6 - Wednesday, January 24, 1990 —- North Shore News

INSIGHTS

Citizens’ common sense rejects ‘suites’ lunacy

FIGHTING THE closing down holus-bolus of so-called ‘“illegal’’ suites has been a reguiar duty undertaken by this column over the years. Now, finally, we’re being vindicated.

Last week North Van City council, in an abrupt policy turn- around, called a halt to further suite closures for an indefinite period. Meanwhile, North Van District council — which has been all set to shut down, by 1995, EVERY suite not occupied by the homeowner’s family which its gumshoes could find — is at long last having serious second thoughts.

These changes of heart have been sparked, of course, by the

suddenly recognized that ‘‘turning people out on the street’’ is no longer a mere figure of speech. With rental vacancies nudging zero, pathetic little piles of belong- ings on the sidewalk could become a visible (and embarrassing) reality unless municipalities back off for a while to scratch their heads.

A major factor in the rethinking process has been the October 1989 report by the independent Social Planning & Research Council of B.C. (SPARC) on housing needs in

North Van District — commis- sioned by the District itself to ex- plore ‘talternative housing op-

desperate rental situation on the North Shore and throughout the Lower Mainland. Councils have

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cntesar_WEST SAWCOWER MEMORIAL LIBRARY

HAPPY WARRIORS... West Van Library chief Jack Mounce (left) and his fundraising captain Join Hum- phries (right) receive half-million dollar gift from Victoria from Environment Minister and West Yau MLA

John Reynolds (centre).

Rental action

ORTH VANCOUVER City Council deserves praise for reversing a previous decision of clos- ing down secondary suites in the municipality.

It shows that council finally understands the scope of the rental housing crisis in the city and is trying to wrestie with the situation.

Council voted last week to defer action on the closure of secondary suites in the 200 block of West 6th Avenue despite a November vote against a year- long moratorium on suite closures. Tenants of these il- legal suites will not be uprooted for at least a few more months.

The reason for council's flip-flop decision? The ci- ty’s .01 per cent vacancy rate and the well-documented horror stories of high rents forcing tenants out on the streets.

City council and its North Van District counterpart have been leaders in grappling with the rental crisis. Both were the first municipalities in B.C. to put a moratorium on demolition of rental housing. The city has also been actively lobbying Victoria to return the rentalsman’s office to B.C.

Critics charge that these three measures are not the solution to replenishing the community's affordable rental housing stock — and they may be correct. But whether council’s measures work or not, they illustrate that the mayor and aldermen are at least trying to solve a difficult problem...unlike most other Lower Mainland municipalities.

tions."’

The SPARC report could not find ANY alternative housing op- tions by 1995 for the several thou- sand tenants who would be rendered homeless by a total suites closure. It therefore recommended that the District rescind its closure policy. It also uncovered other pertinent and significant facts — among them:

© Absentee landlords are minimal — 88 per cent of affected homeowners live in the home con- taining the secondary suite.

© Nearly two-thirds of them need the money and one-third say they’d have to move if their suite was closed.

© Suite tenants are NOT highly mobile or transient — on average,

$ 500,000

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Publisher . Managing Editor Associate Editor

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Peter Speck Barrett Fisher Noel Wright

Advertising Director Linda Stewart

North Shore News, founded in 1969 4s an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph Ul of ihe Excise Tax Act, is published each Weanesday. Friday and Sunday by Notth Shore Free Press Lid and disteibuted to every door on the North ion Number 3885,

they've lived on the North Shore for 12 years and in their present suite for over two years. Most are single or sharing adults and only 29 per cent have children.

¢ The overwhelming public viewpoint received by the SPARC researchers was that the housing crisis makes it unacceptable to throw so many members of the community out of their homes by 1995. And there was little evidence of any widespread opposition by ratepayer groups to the legalizing of registered and inspected suites.

In short, 4 majority of reason- able North Van citizens — both involved and non-involved — ap- pear to have no problem about recognizing that suites, properly controlled, are an essential and ir- replaceable part of today’s hous- ing.

Their common sense and com- passion are in marked contrast to the lunacy about suites from which their councils are only now show- ing some sign of recovery.

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TAILPIECES: Still some 45 per cent short of its $4.75 million target, West Van Memorial Library’s ‘‘Special Edition’”’ fund- raising campaign has so far focused on major business and corporate donors. With about $2.6 million now in the kitty — in- cluding last week’s $500,000 gift from Victoria — John Humphries’ team will be concentrating during the final month to the Feb. 28 deadline on individual donations from private citizens in the com- munity. Expect a call... A coaster and napkin, please, for Managing Editor Barrett Fisher, whose cup

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o% Upts and pactures, Py

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BARRETT Fisher Whistler.

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runneth over this month and next. After seven years in the News edi- torial department — for the last two and a half its very capable boss — she departs Friday for her new job as Whistler Resort promo- tion director. Then, one week later in West Van, she'll marry Otto Kamstra, who just happens to be program coordinator for the Whistler Ski School. Popular Bar- rett leaves laden with good wishes — she’ll be missed a lot around The News ... Well worth an art lover's visit are the mixed media works of Doreen Taylor-White and students on exhibit until Feb. 9 — Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and Wed. 7-9 p.m. — at the Seymour Art Gallery in Seycove School, Deep Cove ... And happy birthday greetings tomorrow, Jan. 25, to North Van Kiwanian Jim Reavill.

wnt WRIGHT OR WRONG: A speech is like a love affair. Any fool can start one, but ending it takes genu- ine skill.

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