British Columbia

Drinking water risked for a few bucks

In the Greater Vancouver area we enjoy a
clean water supply — one of the best on the
continent. But this could quickly change if
Pacific Coast Energy Corporation goes
ahead with plans to build a natural gas
pipeline right through the heart of the
Coquitlam watershed, the source of our
water supply. Our water could become pol-
luted, perhaps unfit to drink.

Behind the whole scheme is the Social
Credit government. Why it is determined
that the pipeline should take this route and
no other is difficult to understand, if the
yardstick of logic used.

The board of the Greater Vancouver
Regional District, including all 18 mayors,
is adamantly opposed. In fact, the GVRD
wasn’t even consulted. A report from its
manager of operations warns that the
cloudiness of the water, its turbidity, would
increase by 30 times if the pipeline is built
and this cloudiness would neutralize the
effect of chlorine disinfectant.

The pulp mills on Vancouver Island,
whom the gas line is supposed to serve,
haven’t asked for it.

Although a private corporation will build
the pipeline, half of its cost of $500 million
will be subsidized by the provincial and
federal governments. You and I will be pay-
ing for it through our tax dollars, but our
opinions were never sought. If-the pipeline
is needed, and that hasn’t yet been estab-
lished, then why shouldn’t it be a publicly
owned pipeline since taxpayers are already
being committed without their consent to
pay half of the cost?

An alternative route is available and
would cost only $35 million more, which is
not excessive in relation to the total cost and
well worth it if our water supply is to be
saved from pollution.

Why then is the Social Credit govern-
ment being so obstinate?

DERA extends our
best wishes on
May Day
to all our friends
and supporters

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE
RESIDENTS’
ASSOCIATION -

§ East Hastings Street.
Vancouver, B.C. V6A 1M9
Phone: 682-0931

The Vancouver Sun, which has opposed
and exposed this pipeline deal, has charged
in three editorials that the government is
using the pipeline to buy desperately needed
votes on Vancouver Island.

I wonder if the real reason doesn’t go
deeper than that. Is this subsidized pipeline
a patronage payoff by both Ottawa and
Victoria for support received by both the
Tories and Social Credit in the last federal
and provincial elections? And just who are
the shareholders of the two companies con-
cerned that will benefit from this public
subsidy?

The connection between the privatiza-
tion of the natural gas division of B.C.
Hydro and this pipeline deal also needs to
be investigated. There may be more there
than immediately meets the eye.

B.C. Environment Minister Bruce Stra-
chan says that the mayors who oppose the
pipeline going through the watershed are
just being “political.” It seems to me the
shoe is on the other foot — it is the Social
Credit cabinet that is being political by
rewarding its friends with public money.

Strachan also sarcastically and insult-
ingly declared that “people see a watershed

as being something holy and sacrosanct and ~

any tampering with it is equivalent to germ
warfare.”

Why shouldn’t we regard our water
supply as sacred? Our lives literally depend
on it. Why should it be endangered just
because some corporation is so greedy to
make a few million extra bucks that it com-
pletely disregards the potential threat of its
actions on the public welfare?

This reply of Strachan is typical of Socred
cabinet ministers when confronted with
opposition their misdeeds on environmen-
tal issues.

They took the same attitude to charges
that the pulp mills were polluting our waters
and even went to the extent. of lowering
provincial government standards below
those imposed by Ottawa so that pulp mills
could continue to pollute within the law.

The Social Credit government last fall

- passed Bill 28 (without consulting the public
~ first in hearings) which called for the privat-

izing of two thirds of our Crown forest land
and handing it over to a small handful of big
multinationals, most of them foreign-

Solidarity with all working people and
May Day Greetings from

Surrey-COPE

.. working for progressive municipal government

cal

'2 e Pacific Tribune, May 1, 1989

May Day Greetings

currently working to preserve
iy Coquitlam watershed

4. ASSOCIATION OF COQUITLAM ELECTORS
ASSOCIATION COQUITLAMAISE DES ELECTEURS

owned such as Fletcher Challenge. When a
groundswell of public opposition developed
from practically every section of the com-
munity to this sellout, Forest Minister Dave
Parker contemptuously dismissed it as com-

ing only from “Natives, environmentalists
and the opposition.”
What we see isa clear pattern — turn the

province’s resources over to big corpora- —

tions, let them pollute as much as they like,
and to hell with the people.

The battle to save our watershed is not
yet over. I wish Mayor Lou Sekora of Cog-
uitlam would put his feet where his mouthis
and carry out his threat “to see 18 mayors
camped out on the premier’s doorstep.” ’m
sure that some aldermen and many con-
cerned residents of the Lower Mainland
would volunteer to join him there. I’ll be the
first one.

But we can’t wait for Sekora to act. We
should keep telling Vander Zalm: “Keep
your clammy fingers off our water supply.”

Each year at this time we bring you
our special May Day issue featuring,
_ along with our regular weekly coverage,
dozens of greetings, from our supporters
in the trade union, peace, civic, and
solidarity movements.

Our supporters know that to maintain
historical gains there must be a platform
from which working people can speak to
one another. Part of that process is build-
ing and maintaining a strong progressive
press, like the Pacific Tribune.

But keeping the paper going takes a
lot of money — more than $200,000 a
year.

During our financial drive, we set our-
selves the task of raising a part of our
overall budget. This year we’re aiming
for $82,000.

GREATER VANCOUVER
Quota Achieved

Aubrey Burton 700 ---
Bill Bennett 500 85
Burnaby 6,000 710
Coquitlam 2,500 370
Effie Jones 1,500 1,910
Kingsway 5,000 1,710
New West. . 2,000 ---
Nigel Morgan 600 ---
North Van. 2,500 520
Richmond 1,500 250
Seamen 350 ---
Van. East 7,000 40
West Side 4,800 995
FRASER VALLEY
Delta 600 ---
Fraser Valley 900 550
Maple Ridge 2,200 5
Surrey 2,200 ---
White Rock 1,000 85

A May Day call

We need your dollars in a critical way.
To date your generosity has raised
$14,000, thanks in large part to our 500
Club members, including Ed Skeeles, Al
and Olga Grinkus, Mona Morgan,
Agnes Jackson and Clarence Jackson.

But we had hoped for $20,000 by this
date and that is why we are putting the
May Day call out to you. We know you
can and will answer our call and make
the difference.

June 24, Victory Day, is only seven
weeks away. Help us realize the message
of May Day on that date by raising, and
indeed surpassing our target of $82,000.
You can make the difference by answer-
ing our call.

OKANAGAN
Kamloops 1,000 255
Penticton 600 ---
Vernon 1,600 690

N. COAST/INTERIOR
Correspondence 1,500 900
Creston 200 270
Fernie * 250 25
L. Similkameen 500 ---
Powell River 500 420
Prince George 200 ---
Prince Rupert 300 ---
Sunshine Coast 600 35
Trail 700 10

VANCOUVER ISLAND
Campbell River 2,000 578
Comox Valley 1,400 46
Nanaimo 2,800 1,840
Port Alberni 1,400 327
Victoria 3,200 1,120
Miscellaneous 2,500 940

TOTAL: 65,700 14,686

MAY DAY GREETINGS

— In solidarity with Vancouver's
working people, for peace, jobs and
a better city for everyone.

[OPE