© get this straight °

BELIEVE IT or not, there is a fun front in the mass of
madness buried in the bureaucracy. Who would have
thought, for instance, that people are paid to poke the rub-
ble of old fast food outlet sites in our national parks in
order to find items of social significance?

I have before me a letter from
Environment Canada addressed to
the president of a large fast food
company. It is couched in almost
incomprehensible English, and
comes from — wait for it — the
Material Culture Research Branch
of the Archaeological Research
Division, National Historic Parks
and Sites Branch, Canadian Parks
Service. (Long titles are de rigeur
in departments whose task it is to
identify stuff found in rubble.)

of a free object is somewhat dif-
ferent than one which was bought,
regardless the quality of that ob-
ject. In addition, being able to
identify these items tells us of the
presence of the original product on
the site.’”

One would gather that the Ca-
nadian Parks Service attaches great
social importance to baubles,
bagatelles and gewgaws. Who
knows, after all, what those trifles
may sgnity? By studying plastic

“One would gather that the Canadian
Parks Service attaches great social
importance to baubles, bagatelles and
gewgaws. Who knows, after all, what those
trifles may signify? By studying plastic cups
and toy windmills from the 1950s and ’60s
we may learn how Canada lost its

marbles. ’”’

The letter begins: ‘‘I have an in-
quiry regarding the history of your
company. We are starting to find,
on archaeological sites across
Canada, items that were promo-
tional merchandise — glasses,
dishes, knick-knacks, toys, etc.,
that were given away with the pur-
chase of various products.”

So far so good, Perhaps the In-
dians had McDonald’s franchises
before we did? Here, however, is a
statement that has to be read sev-
era! times before it makes sense, if
it ever does.

‘It is important for us to be able
to identify those items that ‘‘came
free’’ since the social implication

cups and toy windmills from the
1950s and ’60s we may learn how
Canada lost its marbles.

It is edifying to learn that there
are such things as Material Cufture
Departments. But they should be
renamed Immaterial Culture
Departments.

se *

More signs of the times. Cana-
dian National has a YEP program,
which translates as a Youth
Employment Program.

Judging by its function, it could
just as easily be called a YUP pro-
gram (Youth Unemployment Pro-

B.C. transport acts

NEW AMENDMENTS to the Motor Vehicle Act and
Commercial Transport Act have been introduced to
facilitate more efficient administration of the acts, the
Ministry of Transportation and Highways recently

announced.

The amendments to the Commercial Transport Act
provide for the establishment of regulations to govern
the authorization of the weights and dimensions of
commercial vehicles to meet National Standards.

“These changes will allow an opportunity to in-

ficiencies in

gram) — if you are a male WASP
looking for a training opportunity,
that fs.

The May issue of the CN
jhouse-sheet Keeping Track tells us
that 40 youngsters were hired as
trainees for non-union jobs, but
half of them had to be from what
the social engineers call ‘‘target
groups."

in other words, they had to be
Indians, visible minorities, or
‘persons with disabilities.’’ And
half had to be women. (Whether
the women were to be half of the
“target groups’’ or half of the
total number of trainecs the story
does not make clear, it probabiy
having been written by a PhD.)

This discrimination is known as
affirmative action, and was forced
on CN by your friendly politicians
in Ottawa — in this case the
Tories. But the Liberals’ and
NDP’s positions are identical.

ce

More cheering news comes from
Options, an expensive propaganda
magazine put out by the Secretary
of State’s department to promote
bilingualism, money being no op-
tion in such matter, ha ha.

Smaller companies are told to
develop a French image to exploit
the French market, even in places
like Vancouver, but are advised
not to try to do this overnight.
(That might create alarm, one
assumes.) And it is ‘usually more
efficient in the long run to hire
someone whose first language is
French.”

As for larger corporations, they
“should make sure that their more
influential key people are
bicultural, not just bilingual.
That’s important....’’ (For
“bicultural’’ read ‘‘French.’’)

{s it possible that searching the
rubbish heaps of old fast-food sites
in the parks will tell us why
English Canada gave up and died?
If it is, i'r m 1 all for it@

troduce commercial vehicle configurations that will
reduce damage to highway pavement and improve ef-
road transportation,”’
reported in a press release.

the ministry

One amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act includes

provisions to establish regulations to govern the is-
suance of British Columbia Identification Cards.
Another provides for regulations to establish park-
ing zones for disabled persons, which will allow
municipalities to revise their bylaws accordingly.

‘ROAD BIKE CLEARANCE _

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9 - Friday, July 22, 1988 - North Shore News

Lack of parking
halts development

ONE PARKING space may
be all that is holding up a
proposed two-storey office
complex at 814 West 15th
St.

By PEGGY WHITTAKER
News Reporter

A public hearing on the rezon-
ing of the lot from single-family
residential to office and commer-
cial development was recently held,
where presentations were made
describing applicant Nova Tec
Consultants’ proposal for the
building, which would comprise a
gross floor area of 6,000 square
feet and be used as Nova Tec’s
main office.

The presentation revealed that a
driveway access to the building’s
front parking stalls would
necessitate the cutting out of the
city sidewalk on 15th Street, which
would eliminate one on-street
parking space.

According to council policy, the
developer would be obliged to
teplace this lost parking spot with
one on-site spot.

NORTH Vancouver City Ald.
John Braithwaite...concerned
about the parking.

Nova Tec, however, maintains
that to do so would result in a
decrease in building size which
would not be commercially viable.

Although the design had been
recommended to council by both

See Developers

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