Get on the guard issue Dear Editor: As a parent of children attending an elementary school affected by the loss of our crossing guard, I can’t help feeling a sense of impending disaster, The cutting of a program so vitally i important to the safety and welfare of our school children is appalling. It's not a matter of if a child will be killed or maimed trying to get to school but when. I applaud North Van City Council in its efforts to help sustain the program for the kids in the city. What happened to North Vancouver District Council? They must realize that if we can't have crossing guards they are going to be asked to provide adequate crossings with traffic lights at the very least. I have children who have to cross Dollarton Highway with no light at Dollar Road. * This intersection is hazardous. The kids have to con- tend with bus stops on three of the four corners, a gas ‘Station with three exits and entrances, commercial deliv- ~ ery trucks turning into the shopping centre via the inter- Genetic food for thought section to access the back specders who feel they are on a thoroughfare because there is no light between Mt. Seymour Parkway and Maplewood. When I inquired at district hall about the necd for a light at this intersection, | was shown a graph which stated our intersection was of low priority. This graph was based on a count done in 1991. We all know the population cast of the Seymour has increased dramatically in the past four years. The condominium developments are popping up everywhere. Dollarton Highway is no longer a two-lane country road —- it has been widened since 1991. Dollarton is a main route, hence the word “highway.” District council cannot sit idly by in their plush new building, which we all paid for dearly, and tell us there is no money left! Sell the furniture if you have to — children’s lives are at stake! Susan Anderson North Vancouver are seedless watermelons and grapes, huge cranges and bananas, and mutants like broccoli. ‘Dear Editor: - ~. Bob Hunter’s Jan: 21 article would lead one to believe that genetic’ modifications of foods “could lead to nightmarish results, ° .Consumers. frequently ask, whet confronted with the thought of eat- ' “ing genetically altered foods, “What ‘will happen when I eat a plant con- ‘taining a gene from a fish or a bac- terium? Will I get sick or develop - allergies?” fas “travel junkets”, TAs of that | date, LUberal ‘MPs, had been on | 34 trips, Bloc MPQ had been on f 23, PCs had. bee on 13, and Reform MPs had been on 4, two } of which - were ceremonies for ‘our veterans In Europo. ‘The latest tally puts © ‘Liberal trips at 59,-Bloe trins at 33, PC trips at 23, (Yes, PC MP's kes intértiational ‘trips), | and ‘Reform trips at 7. - Again, alniost all of the Reform ‘trips were taken at the request of _Veterans’ grcups. who wanted Reform’ representativds to . be ‘present at ceremonivs. in Europa, However, prior to going on any of these trips, Reform’. MPs. asked,’ “How much will it cost?’, “What Is the agendu?", ‘and “What will be f the return for Canada and Canadians?”. Unfortunatety, even “when we refuse to go on a “travel A junkst’, .the Government usually } fills the vacant: spaces with more Liberal MPs. THE 1.P.U, The main theme of my May 17th teport was a story about the Interparliamentary Union, a “club” of MPs, with very loosely defined ‘objactives, which takes regular international trips at your expense. John Williams was Reform's sole rapresentative on the IPU, and he j has refused to go on any of the iPU i trips because he has been unable i to identify any tangible benefits for ‘f. Canada in any of. the proposed | agendas. 4 On November 2, 1994 John put “< forward a motion that “a set of ong- term targets and objectives” should ‘pe established for the IPU and that failure to do so should result in its dissolution. Liberal’ MPs reacted angrily to John's motion, ‘calling it trash, and criticising his attitude. They ‘tried unsuccessfully to s remove John from membership in the “club” and even wrote to the # ‘Reform Caucus in March of 1995 “to: “attend ; If you like sushi or let your chil- dren eat an unwashed tomato, you have eaten hundreds of fish genes and bacterial genes. The DNA in these genes is quickly digested, and unless it is from a poisonous bac- terium like Salmonella, you are fine. Every plant on our shelves today has been genetically altered using an artificial process of breeding. The outcome of these experiments advertorial Feb. 14/96 asking the Reform House Leader to replace John as Reform’s representative. However, Caucus "refused to bow to the demands of the IPU and resubmitted the name of John representative. The IPU in turn tefused to accept John and [ operated until! December of 1995 in . contravention of its. own constitution, which required a | Reform MP to be one of the Board members.’ HERE’S THE: LATEST The entire farce came to a head when IPU elactions for a new | Board of Directors were held on December 6, 1895. John Williams again. stood as — Reform’s representative, but his nomination’: - was refused, even though tha -j Chair acknowledged that ‘ihe nomination was. in. order. Rather { than face public scrutiny of the money spent on IPU trips, the Liberal MPs who make up the majority of |PU members simply changed the constitution to exclude anyone who would not “undertake to promote the aims and objectives of the said interperliamentary organization”. The new rule can be used to exclude anyone critical of the operations of the IPU, but as John says, ‘The IPU has no aims and objectives so it would be hard § for any member to comply with the § new requirement". It is unlikely that you will ever | tead about political mini-dramas like these in the mainstream j media. Much of the action takes place behind closed doors, and even if word “leaks out”, the media seem reluctant to criticize the Ottawa establishment. For the meantime, the job of exposing the waste, the lack of democracy, and the truth about how the system works, will rest with MPs who are prepared to speak out in support of change. We are expecting a long fight. None of these plants exist in nature; they are the innovative result of genetic modifications, and no one has any concern when eating them. - Let’s not forget what we eat today and cautiously study and con- sider that genetic modifications of foods could lead to further innova- tions. Let's get a balanced perspec- tive on what the real issues are. Zamir Punja SFU.Professor - Wednesday, February 14, 1996 — North Shore News - 9 Rtirement P lanning How «gic the business member turn the page on his retirement plan? (Visit one of our branches or see our ad in Sunday’s edition.) NE Ginn onion Fontana ngoue Commun tly North Vancouver e West Vancouver ® Vancouver ® Burnaby ¢ Whisder Proud sponsor of the 1996 BC Winter Games Williams. as. our { Mie is hereby given by the city of North Vancouver, purduarii to Section.9 Municipal Act of British Columbia, that a Public’ Hearing’ will be: hel February 19, 1996 at 7 30 p.m., in the Council Chamber, City Hall, 141 West 14th Street, ‘North : To rezone Lot AM20, Block 41, D.L: 547 Plan: 1572, located at 439 West.16th Street, indicated o on the, ‘map below. The amending bylaw will have the effect of removing the said property FROM: RS-1 (One Family Residential Zone) ‘TO: RT-1 (Two: Family Residential 1 Zone) to > permit development of aduplex on the site. West 16th Street West 15th Street APPLICANT: BRENT DEVELOPMENTS LTD. /REL DESIGN Jones Avenue 1 A, LL PERSONS who believe that their interest in property is affected by proposed e Bylaw No. 6718 shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard in person, by attorney or by petition. The proposed Bylaw may be inspected at the office of the City Clerk between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, except Statutory Holidays, from February 5 ~ February 19, 1996. Written submissions will be accepted up to and including February 19, 1996, but submissions will not be accepted after the conclusion of the Public Hearing. Bruce A. Hawkshaw, City Clerk