The voice ofB.C.'s organized fishing industry workers
LETTERS
The Fisherman welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should be brief.
Sointula local questions need for chrome plant
The fishing industry relied on pure air and water to keep the sea life healthy and prosperous. Our livelihood depends on this renewable resource. Therefore we have serious concerns regarding the proposed ferro-chromium plant in Port Hardy.
The fishing communities of B.C. have already suffered the grave consequences of reiving on the government to protect our environment or to enforce the feeble standards that we do have in place.
What will be the hazards to the workers who will be exposed to the chromite ore and dust?
Is there a site-specific contingency plan in place to deal with possible spills, leachings or meltdowns at Mr. Wooding's proposed experimental smelter?
Why bypass the Mount Waddington Regional District board and therefore the input of Port McNeill. Alert Bay and Sointula? We are talking about the future of close to 5,000 concerned residents. The seafood from this central area is among the most sought-after in the world. Salmon are one of the most chromium-sensitive of the fish species.
We urge all levels of government and those in the private sector to slow down and to complete due process in regards to the rezoning of Crown lands, the expenditure of public funds and the issuing of waste permits to the proposed ferrochromium smelter north of Bear Cove.
The UFAWU. as part of the labour movement, supports the democratic process. An issue as important as this should not be settled by eight people on the Port Hardy council, but by a referendum of all residents of the North Island.
Calvin Siider,
President, UFAWU Local 26, SOINTULA
Impact ofFTA easy to see
The statement that it is too early to make a judgement on the Free Trade Agreement has to have been made by a pro-FTA individual or group.
Management and labour unrest has never been so apparent, with a real threat of companies relocating in the United States if all their demands are not met. The companies are using this threat to downgrade working conditions, benefits and wages.
I suggest that the person or group who thinks its too early to know the effects of the FTA should take a good hard look at what has been happening in Canada since it was implemented.
Big Business is the only beneficiary of the FTA with its insatiable greed to widen the profit margin at the expense of the Canadian worker.
Welfare and unemployment are on the rise! 72,000 jobs lost! Have there been any created and if so are they of equal pay and good benefits? Or are they of minimum wage with no benefits, in which case a person cannot afford to keep himself/ herself let alone raise a family?
Where are the retraining programs that the Tory government promised in their sales pitch for the deal?
One year old? It seems a lot longer.
Greg Garbe,
VANCOUVER
• This S350.000 fish sales float, officially opened last week by fisheries minister Tom Siddon, can only be approached by passing the site of the proposed Shady Island pub (rear), developed by Siddon supporters on land controlled by the Small Craft Harbours' Branch, which is under Siddon's ministry. Is False Creek next on the list?
Shady story
Tbm Siddon pushes Steveston harbour privatization — is False Creek next?
By DON TAYLOR
AROUND Steveston, fishermen are already beginning to talk about the prospects for the coming season. Prices, size of runs and markets are the catchwords. Closure of B.C. Packers' groundfish operations and the subsequent loss to the economy make many wonder, 'where will this end up?'
But overshadowing all these concerns is a controversy that may seem unrelated to fishing — a local referendum for the Shady Island neighbourhood pub. located on the Steveston waterfront on public land. Would-be customers at the new fishermen's sales wharf must pass through the pub development to get to the water.
The pub's development is itself a shady story, one which involves our MP. fisheries minister Tom Siddon, and his dedicated constituency executives, some of whom have found profit developing property owned by the taxpayers.
It also serves as a warning to fishermen elsewhere faced with similar "democratically-elected" harbour authorities. There are indications Siddon is personally demanding quick action to privatize False Creek fishermen's floats in similar fashion.
Similar privatization schemes have been linked to local developers in Comox and fishermen in French Creek are reconsidering their approach to their harbour authority.
The evidence suggests that the harbour authorities, while appearing democratic, are being used to open up public property for private exploitation. The interests of commercial fishermen are being ignored.
The Shady Island pub was developed by the Biggar brothers, whose close ties with Siddon are well-known. The pub licence, if granted, will cap their long campaign to develop public waterfront for private profit.
The next stage of Steveston harbourfront development — the harbour authority — is being handled by Bill Kavanagh, another Siddon supporter, a vice-president of Siddon's riding association who campaigned on behalf of the Biggars' development in the Richmond Review, which donates money to Siddon's campaigns.
Isn't it all an amazing coincidence? On Jan. 11, Mr. Siddon issued a news release affirming "his strong support for the newly-established Harbour Authority at Steveston, which is democratically constituted to represent fishermen, processors and other groups.
"Local control of harbours is positive and beneficial to all," said Mr. Siddon. "It will ensure the continued development of the facility in a manner best suited to the needs of the commercial fishing industry.
Mr. Siddon noted the UFAWU's opposition to this process, but said he is saving a seat for us. Finally, he announced the official opening of the new fish sales float attached to the Biggars' property by Small Craft Harbours at a cost of $350,000. Claiming it will provide a "new, open access to the waterfront," Siddon encouraged "all members of the community to come down to the new float."
It's time to clear the air on why Steveston UFAWU Local 7 has opted not to be represented on the board of this new Steveston Harbour Authority. There are three reasons:
• the manner in which the present board was appointed instead of elected;
• the unfair treatment of the five present employees of DFO's Small Craft Harbours operation in Steveston; and
• the complete refusal of Small Craft Harbours to provide an open and revealing audited financial statement of the operations of Steveston Harbour.
After many months of meetings between the Steveston Fishermen's Advisory Committee, the Steveston Waterfront Task Force and the Small Craft Harbours Branch of DFO, Capt. Bill Kavanagh, was hired by Small Craft Harbours to set up the new authority.
He put a proposal to both committees that the board of directors include two directors from the UFAWU and one each from the Pacific Gillnetters, Pacific Trailers, Fishing Vessel Owners, Steveston Business Association, Community groups, Richmond Council and the Fisheries Council of B.C. That's nine seats.
The union indicated it would recommend acceptance of the proposal and hold elections in the local for the UFAWU board members.
In May 1989, Mr. Kavanagh was asked by the task force to prepare the necessary papers for discussion. The results of the discussion would be taken back to various committees and a general open meeting of all of the fishermen in Steveston.
Had this been done, there would most likely be a board of directors incorporated by now, for the other two problems would have been comparatively easy to solve.
On returning home from the season's fishing, I was called to a meeting by Mr. Kavanagh and found to my horror it was not to discuss the documents but a meeting for the formation of the harbour authority. Mr. Kavanagh had set himself up as both the chairman and the recording secretary.
No negotiations were to take place as we had agreed and Mr. Kavanagh arbitrarily changed the make-up of the board to 10 seats. The Steveston Business Association had been dropped, the Fisheries Council
given an additional seat and the Deep Sea Trawlers Assoc. had been added as well.
In order to break a tie vote from a 10-member board the chairman was to be allowed two votes. This, of course, was defeated and an additional seat was then granted to an "independent fisherman" who was hand-picked by Mr. Kavanagh. That gave us 11 seats!
At this stage of the game, I could no longer accept what was happening and did not attend any more formation meetings. I reported back to my local and they unanimously rejected the whole procedure becausd it was not done democratically, it was not what was agreed to in the first place, and does not, now, have a majority consensus of the fishing community.
So the union will not be represented on the board of directors unless we do the honorable thing and go back to the table and agree to some changes not only to the board but also to the letters patent establishing the authority.
Richmond city council also generally accepts this position and has not yet nominated a representative to the board.
As to the present employees, members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the UFAWU's position (and PSAC's) is that the present collective agreement should be the basis for agreement in principle between the present employees and Small Craft Harbours, which should recommend it to the board.
The obvious reluctance of Small Craft Harbours to do this has put the five employees in a terrible state of affairs, causing undue concern. This is no way for an employer to treat its employees and SCH must be censured for doing so. Negotiations should begin immediately.
Finally, the finances. Repeated requests for audited financial statements for the operation of Steveston Harbour have been denied. Apart from one statement of income and expenses, which showed a deficit of $619,000, all that has been provided up to now are budget proposals, each one difference from the last one.
We all know there is a considerable problem with accounts receivable, which up to Aug. 30 were in the vicinity of $300,000. This is not even mentioned in the latest papers received.
The policy of the union is that a full, open disclosure of all finances should be made before any board member signs the incorporation documents.
It is difficult to understand the thinking of those who have already signed without knowing the full picture, especially when you consider the funds involved are in excess if $1 million.
These problems left Local 7 no alternative but to withdraw and on Nov. 27, Mr. Kavanagh advised we were deleted from the board.
Undoubtedly, this story is not over. We will keep you informed. Until then, we wish you full nets and tight lines. • Mr. Taylor is a member of Steveston Local 8 and was active in the Steveston fishermen's committee.
THE FISHERMAN / JANUARY 19, 1990 • 5