SUNDAY July
20 2014
FOCUS 3
Dollarton Pleasure Faire LIVE 11
Great Hope SPORT 27
Hooton races to world jrs. L o c a l N e w s . L o c a l M at t e r s
INTERACT WITH THE NEWS at N S N E W S .C O M
What’s in a name — the A-Z of ballots Alphabetized ballot could sway low info voters, analyst says BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com
Everyone knows running for politics is about trading on a good name. It turns out, however, some names are inherently
better than others, particularly if they start with letters at the beginning or end of the alphabet. City of North Vancouver council voted last month to use an alphabetized
ballot in this November’s municipal election, which critics on and off council say gives some candidates an unfair advantage. The motion passed with the support of five council members whose surnames begin with the letters B (three of them),C and H. Council’s K and M members voted against. Arguments in favour of
an A-B-C ballot included that it is more logical, more traditional and that it is easier to find candidates’ names. Also in favour of keeping the status quo, was the argument that council should be focused on prioritizing campaign finance reform if it is truly interested in promoting fairness. The District of West
Vancouver uses an alphabetized ballot while the District of North Vancouver now uses a randomized one, having switched back and forth in 1996 and 2002. “While there’s some controversy around the extent of the effects, there clearly is an effect,” said David Moscrop, a PhD candidate at the University
of British Columbia who studies the psychology of political judgment. With a real or perceived pressure to do one’s civic duty and vote on election day, people who haven’t been paying attention (or reading their local newspaper) find themselves in the ballot booth not See California page 9
West Van beaches closed to bathers STEFANIA SECCIA sseccia@nsnews.com
WILD KINGDOM < Z-3+803 2]-V )]\]T)2 Y12 T].+83T 606 \38U - +-V) ]-[V] -11-*W F0T)-a -1 b831Z C-T*80/]3#2 c8240Y18 :3]]W c-3YT-% E03T 18 6-[] Q \83 -T ]a].Y1T]22 -**80T1 +a 1Z] b831Z FZ83] b].2 3]-)]3 .Z8 2]T1 YT 1ZY2 6Z818- 9+ #+ 1%1)6%-0+3 +' %041 6"#$ #$) /4,4' 4** #+ %)) :".)+ 41. 3+') *$+#+%- ^h`E` FD^^dg79 DEBBIE MARTIN
E. coli has managed to find its way into ruining the fun for a fewWestVancouver beaches, according to a recent warning issued by Vancouver Coastal Health. An advisory was issued Thursday due to the level of bacteria in the water at Ambleside, Dundarave and Sandy Cove beaches in West Vancouver, which are higher than the allowable 200 E. coli per 100 milimetres. The health authority’s swimming advisory stipulates that any water-related fun at the beach isn’t a good idea, which means activity where the body, face or trunk are getting wet and water is likely to be swallowed. This includes swimming, waterskiing and surfing. Vancouver Coastal Health said it does not know why the E. coli count is so high, but there are a number
Renew your car insurance at BCAA. Members and non-Members welcome
West Vancouver: Park Royal North • Open Sundays 11 - 5 (moving to Park Royal South on July 31 st) North Vancouver: Lonsdale Avenue & 15th Street
See Beach page 9