TOM

McEWEN

_ Country?’?

LF depron bak at Day across Canada at many ceno- °

taphs this year showed a shrinking audience. The
parsons prayed, but it is doubtful whether their supplications
reached higher than-the highest cenotaph because the -‘‘fallen
in war” for whom. they prayed were (and are) eulogized to
sanction war — rather than to end its evils for ever. The
military -brass strutted, saluted — and forgot how many dead

.-had earned their ‘‘honors.”’

“We shall remember them. . . in the morning:: . . and at

‘the going down of the sun.’’

Remember them for what? For the bloody imperialisms
we of the socalled ‘‘Free West’’ permitted to be built to the end
that tens of thousands of our young manhood should pay the
supreme sacrifice or for the genocide Hitler, who we helped to
power in order that those we pretend to ‘‘remember’”’ should
perish under the jackboot of a new maurading imperialism
wearing a Nazi mask?

‘We shall remember them. . .”’

“War is good business... . invest your son’’. So reads a
sticker stamp on a lot of U.S. mail coming into Canada these
days— along with thousands of young American lads who have
other ideas on the purpose and sactity of life rather than
spitting it out with their life blood in a faraway Vietnam jungle.

Naturally the Old Sweats, those who came back, are under
no necessity of making any apologies. They saw. their young
comrades die a horrible and needless death in both world wars,
and “‘did their bit’’ as they saw it then and now. For them
Remembrance Day is a getting together with old-comrades to
chew over old battles fought — but not yet won; to drink a few
beers together and reminisce — perhaps not always drawing
the correct conclusion, which the past half century has doubly

. affirmed,,but at “least. “remembering” that war is a highly

monopolized industry which produces three main ‘results: a
new bumper crop of millionaires, mass graveyards, and the
destruction of human life, dignity and purpose.

The little poem from the ‘‘U.S. Farm News’’ (October
edition) by Juanita Austin of Wellesley, Mass., illustrates the
decay of our society, which successive Remembrance Day
celebrations studiously forget. It is entitled ‘This is My

*& Guard unlocks the door ‘f
Two young.men pass through.
“‘What’re ya here for?”’

He asks the one.

“T killed'a man”

Eyes down, Head low.

“And you, there, What did you do?”’
Looking up.

. “Frefused to kill, sir.”

Marking: the distinction in these poetic lines, the youth of a
new generation -in_all lands — not without persecution,
calumny, and even death, are blazing a new trail towards
universal and permanent peace among nations — with the
heroism, sacrifice, and victory of Vietnam. as the
indestructable beacon light of a new dawn. :

Thus, and only thus, ‘‘We shall remember them. . .”’

“ISNT iT WONDERFUL, BROTHERS —— HE DIES SO YOU AND }
MIGHT LIVE. ”

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 21, 1969-—-PAGE 2 |

bg VERA $2}

Develop False Creek for ‘
the people, not promoters

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

Vancouver __ Iron and
- Engineering - Works (VIEW),
whose 11 acre property on the
south side of False Creek is
being taken over by Canadian
Hydro Carbons Limited, wants
an extension of its lease to 1980.
It claims it needs this lease
guarantee to go into production
and that it will provide 200 to 400
jobs. :

Should Council grant a 10 years
lease in view of widespread
demand for the redevelopment
of the whole False Creek area?.
Strong viewpoints have been
expressed both pro and con. But
most of the opponents as well as
the supporters of a lease
-extension have been something
less than frank about their real
reasons.

Opponents of any extension of
the lease say that VIEW is an
“eyesore’’, that it will block city

plans to redevelop False Creek,

that it will even-hold up the

CPR’s Marathon Realty plans —

for. a multi-million ‘dollar

residential and recreational —

complex for the north side of
False Creek. They ‘also allege
that if the VIEW property is
developed for other purposes, it
will bring in much more in taxes
than if it remains an industrial
establishment.

To me these arguments are as
~ false as the name of thé Creek.
First of all, City Council has

never adopted any plans for the”
redevelopment of False Creek.

All we have at the moment are
some grandiose but very vague
plans rushed into Council’s
standing committee on planning,
development and transportation
by city planning director Bill
Graham. So far they remain his
plan and his ideas only; they
have not been: considered or
adopted by. Council nor could

they. be in their - present _

incomplete. form. The plan
envisages turning this valuable
city property, over to private
promoters and developers to
build marinas, apartments, and
what not.

Since City Council has not yet
considered or adopted any plan
for the redevelopment of False
Creek and since there are any
number of real estate interests
and promoters who would like to
get a piece of this property and
will be pressuring Council and
city officials accordingly, you
may be sure that-it will be many
years yet before any plan is
finally adopted.

There is nothing to prevent the
CPR from going ahead for its
plans for the north side of False
Creek except its own reluctance
to.get going.

And all this talk about
redeveloping so that the city will
get more revenue in taxes leaves
me cold because it is simply
untrue. First of all, you may be
sure that- the real estate

- promoters who plan to build on
False Creek will be asking City

concessions. With this present
promoter-oriented Council, they
are likely to get them and they
will be \at the expense of the
taxpayers.

L, 4565--F2Ge 1)

Council. for all sorts of -

Ror ma es a oe

Secondly it has “been my
experience that for-every dollar
the city gets in additional tax
revenue from. such: promoters
(Block 42-52, Project 200, Four
Seasons, etc.) the city will have
to spend $5 or $10 to solve the
traffic problems created and to

provide other services such as |

police and fire protection.

Why don’t the opponents of the
lease extension to VIEW be
honest about it and admit that
their opposition has its source
among the real estate interests,
speculators and promoters who
can’t wait to get their itchy
fingers on this valuable city
property.

As for VIEW, its owners and
backers. aren’t proposing to
come in just to create some new
jobs. They are interested in

“rescuing a bankrupt firm. The

claim of the firm that it will
invest $6 million in capital and
operating costs is contradicted
-by other reports that it will be
only $1.8 million. As to how
many jobs it will provide, it is
being anything but specific.

_My views on the whole issue
can be summed up as follows:
_(1) Jobs for people are
important but the city needs

‘Stop overcrowding says :
School Board candidate

Mrs. Eunice Parker, six years resident of Coquitlam, annow
plans to seek a School Board seat in the upcoming civic elections:

In making her announcement
Mrs. Parker said, ‘‘Since moving
to Coquitlam, I have taken a
keen interest in the civic scene
and particularly the school
system, since I have three
children in it. We have some
very good features here in
Coquitlam, such -as_ the

_-kindergarten program and the
new French primary program.
However, the big problem we
face in education is the serious

_ overcrowding in our area. Over
3000 children are in shift classes
and the projections for next year
don’t offer much relief.”

“Educational facilities will
need much expansion,”’ she said.
“Knowledge is doubling each
decade. Schools of technology,
vocational schools, and adult
education facilities are in
greater demand. Classroom size

EUNICE PARKER, announced she
will be a candidate for School
— Board in Coquitlam.

low rental housing in the at
and’ publicly owned: low: rem@

‘way the people can

shift classes.”

more assurances than just
promises or good intentions:
Furthermore the redevelopment
of False Creek, which I have
advocated for a long time, cat

be postponed _ indefinitely:
Therefore at least two conditions
should be met by VIEW before @
lease extension is granted: (a) 4
guarantee that at least 200 jobs
will be provided, and (b) 1
lease longer than a total of seve?
or eight years. é

(2) Council should get dow? to
adopting a specific plan for ey
redevelopment of False cre |
And it must be something more
than a paradise for real esta
interests and promotels:
Building high priced apartmen!
for the wealthy, building @
marina for the yachts of
wealthy, and building hotels fo
the wealthy is just not 807”
enough.

eS er ee

NT

Council must commit itself @

building a substantial amount

ing

including senior citizens hous
housing. This is about the only

8
something out of te
redevelopment of False creek.

; need

the elementary level.
“We must support
developments but the increas’
cost must not find its way"
the municipal budget.
“The Provincial Gover
ment’s share of -education® —
costs has been much too mea of
and the new formula (Bill i
has thrown local school fina? i
ing all over the province 3
chaos and crisis. It is pointles
to say that education must “ i
first priority and then place! se
a financial straitjacket. The P ss A
vincial government has acc® ee
to a much wider range of eg
revenue and they should he A
increasing their share ® 4
costs, not cutting it. “ :
“Teachers qualifications att |
training are not taken }
consideration by the Prov!
government in setting ds
amount they will pay towa
the cost of the basic educal’
program in each School Distt! a)
Teachers in many aree
including Coquitlam are runt! it
into severe problems in ue
salary negotiations. Elect
School Trustees should
involved in every phase of
negotiations directly wit
teachers. be
“More assistants should
used in schools to rey
teachers of the necessilY 4
‘baby sitting’ their charge ‘
recess, lunch and after sch0? to. |
teachers’ job should Pe.) —
educate and not to pole |
hallways and lunchrooms. test
“Coquitlam ~is the fas
growing School District 1" afi
Province, said Mrs. Pat 10
“and quality education can
proceed with over-crowdinl

must be reduced, particularly a
these |
sed

—

neia

As