GOOD-BYE GRANDVIEW Above is the front page of a folder being distributed in support of downzoning in Grandview to save the area for family housing. Public hearing on the issue is being held March 17, 7:30 p.m. at Britannia Auditorium. ‘delegations to council Rejection of DERA grant | ‘mean and vindictive act’ By ALD. HARRY RANKIN The decision of Vancouver City Council to reject the request of the Downtown Eastside Resident’s Association for a $36,288 grant was amean and vindictive act. The fact that every TEAM member of council and every NPA member of council as well as TEAM mayor Jack Volrich voted against the grant, speaks for itself. Fair play cannot be expected from this right- wing council. DERA has been doing a damn good job for the people it repre- sents. It long ago learned that you get nothing by going “cap in hand,” to council asking for favors. It knows from bitter experience that people don’t get justice simply because they have a good case. You have to fight for it. And that is just what DERA did and does. It went to the public for support for its efforts to get decent housing, to end deaths by burning in the rundown rooming houses owned by slum landlords, and to cut down on alcoholism and crime. And when didn’t produce results its leaders took political action. The right to run for public office is supposed to be one of the foun- dation stones of our democracy. But apparently that’s true only if you associate yourself with one of the parties supporting the Establishment. Several DERA leaders joined COPE, the Com- mittee of Progressive Electors, the only anti-establishment party in civic politics. That was their “crime” for which the whole organization to which they belong, and all the people they work for must be punished. For any member of this council to suggest that DERA leaders used civic grants for their political activities is downright dishonest. The fact is that every cent of any grant this organization has ever received from any source has been used to further the activities of the publicly stated aims of the organization, and for nothing else. What municipal parties any DERA leaders associate them- selves with, after hours, ‘is their own business. In fact, so careful are DERA leaders not to leave any grounds for charges, that DERA funds are used for political pur- poses, that Bruce Eriksen and Libby Davies, its president and vice-president, who ran as COPE candidates: last November, went off the payroll for three months during the election period. And during that period, they also ’ continued to work for DERA Parley on constitution urged TORONTO — Alderman Oscar Kogan has placed before the Borough of York in Metro Toronto a motion soon to be considered by council which calls on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to urge the prime minister and provincial premiers to convene a constitutional con- ference in the near future. The motion calls for a conference “that would deal with the needs of following ways: ““(1) Give recognition in the constitution to municipalities to meet: new. and increased respon- sibilities placed on this’. govern- ment jurisdiction; (2) Recognize the existence of two nations — English and French; ; (3) That the constitutional" conference give consideration to defining the responsibility between governments and take into account the need for the federal authorities to pursue economic and social policies in the best interests of all people and defend the in- dependence of Canada.” Themotion points to the fact that the British North America Act does not recognize the municipalities, while the constitutional crisis we find ourselves in affects the relationships of the provinces and the federal government. ' without any pay. I’d like to see any - TEAM or NPA aspirant for office match that kind of dedication. The hypocrisy of the charges that DERA mustn’t be funded because some of its leaders are associated with illustrated. by the fac council and the many. ‘councils.’ before it have always followed the practice of appointing their friends and potential candidates to various committees to build them up publicly. The Vancouver Sun, instead of defending the right of any person to associate himself or herself with COPE .is- t-that: this — eme for this year’s Ma CO) “Day rally; said'Hewison, will be for the political group of their choice, — joins in the demand that DERA leaders ‘‘see the advantage of putting distance between DERA and the Committee of Progressive Electors.” Then, after making 4 case against the right of DERA members to take COPE-oriented political action, they suggest council support the request for a— grant. With such kind of friends, who needs enemies? DERA has announced that it will appeal council’s decision. And when it comes again I have no doubt it will have the full support of scores of organizations and hun- | dreds of well-wishers. The job DERA is doing to clean up skid road, to make it a safe and decent place to live, is to the benefit of ‘all of. Vancouver. It deserves the support of all of Vancouver in its request for a modest grant of $36,288. That’s a small price to pay for the job ‘it does. STE ag City May Day — meeting set -The - Vancouver’ » May. Day Committee announced this ‘week that labor’s international ‘holiday will be celebrated with a concert- meeting on Sunday, May. 1 “at. Templeton Secondary. School: ~ - Committee chairman George Hewison drew attention to the fact that the Canadian Labor Congress at its last convention called upon its affiliates to celebrate May Day. ~The. theme for this year’s May an end to wage controls and restoration of free collective bargaining; for a united Canada; for. peace and social progress. | The committee’ appeals © to organizations to name delegates to a meeting inthe Fishermen’s Hall, Saturday, March 26 at 10 a.m. our country and our péople’’ inthe the federal By MAURICE RUSH Tee Socred government is going through some sleight- of-hand tricks with its social welfare program which would make even the great Houdini green with envy. The chief magician of the art of “now you get it, now you don’t’’ is human resources minister Bill Vander Zalm. But he is by no means the only sleight-of-hand artist in the Socred menagerie. The name of the Socred game is, “Take it away while making it look asif you are giving more.” And that game is being played out in a ruthless and coldhearted way against every unfortunate citizen who has to depend on one or another of the government’s social welfare programs. The aim of the Socreds is to drastically cut welfare payments and services in every area while at the same time making it appear as if the government is compassionate and people-oriented. An example of this Socred government duplicity was its recent handling of the program for B.C.’s handicapped. With great publicity fanfare, Vander Zalm announced recently that his new program “will do better than what they (the handicapped) requested.’ Actually, as the Vancouver Downtown Eastside Association pointed out, Vander Zalm was announcing policies which would cost the government $6.3 million while cutting out government services and payments to the handicapped and seniors amounting to some $35 million. Being a religious man Vander Zalm would probably say, “the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away,’ but in this case Lord Vander Zalm giveth less and taketh away more. Another case in point was the announcement last week of the government’s SAFER program — Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters Act. Hailing it as “a landmark in Canada” and ‘‘the envy” of Canada, housing minister Hugh Curtis made it look as if senior citizens caught in the rent squeeze, and having to spend most of their meagre pensions on rent, would now at last be given the assistance they need. Curtis said under this program the government intends to foot the bill for rent of more than 30 per cent of income PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 18, 1977—Page 2 and _ provincial: — to a maximum of $70 a month for couples and $50 a month for singles. While this program will offer some meagre aid to a few it falls far short of meeting the critical housing problem of people over 65. The extreme limits of SAFER are shown by this example given by Curtis: A married couple with an income of $552 a month and a rent of $125 (where can they find that?) would receive no SAFER. The subsidy will apply only to senior citizens paying rent under $200 which means that the only way the elderly can hope to get any aid under the SAFER program is by permanently living in slums. ae A spokesman for the Pensioners for Action Now in Vancouver criticized the program and pointed out that the government now subsidizes some on low income for all rent in excess of 25 per cent and urged that it give a similar shelter allowance to all pensioners. ‘The government which gave a generous allowance to the rich by wiping out $25 million in succession duties should be able to provide a decent shelter allowance for needy pensioners,’’ he said. Probably the worst examples of Socret government _ trickery is still to come before the Legislature. Readers will remember that in the throne speech the top spot was given to the announcement that the government intends to bring down a Pharmacare program for everyone. When the budget came down later it provided very little in- crease in government costs for Pharmacare and people began to wonder: how was the government going to pay for such a program? - According to reports from Victoria the Socred govern- mentis about ready to pull the rabbit 6ut of its magic hat. While promising a better Pharmacare program which will cover everyone, the Socred government — according to these reports — intends to change Pharmacare so that — it will no longer be free for pensioners. It plans to. in- troduce a “Pay-A-Portion” scheme under which everyone will berequired to pay part of the cost with senior citizens having their present free drugs ended. Under the present program senior citizens and other needy people hand their Pharmacare card to the phar- macist just like a credit card. The pharmacist sends the Sleight-of-hand tricks by Socreds bill to Victoria ‘and the pensioner does not. have to be concerned any further, The story in Victoria is that under ‘‘Pay-A-Portion’’ the pensioner will have to pay the pharmacist either incash — or by credit card there and then. When the pensioner has accumulated $25 in receipts for prescriptions, he: or she can Send the extra receipts to Victoria to get 80 per cent refunded. im So while pretending that the public and pensioners are going to get more under Pharmacare, they are actually getting less. And worst hit of all will be the elderly .and sick who will have their free drugs ended; to. be replaced by a system under which they will have to pay the first $25 ayear and another 20 per cent of costs for. the whole year, because the Socred government will reimburse. them for only 80 per cent. : : Can anyone really.expect anything different from the gang of millionaires, real estate promoters and second- hand car dealers now drawing up legislation dealing with the. ill-housed, ill-fed, the sick. and unfortunate in our society? att cl ; P. T. Barnum, U.S. showman and circus operator, once ~ said you can fool some of the people some of the time but . you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. The sleight- of-hand tricks being played by the Socreds are wearing thin. Let’s face it, this government has.about as much compassion for the poor and needy as a jackal has for a chicken. : pe Editor — MAURICE RUSH. 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