City crisis

the coming election.

Most people in Vancouver are aware that
things are going badly at City Hall. Why
is our city experiencing so many problems
—and what must be done about them? In
this article Mona Morgan, independent
counci! candidate, outlines the issues in

By MONA MORGAN

eventy-tlve years ago Van-
S couver became a city. And
75 years ago the CPR came
to Vancouver. -It received a
grant of 6000 acres of city
land (“wild land for purposes
of taxation) and during the
years that company has made
millions of dollars through
low taxes and huge profits —
at the expense of the taxpay-
ers.
Added to this, the attractive
price of nearly $3 million plus
$300,000 cost of subdivision
servicing for Shaughnessy pro-
vide a fine example of how
Vancouver city council’s have
rewarded their friends.

It centrasts sharply with the
treatment of individual citi-
zens and taxpayers!

But this is the pattern wov-
en into Vancouver’s historical
cloth over the past 75 years.

Now with each passing year
the city is faced with bigger
and more complex financial
problems. Although our popu-
lation has

Canada’s third largest,
old basis of taxation on
estate has not changed.
has resulted in a huge
with mounting interest pay-
ments alongside increasing
taxes on homeowners, tenants
and small business people.
For the past 25 years NPA

real
This

increased many}
times over and the city is now |
the |

debt |
| ation -

councils have served well the}
big money interests of prov- |

ince and country, preventing
any and all reforms that would
ease the lot of the taxpayers.
And like other municipalities
Vancouver is groaning under
a tax load that should be borne
by senior governments. Even
a reformed property tax sys-
tem cannot meet the demands
of education, social services,
hospitalization and traffic.
NPA—BIG BUSINESS _

he present NPA Council,

like its predecessors,

| metropolitan

—
shields the big business inter-

ests and, while giving lin ser-
vice to “bigger grants from
senior governments,” and in-
dulging in talk about changes
in civic government, it has
greatly added to the crisis of
leadership which is in fact a

crisis of policy. This finds its
reflection in all important
questions facing the people.

Why a crisis of unempoy-
ment? Because houses, schools
and other public works are not
needed? Because we haven’t
the shipyards in which to
build a merchant marine to
carry our goods to countries
anxious to trade?

No, the crisis in unemploy-
ment stems from the fact that |
the NPA Council will not em-
barrass its political friends in
senior governments by de-

manding that adequate grants
be provided. for public works |
such as the Columbia, a Can-j
adian merchant marine fleet, |
ete. Coupled with a policy of |
trade with all countries, this
would make of Vancouver the
trading and manufacturing
centre it should be, and help
provide thousands of needed |
jobs.

Why the crisis in transport- |
and. traffic? Publicly)
owned utilities should service)
the population. But here again)
rewarding friends comes into;
contradiction with service. |
Since the B.C. Electric is now}
publicly owned it is time a
system did the
job of moving people. The high
fares and poor service of the
present system are no incen-
tive to use buses. But an effic-
iently run transit system with
perimeter parking and fast,
cheap buses would immediat-
ely alleviate traffic congestion.

Electricity, natural. gas and
telephone rates should be
sharply cut too.

What of education, the big-
gest. item in the budget: The};

‘of money needed for

NPA council and school boardstotal municipal tax from theirhas arrived at the conclusion

refuse to adopt a sensible and
logical formula. The Union of
BA. Municipaities several
years ago adopted a policy
that the provincial government
should be responsible for ser-
vices to people, such as educa-
tion, and municipalities for
services to property.
However, education is a na-
tional responsibility, and the
federal government is the Only

body able to tax national in- |

dustry and provide the sums
educa-
tion. By using only half the
present two billions wasted
on war spending, the gOvern-
ment could pay the entire
cost of elementary education

in Canada. For us this would |

mean a 50 per cent cut in pro-
perty tax.
TAXATION

t is in the field of taxation

that big business favoritism
is most glaring. Applying the
same tax yardstick to the av-
erage home and the large home
and industrial property, is like
saying the flea and the ele-
phant have the same rights.

Industrial and commercial
properties should pay propor-
tionately higher taxes than
homeowners. Especially so
since corporations deduct the

income taxes. A graduated
business tax also would make
large companies pay more
without harming small busin-
esses. Instead of an exemption
on industrial and commercial
property, the first $1,500 of as-
sessed value on homes should
be tax free.

The new provincial legisla-

tion, effective in 1962, will
bring big tax increases for
homeowners unless the new

council lowers the mill
Judging by
an NPA council will not do
this without persistent prod-
ding from the taxpayers and
election of at ieast one pro-
gressive alderman this year.

Taxes should be
yn property owned by senior
governments and the .provin-
cial government should pay
cost of such services to the
people as hospitalization, ar-
terial road and bridge costs,
medical expenses for unem-
ployed workers.

During the past year, partic:
ularly, the city hall crisis
reached “scandal” proportions:
the Panrucker thefts, the PNE,
the Shaugnessy gymnastic.
These are just symptoms of
the blight on city hall. NPA or
CVA, the tweedledee and
tweedledum of Vancouver
politics, tilt’ at windmills
while leaving the main issues
unsolved.

NEW POLICIES NEEDED

here is growing  dissatis-

faction with the apparent
inefficienecy and lack of policy
at city hall. It is not lack of
nolicy at all. But the seeming
failure to come to grips with
issues such as Shaughnessy,
sale of the airport, the PNE,
is the result of carrying out
big business policy while try-
ing to appear as servants of
the people. ;

A wave of displeasure re-
sulted from brazen council ac-
tion in subverting democracy
by instituting the present
board of administration (in ef-
fect a two-headed city mana-
ger plan) and the charter am-
endment allowing a majority
of alderman present to cunsti-
tute a quorum. This was even
too undemocratic for the pro-
vincial government which dis-
allowed it.

But council then felt impell-
ed to appear to act on the
question of civic democracy.
With some dissenters. council

rate. |

past experience, ;

collected |

that the present system of city
government is not at fault;
its administration must be im-
proved.

CIVIC DEMOCRACY

t is easier for the big mon-
Aer to control 11 mem-
bers of council than 25 or 30
who really represent the city.
But the people of Vancouver
are beginning‘ to speak up on
this question and are demand-
ing that a ward system he in-
stituted to give all sections re-
presentation in city council.

An elected board of control
and a much larger council
would be a first step in ensur-
ing resvonsibiity to the elec-
tors. Council committees
should replace. the civic
boards which have served the
special interest groups.

Confronted with. dissatisfac-
tion on such basic issues as
unemployment. education, tax-
ation. civic democracy, transit
and traffic, and the sky high
cost of living ,the NPA has
gone to some pains to appeal
to the electorate with a new
slate. And just in case the NPA
magic fails, the CVA is just
around the corner: a differ-
ent label, same poison. é

The issues facing us in this
coming election are very basic
ones. As Vancouverites and as
Canadians we have a real
stake in examining national
policies as they affect our city.
Shall we continue vast expen-
ditures for war demanded by
Washington? Shall we extend
the limited trade with China
to all countries and keep our
port open and provide jobs?

What we need is a national
policy of trade and friendship
with all countries, and above
all, we need Peace.

We need peace for its own
sake and we need peace for
its benefits to us. Not just the
absence of nuclear annihila-
tion but the opportunity to
develop our country and our
city for a new, better and
vastly superior life.

Our city can grow and pros-
per in peace. The natural re-
sources of our province can
be processed here. Our city
can become the manufacturing
and trading centre of the Pac-
ific. ;

The election of progressive
candidates is paramount if
any of these big issues are to
be resolved in a way benefi-
cial to Vancouver’s working
people.

December 1, 1961—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 6

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