|\Doug Collins

JULIE BELMAS is a vicio

® get this straight ®

us little terrorist squirt, who,

having justly been sentenced to i5 years for blowing up
people.and property, has now — unjustly — been releas-

ed to the pleasures of day parole. All she did behind bars .

(if they still have bars, which I doubt) was 2% years.

It would not surprise me if, in
the fullness of time, Belmas
became a senator. And don’t
laugh. Anne Cools, a West In-
dian commie who in 1969 helped
to send Sir George Williams Uni-
versity up in flames and did time
for it, is now a senator. Canada
is the land of opportunity.

Belmas was a member of the
so-called Squamish Five, the
gang of left-wing lunatics who
dumped a heap of dynamite in
the Litton defence plant in On-
tario. Damage amounted to near-
ly $4 million, and 10 men were
injured, several .of them perma-

j nently. All, 10 could have been
killed. -

Blowing up defence plants was
not the only social activity in
which these creeps specialized. A
B.C. Hydro substation on Van-
couver Island also failed to func-
tion after they planted a firework
in it (damage, $3.7 million), and
a few firebombs were tossed at
video stores in Vancouver of
which. these. perverted puritans
disapproved.

All -this was considered by
Justice Samuel Toy, who after a

f scrupulously fair trial awarded
Belmas 20 years for her part in

yi S
FHS
Fine

Continental
Cuisine

these military operations. That
was reduced on appeal to 15
years, Unfortunately. But no one
is perfect, not even appeal courts.

This latest ludicrous develop-
ment means that as far as senten-

cing is concerned neither courts

nor judges count. Both might as
well be pensioned off while social
workers and the like decide what
is best for bank robbers,
murderers and terrorists.

(Did their mommies like them?
Were their daddies drunks? A
couple of sociology courses and a
bit of berry-picking should be
enough. to save their souls and
put them in line for the senate.
Or so the reasoning goes.)

The parole system came into
being because ‘‘criminologists’’
and other phonies decided that
the more kindly we treat
psychopaths and others who
don’t give a damn about their
victims, the better off we would
be. “Rehabilitation’’ became the
cry, with the result that bank
robbers and other technical ex-
perts get an early opportunity to
start up in business again.

A few changes may be in the
offing. But, this: being
Wimpland, don’t.count on it.

A couple of months ago, for
instance, the Federal Sentencing
Commission recommended that
parole in its present form be’
abolished. And small wonder.
Right now, the Belmases qualify
for day parole after serving one-
sixth of their sentence. Man-
datory supervision, meaning
compulsory release no matter
what, comes after two-thirds of a
sentence has been served.

That sort of thing makes
nonsense of the courts. The real
arbiters are parole boards who
can and do give judges the finger.
As Judge Omer Archambault of
Saskatchewan has stated, parole
means that sentences ‘‘may bear
only a passing resemblance to the
time actually spent in custody.”

But with guys like Joe Clark,
Brian Baloney and Mary Collins
in the saddle, plus the Ed Broad-
bents, Pauline Jewetts, Svend
Robinsons and Robert Kaplans,
there’s about as much chance of
reform taking place as there is of
your becoming a millionaire by
morning.

Back to Belmas.

Why has she been given special
treatment?

Because she conned her cap-
tors, that’s why.

Very early in the game, she was
careful to say she was sorry.
Sorry she had been such a silly
girl. Sorry she had helped let off
a bomb or two. Even more sorry,
though, are the Litton guys who
were nearly blown to bits.

What the Belmas squirt was
really sorry about was that she
had been caught. But she wept a
few tears and said the right things
and now she’s more or less loose
on the land. Net only that, she’s
also been getting a university |
education.

Maybe we should all go to jail
for a couple of years? There’s
lots of tea and even more sym-
pathy.

“JOIN US”
FOR
DINNER or SUNDAY BRUNCH

DINNER — TUES.-SAT. 5:30 ON
BRUNCH — SUN.11 AM - 2 PM

LA TOQUE BLANCHE

4368 MARINE DRIVE

RESERVE NOW

WEST VANCOUVER

LYNN VALLEY CENTRE WILL
BE FEATURING 15 MINUTE
MALL WALKS EVERY HOUR

ON THE HOUR

REGISTER YOUR PARTICIPATION AND

JOIN IN THE FUNI!
Lynn Paley Centr

1199 LYNN VALLEY ROAD AND MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY

9 ~ Friday, May 22, 1987 - North Shore News

info meeting set
on Mahon Park

A PUBLIC information meeting
will be held May 26 to discuss
Mahon Park upgrading.

“We have some exciting pro-
posals for Mahon Park, including
a children’s play area, a horseshoe
pitch as well as additional play
equipment,”? North Vancouver Ci-
ty Mayor Jack Loucks said in a re-
cent news release announcirg the
meeting.

“We want to describe these
plans to city residents who use the
park, to get their feedback,”’ said
Loucks.

Scheduled for
rooms 187 and 189 at Carson
Graham School, this meeting is

\o

OPEN

7:30 p.m. in‘

one of several organized by the city
to discuss neighborhood parks.

1301 Liliscet Ra, N. Van.
980-0299

OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK

HOUSE

Saturday May 23rd
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The North Shore Wintor Club is hosting a day of fun and excitement
on Saturday May 23rd. The North Vancouver Fire Department will be
joining us with their educational two storey house to teach your children
how to escape from a burning home. There will be various activities to
fund raise for trie burn unit such as a 24 hour tennis marathon with names
sue* 25 Grant Connell (Davis Cup Team). Tony Parsons and David Foster.
The day promises enjoyment for the whole family. Enter our treasure

hunt and try to win a —

FREE SUNMER MEMBERSHIP — value $450.00!
For your added pleasure the North Shore Winter Club will also

present:
Dunk Tank
Car Wash
Free Swimming
Karate Demonstration
reasure Hunt

Mark it on your Calendar!

Fashion Show .
Aerobics Demonstration

Hot Dogs and Pop

Fire Safety House

24 hour Tennis Marathon
Join the Fun!

May 23rd.
P.S, Ask us about our Summer Membership. Limited Number!
First ten receive one week FREE Sports Camp.

Call today 985-4135

NORTH SHORE WINTER CLUB
1325 EAST KEITH ROAD
NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. V7J 1J3
PHONE 985-4135

A Club for alt Seasons, all Reasons

_ Attention 1984-85 Honda |
Accord Owners SAVE $$$

on Factory Air-Conditioning.

LIMITED STOCK

OFFER VALID ONLY
WHILE STOCK LASTS

NO
ONLY

ALL WORK PERFORMED BY

FACTORY TRAINED TE

f
it,

y
ae

Pees

CHNICIANS