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A6 -Sunday News, September 21, 1980

editorial page

Group-think votes

North Vancouver City council has done
the right thing in reaffirming its opposition to
the new provincial law entitling business
tenants to vote where they rent in municipal
elections — though it’s a pity the city fathers
were not more united on the issue.

The reason for the basic democratic
principle of “one man, one vote” is simple.
The people to decide who runs a community,
and how, are its full-time residents (whether
property-owners or tenants), because it's
they who have to live with the results.

The new law is bad because it negates this
basic principle. It opens the door to the “who
and how” decision being significantly in-
fluenced by a special interest group, many of
whose members are merely nine-to-five
workday “residents” located there for a
specific commercial purpose. Such business
tenants frequently tend to be development-
oriented and they can hardly be expected to
make the community’s overall quality of life
their primary concern.

This implies no criticism of the business
fraternity. But the hundreds or even
thousands of extra votes they will add to
municipal electoral rolls obviously have the
potential for distorting genuine community
choices of council representatives and
platforms.

Moreover, why limit the process to just
one special interest group? Why not also
enfranchise non-resident employees of those
businesses, for example? Why not enfran-
chise churches, service organizations or
trade union locals operating within the muni-
cipality as corporate voters?

Did someone say “absurd”? We agree.
That’s why Victoria's group-think voting law
be repealed forthwith.

Golden work years

For hale and hearty 65-year-olds, secretly
wondering how on earth they're going to fill
in time during their retirement years,
emigration to China may be the answer.

China's head of state, Marshal Ye

Jianying, recently offered to resign because
of his advanced age. His offer was refused.
He Is, after all, only 84.

‘sunday

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north shore

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CHRISTIAN COMMENT

God IS a person, Your Honor!

By REV. DOUGLAS
KNOLL
The faith of many

Christians was certainly in
question recently when the
B.C. Court of Appeal
declared that God is not a
person.

This profound statement
was made by two appeal
court judges in the case of
Morris Davie who had been
acquitted of charges in-
volving setting a forest fire,
when the court ruled 2-1 that
Mr. Davie’s prayer was not a
privileged communication.

As a minister of the
gospel, it comcerns me
considerably when our

modern courts make earth-
shaking decisions like this
which tear away at the very
fibre of our Christian
heritage. Our free world and
democratic society was
established on the principle
that each of us is an in-
dividual under God who is a
person. In fact our
forefathers came to this
country to worship this
personal God in religious

“COURAGE is rightly
accounted as the supreme
virtue,” said that supreme
Conservative Winston
Churchill, “because it is the
one virtue that guarantees
all others.”

Martin Dayton of West
Vancouver might’ well
ponder Sir Winston's words
as he prepares for the
November 15 leadership
convention of the B.C.
Progressive Conservative
Party at which — nominated
by Capilano MP Ron
Huntington -- he will be a hot
contender for the hot top
spot. Over the past 15 years
or so the provincial Tories
have never had more than
two MLA’'s in the legislature,
dwindling down to one and,
since 1978, none at all. The
leader of the party, as gallant
Vic Stephens can attest from
his cxperiences in the 1979
election, 1s roughly the
politcal equivalent of a
World War Il Japanese
kamikaze pilot

There's a paralicl of sorts
here — Mr Dayton was an
RCAF pilot in that same
war A 55-year-old native of
Kamloops and a West Van
resident 1952, he's a
consulting cngineer whosc
carecr has brought him into
close contact with = the
councils and = residents of
over 5O BC municipalities
Active with the Kinsmen and
numerous volunteer health
organizations A past
chairman and warden of St
Christopher's Church
Committee oon which
worked for 200 years Im
peccable political
credennals bes currently
president of the Pt

since

hea

federal

freedom.

Does this ruling of the
B.C. Court of Appeal mean
that our courts will be
disallowing the Holy Bible as
a means of oath? Certainly if
God is not a person then the
Bible is not the word of God.

It must be stated loud and
clear that when our legal
authorities go against the

word of God then we as,

Christians must stand up for
Jesus.

The entire Christian faith
is based on the scriptures as
being the inspired word of
God. Hebrews 11:6 states:
“He that cometh to God
must believe that He is.” The
Chnisstian who truly beheves
in Jesus Christ knows that
God really is a person — that
he c talk)’to Him. walk
with Him"and simply be with
Him at all times.

People in Daniel's day did
not believe that God was a
person and when Daniel was
overheard praying, three
times a day. to this non-
person he was promptly
thrown into the hons’ den.
Now if Daniel's God was not

a person, he was in trouble
— but Daniel knew that God
was real and simply trusted
in this personal God who
delivered him unharmed.
The Christian today must
stand on the Word of God

sunday brunch

by N oel Wright

Capilano riding and director
of the party's provincial
West Van-Howe Sound
riding.

If chosen, Mr. Dayton’'s
problems will be just
beginning - like getting
elected to the legislature,
preferably together with one
or two party pals, for
starters. However, as this
province's tens of thousands
of good Tories who tem-
porarily call themsclives
Socreds watch Bil Bennet's
Flying Circus weave from
one pratfall to the next, who
knows what opportunities
may eventually open up on
the right wing of BC
politics? Like Winston said.
all you need ts courage

a

One on-one com
munication 1s another kcy to
successful political cn
deavor, or so North Van
District Alderman
Segal believes
of weeks from today
(Sunday, October 5) she's
opening up her home for the
sccond year in succession to
Distryct: residents aching to
get all thear beefs off thet
chest over a cup of coffee
“Closing (he communicavon
gap between citizens
Paste t Mall” she calls at

There was quite a turnout
last year and she s looking to
ancven bigger one this time

The address is 679 Blueridge
Avenue

Mary
So a couple

and

from 2 to 4 pm
Amde from polacs Mary
also brews one of the best
cups of coffee on the North
Shore

Dvd you kinow Me

Small
Huosiness Man

that there sa

roster of 300 local retired
experts ready, willing and
able to help you reduce
operating costs and assist
with advertising, promotion,
forecasting, inventory
control, floor plan layout
and bookkeeping -— all for $7
an hour plus an anoual fee of
$30? If not, call John Gough
at 980-6571 who'll tell you all
about CASE (Counselling
Assistance to Small En-
terprises) available here on
the North Shore through the
Federal Business
Development Bank. You
couldn't buy new idcas from
a supermarket buggy boy at
that price...

The Monty Hall “Let's
Make A Deal” TV show now
being taped at Panorama
Studios in West Van is pretty
obviously facing a potential
audience problem, Van-
couver being a whole fot
smalicr than Los Angcics.
The current series of 200
shows, cach calling for an
audicnce of 200, adds up
over Uhe season to a total of
40,000 warm bodies on the
Hollyburn hillside. That's
roughly once in 30) men,
women, children and babes

tn the Greater Vancouver
arca Cut out the children
and babes, but assume all

the others go back for a
sccond try at stall comes to
about one in 40 of all
Vancouver adults,
winch ts a pretty tall order If
you feel moved to help. call
Sazan Alwin at 925 1334 for
information on how to get tn
on Monty's deal

Csreater

STARTING THE CONSTITUTION WITA
‘WE THE PEOPLE’ \S SO CLICHE
WHY NOT START WITH SOMETHING.
LIKE ‘7, PIERRE ELLIOTT

regardless what others
say.

(Rev. Douglas Kno is
pastor of Canyon Heights
Chapel in North 4
couver.)

¥*.
ae

PEOPLE PARADE: A big
get-well card to West Van's
Ann Amott who missed out
on almost certain election to
the board of Lions Gate
Hospital last Wednesday
because of a sudden, more
urgent appointment within
the walls of that institutioa. . .
Which should also remindus
not to forget the Red Gross
blood donor clinic tomorrow
(Monday, September. '22)
from 2 to 8 p.m. im: the
Ambulatory Care Treatment
area of LGH...
Congratulations to West
Van's Ganther erie |

rizewinner in a mpegn mg
Woodward's “Back'* To
School” contest. The prize:
one year's supply of 7-Up (15
cases, if you insist on the
frothy details)... Still over in
Tiddlycove, many more
happy years ahead to Raby
and George Thompsos. of
865 Wildwood, West: Yao.
who celebrate their Golden
Wedding tomorrow, |ably
assisted by daughters
Valleen McKay and Hi
McTaggan plus six grand:
children. The Thompsons
have lived in West Vansinco
1949 and George was: an
alderman there in 1952...
Sorry to be one day lato,with
birthday grectings to
Van Kiwanis Joan LeBlond
and Pam Wescen who
passed another yearsione
Saturday... Meanwhile, get
ready to send Septe
birthday bouqucts 10
Vanners Malcolm’ *
Donald (24th), Vera

(28th), Pam Edwards “66
Kay Won (both on th
30th) ie!

id
A
WRIGHT OR WRONG:
If you never meta =a
didn't like, you must QF an
extraordinary 10 ety
charactcr ‘