8 — Friday, February 13, 1998 — North determine quality Dear Editor: In my capacity as a police constable, my job is to investigate fact and find out the truth. I do my best to leave my personal opinions at home, and treat every call that I attend as its own, separately and individu- ally. In (Vancouver Police Dept.) Const. Mark Tonner’s recent Province column, | read an inaccurate and simplistic view of the RCMP"s hiring practices. Ir is clear to me that Const. Tonner does not have the facts, and has embraced a very immature attitude, allowing perhaps, some of his own biases to get in the way. Here are some facts for Const. Tonner: 1. The majority of cadets graduating from depor (RCMP training academy) are white males. 2. The majority of serving RCMP police officers are white males. 3. The RCMP has never lowered its standards in recruiting to accommodate minorities, females, aboriginals or anyone for that matter. The RCMP is revising its entrance exam to make it cultural- ly neutral, as the existing test has some areas that could be con- strued as culturally biased. Everyone who applies to the RCMP writes the same test. The RCMP is committed to making our national force gender and culturally representative of the citizens of Canada, whom we protect and serve. Therefore the RCMP actively recruits and hires people from these various groups who are successful in the process are sent to Regina for training. While in training, everyone, regardless of color, has to pass all of the standards at the same level | before they become sworn members of the RCMP. The majority of applicants to the RCMP are white males. Competition is fierce. To say that the RCMP uses quotas and hires substandard minorities is false. Guess what, Const Tonner: the face of Canada is changing, and so is the compos tion of our police forces. In the midst of all this change, it may give you some comfort to pick on minorities and women in our forces, and minimize the hard work it took them to get on the job. Nobody | work with is “questionable,” or has been hired because they come from a disadvantaged subgroup. Const. Tonner, I am a three-year constable with the RCMP. T was born to Jamaican parents and, because Iam black, would be considered a visible minority. I can assure you that I went through the same strict reeruit- ing procedures, testing, training and evaluations as my fellow Caucasian Mounties. To say thar my level of service and com- perency on the street is lower because of the color of my skin is silly. I would not have expected a colunin like this to have been written by an experienced police office such as you. I don’t think you fully investigated all of the facts, and expressed a lot of your own personal opinion on the matter which can be dan- gcrous for a police officer executing his or her duties. Const. Tonner, [ forgive you. Maybe we can work a nightshift togeth- er and discuss it further. D.G. Tait Constable No. 44909 North Vancouver RCMP _ i os ah —_ : er ee _ - Daily Specials Manday - Steak & Prawns $7.95 » Tugsdayy Fish & Chips $7.75 | | Weldnesday ~ Beef Dip $6. 95 “ “Thursday - Shepards Pie $7.95 .. Friday = Mixed Seafood Focaccif $9. 95 Saturday - ‘Tarkey Dinner $9. 50 © Sunday - Roast Beef Dinner $9. 95 + ” Make Your Valentines Day Lp _ yeservation now! ‘y open? days: a ‘week ~ bye dihjist © hunch * diner 5922-5311 “1200. PARK ROYAL ; West of Sur be 1 Vale * behind Bo: hing Lane north shore news MAIL Box Skin color doesn’t | Four-lane plan is Short-sighted Dear Editor: It is amazingly shortsighted to pro- pose a new four-lane replacement to the Lions Gate bridge and pump more trat- fic through Stanley Park and into the West End. Iv is at best a five- to 10-vear solution to the problem. So what should be done instead? I propose rebuilding the entire bridge to the same three-lane widths as the pre- sent north span — ic. the $70 million solution. At the next stage — a 10- to 25-year solution, we could add ovo lanes to the existing Second Narrows bridge. (1 understand the bridge is engineered to accommodate this). We could then complete a four-lane, limited-access waterfront road west of the Second Narrows to tic with Capilano Road. (This road would take some traffic of f Lions Gate). Then build a limited access road west of the Second Narrows on the Vancouver side, elevated above the tracks and terminating in the Main and Granville street area. This road would also take traffic off 12th and Boundary, Broadway and » Hastings and Powell and from the 401 Highway to downtown. As we now have cight lanes at the Second Narrows, we could, if needed, turn five lanes south from 7-10 a.m. and five lanes north trom 4-7 As a final long-term 50- to 100-year solution, the Hans Bentzen mid-harbor tunne! project creating six traffic lanes and two rapid transit lanes being self: financing with the creation of a 150-acre island cast of Stanley Park park/play grounds and half commer- cial/residential development) — and ¢half with a downtown bypass — would seem to make the most sen: T repeat: the decision to build the four-lane Lions Gate replacement will be regretted. It should never be built; it doesn't really make much of a change from the present crossing. A number of people think that improved public transit will solve our traffic problems. No doubt we have to keep on proving the systems, but due to the Vancouver area lifestyle and spread out geography, cars will remain the pre- ferred mode of transportation in the foresceable future. 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