Dear Editor:
On Sunday, the North Shore News published two letters from NIMBYs who do not want to understand the need for job creation.
The first was about Seaspan and Harbourside (Seaspan, Harbourside Benefits Questioned, April 29). Seaspan has been awarded the federal government's multi-billion-dollar shipbuilding contracts. It will train for and create employment. Some trainees and employees will rent condos or houses in North Vancouver. Is the writer aware that about 50 per cent of all new condos are rented out at about a third of the monthly cost of owning? This is very affordable living. The new arrivals will use local services. Everyone wins.
Yes, there will be noise, but no more than from the trains and the dry dock to the east. Whether or not Harbourside is the best area to be zoned residential has nothing to do with Seaspan and its activities.
The second letter is against tankers (Increased Tanker Traffic Has Negative Side-Effects, April 29). Vancouver, the second largest port in North America, has been shipping oil for years, starting before there were double-hulled carriers and super tugs to guide them. To say birds and recreational boaters will be negatively affected is a stretch. I'm not a bird, but I am a recreational boater who supports jobs and the tax revenue they bring.
Robert Thompson North Vancouver
