NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER ng Yt Office, Editorial 985-2131 Display Advertising 980-0511 June 22, 1894 68 pages NEWS photo Terry Peters Freedom flight GRADE 2 student Gavin Le Noble displays one of the 400 Painted Lady butterflies recent- ly released by Eagle Harbour school in West Vancouver. The students hatched the butter- flies from eggs and nurtured them until they were grown. Each butterfly has been taqged with a phone number so people who spot them can call the school with the time of the butterfly's sighting and its location. This should help track their migratory habits. eae REACHING CHEAP SEATS New Zealand natives visit the North Shore in a cross- cultural meeting of athletes, Classifieds 986-6222 IN THE SPOTLIGHT Artist Wendy Hamlin talks about her upconmng exhibit at the Diane Farris Gallery. Distribution 986-1337 Phone-in referendum leaves NV Reform MP short $5,000 NORTH VANCOUVER Reform MP Ted White is out $5,000 after a majority of voters in his riding declined to pick up the phone to take part in a referendum on the Young Offenders Act (YOA), By Anna Marie D’Angelto News Reporter About 9% of the riding’s eligi- ble voters participated in White's caterprise. But suid While, “Of course, it was (successful). Ten per cent of voters felt good about trying new technology and having direct input to their MP.” Approximately 4.600 of 50,000 cligible voters paid to take part in the event. White needed 20,000 calls to break even on the cost of the project. The phone lines were open for en days until Monday. Callers paid $1.95 to participate. The phone-in system was set up by MTT Technologies at a cost of $11,000. White said he is going to pay $5,000 to $6,000 out of his “pay packet” to cover the cost of the experiment, “It was absolutely necessary to do it. Next time it will be easier. Before we know it, it will be com- monplace,” said White. Not all residents were enchanted with the prospect of joining White's phone referendum. Murgaret MeLeod said White had no right to call the phone-in a referendum. “L object to the way he slants everything. It isn’t democracy because you don’t pay to vote ina deinocracy, Hs nota success if he only got 10% of possible voters,” said McLeod, who tives in North Vancouver District. White said he had ta choose between charging the nominal price or not having a phone-in referen- dum atall. “If someone complained about the cost, we patched them in and let them vote for free.” said White. White noted that it “was quife likely” that a lot of B.C. Liberals phoned in because members of the political party have experience with the voting system. He said the student participation rute was low, with 45 calling in out of a possible 700. White claims many students threw away their secret referendum voting numbers. The local school board would not allow students to participate during class time. Policy does not allow political activity that is not related to school work, according to NVSB chairman Pat Heal. The results of the phone-in ref- erendum include the following: @ Should 10 years of age be made the lowest age iimit for charges to be laid under the YOA? Registered voters: yes: 3,067; no: 1.539; student voters (Grades 10, 11 and 12): yes: 29; no: 15. @ Should there be automatic trans- fer to adult court for young oftend- ers charged with serious offences such as murder? Registered voters: yes 4.474; no: 125; student voters: yes: 38; no: 6. B Should there be special category in the YOA which would provide harsher penalties for dangerous, violent and repeat offenders? Registered voters: yes: 4.539: no: 53: student voters: yes: 40: no: 4. NORTH VANCOUVER MP Ted White assists a Carson Graham secondary student with a cail to the phone-in last week in front of media spectators. About 9% of the riding’s eligible voters participated in White's enterprise. EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE