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TRANSCRIPT
F 2016
News@Nine PROUDLY CANADIAN Voice of the Local
PPWC Local 9 2015 Re rees Michael Aspa Spook Benne Hugh Dery William Drake Sheldon Dyck Lloyd Francis Edward Gamble Stanley Gervais Robert Greenough Keith Harris
Larry Hebert David Hewitson Dick Humphrey Rudy Ivanic Robert Lees Dale Palasty Brian Parsons Rudy Piccolo Clem Plouff Stanely Prangnell
Darcy Rahier Roy Randle Angela Sharun Greg Spiers Shannon Studney Lyle Toderovich Wayne Trodd Garry Vantol Gerald Wagner
P 2 NEWS @ NINE
Message From Our President President’s message
Gree ngs Local 9 members!
By the me the “New Look” News at Nine comes out we will be well into the New Year. I sincerely hope each and every one of you has a great 2016!
We always have a lot going on in our local, and it is hard to decide what to comment on. Since we have just finished off our new commi ee and table officer elec ons I thought I would start there. I want to thank everyone who let their names stand for a posi on and congratulate those who secured a posi on. Now that we have our commi ees filled, the real work starts!
As commi ee or table officer members, our first duty is to the be erment of our fellow members. We do this by represen ng our members on a day to day basis in our worksites, whether on the floor or in mee ngs. Now that you are commi ee mem-bers make sure you understand the issues facing your commi ee, and more importantly, a end the mee ngs! It is impera ve that if we are to hold our respec ve companies’ feet to the fire on mee ng a endance then we too must also a end those mee ngs. As commi ee and table officers we are also a part of Local 9’s execu ve and are en tled to a end the two execu-ve mee ngs each month as well as represent your commi ee at each general mee ng. These mee ngs are important as this
is where the Local’s business gets done!
The second item I want to touch on is the progress of our Union’s name change. Presently Local 9’s applica on is before the Labour Board and we should be hearing back from them shortly. Once this is complete we can then officially change all the rest of the legal items, change signage and buy new T-shirts and jackets. You will no ce some of these changes have already been made (website, News at Nine) with more to come.
Let’s make 2016 a year to remember under our new name. Get out and support your Local in whatever capacity that you can! See you out and about!
Chuck
Local 9 By‐Laws Under Construc on Just an “ in case you didn’t know”; Local 9 has had some problems in the past giving away our CNC and TRU Bursaries. Its not always a lack of applicants but some mes is a problem because the designa on by the ins tu on has interfered with students qualifica ons and generally caused some confusion. The execu ve has chosen to bring the bursaries in house so that we, via internal commi ee can make the selec ons ourselves. Our thinking is to create awards of a broader scope not limi ng ourselves to just the two ins tu ons. Many of our members’ dependants are enrolled in ins tu ons outside the region and this would support our membership in a more diverse way.
The UNBC Award, is not a scholarship or a bursary and the university has never had a problem delivering the monies, or deciding on who the recipient should be . PPWC Local 9 has supported UNBC right from the start and the membership seems happy enough to leave this award as is .
The Bylaws Commi ee is currently reviewing the bylaws around this and will bring a revised bylaw to the membership for their approval in the near future. All bylaws have to go to the Na onal Execu ve Board for their approval and the hope is to have everything in place for the next fall school sessions.
P 2 NEWS @ NINE
Did You Know?
The Pulp And Paper Pension Plan is changing their website in the New year. The expecta on is that some me in February Morneau Shepell, the plan administrator, will have the new site available and it will include much more informa on. It should include informa on regarding the Canada pension Plan, and Old Age Security, as well as the current Pulp And Paper Pension plan itself . There will be a much improved calculator to help you with planning as well. The hope being that you will only have to go to this one site to plan your pension and see what re rement might look like.
P 3 NEWS @ NINE
S ll figh ng Published in the Guardian on January 21, 2016
Support from the community is helping to boost the spirits of eight blood service employees s ll on strike in Charlo etown. That's how Tanya Herrell, president of the local union that represents the Canadian Blood Services (CBS) workers, describes it. "At Christmas me we had a lot of support,'' Herrell said on Wednesday as she and fellow striker Leanne Voutour braved the chilly temperatures outside the CBS building on Fitzroy Street. "We had a Christmas meal donated to each of us and we were given gi cards for our families and our children.'' Wednesday was Day 136 on the picket line for the workers who are all part- me, figh ng for guaranteed minimum hours and the benefits associated with them. Talks between the two sides broke off last month, and there's no word on when they might resume. Some people simply drive by and honk their horns in support. One man pulled over and handed the women gi cards for Star-bucks. Sisira Siriwardane, a newcomer who worked as a doctor in Kenya before moving to Charlo etown, walked up and gave each of the women a warm hug. "I think it's me to get some good results (for the workers), a solu on on their side,'' Siriwardane told The Guardian. "It's high me (CBS came back to the bargaining table). It's been four months.
"I have never seen this type of trade union ac on or anything like it. I hope there is a solu on that (works in the employees' favour).'' Herrell said they tried to meet with former P.E.I. Health Minister Doug Currie but "he wouldn't see us''. They are currently try-ing to schedule a mee ng with current Health Minister Robert Henderson. Although it's not a provincial issue, Herrell said it could s ll be a produc ve mee ng. "There is a lot of taxpayers' money that goes toward the Canadian Blood Services, so speaking with the health minister, it's a health issue. Blood is needed everywhere.'' John Hanrahan, president of the Confedera on of Canadian Unions (CCU), the country's largest federa on of independent la-bour unions, was in Charlo etown this week to lend his support. "CBS has to come back to the table,'' Hanrahan told The Guardian. "These women deserve be er. (CBS doesn't) want to guar-antee any hours for their staff; they want a part- me, on-demand workforce across the country.'' Hanrahan said the employees, who are required to be on call in case they are needed, want no fewer than 18.5 hours per week in order to be covered for health benefits. "These ladies are figh ng for all CBS workers across the na on, for guaranteed hours and benefits.'' The Guardian did reach out to Canadian Blood Services for a comment, but there was no immediate response. Voutour says with the support of the community they intend to keep going. "We wouldn't have stood out here for 136 days if we didn't love our jobs,'' Voutour said. "We love working here. This is where we want to be and we're figh ng to get what we think we deserve.''
What's Happening in the CCU
Dues Receipts are ready for pick up at the Office for the 2015 tax season. Be sure to get yours or send your shop steward in to get them for you. Included in this edi on is the table officer and commi ee lists so if you don’t see it on your bulle n board be sure to hang one up.
P 4 NEWS @ NINE
One Person’s Opinion
Labour and the New Federal Government
Submi ed November 27, 2015
It has been several months since the Federal elec on. The rise of a majority Liberal government, the fall of a majority Conserva ve government, and the virtual annihila on of the New Democrats came as a surprise to most. Like many of us in the Canadian labour movement I was cheering orange, and made a point of involving myself in Trent Derrick’s campaign for MP of Cariboo-Prince George. The NDP is by far the most pro-labour party in Canada, and I know many a union brother was disappointed (or had mixed feelings) on elec on night. So where does that leave us?
“Anything’s an Improvement”. This was an o heard sen ment the day a er the elec on. Many moderates and even hard line NDP supporters echoed the no on that a Liberal government would at least be less blatantly adversarial towards labour. There are namely two campaign promises that the Liberals and the NDP overlap on. And those promises are to repeal Bill C-377 and Bill C-525.
If you have not heard of those bills, I will recap. Bill C-377 is the Bill which forces unions to open their books and report their finances to the government. At Local 9 any member has the right to review the finances at any me. Therefore we really do not need the government to protect us from our own union. Few besides employers’ associa ons and right wing think tanks fail to see this bill for what it is; a ‘guilty un l proven innocent’ piece of legisla on meant to deliberately undermine organized labour. Further reading at h p://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/bill‐c‐377/
Bill C-525, in the words of Ken George (President of the Canadian Labour Congress) “C-525 aims to make it much more difficult for workers in the federally-regulated sectors to join a union - and it would also allow a minority of workers to decer fy their union.” It does this by amending the exis ng labour legisla on to read with much weaker wording. Further Reading at h p://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ken‐george /bill‐c‐525_b_4733175.html
Another key issue where New Democra c and Liberal promises coincide is electoral reform. Both par es pledge that this was the last elec on under the an quated ‘first past the post’ system which consistently leaves Canadians unrepresented and almost never results in a parliament which directly reflects the desires of ci zens.
However there is one outstanding issue on which the Liberals
and the NDP do not seem to agree. How Canada goes forward with our handling of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) may well be more important than all other campaign issues combined. The TPP has been widely cri cized for being much more of a ‘bill of corporate rights’ than an actual free trade agreement. Most of the development of the deal was done in secret, with government and business interests from all par cipa ng countries strongly represented. But almost no input was welcomed from labour, environmental, or indigenous interests. Labour interests generally see this deal as yet another agreement that will make it simpler and easier for corpora ons to outsource labour, export raw products for processing overseas, and generally con nue the trend of furthering wealth disparity in developed countries. So far the Liberals have taken a rela vely weak stance on the subject by promising to be more open with the process than the
Conserva ves were (not hard), and talking a good talk about the scru ny they plan to apply to the deal. The NDP promised to get Canada out of this deal en rely.
It is difficult to tell at this point what the outcomes of the TPP will be for Canada. But any deal where the par cipants put that much effort into secrecy and the exclusion of all stakeholders should raise some alarm bells amongst progressives. Especially when TPP is so loudly championed by the wealthiest and most powerful in society. Remember, those same guys told us how great NAFTA would be too.
It is obviously early days at this point. But so far, actually the Federal Liberals are off to a decent start when it comes to undoing some of the more egregious damage done by the previous Conserva ve government. Accomplishments include ending the suppression and silencing of federal scien sts, and the restora on of the long form census. Great strides have been made on other elec on items such as the reopening of the Kitsilano Coast Guard Sta on, and banning oil tankers off the north coast of BC. Liberal promises, ‘Achieved’, ‘in progress’, and ‘broken’ are all being tracked here at h ps://www.trudeaumetre.ca/
The new Government is yet to do much with the promises made that affect labour the most. But their track record of trying to keep promises is not bad so far. I hope that unions across the country keep a watchful eye and hold this new government to account. Par cularly as the saga (or fiasco?) of the TPP unfolds. But for the me being, I remain cau ously op mis c.
Alex Deevy
P 5 NEWS @ NINE
Poker Nights are usually held once a month through out the winter.
Come on out and join the fun and interact with others.
The next Poker nights will be : February 12 March 18 April 8
At 7:00 pm each night at the Union Office located at 1921 3rd Avenue.
The Recrea on members are always looking for new ideas on what ac vi es the membership would like to do. If you have an idea contact the Union Office and Julie will direct you to the right person.
Recrea on Commi ee Events
Community
Through out the Holiday season local 9 made some substan al dona ons to some very worthy community associa ons, making it possible for them to make a few more people’s holidays just a li le happier.
Here are some photos of : 100 Mile House Food Bank St. Vincent De Paul Society
Elder Ci zens Recrea on Associa on Van Bien Elementary Breakfast Program
PAGE 6 NEWS @ NINE On the economic possibilities of a post-scarcity society
For Karl Marx, capitalism not only foster(s) and ul mately limits the produc ve capacity of the economy, but also shapes the character of the humans who live within it. He rejected the idea that ego s cal self-interest was immutable human na-ture, rather we become this way in a for-profit market econo-my that rewards and reinforces the relentless pursuit of self-interest, and punishes those forced into aliena ng forms of work. In 1930, at the beginning of the Great depression, John Maynard Keynes wrote an essay called “Economic Possibili es for our Grandchildren.” He also cri cized the accumula on of capital for its own sake, and tried to envision what a post-scarcity society might look like 100 years hence (2030). Keynes is credited by many with saving capitalism from itself, but this passage from his essay suggests the Bri sh economist had an ulterior mo-ve;
When the accumula‐on of wealth is no longer of
high social importance, there will be great changes in the code of morals … The love of money as a possession – as dis nguished from the love of money as a means to the enjoyments of the reali es of life – will be recognized for what it is, a somewhat disgus ng mor‐bidity, one of those semi‐criminal, semi‐pathological propen‐si es which one hands over with a shudder to the specialists in mental disease. All kinds of social customs and economic prac ces, affec ng the distribu on of wealth and of econom‐ic rewards and penal es, which we now maintain at all costs, however distasteful and unjust they may be in themselves, because they are tremendously useful in promo ng the accu‐mula on of Capital, we shall then be free, at last, to discard.
For both Marx and Keynes the capitalist social order was “a most distasteful” but important, stage in human history, a pre-quel to emancipa on from economic scarcity and aliena on. For both, capitalist stagna on, depressions and barren eco-nomic pursuits slowed the process toward emancipa on by compounding permanent losses, now measured in trillions of dollars, of forgone socially useful goods and services. In his new book, The Mythology of Work: How Capitalism Persists Despite Itself (Pluto Press), Peter Fleming reprises the idea that capitalism – the work that produces the wealth of na ons, for profit, in advanced capitalist socie es- has outlived its usefulness. The book is full of anecdotes about how the na-ture of contemporary work is as oppressive as it is non-produc ve, much more about reproducing neoliberal capital-ism than doing anything useful. His anecdotes include a three-day work week and a guaranteed living wage.
Is there a material basis for these proposals that would serve society independent of capitalist interests? For example, where would the investment funds come from? And can we afford a shorter work week while maintaining or increasing the standard of living for the bo om 90% of income earners?
Do Robots get all the good jobs? In January 2012, a Bloomberg Businessweek ar cle noted the U.S. economy produced almost one quarter more goods and services than it did in 1999, but with virtually the same number of workers. “It’s as if $2.5 trillion worth of stuff – the equiva-lent of the en re U.S. economy circa 1958 – materialized out of thin air,” it read, leading into a discussion about whether
technology was killing jobs.
“In 2005, the average U.S. worker could produce what would have required two peo-ple to do in 1970, what would have required four people in 1940, and would have re-quired six people in 1910,” an economist told “Business Week” , sugges ng this is what progress looks like. For example, where in 1900, 41% of Americans worked on farms, less than 2% do today
thanks to tractors and combines. This trend holds in other sec-tors outside of manufacturing. “So are robots ge ng all the good jobs??” asks the ar cle. It is grist for Fleming’s ire about the absurdity of the neoliberal mindset. If the object of produc on were wealth, not profits, then perhaps we should let the robots have the jobs, while we enjoy the goods and spare me to pursue life without drudg-ery. Unfortunately, and as “Business Week” concludes (in the Keynesian tradi on) today’s unemployment and stagna on are the result of a shortage of demand that is slowing the econom-ic progress represented by the growth in produc vity. And what of cash hoarding? According to James Henry, a sen-ior advisor for the Tax Jus ce Network, “the world’s super rich have taken advantage of lax tax rules to siphon off at least $21 trillion, and possibly as much as $32 trillion, from their coun-tries and hide it abroad – a sum larger than the en re Ameri-can economy.” World GDP is approximately US $70 trillion. Data from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service suggests that, globally, U.S. non-financial companies hold Approximately US $5 trillion in cash. Canadian companies are widely reported to be holding about $635 billion, equal to one-third of the econo-my. In all, trillions of dollars that could be available for produc ve investment are instead channelled into financial specula on and tax avoidance. If this money could be redirected, taxed,
(Continued on page 7)
P 7 NEWS @ NINE economic possibilities cont.
then spent on educa on, a green economy, and research and development, (then) wage growth, a living wage for all, and a reduced work week, are objec vely possible. Instead the Unit-ed States, as neoliberal poster child, has been moving in the opposite direc on for nearly four decades. Economists Thomas Pike y and Emmanuel Saez provide evi-dence that between 1973 and 2000, the average income of the bo om 90% of U.S. taxpayers fell by 7%. Incomes of the top 1% rose by 148%, the top 0.1% by 343%, and the top 0.01% by an amazing 599% in that me. According to economist Lester Thurow, U.S. real per capita GDP rose 36% from 1973 to 1995, yet “the real hourly wages of non-supervisory workers (those who don’t boss anyone –a vast majority of the workforce) de-clined by 14%.” In the decade beginning 1980, all earnings gains in the U.S. went to the top 20% of income earners; 64% went to the al-ready massive wealthy top 1%. In a rather stunning calcula on, Joel Rogers, director of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, predicts that if wages tracked produc vity, “median family income in the U.S. would be about $20,000 higher today than it is.” Elizabeth Warren wrote in 2001 that U.S. family finances are more fragile than they had been for the previous genera-on. In 2011, Robert Reich tes-fied to the U.S. Senate commi ee that in the 2000s, the typi-
cal American worked significantly longer hours than his or her European or Japanese counterpart, and in fact “many more hours than the typical middle-class family had worked in 1979 – 500 hours longer, a full 12 weeks more.” Americans were also sleeping between one and two hours less than they did in the 1960s.
The notorious debt these people have accumulated keeps them working longer hours while reducing their future con-sump on, as the song says, because they owe their sole to their company store.
Slumlords or a green economy?
In November 2010, a New Yorker ar cle by John Cassidy,
“What Good is Wall Street?” quoted Lord Adair Turner, then
chairman of Britain’s since abolished Financial Services Author-
ity, describing a lot of what happens on the world’s stock ex-
changes as “socially useless ac vity.” Cassidy’s ar cle reflects
Flemings assessment of the neoliberal economic order. The
oligarchs that run the city of London, Wall Street, and Bay
Street in Toronto are, he writes, “the financial equivalent of
slumlords or toll collectors in pin-striped suits. If they re red
to their beach houses en masse, the rest of the economy
would be fine, or perhaps even healthier.”
A reduc on in the bloated U.S. financial, insurance, real es-
tate, military, security, marke ng and adver sing sectors could
reduce hours of work without affec ng the real needs of ci -
zens. Waste could also be trimmed from the top of the U.S.
health care system, which spends 50% more delivering health
services than any other country in the world, without actually
affec ng pa ent care.
The wealth saved on these “slumlords” could be funnelled
into cri cally important climate-friendly produc on. A Cornell
University press release in March 2013 reported that by the
year 2030 it will be possible to convert all of New York State’s
energy sources from natural gas,
coal and fossil fuel to wind, water
and sunlight. This would stabilize
electricity prices, reduce power
demand by about 37% and create
thousands of permanent jobs. A
series of reports out of the eco-
nomics department at the Univer-
sity of Massachuse s Amherst
provides evidence that the same
energy policies could be applied
almost anywhere through the
right public policy and a focus on
community ownership. The fact
clean energy is more labour intensive than fossil fuels imbues
such policies with a more cri cally important social end.
In a fascina ng forthcoming book, The New Normal: Persis‐
tent Austerity, Declining Democracy, and the Priva za on of
the State (Pluto Books), Alan Nasser takes up this topic in
depth. He asks why, with genera ons of rising produc vity and
an abundance of surplus for investment, with profits up and
wages down, is there not an obvious alterna ve to austerity,
inequality and economic stagna on?
At least in the industrialized world, the evidence suggests we
have solved or could readily solve the problem of produc on
and sustainability. What remains is a seemingly insurmounta-
ble poli cal problem – the problem that genera ons a er
Marx and Keynes we are s ll incapable of demanding our well-
deserved share of the prosperity and spare me our labour
power has produced.
(Taken from an ar cle by Robert Chernomas published in the Monitor)
(Continued from page 6)
P 8 NEWS @ NINE Interes ng stuff
Mandatory Registra on for Off‐road vehicles star ng soon Ar cle from Oct 17th Ci zen Newspaper
by Mark Neilson Ci zen Staff
The provincial government’s new laws for all-terrain vehicles, side-by-sides, dirt bikes and other types of off road vehicles are about to come into effect. ( last November—Ed)
Star ng Nov. 1st, owners must register their ORV’s at an ICBC broker before they can be used on Crown land, including resource roads, the Provincial government said Thursday.
Riders will also have to wear helmets, use the vehicle’s seat belts if they’ve been installed by the manufacturer and carry iden fica on to help officers be er iden fy reckless riders and establish their age.
“Off-road vehicle registra on will help combat vehicle the and promote responsible use of ORVs, “ Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Opera ons said in a press release. “ The new safety standards will help keep ORV users safe in B.C.’s backcountry.
Other measures include requiring ORVs to be equipped with both headlights and taillights that can be used during the day when visibility is poor and when it is dark out—beginning 30 minutes a er sunset and ending 30 minutes before sunrise. Temporary lights can be used if lights have not been installed on an ORV by the manufacturer.
And youth, 16 years and younger, riding on Crown Land must be supervised and riding an appropriately-sized ORV. There are two excep ons:
Those 14 to 15 years of age who have wri en
permission from their parent or guardian confirming the child has sufficient training to operate the ORV
Those riding in temporary spor ng events authorized under an enactment where injury preven on has been addressed.
Also, ORVs designed to be operated by a child 11 years old or younger do not have to be registered.
Voluntary registra on has been in place since Nov. 17th, 2014, and since then over 35,000 users have registered. An es mated 200,000 off-road vehicles are used in the province.
The registra on fee remains at $48.00 and owners will have the op on of a aching a s cker or a license plate to their vehicles. Owners who have already registered
an ORV can exchange their metal plate for a s cker for no charge. A er Dec. 31, the coast will be $18.00.
As for snowmobile, mandatory registra on has been in effect since the 1970’s under the Motor Vehicle (All Terrain) Act, but they will now be under the Off Road Vehicle Act.
With the switch, the snowmobile registry is being moved from a manual system to a computerized database for quicker iden fica on of irresponsible riders and to more easily track down stolen sleds. More informa on, including an FAQ, can be found at www.for.gov.bc.ca/mof/orv/.
(brought to our a en on by re red member Len Shankel)
PAGE 9 NEWS @ NINE More Interes ng Stuff
You can help keep your biological clock tuned in to your sleep with anchor sleep. Aim to have at least four hours sleep at the same me every night/morning (e.g. 3-7am). This seems to help keep your sleep clock regular. Use the weekend or days off to get in some extra “recovery” sleep. Make sure the sleeping environment is as conducive to rest as possible. A comfortable bed in a dark, well-ven lated room, is essen al. And when we say dark, we mean dark – invest in some black out curtains. If you work shi s, you really need to re-set that biological clock. Also, aim to cut out as much extraneous noise if possible: install double glazing; use ear plugs. Avoid s mulants (eg caffeine), large meals or vigorous exercise for at least 3-4 hours before going to bed. Also, avoid over- the counter sleeping aids which may make you over sleepy when you need to be alert (driving home, for example) If you have trouble ge ng to sleep, lavender, passion flower, hops, orange blossom, Scot’s pine, camomile and peppermint all claim to promote sleep. And milky night me drinks really do help bring on the Zzzs. The Romans thought that le uce was good for sleep, but the crème-de-la-crème “sleep sandwich” has to be a banana, marmite and le uce bu e: the banana and marmite contain natural substances that help induce sleep. If you’re an owl, you usually go to bed late and get up late, so shi work will be less of a problem than it is for larks, who prefer to get up early and go to bed early. Bright light in the evening ( you can get light bulbs with a much higher lux value than ordi-nary, domes c bulbs) and avoiding the dawn light by wearing sunglasses can help. Maximum sleepiness occurs when your biological clock temperature is at its lowest – usually around 4am. Your personal level of alertness is controlled by your biological clock and by how much sleep you have had. Remember sleeplessness leads to poor concentra on, thinking, memory, increased irritability and hos lity. Alcohol magnifies these effects.
Sleep ps for shi workers
We would like to congratulate our 2015 UNBC Award Recipients
Zack Lively: Dear members of the Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada Local 9 I would like to thank you for choosing me to receive this generous award. The award money is greatly appreciated and will go a long way in helping me achieve my educa onal goals. I was born and raised in Prince George and a end the University of Northern BC. I am currently in my fourth year of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program and have hopes to gain admission into the UBC Den stry Program the following year. It’s a long road, but one day I hope to prac ce den stry in my own clinic. Once again I would like to thank you the members of PPWC Local 9 for your generosity.
Monique Gendron: I would like to express my deepest gra tude for entrus ng the PPWC Local 9 award to me. This award will be used to help alleviate the strain of the cost of post secondary educa on,
both on my parents and on myself. Prince George is my home town, and I expect to stay here the next few years, at least un l I finish my studies. I will begin my a endance next September with the iASK Program. I have selected this program to begin with because it is a springboard: since I have not been able to narrow down a career path, this program will give me a good star ng base, integrate me into University life and allow me to sample a wide variety of courses all at the same me. Though I am s ll uncertain as to which direc on I will choose, I do know for certain I have a strong desire to work in the Arts, and that I have many ap tudes, 3D visualizing among them; a career as a GIS technician is not unreasonable.
I hope you will con nue to offer this award in the future. It is a wonderful gi to a student just beginning life in post secondary educa on, it is a gi to yourself as well; the gi of knowing you’ve helped the educa on of someone who may have otherwise been unable to alone. This award will have a las ng legacy within the people who receive it.
P 10 NEWS @ NINE
History Of The PPWC
Chapter 15 Con nued
The sham of privacy rights
At the onset to the commission hearing, W.A.C. Benne assured the populace that the realm was secure: “We intend to protect the rights of privacy in this province.” Benne went on to assure us all that Commissioner Sargent would give no quarter in his pursuit of this basic democra c right.
The commission, it would seem, was struck to deal with the hi-jinks of the private detec ves, the RCMP, and O’Neal, as a member of the Interna onal Union.
The first sign of trouble came when discussions began concerning the ma er of the tapes themselves. From the onset of these discussions, Sargent wanted to play them publicly with not only the opposi on in the room but the press as well. John Laxton, represen ng the PPWC, gave a long and passionate argument against this, claiming that publicly revealing the tapes would create the very issue that was before the inquiry. The accused, in fact, would win their day while standing accused. He also told Sargent about Benne ’s promise. Sargent replied, “When you’re my age, you don’t pay a en on to what newspapers or poli cians say.” Even the lawyers represen ng the opposi on were concerned about playing the tapes in an open forum. Sargent paid no heed. It was his commission. He would do as he chose, and he chose to open the court on tape-playing day, and that was that.
PPWC representa ves were the first to tes fy, with Murray Johnston going first. The first ques on in cross-examina on, of course, was concerning what in fact had been discussed during the lead-up to conven on. Murray had been advised by Laxton that answers to this type of ques oning should be vague, at best, as the tapes would reveal all that was said anyhow. Sargent was not impressed. He opined that Murray’s tes mony was a cover-up.
To clear the air, Laxton offered to Sargent that he had instructed his clients to be wary. If they could not remember exactly what was said, the best thing was to say, “I can’t remember.” The tapes couldn’t lie, so there was no point in specula ng what had been said. It seemed like a prudent thing to do. The commissioner immediately took Laxton to private chambers, where he read some form of riot act to him. It remained to draw the conclusion that Mr. Sargent already had a pre y good opinion of what he wanted from this inquiry.
The commission adjourned over Christmas, re-opening in mid January.
In the meanwhile, many unionists from around the province and several IWA officers, including Syd Thompson from the Vancouver local and Weldon Jubenville from Duncan, called for O’Neal to resign. Several BC Fed officers also lashed out at O‘Neal, saying they wanted nothing to do with one who stooped so low.
Upon re-opening, Commissioner Sargent was faced with a new
challenge. On behalf of the PPWC, Angus Macphee challenged Sargent’s authority to conduct such a hearing. His appointment under the Public Inquiries Act did not give him such scope as he commanded. Best put, perhaps, by Mary Southin, also represen ng the PPWC, saying, “This commission on invasion of privacy has turned into a probe of the very party whose privacy was invaded.”
Upon hearing the challenge, Chief Jus ce Wilson, BC Supreme Court, ruled that, indeed, the commission had run way over its mandate. He ordered the commission invalid.
His ruling came too late to save PPWC president Orville Braaten, however. Orville, the last to tes fy on the last day prior to Wilson’s findings, refused to answer ques ons related to long-ago ma ers. He took the posi on that he would answer ques ons only in keeping with the outlay of the challenge Macphee had put before Wilson. When he was asked specific ques ons rela ng to events he allegedly took part in years before, he refused to answer. Sargent ruled he must answer. Orville said he wouldn’t. Sargent found him in contempt of court, and off to Oakalla jail went Orville.
Remember Bodin’s observa ons concerning the commissioner? It seems he was pre y bang on.
The province further appealed the Wilson decision. More “commie”, “red” stuff was unearthed by O’Neal and company. In Victoria, old “Wacky” Benne declared the work of the commission would go on in some fashion. New terms of reference were established. Orville languished in Oakalla jail. BC was much safer, all agreed. Sargent was approached to have Orville released. No dice. So Mary Southin, again, applied to the Supreme Court of BC for his release. This was received favourably, of course, and Orville was ordered out of jail. Strange place we have lived in here, for sure.
Ms. Southin le the hearing at this me. She refused to have anything to do with such stupidity.
The commission was re-opened. However, the mandate had been changed considerably. With no ability to jail the other PPWC pesky people, Sargent soon red of the game and, assumedly, packed his pillow and sheets into the courtroom. It did drag on, but nothing concrete was deemed to have resulted from the commission itself. Perhaps the furor raised and the a en on it received Canada-wide helped to establish wiretapping rules and right to privacy rules down the Peace a ways.
Stay tuned for CHAPTER 16 of the history of the PPWC in the next issue of News @ Nine. The History of PPWC was wri en by PPWC Local 8 member, Jimmy White in the late 90’s. Brother White was the Na onal 1st Vice President of the PPWC and is now re red. His contribu on and the historical value of this informa on to the membership is valued.
P 11 NEWS @ NINE
Norbord Upcoming
General Mee ng Dates
FEB. 16 MAR.15 APR.19
Red Coach Inn upstairs room
7:00 pm
Prince George Upcoming
General Mee ng Dates
FEB.10
MAR. 16 APR. 13
PG Elder Ci zens’
Rec Center 1692 10th Ave
7:30 pm
Prince George Upcoming
Execu ve Mee ng Dates
FEB. 9/23
MAR 15/22 APR. 12/26
Union Office
1921 Third avenue 7:30 pm
Employee Assistance Programs EFAP CONTACTS NORBORD 1‐800‐668‐2055 CANFOR 250‐563‐0665 CHEMTRADE 1‐877‐630‐6701 PACIFIC BIO 1‐800‐481‐5511
Got Work Related Issues? Contact the office at:
Phone ( 250 )563‐5670 Julie will help direct your
concerns can’t make it in, send an e‐mail
Bursary Deadlines 2015
TRU January 15 UNBC March 1 CCU October 1 Angus Mcphee November 1 Orville Braaten November 1 CNC November 15
The views and opinions expressed herein are solely the responsibility of the author. They do not form local or na onal policies or procedures. We welcome your feedback, opinions and inquires.
Ron Richardson—Editor
1921 3rd Avenue
Confedera on of Canadian Unions
www.ccu‐csc.ca
My friends, love is be er than anger. Hope is be er than fear. Op mism is be er than despair. So lets be loving, hopeful and op mis c, and we will change the world
Jack Layton
REMINDER
Please note that employers do not always update your informa on to the union office, so any address phone number or name changes should be forwarded to Julie at the
office. Par cularly for the union death benefit.
NEWS @ NINE P 12
On December 19 2015 the PPWC annual Christmas dance was held at the Coast Inn of the North. The dance was a ended by over 210 members, spouses and others. The food and music was enjoyed by all ; thanks to the catering staff from the Coast Inn of the North for the great food and VJB Entertainment for
the music and videos.
Thanks to the Recrea on Commi ee and volunteers for all their Hard Work.!
Congratula ons again to all of the 2015 Re rees !
PPWC Annual Christmas Dance 2015