4 UGceSTAD NaMeS FR Te ; — ROPACING TH GST: \Tye YOULL NeVeR soe | This MON aed TAX ie THO CAN You BeLieva We Got uN Nene ua $ HEU Et m= oy Gon 0 sno THiS, TAX. THE Ge) KeeP THAT TROVGH FULL TOX. Pride of prejudice HE NORTH Shore News stands charged with prejudice — again. The charge this time has been laid against the News by an upstanding member of the North Shore’s Iranian community, who opined in a July 8 News story ebout the neighborhood outcry raised over an Iranian celebration in North Vancouver City’s Victoria Park on-Canada Day that the News was one of the most prejudiced papers in the province for not sending anyone to cover the event itself. Our plea? Guilty, Your Honor. The News did not cover the event, but there were many Canada Day events the same day on the North Shore. The newspa- per covered many, but could not cover them ail. How that relates to prejudice in the way the Iranian representative meant it is any- one’s guess, - ; As to the larger issue of prejudice: Guilty again, Your Honor. We are guilty of prejudice against those who would pressure the system for change to suit their agendas, whether it be for the good of the community or zot; we are guilty of prejudice against groups who preach diversi- ty of culture and diversity of language, but draw the line at diversity of opinion and diversity of ideas; we are prejudiced against hypocrites who hide behind accusations of “racism” but practise their own brand of selective treatment of issues based on the agendas of their own groups; we are guilty of prejudice against self-interest groups who would ram their lifestyles down the throat of the public whether the public approves of their lifestyles or mot. = Yes, Your Honor, we are guilty of preju- dice and proud of it. Fiscal framework disrupting classes Dear Editor: The North Vancouver Teachers’ Association would like to express its extreme concern over the con- tent of your June 26 North Shore News Viewpoint entitled “Lessons lessened.” A newspaper such as yours, which has the anonymity of the editorial page from which to speak, should at the very least ensure the accuracy of the state- ments it publishes. First, the school calendar is not a condition of collective bargaining. It is imposed by the Ministry of Education on all schoo! districts in the province and provides uniformi- Publisher Managing Editor . Associate Editor... Peter Speck Timothy Renshaw ty in instructional time, opening and closing dates, length of school year, etc. Second, nothing in our collec- tive agreement requires that schools, including Capilano Elementary, organize themselves in anything but a traditional pattern. The issue of an alternative organi- zational model is taken very seri- ously by this school district and requires procedures and public input before it can happen. If this were not the case, one would have to wonder why all other elementary schools who employ the same teachers under the same col- Display Advertising 980-0511 Classified Advertising 986-6222 F, Distribution Real Estate Advertising 985-6902 Subscriptions lective agreement don’t have the same organizational problem. it is perhaps time that the North Shore News relied less on hysteria and began to recognize that North Vancouver schools suffer from overcrowding and significant underfunding from a Ministry of Education financial framework that clearly discriminates against us. If public accountability is what we seek, perhaps our real journey should begin there. Keith Denley, President North Vancouver Teachers’ Association 986-1337 986-1337 985-3227 985-2131 Sales & Mackating Newsroom Comptroiier...... ed North Shore ‘News, founded in 1969 as an independant suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd. and distributed to every door on tha North Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agresment No. 0087238. Mailing rates V7 available on request. Submissions are welcome but we cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited material Inctuding manuscripts and pictures which should be accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope. M 2H4 North Shore Managed ‘aX 985-2131 Administration MEMBER 1139 Lonedale Avenue North Vancouver B.C. SDA OIVISION 61,592 (average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) Entire contents © 1994 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. B.C. thoughts for Mr. Marchi on immigrants BRITISH COLUMBIANS have at last been officially invited by Ottawa to say what they think about immi- grants. Just don’t hold your breath. The invitation from Immigration Minister Sergio Marchi is to a series of study circles on immigra- tion for ordinary citizens, being held in major cities across Canada. -Their aim is allegedly to guide Marchi in producing a revised long- term immigration policy. Sounds good, until you learn that cach evening's study circle is limited to 25 participants. ‘That's a maximum of 125 B.C. citizens for the five Vancouver evenings, two of which have already taken place. The remaining three are scheduled for July 16, July 19 and July 20. The number to call for further details is 531-0251. In short, the exercise sounds suspiciously like yet another con 66 ... 2.5 million immigrants later, all of us — white and non- white —- now badly need a breathing space to get to know the multicultural soci- ety we’ve suddenly - become. 99 job by Ottawa to lull the peasants into thinking they are being listened t But if the minister IS serious about at last cleaning up the wildly flawed 1978 immigration policy sneaked in by Trudeau, the mes- sage to him is very simple. It goes something like this: For 16 years, Mr. Marchi, we’ve had to absorb too many culturally different immigrants TOO FAST. “Racist” most of us are NOT. Most of us are polite, tolerant and genuinely interested in newcomers. But 2.5 million immigrants later, all of us —- white and non-white —~ now badly need a breathing space to get to know the multicultural society we’ve suddenly become. Under the 1978 policy immi- grants from traditional sources (U.K., Europe, U.S.A., Australasia) fell to 30% of the total intake from 86% in the mid-1960s. During the same period Asian and Third World immigrants soared to 70% from 14%. But percentages tell only half the story. Most of the earlier white immigrants had skills comparable or superior to those of the native- born Canadian. They already spoke English or quickly mastered it. With a similar industrial and cultur- al background, they rapidly assimi- lated into Canadian social and eco- nomic life. The later flood of non-white immigrants also include plenty with individual success stories. But for HITHER AND YON many others — especially “family class” immigrants under the 1978 policy — it’s a very different tale. All toe often they’ ve lacked the labor market skills needed in an advanced country like Canada. Language has remained a formide- ble barrier. And by definition, a fair proportion of “family class” immi- grants are already middle-aged or elderly. As a result, they tend to cluster together with their own kind in “ghetto-ized” communities all over the Lower Mainland. Cut off from mainstream Canadian life, and a looming or actual. cost to taxpayers, they become easy targets for racist slurs from local rednecks. In time it will al! sort itself out, of course, as is already happening in the schools — our best hope for a truly multicultural society. By and large, kids raised in Capilano, Delbrook and Lynn Valley get on fine with their peers from Hong Kong, Korea and Iran. But our top need right now, Mr. Marchi, is simply a pause to refresh us all. So please cut the annual immigzant intake for a few years to at most 100,000 from the present 250,000. And pick them for what they can CONTRIBUTE to Canada — not whose relatives they are. Oh yes—and kindly send us the $100 million you're short-changing B.C. for all the English-as-Second- Language courses we run for you! WRAP-UP: Concert extravaganza Friday, July 15, at 8 p.m. in St. Andrews United Church, North Van, features Sweden’s Nicolai Chamber Choir and Brazil’s University of Brasilia Chorus — tickets at 985-0408 ... Also Friday, “give the gift” at the 2:30-8 p.m. blood denor clinics in Capilano Mall and Lynn Valley Centre ... Closing date for the North Shore Gardens Contest is July 17. Entry forms at garden centres, municipal halis and libraries — phone Patsy, 986-0070, for categories and info ... From the Oops — Sorry! Dept., apologies to West Van's Howard and Mary Mann for prematurely celebrating their Golden 50th in our June 15 edition—it’s actually this Friday, JULY 15 ... And a 100-can- dle salute today, July 13, to former North Van resident Caterina Tartaglia, now living at Three Links Centre over town. WRIGHT OR WRONG: Nostal- gia is longing for a place you wouldn't dream of moving back to.