Caennnnememeeerenn ee een A7 - Wednesday, December 10, 1980 - North Shore News mailbox Ee Vander Zalm’s figures misleading Dear Editor: I'm flattered that William N. Vander Zalm, the minister of municipal affairs in Victoria, should take time off to reply to a letter from me, critical of his transit policies, which appeared in the North Shore News. You take exception to certain of my statements, Bill, and suggest | do a “bit of homework” to get my facts straight. Fair enough. Let's do this homework together. Problem No. | — how much will ai light’ rapid transil system cost? 1 said it would cost “close to one bilhon dollars.” You say that the cost of the proposed Canadian system is “slightly under $300 million, in 1979 dollars” and that the cost of the proposed Ger- man system would be “shightly over $300 million, 1979 dollars.” Now, Bul, you know as well as I do that politicians, once in power, tend to undervalue costs of new projects. Take the Van- couver Trade and Con- vention Centre. You sold the idea to Vancouver City council on the basis that the total cost would be $25 million. And now, just two years later, what is the estimated cost? A whopping $84.9 million! Who's going to pay the additional costs? Nobody knows; that’s what all the fight is about in Vancouver right now. Now, you state a light rapid transit system will cost us only $300 million. But that is in 1979 dollars, Bill, and they haven't even Started to build it yet. The soonest a transit system can be completed is by 1986 and I doubt we'll have it by then. Given an inflation rate of Cutting rights not for sale Dear Editor: Why should a large forest company holding Tree Farm licences be allowed to sell their cutting rights on public owned lands for a_ large profit? That's exactly what happened when Rayonier Canada, (owned by In- ternational Telephone and Telegraph) recently sold its operations to a B.C. Forest " Products for $420 million. According to a report released recently dy Pemberton Securities. that deal involved $60 millon for plant and equipment. and $76 muilhon to cover the value of private timber holdings. The balance, $284 milhon, was payment for Rayonier’s cutting rights to 940,000 acres of crown lands granted by the B.C. public under tree farm licences. The granting of cutting rights on public forest lands is a pnvilege granted to private companies under the Forest Act. Why = should those companies be per- mitted to sell that privilege for huge windfall profits, as happened in this case? To permit this to continue ts scandalous. The current session of the Ban harmful products Dear Editor I would be interested to know why the public has to search through aisles to find all other products” while tobacco and cigarettes are placed right beside all cash registers in drugstores and supermarkets tn full sight The government doesn't allow many necessary medicines to be placed on display and these can only be obtained by doctor's prescription because of possible danger to health. Tobacco and cigarettes NOT TOO LATE FOR X-MAS PARTIES “Food cooked al yout table — Hot Wl asly ~ SAMURAI JAPANESE VILLAGE - Steak House (DINING LOUNGE) Qpen 7 days trom Som 63 Chesterfield Ave. NV 986-1155 {ane block from Seabus) have been proven as definite causes of hung cancer and other diseases and should not be sold in any drug store or grocery. In fact any drug store selling them = should have their licence cancelled M Winterford North Vancouver legislature should amend the Forest Act to require that forest licences revert to the crown when a company sells out or changes hands. Nor would it hurt if the provincial government were to initiate proceedings to recover the $284 million in windfall profits made by ITT. B.C.’s_ provincial treasury has much better uses for thal money than the ITT shareholders in the U.S. Maurice Rush, B.C. Provincial Leader Communist Party of Canada DINING LOUNGE aug 7 ae diy west vaNcouvers — TI WONG'S WOK, Gourmet Cantonese Cuisine al 926-7371 i = d Fro} r ORDER IN CHINESE over 10% a year and an escalation in building costs of close to 20% a year, what's going to happen to that $300 million’ dollar figure by 1986 or 1990? I really think that my figure of $1 billion will be wrong too; it'll be too low! Problem No. 2 — will pay for it? You modestly claim that the transit funding formula in place now will see “the province paying the lon’s share” and “is the best for local government in the whole country”. Okay, Bill, tell the people of B.C. exactly how much of the $300 million, or the $500 million or the $1 billion that your government will pay. Who Secondly, _ tell the people of B.C. exactly how much of the annual deficit of operating rapid transit you will pay, because it will be large, you can be sure of that. And then tell us frankly and honestly. Bill, what rapid transit is going to cost us as citizens, in the form of increased gasoline taxes, increased home taxes and increased surcharges on our electric bills. After you put your an- swers in writing and in practice, we'll be in a better position to pass judgment on your performance. If you come up with a good deal, you'll be given full credit. If not, you'll probably be given the boot. Anyway, Bill, as I said before, let’s see some action from your ministry on light rapid transit. Every year it is delayed adds tens of millions to the cost. And, while you're at it, Bill, include a rapid transit extension to the North Shore, as originally planned. It certainly is needed and, quite frankly, Bill, the people on the North Shore are fed up with your endless studies while traffic lie-ups are getting longer and longer. Ernie Crist North Vancouver The Original Leather Factory, for your shopping convenience December 7, 14 & 21 7 1649 Lonsdale Ave. ° 980-6813 | CUelou 1S SS — > > > ( ? ( hrristemas Grong, Christmas {f eating For gift giving or personal shopping. we have some exciting new arrivals of velours Skirts, Pants, Tops. im assortment of Colors and sizes 9.B Westlynn Mall North Vancouver 985-7615 202 Lansdowne Park Richmond A PLEASANT SURPRISE | for music students and faculty occurred at their December 2 concert at the Centennial Theatre. The orchestra played “Summer Suite” by Canadian composer Robert Fleming, and discovered that Fleming’s widow, Margaret, was in the audience. Margaret Fieming recently moved to North Vancouver and now that she’s met up with our music department, she will be giving some choral arrangements of Fleming's to the College Choir. More orchestral work by Robert Fleming is on the agenda for the Spring Music Festival. OUR RUGBY TEAM is raisiig money for a tour of England, Wales and France, and so far they have amassed $4,000 — not a pittance but only a traction of the cost of the trip. The team has just finished its seasan by winning the local Totem Conference championship, but since the rest of Canada is snowed under at this time of the year, they have no national playoffs to go to. They also won the Capilano Cup ~— the annual game between the College Blues ana the Capilano Rugby Ctub’s under 23 players. Our team will now join up with the Capilano Rugby Club for the rest of the year, keeping in shape for thelr European tour Oh, and talking of Europe, one of their fundraising activities is selling firewood tf you would like them to deliver a large cord of split alder at a bargain price, call the college at 986-1911, local 304 REGISTRATION DATES tor credit courses starting in January are as follows Mail ‘Registration ends December 12 Course Changes tor studants already registered will be January §.1-3pm in Person Registration January 6, 3- & pm and January 6, 1- 8pm Late Registration January 7 and & trom 2-7 pm AND CAP WEEK IS LEAVING the North Shore News forthe duration of the Chnstmas season — but we ll be Dack in evidence by the second week of January with more news and information Meanwhile to you and also to all our students who are just finishing their final exams Happy Holidays! CAPILANO COLLEGE 2055 Purcell Way North VANCOUVER Up the Hill trom the Coach House