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Taxes, services: ©

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By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

How are we going to hold the
line on property and business taxes
and, at the same time, meet the ever
growing and legitimate demands
by citizens for services?

One way to cut taxes would be to
follow the Proposition 13 route
taken in California, where this was
accomplished by cutting social ser-
vices. The wealthy, the owners of
big properties gained a great deal
from this, but working people lost
a lot more in reduced services than
they gained by small property tax
cuts. Obviously, that’s not the
route to go for us.

There are two other possible
paths.

One is to demand bigger grants
from the provincial government.

Curb on Alcan’s ‘colonial power’ urged

By MAURICE RUSH .

The statement last week by the
Aluminium Company of Canada,
threatening a cancellation of plans
for smelter expansion at Kitimat
because of the recent decision by
the Supreme Court ordering the
company to increase the flow of
water into the Nechako River
system, is aimed at pressuring the
province and Ottawa to accede to
the company’s demands under the
threat of the loss of jobs and in-
dustrial development.

“This challenge by the
U-S.-owned, multinational , cor-
poration ‘should = not. go

unanswered by the people of this
province. Ever since the provincial
government in 1950 granted the
company control over a vast area
of north central B.C. under the In-
dustrial Development Act, Alcan
_ has acted like a colonial power. It
continues to adopt that attitude
with its veiled threat not to play ball

VDLC raps
two-vote bill

Delegates to the Vancouver and

District Labor Council Tuesday
- declared that they were
“‘unalterably opposed’’ to Bill 54,

the amendments to the Municipal

Act, and reiterated their support -

for the principle of one person —
‘ one vote.

Bill 54, which would give all
businesses who lease property in a
‘municipality an extra vote in addi-
tion to the one they might already

be entitled to as residents, was in-

troduced earlier this month by
municipal affairs minister Bill
Vander Zalm. It has been widely
seen as an blatant attempt to

bolster the chances of developer-

oriented parties in municipal elec-
tions.

Elsewhere in the council
meeting, delegates voted to endorse
the World Parliament of Peoples
for Peace scheduled to take place in
Sofia Bulgaria, Sept. 23-27, and

voted to donate $100 to help pay

the cost of sending delegates from
this province.

Some 40 delegates from Canada
are,to attend what is expected to be
an historic conference including
four from British Columbia. Al

Passarell, NDP MLA for Atlin,

and Lorne Robson, secretary of the
B.C. Provincial Council of
Carpenters are among those slated

to go.

\ PACIFIC TRIBUNE—AUGUST 22, 1980— Baceo

if it doesn’t get its way.

The plans for Kemano II involv-

ed a large scale expansion of
hydroelectric power generation
and would have resulted in the
flooding of thousands of addi-
tional hectares of agricultural and
forest lands, the forced evacuation
of hundreds of families, the
destruction of the environment
over a large area as well as the way
of life for the Native people and the
decimation of am important
fishery on which the livelihood of
thousands depends.
. In_the 30 years that Alcan has
held its water licence it has always
acted as a bad corporate citizen.
Earlier in the 1950’s the company
almost destroyed the salmon
fishery when it refused to release
water to the Kemano system, and
rejected any responsibility for the
fishery demanded by the Interna-
tional Pacific Salmon Fisheries
Commission.

Alcan has also overdeveloped its

hydro resources and has sold -

surplus power to B.C. Hydro for
export to the U.S. at the rate of $1

million a month, adding an addi-
tional $12 million to the substantial
revenues of the company. Some ex-
perts who have studied the Alcan’s
operations have claimed that if the
company currently used the power
it is selling and increased the effi-
ciency of the Kitimat smelter it
would have enough power to supp-
ly another smelter without develop-
ing further hydroelectric facilities.

Alcan is now faced with the pro-
spect of a length legal battle to at-
tempt to overturn the decision by
Justice Thomas Berger who ruled
that the federal department of
fisheries has jurisdiction over the
waters involved because of the
threat to salmon fishery. Alcan is
undoubtedly hoping that the pro-
vincial government will join it in the
fight to revise the court decision
and uphold the company’s original
claim that the waters come under
provincial jurisdiction.

Here we have an example of how
a U.S. multinational corporation
favors and seeks provincial power
over resources in the expectation of
amore favorable resource arrange-

PEOPLE AND ISSUES

nybody who has ever looked at their opera- with a telephone and a.newspaper could have

ment. So far Victoria has remained
silent on the question of where
jurisdiction should lie for the
waters’of the Kemano system but
the issue remains.

The people of the province are
opposed to the Kemano II project
going ahead. That has been made
crystal clear. The original agree-
ment in 1950 giving Alcan virtual
control over the rivers in the area
was a gross betrayal of the interests
of the people of B.C. and a sellout

both of the province’s resources ~

and Canada’s sovereignty.

The Communist Party opposed
the agreement then and opposes
the continuation of that sellout to-
day. The only way to resolve the

_ problem is for the B.C. legislature

to cancel the 1950 agreement and to
move, in cooperation with Ottawa,
to take over the Alcan operation
and place it under public ownership
through a joint B.C.-Ottawa
crown corporation.

Maurice Rush is B.C. provincial
leader of the Communist Party.

changes

As long as the present government

remains in power in Victoria, |

there’s little hope in that direction.
The other is to base property and
business taxes on ability to pay.
This means that the bigger the pro-
perty or business, the higher rateof —
taxes it pays. Involved here also is
‘the need to reassess all big indust-
rial and commercial properties. At
the present time, it is policy to as-
sess them at far below their market
value. Homes, on the other hand,
are assessed at their market value.
If big commercial and industrial
properties paid their fair share of
taxes, then taxes on homes could be

greatly reduced.

But to bring about this situation —
would require a new type of city”
council, one serving the people
rather than one serving business in-
terests, as we have at present.

There is a third road open which
could reduce property taxes. That
is to recognize municipal govern-
ments as such in any new constitu-
tion that is adopted by our country.
Give them an official status. At the
same time provide them with the
necessary revenues to meet their
growing expenditures.

Isn’t it a rather ridiculous situa-
tion that a level of government as
important as municipal govern-
ment should have to rely for most —
of its revenues on homes? — a

Anumber of Canadian cities, in- —
cluding Vancouver, have bigger :

populations than some provinces, :

‘but are still limited to taxing prong

erty to raise the.necessary revenue.

Just what the status of munici~ =

palities should be in a new
dian constitution would, of course, —
require some careful thought. It
could take many forms, even that
of ‘‘city-states”’ such as there are in
some western European countries.
But the main thing is that the
powers and responsibilities of mu-
nicipalities should be clearly de-
fined, and hand in hand with that,
provision must be made for rev-
enues that meet these responsibil-

_ ities, and which are not dependent
_ onthe whims or good will of senior

governments.

But however the fire marshal may see it, hun-

tions closely has discovered that such rental
agencies as Rentex rarely have any more listings
of rental vacancies than a homeless tenant could
get by combing the classified ads. And as recent

newspaper articles have revealed that’s exactly’

how the agencies get their listings — by going
through the classifieds or contacting the news-
papers for names. Then, of course, they charge
a hefty fee — payable in advance — for the
privilege of looking over their deg tte
up-to-date listings.’’

We knew all that but last week we got un-
expected confirmation of it — when Rentex
phoned the Tribune office asking if we would
turn over to them the names of any advertisers

either looking for accommodation or offering it:
for rent. Now as Tribune readers know, we-
don’t have one of the bigger classified sections,

especially in the ‘‘For Rent’’ department. And

needless to say, we turned them down but the

fact that they are casting around everywhere

looking for any listings is an indication of how

desperate the rental situation is — and how ut-

eg worthless are the services Rentex has to of-
er.

It’s unfortunate that Burnaby municipal
council declined to follow Vancouver’s ex-
ample and establish a bylaw which stipulates
that the rental agencies charge a maximum of $5

initially with the balance payable only if the te-.

nant is successful in finding accommodation.
‘As it is now, unwary tenants are paying $45 or

more — Tectia soe one a list that sr ha

compiled.

* * *

t has only been two months since fire gutted
the century-old building that housed the
Communist Party’s central offices in Toronto,

‘ but already more than $300,000 has been raised

for reconstruction, $55,000 of that from this
province. This week, that rebuilding was set to
begin. Already the concrete for the new founda-
tion has been poured and this Tuesday, CP
leader William Kashtan was to preside over the
ground-breaking ceremony for the new Tim
Buck-Norman Bethune Educational Centre.

The headquarters, originally built in 1899 as
two semi-detached houses, according to the
Toronto Historical Board, is to be rebuilt much
as it was to preserve the traditions of the street
and to duplicate as closely as possible the dis-
tinct architecture that marked the original struc-
ture. For that, the CP has won commendation
from the Historical Board whose managing di-
rector, J. A. McGinnis said he was pleased to
learn that the party intended to ‘‘rebuild in a
form which will be compatible with the street-
scape on Cecil Street.”’

There hasn’t been quite the same response
from the fire marshal’s office, however. The
available evidence all points to arson, including
a report by an eyewitness who stated that she
saw two men fleeing down the street, following
which there was an explosion and fire. But the
fire marshal has refused to cite arson as the

cause although the investigation is continuing. Finnish community.

dreds of supporters across the country have —
properly seen it as an act of violence against the
whole labor movement and have responded -
generously with donations. Now, according to
Oscar Kogan, chairman of the Tim Buck-Nor-
man Bethune building fund a renewed appeal
for funds has been issued as the rebuilding be- —
* * *
any readers whether they are of Finnish de- —
Miscen: or not, will remember the scores of
rallies and cultural events that have taken place
over the years at the old Clinton Hall on Pender
Street in Vancouver and the Finnish halls in
other centres including Websters Corners and
Sointula. Now, although the organization
which built and maintained them — the Finnish
Organization of Canada — still thrives, the

_ halls across the country have become too costly

to keep up and have been sold — except for one.

It is the Sampo Hall in Websters Corners and
on Sept. 7, it will be host to yet another event as
the FOC marks the 65th anniversary of its con-
struction, completed in 1915. Coincidentally, _
1980 also marks the 75th anniversary of the ar-
rival in the area of the first Finnish settlers and
their descendants are expected to be on hand for
the Sept. 7 celebration, set to begin at noon in —
the hall, located on the Dewdney Trunk Road.

We’re told that members of the Maple Ridge
Historical Association and other local officials
will pay tribute to the contribution made by the