60 pages

pean

Ofiice, Editorial 985-2131

G WEST VARAXNIVER

Su.

Telefilm Canada
dir. John Taylor

Now spotlight: 23

Classifieds 986-6222

Distribution 986-1337

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

THREE OCCUPANTS of a car involved in a single-motor vehicle accident Mon-
day morning were lucky to escape with their lives after the car crashed and
burned at the entrance to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. According to a
West Vancouver Police spokesman, the car skidded, struck a concrete divider
and burst into flames. One of the occupants sustained burns to the hands and
face. The 17-year-old driver has been charged with speeding.

NDP throne speech vows fair wage
policy; audit of hospital waiting lists

FREEDOM of

information

legislation, an independent

audit of hospital waiting lists and a ‘‘fair wage’ policy for
all public sector capital construction projecis were the
highlights Tuesday of the first speech from the throne by
an NDP government in B.C. in 17 years.

B.C. Premier Mike Harcourt said
the speech was ‘‘an agenda to
manage better, to spend smarter,
and (to) build on our strengths as
a province."

Lt.-Gov. David Lam delivered
the government’s message to a
legislature that features 49 rookie

By John Pifer
From Victoria

MLAs among its 75 members, and
in which the NDP hold a com-
fortable 27-seat m ity

Despite Liberal threats to op-
pose the election of Burnaby NDP
MLA Joan Sawicki as Speaker,
she was unanimously approved.

But Liberal house leader and
West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA
David Mitchell, in seconding the
motion, urged the house to con-
sider a free election for the
Speaker's post in the future,
rather than deciding the post
through government nomination.

The government repeated its
campaign promises to introduce
“fair and balanced’? labor laws

and ‘“‘to take positive steps to im-
prove access to abortion services
in B.C.”

In the throne speech, the NDP
also pledged:
@ to increase the jurisdiction of
the provincial ombudsman to con-
sider legislation, spending
estimates, and recall and initiative
procedures, as approved by refer-
endum in the October 199] elec-
tion;
@ to recognize aboriginal title and
the natives’ inherent rights to
self-government;
@ to invest in school construction
lo phase out portable classrooms;
@to expand the Human Rights
Code and to prohibit discr
tion on the basis of agc, sex and
family status;

@to reform and renew en-
vironmental legislation — wiidlife,
fisheries, environmental protec-
tion, water management — after
public hearings;

@ to strengthen the
interest laws for MLAs;
@ to set up an outside review of
MLAs’ salaries, benefits, pen-
sions, and severance payment

® to buy more goods and services
from 8.C. suppliers;

@ to introduce a new
Health Care Services Act;
@ to strengthen the Forests Act to
enforce laws on reforestation.

A provincial Freedom of In-
formation and Privacy Act will,
for the first time, give citizens
public access to many previously
restricted government documents,

conflict-of-

Medical

REACHING EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1969