6 - Wednesday, July 16, 1986 - Narth Shure News

News Viewpoint

Expo hangover

THE VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER

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Noel Wright
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Linda Stewart

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ith a week still to go before Expo reaches the
halfway mark, attendance is already nudging
nine million, for a possible final total of

18-20 million.

The world fair itself is a roaring success — but NOT

for most of B.C. outside its turnstiles.

Aside from

downtown hotels and restaurants, merchants and other
commercial operations almost everywhere report either
no increase or, more ominously, significant declines in
business. Almost all the vast imports of tourist money,
it seems, are being sucked up by Expo alone.

Does this mean Expo, as a boost for the B.C.

economy, is a failure?

Certainty not. It is putting Vancouver and this pro-
vince firmly on the world map at last. It will bring
repeat tourist business and heightened awareness by
outsiders of investment opportunities here for years to

come.

But these gains will materialize only gradually. They
will definitely not happen overnight. Heading towards
winter — with the last of the 1986 tourists departed
and the mushrooming threat to the B.C. forest in-
dustry from U.S. protectionism — we face a potential-
ly painful party hangover after Expo’s gates close in
October and the bills, carefully hidden so far, come in.

This scenario has to be the top priority for the new
Socred premier who will emerge at Whistler July 30.
His or her ability to steer B.C.’s economy through a
tough and disappointing ‘aftermath to Expo, while
keeping it on course towards the fair’s fong-term
benefits, will decide the fate of the Socred government

whose child Expo is.

LETTER OF THE DAY

What is Mulroney's
South Africa goal?

OPEN LETTER TO
PRIME MINISTER MULRONEY

THE INCREASED tempo of an-
tagonism, with threats of sanctions
and other action, against South
Africa has finally caused me to ob-
tain more details of exactly what is
happening.

The first thing 1 have done over
the past three months is to discuss
the situation with over 100 people
in British Columbia and while
many of them are not very familiar
with the pros and cons, I found
that over 85% were strongly of the
opinion that Canada should net be
involved in the internal probiem of
South Africa. You have enough
problems in Canada and not a
single person of the 100 contacted
could even guess at what effect
Canadian economic sanctions
would have on South Africa.

I would therefore appreciate it if
you would let me know what ex-
actly you hope to accomplish by
economic sanctions.

Perhaps your reply could reflect
the following facts of the current
situation as I have been able to
discern from reading a few maga-
zines.

(1) There are about 6,000,000
white people in South Africa that
settled the country originally 300
years ago when there were no
blacks in that part of the country.
It is obvious they are not going to
move out.

(2) There are about 22,000,000
blacks of which 6,000,000 are
Zulus and the balance are spread
amongst some 200 tribes. On a
one-man-one-vote arrangement the
Zulus would be the predominant
force.

Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezu
who is evidently the Chief of the
Zulus has claimed that sanctions
should not be introduced. He is
against violence and believes that
apartheid will be gradually
eliminated. He appears to speak

for a majority of the blacks. Does
the Canadian Government pay any
attention to nis views?

(3) While it sounds as if the
Zulus are a fairly conservative and
law abiding group, the experience
in other African countries—-where
the blacks have taken over from
the whites—is that the ruling tribe
establishes a ‘‘one party’’ dictator-
ship and freedom disappears. Do
you believe this will happen in
South Africa?

(4) There are 2,000,000 blacks in
South Africa from other African
countries that South Africa is try-
ing to expel. If you consider South
Africa such a bad place for the
blacks, how come these 2,000,000
will not leave?

I gather the answer is that the
highest level of income and living
for any black in Africa is in South
Africa. Do you believe sanctions
will reduce this level?

(5) An organization called the
African National Congress appears
to be the violent opponent of the
South African Government. It is
apparently organized by the Rus-
sians but financed by various
church and other groups. Does it
have any recognition by the Cana-
dian Government?

(6) | understand that Russia and
South Africa are the main pro-
ducers of platinum, vanadium,
manganese, chrome, etc. It would
obviously be to Russia’s advantage
if the current South African gov-
ernment is overthrown and a black
government friendly to Russia
took over. Is this the objective of
the Canadian Government?

(7) I understand that the real in-
come of blacks in South Africa has
increased substantially over the
past few years while that of blacks
in other African countries has
declined. Is the intention of sanc-
tions against South Africa to
reduce the income and employ-
ment of the blacks?

(8) My impression is that Bishop
Tutu and the African National
Congress are strong supporters of

North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4

$7,656 (average, Wednesday

alk ¥
Frou, & Sunday) Sign

Lite

THE GHASTLY truth
about West Vancouver is
out at last.

It came in an article last month
in the Toronto Star by one Dan
Smith.

I don’t know whether Mr.
Smith fives in these parts (there
being 156 listings for D., Dan
and Daniel Smith in the phone
book) or was merely visiting. In
any case, he seems to have cer-
tain vision problems.

A large photo accompanying
his article and labelled ‘‘West
Vancouver’? shows West End
highrises and the Sylvia Hotel,
with Grouse Mountain in the
background — though why
quibble about minor details if his
Toronto readers were happy?

Inspiring Mr. Smith was his
discovery that West Van, with an
average income of $29,532,
recently replaced Markham,
Ont., as Canada’s best-heeled
community,

Armed with that information,
he let it all hang out right in the
headline: ‘*West Vancouver
struts its rich stuff... knocks out
Markham as wealthiest Canadian
community but it has a fault: It's
boring.”

Got that, Martini Mountain,
Panorama Village, Haywood and
Horseshce Bay? You're drown-
ing in doilars bur the spectacle
simply sends folk to sleep!

Under an intriguing sub-

sanctions. They obviously hope
that sanctions will lead to
unemployment, lower standards of
living, and eventuatiy a violent
civil war. 1 must say I was appalled
that this Bishop is supporting the
African National Congress in their
terrorist activity, including the use
of ‘‘necklacing’’ for eliminating
their opposition.

Does the Canadian Government
support this type of violent op-

Entire contents ©)
1986 North Shore
Free Press Lid, All
rights reserved.

mn a rich sedative

Noel Wright

heading ‘‘No snorting here’’ Mr.
Smith notes there are lots of

BMWs and Mercedes ‘‘but the -

fancy cars creep so slowly’’.

“Chances are,”” he explains,
“the driver will have greyish or
white hair, if he has any hair at
all. West Van is not a cocaine-
sniffing haven.’’ The last bit may
be good news for Tiddlycove,
even though it adds to the
boredom.

With the picture of the West
End taking up much of the page,
Mr. Smith hasn't too much space
left for logic in the rest of his
in-dep’h survey.

West Van’s big money-earners,
he learns, are a dying breed
anyhow — ‘very conservative,
middie-aged or older business ex-
ecs’’ who are retiring too fast for
younger families to replace them,
“even if they could afford to."’

This, he repeats, makes West
Van “ta haven for flagrantly
displayed wealth’.

Backing up that claim, he adds

position against the South African
government?

in summary, since you and Mr.
Clark appear to be the chief pro-
ponents of sanctions against South
Africa, I and all other Canadians
would appreciate our comments on
the foregoing items and a review of
exactly what sanctions may ac-
complish. No double talk — just
specific results you hope to
achieve. As far as | can gather no-

® focus ®

a potpourri of other West Van
characteristics, some of them
almost stimulating.

He cites old seaside cottages
now “lived in by architects and
rock musicians’. An estimated
500 welfzre cases — ‘mainly
divorced women and children liv-
ing in homes with an average
value of more than $200,000".
The 20 per cent of seniors on
social assistance. And Mayor
Humphreys’ boast that ‘‘there
has to be some place in the world
for excellence, and this is it.”’

After that, one presumes, Mr.
Smith headed back home, yawn-
ing all the way.

Having lived 29 happy, busy
years in West Van keeping the
wolf front the door, I found his
analysis of me as pari of one big,
overpaid sleeping pill a trifle
confusing.

Did no one tell him about this
slumberland’s Jimmy Pattisons,
Roy Gautiers and Doug Col-
linses?

body in Canada understands what
you are attempting to accomplish.
Frankly, as a staunch Conser-
vative supporter, I think you have
enough problems in Canada to
contend with and should not be
wasting your time on problems in
other countries in an attempt to
obtain some personal international
prestige.
William A. Dow
West Vancouver