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WEST VANCOUVER stores will remain closed

on Sundays despite the striking down of the,

Lord’s Day Act across Canada last week.

| By BARRETT FISHER |

--Under the B.C. Holiday -

Act, local retailers must have
the approval of the com-
munity before they can.open
their doors on Sundays.

_.. West Vancouver Mayor
Derrick. Humphreys said he
has been advised that Park
Royal Shopping Centre and
the West Vancouver
Chamber of Commerce will
be’ asking municipal council
for a referendum on Sucday
- shopping in November.
‘Inthe last -referendum,
November, 1984, -West ‘Van’

residents voted against. Sut :

day shopping, with 5,651
*-votes against and 5,185.for.
An. April North -Shore
News sample survey of West
_Vancouver residents. listed

‘the

46.7. per cent saying they
would shop at Park Royal
on Sundays, 50.8 per cent
saying they would hot, and
2.5 per cent saying they
didn’t know. ra

West Vancouver MLA
John Reynolds spoke about
the Lord’s Day Act being
struck down, saying, ‘‘the
Attorney General says the
law doesn't affect us because
we have our own law.’?

When asked if the B.C,
Holiday Act could be over-
turned, Reynolds said, “We
have a Charter of Rights,
and the merchants could test
flaw and have. the
municipality take them to
court. That can be expen-
sive, though.” -

_ Reynolds said the mer-
chants could band together
and lobby against the local
decision.

‘APARTMENT owners and residents at West First
‘and Forbes are outraged because they say their
-views will be blocked by the latest proposed addi-
tion to the lower Lonsdale developmeni.

[. By BARRETT FISHER |

Affected tenants of La
Viva .and Seaview  apart-
ements appeared before
North Vancouver City

- Council Monday to voice

their opposition to an office
building proposed for the
corner of West First and
Forbes.

Bur architect Graham
Crockart, working for Sagan
Information Systems, says
the proposed $500,000 com-

puter research building
strictly follows the Official
Community Plan.

Although the area is pres-
ently zoned as industrial MI,
which allows for a maximum
height of 1S feet, a rezoning
to comprehensive develop-
ment would allow a max-
imum height of about 54
feet.

The Official Community
Plan, which went into effect

See page 13

H AND WEST VANCOUVER

*

56 pages 25¢

“Park Royal is especially
suffering,’’ Reynolds said,
‘because of the competition
in North Vancouver. If the
stores in Park Royal want to
open, they should be able
to.”

Park Royal vice-president
and manager Hugh Addison
agrees. He said Sunday
shopping is a customer pref-
erence and he estimates the

centre will lose about $25
million in [985 because of
the one less shopping day.
‘There's a strong
likelihood we'll be seeking a
referendum in November,”
Addison said. ‘I’ve spoken
to many merchants, and
although the preference
would be not to open, it’s a
fact of life in the retail
business. That’s what cus-

tomers want,""'
Past president Bill Chap-
man of the! West Vancouver

‘Chamber of Commerce said

he believes . ‘businessmen
need the right.to make their
own decisions. The fact that
other municipalities have the
tight to open Sunday, our
business people should have
that right too.

“No doubt it's had an

impact on them,’? Chapman
continued, ‘‘with people go-
ing elsewhere to shop,
especially at Christmas.”’

West Vancouver. Chamber
of Commerce will be holding
a public forum Wednesday,
June 5 inviting West Van-
couver retailers and public to
discuss Sunday shopping.
The place and time is yet to
be announced.