2 Cosy ci

ET’S all give a supportive group

heg across the country and
id those irascible Quebecers may
just remain in the natiora! bed.

That’s pretty much the gist of an ini-
tiative being peddled across the coun-
try by the well-intentioned people
behind The People’s Resolution For A
United Canada. On Monday night it
was North Vancouver City’s turn to
back a resolution of polite multicultur-
al niceties and hot-button concepts like
“equality of status.”

The blueprint for the People’s
Resolution is an April 16 motion
adopted “by Toronto Mayor Mel!
Lastman and council. The initiative
comes complete with a symbolic Team
Canada Unity Quilt to protect Canada
from the bone-chilling prospect of
Quebec’s departure.

*. It’s very friendly to share a cuddly

north shore news

__ VIEWPOINT

arity

blanket of words and emblems, but for
some real warmth look to a portion of
the Aug. 20 Supreme Court of Canada
judgment in reference to the secession
of Quebec from Canada.

In ics wisdom the court advised that
any negotiation of secession would

uire the reconciliation of various
rights and obligations by negotiation
between two legitimate majorities —
the majority of the population of
Quebec, and that of Canada as a whole.
More specifically a political majority at
either level that does not act in accor-
dance with the underlying constitu-
tional principles puts at risk the legiti-
macy of its exercise of its rights, and
the ultimate acceptance of the result by
the international community.

Therein lies the real test of a united
Canada. The court’s clarity on this
point is cosy.

HAS FINALLY
BEEN SERVED IN
THE MURDER TRIAL

OF THE ACUSEP

KILLERS OF RON AND

wee WE'VE |
pur A MEMBER |
OF THE JURY
BEHIND

maitbox —_ Yaneouver: Canada’s Acapulco?

. REE e

Memo to big boxes:
: a

tha af . :

build in North Van

‘Dear Editor:

I was one of the protestess at the Friday morning demon-
stration at Park Royal and ‘s surprises me that neither Mr.
Amantea por the North Shore News can rcad signs.

I was not there to protest the Keg restaurant presently
under construction; in fact, | welcome new restaurants to

the North Shore, we do not have enough.
test. was, as all the signs indicated, against the
ware fect Scing provided for three big box stores.
4 fece will climinaie the cinema, bowling alley and dri-
\ ig ran e, vertues presently enjoyed by the families who five
lest: Vancouver.
#2; Larco, the ‘Lalji family who own Park Royal, have time
and agaia demonstrated their complete disdain towards the
communiry they have invaded.
3 West’ Vasicouver is a municipality which tends to be
rather upscale but with a distinct village atmosphere. We do
Rot want that, which makes us so unique, to be ground into
the dust by chose who are foreign to our community (no,
t is not-an ethnic slur) and who serve only one God, the
ighty dollar.
¢ business aspect from Larco’s perspective is under-
standable, but not their arrogant stance. Their major cus-
tomers are us, we are responsible for the revenues they
+. Feceive, so why are the needs of our community a non-issuc
for them.
- Aword to the American companies who are the three big
x stores. You will be coming into a hostile environment
* because you will be perceived as a blight on our Jandscape.
7 .would be happy to shop in your stores if you built them
North Vancouver, just a short drive away, but we do not
want you in West Vancouver.
A word to the West Vancouver council: if you blow this

Worth Shore News, founded in 1969 as a0
independent suburban newspaper and qualiied
under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the
Excise Tax act. is published each Wednesday,

Terry
‘Crealive Services Manager Photography Manager
985-2931 (127)

{61,582 (average ciroutation. Wednestiay. Friday & Sunday)

908-1337 (124)

MEXICO — its low-cost peso
providing bargains in everything
from hotel rooms to costume
jewelry — has long been a
favorite vacation

destination for

Canadians and

Americans.

But now Calgary
columnist Catherine
Ford warns that our
nosediving loonie could
soon reduce Canada
itself ro a “Mexico
North,” complete with
masses of stree; vendors
hawking cheap trinkets,
backed up by child beggars in rags pes-
tering tourists along every sidewalk

And why not, as long as Jean
Chretien believes “Don’t worry, be
*appy!” is the oniv formula needed to
save our crumbling Canadian dollar? It
has fost 24 cents in seven yeats ~- seven
cents in just the past five months.
Because of our huge dependence on
U.S. imports the latter figure alone rep-
resents a five-month cut of 3-4% in
every Canadian’s income, and that’s just
for starters.

Left to itself, the loonie will sink stili
lower as the. slump in global commodity
prices continues and nervous funds from
all over the world bypass Canada to seck
a safe haven in U.S. dollars. A 50 cent
loonie or lower is no longer a distant
spectre. Without drastic action it could
be a realistic possibility.

But what action? Sc far the Bank of
Canada has tried to halt the slide by

Stophensos
Classified Manager
505-2131 (160) 908-6222 (202)

buying Canadian dollars with its forcign
reserves. Last Friday it blew some $500
million in another fruitless rescue bid
that saw the loonie sink below 65 cents.
After spending an estimated $3.5 billion
defending the currency
in recent weeks our
reserves are down to
about $17 billion. This
kind of “rescue” clearly
has no future.
The only short-term
way to boost the
loonie amid the giobal
economic jitters
brought about by fast
year’s Asian meltdown
is to persuade foreign-
crs to invest more
here. The reasons they don’t are
Canada’s huge $600 billion debt that
nobody is doing anything about, our
excessive government and red tape, mili-
tant unions and high taxes. These plus
our current low, low interest rates.

Why wouid an anxious global
investor want to move his millions out
of Malaysia to Vancouver or Toronto
instead of to much more benign Seattle,
Chicago or New York with their far

_ lower taxes, higher return on capital, less

government meddling and fewer labor
headaches?

In short, Canada’s loonie problem is
obviously structural. There’s no way our
$600 billion debt can be reduced to a
comfortable figure overnight, while
simultancously slashing taxes and
increasing productivity by casing govern-
ment and labor restrictions. So far
there’s little sign we're even prepared to
go that route at all. Mcanwhile, effort-

less exporting and masses of foreign
tourists, both based selely on our bat:
tered currency, merely hide Canada’s
true econoinic dilemma.

That leaves an interest rare hike as
the only quick fix for our slumping
buck, .

True, it might temporarily hurt many
Canadian businesses, add to inflation, ©.
atid could, in the short run, swell the: :
jobless. Bur it would at least bring fresh - -
investment moncy into the country to:
fuel new enterprises and open up new ~
opportunities. It would restore Canada's’.
true wealth by launching the loonie '
upward on the comeback track to the
minimum 75-80 cent range where it
belongs. It would restore national, self-
esteem, while re-teaching us that-salu-
tary old lesson about no free lunch.

If you’ve a better idea, please share ir
before Vancouver becomes Canada’s
economic Acapulco, because what goes.
down docs not automatically come up’
again. As Ms. Ford reminds us, Mexico's
collapsed peso has never rebounded... |. -
Today it stil hovers in the 12 cents US -
bracket: , ;

eee of wh

A 101-CANDLE salute tomorrow, Aug.
27, to Christena: Gillis, celebrating the:
first year of her second century.at the:
Kiwanis Care Centre in: North Van
Happy birthday wishes Friday, ‘Aug:.28,:.'
to West Van Kiwanian Téd Schoo
... And many happy returns of that same:
that day to retired North -Van City Clerk’.
Ron Gibbs...’ at

: yf oe . . bat
WRIGHT OR WRONG: You can’t turn...
back the clock, but you can always. wind -
it up again. —- - a

LETTERS ¥0 THE EDITOR
Letters must inctude your name,
full address & telephone number.

VIA e-mail: teenshaw @ direct.ca

Promotions Manager
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Entire contents © 1997 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

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