AS THE next provincial election approaches, there will be
‘‘overwhelming pressure’’ to have a single Opposition par-
ty to fight the NDP, says the Liberal party’s House leader.

David Mitchell (West Van-
couver-Garibaldi), in an interview
at the end of the New Democrats’
first legislative session, said that a
coalition of forces on the political
right was inevitable. .

“‘An election is three years or so
down the road; but as we get close
to that period, there will be over-
whelming pressure to have a
single, united, free-enterprise
alternative to this socialist gov-
ernment,”’ Mitchell said.

By John Pifer
Contributing Writer

He added that the Social Credit
party would ‘‘find it very difficult
to stay alive as a force’’ in B.C.
politics.

But he believes that Socreds will
receive support. from the NDP
government itself.

Said Mitchell, ‘‘Clearly a divid-

ed opposition is in the best inter-
est of the New Democrats. Their
strategy is to keep us divided, so
that they can continue to rule ...
and to drive wedges between us
(Liberals and Socreds)."’

Mitchell maintains that the per-
formance of the two opposition
parties in this fall’s Legislature
will be crucial to the future of
B.C. politics.

MLAs are due to return to Vic-
toria at the end of September or
in early October to deal with new
labor legislation and the provincial
referendum on Canada’s constitu-
tional changes.

NEWS photo Nell Lucente

NORTH VANCOUVER District Fire Depertment firefighter Alex Walker descends into Lynn
Canyon «{.a popular cliff-diving spot known as &0-foot pool. Walker is equipped with a

speciaily-drsigned voice-activated (VOX

radio and headset. The new device, which was

designed secificaliy-for the district fire department, allows rescue personne! to rappel inte the
canyon and communicate with other rescue crews without having to use hands to operate the

Portable radio.

Rescue crews report quiet
summer at Lynn Canyon

NORTH SHORE rescue crews were hoping for a
continued quiet summer in Lynn Canyon Park.

But that quiet was b:oken
Saturday when a man, attempt-
ing to leap into the waters of
Lynn Canyon Creek at a popu-
lar diving spot-known as Twin
Falis, miscalculated his jump
and struck a rock ledge.

“.- The man, whose name was
not - released, suffered two
broken legs and was transpor-

¢ ‘ted to Lions Gate Hospital.

. But local rescue crews report

.. that it has. been a relatively
uneventful summer so far this
-year. Rescue calls to Lyan
Canyon have. been reduced
compared to two years ago.

North Vancouver District

- Fire Department Chief Gary

- Calder said the message ap-
pears to be getting out to the
public about the dangers of
eliff diving in Lynn -Canyon
Park.

Cliff diving is a popular ac-
tivity each summer in the park.
The canyon has claimed 15
lives in the past 12 years.

“That (Saturday’s canyon
rescue) was our first rope
rescue of the year. We’re really

* trying to enhance awareness of
the dangers of Lynn Canyon to
the public. We've had a very
good year so far this year when
you consider the hot weather
we had in June and May,”’ said

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

Calder.

The North Vancouver
“RCMP have increased patrols
of Lynn Canyon Park during
the summer and weekends to
help curb alcohol use which,
too often, is a contributing
factor. to the injuries and
deaths suffered by canyon cliff
divers.

“It seems that every summer
we have deaths and injuries in
Lynn Canyon Park. The kids
are determined to do that every
year,”’ said RCMP Cpl. Sheila
Armstrong. .

“We can’t stop them from
jumping. All we can do is stop
them from drinking. If they’re
sober maybe they won’t jump
and if they do maybe they'll! hit
the water and not the rocks.
That last fellow was pretty
lucky.”’ .

Tim Jones, North Vancouver
unit chief for the B.C. Am-
bulance Service, said he has
noticed a significant decrease in
canyon rescue calls comparéd
to two years ago.

He also credited the district
fire department for the role it
plays in the rescue calls.

“They have developed a
considerable expertise for
rescues. For us (ambulance) it
gives us the flexibility if it’s
safe for one of our guys to go
into the canyon, But crew safe-
ty always comes first,’’ said
Jones.

He added that canyon rescue
calls are a major drain on the
resources of local rescue crews.

“It's not as severe as it was
two years ago. The media has
also done an incredible job of

* increasing the public awareness

of how dangerous it is to dive
off cliffs in the-canyon,’’ said
Jones.

To help improve canyon
rescues, the district fire
department has commissioned
Moco Canada Inc. of Burnaby
to develop a_ voice-activated
portable radio. A radio headset
has been attached to the Petzel
helmets worn by district
firefighters when they rappel
into the canyon for a rescue.

The new device, which was
designed specifically for the
district fire department, allows
a tescue person to communi-
cate with other rescue crews via
the radio without having to use
hands to operate the radio.

“This (radio) has been on
the firefighters’ wish list for
years. The technology has fi-
nally caught up to our needs,”’
said Calder.

Wednesday, July 8, 1992 - North Shore News - 3

Pressure rising for political right to unite

Coalition of forces into a single Opposition party inevitable - Liberal Mitchell

As to the 16-week legislative
session which ended on Friday,
Mitchell acknowledged that the 17
Liberal rookies took their lumps,
“in what was been a frustrating,
trying time for all of us.

“But we have learned — we
have survived the session as an
Opposition.’ That accomplish-
ment in itself should not be
underestimated, he added.

**We weren't tired, jaded, old
political hacks like so many of the
members of the previous House
were considered to be. And the
voters consciously chose to send
us to this place instead of them.’’

The Liberal House leader said
the inexperienced MLAs ‘‘lost
their political virginity,’ and as a
result, ‘‘we are a little bit better,
and a lot more focused on our
task, than when we came into the
session.”

That task is to hold the gov-
ernment accountable, a role in
which he believes they will per-
form better with each successive
legislative sitting.

Mitchell pointed to the Opposi-
tion’s fight against the legislation
which cancelled doctors’ pensions
and capped their incomes (Bills 14
and 71) as a strong rallying point
and a valuable training ground for

_ the Liberals.

Meanwhile he defended the par-
ty for campaigning for financial
support from doctors and other
groups in B.C.

“We have to do such fundrais-
ing. We are a new party. While
we are the only party which can
say it has no debts coming out of
the election campaign, we do not
have a large organization yet.

’ Therefore we have been seeking

money from a number of groups,
including the doctors, before Bill
71 was even heard of,” said Mit-
chell. .

For his part, Social Credit party
leader Jack Weisgerber was gen-
erally pleased with the perfor-
mance of his small band of six
MLAs, which included four
former cabinet ministers and two
rookies.

He believes that the party can
rise to its former glory from its
humiliating 1991 election defeat in
the wake of the resignation of
former premier Bill Vander Zalm.

“I still don’t see any sign of a
Liberal party developing. We had
a Liberal vote but 1 don’t see their

party emerging. There are no
tallies, no huge membership
drives; the constituency associa-
tions are not evolving. All of that
gives me some comfort,’’
Weisgerber said.

Although the Socreds face a
debt of about $1.3 million, ‘‘it is

LIBERAL PARTY House Jzacer
WV-Garibaldi MLA David Mit-
chell

not an insurmountable problem.
We still have about 45,000 paid-
up members, and a 40-year histo-
ry of good government for B.C. ”’

As to the session, the Socred
leader praised his caucus’ pursuit

_Of the government over the Gor-

don Hanson affair. and cver the
operations of the Nanaimo Com-
monwealth Holding Society, both
of which led to official investiga-
tions. .
The Socred leader said the NDP
had entered the session ‘“‘deter-
mined not to make the mistakes
which Ontario made with a fi-
nance minister who scared
business ... and determined not to
make the mistakes of 1972."”
Labelling B.C. Finance Minister
Glen Clark as the most conser-
vative such minister in the .coun-
try, Weisgerber said the New
Democrats managed to keep a lid
on some of their more ‘“‘left-
wing’’ goals in the first session.
“But I think we will see more
of their agenda in the fall with the
labor legislation, which ‘will be
much less conservative. Already
we have seen the government,
when it could not negotiate,
prepared to legislate in almost in-
decent haste,"’ he said. .

Opting out would cause’
economic chaos - Schreck

From page %

rattling. The question is can we
ration our health care system?’*
said Chan. -

But Schreck said the province's
doctors should give Bill 71 a
chance to see if it works.

happy with the results.

“Everyone would be best advis-
ed to chill out and give the act a
chance. Nobody wants to see an

escalation between the medical.

services commission and the
physicians,” said Schreck. -
He added that he was told 85%

of North Shore doctors have given

the BCMA power of attorney to’

He.

predicted that most doctors will be .
: B.C.

opt out of medicare as a last
resort.” But Schreck said such a
move ,.would cause ‘economic
chaos’? for doctors.

“Opting out means a physician
would bill a patient and ihe pa-
tient in_turn would bill the B.C.
Medical Services Commission.
That has never happened: before in
“What that means is fewer -
people will go to the doctor. In
practice, it does much more dam-
age to the individual” physician
and their salaries,’’ said Schreck.

Hardwicke said the only choice
doctors are left with now is to ei-
ther close their offices ‘‘or work
for nothing.’”’

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