WE SPRING forth this week with a grab bag of miscel- Jany, beginning with two left-over items from Whistler.

David Roberts, general mar.ager of the Chateau Whistler, passes on yet another recent story involv- ing Nancy Greene Raine. Like Nancy and her husband, Al, Roberts is also hobbling around in the wake of knee surgery, yet another skiing casualty.

When it was discovered that he, too, had been operated on at University Hospital, Nancy decid- ed to have a party.

Nancy, Al, Roberts and three other recent knee surgery patients, along with two of their surgeons, were invited to the Raine home for dinner.

While they all tucked into a spaghetti and meat sauce dinner, the television boomed into living color with a video of Nancy’s re- cent knee surgery.

We hear marvellous stories about how well people have done with their Whistler investments. We heard about the affluent Australian who is constructing an 8,000-square-foot home, and

_deluxe lots fetching as high as $500,000.

Power in Whistler is actually in the hands of just four land owners: Blackcomb Skiing Enter- prises, Whistler Mountain Ski “orp., WCL Developments (whol- ly owned by the provincial gov- ernment) and Geoffrey Lau's Golden Properties.

These are the land banks. The Larco Group, proprietors and de- velopers of Park Royal, have a major site set for construction right off the village square.

. Park Georgia Developments has both real estate and plans for a Jorn Borg Tennis Resort.

Caleb Chan is constructing a Jack Nicklaus Golf Centre.

A private developer has struck a deal with the Crown corporation to build Whistler’s first conven- tional shopping centre.

Former Whistler mayor and prominent realtor Drew Meredith said that the opening of a proper grocery store will be an exciting

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Meredith has lived in the resort for so long he says that some- times when visiting Vancouver he walks through Save on Foods in a state of awe.

For most people, Whistler real estate is not an exotic story. Meredith pulled out some numbers. He focused on what he called an ‘‘average’’ subdivision, Alpine Meadows.

In 1976, a lot in this location could have been bought for $16,000. In 1981, this had risen in value to $110,000. And then the roof fell in on British Columbia real estate.

By 1985, this lot had climbed back to $45,000. Today, Meredith guessed, it would once again be appraised at $110,000

A two-bedroom condo in Alpine Meadows purchased for $30,000 in 1976 could now be ob- tained for $130,000.

We hear from Victoria that there are disturbed rumblings

-within the public service.

Most key civil servants survived the change of government. Al! of them are shaking their heads at the endless and relentless financial barrage the New Democrats are

levelling at the Socreds.

Many of them feel personally insulted that a different way of interpreting numbers is making them appear like poor managers.

We have Premier Mike Har- court travelling the world, boasting about the British Col- umbia economy: ‘‘the best in Canada ... Triple A Rated.”’

He urges people to come and invest. Everywhere he has gone — Japan, Hong Kong, New York, London and Switzerland — the message has been the same. Other experts, most notably Moodys and Standard & Poors, congratulate B.C. on its performance.

Presumably he believes potential offshore investors will not read the litany of rhetoric that has rolled like a tidal wave out of Vic- toria.

For three months now we have heard about deficits, cutbacks, tax increases and hidden disasters.

We would urge the premier to

’ stop travelling, stop the daily fi-

nancial soap opera or, at the very least, get the domestic and inter- national message co-ordinated.

Bill Bennett called in the Clarkson Gordon accountants in 1976. With one clap of thunder, we heard the bad news.

Glen Clark's approach has been like an endless visit to the dentist. The new government seems to forget that the public dropped the guillotine on the Socreds.

Now that we know about even greater crimes, what are we sup- posed to do? Execute a corpse?

During a recent conversation, the finance minister confessed: “It’s very hard to stop thinking like Opposition, but we are learn- ing. Government is becoming more comfortable now.”’

Clark’s candor and sincerity is refreshing. He did inherit a mess, and the evidence is now on the table for analysis. And the most useful purpose served by the negativity is the lowering of ex- pectation.

A fundamental mission of lead- ership is to excite and rally the troops. It remains to be seen whether this government can chart a useful course.

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Leave the Socred corpse to rest in peace

One of the less dramatic but most interesting stories of the week past was the decision by the British Columbia ‘feachers’ Fed- eration not to join the Canadian Labor Congress and the British Columbia Federation of Labor. This was a major disappointment to the outgoing president, Kea Novakowski.

The profession suffers from schizophrenia. Teachers have a fantasy life as ‘‘professional,’’ but a real world presence as the most political, most activist and most militant trade union in modern society.

Once again, they have deluded themselves.

The fabor movement has fre- quently rallied in aid of teacher causes. The statement delivered this week was that they think of themselves as superior to rank and file unionists.

It is a pity that we will not near

what Jack Munro, Ken Georgetti and other labor luminaries think about this.

In the same sense that teachers have frequently iarnished the name “‘professional,”’ it might just be that they are unworthy of the trade union movement as well. TT

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