Th Pony July 17, 1989 50° Vol. 52, No.27 to See Bearing a flower-strewn signboard declaring “Choice for Women,” pro-choice activist Janet Vesterback anda colleague Participate in a rally July 8 in Vancouver that saw some 1,000 turn out to support choice on abortion. The rally was called in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing individual states to ban abortions and clinics and an Ontario ruling — since reversed — that declared a fetus a ward of the court. Hilda Thomas of the board of Everywoman s Health Clinic in Vancouver reminded the rally that the majority of Canadians back women’s right to safe, accessible abortions and _ Said a major rally would be organized for October. ‘Spetifore’ vote sends gov't message ._ Tsawwassen residents voted overwhelm- ingly July 12 to reject a proposed housing and recreational development on operable farmland, sending a message to the provin- “lal government in the process. That Message is: by your continued actions in taking valuable farmland out of © preserve to enhance the profits of devel- Pers, you are creating a groundswell of “nvironment, farmer and citizen protest — ene that could upset you and your political Ortunes, In both Richmond and Delta, unpopular a Trib takes 3-weeks off With this issue, the Trib takes a three week break to provide for Much needed staff vacations. Our Next regular issue will be dated Aug. 14. SS development projects backed by right-wing municipal councils, and aided and abetted by the Social Credit government's steady erosion of the powers of the Agricultural Land Commission, are creating the grounds for a new, environment conscious people’s movement. Environmentalists, homeowners and far- mers are calling for a halt to these profit oriented schemes, and are demanding anew livable plan for the southern municipalities of Greater Vancouver. Tsawwassen residents, frustrated by a council that cut off hearings in which hundreds spoke against a controversial development on the area known as the Spet- ifore lands, held their own plebiscite on the issue Wednesday night. John Thorp, spokesperson fgr the recently formed Southlands Community Committee, reported that 6,348 eligible voters participated in the citizen-organized process, rejecting the proposed develop- ment by a whopping 94 per cent. They represented about 1,000 nfore votes than were cast in the last municipal election, Thorp said. Saying he was “pretty tired, but elated,” Thorp noted that the vote was held after only 17 days of organizing. The turnout figure includes an advance poll the previous week in which 1,500 residents voted. “Tt has been amazing to see a community come together like this,” said Thorp, who reported that residents were still lined up inside the local school after the doors were locked at 8 p.m. The next step is to take the results to the final council hearing on July 17 at 6 p.m., he said. Thorp said Tsawwassen residents were outraged when council abruptly cancelled public hearings June 20 after citizens spoke for some 25 nights in 100 hours of sessions, overwhelmingly opposing the project which involves 1,895 housing units and a golf course. A town meeting two days later pro- duced the Southlands Community Commit- tee, which set in motion a three-stage see AGRICULTURAL page 2 reject hospital pact In a move that is being called historic, B.C.’s unionized nurses July 12 rejected by 65 per cent a tentative agreement struck by their union and the Health Labour Rela- tions Association representing 144 health care facilities. A vigourous ‘no’ campaign that toured the province in conjunction with leaders of the B.C. Nurses Union who were recom- mending approval of the package was instrumental in its defeat in a vote in which 77 per cent of the BCNU’s 17,500 members participated. BCNU president Pat Savage told a press conference Thursday that the results mean the union leaders will head to Victoria to call for more money for the health care budget. Savage said the vote showed that nurses “demonstrated a continuing determination to see major remedies applied to the nursing crisis” which has seen hospitals short- staffed as nurses take better paying jobs outside the province. “Second, our members put their employ- ers-and.the government on. notice that.it’s too late for long term solutions — that halfway measures are not good enough,” she said. Savage said it also showed that nurses are willing to risk binding arbitration or a government-imposed settlement by reject- ing the three-year, 29.5-per-cent wage hike package. “Finally, our members told their bargain- ing committee to get on with the job of securing a settlement that serves working nurses and the patients they care for. (The) BCNU intends to do just that,” she said. Savage said the leaders contacted Pre- mier Bill Vander Zalm about a meeting. But the premier, and Health Minister Peter Dueck, reportedly rejected that avenue in statements later on Thursday. That means a major battle is looming in the province, Bernadette Stringer said. Stringer, an executive member of the BCNU’s Vancouver region which was out- spoken in its opposition to the package, said the region’s leaders will hold a series of membership meetings to get input on the next actions. (Savage said the bargaining committee will be canvassing locals around the province.) Right now nurses are working to rule, but it could mean a return to a strike with emer- gency services being maintained, she said. Stringer said nurses are angry not, only because the government refuses to release monies it has for wages and has backed a package which would mean nurses would still earn less than $20 per hour in 1992. “The other thing that drives us wild is that we are always working short. Nurses are literally running to help patients. This offer would not have brought young people into the profession.” Those advocating a “no” vote had called on the bargaining committee to resign fol- lowing the release of the balloting results (it did not), but such a demand has not been made of Savage or the rest of the executive, Stringer stressed. “The thing to do is stand firm. The enemy is the government and the HLRA, not other members.”