Support against dump site urged

As you may be aware, Lower Mainland
garbage is now being hauled nearly 200
miles to be dumped on a hillside just
Overlooking the Bonaparte River near
Cache Creek. The land involved does not
belong to the Village of Cache Creek, but is
Crown land that was annexed by the village
council in an unannounced meeting,
removing it from zoning hearings by the
Thompson Nicola Regional District. The

_ landis part of the traditional territory of the

onaparte Indian Band and is subject to an
aboriginal claim process. The six-million
tonne megadump has gone forward despite
testimony from local Natives that the
garbage would be dumped on an ancient
Native burial ground.

The dump has gone forward despite
evidence produced at considerable personal
cost to many local residents that under-
ground water that flows directly beneath the
site will likely become contaminated with
toxic leachate and make its way into the
Bonaparte and Thompson Rivers, which
eventually flow into the Fraser River. There
has not been one public hearing to examine
the above concerns or other concerns that

_ have been brought forward through the one

_ Opportunity for public involvement in three.

_ yeatS — an appeal after the permit was

issued. We have little confidence in the
appeal process, which the government is
now offering us again, as we believe from
experience that this is part of a process
designed to put this landfill into place no
matter what the public wants or what the
threat to the environment.

There is no environmental impact study
nor has there been a health study, even
though the Bonaparte River is now being
developed as a subsistence fishery by the
Bonaparte Band. Every local doctor
recently asked the government for an
immediate halt to dumping following
discovery of the bubonic plague bacterium

_ on local pack rats. The doctors are
_ concerned that rats imported from the

Lower Mainland will colonize the landfill
and come in contact with plague-infested
rodents in the area and present a health
threat.

All decision-making has been arbitrarily
completed behind closed doors and pres-
ented to the public after the fact. The myth
that Cache Creek people want the landfill
was exposed with a recently completed
door-to-door petition campaign that showed

_ 67 per cent of village residents opposed to

the dump and only 25 per cent in support. A

ee:

Rancher John McNamer (right) addresses demonstration at Cache Creek dump site
Feb. 24.

1987 survey showed 10-1 opposition in the
surrounding area, including Cache Creek.
Yet the government claims there is “public
acceptance.”

We are local residents, Native and non-
Native, who feel victimized by an extremely
undemocratic process, and we intend to
shut down this money-making venture
between the transnational corporation
Wastech, the Greater Vancouver Regional
District and the Cache Creek Village
Council.

Wastech has already threatened some of
us with lawsuits if work at the landfill is
disrupted. by our activities. We intend,
however, to stop the dumping of garbage
before this environmental, cultural and
social tragedy creates irreversible damage.

We are not engaged in this struggle for
our own personal gain, but for the greater
good, and we have been very willing to give
the time and money that we have — and
many of us are willing to put ourselves on
the line if necessary to stop this injustice, but
we need your help.

Would you support us with a financial
contribution? We estimate minimum legal
expenses of $10,000 or more in the very near
future with some of these expenses now

occurring. We’re not wealthy, but ordinary
people with families and obligations and if
we are going to be successful, we need all the
support we can get. Please keep us in your
thoughts as you consider your own
priorities.

Also keep the provincial decision-makers
in your thoughts, as the cabinet has power
to reverse the decision allowing dumping to
go forward and it has the power to develop
responsible ways to properly deal with
waste management. A phone call and letter
to Premier Bill Vander Zalm (387-1715),
Environment Minister Bruce Strachan
(387-5202) as well as cabinet ministers and
local MLAs, expressing opposition to the
GVRD landfill at Cache Creek would be
very valuable.

Cheques may be made out to “Cache
Creek Landfill Legal Defence Fund” and
mailed to Box 593, Cache Creek, B.C. VOK
1HO. Please enclose a stamped self-
addressed envelope if you would like more
information about the dump.
Paula Rubinson,

Chief Terry Morgan,

John McNamer,

and 26 other signatures

from Cache Creek and Ashcroft.

MayWorks example of labour-arts alliance

I’m writing in response to Pat Gidora’s
letter criticizing the April 17 article promot-
ing this years May Works festival written by
Teresa Marshall (“Labour positive culture
1s part of continuous tradition,” Tribune,
May 8, 1989). I’m one of the volunteer
organizers of MayWorks; we hired Teresa
to publicize the festival and she’s done a
great job of it. We will be sending a group
response soon but in the meantime I'd like
to comment personally.

First, let me say that the article had its
flaws: one might infer from it that not much
happened in labour culture from the 1950’s
until now. Certainly there has been a con-
tinuous tradition of labour culture and I
respect and am grateful to all those who
have kept it alive, in spite of post-war con-
servatism in organized labour.

The point being made in the article, how-
ever, is the separation that exists between
artists and workers (to the benefit of the
ruling class) and the renewal of alliances
between the arts community and organized

labour. The very use of the labels “artist”
and “worker” sets up false distinctions that
obscure our commonality, and divide us
against ourselves. We find a perfect example
in Pat Gidora’s letter, when he says “the
notion that the working class has to go
outside its ranks to find cultural expression
... is offensive.” What are the qualifications
of being working class? Am Ia member? Do
I lose my status if I leave carpentry to play
music full-time?

So you see there’s a separation here. And
the separation between labour’s organiza-
tions and grassroots contemporary culture
has been just as great, not to mention the
gulf between our rich cultural heritage as
workers, and the majority of working peo-
ple today (who would rather not be called
working class, thank you very much.)

As one of the founders of MayWorks, I
can say that the festival is both a product of,
and a vehicle for, the revitalization of the
culture of working people. The festival owes
it existence to the years of work of progres-

sive artists working within and outside the
labour movement as well as the many coali-
tions between labour and other grassroots
organizations formed, over the last ten to 15

years,.in response to the attacks by the right. _

These coalitions have helped to dissolve
some of the separations mentioned above,
as people found they could work together,
culturally and politically, toward common

So MayWorks had its start, as a diverse
coalition of artists, workers, socialists, fem-
inists, trade unionists with the common
purposes of celebrating our cultural herit-
age, and fostering the growth of contem-
porary rank and file labour culture. There
are differences among us and we make mis-
takes, as we try out new ideas with the old
traditions. And I do hope Mayworks will
continue to be as open and diverse as we
began, including, over time, an even
broader representation of organized labour
and cultural workers. :

Phil Vernon, Vancouver

TRIBUNE PHOTO — BILL CAMPBELL

Peace teams
work with
activists
in Central
America

It was encouraging to see some
media attention focused on the situa-
tion in Guatemala (‘’Bodyguard’
accompanies exile to Guatemalan
peace talks,” Tribune, May 8). The
fact that the country is “notorious for
its succession of genocidal military
juntas backed by the United States
...” Is a fact rarely mentioned in the
mainstream press.

Marta Torres is one of many Gua-
temalans who put their personal
safety on the line to struggle for a
humane Guatemalan society. These
people are up against almost insur-
mountable odds, and most are
unsung heroes who may well lose
their lives without so much as a pass-
ing note in the history books. Those
who do manage to stay alive will lose
more than sleep: death threats, tor-
ture, and intimidation are common-
place occurrences, and family mem-
bers are not exempt from these official

harassments.

- Kevin Neish, who accompanied
Torres in Guatemala, is also one of
many who work for peace in Central
America. Among others is an organi-
zation called Peace Brigades Interna-
tional, which has concerned itself
since 1983 with escorting Central
American union leaders, human
rights activists, and peasant organiza-
tions. This non-violent presence helps
to create a safer atmosphere in which
Central American activists may carry
out their crucial work. PBI’s interna-
tional volunteers help empower local
citizens to act boldly for peace.

Over 200 PBI volunteers from four
continents have undergone training in
non-violence and participated in the
Peace Team’s. work. They have
returned home to share their first-
hand experiences with non-violent
struggle and Central America. In this
way, PBI contributes both to the the-
ory and practice of non-violence, and

. to the growing awareness of the Cen-
tral American reality.

Peace Brigades International is
continually on the lookout for sup-
port, both volunteer and financial.
They also run an emergency response
network of concerned organizations
and individuals who send telegrams
when a kidnapping or other crisis
occurs.

People interested in finding out
more can call the PBI Western Sup-
port Committee at 682-0134. There
will be a PBI presentation given at La
Quena Coffee House, 1111 Commer-
cial Dr. on June.1 at 7:30 p.m.

Graham Shuley,
Vancouver

The Tribune welcomes letters to the
editor and particularly comments on
articles which have appeared in the
paper. We strive to run letters in full but
reserve the right to edit for length.

Pacific Tribune, May 29, 1989 e 5