G — Sunday, June 27, 1999 — North Shore News

ID anyone at the Ministry of

Education graduate in math?

And when we say graduate, we're talking elementary school here.

How else to explain the fact that the ministry administrators responsible for the North Vancouver School District 44 budget think that $510,000 equals $1.7 million.

Just in case they're having trouble grasping the concept of subtraction as well as addition, the difference between those two figures is $1.19 million.

That’s the amount that North Vancouver is currently shortchanged in its teaching budget for 1999/2000. It’s the money needed to pay for the extra Kindergarten to Grade 3 teach- ers intended to reduce classroom size to 25 children from the present 28.

The school district budgeted for an

you said it

“There is fascinating memorandums on file about ovt- one gun to take over Greenfand. RCMP Cpl. Ken Burton, detailing that the real reason behind the voyage of the St. Roch RCMP through the Northwest Passage was to invade Greenland. (From a June 20

fitting the St, Roch wit

News Sunday Focus.)

By 900 “Everyone was U.S.

Q00

“It’s time to move into summer and bring this season

to a close.”

very open — it’s a very Canadian T think. I can’t imagine this happening in the Vancouver producer Erik Paulsson, on the 1999 Banff Television Festival. (From a June 25 This Week story.)

north shore news

VIEWPOINT

Adding the cost

extra 30.11 teachers (we are curious as to which bit of the fractional teacher will actually put in an appearance) to meet the September goal, while the ministry math mavens figured 8.5 would do the job.

Using their toes as well as their fin- gers, the “experts” have since admitted they goofed, but don’t know whether the money is available. In fairness, they may be dealing with the fallout from a collective bargaining agreement designed to keep the teachers federa- tion sweet on the NDP. In typical Glen Clark fashion a deal has been signed without the money to pay for it.

But in the meantime, it is our older elementary children who will suffer in September because teachers in Grades 4 to 6 will have to be moved to the younger classes to satisfy the terms of the collective agreement.

D

haste by Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh.

BCMA convention delegates endorsing the ban last week had before them a comprehensive University of Toronto study indicating that dri- vers talking into a cell-

B.C. doctors have urged a ban on the use of cell-phones while actually driving a vehicle — only to have it nixed with suspicious

SIR, OUR SUBWAYS ARE CRUMBLING OUR SEWER. PIPES ARE ROTTING — THE

FENTIRE RUSSIAN INFRASTRUCTURE 15 IN A STATE OF COMLAPSE. WE MUST FIND

A SOLUTION

at an all-time record low of 16% in the opinion polls.

Let the growing army of cell-phone warriors on wheels continuc to threaten us all, rather than risk the party losin,

THEIR vote as well! Qa00

YES — THE YANKS

are coming for us! Any lingering doubts about the threatened U.S. conquest of Canada in the 21st century should begin to melt away with last week's $3.6 billion

and yor eskeover of MacMillan

Grouse Mountain president Stuart McLaughlin, on bring- ing a record-breaking ski season to a close on June 24. (From & June 25 News story.)

Qo0o0

“We were kidding cach other about who's in charge. I said ‘You have to realize we're on foreign scil, consider this an embassy.’ We had a good laugh about it.”

North Shore Rescue team {cader Tim Jones, on his con-

-versation with a North Vancouver City works yard foreman that led to the naraing of the team’ new office facility as the Embassy. (Fron: a June 25 News story.)

aeg “Casual Fridays have worked into being Casual Thursdays, Fridays.” E.A. Lee owner Barron Lee, on why suit sales have dropped 30% over five years. (From a June 27 fashion story.)

QaaqQ “To the lay public, all they care about is: ‘Do the Rick Hames of word ge ron Dr. Stacy Elliott on the work of Dr. George Szasz in com-

batting the of a of a man in a wheelchair as a sex- less being and educating his profession to think of the whole person. (From a June 27 News story.) :

arth Flare Moa, founded it 196925 an independant suburban nesepapat and quadfied andet Scheckée 151, Paregraph 111 a be Encloe Tax Act, 1s geO@shed each Wednasctey, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Frea Press. Ltd. and Géstibaaed to every door on the Nort: Shore. Caneda Post Canadian Pubications Mall

phone held in one hand

while steering with the

other are four mes

more likely to be involved in a crash. Such drivers were put in the same risk category as those driving with more than the {egal limit of alcohol in their veins.

The A.G, argued that “education” is preferable to legislation, and often we would agree. But drunk driving is not left to education alone. Because of the tragic human toll, it is rightly fought with tough laws increasingly strictly enforced.

The same should clearly apply to a non-essential practice with just the same potential for tragedy on the roads. That’s why cell-phone use in vehicles is already banned or restricted in numerous other countries, including England, Australia, Switzerland and Spain.

Dosanjh’s knee-jerk negative reaction, declining even to study the possibility of legislation, doubtless reflects the panicky undercurrents at last weckend’s NDP

- convention, which found the party mired

Bloedel by American forest giant Weyerhacucer.

True, the s-rger must still be approved by provincial and federal gov- ernments. But in view of MacBlo’s recent ailing past, Victoria and Ottawa may in the end have fittle real choice.

So one more native-born giant of Canadian industry stands to be captured by the Americans, as may yet happen with that other Canadian icon, Eaton’s.

On every industrial and commercial front — from Weyerhaeuser to Wal- Mart, from Sprint to Chapters — the Yankees’ economic invasion of Canada, more politely known as globalization, is in full swing.

Maybe “fire sale” is a more accurate term. When punitive taxes and too much government dampen the domestic econ- omy, kill jobs and devalue the currency, a country’s industrial and commercial assets become ever more tempting price- wise to a richer, freer and more produc-

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must include your name, full address & telephone number,

Wid e-maik trenshaw @ direct.ca

Managing Editor 905-2131 (118)

SAAAY... HOw ‘BouT WE BO SOMETHING J

on't risk the cellphone vote!

tive neighbour.

Thus the “Coca-Cola colonization” of the Third World peacefully proceeds,

And closer to home forget abour that nonsense back in 1812. No need any longer for troops and guns. Just bargain- hunters with a cheque book and a fat bank account will take you over painless- ly — and you'll love it.

Maybe. Still, some of us fiiddy-dud- dies are a tad sad that Canada is qualify- ing se fast nowadays!

0900

VETERAN West Van Coun. Ron Wood has long denied interest in the mayor's chair, preferring to laborr quietly and very cfrectively in the council vineyard. But with the Nov. 20 election now looming there are rumours Ron has had a change of heart and may finally go for

the gold.

If so, he'll likely be competing with incumbent Mayor Pat Bonarae, Coun. Russ Fraser and maybe former council- for Andy Danyliu.

Trouble is, there’s no second prize for mayoral candidates —.which could pose just as big a problem for the many admirers of fon's sterling work on coun- cil as for Ron himself.

QO2G STILL A WEEX left to catch the “Summer Show” of works by West Van Sketch Club members — an exciting mix of talent, techniques and: media con- tinuing at West Van Library Gallery to July 3. -

Qa00 ; WRIGHT OR WRONG: If you don’t: ~ climb the mountain, how will you ever ©

see the view? ~ —— awright@uniserve.com

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