sundiey, Mlarch $, 1987 North Shore Nev: News Viewpoint ottled up fears est Van council -- and also the two North Van councils, for that matter -- should not dismiss too fiphtly the anaiety of some neighborhoods over the closing of their local exits te the Upper Leveis Highway. The Highways Ministry plan to seal off all accesses except those al main overpasses could “botde in” cer- tain residential pockets in the event of a major disaster calling For rapid evacuation (e.g., earthquake, large- seale chemien! spill or auclear alert). In West Van, that was the fear expressed hast week fo council by residents of the castern” portion of Cedardale, including the Spuraway apartment con- plex, about the closure of their Third Street exit. In future, their escape route will depend on the two nar- row and relatively vulnerable bridges over Brothers Creek. Three similar neighborhood highway exits between Capilano Road and Lonsdale Avenue also stand to be closed. The Ministry's plan is, of course, “‘tidy’’, even though there's no evidence that the local accesses have caused any real problems to other highway users. But a compromise that would meet both Victoria’s thinking about day-to-day traffic flow and the legitimate wor- ries of affected residents about crisis situations would seem fairly obvious. Instead of sealing off the exits with permanent con- crete barriers, what’s wrong with locked swing-up gates -- the keys carried in West and North Van police cars for quick use in emergency? North Shore counciis owe it to concerned taxpayers to press Victoria for this simple, commonsense solu- tion. NEWS photo Stuart Davis. “MAIS OUI!’ ... West Van Parents for French president Dianne Norton with winning French immersion students in this year’s French public speaking competition: (clockwise) Jordan Millar (holding sign), Kathryn Peck, Julian May, Natalie Bezemer, Mrs. Norton, Caelen Bright and Ashley Millar. LETTER OF THE DAY WV teachers blast Doug Dear Editor: We are not writing this letter to the individual whose work has aroused our ire because we believe his bigotry is so profound that he, like most bigots, is immune to reason. The views of Mr. Doug Collins regarding immigration and Canada’s multi-cultural society are well known. His column of Feb. 15 was unprecedented in its racist rhetoric and advocacy of violence e-towards those unfortunate in- dividuals who Collins must suffer to share this planet. We are familiar with the litera- ture of such noted hate mongers as Jim Keegstra and Ernst Zundel. Epithets such as ‘‘bulbous-eyed bug hunters’’, ‘‘pest ridden’? and “barnacle busters’? would put these sordid fellows to shame. We are stunned by the lack of editorial sense displayed in your decision to run that column. Its at- tack is not on immigration policy on members oj a race and nation- THE VOICE OF NORTH AD WEST VANCOUVER MUNDAY — WEDNESDAY » PEtDAY 1139 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 58,287 alerage Display Advertising FAG GH Classitied Advedising Gdb G22? Newsroom 985-2151 Otstribution 986 1337 Subscnptions 986.1337 Raith thute Meme Publisher Uditorin-Chiet Managing Editor Advertising Director NEWS photo Noel Weight SMILES AFTER THE SQUALLS over SkyTrain bucks ... Capilano MP Mary Collins presents a copy of Michael (‘‘Retroactive’') Wilson's federal budget to North Van Chamber of Commerce president Graham Reid. THE FRENCH FACT is alive and well in West Van—with six bright Grade 2-8 students and cash from their moms and dads to prove it. The latter are members of Ca- nadian Parents for French, who sponsor the ‘Concours d'art oratoire’’, a public speaking com- petition (en francais, naturelle- ment) for youngsters in French immersion programs. This year the West Van chapter of CPFF has donated plaques to each of the three West Van French immersion schoots—Hollyburn, Pauline Johnson and Sentinel—on which the names of annual winners in the “Concours”? will be inscribed. Winners from Grade 6 upward participate in the provincial com- petition, March 7, at SFU. Mean- while, the first proud names on those plaques (with Grades shown in brackets) are: Jordan Millar (3), Kathryn Peck (2), Julian May (7), Natalie Bezemer (8), Caelen Bright (6) and Ashley Mitlar (5). _ + © DEFENDING federal Finance Minister Michael Wilson’s derail- ment of the SkyTrain bond scheme brought 15 minutes of squally weather for Capilano MP Mary Collins Tuesday while she was ex- plaining the budget to North Van Chamber of Commerce directors. They rejected her argument that it was “‘inappropriate’’ to save bucks for B.C. taxpayers by taking ad- vantage of a legal tax loophole and turned thumbs down firmly on Wilson’s use of retroactive legisla- tion to kill B.C. Finance Minister Mel Couvelier's brainchild. Does Mary scmetimes forget where her home port is? ality. It depicts the problem of immigration not in economic, demographic or other legitimate terms but in the familiar neo-Nazi jargon of the struggle for survival of the white race and ‘‘civiliza- tion’’. The North Shore News prides itself for iis services as a communi- ty newspaper. Has it occurred to you that many members of your community are immigrants and members of visible minorities who take great offense ‘at Mr. Collins” - Noel Wright HITHER ANP YON: Centuries- old English custom of feasting on “‘shriven cakes’’ the day before Lent will be celebrated on Shrove (now you know!) Tuesday, March 3, by the ladies of St. John’s Church, 8th and Chesterfield, with a traditional pancake lunch from 11:30 to 2 in the Memorial Hall. Costs $3.50 (children $2) and everyone welcome, says Beth Lawrence ... Salute budding C.A.s Robert Hawes, Gary Leonard, Peter Pograscher, Derek Henrey, Carole Laurila, Nicholas Pucher, Brent Sadola and Paul Woodhouse—all from North Van—plus West Van’s Michael Barry, Jeana Traviss and Lesley Thersen: they’ve just passed the Uniform Final Entrance Exam of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants ... The same again, please, for SFU Honor Roll students Kevin Col- bow, Narcy Grout, Ivana Micallef and Brenda Lou from West Van—and for West Van Second- ary’s Jennifer Hales, Christopher Walkey and Haakon MacCallum, winners of SFU entrance scholar- © sunday brunch @ ships ... A better life dawns for lit- tle Loise of Kenya and her family now she’s been ‘‘adopted’’ by David Douglas of North Van under the Foster Parents Plan— which, with modest monthly con- tributions like his, helps over 279,000 children in 21 Third World countries. Call toll-free 1-800- 268-7174 for info ... And if your month-end pay cheque is up to it, B.C. Heart Foundation president David Devine would love to wel- come you next Friday, March 6, at the black/white-tie Heart Ball in the Four Seasons. The 6:30 recep- tion plus dinner, entertainment, emcee Laurier LaPierre and danc- ing to Dal Richards’ band costs just $100 a plate—while heart research and its miracles (witness West Van’s Daniel Izzard) cost the earth. For a couple of the few tickets left, call 736-4404. Pretty quickly! * * 8 WRIGHT OR WRONG: Educa- tion makes life much easier. If you hadn’t learned to sign your name, you’d have to pay cash for everything. and the NEWS slurs? We intend to contact those businesses who placed advertise- ments in your Feb. 15 issue and express our concerns over their advertising in a journal that feels no reluctance to run such bile under its masthead. As teachers we find it particular- ly repugnant that the column should run on the eve of Multicultural! Week. Throughout the province’s schools, teachers and -students are striving to pro- mote multicultural values and celebrating the achievements of our society in thriving on diversity. We would very much appreciate a response to our concerns. Does the North Shore News consider it appropriate that Mr. Collins’ big- otry should be expressed on its pages? Kit Krieger Peter Lefaivre Co-presidents WV Teachers’ Assn.