7 Friday, June 24, 1977 BOS 5: ec. PACIFIC VOL. 39, No. 25 Ribu NE Some 30 organizations were represe Case to the Legislature. Representatives o front of the Legislative Buildings before lobbying MLAs to press t Story). nted in Victoria Monday as the dele gation opposing Bill 33 brought its f teachers, trade union, civic and ethnic organizations marched in he demand for withdrawal of the bill (See — Sean Griffin photo The United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union this week demanded that federal fisheries minister Romeo LeBlanc and provincial conservation minister Sam Bawlf launch a public inquiry into the closure of Queen Charlotte Fisheries Ltd. and Bingham Fisheries Ltd. plants in Richmond and Vancouver. At Tribune press time, UFAWU business agent George Hewison was leading a delegation of some 100 out-of-work plant workers to Victoria to press the union’s demand for a public inquiry and to urge that the government in- tervene to keep the plants operating. The abrupt closure, which will leave more than 100 regular em- ployees and some 900 seasonal workers without jobs, has been seen as a part of a policy by the multinational fish companies to export huge amounts of frozen unprocessed fish, thus cripplying the coast canning industry and accelerating the process of monopolization in an already monopoly-dominated industry. Human; resources minister William Vander Zalm came face to face with the people who suffer by his policies for the first time in 18 Months when he met with the Social services committee of Vancouver city council, the Downtown Eastside Residents Association and host of other 8roups in a head-on conflict last Onday at Vancouver city hall. But even after hearing the poor and handicapped relate their stories of hardship and injustice, and after an unanimous. appeal from six members of Vancouver city council to bring social assistance rates “into line with reality,’’ the Socred minister hardened in his position that there will be no more assistance for the needy. Andas the minister unabashedly defended the $100 million “‘under Organizations outline six-point program run” in his department, it was as if to serve notice that there will be even less for the growing numbers of impoverished British Colum- bians. About 100 people jammed the committee room at city hall and applauded speakers critical of Vander Zalm while jeering the minister’s inflammatory and prejudiced replies. DERA, the B.C. Association of Lobby protests Bill 33 Representatives from nearly 30 Organizations — including the B.C. €deration of Labor and teachers’ 8ssociations from most Lower ainland districts — took- their Protest over the government’s Independent Schools Support Act (Bill 33y to Victoria Monday in a termined effort to prevent the Passage of what the delegation termed ‘‘retrogressive legislation.” In the house, premier Bill nnett reiterated his intention to Provide public funds for private Schools but representatives ‘on Monday’s lobby were successful in Securing another meeting with the cial Credit cauciis to discuss the Serious implications of the bill. Several organizations had added eir weight to the opposition in the ays since the legislation was Slven second reading and by the time of the lobby, the delegation to le Legislature encompassed a Wide range of political opinion. In addition the B.C. Federation Of Labor and __ teachers’ ~ associations, representatives included the B.C. Home and School Federation, individual school trustees, B.C. NDP Women’s Rights Conimittee, Bible Holiness Movement, Bic. Students Federation, Vancouver Status of Women, the East Indian Citizens Welfare Association and other ethnic organizations as well as several civic associations in- cluding the Committee of Pro- gressive Electors and the Burnaby Citizens Association. The delegation held a brief press conference and demonstrated in front of the Legislature with signs declaring ‘‘Bill 33 No’’ before lobbying MLAs to press the demand for withdrawal of the bill. Vancouver school trustee Dr. Norman Robinson, who spoke for the groups represented, told reporters that Bill 33 was “very retrogressive legislation which could only result in greater social division. ; “The money will be going to those who need it least,”’ he said, ‘and the primary beneficiaries will be the elitist schools such as St. George’s.”” . ; At the same time, the school trustee noted, the education minister has not made the necessary funds available to the public school system to provide for a number of programs, par- ticularly English-language training for immigrant children. Both Robinson and Betty Griffin, who spoke on behalf of the teachers’ associations, stressed that the opponents to the bill repre- sented a significant section of the population. Griffin, past president of the Burnaby Teachers’ Association, pointed out that the groups on the lobby represented nearly half a million residents of the province. She was particularly critical of education minister Pat McGeer for refusing to meet with opponents of the legislation. “McGeer has not made himself available for meetings,’’ she See LOBBY, pg. 3 the Disabled, the- B.C. Association of Social. Workers, the United Church, the Federated Anti- Poverty Groups, the Mental Patients Association, the Van- couver Resources Board, the Committee of Progressive Elec- tors, the B.C. Federation of Labor, the Vancouver Labor Council and the Communist Party all lent their support to a six-point program to improve the GAIN program for social assistance recipients. The six-point program demanded that the Minister: e Raise rates for people aged 60- 64 and for handicapped people to reflect the increases in cost of living since their last increase; e Increase rates for singles to $230 per month and for couples to $340 per month; e Make all GAIN recipients eligible for 100 per cent shelter and utility averages; e Eliminate the four-month waiting period for increased rates of basic assistance; e Immediately proclaim section eight of the GAIN act tying rates to cost-of-living increases; _ e Increase comfort allowances for people in institutions. “So far the responses of your government to our requests have been little more than insults doctored up by fancy public relations statements,’’ DERA spokesman Bruce Eriksen con- tended as he presented ‘the recommendations. Earlier, Eriksen had challenged Vander Zalm’s_ controversial “shovel” statements, accusing the minister of ‘‘poor baiting, making political mileage at the expense of those you are meant to help.... See RAISE, pg. 3 That massive exports of salmon are contemplated was evidenced by a bulletin issued June 10 by Environment Canada _ which outlined regulatory measures covering fish exports. The bulletin stated: “Discussions held with several segments of the B.C. fishing in- dustry over the past few weeks have revealed that plans are being made by a number of processors to export unusually large quantities of sockeye and pink salmon in a frozen state during the 1977 salmon season.”’ See PLANT, pg. 12 Tenant lobby urges hoist of new bill A demand that the new bill amending the Landlord and Tenants Act be hoisted after first reading to the next session of the Legislature to allow for a public input into the proposed changes, was made by Tuesday when about 50 delegates from tenants groups lobbied in Victoria. Headed by Bruce Yorke, president of the B.C. Tenants . Organization, the lobby included representatives from New Westminster, Richmond, North Shore, Victoria, Grandview, Kitsilano and West End tenants’ groups. Carrying a 20-foot sign which read, ‘‘Keep Down Rents,” the lobby circled the Legislature and met with government and Op- position members. An 8-member delegation, headed by Yorke, met with premier Bill Bennett and expressed grave concern over the proposed changes in the new legislation which has been kept secret up to now. See TENANTS, pg. 11 The Vancouver Resource Board responded to human resources minister Vander Zalm’s unilateral decision to dissolve the board with apledge to continue operating until the bill is proclaimed and to work in the meantime for the bill’s with- drawal. Bill 65, which was tabled in the legislature Wednesday, would disband the resource board system in Vancouver and centralize all social services into Vander Zalm’s department in Victoria. NDP human resources critic Rosemary Brown flew to Van- couver to attend the VRB meeting an pledged to “fight it to the bitter end”. Brown claimed that the move is in response to the roasting Vander Zalm received from the VRB and the social services committee of Vancouver city council last Monday at city hall.