Wednesday, Sep 15

ROD MICKLEBURGH
British Columbia Bureau
Wednesday, September 15, 1999

Vancouver -- The man who wanted welfare recipients to pick up a shovel says he has a solution to the problem of hundreds of Chinese migrants clogging B.C. jails and naval facilities.

If the situation isn't resolved in six weeks, put the people on a plane to Ottawa.

"I'm sure you'll get some action then," former B.C. premier Bill Vander Zalm said yesterday.

On the same day that he confirmed his return to the province's political wars, the fabled populist also took on the controversy over the sale of his floral theme park, Fantasy Gardens, which forced his resignation as premier in 1991. An independent commissioner found that Mr. Vander Zalm improperly mixed business and politics over the sale, which at one point saw him leaving a Vancouver hotel in the early-morning hours with a brown envelope containing $20,000 (U.S.) in hundred-dollar bills

"If I could do it all over again, I would keep a mile away from [the sale]," Mr. Vander Zalm told reporters, who seemed more interested in the former premier's past than his strategy for the future.

Mr. Vander Zalm, 65, was questioned closely about the scandal as he officially announced his intention to seek the leadership of the Reform Party of B.C. and run in a by-election expected in his home riding, South Delta.

"I'm running because I know we can win. And win big," said Mr. Vander Zalm, who has been rather subdued since taking over as party president 15 months ago.

The Reform Party of B.C., which is not connected to the federal Reform Party, regularly records between 16 and 20 per cent in public-opinion polls, despite having no leader and no elected representative in the legislature. That puts it on a par with the governing NDP in popularity, and far behind the opposition Liberals.

Mr. Vander Zalm said he is worried the Liberals are so far ahead in the polls the province may end up without a single opposition member in the next legislature.

"There could conceivably be the greatest anti-NDP vote there's ever been in this country's history. It would be a great blow to democracy, if the Liberals won all 79 seats. That could happen if we don't mount an effective, Reform Party opposition."

Mr. Vander Zalm admitted he was a reluctant candidate, saying he might not have decided to run if another "winnable, high-profile" contender had come forward.

"I might have stayed growing lilac bushes and all sorts of fun things," he said. "This is a sacrifice for Lillian [his wife] and the family. But I'm prepared to make the sacrifice because I believe so strongly in the Reform Party of B.C."

He said the party wants to introduce "direct democracy" to the province: to have important issues decided as much as possible by the people instead of their elected representatives.

In nearly five years as Social Credit premier, Mr. Vander Zalm became known as one of the province's most colourful politicians.

Never at a loss for words, the handsome, ever-smiling nursery magnate was rarely far from the headlines with controversial remarks on topics such as the need for welfare recipients to work and policies that tried unsuccessfully to remove medicare financing for legal abortions.

Mr. Vander Zalm lived with his wife, Lillian, renowned for her exotic headbands, in a castle on the site of Fantasy Gardens, which was dominated by a giant windmill reflecting its owner's Dutch heritage.

Even yesterday, the script didn't go exactly according to plan for Mr. Vander Zalm's new party.

Officials said a second candidate attempted to enter the leadership race shortly before midnight Monday, just as the time limit expired. "He came to my house at 11:37 p.m.," committee chairman Terry Milne said.

The mystery candidate is Tom Bryant, 49, a self-proclaimed successful businessman from North Vancouver.

In an interview, Mr. Bryant, who has never sought political office before, said he decided to run for party leader "because I think I know what I'm doing and I believe in this province. It's time for everyone to stop playing games and get down to . . . direct democracy."

Mr. Bryant said he had not heard from party officials whether his last-minute candidacy was in order.

Alarm raised over students behaving badly
Study finds widespread drunkenness, truancy
by Virginia Galt - Wednesday, September 15, 1999

Send boat people to Ottawa, Vander Zalm suggests
by Rod Mickleburgh - Wednesday, September 15, 1999

CLC plans sanctions against Indonesia
Union says it's acting since Ottawa won't
by Jeff Sallot - Wednesday, September 15, 1999

NDP closing in on majority win in deeply divided Saskatchewan
Rural, urban divisions, growing for 30 years, are polarizing province
by David Roberts - Wednesday, September 15, 1999