6 - Wednesday, February 13, 1985 - North Shore News Editorial Page Justice as SEEN John Davies, who has disqualified himself from conducting trials because he feels he cannot be seen as being indepen- dent from the government, could be easily re- solved. B.C, provincial judges are employees of the. Attorney General’s - department, as are - Crown prosecutors.. Both receive their pay cheques from the same ““boss”’, the A.G. So - when .an accused appearing before Judge Davies asked: ‘How can I get a fair trial ‘when (the Crown prosecutor) is paid out of the same pocket as you?”’ the judge agreed- ~--citing. the Charter of Rights which guaran- tees accused persons a-fair public hearing “by an independent and impartial tribunal’. . Attorney ‘General Brian, Smith maintains provincial judges ARE independent, despite ‘the employer-employee relationship and. his itimate power to fire them (federal judges,. by contrast, “can be fired only by Parliament asa whole). Mr. Smith, who has meanwhile : an appeal against the Davies ruling, is also on. record as. having: “urged”? judges ‘the Charter i in certain ways. T: dilemma of provincial court Judge ‘nada Highway | near 'Abbortsford has demands ‘for ‘RCMP ‘authority ‘to ‘cin’. hazardous conditions. | of are: constantly patrolling and can act h. faster: than _desk-bound bureaucrats. Display Advertising * : Newsroom '. Circulation , Subscriptions . 4139. Lonsdale Ave, North Vancouver, 8.C. vim 2H4 : “Sublisher Peter Speck iMsrketing Director Operations Manager . Robert Graham: : Berni Hilliard Advertising Director. Clreulation Director : Dave Jenneson - . Bili McGown uo Editor-in-Chief : _ Noel Wright : Dis y avertisin Manager L Mi ika‘Goodsel ad Ctassified Manager : Val Stephenson .. Production Director Chris Johnson Photography Manager Terry Peters . ~, North, Shore "News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper, and Guatilied under Schedule (I, Part Hi, Paragraph Il! of the Excise Tax’ Act: is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by . North Shore Free Press Lid. and distributed to every door on the North . Shore-Gecond Class Mait. Registration Number 3885. Entire contents ~ ©1985 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. : ‘North and West Vancouver. $25. per year. Mailing rates bitty accepted for unsolicited material including ‘manuscripts and pictures which Should be accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope. ' member of the B.C. Press Council 55,770 (average, Wednesday Friday & Sunday) THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE : 980-0511 “Classified Advertising 986-6222. ° 985-2131 986-1337 985-2131 i \Yiania fines Gov. f NICE 10 wn SOMEONES : 60 BACK 10 na HE BEST "THING: that’’s happened to. B.C.’s raucous, punch-drurk legislature in a decade is. last May's NDP leadership contest. Firstly, battling Dave Bar- rett was replaced by reason- _able,, mannerly Bob Skelly, “whose pleas’. to curb’ the ‘ruthless %Socred-NDP con- frontation tactics of recent _ years now have even Premier Bennett listening cautiously. More ‘importantly, however, Mr. Skelly’s acces- ‘sion “has accidentally pro- duced a three-party Legislature ‘again. for the first time since 1979---thanks to the man he beat in the leadership race, who subsequently. quit the . NDP.to blaze his own politi- cal trail. ‘Last . week; “with -brilliant timing just:three days before - _ the -Legistatiire : reconvened, Mr.Lea_ officially launched _ the United: Party: of. B.C., ‘which he’. now ‘fepresents . in the chaniber: as combined leader and one- ~man caucus. -At's a modest beginning ‘but there are good reasons why Messrs. . Bennett and Skelly are both likely to be. . casting nervous glances at Dear Editor On January 25 a Van- couver newspaper featured a front page story about the plight of an 87-year-old man: His situation is a desperate. * one; he’s being evicted frorn his home of 46 years, to make way for profit-hungry developers. Of course, he realizes that his chances of finding other affordable ac- commodation are virtually nil. Regrettably, this is notan Prince ° “Rupert MLA’.Graham Lea, Mr. Lea from time to time. He offers a reasoned, mid- dle-of-the-road alternative to brawling -Socred::and NDP. hardliners, .and claims fed- -.. & up -former:members ‘of both parties” among chis ' outside supporters. - obo fay :He’s convinced there are tens of thousands’ more like .: ‘them among the dissatisfied B.C... citizenry. -And he's even hopeful. of “eventually — luring ..some ‘disenchanted Socred’and: NDP MLAs’ themselves to his banner. - “AIL this may not be entire- ly” wishful : thinking, given that the ‘next election could’ come by the spring of 1986. Premier Bennett presently has the dubious: distinction of heading Canada’s. most unpopular . provincial. gov- ernment. Better to risk going to the polls amid. the euphoria immediately preceding Expo 86 than wait until after the, fair is over and the bills come rolling in. Meanwhile, the NDP’s traditional ties with orga- nized. labor continue to burden it with heavy politi- LETTER OF THE DAY ert ‘Profiteers’ take their homes. time residents are. now being . evicted to make way for - isolated incident, but a tragic scenario which is being repeated, at an alzrming rate . throughout the ' Vancouver area. Low-cost Housing is be- ing demolished by ruthless profiteers, who don't give a fig for the welfare of the peo- ple they leave homcless! ‘A classic of this “profits before people’ mentality, is taking place in the Hamilton/Fell district of North Vancouver. Real estate cal baggage. AS. the B.C ‘recession drags on, popular By contrast, the clean,: . shining UP. platform cals for an end to warring |. ideciogies; decentralization ‘of power to the local gov- ernment level; a- decentraliz- ‘speculators have been agitating for years to have the area rezoned for coinmerical and apartment deveiopment. To give credit where it’s due, City Hall did stand. firm in their resolve to protect this pleasant, rather quaint area from the wrecker’s ball. But, unfortunately they are weakening. Not surprising, considering the tremendous amount of pressure” being marshalled against them by -money-mad profiteers. As a ni small. business; and: free. otes for MLAs according. to their conscierices. ; The. only: snag bout: ‘this theoretically” ‘appealing ackage. is’ the . pathological - Regardless of whether: hi makes it, however, Mr.’ Lé “ may already lave don one: ‘lasting; servic * broad | support for. the - unions is visibly ebbing. -' .tered party,. images. ; D potentially attractive: “third | , force’*'now snapping at their * . heels in the Legislature itself, - they’ve ‘everything to gain:by smartening up the behavior ‘and manners of their fol- : lowers. : result, | ” many long characterless town-house complexes with exorbitant rents. When will this blatant in- justice. stop? How long will the modest needs of decent people be swept aside to satisfy the sordid greed of wolfish Philistines? a Grant : “North Vancouver .