TEAM alliance
reveals schisms

The cracks in The- Electors
Action Movement (TEAM),
alliance that has ruled Vancouver
city hall since 1972, widened into
schisms last week at TEAM’s
much lauded ‘‘policy conference.”

The poorly attended policy
conference adopted little in the
way of significant policy for the
city, but the policy that was
debated bared deep differences
among TEAM’s elected officials.

TEAM finally adopted a position
on a ward system for Vancouver,
but as expected, it opted for a
partial ward system, with some
aldermen elected “‘at large’’ and
others by ward.

The partial ward system would
do little to correct the inequity of
the present system as the higher
income western areas of the city
would continue to dominate
election results. Some critics also
point out that the partial system
would enhance present inequities
by giving the “‘at large’ aldermen
added political weight in relation to
those elected by ward.

But even the move to a partial
system was too much for some
TEAM officials as it was strongly
opposed by aldermen Marquerite
Ford, while alderman Don
Bellamy and mayor Jack Volrich
left before the debate began.

Alderman May Brown, a sup-
porter of the partial ward system,
blasted her TEAM colleagues for
voting as “‘individuals” on council,
asking if TEAM was still a “‘policy
organization.”” Brown’s remarks
were prompted by the voting

the

record of: Volrich, Ford and
Bellamy who have often spoken
with TEAM policy and voted with
the NPA on council.

Observers at the policy con-
ference reported to the Tribune
this week that at times only 30
people were in attendance,
reflecting the disenchantment of
the TEAM membership with the
failure of its elected members to
respect the organization’s policy.

The steady shift to the right by
TEAM since 1972 has opened deep
rifts in the organization and has
disillusioned many voters which
previously supported it.

If the Committee of Progressive
Electors, the labor movement,
those committed to a full ward
system and other reform forces
enter the coming campaign united,
major gains could be realized.

Braving a morning downpour that quickly drenched most of their signs, some 60 cars lined up Saturday at Nat
Bailey Stadium for a cavalcade through the streets of Vancouver to mark the UN Special Session on Disarmament

The cavalcade was organized by the Ad Hoc Coalition for Disarmament.

—Sean Griffin photo

Socred amendments to Municipal Act aimed
at helping developers and eroding democracy

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

Charges in the Municipal Act
introduced in the legislature by the
provincial government on May 17
have two clear aims — to help
developers overcome municipal
resistance to their projects and to
reduce citizen control
regional districts.

One amendment would reduce
the approval needed for by-law

over

changes such as rezoning, from
two thirds to a simple majority.
Rezoning is where the big money is
for developers. The CPR, fo
example, made a profit of over $100
million when its lands on the north
shore of False Creek were rezoned
from commercial or industrial,
and it didn’t have to spend a cent.
Development projects impose
heavy additional. costs © on
municipalities, ususally far in

Tenants urge massive protests

The Grandview Tenants’
Association blasted the provincial
government rent ‘‘de-control’’
program at its annual meeting last
Sunday and called for massive
tenant protest to the premier and
Rafe Mair, the minister respon-
sible for: landlord and_ tenant
matters.

The annual meeting elected 26-
year-old Allen Doolan as GTA
president replacing retiring
president Doug Laalo. Doolan was
formerly the GTA vice-president.

A special resolution to the
meeting called the decontrol
program “‘a retrogressive concept
benefiting only the landlords of the

~

here will be no satisfaction for the Ad Hoc Committee for

province, leaving tenants with no
security of tenure and also a lower
standard of living.”

Rejecting the government
argument that a high vacancy rate
justifies the removal of controls,
the tenants contended that higher
vacancy rates are found only in
expensive and luxury rental units
beyond the affordability of most
tenants, and in no negates the need
for rent controls.

The meeting called for letters to
the government demanding that it
“respect its commitment of

December 1975 to the 500,000
tenants in B.C. not to remove rent
controls.”’ -

In other business before the
meeting, the GTA agreed to par-

ticipate in the newly formed

Vancouver Tenant Federation,
uniting four community based
tenant groups throughout the city.
A campaign against decontrols and
the institution of tenant advocate
services to replace those of the
GTA and the West End Tenants
cancelled this year by the Socreds
are the Federation’s priorities.

Other officers elected for the
coming year were Fred Lowther,
vice-president; Gina _ Laalo,
secretary; Mike O’Neil, treasurer
and Karin Urbina, membership co-
ordinator.

PEOPLE AND ISSUES

support for private schools — based on a tax credit system, \ Brother Guy success in whatever he may undertake in thé

for.

excess of any taxxrevenue received
from the projects.

These are some of the reasons
why the law, until now, has
required a two-thirds majority to
pass any development project. It
was put there as a protection for
the taxpayer.

Most of the time, of course,
‘developers have been able to get

the support of two-thirds of the

aldermen for. their fast-buck
proposals. But occasionally con-
scientious, civic-minded adlermen,
backed by strong ‘citizen protest,
have been able to frustrate some of
the more greedy developers.

This is what the new amendment
to the Municipal Act is designed to
overcome. Now the developers will
only have to ‘‘persuade”’ half of the
municipal councils to get their
way, instead of to thirds. This is
what the provincial government
calls making the Municipal Act
more democratic!

The second amendment. being
introduced by the provincial
government will completely
remove the right of voters to elect
the directors of the regional
districts. From now on, they are to
be appointed by municipal coun-
cils.

The effect of this amendment
will take away an important
democratic right introduced by the
NDP government in 1973. The
regional districts are a form of
gvernment, another level of
government, with important duties
and responsibilities: It is an axiom
of democracy that governments
should be elected by citizens.

But this. provincal government
wants to. take us back over 4

|

century to our colonial days when ;

governments were appointed, not
elected. Under our. present syste
of electing regional board. direc
tors, the voters have often elected
mayors and aldermen who did not
necessarily represent the views of
the entrenched business interests.
The new amendments are design

to prevent this. From now on the
right wing machines that control
most Councils -will appoint
members to the regional boards:

This is a serious erosion of the
principle that governments shoul
be elected by the people and.
responsible to the people.

I hope that municipal councils
and citizen organizations wil
register strong protests with the

provincial government over these —

two proposed amendments.

the Repeal of the Independent Schools Support Act to
know that its predictions have been borne out, but the

events of the last week have certainly underscored the com-

mittee’s longstanding demand that the undemocratic
legislation be scrapped.

In its campaign, begun last year with the first introduc-
tion of the legislation, the Ad Hoc Committee emphasized
that public support of private schools — most of which are
religious schools — violated the fundamental principle of
separation of church and state since taxpayers would be
compelled by legislation to give financial support to a form
of church activity. Now that truth is coming home — and it
turns out that the financial support is more direct than
many would have thought.

Teachers in Catholic schools, for years near the bottom of
the pay scale, have charged that much of the church money
normally allocated for school purposes is now being with-
held and retained by the parishes to be replaced instead by
the money received from public coffers. In short, taxpayers
will be subsidizing the church whether they support it or
not. And since the Catholic schools are to receive more than
two-thirds of the $9 million provided by the provincial
government, the support is not insubstantial.

That such use of funds is not, according to private schools
inspector Joe Phillipson (whose department, by the way,
costs the taxpayers an additional $156,000), contrary to the
legislation, merely emphasizes the essential fact: the In-
dependent Schools Support Act is unjust, undemocratic and
should never have been introduced in the first place.

Ironically, a remarkably similar battle over public

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—June 2, 1978—Page 2

— is gathering in the U.S. where a National Coalition to
Save Public Education has been formed from nine
educational organizations to fight the proposed bills.

Under the proposed U.S. bills, private schools would not
have to be accountable as to standards of education — just
as private schools in this province do not have to maintain
standards in order to qualify for first level funding. And the
U.S. bills would provide up to $500 per student for the first
level of funding — the same amount which the provincial
government has made available to every private school
student in the province.

* * * *& o#

nding Five stormy years as labor’s chief spokesman in

B.C., Len Guy’s resignation became effective this week.

Much has been said about those in the labor movement
who are only too glad to see Guy leave the Federation
leadership, but there are many more in the labor movement
_who, even if they disagreed with him at times, respected
Guy as a principled trade unionist.

As Jack Phillips put it in his labor comment two weeks —

ago, Guy was “an uncompromising trade unionist on
matters of principle’ who ‘‘always reserved the right to
speak out independently for the workers he represented.”

Those are qualities that will always win more friends
than enemies. A case in point is the following motion
adopted by the Kitimat-Terrace and District Labor Council,
which was sent to Jack in response to his article on Guy’s
resignation.

The motion read: ‘‘That the secretary be instructed to
forward a letter from this council displaying our deepest
regret at this action (Guy’s resignation) -and wishing

future. Se Se ee

T he TEAM-NPA crew on Vancouver city council made the
decision to cut the funds some weeks ago, but for the

Downtown Eastside Residents Association, the crunch

comes this month — on June 30, to be precise, when the

grant from last year ends.

But even though DERA, together with some 7

organizations, wasn’t able to bend the political prejudice
city council, it hasn’t given up. Organizers are looking at
every angle to maintain the services that have been vital t0
the downtown eastside and one of the first events has noW
been scheduled.
- It’s to be a fund-raising dinner, featuring a 10-cours®
Chinese meal and it’s slated to be served July 9 at 6:30 p-™
at the King’s Garden Restaurant at 238 Keefer St. in Val"
couver. It’ll cost you $12 and to reserve a seat — and assi§
DERA — you should call Anna Wong at 253-3717.

RiIBUNE

-Editor — SEAN GRIFFIN
Business and Circulation Manager — PAT O'CONNOR

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