothy Ronshaw Managing Editor 985-2131 (116) Linda Stewart Sales & Marketing Director 980-0571 (319) report cards. The education establishment's administration, though, is some- thing else. The News recently reported salary increases of around 10%, handsome these days, for several West Van board top officials. No doubt they are good citi- zens and all that. It's the bureau- cratic system that’s at fault, flour- ishing without the harsh discipline of the market place. And, of course, the ho-hum attitude toward public money applies to all governments. . ‘The shameless socialists of Victoria are spending millions of our dollars, some of it in New: +. York, to shine their pre-election image. Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada have insane job guarantees. They can sit at home and collect salaries indefi- nitely if their jobs are eliminated and they aren’t given a “reason- able job offer” within 16 kilome- tres of home. They're angrily resisting proposed changes. Now, what would you guess: When he releases his budget next ' week, with a federal debt of around $540 billion and a slump- ing Canadian credit rating hang- ing over him, will Finance Minister Martin ruthlessly go after this bureaucratic fat like a butcher after a pig? Or will he, dear reader, £0 after what he perceives as your fat? Peter Kvamstrom Display Manager Welfare editorial not fair Dear Editor: Re: News Viewpoint — ‘"Welfare Unfair.” Feb. 15. I found this piece to be very insulting and narrow-minded, as well as perpetuating the worst myths about welfare _ recipients, The large . majority are decent, motivated people who for many different: reasons’ | have found themselves without. work. : The “‘one in’ 10" figure i isa. sign of the incredibly tough (and small) job market and the. ’ economic times we live in, not: because they’re’ bored with: “slugging it out.”:1 think. “very. ‘few. people enjoy being on it. Yr know I don’t. The comment “nothing inspires job ‘search efforts” faster than a cold shot of fiscal . reality” | is ludicrous, and betrays the writer’s ignorance to. the reality. of life : today (never mind making Doug: |: Collins look. ‘like. Mother Teresa). Ses we Michael McQuarrie _ , North Vancouver Valorie Stephenson. Trixi Agrios. Classified Manager Promotions Manager 985-2134 (133) North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Lid. and distributed to every door on the North Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mait Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238, Mailing fates available on request. Submissions are welcome but we cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited material including manuscripts and . pictures, which should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Administration Display Advertising Real Estate Advertising Classified Advertising Newsroom : Newsroom Voice Mail Distribution Display & Real Estate Fax Newsroom Fax . Classified, Accounting & , Main Office Fax 980-0511 (103) 986-6222 (202) MEMBER SDA DIVISION 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) Entire contents © 1995 North Shore Free Press Ltd. 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