. 6 - Friday, October 27, 1989 - North Shore News INSIGHTS ‘Not a cent more until you tighten your belt!’ THE ANGRY REJECTION by.80 per cent of Canadians and all 10 provinces of Michael Wilson's planned nine per cent Goods and Services Tax got fresh impetus this week from the Auditor-General’s annual report. Kenneth Dye, the West Van ac- countant appointed as Parlia- ment’s watchdog on federal spend- ing, had no good news for the em- battled finance minister. Beyond noting briefly that things weren’t quite as awful as in some earlier years, he again exposed a litany of taxpayers’ dollars wasted and squandered through inefficiency and irresponsibility. Highlights include a huge $350 million tax loophole being ex- ploited by. manufacturers and ig- per cent among the annual $10 billion in deals by Supplies and Services. About $135 million a year in UIC overpayments. Social services costing $5 billion with no firm proof that they’re helping the needy. Five too many Coast Guard icebreakers. $45 million overspent on telecommunications. And so it goes on. With arrogance, too. Ministers and their appendages fly around the world all the time but refuse to provide the auditor with details to the spendthrift Mulroneyites: “Not a cent more in new taxation until you tighten YOUR belt!” eee TAILPIECES: Older drivers who, for a modest $25, are not above updating their skills at the wheel may welcome ‘‘Fifty-Five Alive/ Mature Driving,’' a Canadian Safety Council refresher course at West Van Seniors Centre, 695-2 1st St., on Oct. 31 and Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to noon — call 926-4375 pro- nto to register... Meanwhile, seniors resident in Evergreen Lodge, the extended care facility of Lions Gate Hospital, now have three additional and much appre- ciated wheelchairs to get around in, thanks to a donation this month by the good guys at West Van Legion Branch 60... High on promoting freedom of the press, the Kiwanis Club of Capilano- West Yan hosted a special guest during National Newspaper Week this month — none other than the man who signs Doug Collins’ pay cheques, News publisher Peter Speck... And a special anniversary greeting to West Van's Jim and Irene Hart — celebrating their “Ruby’’ 40th tomorrow, Oct. 28. ett WRIGHT OR WRONG: Most of us would gladly pay as we go — if only we could catch up on where we've been, needed to judge the value of their junkets to taxpayers. Add to Mr. Dye’s latest list all the other regularly documented follies and extravagances by your elected masters — from $9 billion in handouts to ‘‘free enterprise”’ corporations and $3 billion to Third World basket cases down to that $619,000 to promote banana-growing on the French Riviera and $13,500 to study the social value of lawn ornaments. Such figures lie at the root of the nationwide outrage today over the GST. Annual! federal spending from 1988 to 1990 will be up from $133 billion to $149 billion — with the 1988 deficit of $28.9 billion shav- ed, over three years, only to $28 billion. Whar Ottawa seems unable to grasp is that taxpayers will no longer accept pious sermons about tightening their belts to foot the bill for its lavish misuse of their money. Canadians — who already work six months of the year without pay for the three levels of government — are now saying loud and clear nored by Ottawa. A cumbersome and outdated contract system — resulting in cost overruns up to 200 wet f GIFT OF MOBILITY...(left)} Legion Branch 60 president Jean Coull and veepee Dick Lyle present cheque to Evergreen Lodge therapist Margaret Cluff for three new wheelchairs — occupied (right to left) by Kenneth KENNETH Dye ...squandered tax Linton, Pearl Smith and Ethei MacKenzie. bucks. Care crisis HE FUTURE quality of North Vancouver District child-care facilities is very much in the hands of present municipal officials and citi- zenry. That quality will be a reflection of the input from the municipality’s residents made this year and the subsequent decisions made by district council to relieve the current child-care squeeze in the district. North Vancouver District’s social planning depart- ment will be sending out a survey this weekend, seek- ing resident inpué on the state of child care in their community. In addition, the district will be organizing two child-care forums in the next two months: Nov. 30 at Seycove School and Dec. 5 at Delbrook Community Centre. And while neither input to the child-care survey nor attendance at either Gi the two forums is mandatery from a personal point of view, it should be from a community point of view. An increase in student populations in North Van- couver School District 44 has forced the removal of child-care facilities from district schools. And thus far, alternative sites for those facilities are extremely limited. So, while one in every four district children of child-care age is currently enrolled in child care, 240 child-care spaces in the district are faced with closure. All! facilities that remain open are full and all have waiting lists. The situation is unsatisfactory for children, parents and the community. Investing in quality child care now will pay off in healthy community dividends in the future. 980-0511 986-6222 985-2131 986-1337 986-1337 985-3227 Display Advertising Ciassitied Advertising Newsroom Distribution Subscriptions Publisher .. Peter Speck Managing Editor... 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