SUCH A SHORT TIME IN OFFICE AND ALREADY YOU SPEAK =. FLAWLESS BRITISH COLUMBIAN... 2” WS Sy: Opposition mounts to UTA agreement “Rough ride for transit pact Continued from page 1 nosed financial analysis from the ci- ty’s finance director Peter Leckie put the anticipated deficits for the transit system at $162 million for 1985 — far above the $100 million figure used by the GVRD. Leckie Transit meet set Oct. 21 Community organizations and individuals from throughout Greater Vancouver will gather this Sunday Oct. 21 at Langara campus of Vancouver Community College to press for an immediate start on rapid transit. Organized by the citzens’ coali- tion, Citizens for Rapid Transit, the conference will hear a keynote ad- dress by broadcaster Laurier LaPierre and will see a slide-tape presentation by the staff of the Greater Vancouver Regional District outlining the technical plans for rapid tranit. The conference will also deal with several action proposals including a- resolution on the proposed Urban Transit Authority agreement for the GVRD and proposals for a public campaign to win rapid transit. A wide variety of community, labor, business and ethnic organiza- tions are expected to attend the con- ference, and all individuals con- cerned about rapid transit are welcome # The conference begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at Langara campus, 100 W. 49th Ave., Vancouver and contin- ues until 5 p.m. also warned that the gasoline tax ‘and hydro surcharge proposed in the agreement would be insufficient to pay the deficit, and contrary to statements by the GVRD, it will be necessary to use property taxes to pay transit costs within the first five year agreement. Rankin’s motion for a public hearing was in line with a call from the Committee of Progressive Elec- tors which last week condemned the agreement and called on ‘‘citizens groups concerned with transit and ordinary homeowners and car drivers to pressure both the city and the GVRD to hold public hearings before the imposition of any new taxes which will hinder public tran- sit rather than help it.’’ COPE president Bruce Yorke said the agreement provides for no improvement in the existing bus system and would worsen the pre- sent inadequacies. Yorke was particularly critical of the provision pegging fares at 35 percent of operating costs which, he said, ‘‘inevitably means higher fares. or service cutbacks, either of which will result in the loss of riders and therefore revenues.” Monday, the coalition of com- munity organizations, Citizens for Rapid Transit, added its opposition to the agreement with a sharp warn- ing that it ‘‘could ensure the failure of rapid transit.” A resolution adopted by CFRT pointed out that there is nothing in the agreement indicating that rapid transit will be a priority, but the method of financing rapid transit is in the agreement through provision to borrow capital costs, with the financing costs being added to operating costs. The estimated $519 million price tag for LRT would end up being Rally, meeting back CUPW Speakers from the B.C. Federa- tion of Labor and several unions are slated to address the rally for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers called for Friday, Oct. 19, 11:30 a.m. at the Queen Elizabeth Plaza. The rally marks one year of the strikebreaking legislation which forced CUPW members back to work in 1978 and also coincides with the appeal in Ottawa of CUPW president Jean-Claude Par- rot, Oct. 16 and 17. On Qct. 24, CUPW Vancouver local president Lloyd Ingram will join Communist Party labor secretary Jack Phillips on the plat- form at a CP solidarity rally for the postal workers. The rally is schedul- ed for 8 p.m. at the Fishermen’s Hall, 138 East Cordova in Van- couver. The CUPW film, ‘‘The Struggle Continues’’, documenting the long campaign by postal workers for a decent agreement, will be shown at ‘the meeting, sponsored by the Greater Vancouver Regional Com- mittee of the CP. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 19, 1979—Page 2 over $2 billion at current interest rates, the group predicted, and neither the public or any level of government will be prepared to pay that kind of cost. Rapid transit. is an urban highway, CFRT said, and should be paid for in the same manner as other highways: by the provincial government out of general revenues. * Tuesday, the Vancouver and District Labor Council voted to op- pose the financial formula in the transit agreement and agreed to send a delegation to the public hear- ings in Vancouver on the issue. The labor council action was pro- mpted by an appeal from alderman Harry Rankin who spoke to the meeting and warned that ‘‘there are a whole lot of things at stake for the average worker’? with the new agreement. The Greater Vancouver Regional Committee of the Communist Party last week spoke out against the agreement, as did the B.C. Automobile Association and the Teamsters Union. Less than nothing : in ‘new’ bus deal By ALD. HARRY RANKIN On October 2 the Greater Van- couver Regional District will hold a special meeting to decide whether or not to accept the ‘‘new’’ deal its ne- gotiating committee has worked out with negotiators representing the provincial government regarding the GVRD taking over transit plan- ning for the Lower Mainland. Spokesmen for the GVRD claim that this ‘‘new’’ deal ‘‘achieves the Board’s objectives’? and that it would give the GVRD ‘“‘a reason- able voice in planning and operating policies for transit.’’ These nice sounding phrases from the mouths of GVRD politi- cians are entirely misleading. The cold truth is that the ‘‘new’’ deal is essentially no different from the one the GVRD rejected last year. It imposes an enormous financial bur- den on the citizens of the GVRD while leaving all major decision- making power in the hands of the provincial cabinet. Robert Bonner, head of B.C. Hydro, must be laughing all the way to the bank; now he will be rid of the deficit ‘ridden and worn out bus system that Hydro has run into the ground. And as for the cabinet ministers, they must be rubbing their hands with glee as happy as if they sold a.used car for a bundle to an unsuspecting customer. The three key questions involved in any transit deal are: who will pay ~ the bills, who will have the decision making powers and what, if any- thing, will be done about rapid transit. ; Until now, B.C. Hydro has been paying the bus deficit. This is no small figure. Next year it will be $66 million. By 1984 it will be $100 million. Then there will be the cost of putting the bus system into run- ning order with a whole fleet of new buses. It has been estimated that this could run as high as $100 million. If this new deal goes through, the citizens of the GVRD will pay 25 per cent of these costs for the first two years, 30 per cent in the third year and 33% per cent for ever af- ter. The provincial government will pay the balance, and B.C. Hydro will pay nothing. How is this money to be raised in the GVRD? 7 PEOPLE AND ISSUES" - transit. That statement means noth - rapid transit. By two means: a) a tax on gaso line; and b) a surcharge on Hydro bills. It is estimated that the gas tax wil start at three cents per gallon for the first year and go up to 4.8 cents in the fifth year. Secondly, there will be a s charge on residential hydro electric bills starting at 24 cents per month” ene up to $2.04 per month by What about the decision-mak ing? Who will run the bus system? The GVRD will have a voice all right, but that is all it will have. De cision-making will remain in the hands of the Urban Transit Author ity, and it is appointed by the cab inet in Victoria. What about the question of ligh rapid transit? There is no provision for this whatsoever in this so-called “new’’ deal. ~ The GVRD says that it is ‘likely’? that the same formula would be used to-finance light rapid ing at all. I am fully justified in say ing that it is unlikely that same for mula will be used. In my opinion, neither the GVRD © nor the provincial government have any intention of building light rapid transit. The cost of such transit — would run into many hundreds 0 millions of dollars. Who will pay for it?. If the provincial governmen refuses, then it would have to be paid by more gasoline taxes, more surcharges on electric bills and higher property taxes. The GVRD will certainly not undertake such unpopular moves. : The effect of this ‘‘new’’ deal will” be to kill rapid transit. That’s wha’ the prévincial government, which is tied to the gasoline and auto inter ests, wants to do in any case. ‘Summed up, we’re getting less | than nothing from this ‘‘new deal” We’re taking on a big debt and get ting nothing in return. All we would be doing is to relieve B.C. Hydro and the provincial government 0 their financial responsibilities. We would be much better off no signing any agreement and leaving things-as they are until by publi pressure we can persuade the pro vincial government to finance good bus system and to build light ancouver mayor Jack Volrich frequently gets quot ed on any number of topics, ranging from soccer to rapid transit, but what he had to say on the much larger issue of international cooperation — even though it was said several thousand kilometres away —- has never been reported before now. In fact, it only comes to us, a few weeks late, from News from Ukraine. And it certainly bears repeating. The remarks, of course, are those made by Volrich _during the recent trip to Vancouver’s twin city of Odessa by the delegation from Vancouver city council. The language is occasionally quaint, having presum- ably been through the translation process twice, but the message is no less noteworthy. “‘The Soviet Union is a peace-loving country and its citizens are sincerely striving to consolidate friendship with all people of the planet. We became convinced of this by our own experience,’’ he told his hosts after the delegation had completed the tour. ‘‘We visited Moscow, Leningrad and Odessa and wherever we went we saw that the USSR is a grandiose contruction site. Its cities are beautiful and its people, who enjoy extensive constitutional rights to work, edu- cation, medical care, social insurance and rest, are happy. “‘Whatever the enemies of peace and detente say — and unfortunately we have them in Canada — the Soviet Union does not want war. The SALT II treaty is a new convincing display of the USSR’s peace in- itiatives. : “The signing of a document on the further develop- ment of fraternal ties between Odessa and Vancouver summed up our stay in the Soviet Union. It is foreseen that we will carry out a regular exchange of informa- tion on urban development, the protection of the en- vironment as well as the exchange of specialists and cultural and sports groups.” The Vancouver delegation also planted a Canadian fir tree in Odessa’s Lenin Park and Volrich dedicated if as ‘‘the tree of our friendship in the name of peace. * * * * * e have a note from Walter Tickson in Nanaim? Wooavins a last tribute to Louis Tellier, who fell vio tim to cancer on October 8. . Louis’ passing leaves yet another gap in the ranks of the veterans of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion. was one of the activists in the unemployed movement _who volunteered to fight in Spain, returning to Cana a in early 1939. His reminiscences are included among those of other veterans in the recent National Film Board production ‘‘Los Canadienses.”’ ; A one-time Nanaimo coal miner, he worked for the last 15 years at the Harmac mill outside of Nanaimo where he was a member of the Pulp, Paper and Woo workers of Canada. And Walter adds: ‘“‘He was 8 staunch supporter of socialism and a longtime Paci Tribune reader.”’ ; Our condolences to his wife Elaine, his son Gert) and his two daughters Shirl and Brenda. * * * * * en Norris has notified us that the memorial for hi ‘ wife Ethel who passed away Oct. 6 has peel! scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. in Fishermen’s Hall, 138 East Cordova in Vancouver. lieu of flowers, friends are asked that donations’ made to the Veterans of the Mackenzie Papineau talion.