8 - Friday, March 23, 1990 -

North Shore News

STAFF SHORTAGES DELAY RESPONSE, COUNCIL CLAIMS

City staff ‘burnt out’

STAFF SHORTAGES in North Vancouver city’s social planning department have, according to North Vancouver City Council, delayed council's response to a re- quest from the federal government for input on women’s issues.

By CORINNE SJORGE Contributing Writer

‘Our staff are getting burnt out,’’ Mayor Jack Loucks said Monday night. ‘There are a lot of issues that the socia] planner is working on.”’

But Ald. Barbara Sharp said not only the social planner, but all staff departments are overworked, and pointed to the other staff reports requested by council for Monday night.

Sharp said it was the first time in her memory that the city had ref- used to request a report because of staff shortages.

**T heard other aldermen asking for reports (this evening). I don’t want to reach a point where coun- cil doesn’t ask for reports,’’ said Sharp.

Sharp had prepared a rough draft of a letter to provincial minister of women’s programs Carol Gran following Gran’s re- quest for submissions to an up- coming federal forum.

In her presentation Sharp em- phasized the need for council’s in- tervention.

“I cannot over-emphasize the importance of a submission to the Minister Responsible for Women’s Programs as the cuts in the federal budget do nothing but turn the clock backwards once again,” said Sharp.

Sharp was referring to recent cuts in the federal budget that could force the closure of up to 33 women’s centres in B.C., including the North Shore Women’s Centre.

Sharp also pointed to issues of child care, pay equity, affirmative action, choice, and cuts to the women’s resource centres as being issues of importance to women.

But Ald. Rod Clark disagreed that the issues addressed by Sharp were within the city’s mandate.

“Most of this is better dealt with at a different level of government,” said Clark.

“(The city) has not the financial capability, nor duty in accessing further funding,"’ he said.

But Ald. Bill Bell disagreed, say- ing that the city has dealt with these same issues in the past.

‘*I reject the argument that these issues are not a concern to this municipality,"’ said Bell.

Beil added that the city also had to look at the funding problems of the women’s centres.

‘*When they go under we will be inundated with requests (for fund- ing),’’ he said.

Bell also pointed out that the ci- ty will be indirectly picking up the costs ‘‘that the resource centres are currently taking care of.”’

Some council members were concerned about the process of drafting a letter for the social planner.

“I have some problems with one alderman coming forward with one report,’’ said Clark.

‘“‘Wait until the taxpayers see

NORTH VANCOUVER CITY: COUNCIL...

what kind of increase they will get

(from the increase in city reports),"" added Ald. Stella Jo Dean.

But Sharp said by drafting a let- ter she was trying to offset some of

the social planner’s workload.

Dean said she thought it was un- fortunate that the federal govern- ment had decided to cut back on women’s centres, and pointed to the waiving of the Caribbean debt as an indication of federal budget mismanagement.

“TI thought he (Mulroney) was cutting back (women's centres) to offset the deficit,’’ she said.

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