Editor,
Why I am voting Green in West Vancouver Garibaldi is very simple. I don't have to vote Liberal to send a free-enterpriser to Victoria as Dennis Perry has an extensive business background and will represent our riding rather than be a rubber stamp for Victoria.
The citizens of this riding were ignored when we questioned the wisdom of the BC Ferries expansion project which is a costly failure as anyone who travels the road knows. The line-ups waiting for the ferry are not gone.
Now we can look forward to another costly failure - the overland construction of a new four-lane highway at Eagleridge which will step right back down to two lanes at Lions Bay. If it was necessary it would be acceptable but it is not.
They will blast through (according to the BC Ministry of Transportation's report) "the most sensitive ecosystems in the entire Sea to Sky corridor" at a cost of approximately $150 million to save three minutes of drive time. Add in the expropriation cost to British Pacific Properties for their land which is worth more than the government estimates and the project will probably cost more than the four lane tunnel which some prefer.
The rational environmental and fiscal compromise would be to upgrade the existing highway. So I say to those in Victoria who may laugh and question who else we can vote for in a free enterprise riding but a Liberal candidate. We can vote for Mr. Perry.
Mona Helcermanas-Benge
West Vancouver
Where's the cutback issue?
Editor,
During this campaign I would have thought it would be a slam-dunk of a hot topic for the media, NDP or the Green Party to address the issue of the impact of the 15 per cent wage cutbacks imposed on the HEU workers by Campbell's Liberals last April. Yet not one party has addressed this important issue.
The unconscionable 15 per cent wage cutback (imposed overnight) has hit HEU workers hard, and many families are struggling monthly to stay afloat. The general public seems unaware that HEU consists of more than dietary and housekeeping workers; they are educated professionals such as: unit coordinators, renal, chemotherapy, X-ray, pharmacy technicians, and care aides to name a few. All of whose daily duties have a direct impact on patient care, and are considered to be an integral part of the patient care team. This 15 per cent is a $375 to $400 loss per paycheck. These educated workers who care for you and your loved ones are selling their homes, working two jobs, taking on more debt, and falling below the poverty line quickly.
Why is the NDP, Green Party and media not highlighting the devastating impacts of the 15 per cent cut on the HEU workers? Why would they not be addressing such bullying tactics and demanding that Campbell' s Liberals be held accountable for the negative results his cuts and privatization plans are having?
A lot of people would like to know just where the parties stand on this issue; perhaps the media can raise these questions if the opposition parties will not.
Jennifer Cass
Vancouver
