Creative crafts
CREATIVE recycler Tookie Mussatto constructs his toy planes from discarded
p cans. Mussatto was one of many artisans to display their work at the Foikfest
graft Fair, held this past week at the civic plaza, 14th and Lonsdale in North
lancouver.

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By Keith Sashaw

Executive Vice-President
Canadian Home Builders
Association of BC

B.C.’s new home buy-
ers will pay a steep
price as a result of new
provincial labor legisla-
tion.

Changes to the B.C. Labor
Code will force a mandatory
industry-wide collective agree-
ment on union certifications
in B.C.’s residential construc-
tion industr:.

But caensumers aren’t the
only one< affected. This
sweeping new law js also an
attack on the democratic
rights of workers and cimploy-
ers alike. It will hurt small
businesses and kill jobs.

The more consumers and
home buyers find out about
this controversial legislation
the more they will realize that
the government “is nor on
their side.”

So what is the government
up to? Sectoral union certifica-
tion means putting all unon-
ized businesses in an industry
into one bargaining unit cov-
cred by one collective agree-
ment. [t will take away the
democratic right of each indi-
vidual business and its workers
to bargain their own collective
agreement.

In its place, the govern-
ment will impose an outmod-
ed, costly and inefficient “one
size fits all” agreement on
them, whether they like it or
not. If the deal kills jobs, too
bad, says the government.

This is the worst possible
time to impose further gov-
ernment intervention on the
residential construction indus-
try. For two years, the confi-
dence of new home buyers has
been weak. The instability the
governinent will create with
the sectoral certification could
likely prolong this recession in
the market.

By driving up new home
prices, sectoral union certifica-
tion in the residential con-
struction industry is going to
hurt the people the govern-
ment would like to help —
young working families, peo-
ple looking to invest in their
future and in their community.

Every day, I talk to new
home buyers who tel] me, “We
like the community, we want
to buy the house, but the cost
is $10,000 more than we
could pay.” Is the premier lis-
tening to their concerns? His
new legislation suggests he’s
not. His new faw will put the
dream of new home owner-
ship even further out of reach.

So why is the government
interfering in the housing
market yer again? Do they
know that the construction
industry already has to deal
with over 1,000 separate
pieces of legislation? Each law
and regulation adds another
new cost to doing business
and new barriers to home
ownership.

Another problem with sec-
toral union certitication is thar
higher costs will further fuel
me underground economy.

Jnstead of going with qual-
ified professional builders: and
renovators, consumers will risk
quality by participating in
B.Cos underground economy
in construction. The govern-

ment conservatively estimates
it to be more than $2 billion a
year.

Housing is an engine of
growth. Its economic spin-off
benefits are enjoyed in com-
munities throughout this
province. Research by Data
Resources Inc. and CMHC
shows that the construction of
100 new homes provides a full
year’s employment for 280
people.

That’s why this attack on
the home building industry is
so short-sighted.

Consider the lost econom-
ic benefits as a result of not
building those 100 new
homes and the 280 new jobs
not created:

B@ $1.5 million in new
income taxes paid by workers;

@ millions more in new
provincial and federal taxes
paid by the businesses which
employ them;

® $200,000 in building
permits and other revenues to
city hall;

Sa further $1 million in
property taxes in the first ten
yeats Mone; and

#€ the economic spin-ofts
from rhe purchase of building
materials and over $10 million
pumped into the B.C. ccono-
my.

Toourge all British
Columbians to speak up
against this very politically-
motivated and damaging legis-
facon. Tell che premier, Labor
Minister John Cashore and
your MLA thar the govern:
ment’s gone tuo far,

The North Shore News reque
larly allocates space for reader
tupur on a wide range of con:
mamity issues in the form of
atest columns,

If vou have a colionn please
send it c/o The Editor, North
Shore News, 1139 Jonsdale
Ave, North Vancouver, V7M
2H4 or via e-mail to tren-
shaw@direct.ca, Submissions
aust be typewritten and should
be approxtmately 500 wards.

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