Pweg Sata RY ey iP SECIS DA a RUE REAR EAE ETD ERAN ATION MEAT MSS Ge ea aia 2 Rieter a) i z A i é e j ; 2 f MAILBCX Official bilingualism is tearing nation apart Dear Editor: I agree with Iris Blanchett’s July 6 letter to the GVRD on bilingualism in Quebec. 1 think it’s time we ended this divisive and expensive failed experi- ment and have the rest of Canada unilingual like Quebec. i understand official government figures put the cost at $1.6 million a day; that’s close to $600 mil- lion a year, not including interest. And that is just the cost to government (taxpayers). No one knows the exact additional costs through increased prices on goods and services due to costs of translation, double labeling, double paper, double printing and so on incurred by manufacturers. There are other costs, too, which some may con- sider petty. Think about a price clerk having to take the time to examine each item to find a place to put a price sticker. Invariably it gets placed on the French. The clerk is not trying to make a political statement; he or she is just trying to find room on And there is your and my time as consumers: we are all aware of having to turn an item over to read the label, but are you aware that the amount of pro- duct info and directions are shortened to accommo- date bilingual labeling? Petty? Sure, if enforced bilingualism worked. But it doesn’t. It's divisive and fractious. I'm sure a great majority of Canadians would gladly support such a policy despite its expense if it contributed to Cana- dian unity (although [’m not sure the percentage would be great in Quebec considering the points Ms. Blanchett made in her letter). I would venture official bilingualism has con- tributed to the divisions within our country. Indeed, the very people for whom it was established, in a sincere and altruistic attempt to make them feel at home in Canada, have rejected it as unworkable and counter productive to their aims and aspirations. Let’s do the same. Warwick E. Wakeman FAMILY LA the tabel. North Vancouver Say ‘enough’ to development Dear Editor: Over the next few weeks a peti- tion will be circulated calling for a possible referendum on the ques- tion of the golf course proposed for Cypress Ridge. I urge all those alarmed by the prospect of open- ing the ridge to further commer- cial development to sign it. Some have now claimed that 22 acres of old growth forest have been preserved as parkland so that no more arguments can be made against the proposed course. This is not so. At the heart of my opposition to the developers’ plan is the ideal of responsible land use. People Trust fund started Dear Editor: People from all over the pro- vince are presently contributing to a trust fund for MLA Elijah Harper and Premier Clyde Wells of Newfoundland. Two colored friendship plaques are being made up from these funds for presentation to these two valiant Canadians on behalf of their B.C. friends. The camera-ready artwork for Clyde Well’s ‘thank you’ plaque has been drafted by a Vancouver company. Local native artists have offered to design the artwork for Elijah’s plaque. It is intended to split residual funds, if any, between an educa- tion fund for B.C. natives and a fund to assist the people of New- foundiand. Thousands of names are being collected of grateful people to be sent along with the two plaques. People interested in this program may send their names and con- tributions to the following ad- dress: Elijah/Wells Fund, The Mail Room, Box 287, 1755 Rob- son St., Vancouver, B.C. V6G 3B7. Russ A. Martin _Vancouver Did driver lose sleep? Dear Editor: This is an open letter addressed to the woman driving a compact car, licence RPN 444. You were in the centre lane on Mount Seymour Parkway, at 7:50, on July 11. You swerved, cutting in front of me, into the bike lane in front of a cyclist. You did not signal. God was looking after the cyclist. He almost made it around you, scraping your left side as he did. Had he crashed into your side, he could well be paralyzed today. What you did was both stupid and callous. Stupid for the way you drove, callous in that you did not even bother to inquire if he was hurt or the bike damaged. You are fortunate that he did not wish to press charges, as I volun- teered to be a witness had he chosen to do so. Tell me, lady, did you lose any sleep at all? M. Morgan Novth Vane suver GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TREASURY (3 30 0 * BILLS up to LJ. 10 CALL ROD CLARK MIDLAND WALWYN CAPITAL INC. * 3 mth. Tbills. Subject to availability & minimum requirement. 661-7760 come to the North Shore from around the world to see the things we take for granted: trees, moun- tains, sea. Our responsibility to visitors and to the generations that will follow us is clear: to preserve undeveloped lands with significant cultural and recreational values in the hope that those who visit will take away the idea that, in a world which increasingly measures progress in terms of things built or profit made, the best land use decisions may be by those who say ‘*Enough.”’ Christopher Brayshaw West Vancouver 7 - Sunday, July 29, 1990 - North Shore News DRAPERIES BY S. LAURSEN Cx STOM DRAPERIES AND VALANCES Labour $7.50 per panel unlined, $8.50 lined CUSTOM BEDSPREADS AND COVERS Low, low prices on blinds and tracks For FREE Estimates Call 987-2966 Serving the North Skore for 19 years gi A. John Lakes w Divorce m Maintenance tm James L. Straith Custody a William J. Rodgers @ Separation LAWYERS Ag reements 202-1217 Lonsdale North Vancouver Expect the Best! I can offer you results with experience and a § proven sales record. 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