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Civic elections held last Satur- day in B.C.’s cities, district municipalities, towns and villages, returned most incumbents who represent old line party forces, and if anything, sawa Strengthening of their grip on civic governments.

However, in a number of areas progressive labor, tenants and ratepayer candidates, running for the first time as independents or in newly-formed alliances, polled Substantial votes. In ‘some cases they came close to election.

In Port Alberni, where the newly-formed Citizens First Committee (CFC) entered a slate of candidates for the first time, Alderman Mark Iverzich was re- elected. Other candidates for council failed to get elected, but the CFC elected Marie Joseph to school board for the first time. Alderman George McKnight was not up for re-election this year, nor was school trustee Mark Mosher.

North Vancouver District saw independent candidate Ernie Crist, running for the first time for

What's behind Mayor Art demand PNE pay city $900,000?

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

Mayor Art Phillips and his TEAM associates in City Council are suddenly demanding that the PNE pay $900,000 a year to the city in lieu of taxes. Under the present lease, which expires next May, the PNE pays only $1 a year.

It has been suggested that the mayor insisted on this demand ina fit of petulance following his defeat last month for the presidency of the PNE board of directors, The mayor, the story goes, now wants to get even with the board for daring to replace His Worship with a lesser person.

There may be something to that, but the actual causes: for the mayor’s $900,000 demand go much deeper than that.

Before the provincial govern- ment stepped in and took over the board of the PNE, it was dominated by businessmen and sports promoters who were using the publicly owned facilities of the PNE to serve their private in- terests. Mayor Phillips and his TEAM Council opposed and defeated every attempt I made in Council to bring about reforms in

the PNE to restore control of the PNE to the city, and to make the sports and other promoters pay a fair price for the facilities they

. were using.

But now that some reforms are being made by the new board and! some of the commercial interests are being compelled to pay a bit more for the use of PNE facilities, Mayor Phillips would like to hamstring the PNE financially.

As far as I’m concerned long overdue reforms of the PNE have only just begun.

The parking problem has to be solved and there is no reason why underground parking can’t be built on the grounds.

Bus routes should be redesigned so that buses can take their patrons right into the grounds.

The leases signed with the B.C. Lions, Vancouver Canucks, Blazers and the racing promoters should be improved so that the PNE receives rental and lease fees. The Playlarid facilities should be owned and operated by the PNE board itself, not by an American outfit. And the whole annual PNE should be made an educational and

But still,

Comparisons, some say, at times, they are but som change history.

Consider for a momen

Phillips’

entertainment feature built around the industrial, agricultural and cultural life of our province.

The PNE will need funds to do these things and Should use its surpluses for this purpose.

It will take some time for the PNE to get back on the track and overcome the years of mismanagement and abuse by the old board, for which the Mayor and his TEAM Council have to take their share of blame.

When that time comes, it will be Soon enough to discuss whether or not the city is entitled to tax the PNE.

Few changes in civic elections but progressives poll good vote

council with tenant, labor and community support, polled 1,134 votes — only 160 votes below the vote cast for elected council member James Ball. Earlier, progressive school trustee Dorothy Lynas had been returned by ac- clamation in North Vancouver.

Victoria tenants leader Ann Tarasoff, running for council for the first time, polled 1,408 votes.

In the sharply contested civic election in Burnaby most. in- cumbent aldermen were re-elected representing the Liberal, Tory and Socred forces. The Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA) which ran candidates for council, school board, polled substantial votes, with incumbent Brian Gunn re- elected to council, and Ann Blakey returned to school board. All BCA council candidates polled over 4,000 votes, but fell a few hundred short of election.

In Richmond, where another Sharp fight took place between right wing civic forces and the

Eunice Parker of Coquitlam failed to win re-election to school board by only 70 votes, polling 2,166 votes.

Richmoll}

newly emerging (READ ’

Electors Action League

: jeved # and the NDP, which achleY i!

W calf wa d

pill)

measure of unity between failed to oust the rigs machine. However, ND didate Dave Williams returned to council. ee didates for counclt Procopation polled 2,213 vole Margaret DeWees, 2,173 jor te Running for school board

wing

first time, Lorraine Hocking P } oquitla” 0

1,448 votes.

The Association of © Electors (ACE) succeedet electing John Gilmore t0 ol but progressive fore

dine

failed to get re-elected ‘iid board by only 70 votes, pollin ae was an off-year cal Saturday with few may at candidates running. var nest) holds its civic election W

of this week.

af

first time, was within 1 ‘ winning candidate, polll votes.

B.C. peace parley meets on Nov. 30

“The response to the call for the B.C. Peace Conference set for Saturday, Nov. 30 at the Coronation Room of the YWCA has been very good and a large turnout is expected,” B.C. Peace Council officers told the PT this week.

Hundreds of invitations have gone out to organizations and peace workers all over the province and delegates as well as observers are expected to take

many voices murmur, ‘‘i

t can’t happen here.” are unfair and misleading. And e of the stuff by which we can

part in the one day session which opens at 9:30 a.m. Registration will commence at 9 a.m. Delegates will pay a $4.00 delegate’s fee, ob- servers $2.00.

The B.C. Peace Council office has received a special one half hour film on last year’s World Congress of Peace Forces held in Moscow. There will be a special

showing of the film at the Nov. 30 conf

«silent Pai funds. But who knows? It may also be a = de min in this monopoly anti-NDP tirade — U.S.

being what it is in Canada.

of The mining magnates don’t want the people tra

ye ; Prominent speakers ha oat W;

invited to take part 10 i discussion on Canada an@ © 4 ii! for peace. The discussion place at the morning sess! pot afternoon there will be ye : ra the fight for peace in B. ‘al, : the events of the past vf pe projecting a program af wil action for 1975. The rep” gpl presented by.B.C. Peacé chairman John Beechin

cH Boy

votes)!

t oust

it

— i Ae — a ee —

uring the years when Hitler and his Brownshirts were smashing up Communist meetings, wrecking union organizations, terrorizing Jewish businesses and clubbing

and murdering the owners, in Canada and other areas of °

the ‘‘free world,’’ many people were assuaging their fears and salving their consciences that the Nazi reign of terror “could not happen here.” Many learned to recite it, almost like a litany — ‘‘it can’t happen here.”’ And not only did it ease many troubled consciences but it also confirmed the false opinion that “I am not my brother’s keeper.”’ :

But it can, and did happen — in many parts of the civilized world. And it is still happening. :

Chile is perhaps the latest and most terrible example.

Yet it took an “‘official”” Canada only a matter of hours to’

grant recognition to the fascist junta which has sought to strangle every last breath of democracy in the country, which murdered the elected president Salvador Allende, killed or exiled the elected goverriment members and brought its thousands of workers under the whip of op- pression. The face of murder and fascist terror is the insignia of this junta.

BER 22, 1974—Page 2

’ direct and indirect ben

Province. Two years a pledging itself to a new or

Pro-monopoly — Social Credit rule of which the people had had more than enough —- and stated so clearly on their ballots.

While this NDP s0vernment, like a host of other social- democratic governments, was far more generous with its pre-election promises than with actual legislation, it nevertheless has done much which has been of great

efit to the people. Of course, big business and its many friends in the media don’t like it. So now we have a galaxy of powerful

mine Corporations, building cont: organized landlords, real estate s i

another unless the ND will and insatiable greed for

be missin

be €& from the reactionary with its co;

clamor is the CIA nspiracies and limitless

3 is ex! 7 havea greater share of the lavish wealth that - = hes from the earth in the form of mineral resource

: . 12. the vociferous opposition to the NDP in Victor y

a UJ “Free enterprise” car insurance agents, Ties l larger cut of the ICBC pie and put on so-called aise i / get it. But what is behind it all is something to? schemes aimed at wrecking the whole ian + be machinery and turning the long-overtaxed mo coats. over to the tender mercies of the private init ai J f And they threaten that they won’t be satisfied "|

It bearsa remarkable similarity to what was salt el business in Chile, just before they conspired W} to oust the Allende government by force. — t tne My

These numerous and varied attacks agains ni) government, coincident as they are we 1» gh nouncements of Liberal, Tory and Socred “‘un! ; ‘i m? serve to warn the NDP that it cannot play at so (hide Satisfy monopoly greed at the same time. sor ince ya got to give and the working people of this pr' i

i enough. : a eee Fae between the situation he sat Chile on the eve of the murder of democracy, e onl if somewhat farfetched, but the similarity ee nd ignored at the peril of the NDP governmé working people.

1

Coquitlam suffered a setbatt io) tt the defeat of Eunice Par sei k

K

ya North Vancouver District Ww candidate Ernie Crist, © ot