sina is ‘third of Regional Planning hears Communist The Greater Vancouver Com- mittee of the Communist Party presented a brief on November 6 to the Liveable Region Program of the Greater Van- couver Regional District out- lining its views on regional plan- ning for the greater Vancouver area. The Liveable Program Com- mittee was initiated as a result of a long campaign waged by various groups in Vancouver seeking fuller citizen parti- cipation in civic planning. The response to the Communist Party’s comprehensive brief is a measure of the recognition of the need for involvement. Pointing out that, while one- the population of Canada will be concentrated in three major cities by 1980 there have been no corresponding changes in the division of respon- sibilities, the brief emphasized — the following needs: e Calling a halt to present growth patterns that serve only the narrow interests of the profit-motivated developers; the necessity of establishing land banks and of substituting land leases for sale of municipal lands. e Fuller utilization by the Re- gional District of the provisions of the Federal Housing Act for financing low-cost, low-rental housing with adequate provi- sion for recreational areas, day- care facilities, cultural and community centres; provisions for the integration of such low- cost housing into the com- munity. e Utilization of present general hospital facilities for complicated surgicaland acute- care cases; decentralization of medical services to allow for economical community clinics. e Rapid transit as a com- munity service involving the Yorke challen Bruce Yorke, COPE alder- manic candidate charged Tues- day that ‘“‘Art Phillips is lying when he says TEAM policies are running four years ahead of COPE’s.”’ “IT challenge Phillips to debate the record of TEAM against ours so the public can decide the truth,’ said Yorke, a tenant and rapid transit leader. “We'll put up 50% of the cost of the hall for the debate, andthe sooner it is held the better.” Yorke charged that Phillips had refused to vote in favor of tenant representation on the Tenant’s Grievance Board and had refused to ask the Griev- ance Board to mediate in the Wall and Redekop rent dispute. “Some champion,’’ he said, “not only did Phillips refuse to support tenant’s demands for security against unjust evic- tions, he also engaged in strike- breaking during the rent dis- pute.” “On the Tenant’s Grievance Board and the right of tenants to vote on money bylaws, these Board brief immediate acquisition of more buses to extend service, fast commuter service to utilize present rail lines providing service for outlying areas; land assembly acquisition and devel- opment along the transit cor- ridors to finance a full trans- portation system directed by the Regional District. As animmediate priority, the brief called fora complete over- haul of the property tax system which was characterized as the most regressive, outmoded and burdensome tax ___ presently levied. The brief was heard by Leonard Minsky and Martin Coops of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Nigel Mor- gan, Bill Turner and Dusty Greenwell from Vancouver and Wilf Lennox from Surrey sub- mitted the brief and took part in the discussion that followed. B.C. Fed adopts fighting program Cont'd from pg. 11 affiliate, there will be disunity in the labor movement. POLITICAL ACTION Another highlight of the con- vention was the debate.on poli- tical education which urged full support for the NDP atall levels of government. Speaker after speaker roasted the Vancouver Area Council of the NDP for its anti-unity position in the current civic election campaign in Van- couver and praised the record of alderman Harry Rankin and alderman George McKnight in Alberni. Several speakers pointed out that these aldermen had taken pro-labor positions on contentions issues while certain NDP elected officials had either taken anti-labor positions or remained silent. - The debate on this question took place Thursday afternoon with the advocates of unity in this year’s civic elections scor- ing all the points. Next day, the last day of the convention, the report was not brought back to ‘the floor, and thus died a natural death. The failure to bring back the Political Education report does not mean that the fight for unity has been won. Neither does it mean that those who see the NDP as having the exclusive right to speak for organized labor have given up. It merely means that the fight for all-inclu- sive unity has entered a new stage. If there is any single truth which was driven home by the convention it is this: we can expect no overall shift to the left in political relationships in Canada unless the trade union movement is won for left, anti- monopoly policies. The fact that the convention sharply criticized all parties in the last federal parliament for the back-to-work legislation to end the Longshcremen’s strike in B.C., and that a number of speakers were _ specifically critical of NDP Members of PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1972—PAGE 12 Parliament because they voted with the Liberals, Conser- vatives and Socreds on this occasion, speaks well for the trade union movement. The trade union movement of B.C. will support the New Demo- cratic Party in the legislature and parliament where it works in the interests of the people, but will be sharply critical where it fails to do so, or goes over to the other -side. That’s. the message that came from the 1972 B.C. Federation of Labor Con- vention. William Dodge got the mes- sage ‘loud and clear.’ Let us hope that David Lewis and Premier Barrett will also get their message ‘‘loud and clear.” HOLIDAY ISSUE The PT will publish its Christ- mas edition on December 15. Deadline for all adver- tisements and greetings must be in the PT office by Friday. Dec. 8. A -demagogically matters were championed by COPE aldermen Harry Rankin and myself long before Phillips latched on to them. ‘On the ward system, TEAM still lags far behind COPE,” Yorke added. ‘‘As a matter of record, they aré’for a partial system which would further concentrate the key decisions among half a dozen people instead of the presentten. COPE is for a full ward system with 16 members all of equal status.”’ During the campaignto defeat the third crossing and the free- way proposal Phillips repeat- edly announced his support of the project, if only 75% support. “But everyone knows you can’t be just a little bit pregnant,” Yorke stated. ‘‘Support is support and, as one of the leaders in the anti-freeway fight and the third crossing contro- versy, I know better than most that Phillips was a slick advo- cate of the project who tried mightily but unsuccessfully to make table.”’ “In fact, Phillips and TEAM are spokesmen for the devel- opersinthecity.’’ Phillip’s busi- ness, a multi-million dollar mutal fund, dictates his poli- cies. He is the choice of big business.” Yorke warned voters not to be fooled by the ‘“‘Clever Madison Avenue trick.’’ ‘‘The NPA has outlived its usefulness and now TEAM poses a Safe alternative for the developers,’ he said. “COPE is the only real alter- native to the developers in this city. Harry Rankin has provenit time and time again.”’ ges Art Phillips the proposition accep-. B.C. TEL Cont'd. from pg. 1 Vancouver users, is owned by U.S. interests and makes fabu- lous profits from exploitation of the province’s gas resources. The major reason why B.C. Tel and Westcoast Trans mission are prepared to fight t0 the bitter end to prevent a take over is to be seen in the profits announced in reports to share holders of both companies. B.C. Tel coupled its an nouncement that it will fight 4 public takeover with disclosure that its net profits for the first nine months of this year ha jumped from $10 million to $16 million. Westcoast Trans mission also coupled its declara- tion that it will fight a takeovel with an announcement that its net profits increased 96 percent for the first nine months of this year compared to 1971. ‘The challenge thrown out by these two U.S. monopolies to the people of B.C. and the NDP government must be taken Up- Undoubtedly their action wil have the support of big business in the province and the media which they control. The widest anti-monopoly unity of labor and the people will be needed to press the NDF government not to back down, and to support its stand to take over B.C. Tel and follow it UP with nationalization of West — coast Transmission. : That would be a good start t0- wards ending U.S. control of B.C.’s economy and would be it~ the public’s interests. COPE wins support By BEN SWANKEY COPE Publicity Director COPE’s election campaign fund received several healthy ° boosts this past week by contri- butions from trade unions. One union local contributed $1,000 to the fund. The Vancouver Fisher- men’s local of the United Fisher- men and Allied Workers Union donated $300 while the Shore- workers local of the same union voted $100. Another $50 came from Local 400, the Seamen’s local, of the Canadian Brother- hood of Railway and Transport Workers. In his column in the Van- couver Sun, Nov. 15, Jack Wasserman said that the ‘‘sad part about COPE’s decision to run Angie Dennis for mayor is that much of the public will look upon her as some kind of joke symbol and not bother to find out she’s a super-bright person with a lot to offer the community.” Jack’s right about Angie’s ability. She is a highly intel- ligent young woman who knows people’s problems and who has more than enough ability to make a good people’s mayor. Of course, some people will try to belittle her because she has the courage to stand up and fight on the kind of people’s program that COPE has. Judy LaMarsh, a local ‘“‘hot-line”’ radio commen- tator is reported to have referred to her nomination as “totem tokenism. If this is cor- rect, Miss LaMarsh is treading dangerously close to racism: such a term used against a native Indian candidate would. appear to be both a misuse and abuse of the broadcasting licence of any radio station. think Miss LaMarsh owes a? explanation to Angie, the public, and to the Canadian Radio and Television Commission. Judging by the enthusiasm that Angie’s nomination has en- gendered in COPE’s ranks, and judging by the many phone calls that have been received at the COPE office, COPE couldn't have made a finer choice. We 18 COPE are proud to have Angle as our mayoralty candidate. If you want to see a piece of twisted and dishonest report ing, look at an item in the Van- couver Sun, Nov. 17, entitled ‘Wire cites political move 1" B.C. Law Society probe.”’ The article tries to link COPE’s election campaig? with the citizen’s group that 15 protesting the action of the LaW Society against Harry Rankin. That is completely false. But then it tries to compound the falsehood by stating that “COPE is Rankin’s civic poll- tical party. a That some members of the citl- _zen’s. committee would also be members of COPE is_ not unusual. In fact it would be strange if it weren’t so. But the two bodies are independent of each Other and for the Van couver Sun to suggest otherwiS€ is political and journalistic dis honesty. It wasn’t COPE orevet the citizen's group that made this an issue in the election. It. was the unprecedented action0 the Law Society in making its charges public while Harry \ Rankin is in the midst of am election campaign.