: ‘exploit West Vancouver’s

— Wednesday, Apri 8, 1998 — North Shore News

Green card

"RE all for the environ-
ment. Eco-sensitive planning
conducted prior to imposing
_ the human imprint upon land repre-
‘sent prudent process, but it is the
sometimes specious use of the green
card by opponents of development
that gives friends of nature a bad rap.

Opposition to plans for big-box
retail expansion at Park Royal initially
took the form of fears regarding the
: mall expansion’s impact on existing
_ businesses in West Vancouver and the

nightmare of increased vehicle traffic
through an area already stressed to the
. limits.

Opponents were also quick to
highly
‘refined sense of charming otherness.

-- A> place of sophistication and vil-
: lage-like | ambience is no place for
: mega'square footage category killers

that will only bring in droves of bar-
gain hunting hoards froin God knows
where.

Most recently in West Vancouver a
group of children found the habitat of
a tailed frog threatened by residential
development planned by British
Pacific Properties. Their concern was
raised carly and consistently. The
result will likely be a compromice of
habitat protections,

The Coalition for a Healthy
Community issued a press release
Monday calling for federal environ-
mental assessment of the proposed
Park Royal expansion.

Introducing ‘this argument to the
debate at this late stage of the game
smacks of grasping <t straws. Can dis-
covery of the spotted owl living near
the golf driving range at the expansion
site be far behind?

north shore news

VIEWPOINT

mailbox _
weont ‘taken to task
fer private schools

- Re: Noel Wight s article. “Private schools more than snob
value.” :

sLama public school graduate and I feel thar I was given a
quality education. I-don’t understand the paranoia of letting
our children know what the real world is like and that we can’t
always be'sheltered under Mommy and Daddy’s money.

was given sex education in high school and despite this I-
have managed to avoid getting a girl pregnant, I have not mag: |

ically turned into a homosexual and I can even walk past a con-
machin ithout being lured by the evil forces calling for

Pp can’t ger past these evils taught
ur public schools and perhaps Mr. Wright is correct to sug-
tha hools aré'a good alternative.

“However, to siggest: that my tax dollars, which are being ‘
ed to furnd such schools, is a great deal for ‘the taxpayer does -

not make seni
Now I did quite. well. in. Grade’ 12 math and I do under-
stand the great econorni¢ beiiefit we are sceing by educating
children ‘for half pric anny T had the evil influences
rowing up in a mid-
a social conscience.

their. can based on whatever credentials they see fic .

The. diversity of the public school is what makes it such a

able learning centre for our children. -

“Mr. Wright seems to feel that parents who foot the bil
directly. become more involved in the schoo], and this creates a
better learning environment for their children.

Until private schools are legislated to accept every applicant

ey receive they should be given no public funding.

‘© me the social injustices of private schools outweigh their

“economic benefits:
Chris Loewen.)
: North. Vancouver

Ano th shore os

« Nostty Shore News, founded int 1969 as an

. Subwtban newspaper and quiified
‘under Schedule 11, Paragraph 111 of the
Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday,
Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press
Lid. and distributed to every door on the North
‘Shore. Canada Past Canadian Publications Mait

SEMTERMEEEERES

Distribution Manager
- $BB-1337 (124)

61,582 (average < Seadation, Wednescay, Friday S Sunday)

Sanathan Bell

Spouse, ki

Chris Sarlo

Fraser Institute Columnist

FAMILY income has been stag-
nant for two decades. Despite
rising female participation in the
labor force and. an increase in
dual-earner families, total-family
earnings in real dollars have not
shown any improvement since .

_the late 1970s.

This is in stuniaing contrast to the

* experience of the early post-war period. .
Between 1951 and 1973 both real family”

earnings and real family incomes more
than doubled.

Between 1973 and 1994 real family
earnings have increased by only 7%, and
since 1977 there has been a slight
decline. What explains this sudden
change in the labor market fortunes of
families?

Economis point to two prominent.
causes. First, tio: profound structural :
change in the economy. Over the past
couple of decades the change in the way
we produce, market and distribute goods

_ and services has intensified. The shift to a

high-tech society has affected every Seg-_
ment of the modern economy.

During this period of rapid change
many skills have become obsolete and
displaced workers have often found it dif-
ficult to find employment i in the emerg-
ing industries.

-A second cause is related to govern-
ment policies. Rising tax rates (income
and payroll taxes in particular) and an

increase in the regulatory burden have

PETER SPECK Bes
Publisher Human Resources Manager
985-2131 (101), 985-2121 (17

Stephenson
Photography Manager Classified Manager
985-2131 (160) 986-6222 (202)

989-2131 (ey :

Entire contents © 1997 North Shore Free Press Lid. Alt rights reserved

adversely affected investment and job cre:
ation. :
As well, expansion of the welfare stare

-has reduced the incentive to work at.»

lower wage jobs. In combination these

- policies have increased the excess supply
of labor, leading to even higher unem-

ployment. Iz would not be a surprise, in
this economic environment, that wages
would stagnate.

Howeve:, not all families have‘fared

equally. ‘Through this period of structural

economic change and sluggish job cre-
ation husband and wife families with chil-
dren have, by far, done best. Between
1973 and 1994 this family category has
seen s 19% rise in real average carnings —~
compared to a 7% rise for husband and
wife families with no children, and a 2%
rise for single parent families.

Of morc interest is progress since the
beginning of the 1980s. Despite nvo-

severe recessions and intensified structural ©
change the average real earnings of hus- :..,
band and wife families with children have.

increased by 5% since 1981, while earn-
ings of other types of families have
declined since 1981.

That married couples with children

should do better than average is nov sur--.

prising. Statistically, they are most likely -
to have a prime carner at or near his/her
peak carning years. As well, a growing
portion of these families have had two
earners. Finally, we cannot ignore the :
influence of stability that tends t¢ be con-

nected to living as a couple and taising

children.

Over this period married couples with-
out children include a growing number
of seniors, most with no labor market
earnings. This would tend to lower aver-

"age family earnings ss independ t of strc

tural change and policy induced labor :

_ surpluses. Finally, the struggles of singl

parents — mast of them, female and less
well educated than parents in ‘general —
are well known. We are simply not likel
‘to see much improvement in the ‘earnings
‘Of families having a single parent’ ‘with rel
atively litele skill; facing a buyers.job
market and the work Seat

and Me families, ith child t
ing, the i important message about famil

- real incomes is the overal stagnati
“among ALL family rypes sitice the “197!

“As long as structural econ
continues, the best hope for improveinen’
lies in a freer labor market’ ane ' poli
cies that do‘ not discoui

‘based free market think tank, and teache:

economics at Nipissing University Colt,
in North Bay, Ontario;

“gan.

“MANY HAPPY RETURNS 0f today,

April 8, to West Van's meat-meister . :

supremo Peter Black ..: More of the

same tomorrow, April 9, to West Van’

birthday girl Joanna Disher .... And:

light che birthday candles Friday, Apri

10, for North Van’ 2 Frank. Decker.”
Q0 :

WORTH A THOUGHT: Never let j

terday use up too much of today. .-:

NOEL WRIGHT [S ON VACATION

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