CT ULAR BRITISH COLUMBIA Move to mile signs stupid and wasteful Now we have Alex Fraser, the minister of transportation and highways, announ- cing that he would like to go back to the miles system for highway signs. That isn’t just stupid, it would be an utter waste of money. It would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove all the metric signs on our highways and replace them with signs in miles or in the alter- native miles and kilometres. And this is being proposed by a government that says it is practicing restraint! This govern- ment is closing hospital beds, laying off nurses, closing schools and laying o ff For 10 years we’ve been using the metric system. We’re finally getting used to it. Many if not most of the students coming out of school know the metric system and no other. Car drivers know how to adjust their speed to that limited by speed limits — in kilometres per hour. Of course, some people are still con- fused by the metric system, especially older people. That’s understandable. A lot of young people today know more about computers than I’ll ever know. That’s the way progress takes place. Actually when you’re buying gas or shopping for groceries, it doesn’t make a bit of difference if you buy your gas in litres or gallons. You still fill your gas tank and it costs the same. It’s no dif- ferent when you buy groceries. Whether what you buy gots by kilos or pounds, you still get the same amount of spuds for Of course there’s not need to adjust There is opposition to the metric system from another source. The Conser- vative Party and the Social Credit Party are using the issue for political purposes against the Liberal government. Some of these politicians are so bigoted and politically dishonest that they make the public claim that the metric system is a socialist or communist plot to create con- fusion in the western world! They conve- niently ignore the fact that most of the western world uses the metric system — the U.S. is the only major exception. government. teachers so it can put up new highway signs in miles instead of kilometres! stupidity. One obvious one is catering to American tourists. The attitude of the government is that American tourists do customs — we have to adjust our laws and customs to them. The government has learned nothing from the opposition to its policies in the last five months. It’s still charging in the same direction — backwards! Normally, people elect a government in the hopes that it will administer the af- fairs of the province in the best interests of the people. Today in B.C. we have a government the achieved office by false pretences, and we need a mighty people’s coalition to protect the people from this By STEVE GIDORA Despite the low profile of the Solidarity and labor movements in the recent municipal elections, candidates for the Sur- rey Alternative Movement made a signifi- cant impact in the Surrey race. While left candidates were not elected, voters rejected all but one of the Socred slate, grouped into the Surrey Civic Spirit Society (SCSS). Voters favored the incumbent Sur- rey Municipal Electors (SME) team, electing most of its slate. Meanwhile, the vote for myself as alder- manic candidated increased 47 per cent over last year (to 1,671 from 1,135 votes). SAM school board candidate Gord Savard receiv- ed an impressive 2,101 votes. Surrey’s other reform group, Citizens for. a Better Surrey (CBC), also saw gains with aldermanic candidate Charan Gill placing eighth in the race and garnering 3,148 votes. Both SAM and CBS had labor support, although Gill was the only Surrey candidate endorsed’ by the New Westminster and District Labor Council. SAM also backed Gill, as did the Surrey Teachers Association, several leading members of the East Indian community and two independent can- didates. Although the labor council’s continued policy of backing only candidates associated with the NDP denied endorsement to SAM, we received support from the Surrey Teachers Association and financial backing from the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 728, which represents the school board workers. a reason for this to our laws and | : A case there’s anyone around who thinks the attacks of the Socred government on public sector workers’ rights are an isolated incident, the Canadian Union of Public Employees helps put that myth to rest. The October issue of The Facts, CUPE’s monthly research bulletin, shows that no fewer than 17 pieces of anti-public worker legislation has been passed in the period from February, 1982 to Ju- ly this year — a rate of almost one every six weeks. Author Doug McDermott groups the legislative attacks under four categories: ‘‘wage controls,” bans on the right to strike,” “strikebreaking legislation”’ and “‘changing the rules.”’ Noting that only Manitoba and New Brunswick have not introduced ceilings on public sector wages, the article goes on to point out that wage con- trols legislation has also effectively quashed striking by arbitrarily extending the life of collective agreements has unions ‘‘access to conciliation and interest arbitration.” The monthly also notes at least six legal public sector strikes that have been broken by governments since 1981. ‘‘While back-to-work legislation is not new in this country (The Facts states) . . . the methods used to ensure compliance have taken on vicious characteristics, such as threats of decertification, conviction on of- fences without due process of law, and prohibition of union activity for periods of up to two years.” B.C.’s Socreds are not alone in setting up their Compensation Stabilization Program and board. Prince Edward Island also has a review board which rolls back wages the reviewer considers “ex- cessive.” “Thus, while cynically maintaining a facade of ‘free collective bargaining,’ these governments can in fact predetermine wage in- creases by rejecting settlements, even though they were negotiated in good faith.” McDermott closes by warning of the ‘grim future’’ free collec- tive bargaining in the public sector faces if CUPE and similar unions do not mount an effective fightback. That’s as good a reason as any we can think of to keep the Solid- arity movements alive and militant in the months and years to come. * * * enters have known they were in trouble ever since the July 7 budget brought down by Bennett’s Socreds handed landlords increased profits on a silver platter. The immediate abolition of rent controls, and the placing on the chopping block of the Rentalsman’s office under Bill 5, the proposed Residential Tenancy Act, was in- strumental in the formation of a key partner in the Solidarity Coali- tion fightback, the B.C. Tenants’ Rights Coalition. The coalition, which held a series of public meetings around the Lower Mainland last month to help tenants organize local groups, has furthered its commitment to tenants’ rights with the PEOPLE AND ISSUES establishment of the new Tenants Action Centre, as we noted in a story last week. Located in space donated by the B.C. Teachers Federation, the centre has already found itself on the receiving end of several calls from tenants, despite minimum publicity from the daily media. The centre keeps regular office hours, staffed by full-time co- ordinator Davie Lane, and it has three main objectives: To help tenants with individual problems; To act as a resource base for tenants wishing to organize a local, or building-based group; To function as a political action centre for the Tenants’ Rights Coali- tion. On the first objective, the centre has already proven its effec- tiveness, helping to publicize the case of Richmond tenants plagued by almost a year of living with dampness so excessive they found themselves the unwilling hosts of several local species of fungi and mushroom. With the centre’s involvement, the case is now before the Rentalsman and the landlord has pledged to make the necessary repairs. As rents rise, particularly on low-rent dwellings following the removal of controls — we’ve already received reports of more than 20 per cent hikes, accompanied by retroactive, and illegal, hikes in security deposits — we know the tenants’ centre will have plenty of opportunities to fulfil its mandate. And we know it’s more than willing to be of service. The centre can be reached by phoning 738-0147. * * * T wo weeks ago we gave a few results of the disarmament referen- dums across B.C. in our article on the civic election results. Space and time, both that week and last, did not permit elaboration. Now, thanks to Andrea Griffiths of the B.C. branch of Opera- tion Dismantle, we present the percentages of the peace vote in 20 municipalities, in which citizens approved by an average 77 per cent their government taking steps towards negotiated world disarma- ment. The results, rounded out to the nearest percentage point, are: Burnaby, Chilliwack, and Coquitlam, each with 75 per cent; Delta, 70 per cent; Bowen Island, 91 per cent; Mission, 80 per cent; New Westminister, 72 per cent; North Vancouver city, 81 per cent; Port Coquitlam, 76 per cent; Richmond, 78 per cent; Surrey, 60 per cent; Parksville, 78 per cent; Qualicum Beach, 77 per cent; Grand Forks, 85 per cent; Salmon Arm, 77 per cent; Fernie, 70 per cent; Masset, 79 per cent; Sidney, 79 per cent; Saanich, 81 per cent; Enderby, 79 per cent. Unity could achieve victory in the next Surrey civic election _ PACIFIC TRIBUNE—DECEMBER 7, 1983—Page 2 SS ets a tn AL ake ee A poll-by-poll examination has sh that SAM’s program found acceptane those areas blanketed by complete coverage. In those areas I placed b sixth and eighth onthe list, often ah returned incumbents and newly elected didates. In SAM’s estimation, the ‘‘status vote — that which goes to the two main vincial parties — determined the outcom the elections. Only 22 per cent — a 15,000 workers — went to the polls Nov. although there are 68,643 names on registered voters list. Moreover, since there are 72 residences in Surrey, there are prov some 100,000 potential voters. SAM succeeded in distributing 30,000 leaflets Nonetheless, the three pro-Solidarity didates — Gill, Savard and myself managed to gain ground. But we could gone further. Other candidates not associated Solidarity, but who can be consid reform candidates, also made an pressive showing at the polls. Incum school trustee Louise Sorenson, who 6 with SME and ran as an independent, defeated but placed second runner-up: dependent aldermanic candidate Jim placed seventh. Both were endorsed by 2” Bob Bose, the lone opposition to SME ® Surrey council. The key to victory, of course, is Leading up to the election, SAM calle¢™ the broadest possible coalition to defeat! SCSS attack and make a serious dent SME domination of Surrey civic po (While SME has a moderate profile, essentially a pro-developer group whi done little, if anything, to fight Victo cutback legislation.) Unfortunately, our call for unity wa jected by the independents, CBS and labor council. Consequently, the right?) again swept municipal council school board — with only 22 per cent 0 electorate voting. That lack of unity, and the resulting profile for the reform candidates, was reflected in the vote for disarmame? passed at just more than 60 per cent, could have been much higher. It is obvious that the majority of Su! voters are alienated from the high? civic organizations. But the opp divided and operating on sho budgets, has yet to get its message out rey’s electorate. Labor backing for all pro-labot, Solidarity candidates, and a united paign that includes progressive munity oriented candidates, can spell tf ference. The Surrey Alternative Move pledges to work for that goal. Steve Gidora was an aldermanic cane for the Surrey Alternative Movement. North Vancouv n-weapons f North Vancouver district council voted the municipality a nuclear-w free zone — and is urging its two on the North Shore to do likewise. — In a unanimous vote Nov. 28 aldermen, on the initiative of Ald.’ Crist, adopted the declaration, follow” lead of the city of Vancover’s declaral® spring. The council wants the municip@ West Vancouver and North Vanco to adopt the same declaration. : WU