ANGELA DENNIS, COPE’s candi- date for mayor. ALD. HARRY RANKIN PE policy, candidates Vancouver’s best choice As the civic election cam- paign moves toward the polling day December 13, the Com- mittee of Progressive Electors (COPE) hasemergedas the only civic group with a sound, respon- sible and clear-cut program for the people of Vancouver, and one whose candidates have earned a position by their consistent advocacy, outside City Council, of progressive policies..The program is out- lined below. PLAN WITH PEOPLE: A 20- year plan for controlled city growth with decisions made at public hearings and with refer. enda. TAX REDUCTION: Removal of education taxes from homes; tax exemption of $4,000 on homes; commercial properties to be assessed at full market value; graduated business tax. TENANT RIGHTS: Rent con- trol whereby all rent increases must be justified before Rental Grievance Board; tenant right to vote on money bylaws. WARD SYSTEM: Establish- ment of a ward system to ensure all areas of the city repre- sentation on City Council. Rankin raps gov’t for rent increases Alderman Harry Rankin this week called the provincial government to task for its refusal to act on hundreds of cases of rent increases to senior citizens. : The increases — 80 cases re- ported to Harry Rankin, 300 to the Tenants Council — have re- sulted from landlords eagerly grasping for a portion of the pension increase’ recently enacted by the provincial government. Many tenants, in fact, were given notice immed- iately following the August 30 election. Rankin pointed out that both he and Bruce Yorke, secretary of the Tenant’s Council have brought the ‘‘deplorable situa- tion” to the attention of the provincial government, and pro- posed a rent freeze, retroactive to August 30. **The NDP govern- ment did not look on our request with any enthusiasm.” Earlier this year, Rehab- ilitation Minister Norman Levi informed a meeting of tenants in Vancouver that he would insti- tutearent freeze ‘only if there were a lot of complaints about increases,’ later modifying that remark to say that he would move ‘‘even if there were a dozen increases.’ His present opposition represents a retreat from the previous policy. To make matters worse many senior citizens in public low- rental housing are having rents increased. Tenants at Edward Byers House, operated under the B.C. Housing Foundation are to suffer a $5 increase effec- ’ tive January 1. Moreover, since the operation is not covered by the Landlords and Tenants Act, occupants were given only one month’s notice instead of the three months which the Act requires. ‘For the provincial govern- ment to refuse to do anything to stop landlords from increasing the rents of old age pensioners is bad enough,’ Rankin said, ‘but when, as a landlord, it also increases rents, it is not only incomprehensible, it’s shock ing.” Rankin called for a _ rent freeze, retroactive to August 30, 1972, reiterating the position of the Vancouver Tenant’s Coun-. cil. “‘It is absolutely essential,” Rankin stated, ‘‘if senior citi- zens are to get the benefit of the $200 a month pension. PUBLIC TRANSIT: Immed- iate expansion of the bus system ‘with lower fares and better “service, and a Start on a rapid transit system. PUBLIC HOUSING: Expand- ed program of construction of public housing dispersed throughout the city and avail- able to moderate and low-in- come groups. ENVIRONMENTAL CON- TROL: Cooperate withGVRDto draw up and enforce strict laws enforcing air, water and noise pollution. SECONDARY “INDUSTRY: Encourage establishment of pollution-free secondary indus- try to process B.C.’s natural re- sources and to provide jobs. FALSE CREEK: Establish guidelines which will guarantee the inclusion of moderately-. priced, family type apartments, adequate parks and recreation facilities, and low rental hous- ing for senior citizens. COPE CANDIDATES ~ These are the candidates named by the Committee of Progressive Electors (COPE) for the December 13 Vancou- ver election: ss MAYOR: Angela Dennis. CITY COUNCIL: Margaret Chunn, Les Copan, James — Cork, Solomon Jackson, Walk | ter Kish, James Khouri, Harty — Rankin, Sam Vint, Cliff Worth: ington, Bruce Yorke. a SCHOOL BOARD: Claude -. Crosby, Irene Foulkes, Betty | Greenwell, Aag Kopperuds Dorothy Morrison, Rose Point, Ruth Smith. fm PARK BOARD: Ray Dusang» Donald Greenwell, Tom Haw" ken, Rod Marining, Helet O'Shaughnessy, Sid Shelton. ae Labor protests media attack on unemployed with whipping up a hysteria cam ~ paign trying to get the story — across that ‘‘the unemployed unent Delegates to the Vancouver Labor Council Thursday night went on record protesting ‘‘the news media, the Federal govern- ment and employers associa- tions for wrongfully blaming the unemployed for excessive expenditures in the unem- ployment insurance scheme. ”’ George Kowbel, who pre- sented the motion on behalf of the Executive Council said that he*‘had no doubts as to the pur- pose of the news media; the image it presents of working people and unemployed is wrong, it should be challenged and labor’s views made very clear.’’ He also noted that while the newspaper accounts leave the impression that claimants receive $100 weekly, ‘‘less than 8% of claimants receive that maximum benefit and by the time taxes are deducted, it only amounts to $66.” Many delegates warned of im- pending changes in the Act, for which purpose the newspaper distortions wereintended. ‘The | new $107 proposed maximum is just window dressing,’’ said John Takach, Carpenters 452, ‘the heavy end of the stick is Forest rip-off must end Cont'd from pg. 1 But it has proven completely false and costly for B.C. It has led to the takeover of | most of our Crown forest lands by a handful of giant forest com- bines, notably. among them MacMillan-Bloedel, Crown Zel- lerbach and B.C. Forest Prod- ucts. These companies, many of them U.S. owned, have made hun dreds of millions of dollars in profits over the past 20 years from cutting down our forests. But it has not saved our forests, as the facts now show. Ofall the big corporate rip offs that have taken place in Cana- dian resource industries, none are bigger than the rip off that has taken place in B.C.’s forest industry. One of the major tasks the new NDP government must under- take is to initiate a full review of the province's forestry policies. Now is a good time for such a review because many of the tree farm licences are coming up for renewal in the near future. Norenewals should be given by.the Barrett govern- PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1972—-PAGE 12 ment until the outcome of a full policy review has taken place and new policies adopted. Tostop the forest rip off by the big corporations and to ensure the renewal of our forest resources and their utilization in the people’s interests, the present tree farm licence legis- lation should be repealed as quickly as possible. All tree farm licences and other forms of tenure which hand over public forests to private companies should be cancelled and all public forests should revert back to public control. B.C.’s Forestry Service should be expanded to admin- ister all Crown forests and to carry out an extensive program of reforestation. Timber from public lands ripe for cutting should be sold to the highest — bidder by auction and the revenues used to provide public revenues and an adequate pro- gram of reforestation. These are the kind of new forest policies B.C. needs to put our forests in the service of the people to whom the resource belongs. CRECEE nd coming down.’’ George Kowbel pointed out that ‘‘sitting on the Board of Referees, I can see changes coming that are going to affect the availability of benefits.” Citing the latest report from Statistics Canada showing the highest jobless rate inten years, Bill Stewart, Marineworkers delegate stated that ‘‘the only abuse is that there are no new jobs.”’ He charged the media He who pays piper calls the tune... During the debate at the Labor Council on the issue of Unemployment Insurance, several delegates including Acting Secretary George Kowbel rose to condemn the SUN and PROVINCE for their distorted reporting, sensationalized headlining and cynical editorials all aimed at creating an image of the unemployed as maling- ering bums. Hiding smirks, the SUN and PROVINCE reporters stifled yawns and looked at the ceiling trying to ignore the discussion. But one new delegate rose and, very tentatively sug- gestedthat ‘‘we should look at both sides’’ because he knew of a ‘‘case or two. of abuses of the scheme.” Suddenly the reporters came to life scribbling madly, trying to get every word. are to blame _ for ployment.” Jack Phillips, CUPE repre sentative drew attention to the Campaign of the Conservative Party to discredit the unem- ployed in order to attack unemy ployment insurance. ‘‘If they — succeed in their campaign,’’ he said, ‘‘it won’t be the cheats— and there are few of them— who will be cut off; it will be tens of thousands of honest working people.’’ He stressed the need — for the labor movement tO “pressure the federal govern: ment to guarantee a job for every Canadian.” Elsewhere in the meeting, delegates adopteda motioncall- | ing upon the B.C. Federation of Labor to protest the advertise- — ments presented in the Vale — couver Sun and paid for by Supe!” Valu Stores Ltd. Themotionalso recommended that the Val — couver Labor Council and the ' B-C. Federation of Labor under- take ‘‘a publicity campaign tO — familiarize the public with the — fallacious nature of these ads.” Trade unionists were notified at the meeting of a boycott of — Max’s Do-nuts. The boycott, inl- tiated by the B.C. Federation of Labor, is the result of the success” ful raid on the Bakery and Con- fectionery workers by the Chris- tian Labor Association, a reac- tionary, company-dominated — association. Photo shows George Legebokoff of the Canada-USSR Friendship Society: presenting a Native Indian totem pole to Soviet Ambassador Boris 3 Miroshnichenko at a banquet in Vancouver November 26.