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Imagine, if you will, 5; 000 North Vancouver city
residents suddenly rendered homeless -- thrown
out on to the street by the heartless tyrants at city
hall. Hardly, the kind of picture to bring nights of:

sound, untroubled sleep to Mayor Tom Reid and_

his council colleagues. Yet. that was one of the
-pictures they’ were scheduled to ‘contemplate.
Tuesday evening, as the North Shore News went -
to press.

- The purpose of this special
Tuesday council meeting was
: to-review the whole question
of illegal ‘suites in- North
. Vancouver : city, of which.‘

other _ non-conformiitg, ‘suite
operators were going tobe.
prosecuted? And’ how’ were .
_ They going to be chosen? .

there. are: reportedly more

than 2,000. Average occup-.-

ancy. is probably two to ae .

: people per suite.

COUNTER-ATTACK.

Council: ‘itself: is’ respon-" 7

sible for the sudden fee

of this long... smouldering. -

_issue, to which it has largely .
__ turned a. blind eye in recent.
. years. A- couple: of. moriths'.:
ago, . however, it suddenly. -
started: legal. action against -
Stuart Nassim Developments. "

be fully resolved in a single
evening, given city council’s
track record to date in such
matters. .Meanwhile,. what
exactly is the issue?:. © |

“KEEPING UP THE TONE”

Today , there. are. actually
three. issues involved ‘in the

- question of illegal’ Suites..The .

‘first,. of course, is the zoning-
-issue, which. hias:to do with -
**tkeeping ‘up. the tone. of: ‘the
neighborhood". :

ig you: prosecute” “all the —

owners,” he told council, you:

could put 5, 1000 people out on..
. te: the ‘street.’

“PANDORA'S BOX.

"Whatever contravention of:

the bylaws Mr. Stuart may. . th

have: committed, his. logic is.
indisputable, ‘and. * council

‘members. know it. They, atso.... fi

‘remember. that: @ .move:-by.
council ‘last ‘year to: legalize -
non-conforming . suites. was
only narrowly defeated.

for. operating four. ‘non- a
confirming”? ‘suites. (as’ they © “Neverthetess,: the: awe ‘is.=
are more politely called) on’ «tie. law~ until: changed.-; So-.
' East. 12th Street. se having. choserto tift the lid’ of.

._-Developer™ *e “Ron Stuart, >
” Whose ‘firm - also... operates’
some~<.200: perfectly -tegal~
.. suites, counter-attacked ‘ vi- -

‘with human,‘ “legal and: -
«technical. headaches, where’:
‘does: council: “go: next? , .

* * ‘this’ Pandora’ s box. bursting” _

oo

-_ if, some: “years. back, you: 7
_ put your hard-earned savings ©
_ into «a, ‘nice. ‘'single- family |
were home in a‘ nice’ "Single-family --
_ wesidential area, you: didn’t

- that is occupied ‘bya separate «. ; 7 ek
- “family. unit’. @which may be::

et

Phen’ there’s: the: question.

“ of safety and health, , Regard: : oS
Tess ..of zoning, . ‘any’: Suite.
: constructed’ without a@ council. :

. gorously. -He appeared: ‘Dbe- - _ "Maybe we'll: ‘know, follow:, - permit: “and the. necessary’

~ fore council ‘fo ask why his~ ing last. night's ; session:.-- . ‘building,: =‘ electrical - and
‘company had been ‘singled .. though. it’s doubtful-whether -- plumbing: inspections. is . also.
out: for prosecution.’ Which . "Such: a complex: ‘isang « could’, -

- automatically ‘illegal. .

mi oe
oe .

 Wainut Book. a.
_ Stereo Shelf Unit

units sold eopsraiety ‘to “design: '%

your own system. |

‘Teak $480.

| _ Walnut - 1279
Teak |

199
+220"

Walnut |
Teak
60"

960
other combinations - - other prices, 94" eee
mcalintad stoot, Prises eubloor He

Teak Quéen w/out.”
mattress

Teak: Single wio
mattross

1 drawer

- owners -of e
<gulites .

Teak Night Table
- Teak Dressers

. 4 drawer, ‘ 94 .
8 drawer ; *129
os drawer’

1139

~ aoe
oe eR .

~ Some do-it-yourself suite” | ~

owners are skilled enough to”

make’ ait excellent joo of their

"extra basement pads, but

many aren’t. So you get

pygmy-height ceilings, fire- -

trap wiring and plumbing
‘that’ doesn’t. Council, in my
_ book, has a perfect right: to
oke its nose into these

‘safety and health aspects of .

extra suites. .
_ HOUSING CRISIS
The third issue, and the

most crucial one, has. arisen
only in the past few years. -

. All the. well-meant ‘bylaws —

every written by the combin-
_ ed’ municipal councils - of
.Canada don’t alter the fact
that, today, there are tens of
thousands of - respectable
-Canadian . citizens ‘living in
“illegal suites. from-St. John’s |

- to: Victoria, becausé ‘it’s the -
only kind of adcommodation. -

they can afford i in the current ;
housing: crisis."

~ “$0 if councils ‘now decided
‘to declare all-out war on. the.
Offending’. Jandlords, every.

‘innocent tenaht of an illegal. .-

want a-bunch of neighbors in suite -- ‘reputedly.around.. .
e roomirig-house. business. _ §,000 im North Vani city alone
. Fheir;; tenants,-*, es would have to.be evicted: n. ,
os taxes, would tend to ‘detract ‘short’. order. Evicted ©
' ‘value: t / where? a ‘e:
isuite in a dane tomate’ zone: UE Se a ge : —
&

eshuriiinity” and legal .

a ‘niceties: there is obviously :
“only one course for council to

"follow, if its members theim-~

':, selves lay-claim to belonging .

‘to the human r race.

‘They must " declaie - ‘an
4 * immediate. amnesty for all:
xisting: tll
with | Just: one -
condition’ attached.

-, partment-‘on ‘overtime for a |.

make: a‘Iot more: sense than

_- golden:

egal-~ “sense solution to ‘a ‘problem.

os the’ nation. -

RECTIFY HAZARDS

; The suite owners should
‘be given-;one .month. to”
register at city hall, with no
penalty. All suites so regis-
-tered would be inspected as
soon as possible by the city’s },
building department. In cas-
es where the construction of .
the suite posed safety or
health hazards for its .occu-
pants, the owner would be
granted a reasonable period
in which. to: ‘rectify those
hazards." .

:.| chances -

~ Suite owners, who failed to -.
comply - -- or who. failed to
register and’ were subse-_
quently. discovered. -- would »
be fined up to $500 and. the -
money passed to the evicted _
tenants: to assist. them. in |:
relocating. After which ‘the
‘suite. would be -ordered
‘dismantled. That, inciden-
- tally, would also take caré of °
any future offenders.

LEADERS FOR CANADA
-Alk this might keep ‘the |)
city’s regulation-drafting de-
few. weeks. But it. would
failing: (éxcept in the-case ‘of :

~Mr. Stuart) to enforce your
own bylaws. And ‘certainly ‘a -

homeless - eitizens on
-your conscience.’

“It. might also offer. Mayor - h
-: Reid -and : his colleagues a. o
opportunity. .. to.
emerge as leaders. for the
rest- of Canada. with a’.
“compassionate, ‘common:

Paul. Baken,..

‘afflicting * every: ‘municipality

rake
AS

43"
Teak.
i
St Oak.

, 899.

Mon. Thurs. -10am-6 pm
Fri. 10 am - 0 aii
Bat. 10 am-6p

“INSTANT FURNISHING i.
a } Robson Street

“hours:

pens

Vancouver.

- Planter
"Teak -

“The $s: Provincial Lot-
tery ticket. featuring five.
$1 million prizes is now
available to Western Ca- |. .
{ nadians on..a mail ‘order’|
basis.: Tickets. offering. ‘Ss.
& million’ |. ~
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awards and thousands ‘of |.”
prizes ranging fromi $50 to’: bes
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‘Stereo Bonch hy) || :

nd

Tickets . for “the ‘fest se
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available - ‘by “smaif. until a ees

‘retail: distribution’ BPP - .

purchase tickets may send'| =
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-order:..should :be*"1 made. pee
payable | to thé. Western |)":
Canada. Lottery, da-,

os ‘  . Jot more _ ‘Sense. than: “having” | tion, we
An “this ‘conflict: between: “3,000

ne will be examined-by.D it ee

psychology-at ‘Simon: Fraser. ~
‘University, ‘when’ he ‘speaks oe,
at the North Shore: eed 7
_bourhood House,:225 E. 2nd, °.°
North Vancouver‘ ‘on’ Sunday," ce
’ September 26 at 10:30'a. m. : Y,

EASY