6 - Sunday, March 7, 1999 — North Shore News T’S rare that a municipal council gets an opportunity to vote on a motion that has far-reaching philosophical implications. Typically, our elected town folk delve into the intricacies of variance permits, sign bylaws and garbage col- lection. Tomorrow night, however, North Vancouver District council will debate a report containing a proposal which, for Canada anyway, is nothing short of revolutionary. Council established the Direct Democracy Task Force 16 months ago to come up with a report on including the principles of direct democracy in the local political process. That report is now in the hands of district councillors; its major recom- mendation is that council should adopt a direct democracy bylaw in north shore news VIEWPOINT rect district-wide referenda, provided that more than 5% of the district’s eligible voters sign a petition for a given refer- endum. Many U.S. states have similar fegis- lation — called propositions — and Switzerland has used public referenda for over 140 years. Cbservers say tomorrow night’s council vote will be close. If the direct democracy initiative is defeated, it wili be a blow not only for district citizens, but for people across the country. No large urban munici- pality in Canada has direct democracy legislation, and with a yes vote the dis- trict could pave the way for larger cities to follow its lead. Direct democracy is a wonderful oppertunity to reinvigorate the politi- cal consciousness of our staid and REMEMBER THE SPRING OF '78 WHEN You SAID You weRE GOING To Go Visit YouR SISTER?....- CLunToN isu SEX S i] A yp hd \ ‘yt Wit, C4 oF ja 4, é which district citizens can put issues to You saici “(Horseshoe Bay) is not the PNE and does not lend itself to the circus-like atmosphere created by the street vendors.” Clyde and Jean Miller, writing to West Vancouver District council in opposition to street vending carts. (From a March 5 News story.) “They’re talking about spending nearly $400,000 for open bleachers and a stand-alone washroom. Where is the foresight? At least put a roof over the seats.” : Longtime North Van resident and Football BC execu- tive member Larry Reda, decrying North Vancouver City plans for a Kinsmen Park upgrade while arguing the money should be used for a new artificial field. (From a March 5 News story.) “They were last seen heading into the hills.” North Vancouver RCMP Const. Paul Duff), reporting on Mountic attempts to round up two escaped mountain goats Monday. (From a March 3 News wor.) “You can take people to court, you can fine them, but dogs will bark.” West Vancouver Coun. Victor Durman, on the futility of srying to legislate quict dogs. (From a March 3 News story.) “We shouldn’t be playing politics with our water supply. If I thought there was To. ging going on I'd be the first one down there in front of the logging trucks.” North Vancouver City Coun. Bob Fearnley, during debate on a motion to tell the GVRD that logging in the Seymour Demonstration Forest was unacceptable. (From a Feb, 28 News story.) “It always astounds me that professional fisher peo- ple don’t understand the need for protected waters.” Judge Ellen Burdett, during sentencing of comnierciai fisherman Alai Berthiaume for fishing within the protect- ed Whytecliff marine sanctuary. (From a Feb. 28 News story.) ‘north.shore < Worth Shore News, founded in $969 as an indepenvert subuit.cn newspaper and quatitied under Schedule 111, Paragraph 911 of the ‘Excisa Tax Act, 1S published each Wednesday. Friday and Sunday by Nortn Shore Free Press. Ltd. and dir*ributed to every door on the North ‘Shore. Canada Post Canactan Pubtcanions Mail Sales Product Agreement Na. 0087238. Mating rates avutabte on request a, LK) Distribution Manager saveporaess «998-1337 (124) ecyees oe The North Shore News is published by largely apathetic citizenry. “Wy Wyo %, i i Charter-driven courts don’t work DEAR, Dear! Hot tempers and personal agendas last week land- ed egg al! over the face of the Canadian judiciary. The single consolation: judges are apparently human after all. Just to refresh your memory, Alberta Appeal Court Justice John McClung (yes, grandson of famed feminist Nellie!) acquitted Edmonton woodworker Steve Ewanchuk of sexu- al assault on a young woman job applicant. His decision was later reversed by the Supreme Court of Canada, which took the highly unusual step of convicting Ewanchuk instead of simply sending the case back for retrial. Morcover, one of the nine ermine- robed supremos — Justice Claire I’ Heureux-Dube — issued a separate written judgment which, in the words of prominent Barrister Ed Greenspan, labelled Judge McClung in effect as “the male chauvinist pig of the century, the chief yahoo from Alberta, the stupid, ignorant, ultimate sexist male jerk.” This, apparently, because McClung had written — in dismissing the sexual assault case because of possible implied consent — that the 17-year-old victim had not presented herself to him “in a bonnet or crinolines” (it seems she - attended the job interview with the accused in shorts and a T-shirt). Outraged by Justice L’Heureux- PETER SPECK ral Pubiisher Human Resouroes Manager 985-2131 (101) 988-2131 (177) Jonathan Bell Creative Services Manager 985-2131 (127) £1,582 (average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) Classified Manager Photography Manager 985-6222 (202) 985-2131 (160) 985-2131 (133) Entire contents © 1997 North Share Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. Dube’s personal attack — and unaware that her husband had killed himself in 1978 — McClung shor off a letter to the National Post suggesting her apparent feminist bias might explain the growing number of male sui- cides in her home oe province of Quebec. As ; 4 soon as he learned i Wright he issued a fulsome apology to L’Heuruex- Dube personaily and via the media. Despite which, he now faces possible dismissal from the bench. There's a lot more to this, however, than an unscemly personality spat beaween pve judicial levels. My own generation was raised to venerate strictly impartic! judges hither and yon like Catholics revere the Pope. Ne longer, alas. Today, judges are coming reguarly under fire for using the Charter of Rights to render “political” interpretatioas of the law without being, themselves, politically accountable. Tt may also be no accident that such “political” interpretations invariably tend to support “politically correct” minority- group agendas -~ in the above case, male-bashing feminism by L’Heurcux- Dube, which may conceivably have moved her fellow justices to take the rare step of convicting Ewanchuk themselves instead of allowing possible new evidence to emerge at a lower court retrial. But policy-making via the Charter by unelected judges, the so-called “Court Party,” has become almost the norm dur- ing the past decade in widely different about her late husband, fields — anglophone rights in Quebce, francophone rights elsewhere in Canada, feminist and abortion issues, gay rights, child pornography, native rights and land claims, and even national unity. For naive democrats like your scribe — taught at mother's knee about the supremacy of parliament and the unsul- lied wisdom of judges dealing solely in facts — this is an alarming development. Inserting a high-sounding but often impractical theory (the Charter) between the common sense of the people, as expressed through their clected represen- tatives, and the integrity of their courts just doesn't work, aoa “STREAMS OE LIVING WATER?” is the imaginative theme of next weekend’s 12th Annual Rencwal Mission at St. Simon’s, Deep Cove, led by Kev. David Hollebone of Victoria's Church of the Holy Spirit. Sessions 6:30-10 p.mi. Friday, March 13, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 13. Call Rev. Ed Hird (929-5350 or 929-1613) for full details. To register ($30) contact Adele Easto, 929-0542 ~ soonest ... Meanwhile, many happy. . returns of today, March 7, <9 West Van birthday boys Andy Danyliu and Tom Wardell ... More birthday wishes this sane day to North Van’s Phil Harrison and Don Gibbard ... And ditto tomor- row, March 8, to Mt. Seymour Lion Colin Pew. 900 WRIGHT OR WRONG: There's much - more to life chan crossing things off your. - to-do list. : LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must include your name, full address & telephone number. 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