Opinion

Volume 77 Issue No.5

TheReview.

Wednesday, February 6,1991 — A6

Voices from B.C.:
They must be heard

No voices are heard in Ottawa from west of the Rocky
Mountains it’s often said. One can assume that statement is
true after one recent event. But another event encourages
hope that B.C. will be able to get a constitutional message
through to Parliament Hill.

British Columbia’s voice on the Senate’s Special Joint
Committee on the Process of Amending the Constitution was
reduced to one parliamentarian after Galiano Island resident
Senator Pat Carney was replaced with an Easter Canada
senator by Senate leader Lowell Murray.

Saanich-Gulf Island MP Lynn Hunter responded by saying
the government had once again discounted the importance of
British Columbia to the process of constitutional change.

“The Prime Minister’s heavy-handed approach to consti-
tution building is once again evident. I want to put him on
notice that B.C will have its say on this issue. The west has
longstanding concems about the need for constitutional
change and we must be heard,” Hunter said.

Hunter is determined to make herself heard on the
‘committee, but she is only one person.

Many Saanich Peninsula residents have opinions on the
State of Canada’s constitution as well.

We hope they get the chance to air those views through
meetings that are public, open to all views, all opinions and
many voices. Our wish could come true.

Despite a slow start, clouded with misunderstanding,the
Citizens’ Forum on Canada’s Future (also known as the
Spicer Commission) is picking up steam.

The perception is that only the opinions of a designated
few residents of southem Vancouver Island are being sought
_by organizers. At Dunsmuir Lodge on a recent Saturday
night, residents of North Saanich’s Ardmore Drive neighbor-
hood, who had originally planned an annual neighborhood
party for that night, changed plans to incorporate a discussion
on Canada’s future.

Monday, 11 students on a panel were watched by about 35
people at the University of Victoria as Canadian unity,
Quebec separation, native justice, social inequality and
national goals were discussed.

Narrow-thinking people, like we were, assumed this
commission would be like other Royal commissions — a
packed town-hall meeting with one-sided dialogue attended
by lawyers, lobbyists and the vocal minority. But this
commission isn’t like that.

“We've hijacked the commission away from politicians,”
moderator Stephen Reid said. “What we’re doing is silting
12-15 people down at a table.” It’s about discussion, with
people disagreeing and agreeing to disagree. “People are
partaking in an exercise in democracy.”

It’s a different approach designed to get comment from
disenfranchised groups and people not normally represented
by large groups — average Canadians.

There are more meetings scheduled — last night in a car
dealership, today in a private home, tomorrow in a church
' basement, hotel meeting room or coffee shop.

There will be hundreds of meetings over a period of three
months. People are encouraged to form their own groups, or
volunteer to be part of a group, by calling 1-800-66FORUM.

As moderator Stephen Reid said: “It'll either be a great
flop or the greatest exercise in democracy the world has ever
seen.”

The south-Island team of eight moderators is breaking
away from tradition. With good public participation, the
resulting reports from individuals, discussion groups and
moderators will make B.C.’s point of view a strong part of the
commission’s report.

TheReview

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| Stop for buses

' Editor:

On behalf of the parents of
children attending the Sansbury-
McTavish School, I would like to
bring to the attention of your
readers that passing of school
buses when children are boarding
or disembarking is not only illegal,
but potentially fatal to our chil-
dren.

I would encourage all drivers to
give the kids a chance. The few
minutes it takes to abide by this
law can save a child’s life.

Joe Murphy

President

Sansbury-McTavish Parents’
Association

Parents for safety
suppor teachers

Editor:

The Parents for Safety &
Replacement of Mt. Newton Mid-
dle School committee was formed
on Nov. 30, 1990 and since that
time, the following concerns have
been addressed:

Fixing of broken windows, the
gravel pit fencing has been
repaired and secured, the fire
escape routes have been cleared,
traffic patterns are being assessed
and redesigned on Keating Cross-
road, recommendations have been
made to amend the Official Com-
munity Plan re: school sites, an
updated fire safety report has been
conducted, committees have been
struck to address overcrowding, a
parent/teacher liaison committee
has been struck to address morale
and the school board is investigat-
ing ways to rearrange the traffic
flow to and from the school.

We have been in constant con-
tact with all levels of government.
The committee has worked hard
over the past two months to
become informed and our two
main goals have been to address
safety and overcrowding at Mt.
Newton and to ensure the school
board is moving towards the pur-
chasing of an alternate site.

Over the next two weeks, the
Parents for Safety and Replace-
ment of Mt. Newton School com-
mittee will be focusing their atten-
tion on gathering community sup-
port for the new school site.

At no time has this group ever
criticized the teaching standards or
scholastic achievement at Mt.
Newton. As stated at the public
meeting on January 21, we support
the staff at Mt. Newton and thank
them for their hard work in teach-
ing and caring for the children.

C. Chisholm

Parents for Safety and
Replacement of Mt. Newton
School

Still work to do
for ratepayers

Editor:

One of the problems facing the
Sidney Ratepayers in 1991 will be
the tendency to become compla-
cent. :

The recent municipal election
demonstrated that the formation of
such an organization assisted in
bringing several important issues
into the open for discussion.

The success and interest in the
election, and the large turnout at
the polls, indicated very clearly
that there was need for change.

The new council has several
items that will require a lot of hard
work and study and it is my
opinion that the Sidney taxpayer
must maintain the interest that was
shown during 1990.

Issues still needing attention
are: 1/ Development of the water-
front, 2/ Need for a harbour com-
mission, 3/ Future of the Whale
Museum, 4/ Future of Sanscha
Hall, 5/ The interchange Beacon
and Pat Bay highway, 6/ Commun-
ity plan revision, 7/ Beautification
of Sidney, traffic patterns, and the
need to provide affordable hous-
ing.

Please attend the annual general
meeting of the Sidney Ratepayers
Association at Sanscha Hall Wed-
nesday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m.

Keep the interest in the future of
the town alive and active.

Jim Lang

President
Sidney Ratepayers Association

What brand of
leadership?

Editor:
I suppose a lot of us watched the

Bill Vander Zalm show last week.
His main theme seemed to be that
leadership — his leadership —
was necessary for British Colum-
bia.

Let’s look at some of that lead-
ership. aac

He wants to freeze taxes. This is
the leader of the same government
that has, over the past four years,
hit the average B.C. household
with an additional $3,000 in taxes
and fees while corporations have
been given $2 billion in tax breaks.
We need fair taxes’ more than
frozen taxes.

When it comes to leadership, the
Socred penchant for double stan-
dards is still evident. Wage
restraints for some workers, yet
within the last few months, Socred
political appointees are handed
salary hikes between 12 and 19
per cent.

And how will our hospital wait-
ing lists be reduced by giving $25
million to doctors’ pensions while
freezing nurses’ wages?

Leadership on pensions? Sure, if
you ve already got the extra
income to set aside. And a leader-
ship step backwards from the
promised white paper on home-
makers’ pensions.

We're desperate for leadership
on environmental issues. Not the
leadership that backs down on
tough pollution controls. Not the
leadership that creates ~enviro-
jobs” by recycling tired old prom-
IS€S.

In response to a questions about
justice, Mr. Vander Zalm just
shrugged. Sort of explains all those
Socred scandals, doesn’t it?

Yes, we're looking for leader-
ship. It’s time for Bill Vander
Zlam to lead us into a provincial
election.

We need an opportunity to

change to a new leadership — one
that builds co-operation not con-
frontation, that recognizes the
needs of ordinary women and
men, is honest, open, and keeps its
promises.
+ New Democrats have a solid
platform of fair taxes, job enhance-
ment, women’s equality, and
environmental protection. That’s
the kind of leadership we need.

Elsie McMurphy
New Democrat candidate
Saanich North and The
Islands
Continued on Page A8