Cws EDITOR BRANDON REID THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 20012 2 Cambie houses on sale still Prices remain the same as Vancouver market drops with buyer demand By JUDY CHERN nue and Cambie Street may be a ripple effect of recent changes to immigration policies. The homes have remained unsold for about a year. With prices in the range of $2 million to $3 million, not many individual homebuyers can af- ford to put down the cash. Although Vancouver has seen a price drop in the overall market, the number of buyers is also decreasing. This is due in part to new immigra- tion policies that involve limiting the number of applicants per year, said Anny Yang, a sales representative at Sutton realty group. Yang said immigration is crucial to the economy and the real estate mar- ket. “Our economy is going to hurt a bit, that’s why we’re seeing this downfall [in sales],” she said. “Local people can’t afford it for sure.” Estella Yang, a resident in the area, said she’s heard sales are targeted not towards homebuyers but towards de- velopers looking to buy multiple lots in order to build multiplexes. Homeowners looking to sell individ- ual lots are out of luck. “With the prices now it’s going to be on hold for a while,” said Anny Yang. She said getting a mortgage has be- come an increasingly difficult process. Real estate companies are feeling the downfall in the market, but they are also at odds with some individuals involved in the business. “There’s a lot of people who have a lot of connections through Asia that would jump in and get their licence and sell and buy without proper training, hurting the realtors that are doing their jobs,” said Anny Yang. She said as a result companies are cutting commissions for real estate agents. “It’s a troubled phase for real- tors as well.” Anny Yang believes that immigra- tion laws will loosen once the govern- ment realizes they’re hurting the econ- omy. “It’s going to smooth out, we’re go- ing to find equilibrium and a stable state,” she said. “If the market goes up so will the economy.” F: sale signs along West 49th Ave- van] la) = Afamily doctor administering the HPV vaccine into a patient’s arm in belief it'll protect against various forms of the virus. Vaccine not that clean HPV shot isn’t a guarantee like it’s made out to be, says UBC doctor By BRONWYN SCOTT ew studies suggest that the hu- man papillomavirus (HPV) vac- cine, administered to Grade 6 girls across B.C., may cause more harm than good. Two teenagers, 14 and 19, died after immunization, and suffering similar neurological symptoms such as mi- graines, speech problems, dizziness, chest pain, inability to walk and confu- sion, according to a study co-authored by neuroscientist Christopher Shaw. His intention is “not to scare people off” but to remind us that everything comes with risks and to make sure that young people make informed deci- sions. “T just want them to have that piece of the story,” he said. A causal connection between the vaccine and adverse reactions, howev- er, cannot be determined and these in- cidents are rare. “There will be side effects to any- thing that you have in this world, whether ... it’s an injection or... driv- ing a car,” said Ashleigh Stelzer-Chil- ton, a family doctor in Vancouver. “Nothing is 100 per cent,” she said. “Tve worked in Africa and all over the place where vaccines are not avail- able for a whole bunch of different rea- sons... but people die all the time for things that we’ve got protection from here,” said Stelzer-Chilton. “I think sometimes we focus on the wrong thing.” According to Stelzer-Chilton the sta- tistics for the vaccine are “excellent.” Another article Shaw co-authored, however, suggests the vaccine’s clinical trials were inadequate and claims of a 70 per cent reduction in cervical cancer are unfounded. “What we do is evaluate the sci- ence,” said Shaw, who stressed he wasn’t offering a medical opinion but indicated that their publications are “heavily reviewed by other scientists in reputable journals.” According to the Society of Obstetri- cians and Gynaecologists of Canada, 10 to 30 per cent of Canada’s adult popula- tion has HPV. The virus is common among teenag- ers and young adults. Men can also be infected. Using condoms and having fewer sexual partners reduce the risk of infection and regular Pap tests de- tect early infection. Symptoms may not be apparent and HPV is easily passed to a sexual partner. If left undetected HPV can develop into cervical cancer, the second most common cancer for women in Canada aged 20 to 44. Cervarix and Gardasil prevent two strains that account for most cervical cancers. Despite being lauded by media and healthcare professionals, neuroscien- tist Shaw warned that “adverse reac- tions ... [can be] horrific.” HPV Vaccine 1 Protects against the two HPV strains 2 May prevent precursors to various cancers 3 Cervarix and Gardasil are two available brand names for the shot 4 Doctors recommend regular Pap smears as the vaccine only prevents high-risk HPV types U-Pass price may increase TransLink in negotiation with Langara on whether or not to raise cost for students By JENNIFER THUNCHER increase in the price of their U-Pass, but at least they’ll be able to vote on it in a referendum expected this spring. The U-Pass, a joint program between the Langara Students’ Union, Trans- Link and the province, provides re- duced transit rates for full-time college students. Gurbax Leelh, LSU media liaison, said TransLink will not let the LSU re- lease any information. “The only information I can provide at this point is that the price is being negotiated and we are trying to get our members the best price for their U- Pass,” Leelh said in a written state- ment. Lies students may be hit with an This comment was echoed by repre- sentatives of students’ unions at BCIT, SFU and Capilano University, schools that are also part of the U-Pass pro- gram. Each representative referred The Voice to TransLink. Vincent Gonsalves, TransLink spokesman, says that all the partners are working together on a new pro- gram, which he believes they are close to finalizing. He sent the following statement: “In developing the renewed pro- gram, the objectives of the existing U- Pass B.C. program are still being con- sidered, Once the terms and conditions have been finalized, they will be put forward for consideration by student societies for student refer- endums to be held early in the new year.” Many students on campus were not happy about an increase. Standing in the rain while waiting for his bus, general studies student Er- vin Ganal became animated about the potential fee increase. “Not a good idea. Everyone is al- ready not happy about tuition fees go- ing up,” said Ganal. Health science student Barkha Dhangu was equally opposed. “It is my only way of transportation. That sucks. We already pay so much [for tuition and fees],” said Dhangu. For other students the increase would impact their parents. “My mom is a single mom, so it is hard. She pays for my pass,” said Gar- len Powar. JENNIFER THUNCHER photo Christina Pasca, general studies student, holding her cherished U-Pass in hope it won't cost her more.