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Tho feartit Shore Sews Is published by Marth

Shore Free Press Ld., Publishar Peter Speck,
irom 1139 Lonsdale Avenue

North Vancouver, B.C., W7RIZH4

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LETTERS TO THE EETOR .
Letters must include your nam, full address
& teleptione number.
VIA Internst: tronshaw @ direct.ca
COMPUTER BRS - 989-8027

Hoith Shore Hews, fourch in 19 as 20 inkpencknt
safavban newspaper and mulified under Schatule 111,
Parergh Wt of de Excos Tax Ac, is published each
_ Woiescay, Fray ard Sunday toy North Stone Five Press Lad
and distihuted tu wry done on the Nara Shore. Canad Fuss

1 Canvticy Rbdicrios: Mail Sales Prubst Agreanax No
O0H7238. Muvling rates available on nxpay.

| Entire contents
© 1996 North Shure
_ Free Press Lid.
“All rights reserved.

Ad hag hee
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ay a <f pmiarnetats
AERO NEAL STALLION AI SADR E AN Met

Good To BE
(DOING BUSINESS

CHRETIEN ON HUMAN RIGHTS

aes ‘x, - os
Huoles oF

“I find it ironic that for a
country that has such an abun-
dance of fresh water, especially
coastal B.C. where we live in a
rainforest, that we would cad up
paying the same bulk water rates
as those in California or Israel.

_To‘have accomplished such a fias-
“co must require more than sheer
_ stupidity and at the very feast a

‘good measure of incompetence.”
Edgemont resident Corrie Kost,
on the rising cost of Lower
Mainland swater services. (Front a
Dec.'1 North Shore News story.)
ee a00.
“Pm just’a fellow who is fad-

| « ing away. 1 appreciate the publici-

ty but the Kiwanis are doing the
fundraising and donating to the

. charities. They are the ones who

should get all the credit.”
‘Kiwanis Christmas cake-selling

_ champ Larry Wickwire, 89, on his

efforts at selling Christmas cakes.

(From a Nov. 29 North Shore News

Neighborhood story.)
a OO

6 are thinking of calling

him Cakes Wickwive.”

Kiwanis Club president Roland
Hunter, on Larry Wickwire’s cake-
selling, prowess, (From a Nev. 29
Norsh Shore News Neighborhood
story.)

QOD

“Certainly you can relate a
good portion of these water cost
increases to watershed misman-
agement in the past. Let’s hope
we arc past the age of despoiling
our own drinking water with
logging and road building for

TEAS Wiehe Rca lent

IFE at the bottom end of the

ag gee, ating es
WE EE Ee

the spurious reasons of fire man-
agement and insect control.”

North Vancouver District Coun.
Janice Harris, on the rising costs of
local water services and the reasons
behind those costs. (From a Der. 1
North Skore News story.)

, Nag

“te’s an incredibly unique
piece of property. If you like the
water, there’s nothing like it.”

Sales agent Brent Eilers, on the
West Vancouver waterfront home of
the Griffiths family, which was
recently sold to a businessman for
$8 million. (From a Nov. 27 North
Share News story.)

QO

“This is one whopping big
increase at one time, I’m sure
glad I won’t be on council when
(business owners) get those
bills.”

North Vancouver City Coun.
Bill Bell, who did nor seek re-elec-
tion, on a proposed $1.75 per bag
user fee to be levied on commercial
customers for garbage pickup.
(Frors a Nov. 27 North Shore News

Story.)
900

“Workers are workers and
they get along just fine. I think
sometimes union leaders lose
theix direction a bit.”

Marine Workers and
Boilermakers Union Local 1 presj4
dent George MacPherson, on his
union’s fight with the United
Brotherhood of Carpenters and
Joiners of America over fastuerry
project work. (Fron... Nov 27
North Shore Nev.

IF David Stockell eventually gets his
day in court, he will have brought
about one of the most fascinating
trials in Canadian history.

Mr. Stockell, a courageous Kelowna print-
er, has launched an action in B.C. Supreme
Court calling for last May’s provincial election
to be overturned because voters were per-
suaded to vote for the NDP by fraudulent .
means, an offence under the B.C. Election Act. Backing him is a group
called HELP BC—Help Eliminate Lying Politicians — and the Toronto-
based National Citizens Cualition (NCC). - ae

Stockeil’s lawyers charge chat the NDP and its candidates Swillfully cre-
ated false set of facts and policy positions [involving] the publication of an
untrus statement of a balanced provincial budget ... The conclision is diffe-
cult to avoid that willful deceit was engaged ... to deceive the electorate of
British Columbia, with the evident intent to cause them to vote in a manner
desired by the NDP ...” : ,

Put that way, the case for booting out Glen Clark & Co. and calling a
new election sounds promising, especially in light of the recent poll show- .
ing that over 75% of British Columbians think the NDP deliberately with-

held deficit information from them during rhe May campaign. The princi-. =

ple seems crystal clear —- but not, alas, the legal complexities.
The NDP will ask the court to dismiss the action as “frivolous,” It
would be improper, of course, to speculate on the court’s response.

In general the justice system is less than enthusiastic about cases involv.“

ing political issues. On the other hand it’s high om defence of “the public

interest” and the claim here is that a law affecting the public interest ina... |

most basic manner has been deliberately broken. _ _
Even if the case gues ahead, however, Stockell faces a daunting battle.
Using taxpayer dollars, the NDP government can deploy in its own
defence battalions of top-priced lega! help indefinitely. _ ‘
Stockell and friends reckon they'll need a minimum of $200,000 — half
of which HELP BC hopes to raise locally, with the other half hopefilly.
coming from the NCC, But those figures may be blithely optimistic, -.-
Supposing the B.C. Supreme Court did eventually uphold the charge
against the NDP government, the fatter would obviously fight on in the
B.C. Court of Appeal and finally, if necessary, in the Supreme Court of -

Canada. And even if, at the end of possibly years, guilt was Confirmed, the wos

question of penalty would still have to be tackled: ope
Would the court then deem it appropriate simply to fine or jail the in
vidual politicians and officials who perpetrated the deceit? Alternatively,
could the court at that late stage realistically annul an ¢lection held ‘tw
three years earlier and fire the entire government it brought to power:

which by then might have only months lef in its ‘mandate?

Absorbing. questions these, still to be answered as the case unfolds." :

Meanwhile, a great many disillusioned B.C. voters will undoubtedly be.,:
wishing David Stockell well. woe :

But it’s definitely too early yet for them to hold their breath.:.

(goa -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes today; Dec. 1, 0 West Van Kiwanian Ron
Ingraham ... And more of the same today to his fellow Kiwanian Ered.
Whitbread. : aa
; gaa OY
WRIGHT OR WRONG: There's no wholly satisfactory substitute for
brains, but silence often works quite well. : oe
—— The North Shore News believes strongly in freedom 0 speech and the right
of all sides in a debate to be heard. The columnists prcblished in the News pre-
sent differing points of view, but those views are not necessarily those of the
newspaper itself.

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Cutting and pasting

Not because senior government is set-

million from $805 million in

grants *

political fiscal food chain is get-

ting bleaker. The upper links in

the chain are preying on their down-

link cousins. And local municipal gov-

ernment is the latest victim of the

skewed Darwinian survival of the fattest

modus operandi used by senior levels of
government.

The NDP gang of budget bunglers in

‘Victoria announced revenue cts this

week for B.C. municipalities.

Net because those municipalities have
been irresponsible with previous cash
delivered to thent by the province.

ting an example of fiscal responsibility,

It’s because Victoria has so misman-
aged the province’s finances that there is
no where eise to turn.

The NDP, of course, battled its way
back into office on the bogus promise of
a balanced budget. ‘That, as British
Columbians belatedly discovered, turned
out to be the biggest load of hog’s wallop
delivered to an electorate in years. The
province is waist deep in the glue. And
everyone downstream of Victoria’s big
spenders is going to have to pay. Big time.

On Tuesday, Victoria chopped $113

headed for municipalities.

Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Miller
said total revenue reductions to munici-.
palities would be held to 3%.

Hey, what’s 3% in a big organization?

On the North Shore, it translates to
millions of dollars. Which translates into
higher taxes and reduced services for
everyone.

Municipalities are, after all, required -
by law to balance their budgets,

The provincial and federal govern-
ments aren’t. Life in the fiscal food chain
is not only bleak, it’s far from fair.

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