a 8 - Friday, May 3, 1991 - North Shore News Dear Editor: E can understand the frustra- tion at the low voter turnout during the civic elections in North Vancouver. I can only assuine that most of the poten- tial voters are unaware of the scope of responsibilities of their local government. I can appreciate to some ex- tent why some people find local government boring. It’s tough to get worked up over a new sewer line. The last ex- citing thing happening on North Vancouver District Council was when the mayor sneezed three times in a row at a public hearing. Canadians are not the most excitable type, anyway. You can take their country away and you are lucky to get a yawn. [n English councils, they at least pretend to have fist- fights before they go for a beer after the meeting. Little wonder most Cana- dians haven't got a clue about civic politics. When I told my neighbor, who is a professor of Ancient History, that I was an alder- man he said, ‘‘you don’t look that old.” ‘‘Thank you,” I said. Local officials very seldom get recognition for having the privilege of spending the tax- payers’ money. Recently, North Vancouver District Council along with the Lynn Valley Lions Club, donated funds so a thousand kids could have a good time at an Easter egg hunt in Kirkstone Park in Lynn Valley. It was one of the events celebrating the District's 100th birthday. But there was no mention of the presence of aldermen by the master of ceremony, cen- tennial or not. Many people simply don’t Citizens are unaware of civic politics know where the money comes from to pay for such events. Or indeed for any of the thou- sand community services pro- vided and paid from municipal taxes. One chap thought it is from the change left at the bank counter from people whe hate pennies. When L complained in the North Shore News about the District of North Vancouver being short-changed by the provincial government to the tune of half a million dollars for a school site, one voter scolded me. Don’t you know, she said, that all the money comes out of the same pocket? I do, indeed. There is an endless stream of requests from various groups asking for grants for all the important projects which make this a community. In their publications at least one of them lists the names of all the elected officials in North Van- couver. But you won't find the names of the aldermen who were probably asked to vote and help pay for it. In many cases not even the people who benefit from these services directly, nor even staff menibers or volunteers working for them, are made aware that City Hall helped. Little wonder that, despite the heroic efforts of the News, only a small percentage of citi- zens turn out to vote. Maybe what's needed to stimulate more interest is to give everybody who comes to a council mecting a free beer. Or maybe we should run some of the old TV commercials, in- stead of asking whether there are any questions from the au- dience on an item: we discussed. Ernie Crist, Alderman District of North Vancouver THE TROUBLE WITH THE AVERAGE REAL ESTATE AGENT, [S THAT YOU GET AVERAGE RESULTS. (FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY SEE BELOW) ‘For Results, Get Born Into It’ GARY BORN 984-9711 Sussex} Sussex Group—Gary Born Realty Corporation Realty | 2996 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. MAILBOX Feedback requested on psychiatric drugs Dear Editor: May | ask readers to share their experiences of the side effects of psychiatric drugs? It is so hard ta get straight: answers from the psychiatric industry. Drugs are big business in this country, whether ilegai or not. With so much attention on illicit drugs these days, there is unfor- tunately still insufficient attention put on legal tranquillizers, anti- depressants and psychotropics (mind altering drugs). These are the drugs used mainly by psychiatrists on people, some of whom are just having a hard time with their marriage, or just teel ‘bad with their nerves’ etc. This, too, is a multi-million dollar industry like the illegal drug trade and can often be just as deadly and crippling to society. Psychiatry needs to be replaced by a profession that offers real solutions to the drug problem as now psychiatrists have welcomed with open arms another new “wonder drug’’ called Prozac. Prozac has been proven to create suicidal ideation in some individuals who have taken the drug. In spite of this psychiatrists are sull prescribing it for depres- sion, weight loss, to quit smoking and even for PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome). Prozac survivor groups have begun to spring up, and the drug has been linked with actual inci- dents of suicide, violence and, in one case, mass murder. The Citizens’ Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a group established by the Church of Scientology, has been campaigning against certain psychiatric drugs for many years, but Prozac is fast becoming the focus of attention. €CHR is asking anyone who has taken Prozac or any other psychiatric drug to contact us and tell us about their first-hand expe- rience of the side-effects. R. Hepburn North Vancouver Fe. NO MATTER ey to our members. Credit Union from any institution. 3 Year 4 Year @ LEGAL FEE PACKAGE Gulf and Fraser is offering a residential mortgage “Legal Fee Package” exclusive @ NO TRANSFER FEE Gulf and Fraser has a “No Transfer Fee” policy for transferring your residential mortgage to Gulf and Fraser Fishermen's fi PRE-PAYMENT FLEXIBILITY We make it possible to pay off your mort- age sooner and save you thousands of do lars. 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