Hy } Tee One Te en Dee TOO MT OUTTA TO GREATER VANCOUVER Food banks should not be excuse for gov't inaction Earlier this month the: Cana- dian Ecumenical Council ap- peared before Vancouver city council. It explained that some 30 organizations in the Lower Mainland have joined ‘‘to develop a Lower Mainland food bank to assist in emergency food distribution of staple foods, par- ticularly to families in distress.”’ It requested city council to providea warehouse for the food bank, rent free for sixto 12months, and a grant of $60,000 a year that would be. used for administra- tion. Council is trying to find a suitable building for the food bank but so far has been unsuc- cessful. Council also decided to give them a grant of $7,500 and refer their request for the balance to the Community Services Com- mittee when it considers its grant budget. COPE aldermen on council recognize and respect the humanitarian considerations that prompted the Ecumenical Coun- cil to take this action. We certain- | jobs. So far all we have been get- ly support any and all efforts to which will provide aid to destitute people. At the same time we must point out that there are some negative aspects to handling the problem only in this way. The first one is that the provin- cial government is legally respon- sible for providing such aid. It would be only too happy to see such aid provided through charity and grants from Vancouver tax-_ payers. This takes the govern- ment off the hook. We pay the bills that it should by paying. If any people are destitute (and their number is growing) it means that they have been cut off unemployment insurance or are not eligible for it in the first place, or that they are unable to get on welfare or that welfare rates are too low. Something is drastically wrong with rules and regulations that allow this to happen and both the federal and provincial rs ipla scar are responsible for We should be turning the heat on Ottawa and Victoria. Unemployment insurance benefits should be provided to everyone able and willing to work for as long as they are unemployed: Welfare rates should be raised to liveable levels and provided to Harry Rankin all who do not qualify for unemployment insurance. Equally important is the need for government action, both in Victoria and Ottawa, to provide ting is talk that has been nothing less than pure political hypocrisy. Premier Bennett, for instance, talks about providing a few jobs through this or that program and then announces that the provin- cial civil service will be cut by 10,000 or more! It seems that for every new job he pomises to-pro- vide, he will lay off five or ten more people. On top of that his’ government has the gall to spend -almost’'$500,000 on TV. ads tell- ing us what a wonderful govern-. ment. we have. There’s no restraint there! But when it comes to helping corporations in trouble, these governments quickly rush to their aid. Ottawa is giving Dome Petroleum about $80 million to bail it out. Premier Bennett is bailing out the banks and developers at Whistler to the tune of close to $10 million. At the same time he is generously sub- sidizing the export of coal from north-east B.C. to the tune of something like $1 billion. To provide this type of bail-out aid and subsidies both govern- ments are cutting grants to educa- tion and hospitals and laying off staff. The recipients have been correctly labelled as corporate welfare bums. So while digging into our own pockets from emergency help for those in criticial need, let’s not allow this to divert us from demanding action by Ottawa and the provincial government to pro- vide an adequate level of aid and ~ institute genuine job creation pro- grams. The problem isn’t going to go away or disappear of its own ac- cord. Statistics Canada reported 215,000 unemployed in B.C. in January. This doesn’t include those who have given up looking for work because there is none and those on part time so the ac- tual figure is really much higher, probably closer to 300,000, and layoffs are continuing. Last ember there were 94,000 welfare cases with a total of 190,000 individuals actually on welfare. As pedple get cut off unemployment insurance this figure will grow. The problem is of such magnitude that it simply can’t be solved by charity, however well- meaning. RN 2 Pe a Pa ae a ‘GVRD must fight transit aeoceall committee urge: Indications that the Greater Vancouver Regional District may turn around and fight the pron- vicial government over its attempt to kick the regions out of public transportation follow in the wake of. tough motions passed unanimously at the GVRD transit committee meeting Feb. 10. The aldermen and mayors have urged the GVRD board of direc- tors to ‘‘advise’”’ the provincial government that its planned takeover of the region’s functions in public transit. is ‘‘totally unac- ceptable’’ and to strike a ‘negotiating committee’ to meet with the provincial cabinet. GVRD directors should also “strongly recommend’’ that a minimum one-year moratorium be imposed .on .any changes to the three-tiered authority under which the region plans bus routes and sets fares, the committee agreed. Finally, GVRD staff were ordered to investigate the legal ramifications of~the enforced change which violates a five-year agreement between the region and the provincial government and would involve the layoffs of 18 transit committee staff. The com- mittee, and its counterpart in the Capital Regional District (Victoria) are slated to be replaced by government-appointed transit *“commissions’’ when. the changeover is supposed to take place Apr: I. These facts were known ever since Vander Zalm announced the unilateral decision that B.C. Tran- sit, the crown corporation, would take over the region’s function, ina Dec. 29 letter to the GVRD. But two subsequent in camera meetings of the GVRD transit committee and a closed door session between * outspoken chairman of the tripling when the bill for the ALR hen we were preparing the story some weeks ago on the transport- tation of hazardous chemicals through the port area, it was longshoreman Peter Bell who drew our attention to the huge shipment of ammonium nitrate fertilizer sitting at Terminal Dock and emphasiz- ed that his own father had been killed in 1945 when the ship on which he was loading ammonium nitrate blew up in Vancouver harbor. And lest there be any doubt as to the explosive potential of the chemical fer- tilizer, he noted that it has often been used by groups such as the Provi- sional IRA as the base for their homemade bombs. To underscore that point, Bell dropped by the office last week to show us a copy of a book catalogue from Paladin Press which includes among its list of titles at least one how-to manual on ‘‘The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives” — among other substances which promises to Provide a recipe for making explosive devices from — among other — ammonium nitrate. As it turns out, the explosives manual — one of several, including a book of CIA recipes — is among moderate titles listed in the catalogue. In fact, throughout its 30 pages of listings, Paladin Press reveals just how much mayhem, murder and militarism have become a renewed obsession among thousands of Americans because of the cold war policies of the Reagan administration. At least four titles in the catalogue deal with survival following a nuclear war. One predicts that war is coming while another claims con- fidently that with the survival skills it offers, ‘much of the population could survive.’’ Another work, entitled ‘‘Life after Doomsday” even comes with a favorable review from Newsweek magazine. After that, there are books on revenge (One, “The Revenge Book’” states that it is for entertainment purposes only); on guerrilla warfare and counter-insurgency; a five-book series entitled ‘‘How to Kill,” offered together with “Manuals on Mayhem;”’ scores of books on weapons and gun silencers; and a numer of titles on military science, spies and clandestine war. And from its Boulder, Colorado head- quarters, Paladin Press offers toll free ordering, credit card orders and shipments to various places outside the U.S. — including Canada. Perusing the catalogue is a chilling experience—although it is not surprising given the xenophobic, weapon-obsessed attitudes that Reagan’s policies have resurrected. And those that read the Paladin Press titles are, in fact, Reagan’s constituency. For them, as for him, the efforts towards world disarmament are attempts to improve inter- national gun control and they treat it with the same contempt. workers. ‘PEOPLE AND ISSUES s \ A part from his duties as the legislative representative for Local 701 of the United Transportation Union, Tribune reader Paul - Lawrence has become something of an international travel director for railway unionists. A couple of years ago, he accompanied a railway workers’ delegation to the Soviet Union and last year he went to France, together with representatives of the New York-based Labor Research Association to set up a major holiday-tour in that country, in conjunction with the CGT-affiliated railway workers union and Tourisme et Travail, a union-run agency which organizes holidays for Paul tells us that the itinerary for the French tour has now been finalized and will cover the period from Sept. 8 to Sept. 22 with depar- ture set from New York Sept. 7. Although the tour has been designed for railway workers, the itinerary looks as if it would be of interest to many people. It includes tours of several centres including Paris, Lyon, the Loire region, and St. Malo, with the trip from Paris to Lyon to be -made on the world’s fastest train, know as the TGV. There are tours to. the sites in Paris linked to the revolutionary history, including the revolution of 1789 and the Paris Commune of 1891. On Sept. 10, par- ticipants can take the renowned Fete de L’Humanite, the French Communist Party paper’s huge annual festival. All of that’ costs some money of course although the price from _ New York of $1,799 does include everything. Anyone interested should contact Paul Lawrence, 590 Carlsen Dr., Port Moody, V3H 3Z8. * * * 0 ver the years, many readers will have become familiar with the ; name of Minnie Vainio since photos of the diminutive woman have often graced the pages of the paper following victory banquets at which she and her press club have been singled out for their fund- raising achievements. But we were saddened to hear this week that Minnie was taken to St. Paul’s hospital last Thursday after she suffered a massive stroke. She remains there in serious condition. Visitors are reportedly allowed — she is in Rm. 324 — although friends should probably check with the hospital before they make the trip. PACIFIC TRIBUNE— FEBRUARY 18, 1983—Page 2 the GVRD directors and vane Zalm two weeks ago produ ‘| plans to oppose the provin government’s move. The turnaround at last Thu day’s transit committee a may be explained in part by the@ tion of five district aldermen in ing a public conference Feb. 1 a rally community support ‘a the takeover. It’s set for 1 p.m. *" the Indian Centre on Hastings Street:in Vancouver. : The five aldermen include! rey’s Bob Bose, the form i committee, George Helenlv® (Bowen Island), Harold Wei bes (Ioco-Buntzen), and VancouW aldermen Harry Rankin and B cf Yorke. Yorke is vice-chairman the transit committee. Many aldermen on the cvaD board probably woke up via Vander Zalm announced that the region’s share of financing w0 ould beraised by a direct property tax OM GVRD residents, estimated al five to six mills with the potential lines comes due. To impse the additional tax, thé government would not even be t& quired to enact amendiné legislation. In a report to the com mittee GVRD finance manage Jim McLean said all that would bé required of the-government wo be an amendment to the regula tions of the B.C. Transit Act, sin® those the cost-sharing formula is included in the regulations and not in the Act itself. “The government would then be able to do what it attempted bul couldn’t do last summer and that is change the cost of recovery ratio of the deficit sharing ratio to shi more of the cost from the province onto the local taxpayers,”’ he wart ed. And once B.C. Transit gets thé power to levy taxes — a form 0 ‘taxation without representa- tion,”’ since none of the corpora: tion’s directors are elected — there will be no public accountability and the money raised could be spent elsewhere, McLean added. North_ Vancouver city mayor Jack Lauks urged the committee to fight the “‘ill considered, irrespon- sible’ takeover, warning that he feared the bus system ‘‘would be sacrificed to support the whole system’’ in reference to the costly ALRT project. Bose, who initiated most of the motions, said the province decided to override the current agreement, “without public discus- sion, without a mandate from the municipalities and i in the absence of y any legislation.”’ Burnaby alderman Tom Con- stable urged that ‘‘efforts be made to bring individual members of councils and the 2 publici into the bat- . ter” But the best indication that things may turn around came from Surrey mayor Don Ross, vice- chairman of the GVRD. ‘The board depends on com- mittees to generate action,”’ he told the transit committee members, adding, ‘‘in no way are we accep- ting the proposition that we just lie down and play dead.”’