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Puge 8 THE HERALD Wednesday June 1989 Britain is worried about Hong Kong1997 EllisDon hints at legal action over rejected tender Your Business Diane Thomson Nawi Strvic The horror and repression in China has prompted calls for western countries to help the peo ple of Hong Kong The colony will be handed back to China in July 1997 Britain already beset by ethnic strife is worried about how it can absorb a big share of the 35 million Hong Kong residents who hold British passports Britain could not easily contemplate a massive new immigration commitment which could more than double the ethnic minority population Sir Geoffrey Howe foreign secretary said recently North America would have an easier time absorbing an influx of Hong Kong Chinese many of whom speak English and are relatively well educated But while real estate speculators rub their hands at the prospect of another huge inflow of Hong Kong money the actual economic effects may not be as anticipated But they will be beneficial As to the potential for resent ment against the newcomers so- called racism or cultural it is something we in North America have to learn to live with A million or so new immigrants will not make it any worse Newcomers from Hong Kong have been remarkably hard working and law abiding Most of all though many of the more re cent ones have been rich Canada has been luring immigrants who have at least in their pockets with which to start a new business WEALTH FACTOR The prospect of many more wealthy settlers is cheering real estate market players particular ly in Toronto and Vancouver High flying prices have led some to speculate that the two cities are in for a market collapse These hopeful ones may be disappointed Most of the people with money already have fled Hong Kong and gained a foothold elsewhere They have already bought their houses shopping malls and office buildings They have stashed their money in banks around the world What then can we expect from another big influx of immigrants A more vibrant economy This will come not from the capital inflow but from the big increase in workers earners and hence spenders The population base and so the economy will be expanded The economy could also take on a new vibrancy thanks to the in credible entrepreneurial spirit of the Hong Kong people New businesses will start up and not fail because they are backed by suffi cient capital New jobs will be created new taxes collected There Will be problems Sleepy Canada with its laidback attitude and unionized workforce could be in for a In Australia the huge inflow of Hong Kong and Japanese entrepreneurs is strain ing existing companies which find it hard to compete with the newcomers Many in Canada will not welcome the change If it happens this infusion of un bridled capitalism may force us to think seriously about something we have been avoiding for a long time is cutthroat competition in the marketplace worth the cheap goods it brings us Do we need all those goods anyway Surely capitalism and modera tion need not be opposites Resident wants range closed A Georgetown man tired of dodging golf balls while he sits in his yard asked Halton Hills to close down a driving range owned by the North Halton Golf and Coun try Club Robert Harris of Maple Avenue said his house is in range of every ball from the golf course His win dows have been broken by flying golf balls over the last seven years he said But the town said Monday night that it is not within its- jurisdiction to close down the private facility No action can be taken until the town files a report and consults with a lawyer Town councillors voted to receive Mr Harris com plaint for information Halton Region rejected a late tender bid by SkyDome builders EllisDon Limited last week although the companys lawyer said the Region could face a legal battle shortlisted three com panies to vie for the chance to build a million expansion to the Regional municipal buildings on Highway 25 in Oakville The pro posal was due June at 2 pm But EllisDon lawyer John son told Regional councillors last Wednesday that through a series of minor errors EllisDon represen tative Randal who ar rived at the Regional building by 2 pm didnt have the proposal stamped until 205 At 215 pm Mr Froebelius was told by Regional staff that the EllisDon proposal would not be accepted because it was late EllisDon did not ask the Region to forgive us for the fact that we were running on very short time but said they wanted to com pete with Cooper Construction and JacksonLewis Company Limited The Region said Mr granted JacksonLewis a shot at the expansion proposal although the companys tender form was not sealed The Region exercised its 8770109 Simon S CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT discretion to waive that formality It would be unfair and unequitable for the Region to distinguish bet ween the informal JacksonLewis tender and the informal EllisDon tender Regional councillors and staff asked reporters the public and EllisDon officials to leave the chambers while they discussed the EllisDon tender for the next hour All councillors but Janet Mit chell of Oakville voted to refuse the Domebuilders tender Mit chell said June 7 at the administra tion and finance meeting where all three bidding companies spoke that she would like at least three bids for a fair competition Liz ques tioned EllisDons lawyer for several minutes asking him why the company couldnt phone the Region to ask where the proposal should be put Regional Chairman Peter Pomeroy said the Region was be ing fair to EllisDon and had allowed the lawyer representing the company to speak over the 10- minute delegation limit Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale said she made her decision two weeks ago when the executive director of the On tario General Contractors Association said the late proposal should be rejected In the hallway outside the coun cil chambers last Wednesday EllisDons lawyer said he would have to consult with his clitfnt before commenting- on whether or not there would be legal action But earlier to Regional coun cillors Mr said the Region must pit the advantages of looking at EllisDons proposal against the risks of litigation Mr said it should be one of the Regions fears to expose the public and the taxpayers to litigation RECYCLING ll e do our Please Remember to Recycle This Newspaper OFFICE MAGIC Phone 416 8770109 132 Main Street South Georgetown Ontario B77O109 8770109 STEVEN C FOSTER BALLB BARRISTER SOLICITOR 37 MAIN ST SOUTH GEORGETOWN ONT L7G3G2 fax 41 68734962 J- WMlayFriilay90aain 530l Saturday Ball Point Pens Colours Black Red Blue Sold in packages of 12 MS11 Medium Point REGULAR M REGULAR 255 dz 245 Fine Line Markers Great for accounting on columnar forms Groat for fine drawings Colours Black Rod Blue Green ExFne Fine SECRETARIAL SEW ttfi 856947