What can be done about housing Colin Gabelmann, NDP MLA North Island, writes: Thousands of British Columbians suffer from the Worst housing crisis in our history. Homeowners face staggering in- Creases in their mortgage Payments; first-time buyers simply Cannot afford a home of their own and tenants confront massive rent ICcreases as the vacancy rate stays at Zero and more and more units Move out of rent controls. The reaction of the provincial government to this growing social tragedy has been callous in the ex- treme. : Premier Bennett and housing minister Jim Chabot have promis- ed to introduce a provincial hous- ing policy on nine separate occa- sions since the Dec., 1980 an- nouncement of a “‘major provin- cial initiative.’? On May 30, the premier said there would be a ma- BOOKS Foot of books $5 a foot ($5 minimum) People’s Co-op Bookstore 353 West Pender Street (Homer Street Basement Entrance) Thurs., Oct. 15 — 9:30 a.m. -5:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 16 — 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sat., Oct. 17 — 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. by the foot SALE Your choice while stocks last Chilean and international folk music THE QUARDIAN, LONDON Superb artists... WASHINGTON POST THE TIMES, LONDON Overwhelming, unforgetable... SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. Available at: 4nd all Concert Box offices With high artistry, passion and dramatic fervor... Protessional, charming, versatile, witty, warm... ORPHEUM THEATRE Sunday, October 25 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $8 each ($5 Senior Citizens) People's Co-op Bookstore, 353 West Pender Pacific Tribune, 1416 Commercial Drive Or phone 254-9797 or 980-7263. be Sponsored by Canadians for Democracy in Chile \ Welcome! ’ All Welcome! \ \ jor announcement “‘in the next few weeks.”’ On June 10, Chabot said that the policy would be unveiled ‘Sn two weeks.’’ Victims of the housing crisis continue to wait. There is, however, a great deal that can and must be done here in B.C. Last December, I outlined some of the elements of a housing policy: e@ Re-establish the B.C. Hous- ing Corporation to assist and co- ordinate construction of public, cooperative, seniors, disabled and special needs housing. B.C. is the only province without a housing corporation. @ Proclaim the B.C. Savings and Trust Act passed by the Legislature in 1975. A provincial financial institution comparable to those in Ontario and Alberta could use the government’s own financial business to lower mortgage payments for the first time buyer and builders of social housing pro- jects. @ Restore rent controls and proper programs of rent review. @ Step up the government role in assembling land for housing development. @ Ban demolition and conver- sion of existing housing stock in some areas of the province when affordable housing is being replac- ed by luxury accommodation. Tax cut con game Betty Griffin, North Vancouver, ‘writes: Ever since Howard Jarvis emerged on to the U.S. political stage as the author of Proposition 13 in California, he has been ex- _ pounding his deceptively simplistic proposals for tax cuts wherever he could find an audience either unaware of their disastrous conse- quences for homeowners and tenants or all too conscious of the bonanza they have brought to cor- porations and apartment building owners. It’s no accident that the two chambers of commerce on the North Shore decided to provide him with a platform. Proposition 13 swept California like a brush fire during the mid- seventies when property prices in the state took off, just as they have here in the past year. So property taxes climbed and homeowners screamed. The highly advertised quack cure has proven far worse for homeowners and tenants than the economic ailment that afflicted them. While $7 billion was cut from California’s property taxes in the first year under Proposition 13, the state government had to provide a “bailout”’ of $4 billion for the first two years; otherwise services would have been completely disrupted. As a result, local governments are threatened with loss of control over many of their programs, which means, of course, that local voters also lose control. Services like sewers, parks, libraries, deteriorated to such an ; Dance } ' for \ Peace Saturday, Oct. 17 8 p.m. — $3 each 600 Campbell Ave. Youth for Peace, Detente & Disarmament , — B.C. Committee ; Tickets available at Co-op Books f and Pacific Tribune '