page 6 - October 12, 1977 - North Shore News _

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Spare a tear sometimes for your poor municipal “Commons.$ Salthough 1 ‘mem-.
council! oe 2... bers of the Zouncil “cabinet”?
: re debate: and: vote. on issues

oo Ss Fe es among. themselves, < this
Despite the best efforts of the seven dedicated doesn’t alter the fact that —
citizens who serve on it in two-year stints, it often there is no official represen-.

tation. of divergent view-
seems incapable of putting a foot right. Outraged — ‘points from the community |

Ridgeway residents tear North Van City council to. as a whole. Thete are only

‘the self-interested ‘voices
pieces for. allowing grain. elevators to block. their: from the public gallery (when

view. Seymour. ratepayers” charge North Van and as permitted to speak}—
District. council: ‘with: ignoring the development and the media.

Admitted! ly. it is totally
wishes for the area: In West: Vancouver Mayor | “impractical for municipalities

Peter Jones and his merry men are-under attack at. of between 30,000 and 60,000 ON Te von Guat | . : |
any. given. moment from at. least half a dozen inhabitants. to maintain their a
‘different local pressure groups. : or “logisatare,? to which _ ASSEMBLE-YOURSELF —

Some days. you just. can’t

“council” ‘(the _. “‘cabinet’’) — Pe eo a
win—but for North Shore would be ‘responsible on a . : : :
councils, like their count-

continuing basis. Neverthe-.
erparts throughout the Lower _ less, a workable compromise
Mainland, there don’t.

- solution’ does exist.

appear to be any days at all ASSEMBLY WITH TEETH
when you can win, - |.

- ol exists im the ratepayers’
Oddly enough, however, as lations:

most of the people who elect.
them suffer from exactly the
same feeling...“‘you can’t -
- fight city hall.’’ It’s a no-win favor _ of ad hoc council -
‘situation all round. . hearings, : the accredited
Considering’. that munici- - ment, they would 2 argue, can ratepayers’ groups in each .
pal council is supposed to be. bow to'the- shrieks ‘of every . municipality should be em-_
the level. of government _ self-interested two-per-cent: powered to send delegates to
closest to the grass roots of” pressure group-that invades a constitutionally established -

Instead of begging cap in
hand, as at present, for the

council. chambers—and they — part-time ‘‘parliament”’
democracy, the ig S;TsWCeT are sight, of course, apart” which met, say, for two or
mark you, that citizen. groups’ ; from one important. point. three. consecutive evenings
of various stripes show any - Municipal councils, under every three months. a
reluctance to voice their °% present system, are. not The number: of delegates

>. ‘responsible’? government’ from each ratepayers’ ass-
Gispreasure thelr pet peeves. _atall in the accepted sense of ociation would be propor-
There have been occasions parligmentary democracy, tionate to the ratepaying
this year when the decibel because they are not ans- population represented by
level emanating from the werable to any legally that  group—perhaps - one
public galleries in North constituted opposition. : delegate Ohi every 500
+ Pa “ratepayers, which in the case
Shore council. chambers The day-by-day checks and of North Vancouver District,
was not high time to or der balances we take for granted —f,- example, would produce
t the barricad ; at the provincial and federal. -a_matiageable assembly of
out the Darricaces. __ levels simply don’t ext _ 35-40. electors’ ‘representa-—
However, noise is one city hall. The. only public

thing, but results are another. control over tives. Beucesentatives with

a council’s al teeth: os
There’s a widespread feeling "actions is exercised each year | real te meet:

among. the. citizenry that — At:each quarterh

“at the ballot*box, and even. te i
council members in general they. would discuss, «

then only half the council’ and vote approval or other.
develop avery high tolerance members at a time have to ‘wise. of eeinell’s “current

to noise—and in the end lay their jobs on the line. actions and plans,. on‘ which’
simply go ahead and do what Small wonder, perhaps, that they would te provided, by .

they intended to do all-along.- often only one elector in four right, with. complete infor-
SCREAMS. OF ANGUISH | . bothers to turn out and vote : -mation.. The. majority. votes —
A council’s job, after all, is at all. oO would atuomatically reflect

to do those things which it .~ It’ sas if Bill Bennett or the interests. of the popula-
thinks—however .mistakenly . ‘Pierre ‘Trudeau and their tion as a whole, not just those
—will bring the greatest. -eabinets ruled us without any of individual pressure _
benefits for the greatest input or restraints. from a

number. If the city fathers Legislature ‘or House’ of CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
convince themselves .. that —

high-density apariment dev-
elopments will swell the tax
coffers and thus, in theory,
help the- municipality. as a.
whole, that’s the way they'll
probably go, despite screams |
of anguish from. the. two or.
three per cent of property-
owners whose views: will be-
destroyed. -:

‘  "That’s roughly’ the propor:
‘tion of property-owners, for
example, who will be im-
mediately hurt ‘by North .
Vancouver’s grain elevator.
expansion and: West Van- |
couver’s proposed Westport

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way for parkland in 20 years _ Personal loans are available from $500 to $i, 499 with up to 30

months to repay and in excess thereof t . eds ”
time, number hardly ‘more | fnonths to repay... 0 $25, 000 with up to 60 kin size -
than 0.2 per cent of the | We charge: | . i " — " oe “FROM
municipality's homeowners. | 12% on toans from $500 to | = |

New low rates

So councils listen politely, |. $1,499
endure patiently the enraged 19% on loans from $1,600 to :
etters to the editor an . Rates are subjoct to confirm. | IGA Sik
usually continue on their own ‘2. 5% 400 loans trom $2, 500 ation. | opping Centre
sweet way—fortified by their | | 12.59 on loans from $2, 600 to _
belief that the sound and fury *} “$Y, 4900S Se oat required | in. a 1485 Marine Drive |
of the moment is of no direct | ,;.12,25% on loans of $7,400 and, ee Cos ie e- .
concern, anyhow, to between | (over. . a
95 and 98 per cent of their a North Van SO
electors. : |

the Permanent 16
NOT RESPONSIBLE ; Canada Permanent Trust Company 1604 Lonadale Ave.,

No responsible » povern- .._Gariada Permanent Mortgage Comoration 006-1911