WHITBYPUEE PRESS, WEDNESDAY. JULY 4,1990, PAGE 5 Hap bithdyCanada. On undred and twenty tbree years You'd have thought b now we .get îti ht. But here we are, the bitday partyspofiled by talk of divorce in the family. "If that's what she wants, then I say lot lher got," re?lie the voice of the Enii jbgot. 'Yeah, give in onceadyunover know where you go froin there." K.eep hier in ber place. Ney beard the sane message from hushands ini the procesof losing their wives. Nover could understand hier, they said. What does sho really want? I neyer really know. So she wants to go? See how she likes balancing bier own bank book every montb. And she won't get a stick of furniture. No air! She wants this bouse she'Il have to drag me through every corut in the land. Divorce talk. But no one talka about the effeet of the divorce on the other nine children. That's tbe way it is with divorces. Everybody pretonds it would be botter for the id in the long run. Twenty three pars ago this spring 1 was covering a sinail municipal council lsewhere in Ontario. A representative of tbe federal governinent spun a wonderful tale of how Canada's Centennial clebration would be the event of a lifetime. He talked about special Centennial projecta. About Expo '67. About hoopla. About fireworlcs. About brass bande. "After al," be concluded, 'it isn't every day that our country marks its hundrodth birthday." Ho sat back and waited for tbe surge of nationalism froin the village council. Ho waited some more. But the faces of the five village councillors did not beain back. The man from Ottawa sat there, bis spiel spent, lookring at the dark scowling faces. Les, the reeve, chaired tbe council since it was not large enough for a mayor. Les owned the village service WITH OUR FEET UP. by Bill Swan' Back to boring station. Bureaucrats froin the county, or the province, or Ottawa, threw cliches in bis path. On these ho often stumbled. "I don't think we're illegible for that boan," he once told a reporter. But as the man from Ottawa waited for a reply, les couldn't think of a cliche. "I dondt think wo want to get involved," ho said at last. The Ottawa bureaucrat, bis face purpie 'with frustration, packed bis briefcase noisily. "I nover thought l'd have te soUl Canada te, Canadians," ho said finally. I thougbt guys like you'd beproud cf tbis ccuntry."9 Iwas reminded cf tbis story earlier this week when flipping tbrough the pajes cf the Teronto weekend papers. Columniste prcclaimed it; editorials urged it; most of the news content pretended it. A grand celebration cf Canada7s birthday. Corne on, you guys, one columnist wrote, don't hesfitate te get corny over Canada. But I ask ycu. Ia corny national sentiment realy me Canadian way? Sure, y ou get to expeet it cf Americans. United States of Axnericans, that is. They"re good at brasa banda and fireworks, and hoopla and carnival atmoapbero stuif. But Canada? Real Canadians know tbat spontaneity is that unfottered feeling you get just before you barf. You neyer, nover get it sober. That's wby 1 thougbt of good old Les, the village reove, twenty three years ago after Canada's Conennal elebration. Les, who had bis roots fimly entrenched in l9th century rural-village Pitics. I don't tbink we want to get involved, ho said. A lot bas cbanged in those twenty three years. We now have our own theme parka, African gaine parka, affimative action prograins, racial tensions and world class mass murdera. We have neighborhoods of people wbo paît police witb rocks. Ail those immigrants who lino up at our shores: they ail have grand traditions of flag-waving nationalism behind thern. Check aIl the refugees w. take in. None cf tbem are escaping fi boredoin. Many are fleeing places wbere waving a flag can get you shot, arrested or blown Up, talce your pick. No, what we need ini Canada is a return to the old values. Maybe a quiet little flag in the corner of the living room window. A few sinall firecrackers. For the kils. But none of this dancing in the street stuff. That's the kind cf patriotisin that gets a country in trouble. Next tbing you lcnow they start caring about things, thon arguing about who's rigbt, wbo knows where that leada. Maybe if w. get back to being basic horing, Quobec would not even notice we're here and everytbing would ho ail night again. F'm sure Les would agree. Homes bulit but housing maket stili ii shmnp By Mike Kowalski Athouéh new homes continue te o buxît at a quick paoe i Whitby, it may only ho a matter cf time before market conditions catch up. Ini fact, it may already ho heresale market bas been sluniping for over a year and shows little sign cf picking Up. 1Sales cf new bornes in the greater Toronto regien, which includes Whitby,. are ais down from 1989 figures. Despite thoso statistics, the numbor cf residential building parmits issued by the Town ia up over lest year (January te April). While theso may ho bad turnes for the seller, fer the buyer it's paradise. «Ther's nover been a btter timo te buy, the buyer is clearIX in control cf today's market, say BlirBuchanan, president cf NRS Ralty One.. «There's nover been a better selection cf bouses te choose from.» To illustrate his point, Buchanan notes that i January- February 1989, realtors in the Oshawa and District Real Estate Board were selling an average ef 180 te 225 homes a week. They were drawing from an inventery cf hotween 1,200 and 1,500 bouses on the reale mar- ket. "Now, there's an inventery cf 4,000 bouses for sale and we're selling about 75 te 80 per week,» says Buchanan. A realte)r for 16 years, this is the third mark et slump Buchanan bas experienced. The previeus two occurred in 1974-75 and 1981-82. However, Buchanan stresses the difference between conditions today and the recession which plagued Canada eigbt years ago. According te Buchanan, there were four major factora at work during the last recession. «Interest rates were 20 par cent in 1982, there was double- digit inflation, double-digit un- employment and there was ne money in the market, a shortage cf lmrtag una." Today, te only similarity is higb interoat rates, says Buchanan. "Inflation is cnly five par cent, unemployment is low and tbere'a tons cf money around. Banks and other lending institutions are compating te get it eut. "This downturn is net as sert- eus as '82.» Whitby realtor John Coulter. Épresident of the Oshawa and District Real Estate Board, echoes Bucbanan's commente. «I would be remisa if 'l said I was net conernedi m " Baya Coulter. "But we"ye boentbirough it before. "I have conoern for the short- termi but arn optimistic for the long-term." Coulter estimates that prices cf resale homes bave dropped about 15 te 20 per cent ainoe January. This would include residential homes, condominiumns and tewnhouses. «At the beginning cf the year the aveag price was abut $180,000. [t'a doser te the mid- $170P000 range across the board now, says Coulter. While new bornes sales and resales are off, bouse are stilI being built in Whitby, a situation for which Coulter does net bave an easy answer. (Members of the real estate board ae pxarly involve with the elmarket. Buildors usually soul new homes tbem- selves.) «It's a bard tbing te explain," says Coulter, referring te thee building permit increase. «lIt depends on the area. if they're for tewnhouses i central Witby that's one tbSýhg, but if they're for estate lots in the nortb, tbat's oiother.» Accodî.ng te figures released by the TorontoH orne Builders Association (THBA) new borne sales i May were down 23 per cent fromn May, 1989. Only 24 new homes were sold in Whitby in May, say the Durmng the first five montha cf 1990, 3,364 new homes were sold, compared to 9,502 during the sam ricd last year. The Top redicte 1990 sales to beabout 8,î 00. A THBA spokesman blames high interest rates for contribut- ing te the current difficulties. ere federal governrnont is trying te wrestle inflation te the ground, but they're taking the econorny down with it,» states Chnis Mullin i a recent pross release. «Instead cf producing 25,000 homes in a normal year, w. will be putting more than 25 000 people eut cf work,» says Mullin. "There is nowhere near the business needod te generate the jobs the industry eand economy r Wbýle hoà does not bave firat- band knowledge cf the problema facing nw borne. builders, Buchanan is not surprised that market is alse suffering. ",Agents who work with new homes are cominu back te resale realtors and asking te corne back into resale. «BSornecf thein haven't sold a bouse in two rnonths, that's how we know new home sales are slow.' Buchanan puts some cf the blame for the current problema squarely on the shoulders cf spe- culators. "PTople in the past five yoars viewed roal estate as a short- SEE PAGE 22 MYTERD. T ~ Ow è Hexagons IIAUJO i/tagns Bnce Chà S etc. ~TIICKSON *#ilandifade, preasseinbled, sanded, ready to be staied Cà i 655n8558 e Solid Cedar construction We Deliver è Bujt to Last, LLc -Wooden Outdoor Furmture Fore ver Friends Gifts & Canadiana Reproduction Furniture Demonstration & Sampling of 'TMrs. Brown's Di#' Saturday, July 7th from llam to lpm! PRINGLE CREEK PLAZA knglu Ce A S666-4668 m I "Hwy. 2(undas St.)