Is there a dominant issue for the

November municipal elections i in . bs

B.C? |

government, or be wiped out bythe
provincial. government.
We warned that the appoint-

.mentof Bill Vander Zalm to the -

municipal: rene naprt heim

can deny that. the people of Van-
couver want the ward system. They,

voted for it twice: once in areferen-_

give

poll book. If ever a scheme was de-
vised to downplay the
of civic government and civic dec-
tions, this is it. The cabinet is say-
ing: civic elections are not import-
ant enough even to have a voters’
lis. Reducing elections to just en-
(ering your name in a sctibbler not
only emasculates the > but it
also lends itself to all kinds of abuse

““*tricky”’ politicians.
If the Socreds are allowed to de-

ible to their every day needs, de-
mocracy asa whole in B.C. will suf-
fer. We need the opposite, an Cx-
tension of civic democracy.

What motivates this attack?

I chink there are [wo reasons.
Onc is in reaction to the clection of
progressives at the municipal level

provincial
pa? base. a wants to end that by
curtailing the power of civic gov-
emnments to act on behalf of their
citizens. It's part of the drive tocen-
tralize power in the hands of the
cabinet so that it can act freely on
behalf of the establishment.
Secondly, there is the economics
of the issue. The Socreds want to
subsidize their overall resource and
economic policy by dumping the
costs of social services on muni-

importance |

example. No onsin ther righ mint ;

Paty
ways worked to build such alli-
anoes, (0 be a part of them and to
faithfully carry out its part of any
agreement entcrod into. Our role as
a party in these alliances as every-
where is to fight to advance the in-
teresa of working people cspe-

elected in 1931, there have been
many Communists docted to coun-

if such NDP groups were set up, in. _ solve’ many ‘problems. and to ad-
fact has not- worked. .

lon Crist election i in N. Van.

News, November 15, 1981

‘dress the issues of economic power .
it has largely remained on paper’. “are at the so-called higher levels of

Progressives hope to build

, im finish
Or wt the top Of the pol, as he did
in

In Nosth Vancouver City,
where the entire council is up for
election, the conservative major-

public debate North ty will face challenges from two
over the rental chemical officers of the North Vancouver
going over the heads of council Richard Biackbum and vice- -.
and revealing to the public the ex. President Greg Richmond. = aiderman topped poll in 1878.
of the inl Beal A key issuc in both the District be heid to discuss the distribution
Report. and the City is taxation as both thatthe city switch to Option A.
municipalities are on “Option city switch to Option A,
imucn auto the ngentia and has at Oo”. the aie
to im formula for homeowners. and other industrial propertics to
aed hen afferdh -" ' oun The issuc has been brought toa = pay more. Blackburn and Rich-

head with the arrival of the ncw

industry and business if the

cipal taxpayers and then hevingthe = Yorke in Vancouver is one of the

ultimate power to damp down on most recent. We do not claim to be
PACIFIC TRIBUNE —SEPT 18, 198) — Page 6

This full page reprint from the September 18, 1981 edition of the Pacific Tribune newspaper appears as a paid
advertisement by a group of citizens who feel it may be of interest to voters in the November 21 Municipal elections.

AUER TELE TD TTT LTE NE ME ET NERC EC NT ETD

districa Chose Option A.