Large areas of the province are being ripp

the mining companies are still crying they need more profit.

ed apart by open pit mining being carried on mostly by foreign-owned mining monopolies. This photo shows open pit copper mining carried on by Bethlehem and Lornex in B.C.’s Highland Valley. Lornex reported a net profit from these operations of $8.2 million for the first six months of this year. Brenda Mines Ltd. more than doubled its profits in the same six months. But

COPE mayoralty candidate Bruce Yorke said last week that he has ‘‘revised upwards’’ his estimate of how successful the COPE candidates will be in the November 17 civic elections. Yorke said that because of the way both TEAM and the NPA are split, COPE ‘finds itself in a_par- ticularly favourable situation. Clearly, we are now the only reform alternative for the people of Vancouver.”

Yorke also dismissed suggestions by former TEAM alderman Mike Harcourt that he might step down from. the mayoralty race in favor of either Harcourt—or fellow COPE can- didate Harry Rankin. “I am not going to step down and Harry Rankin is not going to run for mayor. Bruce Yorke will be the COPE mayoralty candidate,” he stated. »

‘Vancouver needs new direction’

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

What is the key issue in Van- couver’s municipal elections?

According to TEAM and its mayoralty candidate Jack Volrich the main issue is fiscal respon- sibility. According to Ed Sweeney, it’s financial irresponsibility.

I. don’t agree. Financial responsibility is an important matter (and I'll deal with this later), but, it is not the central question.

The main issue, as I see it, is the role of City Council.

Is City Council simply to serve the requirements of special in- terests, and in this period, par- ticularly those of developers?

Or is City Council to serve the needs and requirements of the ordinary citizens, the homeowners and tenants? ~

Vancouver has reached a crisis point in its development.

Homeowners face excessive taxes, tenants pay excessive rents, we have an acute housing shor- tage, bus service is being curtailed and fares increased, crime and drug addiction continue to grow. We have a school board that is unable or unwilling to cope with the declining quality of education and increasing juvenile delinquency.

We have a Parks Board that is more interested in building high priced tourist attractions than recreation facilities for the people who live here. | This is the result of 40 years of misrule by the NPAand TEAM. The NPA, which ruled Van- couver for 36 years, has always been the creature of narrow, self- seeking business interests. TEAM, masquerading as a

reform party, served essentially .

the same interests.

City Council has spent tens of millions of dollars to subsidize commercial developments like Block 42/52, Granville Mall, Gas Town, the CPR’s Granville Square, developments that could and should have paid their own way. Our limited and priceless water- front property, which should be saved for port expansion, is being turned over to commercial developers. y

The CPR was handed an unearned gift of over a hundred million dollars by the upward rezoning of its False Creek

properties, without any com- pensating return to the city. The city’s housing development on the south side of False Creek is ‘beamed to middle and upper in-

and very tortuous trail, the Tory phalange is now getting set for their by-the-grace-of-god kill. Such events have happened quite frequently since

come brackets, not at relieving the housing shortage facing the or- dinary citizen. :

Successive NPA and TEAM administrations have schemed and manoeuvered to turn the entrance to Stanley Park over to private developers and if they haven’t as yet succeeded, it was only because of the determination of citizens to save this site for public use and enjoyment.

Mayor Art Phillip’s obsession with the concept of an “‘executive city’, the essence of which is to develop the downtown area as the preserve of the business elite, has brought about the destruction of thousands of units of low and moderate rental housing units to make way for expensive com- mercial developments.

We now have over 4,000 empty condominium suites that people can’t afford to buy. The city is sitting on over 1,000 acres of city- owned land that could be leased for a nominal fee or used to build public housing.

For the first time in its history, the population of Vancouver is beginning to decline.

The term “fiscal responsibility” is being used by both TEAM and NPA mayoralty candidates as a

cover-up for a program of cutting services to people while raising taxes still further. What about the financial irresponsibility involved in the practice of assessing big commercial and __ industrial properties at far below their real value, thus allowing them to escape paying their fair share of taxes?

To me the term ‘“‘fiscal responsibility’ means using the city’s financial resources prudently to provide needed ser- vices to people, not to give sub- sidies and concessions to private business.

There is a way out of the crisis that faces Vancouver, but it requires a fundamental shift of direction and purpose.

Vancouver needs a City Council

‘that is people-oriented, that is

responsible to, responsive to and accountable to its citizens.

Neither the NPA nor TEAM can come up with such a Council.

The Committee of Progressive Electors (COPE) representing community groups, trade unions and the ordinary citizen, offers the only alternative available in this election.

See RANKIN, pg. 12

arise between them is purely hot air and has nothing to do with the political realities of the time. Joe Clark however is staying with ‘‘pure and undefiled”

Yorke also reacted to the al- nouncement by Helen Boyce that — she will run for the mayor’s job. ‘‘As far as we are concerned, her entry into the mayor’s race will strengthen our campaign. In her own words,Boyce has said that she is not a left winger. For reason, we feel that the left and reform elements within this cily should have nothing to do with her and should come to us.’ aa

“Politically, she is on the right 4 with Volrich and Sweeney.”

Inother matters, Yorke said that the COPE election plans were finalized at a COPE membership meeting held over the weekend. “Our final election policy statement was approved by the membership, as was our election slogan.” Yorke said that the slogan for COPE candidates would be “Vote COPE for real change”’.

The COPE campaign will be run

as much as possible on the basis of existing COPE area committees.

Yorke said that anyone wanting t0 —

become involved in the COPE

campaign should contact the COPE election headquarters which

are located at 2245 Commercial Drive. The phone number is 251 1207.

Additionally, Vancouver al- chitect and author Donald Gutstein. has agreed to serve as COPE’S press agent and publicity director for the duration of the election campaign. He too is available at COPE election headquarters.

ALD. HARRY RANKIN

TOM

‘W\he Establishment is busy building up the non-descript

Joe Clark come general election time. True they haven’t got much to work on but that don’t worry them one damn bit. Joe has already demonstrated that he is the kind of lad a highly corruptible establishment needs, and that’s all that matters. The electorate as befits monopoly capital will do their growling the day following election. At the moment its all hosannahs for the new Tory Moses, who, among other things, is to deliver us from the liberalism of Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

Tory Joe Clark is a small town politician, not an ex- ceptionally bright one, and had it not been for the dearth of leadership timber and the Tory stockpile, would have remained as he was, practically unknown. Now he has been catapulted into an ersatz fame, but without the glamour of a national saviour. One gets almost the feeling of acute embarrassment felt by his Tory colleagues every time he gets up to orate. No wonder Tory stalwarts of the old school make a beeline for the toilet every time he plans to sound off on something or other. What better place to head for when the stomach-and-brain are united in a common bout of nausea?

Sensing the political mish-mash which the glamorous Pierre Elliot Trudeau is almost certain to leave in his long

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 1, 1976—Page 2

~~ pS

McEWEN.

Confederation, but one major similarity imposes itself more and more on the picture, viz, that the “‘differences”’ between erstwhile Liberals and Tories has now become similarities, so much so that even the most studious elector is hard put to it to tell them apart! Now they are Tweedledee and Tweedledum, with one aim and one purpose for their being - to hookwink, swindle, and doublecross a leaderless electorate.

One may take the short view and blame the electors for this sorry state of affairs over the years, but if one takes a rational view, then there’s no one to place the onus upon but himself...or herself. And while we’re scouting around for someone to blame the Tory mills are “grinding, and grinding exceedingly fine’. Ten years of Trudeauism. have fertilized a barren soil for ten years of Toryism. One can almost hear the R.C. Iron Heel Bennetts chanting hosannahs to their heavenly abodes.

The so-called break between Socreds first seer Aberhart and the Tory and Liberal assortments of the 30’s was no break at all. In fact nothing but the lavish promises from either side were slightly bent, and these could always be fixed up with a minimum of political malarkey. The problem was then, as now and always to get control of the ship of state. With that assured then it didn’t matter one damn what came next. Abie could always be relied upon to deliver the goods on behalf of the Bankers Association and sundry other social sharks. That fact alone clinches (if such clinching is necessary) any differences between Tory and Socred. So whatever political arguments may

toryism, whatever that is. He requies no cajolery or other enticements to stay with the Tory herd. He grew up with it, lives withit, and if need be, like the fable that survived Sir John A. MacDonald, die with it—which in this period is time is readily possible.

Joe plays it cautious. He has just got back from a near- world trip, has met all the great and near-great in world- politics-who stand for Toryism (read reaction). But he’s not saying much at the moment, primarily because he has nothing tosay that would be of any interest to the people of

Canada. They’ve heard it all before in great Tory orations

and the similarity is deadly. Like another Trudeau or a Diefenbaker turned inside out.

Better get back to the sticks Joe and try your new toryism on the gophers. They’ll give you a nice long whistle.

TRIBUNE

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