6 — Sunday, May 30, 1999 ~ North Shore News

S it a case of once bitten, twice

shy? Is that why West Vancouver

District council refused two weeks ago to endorse a motion calling for land to be set aside “in principle” for an arts centre?

Despite the promise of no net loss of playing fields, council took several soccer balls to the head this (election) year for contemplating a small portion of Ambleside Park at the southeast corner of 13th Street and Marine Drive as one of two possible arts sites.

The West Vancouver's Arts Centre Trust (WVACT) took a couple more in the midsection from West Van resident and News columnist Trevor Lautens for the expensive and seemingly grandiose nature of a plan that called for a 400-500 seat theatre, studio the- atre, art gallery, classrooms and more.

It seemed like a no-win fight and

you said it

“A son doesn’t have a price.”

Dr. Bert Manning, reflecting on his son's death in a Grouse Mountain avalanche and his efforts to expedite the search for his body by hiring a private company. (From a

May 26 News story.) aaQa0q

“I'd like to go back to the good old days.”

north shore news

VIEWPOINT

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WVACT, bowing to public opinion, asked council to withdraw the Ambleside site from consideration. It did not expect to get a Recreation Facilities Master Plan without an arts centre site in return. But that’s what could happen now.

When West Vancouver was still a part of the North Shore Arts Commission a “string of pearls” (facil- ities) was envisaged across the North Shore. Not long after that, the richest municipality on the North Shore, con- vinced it could do better alone, picked up its purse and went home.

If council doesn’t like WVACT"s proposal that’s one thing, but does it not want an arts centre at ali?

The North Shore will be represent- ed by Theatre West Van at this year’s Theatre B.C. festival. Too bad the only local performances were in North Van.

IN this high-tech age —- our jails

already so overcrowded that

homes — what on earth is Anne McLellan up to?

Coun. Liz Byrd, on a staff report determining that a pas-

senger ferry service linking West Vancouver and Vancouver would be roo expensive. (From a May-28 News story.)

Q00 “Love is love regardless of the gender.”

Linda Davies, on a recent Supreme Court of Canada rul-

The federal justice minister, as you may have heard last week, wants to bring in tough new drunk driving laws this summer. The most

many “conditional” cons now serve time in the comfort of their « be fun without getting plastered blind —

Ss ee BSS

EDNA TAKES STEPS TO GUARANTEE HER ENTITLEME

TO PENSION BENCEITS

Impaired answer to drunk driving

Hence the success of the CounterAttack campaign. With “life of the party” and “designated driver” role models it taught that partying could still

along with safe ways home even if you suc- cumbed, It encouraged bartenders and private hosts to look after problem guests. It undoubtedly helped the remarkable shift in tastes since the 1970s trom hard liquor to wine.

ing that essentially expanded the legal definition of spouse to include same-sex couples. (From a May 28 Inqutrina Reporter feature.).

. 00g _ “I don’t even know if we want to live here any- more.” . Marilyn Sinclair, reacting to the loss of 19 40-year-old ’ spruce trees belonging to the Sinclairs that were cut down bya Capilano Highway Services crew. (From a May 28 News story.) -

Q900 ° It’s a typical ‘bury it on Friday afternoon’ budget.” North Shore Health Region spokesman Clay Adams, on the timing of Health Minister Penny Priddy’s announced funding allocations to the North Shore. (From a May 26 News story.)

; -. GaQ “I wanted to prove to myself and. other people that diabetes doesn’t have to slow you down.”

North Vancouver resident Mike Salzer, on his planned “Bike with Mike” 5,000-kilometre bike ride from Toronto ‘to Vancouver to raise funds for sending diabetic children to

summer camp. Salzer takes insulin injections four times a day himself. (From a May 23 News story.)

North Shore News, founded in 1959 2s an independent suburban newspaper and qualfied uncer Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax, Avt. is publshed each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by Noth Shore Free Press ‘Lid. and destributed to every door on the North ‘Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail

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61.522 (average curcviation, Wedrescay, Friday & Sunday)

dramatic proposal is a

maximum penalty of life imprisanment for

impaired driving causing

death, along with jail maximums of 10 years fv causing bodily harm and five years fay driving while disqualified.

Parc: me, Madain Minister, if I sug- gest you are barking up the wrong tree. And beiore MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) descend on me in fury, let me assure them I’m entirely on their side. But drunk driving is not a deliberate and vicious act of damage or assault. It’s simply an act of reckless irresponsibility, and with morons dumb enough to com- mit such acts, the actual SIZE of a possi- ble penaity is the fast thing on their mind as they turn on the ignition key.

After all, life without wheels —- whether for three snonths or three years — would be too awful to contempiate anyhow in this automobite-dominated . age. A’spell in pokey might almost be preferable. So forget all that gloomy non- sense as we weave out of the parking lot. Just let’s not get caught!

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Entire contents © 1999 North Sitore Free Press Lid. All rights reserved.

But above all,

CounterAtrack taught

that your chances of being caught were high and growing ever higher. Road blacks — once confined to Christmas — were extended to additional periods during the year. And today that nightmarish TV picture of the dazk, sil- houetted figure of the police officer marching purposefully toward your car against a background of flashing lights, breathalyser in hand, can — in the words of the latest CounterAttack slogan — happen to you “anytime, anywhere.”

In short, the answer to such tragedies as a neediess death resuiting from a split- second error of judgment by a hitherto blameless driver with a blood alcohol count of .085 is not fife imprisonment. One answer is to prevent such tragedies ever happening by convincing even the most irresponsible drivers that their chances of escaping detection while impaired are steadily approaching zero.

It would require more money for more nighttime police roadblocks and

more CounterAttack ads. But surely that would be an infinitely better use of our bucks than building more prisons hous- ing more deunk drivers at 360,000 annu- ally apiece and paying more huge ICBC claims to bereaved families. :

Meanwhile, however, today’s hi-tech world offers a far simpler solution: the Alcohol Ignition Interlock — a device which forces the driver to take a breathal- yser test before the vehicle will start. The whole problem over which Minister MeLelbn is agonizing solved in one tell swoop! Its cost paid solely by drivers themselves, as they already do for the now mandatory airbags in later model cars.

So why not force all first-time impaired offenders to install an A.LL. in their older cars at their own expense and have it checked yearly by ICBC? Or cven pass a Jaw requiring all imported new cars to be fitted with non-disconnectable A.LLs together with their non-discon- nectable airbags? ;

Canada’s high-tech industry is already a world leader. Isn’t its answer to drunk driving infinitely better than Minister McLellan’s impaired concept of ever ° more dungeons, ruined lives and families?

QgQag MANY HAPPY RETURNS of today, May 30, to North Van's Woodcroft birth- day gal Nancy Tarter ... And warm 91st birthday greetings Tuesday, June 1, to, North Van’s Pearl Lea \.

Qo00 : WRIGHT OR WRONG: A smite is a language even a baby understands.

~~ nwright@uniserve.com

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