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• Few gillnetters attempted to fish near dredge on Cottonwood drift Aug. 19.
Geoff Meggs photo
'Undemocratic'
Union slams energy bill
Vol. 45, No. 17 «o-' Vancouver, B.C. 504 August 22, 1980
The UFAWU has called on the provincial government to withdraw the Utilities Commission Act (Bill 52), designed to facilitate approval of corporate applications for major energy projects through a sham public hearing process, until a Royal Commission of Inquiry is held to determine B.C.'s real energy needs.
"The UFAWU is absolutely opposed to Bill 52, especially to sections allowing ministerial discretion in exempting from the public hearing process energy construction or export projects." said the union in a telegram to energy minister Bob McClelland Aug. 21.
The new act. said the union, "deprives citizens of any chance to appeal the granting of licences and certificates for energy projects", while it allows the ministers of energy and environment "to approve any energy construction or export project without any public hearing or scrutiny whatsoever."
The bill, currently before a special legislative committee after passing second reading Aug. 20, may be approved by the legislature by the end of the month. A union delegation was in Victoria at press time to meet with the NDP and Socred caucuses to urge defeat of the bill.
The new act establishes a seven-member commission, the B.C. Utilities Commission, which is appointed by the cabinet for a term not exceeding five years.
The commission's duties will be to examine applications for major energy projects, whether the energy is to be used domestically or for export, provided the minister agrees there is a need for a public hearing.
The ministers of environment and energy will jointly establish the terms of reference for the commission's review.
But the minister may also decide to exempt a project from public review entirely "in cases where the project is considered to have a minimal environmental or social impact".
In its telegram to McClelland, the union condemned this provision, which union secretary-treasurer George Hewi-son noted will allow the government to ignore environmental concerns whenever it wishes.
In a news release the same day, the union said the province's energy resources will be
nibjected entirely to the control of two men.
See ENERGY — page 2
Dredge fouls Fraser drift
The Fraser River Harbor Commission arranged a nasty surprise for river gillnetters Aug. 19 — a massive dredge in the middle of Cottonwood drift at the foot of No. 6 Road in Richmond that effectively eliminated the fishery on that stretch of the river.
A week-long campaign by the UFAWU, headed by New Westminster Local 4 member Mas Kamachi, failed to budge the commission, which makes no secret of its hostility to fishermen on the Fraser.
"They talk about the dredge company's taxes and its right to use the river," Kamachi said, "but how many years have fishermen paid taxes?
"We were shut down for eight weeks this summer and no dredging took place. Now, on our first real gillnet opening, they start it up."
The commission's objective clearly is to drive gillnetters off the river once and for all, he said.
News of the dredge's presence came first from union member Kurt Hengstler, who had been retained by the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission to perform a test fishery on the Cottonwood. The Sceptre Dredging operation made his work almost impossible. He contacted Kamachi, who organized a protest locally and in Ottawa through local NDP MP Pauline Jewett.
But neither union protests in Vancouver nor Jewett's pressure in Ottawa were successful. Effort on the drift was limited to a handful of boats Aug. 19. Vessels working around the obstruction were forced to drum up most of their net and trail the remainder astern, parallel to the river flow.
Efforts were continuing at press time to get the dredge removed in time for the scheduled Aug. 23 opening.
Authority to issue permits for river dredging is held by the harbor commission, which first circulates the application to the department of public works and other government agencies for approval.
But the application notice
See DREDGE — page 2
• The unloading crew at J. S. McMillan's Prince Rupert plant is well-known among union fishermen for its close work with them on union matters. Plant has a strong, active shop stewards committee. Above, winch operator Leo Corbeil (with control unit, right) and Pat Stewart bring fish ashore.
Newfoundland battle continues
2,000 march to protest cuts
Newfoundland's fishing industry strike took a new turn Aug. 21 as more than 2,000 striking inshore fishermen marched in the streets demanding decent prices from the province's giant processors.
The dispute, now entering its sixth week, has paralyzed fishing and processing activity in Newfoundland since July 14, when strike action announced by the Newfoundland Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union was met by a mass lockout of nearly 80 processing plants by the province's seven major processors.
NFFAWU spokesman Earle MrCurdy told The Fisherman Aug. 21 the rally was an outstanding success and demonstrated to the processors the striking fishermen's determination to win the battle.
McCurdy added an arbitrator is still meeting with both sides separately but no progress has been made yet.
He said the provincial government announced Aug. IH the appointment of a Koyal Com-
mission of Inquiry into the dispute with the duty to examine company books to determine processor claims that they could not afford to pay higher minimum prices in 1980. He said the commission also
will be examining fishermen's incomes to determine union claims that fishermen cannot afford fishing under last year's minimum price agreement.
"Some terms of reference of the commission's role into the
BCP blames losses on markets, strike
B.C. Packers has claimed a $3.2 million loss for the first half of 1980, the same period in which it shelled out $22.1 million to tighten its grip on the industry with the purchase of most of Canadian Fish.
In its report to shareholders Aug. 11, the Weston subsidiary reports sales to the end of June were $97.1 million, down from $133 million in 1979. Profits in the same period last year were $4.1 million.
Company president R. I. Nelson complained the loss was attributable to the loss of the roc season, weak markets for frozen seafood products and high interest rates. The company is counting on reducing its loss to the $3.2 million figure by recovering income from taxes.
dispute are positive, but it will all depend on how it's done."
McCurdy said a government recommendation for an interim agreement may be imminent but added the combined strike and lock-out may not end soon.
More than 20,000 workers are on the bricks in what has developed into an historic confrontation between organized labor and the fishing monopolies. Newfoundland fishermen, the only ones in Canada to enjoy bargaining rights in law, have vowed they will not accept the disastrous cuts proposed by the companies.
Also fighting for a better deal are thousands of shoreworkers still struggling to overcome the low wages and poor working conditions of many decades. The NFFAWU is less than a decade old, but has already made major gains.
Leading the onslaught on the union are the province's two giant processors, Fisheries Products Ltd. and National Sea Products.