north shore news

MAIL Box

Wednesday, March 31, 1999 — North Shore News — &:

Target of traffic ticket should stop snivelling

Dear Editor:

Tam writing in response to
the pathetic snivelling and
whining that S. Cameron of
West Vancouver docs when he
falls afoul of the law (March
12 letter to the News editor)
in getting a ticket for what he

admits he did wrong.

This is indicative of the
new society culture of wanting
and taking 2agerly all the ben-
efits that the community has
to offer and then not accept-
ing the responsibility and the
accompanying accountability

Men not sole cause
of domestic violence

Dear Editor:

Re: Feminist fallacies (Feb.
26 Wana = Mercer — Fair
Comment column).

We commend your paper
for exposing the one-sided
training of police officers who
handle cases of spousal abuse.

The stories of men
throughout this province who
contact us bear witness to
such a bias.

When police officers arrive
at the scene of a domestic dis-
turbance, the man is assumed
to be the abusive party and his
partner is the victim of his
abuse. He is treated with
scorn and suspicion.

Situations of mutual vio-
lence or the possibility of false
allegations are not enter-
tained. Men who are beaten
by their female partners are
not believed.

This bias is compounded
when the man subsequently
comes in contact with the
legal and judicial systems.

He is immediately forbid-
den from seeing and contact-
ing his children, he may even-
tually have to participate in a
humiliating supervised access
program in order to see them,
and he may even lose custody
of them.

Indeed, officer training is
only part of a larger systemic
problem that discriminates
against men who are alleged
to have hurt their partners.

A domestic disturbance
call can initiate a horrifying
and scarring sequence of
events for a family. The
absence of funded programs
and safe houses for men who
are assaulted is another exam-
ple of gender bias.

Finally, stalking and sexual
harassment allegations arc
other areas where men are
unfairly treated.

Violence is unacceptable,
period. We do not condone
violence. Further, we . do
expect people to be account-
able for their behaviour,
including those who make
false claims and perpetuate
limited and erroneous ideas
about violence.

A perspective that excludes
men, children and the elderly
from the equation fails all of
society. We call on those con-
cerned to ensure a balanced
view of men’s role in domestic
violence.

William Hnidan

Director

B.C. Men’s Resource Centre
Vancouver

Ay

Graham Taylor

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tor the privilege of having
them. The $35 fine should
have been $200 and then per-
haps the result would have
been more meaningful to
Cameron. We all know what
the rules are and we all have a
hand in developing and inst-

tuting them via our clected
officials. Move away from the
North Shore $. Cameron --
who needs vou or wants vou
in our neighbourhood.

The police were doing the
job that we gave them to do
and thar includes ticketing

people like you who think that
due to some superior attitude
that you seem to have, that
you are above the rest of us
and the law. Bon Voyage.
Ivan Scott

North Vancouver
iscott@sprint.ca

ted white, m.p.

advertorial, March 31/1999

it is now a month and a half since
the Minister of Finance delivered the
Federal Budget for 1999/2000, so the
detailed estimates of expenditures by
department have all been released. An
analysis of the numbers has turned up
some interesting winners and losers.

TAXPAYERS

The fetlowing comparison of marginal
tax rates in Canada and the USA shows
that, contrary to popular belief, the largest
difference in the tax burden between the
two countries is not at the top end of the
income spectrum, but for the middie band
of wage eamers. it is not that the rich.do
not pay enough in Canada, but rather that
the low and middle income earmers are
paying far too much. Canadian taxpayers
are still the big losers in the wake cf the
1999 budget.

Income
($000s Cdn)
7-30

30-60
60-95
95-200
200-430
430+

Tax Rate
Canada US
25% 17%
40% 26%
51% 32%
51% 35%
51% 40%
51% 45%
Source: CIBC Wood Gundy

MORE LOSERS

Despite his publicly expressed support
for high taxation levels, the Minister of
Industry, Hon. John Manley received 5%
fess in funding for his Department in the
latest budget. The total he gets to spend
this year drops from $1.015 billion to a
paltry $962.5 million, mostly because of a
reduction in grants and contributions. The
money available to the Atlantic Canada
Opportunities Agency dropped by an even
bigger percentage, down 13% from
$320.7 million to $280 million, and the
Export Development Corporation took a
16% hit, with its budget cut from $282.6
million to $238.2 million. A more significant
loser, in percentage terms, was Westem
Economic Diversification. Its funding for
this year is $195.1 million, down 38% from
fast year's $313.6 million. There was a
100% cut in funding though to the Cape
Breton Development Corp. After thirty
years of taxpayer subsidies, totalling
around $1.5 billion, with no measurable
change in the unemployment levels in the
area, the Government has finally put an
end to the prograrn.

WINNERS

Three new programs will gobble up
$107 million over the next year — the
Millennium Bureau of Canada, The
Leadership Network, and the Canadian
Industrial Relations Board. The biggest
percentage increase for an existing
department goes to the Canadian Human
Rights Commission, which will receive an
83% increase in its budget to take its
annual spending to just over $4 million.

Spending by Treasury Board is
expected to rise 23% to $1.9 billion, mainly
because of public sector wage
settlements, the Medical Research
Council is up almost $50 million to $275
million, while Agriculture and Agri-Food

Difference
8%
14%
19%
16%
11%
6%

BUDGET WINNERS AND LOSERS

rises around $28C million to $1.7 billion.
Sheila Copps also managed to get a big
increase for her Heritage Department — up
18% to $732 million. The mind boggles at
the thought of the programs she must be
wasting money on this year, especially
after the Auditor General reported that
Heritage spending is out of control and
lacking purpose.

BITS AND PIECES
Buried deep in the spending estiniates,

for those who have the time and inclination

to do some searching, are a myrias of

interesting little bits and pieces that aad up

to some serious money. Here ave some

examples:

* Write offs on loans to new
immigrants — $3,736,000

* Additional immigration and Refugee
Board costs — $2,626,000

* Contributions to International
environmental organizations —
$255,000

* Debt forgiveness to Honduras, Costa
Rica, Colombia and Dominican
Republic ~ $24,580,000

* Liabilities under the Smail Business
Loans Act - $23,000,000

¥* Additional operating costs in the
Senate — $1,975,000

x Additional Privy Council operating
costs — $634,000

* Debt restructuring at Ridley
Terminals inc — $33,328,068

x Increased intergovernmental
conference activity - $700,000

Overall, after all the dust settles,
spending by the Federal
Govern tis expected to be about
$3.2 billion higher in 1999/2000,
and is likely to reach at least
$151.2 billion. Meanwhile, our
federal debt per person has riser to
$19,559, although if all the
unfunded liabilities for CPP, civil
service pensions, OAS, and other
programs is factored in, each of us
now owes $113,532.

A CORRECTICN —- NISGA’A

A constituent has pointed out an
important error in both my
Householder on Nisga'a and my
February North Shore News Report on
the same subject. in both documents |
wrote that about 40% of Nisga’a who
voted in the referendum on the Treaty
voted against it. In fact, the final
figures as reported by the Nisga’a
Tribal Council (the vote was not
supervised by either Elections Canada
or Elections BC) were 61% in favour,
23% against, 15% votes not cast
(whatever that means), and 1% spoiled
ballots.

Whilst | apologize for this error, my
intention, in both documents waz to
convey the fact that a significant
percentage of the Nisga’a themselves,
the very people who are supposed to
benefit from the Treaty, chose not to
support it. The question as to why
they did so still remains

fed White, MLP.', #:

‘€m Capilano.
=. Coltege

AT CAP

> Explore the New York
art world
Join acclaimed
watercolourist and art world
insider Kitf Holland ona
one-week art appreciation
tour of New York from
May 910 16. Days will be
spent touring New York's art
highlights. Evenings will be
spent enjoying gallery
receptions. The cost is
31.600. For more
information, please contact
Cacilda Tang in Continuing
Education at 984-4909.

bp Interested in working
with seniors?
If the answer is yes, attend
an information meeting
hosted by the Resident Care
Attendant program. The
mecting will be held on
Tuesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m.
in the Fir building, room
24. This full-time, 20-week

Program prepares students to
work with older residents in
home support agencies such
as the Kiwanis Care Centre
and the Evergreen House at
Lions Gate Hospital.

For more information, call
984-4960,

Bp Cash in on computer
technology
This spring, get in on the
explosive growth of the
computer technology
industry. Eam Microsoft and
Novell cenifications chat
will enable you to secure a
high-demand, high-salaried
computing career. The
Technical Computer
Professional program begins
April 30. This full-time,
12-month program offers
training in general
computing, netvorking and
programming. Gain indusny
‘experience on a theee-
month work term. For those
interested in a part-time
program, the 12-month ;
Network Specialist program
offers convenient evening
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networking. The next
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information on either of
these programs, call
990-7871.

D> Need a speaker? Call
our bureau

The Capilano College
Speakers’ Bureau offers
speakers on a wide variety of
topics at no charge. To book
a speaker for your club or
event, call 984-1729.

CAPILANO
COLLEGE

2055 Purcelt Way
North Vancouver

986-1911