AT LEAST POLICE ARE TRYING TO CLEAN UP DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

Thumbs Up: To Vancouver police for their undercover work in the Downtown
Eastside which netted 162 arrest warrants. More than half the suspects are
on welfare. Forty per cent have been ordered deported or are claiming
refugee status. Thanks, but that's not the kind of refugee we want.

Thumbs Down: To Vancouver council for voting down $2.3 million to fund the
crackdown on open drug dealing in the Downtown Eastside. Apparently
intimidated by drug users who shouted abuse at them, the councillors voted
unanimously against it.

Thumbs Up: To the Official Community Plan for UBC which will open the
campus to residential housing and a small commercial district. The OCP
describes goals for protecting Pacific Spirit Park, encouraging ecological
preservation, developing housing and providing community, social services,
and transportation choices.

Thumbs Down: To the B.C. Liberals for lengthening surgery waiting lists by
21 per cent in the last 20 months. They campaigned vigorously on the
promise to reduce them. Meanwhile, some of our health executives are doing
very nicely, thank you. That's not what we thought they meant by
"protecting health care."

Thumbs Down: To anti-war protesters who blocked U.S. truckers this week at
the 176th Street border crossing. The protesters said they want to damage
the U.S. economy. Pity they didn't stop to think they're also damaging ours.

Thumbs Down: To B.C.'s new government website. To see why the website rates
a thumbs down, you have to look at it, which you can't because it isn't
operational yet. Turns out, Premier Gordon Campbell's pet project has gone
from a projected cost of $4.5-million to $6.5-million to $18-million.

Thumbs Up: To Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell for taking a Toyota Prius
gas-electric vehicle as his mayoral car. His fellow Prius-users include
environmentalist David Suzuki and B.C. Sustainable Resource Management
Minister Stan Hagen. The cars produce far less greenhouse gases and other
emissions, and get around 63 miles per gallon.

Thumbs Down: To the Greater Victoria school board which forced South Park
school parents to file a freedom-of-information request to obtain a 2002
report on earthquake hazards. South Park "poses a significant safety risk",
said the report. Some parents have since pulled their kids from school.
What's with the secrecy?