Dear Editor: Merv Lavigne has won an his- toric victory in the Supreme Court of Ontario for the individual freedom of millions of Canadian workers. Justice John White has ruled that ‘‘the use of compulsory dues for purposes other than collective bargaining ... cannot be justified in a free and democratic society.”’ His victory is proof that the little guy can still get justice in Canada, even when opposed by the might of big unionism. Although he was not alone — his court challenge was backed by thousands of sup- porters of the national Citizens’ Coalition — it was an uphill battle all the way. The scope of the victory is huge. More than three million Canadian workers are forced to pay more than $1.3 billion in dues each year to unions. John Fryer, president of the Na- tional Union of Provincial Gov- ernment Employees, estimates that 20 to 25 per cent of dues are used to support political parties and causes. If he’s right, that could mean a-union elite is funnelling about $200 million into political action each year. We feel strongly that Canadians should not be compelled to sup- port political views with which they disagree. We agree with John Milton, ‘‘Give me the liberty to know, to’utter, and to argue ac- cording to conscience, above all liberties.” To Merv Lavigne and all those Canadians from sea to sea who supported him, we can only say: “Thank you for standing up for freedom."’ Colin Brown, President National Citizens’ Coalition TIME FACTOR CRUCIAL Restoring disrupted VANDALISM MAY SKYROCKET 7- Sunday, August 17, 1986 - North Shore News Skateboarding? Could be worse Dear Editor: Well, what’s it gonna be? Are skateboards going to be banned or not? . | happen to be a skater myself, and I’m fed up with people coming up and harassing me for skating on the street. Recently, | was stopped by a po- liceman for doing just that. At that time, there were no cars in the area, so what's all this nonsense about ine being a hazard to traf- fic? You see, there’s really no way to win. Skateboarders are not permit- ted to ride on the streets because that would be a traffic hazard. So, all that’s teft is the sidewalk, but that would be a pedestrian Abortion Dear Editor: Regarding abortion. Congratulations on your = ea- cellent editorial. It was one of the best balanced opinions I have read. Pro life supporters must not be allowed to force their opinions on the majority. populations impossible ting many years after the fact to restore them is clearly impossible. The result would be the infliction Dear Editor: The North Shore News recently printed a letter to the editor writ- ten by me which presented my views on the Indian land claims issue. A number of these views were subsequently rebutted by Squamish Indian band member Richard W. Brand in your June 15 issue. While I am relieved to see that Mr. Brand distinguishes between my presentation and the unfortu- nate (and erroneous) label attached by the News to my opinions (‘white man’s advocate"), ’ must however object to Mr. Brand's stand on land claims. 1 stated that penalizing society in general for the sins of omission or commision of past generations by making massive concccsions many years after the fact was y-tently ridiculous: I maintain that posi- tion. Mr. Brand apparently believes that, without taking into con- sideration the time-frame involved, legal and moral injustices must be rectified. Yet the time factor is crucial and cannot be excluded from the equa- tion, as my original letter (before subjected to editing) explained quite lucidly. region. In 1756 the Acadians were ex- pelled from their homes in Nova Scotia by the British. Their legal and moral rights were trampled in the dust, clearly an unjust and, to- day, indefensible occurrence. By Mr. Brand’s way of thinking the descendants of those Acadians have a legal and moral claim to vast portions of present-day Nova Scotia but the.absurdity of making such an adjustment is quite ob- vious, Human populations have been disrupted the world over. Attemp- of new injustices on current generations in an idealistic but unrealistic effort to correct the in- justices of the past. Logically we must realize the futility of such efforts. While we cannot reasonably tear asunder the fabric of modern society we can at least pledge that similar injustices will not be perpetrated by these or future generations. Richard M. Steele North Vancouver custom draperies by S. Laursen “in-home service’ Labor $5.50 pr. pane! unlined, $6.50 lined All blinds 40% off list prices Track service hazard. Get the point? 1 also think that hassting skateboarders is a lame excuse to nail teenagers. Some friends of mine were out- side in front of their house skating. This house is located on a back road where traffic is limited only to local people. Anyway, one of the neighbors decided that he didn’t like to see these kids skating, so he called the police. Naturally, the police came and kicked them off of the street. The point is that these kids were no threat to any car or pedestrian but the fact that they were skating was a perfect excuse to get them in trouble. Skateboarding is something for teenagers to do. Instead of drink- ing, taking drugs, stealing or van- dalizing, we're out skating. Nobody is going to take that privilege and pleasure away from us, and I speak for myself and many others when | say chat until a ban of skateboards is made of- ficial, we'll be out on the streets. Even if a ban is made, it’s highly unlikely that icll work for very long. Oh sure, it’s possible that it might, but if skateboards are completely banned then | can guarantee you that youth problems such as vandalism will skyrocket. It's your choice. Russ Smith North Vancouver editorial ‘balanced’ They also have 4 choice, namely to use or not use the hospital facil- ities. That is their right in a democracy and long may it remain so. The social and economic conse- quences of unwanted pregnancies on the other hand are too serious in their impact on the community and make Pro life look very ir- responsible indeed. Going on a fast outside Lions Gate Hospital is not going to change anything. L. Simon West Vancouver LAKES & STRAITH LAWYERS Real Estate Wills and Estates Corporate Law Commercial Law Personal Injuries Family Law Civil Liugation Criminal Law #202 - 1217 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver YOU’RE INVITED TO BCAA’S 80th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION! YOU COULD WIN A i HAWAMAN HOLIDAY FOR TWO Win a week for two in Waikiki including airfare and accommodation. No purchase necessary. EVERYONE WELCOME! Entry torms available at: If we accept Mr. Brand’s ap- proach, then a similarly catastrophic upheaval is long overdue in Canada’s Maritime Phone for FREE estimates call 987-2966