Al0 - Friday, Jane 29, 1984 - North Shore News

y JOANNE.
MacDONALD

THE QUESTION:

Open shopping hours
‘were the subject of debate
across the North Shore,
most recently in North
Van District. The discus-
sion was prompted by a
request from the mer-
chants of Westlynn Mall
to hold a Midnight
Madness sale — which
was denied.

Interviewed were Mark
Vella, a Zellers represen-
tative at Westlynn Mall,
and vice-president of the
Westlynn Mall Merchants
Association, and District
Ald. Joan Gadsby, a vocal
opponent of open shopp-
ing hours.

“There has to be sometime for the family.”

JOAN GADSBY:

‘‘They key thing about
open shopping hours is that
first of all, in a shopping
centre, you can have
smaller stores for which it’s
not economically viable to
remain open. Labor costs
are key costs and extra sales
would probably not offset
those extra labor costs.

“Some stores are family
operations and they could
be affected by extended
hours, especially on Sun-
days. People may be ter-

“Customers would prefer the convenience.”

MARK VELLA:

‘“*T would say I’m
technically in favor of open
shopping hours. We feel
that with the average family
having two or more people
working, they need shopp-
ing hours to closer match
their everyday lifestyles.

And with the other
municipalities having open
shopping hours, I would
say the amount of business

NV councils
happy about
plan for park

AN INTERIM report assessing the park potential
of the Upper Lynn Creek and Lower Séymour
River area got a warm welcome from North Van-
couver City and District Councils Monday.

The report, which comes
after years of public request
that the area be opened up
to recreational use, shows
that the “reservation and
designation of the Upper
Lynn and Lower Seymour
area as a park and recreation
area will make significant
contributions ta the regional
park system and livability of
the region."’

Presenting the report on
behalf of the GVRD, Parks
Chairman Hal Weinberg
told) District Council the
most critical point to evolve
out of the report was the re
quest that che City) and
District place a reserve in
then Upper lynn Creck
lands and informally in
dxate ther willingness to
convey these lands to the
GVRD tor regional pack
Pras poses

According to the interim
teport, the commitment by
the Caty and District would
follow the completion of
further detathed studies and a
formal deciston to proceed
with the regional park and
watershed rececalion arca

athe rest oof the land,
wWhach is outside Che jurtsdis
tion of the City or Dastrict
ctther belongs to the Greater
Vancouver Water District on
is Crown tand leased to the
GVwt)

A small portion belongs to

Grouse Mountain Resorts

By JOANNE MacDONALD

and MAUREEN CURTIS

while other land to be con
veyed includes some mining
claims

Agreement on. certain
Crown land targeted = tor
regional park purposes must
also be sought) from the
Ministry of Lands, Parks
and Housing

The City, on a motion by
Ald Frank Marcino, decd
ed to an agreement in pin
ciple placing a reserve on the
land in question The City
also agreed to convey the
lands to the GVRD upon
completion oof oa detatled
plan to be prepared in con
junction with North Van
couver District and the City

Distrwt Council, mean
while, deferred the maticn to
ther first Council meeting in
August, with Mayor Marlyn
Baker requesting Comments
on othe report from the
Dsstrset ss DOdtevtor of
Development

Piustract Council was

gencrally supportive of thre
report, but several coun
willors requested more tine
CO ive stagate major Can
siderations oraiscd by the

study
The interim report looked

at &  staaedy BIC CONCH
9 JOO hectares
Mount Seyinour amd Crouse

between

ribly affected if the only
time they have to spend
together is Sunday. There
has to be some time for the
family.

“I’ve also talked to mer-
chants in smaller corner
stoers, where they offer

‘shopping convenience and

customer service. Their
whole economic viability
exists after hours when the
larger supermarkets are
closed. They’re gaingto ‘be
squeezed out, pecduse they
operate op-m” higher profit

some North Shore mer-
chants are losing is fairly
significant, but I couldn’t
comment on the actual
dollar figures.

On the whole, I think
customers would prefer to
be allowed the convenience
of shopping when they want
to. And there is a whole
other point to be made
when you’re discussing
open shopping hours —

margia that’s predicated on
the larger stores being clos-
ed at certain times.

**There are only so many
consumer dollars available.
One argument is that with
our fast lifestyles that work-
ing full-time .only leaves
Saturdays for shopping.
But | believe travel to other
municipalities by North
Shore shoppers is quite
minimal. If you establish a
loyal patronage to certain
stores, you'll wait for those
stores to be open.”’

they would bring more
employment to the area.
‘*From our point of view,
if we were allowed open
shopping hours, we’d pro-
bably start with a late night
Wedneday opening which
would act as a test study to
look at the response to the
new hours. After that, we
might eventually work up to
five nights a week, open
each night until 9 p.m.”’

JOAN GADSBY;
North Van
District
Alderman

MARK VELLA;
Westlynn Mall

_ Merchants
Vice-President

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