The Mesth Shore Hews és published bp Mort Shore Free Press Lts., Publisher Peter Speck, Publisher 985-2131 (181) ‘Gong Foot oe Dtaliwal 905-2151 (133) 995-2131 (177) ia Fe La AAPA AON NG NER NT Marth Sikora ews, founded in 1969 oa an independ ard quilified under Schedule” mM, Entire contents '* © 1996 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reservea. peace te TAS IN Seattle a “Simple Living” move- ment with its own journal — dedi- cated to encouraging people to shed possessions and work less so they can enjoy life more — is still grow- q ing five years after being launched. quotes of the week . “We've been misted by our prime minister. We've been mis- . fed by our premicr. Are you tak- ~-ing lessons Bert Cowan, to North ‘Vancouver District council mem- bers during debate over a 50% wage ~ increase for councillors, on political ‘integrity. (From a Jan. 8 North Shore News story.) . ; -Q * “No one dies from sprinkl sprinkl water damage. Elder opted dic " often from smoke i etd Ae - North Vancouver Fire and “Rescue Lieutenant Dave Merrill, . after a sprinkler system helped stem _ the damage from a fire in the .- Kiwanis Tower but caused some * water damage, on the benefits of sprinkler systerns. (From a Jan. 5 North Shore News story.) Qo00 “The federal government . . spent billions on the Cold War scenario, Why can’t we spend millions to pre-position equip- ment? It doesn’t matter if it’s snow or an earthquake.” North Shore Rescue Team leader Tim Jones, after his team helped in the rescue of stranded mororists in the Abbotsford area during the recent blizzard, on the need for proper emergency pre- paredness plans and equipment for - B.C. (From a Jan. 5 North Shore News story.) 000 “If you don’t want a council news wievw point to tay then stop feedin: then. chicken feed.” 8 Corrie Kost, during the same _ Wage increase debate, supporting the idea of paying district council members more. (From a Jan. 8 North Shore News story.) Q00 “First of all nobody forced you to run. When you got elected you crossed the Rubicon and became politicians. You’re the only people who make lawyers and bankers look Lawyer John Lakes, during pub- “ lic debate over a 50% wage increase _ for North Vancouver District coun- cil members, on politicians and their places on the public approval pecking order. (From a Jan. 8 North Shore News story.) . Ogg: “We have a pretty vibrant economy. There’s less crime ... and more amenities, That’s why the prices are rising — because le want to live here.” John Boden, president of the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board’s North Vancauver division, on why the North Shore’s real estate prices keep going up. (From a Jan. 8 North Shore News story.) a Qo00 “Well, what can I say, I got caught ” Stanislaw Tonderys, to a West Vancouver judge, in a drinking ani? driving-related case. (From a Jan. 8 North Shore News story.) In New England a $35-million “Institute For A Civil Society” was founded last month, : “civility” in human relations being one of today’ 's buzz-words. Currently... it’s hard to find a magazine or newspaper without some article on the urge of growing numbers to escape the rat race of working too hard and run- ning too fast for personal fulfilment. These are just a few examples of the growing interest in “human capi- tal,” discussed here last week, as opposed to the simple dollars-and-cents capital which has fueled the industrial world for 200 years. ; Indeed, many analysts sce its most highly developed countries as now -: entering, the “4 post-industrial” and even “post-materialist” age — where human values vill automatically outweigh material acquisitions. If they’re right, governments everywhere face unprecedented challenges. Robots, computers and cyberspace already point ro the beginning: Ce the grim reality sketched by futurist Jeremy Rifkin in his book The OF. Work: a world carly in the next century whose total material needs can be :: provided by a mere 20% of today’s work force. Ruthless corporate down- sizing, accompanied by record corporate profits and stubborn high unem ployment suggest Rifkin is not indulging in mere idle speculation. ‘The result is already a steadily growing gap between rich and poo Cash-strapped government, stuck with massive interest payments struggles to claw down its deficit, is presently i in no position to reverse trend. And the private sector bas clearly snown it has no interest in the human fallout from its obsession with dividends. Even, however, if government finaily gets its own financial house in: order, the Rifkin scenario poses problems far beyond any government’: experience to date: what to do about, say, 50% (let ‘alone 80%!) of the'w force rendered jobless — and potentially income-less — by galloping, nology and cheap overseas labor? ¢ latter problem will gradually lessen as Third World wage ‘levels inevitably rise. For the rest, one thing is quite clear. Whatever form. gove ment intervention takes, it can never again be the initiative-sapping; dead hand class warfare of traditional socialism. Instead, the future need is a genuine partnership between governm and the private sector to ensure an equitable redistribution of the n ‘wealth produced by machines that replace people — and to. use th: cal to maintain and enhance socicty’s human capital. It’s a partnership that the corporate world and its sharehol equally welcome. For they, too, stand to be heavy losers if more and consumers have no moncy to buy their goods and services. ~ In the sometimes scary future now unfolding this parmership between private sector players and government referees will need. understanding, flexibility and creative thinking of a calibre not yet demonstrated by cucher side. And both must learn fast: about the role human capital now has. play, because neither can afford the only eventual alternative: : Half or more of the working-age population wwage-less and bread less a O00 MANY HAPPY RETURNS of Monday, Jan. 13, to West Van Kiwanian Jack Wilks. 000 WRIGHT OR WRONG: Hot heads and cold hearts never solved anythin — The North Shore News believes strongly in freedom of speech and the.. right of all sides in a debate to be beard. The columnists published in the New: present differing points of view, but those views are not necessarily those of : newspaper itself. . er ncaa Ra net SPECT TE aL COI ER TER eR te EONAR hte OLE AE SANIT SLOPE OUMERAEDAL BO OIRO FORAAOS A MAP SOOIOLE SEPETE UE REDAIO CR DEST TRC Quality coniro! HE North Shore’s quality of life keeps appreciating in value. As a recent News real estate story attests, it is the envy of residents far and wide. But quality is a tough characteris- tic to maintain. The Jan. 8 News story stated that the three North Shore municipalities had, unlike the rest of the Lower Mainland, bucked the downward trend in the median selling prices of homes. Reasons are many. The most casily recognizable one, however, is best expressed by John Boden. In a nutshell, the president of the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board’s North Vancouver division said the North Shore is great place to live — less crime, vibrant econ- omy. Good, accurate observations all. -. And they will remain good, accurate observations in the years to come as long as North Shore residents remain dedi- cated to keeping the North Shore spe- cial. Complacency is a sure antidote to quality. Especialiy quality of life. Already there are signs of erosion on the North Shore. A story in the same News issue docu- mented the concerns of North Vancouver City council members as they considered the future growth of the Lower Mainland region. The Greater Vancouver ‘Regional District estimates the region’s. popula- tion will be over 3 million in just under: S. 25 years. Under the GVRD’s Creating Our Future initiative, the city is a desig- . nated growth concentration area and |‘ will be pushed well beyond its’ own Official Community Pian population . capacity of 45,000. Infrastructure, recrcation lands, ‘forests will all be’ put - under increasing, pressure. as will North . Shore manners, civility and tolerance.” Our quality of life may be appreciat- ing, but that quality needs to be appre- ciated if it is to survive.