HERE are bureaucra-

es within bureaucra-
ies. Often, the people
At the top don’t know
what the people at the
bottom are doing, and

ose. at the bottom
Hon’t know or care
what the people at the
#op are doing.

“Twas ever thus, At-the
battle of Copenhagen the
breat Admiral Nelson ignored

is orders. Told to attack a
ertain line of ships he put
is telescope to his blind eye

id said, “I see no ships.”
But at least, he won the bat-

le.

Which. brings me to my
ecent experiences with ‘the
B.C. Ferry Corporation. It
sacks a Nelson but does not

ack blind eyes.

;The:story is a trivial one
oncerning people returning

m Spud Island, otherwise
Riown as Saturna, to

sawwassen, But the small
Fan reflect the big.

‘Anyone making that trip”

the.early evening must be -

re of being able'to board
iC, ferry: at Village Bay,

Sa

which is the transfer point for
Tsawwassen. That’s why
there are reservations. Ifyou
are left behind you may be
stuck there for the night. Or
have to go back where you
came from. Or go on to
Victoria.

The struggle for giving
cars from Saturna priority has
been almost as long as The
Hundred Years War, But the
orders from the top to the
bottom have been clear.
Saturna should have it.

Bur it seems that the peo-
ple at the bottom don’t want,
to know.

Twice in the recent past
we had to wait while other
lines of vehicles went on first.
And the second time we cer-
tainly wouldn’t have made it
if there had been just one
more car in front of us, We
had to be squcezed on.

The first time, I asked a
staffer whether Saturna
shouldn’t have been moved
forward ahead of the others.

“Yes. Bur not if the mate
(of the Queen of Nanaimo)
says people heading for
Galiano must go on first,”
she said. I didn’t have time to
point out that not only

: Galiano but also all. those

smuggies from Mayne had
gone on, too. If I had
argued, the ship might have
left.

On the second occasion,
too, a crew member agreed
we should have been taken
first. But it was up to the
miate.:

Sizzling like a fried

sausage Tsought him out. He .

was talking quietly to some-
one when the hot sausage
arrived.

“No need to raise your
voice,” he said, as Doug
Rampant got into gear.

I thought there was every
reason, So, fortissino, he was
given a history of the case.
Of how even the Provincial
Ombudsman had been
involved. Of how his top
brass had investigated and
found we were right. Of haw
prayers had been offered in

cathedrals...

“Galiano must go first.
They're first off” he said,
stolid as a rock.

In tones that would have
served the ship well in a fog,
I wanted to know about
Mayne. Why should they go
ahead of Saturna?

And did reservations mean
nothing? Did Victoria’s
orders mean nothing?

“That’s the way it is,” he
said mysteriously.

Trying not to pop my
cork I bounced back to Grey
Eyes, who told me to stay
calm and sleep nights. People
were looking me, the Captain
GQueeg of the Gulf.

Should I complain to my

friends in the Human Rights

Council? Why should a poor
white like me be discriminat-
ed against?

Thaven't even mentioned
the total confusion that
reigned during loading...
Stops, more stops, and'pco-,
ple getting out of their cars
and wondering what was up.

\ Tt took nearly an hour to get:

us all on board. Was someone

eliport for emergencies only

Yes, we ‘do seed a heliport ,
he: North’ ‘Shore, but it.

sriate . site
und ' close
FOr” even. on’ the hospital
un s themselves, Even the
Roof: of the. |hospita
ight be'considered.::
: What discern ho
othing less than a
troduce what ess

ee ee ‘har
to ie Botti of the pa

of portraying the com
y, ‘showcase as it truly is.
nigh of. laug for
everyone Thank: you and,
Conlin. for!th
ort: af Gur comedy"
Bentley
acouve!

-health © board: °
should be struck to bring'such

and idea to fruition. Surely we
can use our collective political
‘clout on the: North Shore’ to

increasingly worrisome prob-
lem. We should not add to it.':

-uniess it-is for genuine emer-

gencies, not even for the sake -
of the film industry and ‘cer-'

_tainly not in residential areas.

But,: since.saving human lives
must transcend all other con-

" siderations, a! landing: site to

be used in emergencies should *
definitely. be pursued. A spe-
cial North Shore council and
“committee

turn such an idea into reality. oo

Ernie Crist

' Councillor, District of North Vancouver

: development will be’all

riparian:'zone.on t
This decis

banks of Mosquito, Gr: ae
ion was made despite opposition ‘by senior ievels of’
; “government; ‘and other groups’ concerned about the preserva-

. tion’ of salmon habitat.

“only! real reason given “for the decision to go ahead was,
that the council for the city of North Vancouver wanted to be!

‘perceived as “pro-development.” :

if

A pie they are, to th y%-0t of placing: the desites of

“deve o} ha inyy con,

sm for environmental issues.

pels tha, they ave a’ mandate from you,

the ci

citizens:of the city. of North Vancouver, to support devel-
opment, The question is: at what cost?

lf you feel the cost you are about, to pay, for setting the
t of putting development concerns above eivironmen-,
too high, then tell your councillor now. |
a'different mandate in November. If you don’ t, yo

ger what you deserve.’

o Mary: Suc Atkinson, North Vancouver

io

trying to solve an Einsteinian
equation?

The Gulf Islands’ ferry
that starts on time from
either Tsawwassen or any-
where else is the exception
rather than the rule, Getting
cars on in the right order
seems to be the biggest prob-
lem on the coast. Fhave often
thought I should offer to
help bur } don’t think the
union would like that.

Thank God B.C. Ferries
wasn't around at Dunkirk in
1940, Or on D-Day in 1944,
We would have lost the war.

That's my rant for today,
folks.

The North Shore News
believes strongly in freedom of
speech and the right of all sides
ina debate to be heard, The
columnists published in the
News present differing points
of view, but those views are not.
necessarily those of the newspa-

per itself.

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