t

AG - Sunday, January 22, 1984

3

- North Shore News

~

CRN ses SS ROS 3
See ees ERAS SRE RR
. .
S t b d |

Justice, goes the old saying, should not only
be done but should manifestly be seen to be
done. That applies not only to our courts but
equally to all quasi-judicial bodies dealing
with the legitimate interests .of citizens —
among them, Boards of Variance.

The boards handle applications to deviate
from prescribed building regulations.
Generally speaking, they allow or reject deyia-
tions according to the degree ‘of ‘‘undue hard-
ship’’ involved for one or more of the parties
appearing before them. The boards them-
selves, it should also be noted, consist of un-
paid members who donate their time and ef-
fort as a community service. Many grapple
with a heavy workload.

Such is the background to recent criticism
of the West Van Board of Variance for
allegedly denying intervenors against a
developer’s plan adequate opportunity to pre-
sent their case, and for refusing to explain
Board decisions. The Board’s lawyer chair-
man has admitted he may sometimes cut short
speakers ‘‘harping over and over again about
something’’ and says the Board, with 30 or
more cases at each monthly meeting, is far too
busy to supply reasons for its rulings.

Whatever the pressures, that situation simp-
ly isn’t good enough. Applicants and inter-
venors, lacking legal skills, may at times be
longwinded but they are entitled to a full hear-
ing. And reasons for decisions are the essence
of any fair jucicial process. If the present
system can’t proyide these basic rights, it
clearly needs restructuring...

So long as justice is not SEEN to be done,
there can be no guarantee that it has been.

The real ‘us’

Anyone who thought ‘‘community’’ was an
overworked word without much real meaning
got a resounding answer last week. The flood
of donations — food, clothing and furniture
— that poured forth to aid the victims of the
Flamingo Apartments fire and the speed with
which the Legion and other local groups pit-
ched in to organize the generosity are proof
positive that, in time of need, our North Shore
community is much more than the sum of its
parts.

Foam WOSCR OF NOTH AND WEBY VARDOVVER

sunday

news

north shore

news

1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouve:, B.C. V7M 2H4
Publisher Pete: Speck

Editor-in-Chief
Noe! Wright

Personne! Director Classified Director
Berni Hillard Isabelle Jennings

Display Advertising
Classified Advertising
Newsroom
Circulation
Subscriptions

980-0511
986-6222
985-2131
986-1337
960-7081

Associate Publisher

Advertising Director
Rober! Graham

Tim Francis
Circulation Director
Bul McGown

Production Director
Chris Johnson

Office Manager
Donna Grandy

Photography Manager
Terry Peters

North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent community
Newspaper and qualified under bchedulo Wh Pad il Paragraph i of the
txcine Tax Act th published each Wednesday and Sunday by North
Shore Free Proas (Id and distetbuted to every door on the North Shore
Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885 Entire contents « 1964
North Shore Free Presse Lid. All rights reserved

Subscriptions North aad Wast Vancouver $25 por yoo Mailiry taton
available on roquest

No esponsibility accepted tor unsolicited materia INCtudINg
Manuscripts and picturon whtch should be accompanied by ao stamped
addressed envelope

Member of the B.C. Press Council

enema 64,700 (average Wednesday & bunday)

t
THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE

»

WEDDING RECEPTION
(wine and cheese for invited
guests) takes place this
Thursday, 4 to 6 p.m. at 1551
Pemberton, following the
marriage of two of the Nerth
Shore’s most widely used’
community. service groups.
One of them has long been
the source of instant infor-
mation and advice about
every other local community
service. The other is the clear-
ing house that ensures none
of those services go short of
able volunteer workers. Now,
the. North Shore Information
and Referral Service has
amalgamated with the North
Shore Volunteer Action Cen-
tre to form a single society
with a new name — the
North Shore Information
and Volunteer Centre.
Elected first president of
the NSIVC is North Van’s
Jane Thompson, supported
by v-ps Joan Cook and Lor-
na Goodwin, treasurer Sheila
Candy and secretary Betty
Freeze. Meanwhile, Margaret
Ramsay of the former
Volunteer Action Centre re-
mains as executive director.
They head quite an outfit. In
addition to publishing a phone
list of North Shore agencies
and organizations, the infor-
mation service handled near-
ly 2,200 inquiries during
1983, while its partner last
year placed 570 volunteers
after interviews to match
their skills and interests, with
the needs’ of more than 70
community service groups.

JOHN BELTZ
. speak to him softly.

| by Noel Wright :

JANE THOMPSON:
.-. a blessed union.

Phone number of the hap-
py couple is 985-7138. It pro-
mises to be a much blessed
union for North Shore folk in
need...

xk * *

Big Brother has already ar-
rived, says West Van’s John
Beltz — not yet in human
form but in the bedlam of
musak, radios. and stereos
blaring through stores, shop-
ping malis, restaurants, of-
fice buildings and other
public places. Mr. Beltz,
founder-chairman of the
Right Fo Quiet Society, and
his disciples have had
enough. They’re now prepar-
ing a list of stores and res-
taurants which provide a
quiet environment, free from
‘this constant electronic
sound onslaught’’, together
with an award certificate for
display by the good guys.

Establishments willing to
cooperate in keeping down
1984’s decibels can call Mr.
Beltz with their pledge at
922-0259. And please
remember to speak softly!

x * *
SPOTLIGHT: Searching for
light at the end of the tunnel
is West Van’s Richard E.
Lester, chief negotiator for
the B.C. pulp and paper in-
dustry in its drawn-out
dispute with the pulp and
paper unions ... The West
Van Santa Claus Fund has
received over $1,000 from
Ambleside Merchants presi-
dent Don Fleming who of-
fered his West Van Furniture
Warehouse for December
flea markets provided 10 per

DAVID BROUSSON
-«. funds for technology.

cent of the take was donated
to the Christmas charity .. .
The Harvest in North Van
holds its-eleventh consecutive
Burns Night this Wednesday
(Jan. 25), with Rex Davidson
delivering the address to the

haggis, Donald. Ross piping - :

sunday brunch 7

+

and a supporting cast of local -

singers, dancers, pipers and
fiddlers doing their Highland

fling stuff. . . Abig hand for

Russell Smith of Argyle, win-
ner of a prestigious $2,500
entrance scholarship to

McGill University . . . All the

best’ for °’84 to Certified
General Accountant Keith
Gillis, now in business at his
new North Van office a
stone’s throw (or om

the International

Marine .. . Appointed Dean
of Development (main job
being fund-raising) at B.C.
Institute of Technology is
David Brousson of West
Van, former Liberal MLA,

RUSSELL SMITH
.- **McGill, here I come.”’

1968-1973, for North Van -
Capilano. BCIT, with 20,000
grads under its belt and mak-
ing their mark in industry
around the: province,
celebrates its 20th birthday -
this year .. . Meanwhile, a
10th birthday was recently
celebrated by the Progressive
Conservative Women’s Assn.
of ‘Capilano, co-chaired by
Avril Bowie, its first presi-
dent, and charter member
Kris Lee . . . Watch that your
tenderloin steak doesn’t turn
into a white rabbit before
your eyes Wednesday even-
ings at North Van’s Grape
Escape restaurant, where
entertainer Tim Alquire per-
forms close-up magic right at
your table. . . North Van Ci-
ty Library’s Joyce Moller an-
nounces its ninth anniversary
gift to absent-minded patrons
— a fine-free week Feb. 4-11
for ‘‘forgotten’’ books ...
Former West Van alderman

... Tory ‘“‘first lady’’.

Cliff Wyatt retires this month
from the WV Police Board
after six years service... A
closing salute to West Van’s
Phyliis Forsythe, tireless
founder-president of the
Alzheimer Support Assn. of
B.C., whose efforts have won
provincial funding for the
new Alzheimer Clinic at UBC
... In the same vein (sorry
about that!) don’t forget this
week’s blood donor clinics at
LGH — Monday (Jan. 23) 10
a.m. to 4p.m., Tuesday 2 to
8p.m....

x *®« *
WRIGHT OR WRONG:
Then there was the laid-off
justice munister who had
brought in a bill to establish
no-fault burglary — arguing
that thieves wouldn't steal if
owners of valuables didn't
tempt them.

Gay scoutmaster ruled OK

ACCORDING TO A U.S. appellate court in Los

Angeles, the Boy Scouts of America cannot dis-
criminate against homosexual scout leaders.

This decision was widely
hailed as a victory for civil
rights by homosexual groups,
by so called human rights
associations -- and by the
gay scout leader in question
Said the assistant scout
master, one Timothy Curran,
“Pm overy surprised and
pleased with this court dec
sion | think the Boy Scouts
will have a very hard time
proving [I'm immoral tn a
trial "’

Mr Curran, 21) years of
age, 1s & seMOr majoring tn
English L tterature at the Umi
versity of California at
Berkeley He was the assis
tant scoutmaster of Troop
37, of the Mount Diablo
council But he was dismissed
from his post when the coun
cil learned of his sexual pre

By WALTER BLOCK

ferences In the view of the
Boy Scout leaders in charge,
even though Curran had at
tained the highest: rank of
cagle scout, and was one of
the most highly motivated
scouts in the entire organiza.
tion, a homosexual was not
considered a good role model
for the young boys tn the
scout troop

Now there are two schools
of thought on the question of
discrimination According to
onc, that which 1s beloved of
the so-called human rights
associations of Canada, dis
crimination is: always” and
ever wrong, pure and simplc

In this view, the US) court

was quite correct in up-
holding the right of the
homosexual Timothy Curran
to maintain his position as
assistant scout master. Troop
37 had discriminated against
him and must be stopped
trom the eggregious practice

There is a logical difficulty
with this view, however For
Curran himoaectt

discriminates
As a practising homosecx
ual, Curran discriminates

against all women, as roman.
tic attachments, focussing his
complete attention on men
The human rights movement
is logically inconsistent here
It cannot, in the name of sup
porting ang discrimination,
take the part of a homo
sexual, a self-confessed dis
criminator tf ever there was
one Rather, if it wished to be

logically consistent, this
movement should confine
self to) championing the

rights of bi-sexuals, pcople
who wil] form romantic rela
tionships with members of
either sex. Only they are the
truce non discriminators in
scxual matters

But we all discriminate on
some grounds We do s0 on
the basis of honesty or beau-
ty, or talent, of Common in
terests, or what have you
ven bi-sexuals are guilty of
these practices So it is entire:
ly impossible to consistently
adopt) a policy of anti.
discrimination.

As for the boy scouts, this
decision tf upheld at a higher
level, will spell the doom of
this organization For how
many heterosexual parents
will want to) cntrust their
young boys to the tutclage of
homosexual scout teaders?

(Dr Block ts) Sentor
Economtst of the = Fraser
Institute, Vancouver's free
enterprise think tank }