oe British Columbia Labour-backed, pro-environment candidates seek seats Nov. 17 Continued from page 1 However, co-operation did not extend to the school board race, where ACE is fielding its two incumbents, Anne Kachmar and George Porges. The Civic NDP is running full slates for the board. The Richmond New Democrats are run- ning a full slate of candidates for council, including an incumbent alderman for the mayor’s chair, and six candidates for school board, long-time alderman Harold Steves reports. Steves says the key choice for Richmond voters is “growth and development by de- velopers versus Community liveability con- trolled by citizens.” Land use is a big issue. While the Rich- mond NDP has to finalize its platform, Steves says he personally favours using land trades to buy out developers connected with the controversial Terra Nova farmland pro- ject, and creating a city-owned agricultural, wildlife and recreational preserve on the Site. Richmond’s right-wing group, which has a slim majority on council, is obviously embarrassed by the some past decisions, says Steves. They’ve taken out several ads in local papers promoting themselves as “green” candidates and have changed the name of their alliance. Gone is the Rich- mond Independent Voters Association; now it’s the Richmond Non-Partisan Associa- tion. “We'll be pointing out that although they’ve changed the name, they’re the same old gang. When a developer says jump, they jump,” Steves says. Ald. Greg Halsey-Brandt is the New Democrats’ choice for mayor. Council con- tenders are Steves and fellow incumbents Doug Sandberg and Bob McMath, along with land-use activist Don Cummings, labour lawyer Ron Dickson, Steveston busi- ness owner Iqbal Ladha, evicted Terra Nova farmer Evelena Vaupotic and Bob Simpson, a high school principal and former council member. For school board it’s Pat Gudlaugson, Sue Halsey-Brandt and Sandra Bourque — all incumbents — along with Sylvia Sur- _ Tette, Ollie Bassett and Tim Talmey. In North Vancouver district and city, can- didates linked to the environmental move- ment and trade unions have the backing of a coalition of community activists and trade unions that includes the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the local teachers as- sociation, and the firefighters. For district council the unnamed coali- tion — which will provide some financing, and assistance in leaflet and sign distribution — backs incumbent Ernie Crist and new contenders Don Davis and Tim Jones, a trade unionist. They also support members of the Save Lynn Valley Park committee: Paul Turner, Bruce Edwards and Janice Har- ris. Harris’s platform includes public trans- portation, affordable housing, pay equity and day care. A late entry is mayoral candidate Peter Faminow, a peace activist running against three right-wing incumbents. : The coalition supports the re-election of North Vancouver city aldermen Bill Bell and Barbara Sharp. For school board, which covers the city and the district, the group supports new- comer Patricia Heal, seeking the seat left by retiring trustee Dorothy Lynas. The group is not opposing the re-election of incumbent trustees Don Bell, Roy Dungey, Marg Jes- sup, Anne Macdonald and-Chiéf Philip Joe. For Burnaby, the labour council supports the entire NDP-allied Burnaby Citizens As- sociation slate: incumbent mayor Bill Cope- land, and council contenders (including several incumbents) Derek Corrigan, Doug Evans, Celeste Redman, Jim Young, Doug Drummond, Lee Rankin, Nick Volkow and Franka Zumpano. For school board: Ron Burton, Dorothy Caddell, Pietro Calendino, Izan Harvey, Carol Jones, Mondee Redman and Marilyn Rushton. _ In Surrey: Mayor Bob Bose, with alder- manic contenders Fred Girling, Marion Greenwood, Sandra McElroy, Elinor Plain, Bruce Ralston, Gary Robinson, Judy Vil- leneuve and David Vipond. School board: Jim Chisholm, Judy Deeley, Jack Finnbo- gason, Linda Howard, Rick MclIlveen and Louise Purchase. In Delta it’s Beth Johnson for mayor, with council contenders Gail Martin, George Hawksworth, Jaimie McEvoy and Bruce MacDonald. Trustee hopefuls with labour support are Jelena Quinlan and Janet ‘Shauntz. Port Coquitlam city council candidates are Gord Westrand, Carol Curtis, Mike Gates and John Keryluk. Trustee hopefuls are Doris Westrand and Jane Parlee. New Westminster is fielding these labour-backed candidates for council: Linda Fletcher-Gordon, Yvonne Cocke, Chris Sar- gent, Ray Mercer, Michael Gibb and Char- lene Murray. School candidates are Andrea Little, Vasant Saklikar, Michael Ewen, Tom Beardsley, James Janzen and Bob Oster- man. Other Lower. Mainland municipalities with labour-backed candidates include Port “The Goods and Services Tax is good for the country. People will eventually realize that I was right.” Who could possibly make such patent- ly absurd statements? Some creature from outer space? No. It’s none other than our Own spaced-out prime minister. Does he really think anybody believes him? Has he reached the point where he believes his own propaganda? Or does he think he can keep on conning the Can- adian people endlessly? The GST will take a minimum of $21 billion out of our pockets the first year. Every Vancouver citizen will be hard hit by this tax. It’s a financial milk cow for the government; the rate will be increased year after year just as it has been in every other country of the world where a similar tax has been introduced. Forthe prime minister to suggest other- wise, as he did in Vancouver recently, is just plain political nonsense. So is his statement that the GST will be used to reduce the federal deficit. Every dollar raised by the GST will be used to reduce corporate taxes by one dollar. That is its sole purpose. That’s the object of Finance Minister Michael Wilson’s so called “tax reform.” Here’s just one example, among many, proving that big corporations are not pay- ing their fair share of taxes. From 1980 to 1987 Canada’s banks made a profit of $7.64 billion and paid federal taxes at the rate of only 2.48 per cent. Compare that with what you’re paying. The only way the deficit will be reduced is if the govern- ment compels: corporations to pay their Vote no to the Tories’ GST fair share of taxes and if it reduces interest rates. ; The only support for the GST comes from the Business Council on National Issues, the Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Manufacturers Association and the media they own and control. They are the beneficiaries of the GST and Wilson’s “tax reform.” ; These are some of the reasons why Ald. | Harry Rankin Bruce Eriksen and I introduced a motion in city council that our civic election on Nov. 17 include a referendum asking this question: “Are you in favour of the Goods and Services Tax as proposed by the federal government?” That will give all Vancouver citizens a chance to show Mulroney what we think of him and his GST. : The editors of the Vancouver Sun (editorial, Oct. 24), whose owners support the GST, claim that matters such as the GST “are clearly outside of the municipal purview.” My reply is this: When the fed- eral government plans to take an addition- al $336 million out of the pockets of Van- couver citizens every year (and especially ‘at a time when Canada is entering a depression), that’s very much within the “municipal purview.” We should do everything we can to stop this unjust tax. ' The editors of the Vancouver Sun also suggest that the referendum will harm democracy because if the referendum fails to move Prime Minister Mulroney, then the citizens “will learn to trust less demo- cracy and its tools.” That’s tantamount to saying that citizens should speak out on issues only if they are guaranteed that they will win their point. That’s certainly not my concept of democracy. I believe citizens should speak out on all questions that bother them — high municipal taxes, demolition of per- fectly good housing to make way for ex- pensive condos, the lack of affordable housing, the lack of rent controls, the desecration of neighbourhoods, and the GST. We can only influence government policy — and governments are supposed to serve us — if we do speak out. There’s another connection between the GST and the Vancouver civic elec- tions. It just so happens that the corpora- tions backing the GST, that want social programs cut to lower the deficit and that sponsored the disastrous free trade deal are the same ones that are backing and financing the Non-Partisan Association in the Nov. 17 civic election. They are the big developers, the CPR, the stock promoters, the banks and in- surance companies. I think the people want and deserve a change. On Nov. 17 they'll have an opportunity to make one. They can vote down the GST and at the same time vote the NPA out of office. 2 ¢ Pacific Tribune, November 5, 1990 ALD. EUNICE PARKER ... seeking re- election in Coquitlam. Moody: Eric Newton, council and Scott Young, trustee; Pitt Meadows: Jim Peters, council; Maple Ridge: Bernice Gehring, mayor and Michael Sather, council; Langley city and municipality: Sandra Hulbert and Rene Poley, council, and trustee candidates Diane Pona, Truus Biza and Julia Amendt. Up the coast in Prince Rupert, Paddy Jones, a former activist with Vancouver's - Downtown Eastside Residents Association, was acclaimed as school trustee. The other five trustees were also acclaimed. Running for city council are John Kuz, of ‘the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union, and Dave Cook. Both have the back- ing of the labour council. In Kamloops, former alderman Kenna Cartwright is seeking a run at the mayor’s chair. She was narrowly defeated in 1988 by former Socred minister Phil Gaglardi, who is not seeking re-election, a fact many labour and community activists attribute to cost overruns on the sports multiplex that was his main campaign platform. Gaglardi’s pro-business Team 88, asso- ciated with the costly project, “is history,” according to a local labour council official. Seeking to keep costs down is alder- manic hopeful Paul Corcoran, who is seek- ing backing from the labour council and CUPE Local 900. Others running include former labour council official John Cowell and Dawn Cook, a former trustee. On Vancouver Island, several candidates are running in Port Alberni with labour’s backing. Ald. Darlene Watts is seeking the mayoralty, while council members Henry Nedergard, Jack Mitchell and Tom Sim- _ mons are up for re-election, joined by new- comer Jack Thornborough, an environmen- tal activist. : Gary Swann was acclaimed as Cherry Creek area director on the Alberni-Clayo- quot regional district board. Rosemary Buchanan, a former trustee who opposes the incumbents’ dragging on contract negotiations and undermining teacher morale, is seeking a return to the Alberni school board. In Campbell River, labour candidate Ald. David Crosby is seeking another term. Over in Cumberland, Hospital Employees Union member Linda Hargreaves is running for council. Fred Pearson is seeking a spot on Comox council, to end massive real estate speculation and implement strong city plan- ning. Harold Macy, secretary of the B.C. Woodlot Association — a group which calls for selective, rather than environmentally ruinous clear-cut logging — is running for _ regional district in Comox-Cumberland. Down-Island, Joy Leach, a former presi- dent of the B.C. School Trustees Association and a school trustee who fought Socred cut- backs, is trying for mayor of Nanaimo. Karen Shillington, a social planner with a program of affordable housing and ending tax breaks for industries, is running for alderman.