f. BRITISH COLUMBIA Public wants more money for schools, survey finds Continued from page 1 most will undoubtedly have high residential tax hikes included, the association of super- intendents warned. In their report the superintendents — who are the senior employees in the school districts — point to the fact that the pro- vincial government in 1982 removed from boards the power to tax commercial and industrial properties. “Tn addition, the government committed itself to reduce these taxes. However, the results of this reduction in the commercial and industrial taxes together with increases in budgets in order to maintain an accepta- ble levels of services resulted in excessive (residential) property tax increases,” the report stated. Lupini said the association was not recommending that the industrial tax be restored, but that the government increase funding, possibly from general revenues, to relieve boards of the necessity to tax homeowners. Otherwise, he warned, there may be a “serious backlash” from taxpayers. Association. vice-president Owen Corco- ran, who is superintendent of the Burns Lake school district, said many of the fami- lies in his area are on fixed incomes and can not bear another large tax hike. Recently principals and vice-principals in Vancouver’s “inner city” schools told the school board that increased funding was necessary to aid the city’s more economi- cally disadvantaged children overcome the restrictions of poverty and ill-nourishment. Backing the call for more education dol- lars is a poll conducted by Marktrend Research for the B.C. Teachers Federation, which found that more than half the respondents thought education is being underfunded. Some 59 per cent of the respondents said they favoured paying higher taxes to fund education, but 60 per cent believed school boards should have the power to tax com- mercial and industrial properties. “Local teachers, principals and school trustees outscored both the premier and the minister of education for ‘believability’ when speaking on education issues,” a report on the survey, released Tuesday, stated. It reported that 96 per cent of the respondents agreed that “every student should have the same opportunity for a comprehensive quality education.” BCTF president Elsie McMurphy said the results show “the value that the public puts on education and its contribution to society. “Local boards should feel confident in submitting budgets that meet educational needs,” she said. Education cutbacks have raised the ques- tion of equality of opportunity in recent weeks, with the revelation that parents in more economically secure districts organize drives to raise funds for special school projects — a practice beyond the reach of parents of children in inner city schools. Additionally, attention has been focused on the Social Credit government’s increased funding — often in excess of 30 per cent in annual increases — of private schools. The superintendents’ association reported that in the past five years, school district budgets increased by 11 per cent, while the Consumer Price Index, the standard infla- tion marker, rose by 19 per cent. Meanwhile, property taxes on home- owners have, after the homeowner grant was deducted, increased 77 per cent in 1982- 87, the superintendents stated. 2 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 17, 1988 — DAN KEETON TRIBUNE PHOTO Bruce Yorke and Muriel Irmen, members of the B.C. Peace Council, gather names for the Canadian Peace Pledge Campaign on Commercial Drive in Vancouver on Saturday, reportedly filling all 200 cards. Prior to Saturday's blitz at several city locations, some.6,700 Lower Mainland residents had signed the cards which is a pledge to vote only for pro-disarmament candidates in the upcoming federal election. Card signers will receive results et a meeting between the Canadian Peace Alliance and the three major federal parties. NPA is listening to developers, not the public, on scenic views Approximately 70 per cent of the moun- tain skyline within identified “view corri- dors” could be blocked within 25-40 years by downtown development. That is the prediction of the Vancouver city planning department, based on more than two years of detailed work that identi- fied 22 priority views. from the Granville and Cambie street bridges and five key pub- lic places on the south shore of False Creek. In 1985, the previous city council agreed it was time to develop a policy to protect the views that Vancouverites hold so dearly. Seven viewpoints and 22 views were selected because they are the ones now in danger of being lost unless something is done. The painstaking work by the planning department did not produce some vague, generalized statement about our desire to preserve views of the mountains, but rather a detailed analysis of what must be done to save key view corridors that are threatened by a growing downtown core. The report gives details about the impact of construc- tion on specific downtown sites and includes positive and reasonable sugges- tions on how to minimize that impact. However, the most important recommen- dation is that city council institute a full and open public consultation process so that everyone, including developers, can make their case known to city council. Since the report was tabled last Novem- ber, the majority in the Non-Partisan Asso- ciation has refused to send it out for public discussion. Instead the NPA has allowed its developer friends to come to city hall and speak against the report before the public has had a fair chance to say its piece. Not surprising, the first in line to bash the report and urge city council not to send the report out for public discussion was former NPA president Brian Calder, representing real estate interests. It is an outrage thatthe NPA will listen to Libby Davies Bruce Eriksen Scenic views .. a select group, including the B.C. Enterprise Corporation (the Crown corporation in charge of the North Shore of False Creek) without allowing non-developers an equal opportunity in the public process proposed by the, planning department. Of course, the downtown real estate interests are loath to accept any restrictions, however modest and justified these are, that interfere with their profit margins. The public must be allowed to comment - and there must be a public debate. The . threatened by unregulated development. ay NPA should be ashamed of its preferential treatment of the vested interests of the real estate market. The 1980 Goals for Vancouver program found that 96 per cent of the city’s residents surveyed considered preserving views of the mountains and water as the highest priority. City council must have the political will and commitment to listen to the people over the interests of developers, and adopt a fair, clear and consistent policy that will protect key views for our future generations. TRIBUNE PHOTO — DAN KEETON