BY ANDREW MCCREDIE Community Editor HITTING me right in the pocket- book. Taking food off my table. Picking my pocket. Stealing my hard earned money. Fleecing the sheep. _ Ab yes, the sounds of an clection are in the air. Cabbage. Cop. Crook. Filtch. Fleece. Frisk. Nab. Nail. Nick. Pilfer. Pillage. Pinch. Poach. Pocket. Purloin. Rip-off. Rob. Rustle. Scoop. Shanghai. Snatch. Swipe. : . Yes, there is no confus- A atte" ing the dis- 738 tinctive cry of the Western Canadian voter in its natural habitat during voting season. And just 11 days into the 1996 voting sea- son, those stalking the elusive quarry — the big game politicians — have fine-tuned their mat- ing calls. “We want to reduce that (tax-paying) cheque 0 that people have more money in their pock- ets to help generate private-sector jobs.* Gordon Campbell said when announcing his promise to cut personal income taxes for all British Columbians by 15% over the next four years. “I'm going to continue to show B.C. voters §'m on their side,” Glen Clark says of his promised 4.5% cut. “That means tax relief for the middle class, not tax cuts for big corpora- tions.” And sure as Smith met Wesson, the voter, timid at first, is emerging from its lair, gently sniffing the promise-scented air. Witness any evening's “voter-input” seg- tents on the nightly news. Binquiring Reporter..10 ® Neighborhoods........11 @ WN. Shore Alert @& Real Estate............ 4S B Sports... 2B & Talking Personals.40 BTV Listings hotline THE North Shore News wants your input on the cur- rent election campaign. The newspaper has set up a special Election °96 hotline to find out what North Shore residents think are the real issues facing British Columbians. Call 985-2131 and select the political hotline option. Then tell us , what issue is of most importance to you in the current elec- tion cam- paign. Be as brief as possible, and leave your name. phone num- Fram page 1 The scene: An intrepid reporter ventures beyond the familiar climate-controlled confines of the teleprompter and corners @ group of earnest- looking wage earners on, invariably, the patio of a trendy coffee shop. “What is the most impor- tant issue to you in the provin- cial election.” the earnest reporter carnestly asks. The eamest group nervous- ly exchange earnest sideways glances before one bravely half says. half asks, “Taxes?” Nods of earnest approval all around. “Yeah, I’m sick of seeing how much comes off my paycheque every weck, then see the waste in government,” the quivtest looking of the bunch says (earnestly). “Fer sure.” an earnest-looking young woman earnestly drawls. “Taxes. Give us a break.” And so it goes. And so go the politicians and the fine-tuning of the mating call. One of the biggest game hunters in the coun- try — Sheila Copps — just had her licence yanked fer breaking a promise about cutting taxes, it is unlikely that such a fate will befall her B.C. counterparts. Canada’s Biggest Big Game hunter even came to her defence. “Sumetimnes in the course of a mandate. you're faced with a situation where you cannot deliver.” Prime Minister Jean Chretien said on May 2 in Ottawa. “You have to have some flex- ibility ... hecause acts of God come in the administration. And no politician can see every- thing happening.” What The Almighty has to do with the GST is unclear, but such talk used to be met with a simple statement: “Tell it to the judge.” But who can blame the politicians and their handlers for teking the tax-cut road instead of the more reatistic road? It doesn’t take a political scientist — and the woods are full of them — to tell you what fate would befall a can- didate in the current B.C. election who trotted out a “No tax-cut” policy. Imagine what the graphic wizards who created Glen Clark's sprouting schnoz could do with that one. No. such a move would not, to paraphrase Johnny Carson, “Play well in Revelstoke.” And herein lies the democratic system's fatal flaw — humans run the show. Buttons are pushed and we, the electorate, react. Recall the past few federal budgets and the endless lead-up of doom and gloom threat- ening Canada's collective well-being: the debt and the deficit. Recall how economist after economist, study after study. report after report, press conference after press conference hammered home one message: WE MUST PAY DOWN THE DEBT. ‘Today, with election fever running high and politicians promising tax salvation, that refrain sounds as tired and irrelevant as a Classic Rock station. But back then the coffee-shops brimmed with anxiety, as talk of a tax-cut would usually get you cut off: “Cutting taxes? yeah right, buddy. With the deficit ballooning all you can think about is yourself. NO MORE MOCHA FOR YOU!" It is rarely the hunter's expertise that makes the kill, rather itis the hunted’s response to tae hunter's call, Keep your head down, Photo Stuart Davis WHAT a drag... Conservation officers Dennis Pemble (left) and Bob Butcher pull the remains of a brown bear shot near Larson elementary on Wednesday morning. Killing upsets residents The News received calls from residents upset that the bear was killed, Magceau said he reported the bear to 9 9-1-1 operator at about 7 a.m. Butcher said the conservation officer in Surrey received similar calls. OLITICAL appear- ances ore everything this time of year, Here's who's rolling in where and when throughout the four North Shore ridings during B.C.'s election “96: @ May 16, 7 p.m. all- candidates meeting at the Howe Sound Secondary School Auditorium. The Squamish and Howe Sound Chamber of Commerce, Mountain FM and the Squamish Chief newspaper sponsor the session. For more information contact the chamber of commerce at 892-9244, @ May 21, G p.m. all candidates meeting host- ed by West Vancouver Women’s Network at a dinner meeting. The ses- sion will be held at Hollyburn Country Club, 950 Cross Creek Road in West Vancouver. For more information or to reserve a spot call 926- 1819. @ May 23, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. all candidates meeting for the West Vancouver-Capilano rid- ing at Highlands Church in Edgemont Village. The meeting is co-spon- sored by the church and Handsworth Secondary School. The West Vancouver-Capilano rid- ing includes Nerth Vancouver voters who live north of the Upper Levels Highway and west of Lonsdale Avenue. Teachers pleased with deal . From page 4 president Chuck Dixon welcomed? news that the district contract has been extended for two years. The agreement was negotiated between District 44 and the North Vancouver ‘Teachers’ Association in 1993. it expired in June 1995, but : was bridged by the province while the B.C. Public Schools Employers’ _ Association and the B.C. Teachers": Federation worked out a provinice- wide agreement. Government- appointed trustee Bob Smith called the current teach- ers’ contract expensive and said on Thursday there’s no refief in the transitional agreement. “We're lett relatively in the same position with”... somewhat higher’ operating costs than other districts” for at feast another two years. he said, In his final report to the educa- tion minister outlining $4 milfion in cuts and cost increases to balance the 1996-97 budget, Smith said the district. spends significantly. more on teaching and classroom support stalf than comparable districts. The ckiuses in teachers’ contracts that affect costs deal with salary levels. class sizes and mainstreaming of special needs students. The instruction costs of District 44 are $4.9 million over the average of seven comparable districts, said Smith. The often-cited technical distrib- ution report of 1993 said the district is underfunded by $1.5 million. But at the same time, it said the instruc- tion function was over-funded by $622,000. According to Smith, the aver- age North Vancouver teacher salary of $52,301 was marginally | higher than the $52,206 average for seven comparable districts and West Vancouver’s $51,7150, but. , lower than the B.C. average of $52,323, The conservation officer said he would rather explain why the animal was killed than have to tell a parent how the bear was able to attack a school-bound child. The dead bear was estimated at being three to four years old. There have been several bear sightings reported on the North Shore thus far this year. Butcher said a trap to catch bears has been set up in the Chartwell Drive area. Relocated bears do not always survive in their new environment. The bear, he said, was not showing any aggressive behavior while he was in the backyard. Mageau even spoke to the bear, warning him not to go on fo the street. “He left me a little fertilizer,” said Mageau. Mageau voiced sentiments similar to other North Shore residents who felt bad that bears they've reported were killed by conservation officers. Mageau said he was considering not calling the authorities next time he sees a bear near his home. ber, age and area of residence. Also leave us a question you'd like asked of the vari- ous North Shore candidates. We'll ask them for answers and publish the results in upcoming issues of the News. Your questions will also be posed as the News joins Shaw Cable to cover the election.