British Columbia

COPE presses unity to defeat NPA |

Vancouver progressives can launch the most unified campaign ever to turf out the pro-developer administration at city hall, civic candidates told the annual garden party of the Committee of Progressive Elec- tors on Sunday.

COPE alderman Libby Davies and inde- pendent mayoral candidate Jean Swanson hit the ruling Non-Partisan Association for being in the pocket of the city’s developers, practising secrecy and thwarting demo- cracy, and for disenfranchising thousands of potential voters in the upcoming civic election.

Swanson, backed by the Vancouver and District Labour Council and expected to receive endorsement from both COPE and the Civic New Democrats, said a unified campaign could turn the fortunes of the city’s progressives and defeat the NPA.

“T expect we are going to have a level of unity on the left that has never been seen before in the city of Vancouver,” COPE president Jim Quail predicted.

Talks between the two civic groups over sharing slates for city council and parks and school boards have been progressing well, Quail said. COPE will hold its meeting to

Concerned Citizens for Choice on Abortion (CCCA), the pro-choice or- ganization that was-the target of a pro- vincial government-approved spy oper- ation, says it will continue its own investigation into the covert activities because the provincial Ombudsman’s report released last Wednesday still leaves many questions unanswered.

NORAH HUTCHINSON

“We are strongly suspicious that not all the information obtained by the spies has been made available to the Om- budsman,” Norah Hutchinson, CCCA representative, told a press conference only hours after release of Stephen Owen’s report.

“We are determined we will get to the bottom of this. We didn’t expect the Ombudsman to answer all the questions we have. But before we proceed with our action we obviously wanted to see this report,” said Hutchinson.

She said that a meeting of the CCCA membership would be called shortly to discuss the next step in their investigation which may include court action against the provincial government.

The Ombudsman found that the Social Credit government used extraor- dinary and intrusive measures in hiring private investigators to spy on the group. The action “sent a dangerous message to those who hold a different view. How- ever unintentionally, it has given the impression that the law-enforcement arm of the government can be used to enforce a partisan political purpose,” said Owen.

The report stated that former attor- ney-general Brian Smith used “question- able judgment” in hiring a law firm and

Pro-choice group — has more questions on govt spy action

cand Larry Banks worked within CCCA ..

_ works on public education in support of

private investigators last year to gather information intended to be used to launch a court challenge if the group proceeded to set up a free-standing abor- tion clinic in Vancouver.

Smith hired the Vancouver law firm of Farris, Vaughan, Wills and Murphy to conduct the investigation, who in turn employed Newcombe and Associates Investigation Inc. of Burnaby to infil- trate the CCCA. Private investigators Carolyn Newcombe, Marzena Banks

for seven months where they obtained licence-plate numbers, profiles on indi- vidual members, and tapes of public meetings and photographs.

CCCA lawyer Dick Gathercole said that although the CCCA is satisfied with Owen’s report it is limited in its context. “He can only investigate matters of administration. He can’t get involved in the broader political issues that were involved in this case.”

Hutchinson said that the move by Smith towards obtaining a civil injunc- tion was “inappropriate and unnecessary action for the government” because CCCA never intended to open an abor- tion clinic. Instead the organization

choice on abortion which includes sup- port for free-standing abortion clinics.

Gathercole pointed out that even at the time of the investigation (prior to the January 1988 ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada which overturned the section of the Criminal Code covering abortion services) opening a clinic was not illegal. But “a move towards obtain- ing a civil injunction against opening a clinic could intimidate many people, members of our organization and poten- tial donors,” he said.

Hutchinson welcomed the recent posi- tion taken by the Canadian Medical Association in support of abortion servi- ces in free-standing clinics but con- demned the comment by B.C. Health Minister Peter Dueck that although he recognizes that abortion clinics could open legally in B.C. they would not receive any provincial funding.

“The Vander Zalm government has to realize that there is an urgent need for abortion services in this province and since it has paid a minimum of $14,000 to spy on us, it seems to us that they could find the money to fund a health care centre providing this much needed ser- vice,” said Hutchinson.

nominate candidates for those slates and decide on the question of supporting Swan- son on Sept. 12.

The Civic NDP has nominated five can- didates each for council and school board, and four for the parks board, leaving COPE five spaces for council, four for schools and three for parks.

Swanson and Davies hit the NPA for its secrecy and cozy relations with the develop- ers over the Concord Pacific project on the Expo lands, its refusal to fund the school board’s food program, and the cancellation of door-to-door voter enumeration. The lat- ter, Swanson noted in citing city figures, left 96,000 potential voters off the list.

Davies hit council’s right-wing majority for facilitating Concord Pacific’s plans to create an “executive city” on the north shore of False Creek instead of heeding community groups’ demands to zone the area to include at least half affordable hous- ing for working and low-income people. (Council meetings on rezoning the site drew dozens of interveners Aug. 23, and more were to be heard prior to a council decision expected Tuesday.) °

Swanson said the issue of dangerous con- taminants in False Creek soil has been withheld from the public by both the city,

Libby Davies (with COPE president Jim Quail) hits NPA sellqut on Expo lands:

which has a report on toxic wastes on the site, and the province, which refuses ® divulge a Concord Pacific plan for allege y cleaning up the former Expo 86 lands.

She said the NPA’s refusal to hold fil public hearings seeking input for a city plat for the site — instead working secretly Ww Concord Pacific — amounts “co-optiv’ rather than the NPA’s touted “ operative” planning.

“T can tell you that the development of the north shore of False Creek is going tO”, the biggest issue in this civic electiom Davies declared.

The left may be the underdogs right now But with a unified program for change the) can take the Nov. 19 election, Swanson sal

“We can have a unified, articulate and hard-hitting campaign, we can stick up {0 ordinary people like we have been, and jus

as wehave made Vancouver a model fighting for peace, we can defeat the NPA

and become a model of a just, liveable a” democratic city,” she said.

The COPE nomination meeting is at it Vancouver East Cultural Centre, 18 f Venables St. on Monday, Sept. 12 at Te p.m. The new campaign quarters at Commercial Dr. open Sept. 7.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE

ark

Nomination Meeting 1988 Civic Election

Nominations for _¢- Mayor e City Council

Vancouver East Cultural Centre | 189 5 Vv enables Street (Corner of Victoria & Venables)

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 42

For further information call COPE 251-2963 or after September 6 visit campaign headquarters at 2240 Commercial Drive (commercial & 7th)

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2 » Pacific Tribune, August 31, 1988