- Re: Bovine Growth m Hormone (BGH). f ~ Tam surprised that BGH is even being con- sidered to be injected .into dairy cows for the following reasons: - 1. Danger to human ealth — unresolved ‘international debate — @ tests of BGH byproduct &: IGF indicate : that there 2.. Milk and dairy oducts .are healthy ds‘ and essential to th children and adults. .3.,.Most people with north shore news MAIL Box Wednesday, September 10, 1997 — North Shore News — 9 Bridge game deplored Open letter to the Hon. Glen Clark, Premier of British Columbia: The late Hans Bentzen, P.Eng., must be looking at you and your government with a great sense of disappointment and perhaps anger following the cail by your Minister of Transportation and Highways for bids on a four-lane replacement for the Lions Gate cross- ing. Certainly, it will be clear that your word and that of Highways Minister’ Lois Boone are not to be taken serious- Your succession of highways minis- ters reassured Mr. Bentzen time and again that the visionary proposal he made to provide a long-term trans- portation solution for the Lions Gate crossing would be fully considered before any option was chosen. Obviously that was not done. Only a few weeks ago, Ms. Boone ' tolda Board of Trade meeting that your Shore municipalities, the Squamish Nation and other interested parties and, with consensus, would call for private- sector proposals. Clearly there was no truth in that statemcat, because there is no consensus for what your government now is doing. More than four years ago, Hans Bentzen publicly announced his pro- posal for a tunnel crossing with six vehi- cle lanes and two light rail rapid-transit tracks and provided an innovative and practical way of paying much of the cost without tolls or increased taxes. He made the announcement because he couldn’t get a preliminary hearing with the then Highways Minster or Ministry staff to present his preliminary engi- neering studies. The publicity virtuatly forced the NDP government of the day, in which you were. a senior member of Cabinet, to announce its list of options for the Lions Gate crossing. Although the gov- now doing — a bridge with tolls, a bridge that will not resolve the traffic problems of the crossing or of down- town Vancouver or of Taylor Way in West Vancouver. Four years and millions of dollars have been wasted in a process that was a diversion, not an honest attempt to consult with the public and the commu- nities directly affected by this decision. I believe you owe the community an apology for the misleading way in which this entire situation has been handled. More than that, you owe everyone in British Columbia a real transportation solution on the Lions Gate corridor — not a $300 million bridge replacement that will preclude a real solution for decades. Rehabilitate the existing Lions Gate bridge and then get on with a tunnel crossing of the visionary nature pro- posed by Hans Bentzen. J.A. Peacock Bring back TV listings Dear Editor: One of the reasons we always opened the North Shore News was to check on the TV schedule. Once opened, the paper became a regular source of infor- mation for us, for news around the North Shore as well as bargains adver- tised. : With the TV scheduic gone, the motivation to open the paper is gone. I think we lose. Don’t you? How about bringing it back? _ George Merchant gmerchant@be.sympati- . co.ca MAILBOX POLICY: Letters to the editor must .* be legible and include your - government would seek a consensus _ with the City of Vancouver, the North Ad dollars talking Dear Editor: Doug Coilins. Freedosn of speech is being Of course, the News prints able to write letters to the edi- these letters. That is what _-tors of: newspapers. Freedom keeps. Doug Collins the most of the press is, editors selecting read columnist in the newspa- letters that promote the ideals . .,of the newspaper. Recently your managing editor Timothy Renshaw. * ‘wrote a letter to the Vancouver ‘Sua refuting a previous article ia which: the North. Shore ” News was accused of selective printing of letters to the edi- _tor. Mr. Renshaw pointed out _ that the News frequently’: prints letters that oppose bom: I. have ussed ;the’ question. _ are s darian y,, against this t;cannot .be good for s.and why should The only’ benefit I- i to. the chemi- fi from. the supply of yace eto. the detriment per. Your defence of the free- with advertising dollars than defending Mr. Collins’ right to say whatever he feels will be controversial. You could not buy the attention your news- paper has been given these Bou few months at any price. ugias G. Wilson : Vancouver + 1/4 carat in diamonds. Two styles to choose from: Legare ¥ Value $495 cach fue we guarante shat the very best: at the best prices... tats: eters of Gemstones, ' Manufacturers of Fine Jewellery ipo Cap ilano' Mall, North Vancouver 984-2040 “Park Royal S., West Vancouver 925-2043 - Baton Centre, Metrotown Mayfair Shopping Centre, urnaby; 430-2040 Victoria (250) 382-2040 ernment denied it then, it was clear that what was favored is just what you’re dom of speech has more to do_ Assistant to the President Hans Bentzen & Associates Ltd. name, full address and tele- phone number. _ “advertorial, September 10/97.” INMATE COMPENSATION. With - the Opening of the new Parilamentery session just over a week away, there will soon be an opportunity ‘for Members of Parilament to once again place written questions on the Order - ‘Paper. These written questions area good way for MPs .to force the Government-to provide information which It would otherwise prefer not ?o provide, and which could never be obtained during the daily verbal Question Period, but It often takes months, or even years, to receive a © response. This was the case when Reform MP Garry Breltkreitz placed a questicn about inmate compensation on the Order Paper in November of 1995. The Standing Orders of the House of Commons state that an MP is entitled to ask the Government to provide a reply .. within 45 days, but 176 days came and went befora Garry finally received his answer. THE QUESTION | Garry's exact question to the: Government was "For each of the last five calendar years, how many claims have beer: made by federal prisoners against the Government of Canada for injuries or damages suf- : fered while the prisoners were under . the government's care in federal penitentiaries, (a} how many. of. these claims have been settied, with- - drawn or are stiil pending, and (b).. what is the amount of. the initial claim and the amount of the settle-" ment in each case that has been set- tled?" The question was prompted by an October 1995 news story about convicted murderer John Lee, who’ rereived: a $12,000 out-of-court settlement from the 4: Federal Government for a beating he suf- fered during an inmate hostage taking inci- deni in Prince Albert Penitentiary. (The par- ‘ents of Lee's victim, William Patrick MacLeod, had of course received absolute- ly nothing to compensate them for living the rest of their tives without thelr son.) THE ANSWER Some credit must go toe Corrections Canada for providing more than 80 pages Oi statistical data, a copy of which is avail- f able from my office, but the main points are as follows: For the period in question, 2,352 con- victs received Settlement payments for injuries, damages and lost or damaged per- ‘| sonal effects in the amount of $735,759.42 The breakdown was as follows - 79 .prisoners recelved . : under the Inmate Accident Compe Program; affects. Among the. arg down the stairs, while } appointment. in add of claims being dealt by almost 50%" from 1,631 in 1994/95. -standing on the day the question was tabled Tho. Federal "G position. that it cannot This begs the question, "If. private clt- _gens-have no. right to..sue:t Government for bad Jaw public. policies,. and. “for. failing: to protect us from attacks by real ert inals, then why should. prisoners: have the right io | sue the Government?" Regardless - of ‘your point of view, if the trends in the com-. pensation figures obtained by Garry Breitkreitz are. any indication, word is spreading and inmate compensation. claims have become a growth industry. : It looks as if we can expect a significant escalation in the total amount being pald out each year unless — the - Liberal Government comes to its senses and ‘establishes some sensible rules regard- ing the types of. claims and amounts which will be tolerated.:::’.-.