|_| |__| SE) ARRREES NY (NV @UNN! 0) | | OR

"GRASS ROOTS OPINION’

Will build peace movement in neighborhoods, unions

Over 150 peace activists in nating Committee to End the perience since the first confer-

Toronto met last. week in the War in Vietnam. William Spira, spokesmen for that they have moved from

Second Conference on Vietnam

ence 10 months ago indicated

called by the Toronto Coordi- the organization, said the ex- speaking in the interest of the

ee ate eeers veces Majority of ‘the.people.to.a po- Se ~~ sition of speaking for them. ; Spira indicated that the con- ference had decided to move out into neighborhoods, unions and professions to build up groups in order to give expression to the grass root opinion against the war. :

He also said that in the 10 months since the first confer- ence 400,000 pieces of litera- ture, including two pamphlets, had been distributed. The Co- ordinating Committee had also sponsored a number of very suc- cessful demonstrations and had

ance their activity.

The conference agreed to cir- ‘culate all the candidates in the coming municipal election ‘in Toronto on the issue of Vietnam.

The conference also agreed to

The growing unity and breadth of the movement against the send a telegram to Prime Minis- Vietnam war is symbolized in this photo of the speakers at the Re- ter Lester Pearson urging his membrance Day protest rally held called by the Toronto Coordinating government to press for the nec- Committee to End the War in Vietnam and several student peace essary changes in U.S. policy in groups. They are: Frank H. Epp of Winnipeg, editor of the Canadian Vietnam. which will make peace Mennonite (with microphone); Mrs. Kay MacPherson of the Voice - in Vietnam and ensure the self- of Women; Rabbi A. L. Feinberg; Rev. Fumimaro Watanabe, of the determination of the Vietnam-

*, ee ;

raised the $20,000 needed to fin- |

DEC. 10

Human Rights Day

Peace organizations throughout the world have been asked to engage in a wide range of public protests on Dec. 10 directed against the United States actions in Vietnam and in support of a possible Christmas cease-fire.

Dec. 10 is United Nations Human Rights Day. The appeal has been issued by the International Confederation for Disarmament and Peace and the War Resisters’ Inter- national:

Both of these world bodies believe that Pope Paul will almost certainly issue a special appeal for a Christmas cease-fire. If this appeal is supported by world-wide pro- tests it might well cause the United States to accept it. This would be the first concrete step toward peace since Christmas 1965.

The following demands are being made by the ICDP and the WRI for the Dec. 10 protests:

1, Implementation of the Geneva Agreements of 1954.

2. Acceptance of the three points of U.N. Secretary

' General U Thant: an immediate end to the bombing of North Vietnam; the immediate de-escalation of military

activities in South Vietnam; immediate negotiations direct- ly with the National Liberation Front.

3. An immediate statement by the American govern- ment giving a definite timetable for the withdrawal of its troops.

The ICDP and the WRI suggest the following activities prior to and during Dec. 10: :

© Full-page advertisements in the daily papers urging support of points.

e Teach-ins or debates on the Vietnam war.

e Lectures, conferences, religious services, centering on the above demands.

@ Silent demonstrations, vigils, mass meetings.

e Publication of flyers or pamphlets for mass distribu: tion in major cities.

Trade union, religious, academic,. student and other community leaders are being urged to help organize these activities. oer

ese people possible. =

Toronto Buddhist Church; and George Nowack, of New York.

—

DON’T know when or where the

first housing co-op originated,

but in tasarist Russia the work- ers pooled their meagre resources to erect a barrack-like apartment house in Petrograd (now Lenin- grad). 2

Co-op housing has since become common in Europe and even in the United States, but we live in the first true co-ep housing development in Canada! The three little pigs couldn’t beat the wolf with - indivi- dual housing—except for the pig-in the upper-income “brick bracket”. If the wolf at your door is the land- lord or mortgagor, co-op housing is one way to beat him.

Winnipeg’s Willow Park sounds like just another suburban Valhalla, whose unhappy inhabitants shorten their lives in the twice-daily “rat race a go-go”, and whose ulcers bite ‘them as they watch rising taxes out- strip their equity build-up. But Wil- low Park is unique as the first com- plete co-op housing project in Can- ada. :

A “building” co-op in Montreal in 1956 predates Willow Park, but the co-op was intended only for con- struction savings, with former mem- bers taking title to their individual

» house and lot.

Willow Park is a true co-op, and the member only acquires shares in the entire development.

The project was three years in the planning stage, and was delayed for a further two years by the reluc- tance of Central Mortgage and Housing Corp. to lend mortgage money to what they apparently thought of as a “collective com- mune.” They . eventually loaned $2,300,000 to the project, and con- Struction was begun in the fall of 1994.

‘Only 10 units were completed

~ Canada’s first real |

should live so long) and is subje¢ to the same terms under CMHC 4! for an individual home, i.e., 6 perce? down payment, and monthly PU! payment not to exceed 26 percen

site.

: : of monthly income. If we make it

: “maturity, we will have paid in ove $30,000 and will own $15,000 #

(ord . shares in a $2,500,000 development

We will never own any part of th

By SID VARCOE

during the first winter, and we have the No. 1 housing agreement, mov- ing in on Jan. 22, 1965. There were only two other occupied units, and ours was the only family with child- ren. As the project is located on the bald prairie in the. extreme north- west corner of Winnipeg, getting the children to school that first winter was “pioneering” in its original rug- ged meaning!

The site compromise 11.6 acres acquired from the city on a 60-year lease.. The development is com-

prised of 200 units, arranged in six’

rectangular courts, each broken into four L-shaped quadrants around a central park. The units are broken down into one to four-bedroom units, the number of units of each size being 40, 42, 101 and 17 in as- cending order.

Common side walls are made of 8-inch concrete blocks, which effec- tively muffle most sounds. Except for the one-bedroom duplex apart- ments, the homes have two floors and a full basement.

SID VARCOE is an executive mem- ber of the Cooperative Housing Association, sponsors of the pro- ject described in this article.

Our four-bedroom unit comprises over 1,300 square feet of floor space, exclusive of the basement, most of which. we have converted to a “rec” room. The four bedrooms and bath ‘are upstairs, with living room, dining room, small kitchen and large foyer on the main floor. Electric range and fridge, gas furnace, water heater and clothes dryer, are in- cluded. :

The three and four-bedroom units have small individual outside plots of grass (we have-converted ours to patios), as well as carports, storage space and enclosed garbage bins.

Basic monthly PIT- (principle, in- terest and taxes) payments range from $72 for a one-bedroom duplex to $115 for a four-bedroom home. Utilities (electricity, gas and water) enter the development on _ single metres and are pro rated, and this large-volume consumption results in considerable savings. We write one cheque each month to Willow Park for $143.17, which covers everything but our telephone. The one cheque covers PIT payments, utilities, insurance, outside main- tenance and a small allowance for an interior redecorating fund.

A 4-bedroom unit is rated at $15,000 on a 30-year mortgage (we

Except for the savings on utiliti¢ and lower monthly payments dv! to extended period of the mortgas® this is not a particularly good long

term deal. It is an intermediat

stage for intermediate incomes. FO! the short term, it is vastly super! to similar rental space, with mor elbow-room than a suite.

It is ideal for young couples the way up, providing liquidity ? their asset in case of moving ° transfer to another city. The dow! payment is refundable, less any U™ usual damage. Since depreciatio” would exceed equity accrual for 4 least 8 to 10 years, it would requilé a long tenure to recover any equil above the down payment, unles the development of the surroundiné area enhanced the value of ar shares, in which case the board ® directors (elected by the members would determine the value of th® shares beyond the down payment.

The success of our venture will spark construction of co-op hous! in other Canadian centres, and thé will profit from the mistakes mae? in our pioneer project.

Co-op housing is not the answe! to low-cost housing for low-inco#! families, and we. must continue fight for large-scale subsidized hov* ing. ; 2s There is more than one way skin a wolf—I mean, a landlord!

December 2, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page '!