el VOLUME 14 NUMBER 10 APRIL 14. to TO AUG 30th 1983 OTHER SIDE THAT'S THE D.C. SPIRIT!. Nuclear Weapons Testing inB.C. by Al Haig The Provincial Government has signed a 3-year 150 million dollar, weapons development and atmospheric testing agreement with the United States, the Ministry of Con- sumer and Corporate Affairs revealed Monday night. The plan, which entails ‘building nuclear weapons de- velopment plants in Langley, and a weapons testing range on the outskirts of Chilliwack, is expected to create 1600 per- manent jobs, and will play a key role in the Premier’s “‘re- cession, restraint, and reco- very’’ election program. The signed agreement is the result of two years of intensive negotiations, and construction of the plants and testing range is expected to commence this’ summer. Langley was chosen for the plant site ‘‘because of the relatively low land values, and also its proximity to the proposed testing range’’, an unnamed source inside the Ministry revealed.The Chilli- wack area location for the test- ing range was based on the proximity of the Canadian For- ces Base at Chilliwack, an ‘‘the reasonably sparse pop- ulation’. — Community reaction to the plan has been mixed. Saman- tha James, head of the organ- ization ‘‘Chillewackans for a Nuclear-Free Zone’’, was in- sensed at the plan; ‘‘The envi- ronmental damage from at- mospheric testing will be~ enormous. Besides that, at- mospheric testing was banned in the 1963 atmospheric. test-. ing agreement.’’ James also expressed concern for the hu- man effects of nuclear weap- ons testing. When Industry Minister Don Phillips was asked to comment! on James’ assertions, he bran-! ded them as anti-nuclear prop- aganda. ‘‘We are providing safe, high-paying jobs. What more do these people want?”’ A prepared statement re- leased by the Ministry of Con- sumer and Corporate Affairs claimed that British Columbia is not bound under the Atmos- pheric Testing Agreement, because no on in the then Soc- ial Credit government signed the document. A leading ex- pert in International Treaties is expected to investigate the Socred claims. When Premier William R.' Bennet was asked to comment on the agreement, he said ‘‘It is a significant step in diver- sifying the B.C. economy, and relieving our dependance on primary industry. What has been long-lacking in B.C. is a. strong secondary-industry sector, and we hope that the introduction of a modern, up- to-date facility of this type will spark the way to further de- velopment, either in this area, or in others.” When questioned on the pos- sible danger to people living Bye Bye Billy by Hollandia Vlanderzoom On a sad April 1st the peoples’ politician announced his resignation from the polit- ical arena. William Vander Zalm said he was going to take a sabattical from politics to spend more time with his family. In a mov- ing speech he said now was a time when the family really needed his support and he was, ‘‘damn well going to give it to’ them!”’ After his stormy tenure as, Education Minister through- out which he endured many undeserved attacks Mr. Van- der Zalm said now was the time to take a breather. Mr. Vander Zalm will be keeping the portfolio up until the Socreds are re-elected and will then pass it on to another of the bright stable of political wizards Premier Bill Bennett has at his disposal. “T hope that my successor will not get the resistance from ‘The Education comm- unity that I had’’. Mr. Vander Zalm said. ‘‘Those teachers and students have been living high off the hog at the tax- payers expense for too long.”’ He pointed out that the re- cord schoolboard budget sur- plus and unwillingness to spend that money just con-. firmed his suspictions about the amount of fat in the edu- cation system. “It’s like a spending free-for- all at those school boards’’ he said ‘‘even I don’t have a Mer-. cedes.”’ When asked about any future political plans, Mr. Vander iZalm replied that he was ‘‘in support of Bill Bennett all the way’ yet if Bill was to step down the leadership is a def- inite possibility’’ and his chan- ces of winning, ‘‘well, I’m not a man who likes to lose, at anything”’ After his exemplary tenure in the offices of the Human Re- sources Ministry, and the Municipal affairs _ portfolio, and lastly the Education Min- istry, Mr. Vander Zalm has proved himself a master polit- ician, and it will be with open arms that he is welcomed back in to the political fold. CONT./ON PAGE 2 Bennet’s Building a New B.C. by Willy Jr. In a surprise move Premier Bill Bennett fired the election starting gun. ; ‘‘T know that I have the supp- ort of the people behind me,”’ he said at the April 7th press conference when he dropped the bombshell. ‘“They like me and I like them.”’ : When asked why the sudden rush he said ‘‘I’m just getting tired of all the harrassment and accusations of the opposi- tion and labour, I mean I’m the Premier, I don’t have to put up with that Crap’’. To the thunderous applause of the press Bennett went on to say ‘‘This election I intend to prove once and for all that this province is the Social Credit Party!”’ From the shoulders of the jubilant pressmen Bennett was heard to shout ‘‘Onward to Victory!’’ Radical leftwing Sun columnist Marjorie Nic- hols was heard to say ‘‘that Bill Bennett just burns my butt.”’ Holding a Social Credit cam- paign poster Socred sympath- izer Neal Hall said ‘‘even Bill Bennett’s band is fantastic.’’ In an emotionally charged “speech later that day Bennett laid out his election platform which included continuation of rule by cabinet decree, ‘‘the costs involved in having all those people sitting around doing nothing are enormous.”’ Bennett said that by moving the legislature to Kelowna B.C. it would free up the leg- islative buildings for more productive endeavours. ‘‘We have been in touch with West Point and they are definitely interested in setting up a youth oriented training centre here.’’ This and the new building up of secondary ind- ustries form the backbone of the new party platform. When asked about the NDP and their reaction to his new platform Bennett replied “Those Socialists are: bent on destroying the good life we have here in B.C., this elec- tion will show them that the people of B.C. are tired of their communist tactics, it will show them that the people here believe in free enter- prise.”’ “We have the grassroots support that we need to take over this province and by God we are going to doit!” Bennett was finally drowned out by cheers from the mem- bers of the Vancouver Board of Trade. Smiling he walked off the podium and into a new era of B.C. politics.