AN

18 - Sunday, Aprii 15, 1990 - North Shore News

AFFLUENCE

photo Cindy Goodman

WEST VANCOUVER millionaire Stephen Sandar, who is giving away
most of his fortune to help people in Third World countries, knows a

good real estate deal when he sees one.

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2INFLUENCE

IN HIS OWN

WOR

Ss

Stephen Sandar is giving away his millions;
the Pattisons are doing with theirs

he wonders what

n giving awsy his money:

“I have eight kids. I said

‘let’s give them half a

million (dollars) each, a
house and education’ and I’ll keep
some for myself and my wife. My
children got what they need. I
don’t need all this money, what am
I going to do with it? There’s the
Belzbergs, the Pattisons... what
the hell are they going to do with
all this money? Are they going to
take it with them?”

On his business philosophy: ‘‘My
philosophy has been never to buy
anything but the best. I’ve never
strayed from that concept. Buy the
best, and if times are difficult you
won't lose your shirt because
someone will always buy it. You
also take care of it. Taking care of
the tenants is very important
because if they move it will cost
you money.”’

On the success of his real estate
company Hollyburn Properties
Ltd.: ‘‘Today we are the largest in
the city of Vancouver because we
work very hard. If anything (real

estate deal) comes along, you
pounce on it like a cat. I know
what I’m doing, | would have
bought the whole city of Van-
couver because I know it, but I
didn’t have the money.”

On the litde things in life: ‘In
1980 the company was worth over
$25 million and I was still driving
my Volkswagen. I had big business
executives fly in from Alberta and
I would gotothe airport and pick
them up in my Volkswagen. Peo-
ple started teasing me about that
so later on I bought a $40,000
Jaguar, but now I’ve told my
property manager to sell it. I don’t
have a big swimming pool, I don’t
necd one, I use the pool at the
community recreation centre. I’m
not an extravagant person. I don’t
smoke or drink. I’m not a party
person."’

On growing up in India and
Pakistan: ‘‘When I grew up it was
very much biblical. The culture in
India, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran,
Bangladesh was all the same, You
had mud huts, there were animals

Taxman wants $20 million before charity

From page 17

York Times, the Wall Street Jour-
nal, People magazine, the National
Enquirer and the television show A
Current Affair.

“The thing that really surprised
me was a phone call from a doctor
in Saskatchewan. He said ‘Mr.
Sandar I'd like to work for your
organization (CFI)'. He said he
was from Kuwait, and 1 asked him
where he heard about us and he
said he was in Kuwait visiting his
home town and he read about us in

their local newspaper,’’ said San-
dar.

And the letters to Sandar just
keep pouring into his office.

“We've received letters from all
over the world, despite the fact
that no one knows our address. It
has never been printed in the
papers. They just write ‘‘To
Stephen Sandar, millionaire, West
Vancouver,’’ and the letters are
delivered.

Sander said in 1982, after taking
a long, hard look at his life, he
decided he wanted to help the

world’s poor.

“*T saw this suffering and pover-
ty and I realized we have to do
something for the poor people.
This (poverty) is not acceptable.
The seed was then planted,’’ said
Sandar.

“We are all under self-induced
hypnosis,"*" he said. ‘‘We work
within certain concepts and don’t
go beyond it. That’s the problem.
When you're under self-induced
hypnosis you keep playing the
same game...more money. I'm
simply looking after my own soul

and conscience."’

But giving away money is not as
easy as people think it is, says
Sandar, He added that Revenue

. Canada, ‘‘who want their pound

of fMlesh’’ are demanding $20 mil-
lion in taxes from Sandar’s group
before he hands over any money to
CIF.

“That's outrageous,’’ said San-
dar.

Sandar, who termed the world
reaction to his charity as ‘‘over-
whelming,”’ said he is disappointed
that there has not been any sup-

all over the place and animal dung.
This is how you lived. I looked for
work...but they wouldn’t give me
work in the army because I wore
glasses. I went to Delhi and lived
for four or five years on the street.
I was a street kid. There were a
group of us kids who would sleep
on the streets, in doorways, in
railroad stations, wherever we
could find a place.’’

On his early years of teaching in
British Columbia: ‘‘] taught for
nine years and was only making
$500 a month. I had a wife and
two kids and in the summer time I
would work on the greenchains.
Then one day one principal fired
me, he said ‘I don’t like you.’
There were a group of us teachers
and we didn’t like the principal.
The other teachers in this group
quit, but I didn’t and the principal
knew | was part of this group so he
fired me. I was devastated. I
couldn't sell my house and the on-
ly place I got a job after that was
in Prince Rupert. No one wanted
to teach there because the kids
were tough.”’

gets cash

port for the charity coming from
Vancouver,

‘It's not my charity, it’s
Canada’s charity, but we do need
help. We don’t need cynicism
because the poor and sick are dy-
ing and they need help now,” said
Sandar. ‘‘! hope they (Vancouver)
hear the call that I need help. i'm
not asking for their money. I’m
asking for their emotions."

—Surj Rattan