VANCOUVER Canadian cities urged to follow Van’s peace lead Premier’ Bill Bennett and the Social Credit government will be asked to declare the entire province a nuclear-weapons free zone, and to press Ottawa to hold election referendums on a similar declaration for Canada as well as on the issue of cruise missile testing. _ The request will come from Vancouver city council, which voted 9-2 May 29 to adopt the motion from Ald. Bruce Eriksen. The motion was given extra punch with the adoption of an amendment from Eriksen urging that other Canadian munic- ipalities be sent copies, along with letters urging mayors and councils to take similar initiatives. By Monday some 600 copies had been prepared for mailing to the other municipal- ities in Greater Vancouver, major Canadian cities, and all members of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. “It’s kind of exhilarating to think that at approximately the same time, all those councils will be debating this motion in one form or another,” said Eriksen later. “With the urging of local organizations, the votes they take will likely be favorable,” he said. The vote followed presentations by dele- gations representing 17 organizations, all urging adoption of the measures. “This isn’t a right-left issue — it’s a ques- tion of survival,” said Eriksen in launching a special appeal to council’s hard-line right- wingers, aldermen George Puil and War- nett Kennedy, to approve the motion. The appeal was lost on the two Non- Partisan Association members, who were isolated in their opposition when the rest of council supported the initiative. Noting the premier’s declared support of the 1984 Walk for Peace, and the legisla- ture’s unanimous vote of approval for nego- tiations on world disarmament, Eriksen argued that support for peace should be backed by actions. Prime Minister Trudeau has initiated a peace effort, which Opposition leader Brian Mulroney has supported; “but we can’t have Liberals, Conservatives or whatever running around the world talking peace while they’re testing nuclear weapons at home,” said Eriksen. “‘Action must follow such a declaration,” said Ald. Libby Davies, referring to the recent Sunshine Coast issue in which the provincial highways ministry removed a nuclear-free declaration sign erected by the local peace committee and supported by the regional government — two days after the Walk for Peace. _ “This motion is what the people’s Walk for Peace seeks to. realize,” said Laura Robertson of the Vancouver Peace Assem- bly, one of the delegates addressing the motion. Hugh Dempster of Project Ploughshares, a coalition of 19 churches and religious organizations, said the nuclear-weapons free delcaration would be “a statement of hope.” Two of the greatest fears children express are unemployment and nuclear war, said Dennis Ottewell, representing the Van- couver Elementary Teachers Association and Teachers Peace Action, “‘and the grea- praising city peace motion. test antidote to this fear is hope.” Said Mildred Fahrni of the Fellowship of Reconciliation: “I encourage you in your efforts, so that this declaration can be made in British Columbia, then Canada, and hopefully throughout the world.” Noting that the B.C. Peace Council “was one of the first peace organizations in Can- ada to initiate a campaign for nuclear- weapons free zones,” representative Bert Ogden listed efforts to establish such zones in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean. “In our view, the establishment of such zones is one important step towards even- tual global disarmament. It is, above all, a confidence-building measure,” he said. “Provincial and municipal governments have not only a role, but a responsibility in promoting peace,” said Gary Marchant of the 190-group member End the Arms Race. With the exception of the two NPA aldermen, the vote for the motion cut across traditional left-right voting patterns. The use of alcohol and drugs is rapidly getting out of control in Vancouver and B.C. This fact was brought sharply to the attention of Vancouver city council at its May 29 meeting by a delegation from the Alcohol-Drug Education Service. A survey made in a Vancouver high school in 1982 revealed these alarming and shocking figures: 39 per cent of adoles- cents had used marijuana, 19.2 per cent had used inhalants, 68.5 per cent had used alcohol and 10.1 per cent had used cocaine. , A report of the B.C. Coroners shows that in 1983, of the 540 deaths among 14-25 year olds, 212 or 39 per cent were alcohol related. Drivers aged 16-20 comprise only seven per cent of all B.C. drivers, but account for approximately 33 per cent of all alcohol- related fatalities and injuries. B.C. has the highest rate of violent deaths among 15-25 year olds in the deve- loped world. The number of liquor outlets has more than’ doubled in the past 23 years. Government liquor stores grew from 109 in 1960 to 295 in 1983. Licenced premises in the same period increased from 1,272 to 5,240. Total outlets grew from 1,381 to 5,535, while the number of outlets per 100,000 of population grew from 86 to 196. making liquor more available has not only profited the liquor interests; it has also greatly profited the Social Credit govern- ment financially. Revenues from liquor sales grew from $29 million in 1957-58 to $337 million in This deliberate goverment policy of Aldermen short-sighted in rejecting grant for alcohol-drug rehabilitation 1982-83. To this last figure should be added another $68 million in income from sales tax on liquor sold in 1982-83. The social costs have been great. The new 1984 federal report on alcohol states that one in every 10 deaths in Can- ada, and one-half of all traffic fatalities are related directly or indirectly to alcohol. An earlier federal report showed that alcohol is significantly linked with a wide range of social problems including one- third of all child abuse incidents, one-half of divorces granted on grounds of mental or physical cruelty, and 30 per cent to 51 per cent of all reported crimes of violence. Harry Rankin The Alcohol-Drug Education Service is performing a valuable and necessary ser- vice in our community. It is carrying on educational work in our schools with children in Grades 5-7 as well as offering consultative services in secondary schools. It also carries out community services, providing workshops and resources to patents, professionals, churches and other groups. It operates on a small budget, which amounted to less than $85,000 for 1983-84. It has received wide public support ranging from the Vancouver Police Department to the Dean Emeritus of Education at U.B.C. service clubs, Effective Apr. 1, 1983, the B.C. government’s grant to the Alcohol-Drug Education Service was cut from $50,000 annually to $25,000. Obviously this government which derives over $400 mil- lion annually from the sale of liquor is not interested in doing anything to cut down its consumption. It can spend $10,000 a day holding a cabinet meeting in Duncan on Vancouver Island (which could just as easily be held in cabinet offices in Victo- ria), but it claims it can’t afford to keep up its grants to this valuable alcohol-drug edu- cation service. The Alcohol-Drug Education Service asked Vancouver city council for a grant of $20,000 so that it could continue with its services in Vancouver. The four Commit- tee of Progressive Electors aldermen, Libby Davies, Bruce Eriksen, Bruce Yorke and myself, supported the request, along with Mayor Mike Harcourt and Ald. Don Bellamy. Aldermen May Brown, Marguerite Ford, George Puil and Bill Yee, to their shame chose to oppose this grant. Ald. Warnett Kennedy was not present. The four aldermen refused to provide funds for a group that is on this govern- ment’s hit list. From every angle, their action was stupid. Educating young people about the use of alcohol and drugs would save the city a hundred times more than the small grant of $20,000 asked by the Alcohol-Drug Education Service. Our four aldermen are so intent in carrying through the provin- cial government’s restraint program at the municipal level that they have lost all sense of balance and reason. 2 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JUNE 6, 1984 DR. JOHN CRANE...B.C. Association of Social Workers representative one of 17 delegates Supporting the initiative, Ald. May Brown of The Electors Action Movement — noted, “The government is prepared to act — if it feels the people of this country are — behind it. Somebody has to act, now.” “Anything we can do to restrict the pro- liferation of nuclear weapons, we should do,” agreed TEAM colleague Marguerite Ford. The argument was lost on Puil, who linked the nuclear-weapons free declaration the NATO alliance — not mentioned in the motions — which he claimed has kept the world “free from communism.” Kennedy, who dislikes all peace motions put before council, called the motion @— “cruel hoax,” and said “I think I speak for ) thousands of people who would rather be — dead than red.” The motion, approved by the COPE and TEAM aldermen, as well as aldermen Don Bellamy and Bill Yee, and Mayor Mike — Harcourt, calls on the provincial govern- — ment to declare B.C. nuclear-weapons free. This involves “legislation prohibiting the transportion or storage of nuclear weapons or any component thereof in B.C. and the use or occupation of any land in B.C. for the manufacture, distribution or storage of @ nuclear weapon or any component thereof.” COPE starts early for 1984 election Leaving nothing to chance in an upcom- — ing civic election that is crucial, the Com- mittee of Progressive Electors plans 4 telephone canvass of key Vancouver polls this month — and volunteers are needed. Throughout June COPE plans to phone some 8,000 citizens in 10 polls with the aim — of identifying support, recruiting members — and “getting COPE’s political message — across, Allevato. reported organizer Carmela — “It’s a big mobilization and we’ll need ‘hundreds of volunteers,” she said. COPE supporters who give their time will be asked to look up telephone numbers and/or do.the phoning, running from June 3 to June 30. They'll be operating from phones in the COPE office — now at the Maritime Labor Centre, 111 Victoria Dr. — daily except Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The canvass covers the areas of Kings- — way, Vancouver South, Vancouver East, — Vancouver Central, and Kitsilano. “The Non-Partisan Association crowd — will be doing its campaigning, with the — ~ backing of the Socred big money machine,” said Allevato. “Their primary target is to unseat COPE this year. “With us, it’s volunteers or nothing. And _ we must start the work now.” Volunteers can phone the new COPE office, 251-4014, or area organizers: Kings- _ way (Lydia Legebokoff), 874-4806; Van- couver East (Sue Lockhart), 254-9797; — Central (David Lane), 872-6003; Kitsilano — (Roseanne Moran), 874-6267.