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Got righlif in Sen Comfort and Mi Piano Complete meeting and banquet nd rates available i Resets Ea (403) 289-0241 ‘pllFree: 1-800-268-8993 1804 Crowchild Trail NW. ANALYSIS” Swing votes will decide By JOHN WARD . VANCOUVER (cP) — Ahandful of voters in a clutch of key ridings could decide the British Columbia general election Thursday. Analysts say the outcome is too close to call and will be decided in about a dozen swing constituencies. The political makeup of the province is such’ that support for the two major parties, the governing Social Credit and the NDP, is almost even and that for other parties almost istent. Only 2.34 p ge points separated the Socreds and NDP in the popular vote in the * Jast election in 1979, although Social Credit held the edge in seats, 31 to 26. “I still think it’s neck and neck,” Don Blake, a political scientist at the University of B.C. who has made a study of provincial voting patterng, said three days before the vote is counted. “The province is split right down the middle.” Paul! Tennant, professor of political science at UBC, also says it is a toss-up. ‘ 5 = “It could go either way,” he ‘Says. “Such ‘a small number of people make the. difference." LANDSLIDE POSSIBLE There are 1.7 million eligible voters, but 60,000 changing their votes could conceivably give either party a landslide majority if the changes came in key ridings where winning pluralities were low in 1979. There are 224 candidates seeking the 67 seats in 60 ridings. Seven ies elect two Boyle, who wrote a book about the volatility of B.C. politics, says the campaign has been low-key with little of the philosophical battling between the two major parties that has marked past elections. “Both of them have decided to go "to the middle,” he says. “When you watch them in action, yoit can see that basic strategy at work,” Blake says of the campaign: “There have been blips but the things seemed’ to return to equilibrium. Nothing seems ‘to have caught on." NDP ‘NOT READY’ Much of the Social Credit advertising has concentrated on attacking the NDP as a party not ready for government rather than on ideological grounds. “Bennett has got a problem in that while he espouses the competitive market economy, it’s not working too well right’ now,” Boyle | adds. “He doesn’t have much to boast about.” ‘Advance polls were heavy’ ‘Leaders campaigned hard” Premier Bill Bennett and NDP: Leader Dave Barrett have campaigned hard and both have well-run: political organizations, but analysts say most voters made pp their - minds even before the election was' called. be? E don’ t think there are many undecided voters,” Blake says. The Social Credit camp exudes a quiet optimiam. Bennett's campaign has been light and low-key in the stretch drive and he has.not scheduled a last-minute plunge for the finish: line that might be expected of a man looking at worrisome numbers from private polls. ACT CHANGED. There have been no province-wide private polls this hough Election Act changes made this the first campaign it could legally be done in B.C. Weekend advance polls weré heavy, which might foreshadow a big turnout on voting day. That could help _ Bennett, because the NDP is famed for its ability to get out its vote and in a low turnout that can give them an edge. “I’m inclined to think that the larger turnout could well “ favor the Social Credit,” says. Patric Boyle, a political Barrett, on the other hand, did not want to frighten off potential voters with fiery, hard-line socialism and took the low road. The party ads have tried to promote an image of responsibility, stability and moderation. The majcr miscule for the NDP, observers say, was Barrett’s suggestion more than a week ago that he would dismantle the Social Credit government's restraint program, which is designed to hold public-sector wage inereases. to between zero.and 10 per cent. “T think 7 recognized that it was a mistake,” Boyle says. BALLOT COUNT... . Local returning officer Vie Arcuri will once again take charge of the ballot count in the Rossland-Trail Riding. —CasNews Phota Ballots are in good hands “ELECTION '83 CASTLEGAR NEWS, May 4, 1983 By CasNews Staff Vie Arcuri has been the returning officer for Ross. ning the seat for the Social Credit and W.A.C. Bennett had a stranglehold on the land-Trail in B.C. general elections almost since the time Dave Barrett was studying to be a social worker and Bill Bennett was still working in his dad’s hardware store. “This is the eighth or ninth time,” Arcuri said in an in: terview. That means he was returing officer in this riding prior to the 1960s — the days Pp And Arcuri brings that wealth of experience to the 1988 provincial election. To- day there are 20,669 reg: istered voters in Rossland- Trail, down slightly from the 22,402 voters registered for the last election in 1979. Arcuri attributes the drop to the economy -— people moving from the area to find for Reservations: Frone (403) 278-5050, ‘Toll-Free: 1-800-268-8993 135 pouhnd Drive S.E., at Macleod Trail Os OM SIEMENS, waiters analyst’ and author. “SS £0 THINS Za Together... a commitment to the future? To meet the increasing loan demand we are pleased to offer a new when Don Brothers was win- jobs elsewhere. Provincial jElection Day — May 5 It will be quiet on Thursday. No speeches. No paid political announcements. It is a very important day; British Columbia votes on Thursday. Rossland-Trail voters will have a choice of four men, each with a set of mannerisms and beliefs and strengths and weaknesses. Our choice isn’t difficult. There is no choice. The only candidate who wants Victoria to sell off what is left of our natural 120 Day Term Deposit (Minimum $1 ,000) | Putting your money to work locally! Asa team member of our community we've a commitment to progress, to the future quality of this ‘community. We stand ready to offer vital service to advance the prosperity of the memberships we serve. ‘SLOCAN PARK 226-7212 - Castlegar Savings — : CREDIT UNION [ 1 365-7232 sont Slocdn Park 26. 7212: ‘CASTLEGAR. 365-7232 ro) is running for the Social Credit P The only candidate who would raise sales taxes and income taxes is running as an independant. The only candidate who wants to bring Trudeau style megadebt to B.C. is running for the Liberals. The only candidate who has constantly discussed dollars and cents, BREAD AND BUTTER ISSUES, directly relating to each and every individual in this area is running for the New Democratic Party. We looked at-the Social Credit candidate and were told: “There have been no cutbacks to schools and hospitals, or in benefits to the elderly and disabled.” _We will continue to sell off the profitable public enterprises, but keep the losers.” * “Sell crown land and let the Americans buy it.” We lookied at the other candidates and were told: “water licence royalties don’t hurt industry and cause layoffs” “Hydro shouldn't have to pay taxes in the Kootenays, even though they do everywhere else.” “Trudeau will solve all our problems.” | Talk without action. Never a practical statement on a single LOCAL issue. There is no more than a dime’s worth of difference between shouted rhetoric and muddied generalities. WE’RE GOING TO VOTE FOR CHRIS DARCY We choose CHRIS because he gives fair representation to all constituents, regardless of their politics. We choose CHRIS D’ARCY with the full knowledge that this riding and all B.C. will not live happily ever after May 5. The next years will test the work he has already done to protect our job base by ensuring our rights to our own low cost power. We-choose CHRIS D’ARCY because he is young, because he is vigorous, because he takes his own initiative on every single local issue. We choose him because he knows how and when to use restraint and above all because what he says and does makes common sense. On Thursday, the shouting and the begging and the heckling will be over. It is very quiet in a voting booth. And nobody’s going to help you make up your mind, so just for that instant think of the tumult, think of the ‘shouting and thing of Rossland, Trail, Castlegar, and the Beaver Valley. But a drop in the number of voters doesn’t mean Ar- curi still won't have his hands full. He and four fulltime workers hired for the local returning office have been busy ‘training more than 200 people to operate the riding's 18 polling stations. A notary public and real estate agent in Trail when he’s not heading the Ross- land-Trail returning office, Arcuri said his job as re- turning officer also covers all aspects of the election in ae SPONSORED BY ROSSLAND-TRAIL NEW DEMOCRATS Rossland-Trail. y “I'm in charge of running the election in Rossland- Trail,” he said. That includes getting the nomination papers from the candidates, hiring the nec- essary help, setting up the polls, getting the ballots printed, and on and on. And what's Arcuri’s big- gest problem in ensuring that the election runs smoothly? “Time. Time is the biggest factor.” After all, he has only the same amount of time to prepare as the candidates — just 28 days after the pre- mier drops the writ. In his eight or nine election campaigns, Arcuri says he has seldom seen “rowdy vot- ers,” though he has encoun- tered his share of complaints from the various parties. “You get a lot of pretty claims,” he explained, but nothing too serious. Last bid for votes By. The Canadian Press The two main protagonists in Thursday's election de- livered their last major cam- paign speeches Tuesday but made no new promises to the British Columbia electorate. Premier Bill Bennett, whose Social Credit Party held 31 of 57 seats in the last legislature, told supporters in the Dewdney riding every vote will count ahd he warned against complacency. / New Democratic Leader Dave Barrett chose the NDP’ stronghold of Nanaimo to de- liver his last major address before voting day. Barrett briefly touched on the major issues of the cam- paign, ranging from job cre- ation to the protection of. farmland. He vowed before cheering supporters to put an end to hypocrisy in govern- it. NEW IN TOWN? LET US PUT OUT THE MAT he Mest Famees ante a tte wo Brenda 365-2531 Both sides Something for everyone tomorrow By JOHN WARD ‘VANCOUVER (CP) —' There is something for everybody in the May 5 British Columbia election campaign. While most of the attention and most of the votes focus _on the governing Social Credit party and their arch-rivals, ‘the NDP, five other official Partios have candidates in at least some ridings, The Liberals and Progressive Conservatives, main- atream parties in his other provinces, are minor groups in’ B.C. Both are trying to lure voters out of the Social Credit fold. As well, there is the new Green party, a loose of lear activists and political reformers, the Western ‘Cua Concept, .a right-wing group leaning to independence for the West, ‘and the Communist party. The Liberals and Conservatives could be spoilers in close constituencies. The Social Credit party is basically a fragile coalition of people more united against the NDP than for any particular brand of politics. This means disenchanted Socred supporters could be susceptible to appeals from either of the other two private enterprise parties. “I would hope | that | they all come back to join us,” says Bill of the Conservatives who believes the Social Credit hold oh the electorate is precarious. “I think eventually it (the Social Credit party) will probably disappear.” The Tories last elected a member to the legislature in 1975 and took just over five per cent of the vote in the last election in 1979, but they are encouraged by the examples of Alberta and Saskatchewan. In Alberta in the 1960s and 1970s, Peter Teneneed built the Conservatives from a mori- bund to the force in that p OVERCAME GOVERNMENT’ Just a year ago, Grant Devine did almost the same in Saskatchewan, ending a decade of NDP government. With © 13 i in this says this election is the start of a building process. The party's main problem is that it has been without a leader since Brian Westwood defected to WCC last year. Backman says that just offers a challenge to build from the bottom up. The Liberals, under Shirley McLoughlin, have 52 can- didates running for the 57-seat legislature that went 31 Social Credit and 26 NDP in 1979. It is a sharp change from the last election when the Liberals fielded only five candidates and took less than one per cent of the total vote. Like the Conservatives, the Liberals are looking to pull support from the other parties, offering a private sata to voters di: from the. and giving disgruntled New Democrats a middle-of- palate choice. Unlike the Tories, the Liberals must run with a federal albatross around their necks. Western antipathy towards the federal wing of the party is strong and has been blamed for the crushing defeats of provincial Liberals in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in recent years, BURDEN SHAKEN OFF McLoughlin says she thinks that: burden has been shaken off. : “The public has not been coming to us on that,” she says. “I've been independent (of the fedéral party).” report a sign war VANCOUVER (CP) — It's sign war time in B.C. as the provincial ‘election goes into its final days. Election sign vandalism is an inevitable source of frustration for political parties but some say the battle of the billboards in the Vancouver area is worse this year, than in past elections. “It's getting vicious,” said David Rice at Surrey New Democratic Party headquarters. "There has been organ- ized theft of about 300 signs — it happens consistently every night.” He said NDP partrols have taken down auto licence numbers when they have seen people stealing signs and have traced three numbers back to vehicle owners they believe are active in the Social Credit campaign. “I need a positive identification before I can lay sarees but I hope to be able to do so," Rice said. “I'm fed In addition, people have used spray paint to stencil the hammer and sickle logo of the Soviet flag on to about 40 NDP lawn signs, he said. . “That would be the equivalent of us painting Nazi swastikas on socred signs,” he said. At Surrey Social Credit headquarters, Larry Fisher said: "I had a fellow call up and accuse us of painting the ‘hammer and sickles, but I think it's hoodlums on both sides.” BLAMES “PUNKS” He added: "We have had a lot of signs knocked over, too, and we just keep putting them back up. I think it is just punks having a good time.” Claus the NDP did: in West Vancouver-Howe Sound, is offering a $200 reward for information resulting in the conviction of anyone van- dalizing election signs of any party. . His campaign manager, John Rich, said 17 of 20 signs posted in one area of Squamish were stolen, and about half the 200 others throughout the riding have been van- dalized. It's the same story at the office of Spiekerman's Socred John Rey His co-campaign manager, Val Vopni, said: “It's getting ridiculous. We have a crew of kids who come in every day to pick up stakes and signs and staple guns to repair the damage.” Ujjal Dosanjh and Joyce Whitman, NDP éandid: She is optimistic that the Liberals can draw enough voters from the two big parties to elect a member or two, It's time, she says “We need a third party.” _The most refreshing approach comes from the Green party. Formed in February, the Greens have only four candidates, no firm policies, a wide-ranging set of ideas and fund-raising methods that include paper drives. They oppose nuclear weapons, support the concept of and say they really offer the | only different choice. “There's really not much differnce between mega-proj- écts of the Social Credit and what the NDP would propose,” says Bruce Kaun, a founding director of the Greens, “One is whipsawed by business, the other is whipsawed by labor.” Kaun says the Greens must’ be making some kind of impact because they are “under the guns” from the NDP. FACE PRESSURE “There's a lot of pressure from the NDP," he says. “They seem to think they have the monopoly on envir- and the i He says the Greens basically want to bring new ideas into the political forum. “People have got to take back the power that they have been concentrating in government.” The WCC led by Doug Christie has 20 candidates running, but the party has been rocked by internal feuding. Although Christie was a fire-breathing separatist when he founded the movement, the issue of or inde- Westcoast Seafoods located at Caldset Groceteria 1038 Columbia Avenuo FRIDAY, MAY 6 10.4.m, to 7 p.m. pendence as the party doses thes! it, has been placed on the back burner. When candidates refer to it, it is in a soothing tone. Itis something to be decided by referendum at some vague point in the future. The party is one of lai fai ft coupled with a demand for recall of elected legislators who . antagonize their electors. Mowing your lawn ‘is a lot cheaper than joining a health club. G . PARTICIPATION =. ~ AClear Choice. - Real Jobs or Make-Work Jobs. Social Credit creates real jobs by: O Creating an environment that attracts investment and encourages resource development. C1 Establishing a positive working relationship with _ theprivatesector COffering incentives, not handouts, to large and small businesses. . Oinitiating a | progrann of planned growth and development. CZ Putting together a team that can manage B.C’s economy responsibly, soundly and efficiently. For real job creation, there is only one choice. Vote for the Social Credit Government of Bill Bennett. British Columbia A Social Credit Party in Vancouver South, said about 40 of their lawn signs were mutilated Monday night. Dosanjh said he thinks politics, not racism, moti- vated the vandalism. Social Credit provincial campaign manager Jerry Lampert said: “We have had a lot of people calling from Debby 365-8265 throughout the province.” ___/ IEMENS, Walter, A.