BRITISH COLUMBIA -

Labor wins
hospital
board seats

By GARY SWANN

PORT ALBERNI — Running on
a no-<cuts program, three labor-
council-backed candidates swept re-
cent elections for the West Coast
General Hospital Society, winning all
three available poitions up for elec-
tion.

Long-time labor alderman George
McKnight, International Woodwork-
ers local executive member Mike
Kokura and Canadian Paperworkers’
Union member Bill Allen were all
elected in the vote June 6.

They will join labor council-backed
members already on the board —
hospital board chair and IWA
member Henry Nedergard, Walter
Behn, George Dryden and former
CPU president Eric Pemberton —
thus shifting the balance of power on
the 12-member board.

The hospital board elections have
become an arena of fightback in
recent months because of the Social
Credit cutbacks in health care. Led by
the board chair Henry Nedergard, the
labor council organized for the elec-
tions, determined to prevent another
round of meekly-accepted Socred -
government-imposed cutbacks on the
hospital.

Both the labor council and the
Organization of Unemployed Work-
ers had signed up trade unionists,
unemployed and others to the hospi-
tal society in preparation for the

annual meeting and the trustee elec-
tions. Their action also coincided with
growing public opposition to further
cutbacks in health care.

As a result of the vote, the hospital
board could well become the centre of
a campaign to maintain health care
standards.

The impact of the hospital society
vote should not be lost on those pre-
paring for the November election for
council and school board. The labor
council developed a program, organ-
ized its members and the public at
large around the program — and
won.

A similar strategy based on the
growing anti-cutback mood could
bring similar results in the fall civic
elections and shift the balance of for-
ces On city council and school board.

—

Pacific Tribune
Victory Banquet
& Dance

Saturday, June 22, 1985
West End

Community Centre
870 Denman St., Van.

Doors open at 6 p.m.

$10 employed
$8 unemployed, oap
For ticket reservations,
and/or childcare
Phone: 251-1186

.

The erection of the first sign, demand-
ing the Socred government “bring back
our elected board,” into the flowerbed
outside the Vancouver school board offi-
ces Monday marked the second public
meeting of, and support-rally for, Van-
couver’s trustees fired last month by the
education minister.

Some 200 participants gave a total of
$386 towards costs incurred by the
Supreme Court challenge launched by
Vancouver trustees from the Committee
of Progressive Electors and Cowichan dis-
trict trustees, also dismissed last month for
refusing to pass a government-imposed
cutbacks budget.

Cowichan school trustee Dominique

Rally supports dismissed trustees

Roelants said his colleagues, with com-
munity support, would continue to
oppose “bad laws” and stated: “Silence is
compliance. Let us make sure our voice is
heard. Let us make sure they remember.”

Eva Towner, president of Cowichan’s
home and school association, said the fir-
ing of the duly-elected trustees should
“frighten all the citizens of British Colum-
bia” into questioning government actions.

Gene Errington of the Canadian Union
of Public Employees read an emergency
resolution passed at the CUPE B.C. Div-
ision convention last weekend, reaffirming
the division’s commitment “to a co-
ordinated fightback campaign to defend
education services and democracy.”

‘demanded reinstatement of the trustees.

All speakers, including Kalsa Diwan
Society past president Mota Singh Jheeto,
B.C. Liberal Party leader Art Lee, Coqui-
tlam school trustee Lorna Morford; and
Susan Davis, president of the Vancouver
Elementary School Teachers Association,

* Vancouver trustee speakers included
former board chair Pauline Weinstein,
with COPE’s Phil Rankin, John Church,
Carmela Allevato and Gary Onstad, and
Non-Partisan Association trustee Ken
Denike.

Afterwards, several rally participants
filed into the regular board meeting in
which government-appointed trustee Allan
Stables was expected to pass a $5.7-million

cut to the 1986-87 school budget.

Ban urged on alcohol substitutes

The sale of cooking wine as an alcohol
substitute by certain retail stores in the
Downtown Eastside has become a chronic
problem. It’s been going on now for over
three years and it’s getting worse. This is
recognized by the Downtown Eastside Res-
idents Association (DERA), the city police,
the city health authorities and others.

DERA brought it to city council’s atten-

™ tion again with a presentation to the com-

munity services committee.

As far back as November 1982, city
council passed a motion instructing the
director of permits and licenses to investi-
gate premises believed to be selling non-
beverage alcohol products, and where
evidence was found, to tell those responsible
to appear before council to show cause why
their business licenses should be not sus-
pended or revoked.

Investigations were made but they didn’t
result in any effective remedial action.

DERA presented certain evidence to the
committee that one of the stores had been
found selling cooking wine that has an
alcohol content about as high as_ whisky.
The community services committee decided
that the owner of the store would be called
to appear before council to show cause why
his licence should not be suspended.

Another problem that needs to be
tackled is to amend the Liquor Act to ban
the sale of such alcohol substitutes. The
community services committee will, if
council approves, be asking the city’s legal
department to draft an appropriate amend-

ment to the Liquor Act. The Saskatchewan
Liquor Acthas a provision (Section 78) that
could serve as a model. It reads:

“Except as otherwise provided by this
Act, no person shall have in his possession,
sell or keep for sale any compound, mixture
or preparation, whether in solid or liquid
form, that by the addition thereto of water
or any other liquid or any substance will
produce intoxicating liquor.”

Our community services committee will
also endeavor to have a meetng with the

provincial minister of consumer and corpo-
rate affairs to discuss what action the pro-
vince can take to curb the sales of liquor
substitutes such as cooking wine.

Council should act on this issue.

Stores found guilty of selling cooking
wine should have their licence taken away.
They have been warned for three years now.
Enough is enough.

If the province is sincere about its pro-
gram against alcoholism, it should also not
lose any further time in amending the
Liquor Act to ban the sale of cooking wine.

At city council’s meeting on June 11, the
Non-Partisan Association and The Electors
Action Movement aldermen ganged up to
defeat more grants to community organiza-
tions.

Last May city council passed a motion to
remove $100,000 from the contingency
reserve fund, alocating $80,000 for com-
munity service grants and $20,000 for cultu-
ral services grants. That passed by a 6-5

vote, with the TEAM and NPA aldermen —

voting against it.

The director of social planning was
instructed to prepare a list of organizations
to which additional or new grants would be
given. He recommended that additional
small grants be given to more than 60
groups.

The spending of specific amounts by
council, however, requires a two-thirds
majority. Again the NPA and TEAM
aldermen ganged up against the community
groups and voted no to defeat motions on
the grants, with a couple of exceptions.

Had these grants been to business organ-
izations, the NPA and TEAM would have
supported them, of course. But they were
grants to people’s organizations, to provide
services to people, and these are of little
concern to the NPA and TEAM aldermen.

This was one more demonstration of the
fact that we need not only a progressive,
labor-backed majority on council, we need
a two-thirds majority so that a few right-
wing aldermen can’t sabotage the will of the
majority.

We're down to the wire with just five
days to go and $28,000 to raise — and
quite frankly we're worried.

If ever there was a time when the voice
of the Tribune was needed it is now. And
if ever there was a special need to fulfil
the drive, it is surely this year — the 50th
anniversary.

A half century of militant tradition —
and the future of the paper — rests on
achieving the drive target:

The $100,00 figure is an amount which
will guarantee a weekly Tribune provid-
ing you with information and a perspec-
tive not found in other media — a voice
which must continue to be heard. As
we've said throughout the drive, it’s up to
you to secure the success we hope to
celebrate on June 22.

Those of you who have been planning
to make a financial contribution and
haven’t got around to it yet — this is the
time. Those of you who have donated
and find it possible to consider a further
contribution, pelase do so. Every dona-
tion counts — every donation whether
for $1 or $100 means you support the
paper and its aspirations. Please dig as
deep as you can to ensure a victorious
“Victory Banquet” on June 22.

50 years, 5 days — and $28,000

GREATER VANCOUVER

Amount

Quota Raised

Bill Bennett 800 528
Burnaby 6,000 4,392
Coquitlam 2,700 2,691
Kingsway 7,500 5,408
New West. 2,500 2,395
Nigel Morgan 2,200 1,092
Niilo Makela 700 969
North Van. 3,000 3,100
Olgin 700 650
Richmond 1,600 1,601
Seamen 500 1,107
Van. East 11,000 10,392
Van. Fishermen 800 ---
West Side 4,900 4,279

FRASER VALLEY
Chilliwack 350 210
Delta 750 439
Langley 700 721
Maple Ridge 2,800 2,149
Surrey 5,000 4,975
White Rock 1,600 1,126
KAMLOOPS-SHUSWAP

Kamloops 1,000 436
Shuswap 800 34

OKANAGAN
Penticton 800 620
Vernon 1,500 1,266
N. COAST/INTERIOR
Correspondence 2,500 975
Creston 400 550
Fernie 250 264
Powell River 600 1,258
Prince George 150 302
Prince Rupert 250 50
Sunshine Coast 800 1,068
Terrace 100 ---
’ Trail/Castelgar 900 450
VANCOUVER ISLAND
Campbell River 2,000 1,572
Comox Valley 1,500 1,042
Nanaimo 2,900 3,375
North Island 400 668
Port Alberni 1,600 1,724
‘Victoria 3,200 3,796
Miscellaneous 4,059
Total Achieved
To Date: 71,709

e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JUNE 19, 1985

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