6 — Friday, August 31, 1990 - North Shore News MOHAWKS /N CKED INDIANS... 3 RAIL LINES IN THATS C. ARE NOW I BON ee BARRICADES... THE MEACIER BRIDGE IS NOW BLOCKED BY THE MAIN CP HONGO ME Must NOW BLOCKED. © SOON INSIGHTS EY GOTTA AKE. THEIR POINT... BE IN (PROBONS CAMS HAVE IN SUPPORT... To Bf SETIED._ THE FE NEWS VIEWPOINT Fresh political blood ECENT POLITICAL reveiations should make this year’s municipal elections on the North Shore the most interesting in recent memory, but on- ly if locals ditch their traditional apathetic attitude toward local politics. In the past few weeks, the incumbent mayors of West Vancouver and North Vancouver districts have announced that: they will not seek re-election in the November municipal elections. And on ‘Tuesday, incumbent Nerth Vancouver-Capilano MLA Angus Ree an- nounced that, after representin: the riding for the past 11 years in tke yrovincial legislature, he will not seek re-election in the next provincia! election. The announcements, while disturbing to those who appreciate the status quo, pro- vide 2 great opportunity for !ccal residents LETTER OF THE DAY to inject new blood into the largely mori- bund North Shore body politic. Incumbency can be a vote of support from the electorate, but all too often it is a sign of voter apathy, especially when in- cumbents are returned by acclamation, a common practice on the North Shore. Ree and the two district mayors have provided their communities with dedicated service during their terms in office. But they have all made the right decision to move on. It is now up to other members of the community to come forward and offer up their time and experience for the public good. To leave it up to someone else is to sell the community short.and to cultivate an atmosphere in which local government is filled by the lowest common denominator. Let’s not create more borders ” Dear Editor: I would like to register my op- position to the editorial view that is emerging in your paper concer- ning Native political actions. On Aug. 5 you questioned why the Mohawk blockade has not been dealt with under Canadian laws as a West Vancouver burning bylaw blockade surely would be. On Aug. 19 you placed Natives in the same fuzzy class of envelope. North Shore News, founded He 1368 as an independent 139 suburban newspaper and quahfred under Schedule 111, 1 Paragraph MI of the Excise Tax Act, is published each No onsdate venue, Wednesday. Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free couver, BU. Press Lid. and disiribuled fo every door on the Narth V7M 2H4 Shore Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885. Subscriptions North and West Vancouver, $25 per year. §9,170 (average, Wednesday Mailing tates available on request. Submissions are Friday & Sunday) welcome bul we cannol accept responsibilty for unsolcited matena! meluaing manuscnpts and pictures coe. | ‘a aS ‘distinct society’? that immigrant Canadians enjoy. Your argument that whether groups arrive here thousands of years ago or yesterday has little bearing on the fact that we are all Canadians is unbelievably short- sighted, even imperialist. I suppose as the mirror of a culture that destroys what was here first — aboriginal peoples and the environment — in the name of greed your viewpoint which should be accompanied by a stamped, addressed SDA OIVISION Entire contents © 1990 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. should not be so surprising. Nevertheless, try and recognize the importance of this issue. We have to compromise and stances such as your editorials will not allow us to move forward and find a common ground in any way. As you yourself state on Aug. (9, ‘‘let’s not create more borders.’* David Opko North Vancouver Publisher ...........Peter Speck jrammeton nomrssno wear ascouee Display Advertising 980-0511 Managing Editor Timothy Renshaw Classified Advertising 986-6222 Associate Editor... . Noel Wright Newsroom 985-2131 . . . Distribution 986-1337 Advertising Director Linda Stewart & — . Subscriptions : 986-1337 SUNDAY = WEDNESDAY > FROAY Fax 985-3227 MEMBER North Shore owned and managed ws, penge] SuMMer’s over— so it’s off to the hustings WITH HALLF the North Shore — until Tuesday — still away at the cottage, on the doat or relaxing in a peaceful summer coma, life for numerous local politicians is already grim and earnest again. As they hasten to proclaim — or leak — their latest goals to the media before being swamped by an increasingly likely fall provin- cial election, new challenges are suddenly sprouting everywhere. In North Van District four-term Ald. Murray Dykeman, 58, is first out of the starting gate in a potentially hot race for retiring Mayor Mazilyn Baker’s crown at the Nov. 17 municipal elections. His likely challengers (though still mum for the moment) would be poll-topping Ald. Joan Gadsby and Ald. Craig Clark. The free local publicity won by Ald. Ernie Crist as a cable TV host has sparked speculation that he, too, has his eye on the mayor’s chair. But he may equally well prefer continuing freedom as council’s longtime sniper-in-chief. Mayors aren't allowed that kind of fun. In North Van City 1970s kindergarten toddlers who'll be graduating from high school next year have never known any other mayor but the indestructible 72- year-old Jack Loucks. After 13 years he plans to run once more and the rumor mill says he'll like- ly be opposed by social activist Ald. John Braithwaite. Across the Capilano in Canada’s best heeled community retiring West Van Mayor Don Lanskail, while denying any for- mal endorsation, has verbally anointed bright young three-term Ald. Mark Sager, 32, as his heir apparent. None of Mark’s council colleagues have so far shown any signs of competing, but even so, he is by no means assured yet of romping home by acclamation. The two clouds presently on young Mark’s otherwise bright horizon are former four-term mayor Derrick Humphreys and retiring North Van-Capilano MLA Angus Ree. Both claim strong support urging them to run and yes-or-no’s from each of them are expected shortly. Meanwhile, Mayor Marilyn Baker makes no secret of her in- terest now in provincial politics and Ree’s departure hands her the Socred nomination in the new Lonsdale riding on a plate, if she decides to go for it. She would be up against the NDP’s David Schreck, who lost an earlier bid to unseat Jack Davis in the Seymour riding. The respect she enjoys throughout North Van and her authoritative firsthand knowledge of the community’s problems would likely ensure the same fate again for Schreck. Voters could certainly depend MARILYN Baker ... no trained seal. Noel Wright HITHER AND YON on one thing. Marilyn is nobody's trained seal. And her impressive eight-year record guiding the af- fairs of the North Shore’s biggest municipality suggests she would also be first-class cabinet material. But be sure to jot down all those civic candidates’ names. If Bill Vander Zalm pulls the pro- vincial election plug next month, you may need a bit of paper Nov. 17 to remind you who's what! ake WRAP-UP: If you’re a British immigrant living in Canada for less than 20 years, did you know you can still vote in U.K. elec- ticns? For registration forms and full information contact the Brit- ish Consulate ... Seeking ways to trim your ever rising living costs? Call Liz Howard, 988-5231, who’s Jooking for people interested in helping work a community garden and share its produce at harvest time ... Congrats to new ‘‘Golden Club’’ members Alex and Margaret Macaulay of West Van — whose anniversary today, Aug. 31, is still one year short of Alex’s 51 years in the insurance industry with Parsons Brown ... The same again today to North Van’s Harold and Jean Fromme on their 52nd ... Tomorrow, Sept. 1, wish happy birthday to Horseshoe Bay’s Wendy Hanna ... And send 54th anniversary greetings to West Van’s Leslie and Mildred Hughes. tee WRIGHT OR WRONG: You can never win an argument with a cus- tomer — but it may be some time before you discover you've lost both! ANGUS Ree ... MLA lowers his sights.