Editor’s note: This Bulletin is open to notices, correspondence and brief reviews of important articles and books. It now costs at least 30c to mail each issue off campus; if any recipient has an alternative address within an Ontario university, the Government of Ontario or the Toronto Board of Education, please inform the editor so we can make use of an internal mail system.
Editor: E.J. Barbeau, c/o Room A102, University College, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1. Phone: (416) 978-8601.
SFP thanks Doreen Morton for typing this Bulletin.
82.35. Change Of Executive
The masthead should be revised to read:
President Eric Fawcett (416) 978-5217 Secretary Brydon Gombay (416) 978-2971 Treasurer Derek Manchester (416) 978-2978 Education Director Terry Gardner (416) 978-6926 Research Director Derek Paul (416) 978-2971
82.36. Nuclear War Atlas Poster
Recently, the editor received a large fold-out from William Bunge, Geographe, Societe pour l’Exploration Humaine, 15 rue Sacre-Coeur, Arthabaska, Quebec G6P 5Y3. Through text, charts and maps, the effects of the blast at Hiroshima, the current armament situation and the projected effects of future nuclear hostilities are described in great detail. Mr. Bunge would like to see this poster displayed in every English speaking library in the world. Anyone wishing to help out, please write him.
82.37. General Meeting On Education For Peace
A meeting for potential resource people from the Toronto area to speak to residence associations, church groups, students, candidates, meetings, etc. prior to the Toronto Nuclear Disarmament Referendum in November is called for Wednesday, July 14, 1982 at 6:00 p.m.
McLennan Physical Laboratoties Lounge, Room 111 St. George and Russell Streets University of Toronto
All SFP members and friends are cordially invited.
82.38. Academics For Nuclear Disarmament
At the Learned Societies Meetings in Ottawa, a talk “The Economics of the Arms Race and Disarmament” by Bernard Wood was sponsored by Academics for Nuclear Disarmament on June 7, 1982.
82.45. Charitable Deduction
We regret to say that our request to Revenue Canada to be registered as a charitable organisation for which subscriptions are tax-deductible has been denied. This denial was not a result, as rumoured, of the misprint in the 6th objective, which was given on the last page of the Bulletin Vol. 2 No. 2 as: “to prevent (read `provide’) scientific and technical advice to other groups having compatible objectives”. It appears that we have transgressed the rules limiting the political activities of a charitable organisation, for example through exhorting our members in the same issue of the Bulletin to write to their MP in support of the ISMA proposal. This is held to indicate undue political lobbying — a charitable organisation apparently can communicate with government only in response to a specific request.
Such restriction on our activities rigorously applied would in fact render Science for Peace ineffective. We must lobby and pressure Government in order to achieve our objectives. We only hope that Science for Peace members will in fact take advantage of the status that this finding confers upon us and lobby the Government vigorously in response to our exhortations.
82.46. Chapters Of Science For Peace
Chapters are forming in several cities across Canada, notably in Vancouver and Halifax. The relation of a chapter of Science for Peace to the national organisation will be formulated at the July meeting of the Board of Directors and will be codified in a subsequent Bulletin. Meanwhile the following guidelines, which will be presented to the Board with the expectation of their approval, will help local groups who may want to form during the Summer and early Fall, in time for action relating to the November referenda for example.
a) The President (or some other member of the Executive) will normally be a member of the Board of Directors so as to be informed on policy of Science for Peace. If this is not possible, the President of the Chapter will in any case be kept informed of decisions of the Board by receiving a copy of the minutes of each Board meeting.
b) The financial arrangement with respect to the membership subscription will be as follows:
$10 to the national organisation $5 to the Chapter total $15
In the case of student members the entire $5 will be retained by the national organisation, noting that this is somewhat less in fact than the cost of producing and distributing the Bulletin.
Members renewing their subscriptions and new members should send their total subscription to the national office, but indicate also their membership of a Chapter. We shall arrange in due course for transfer of the appropriate share of the subscriptions to the Chapter.
We remind members that renewals are due now if they joined Science for Peace before 1 July, 1981: $15 for full membership, $5 for students or senior citizens and $25 for group or family membership.
c) As noted in 82.46 Science for Peace will not be recognised as a charitable organisation so that the membership subscription will not be tax deductible. This is no great loss, but a much more serious consideration is that of charitable status with respect to donations from individual or foundations to support research or educational activities.
It is planned to set up a Science for Peace Research Institute (acronym SPRI) which will be incorporated independently and related to Science for Peace through ex-officio membership of our Research Director on the Council of SPRI. Charitable status will be sought for SPRI and it is proposed that funding of research activities of Chapters of Science for Peace will then be channeled through SPRI. A similar arrangement may eventually be made for educational activities but no detailed plans are now under consideration.
d) Policy on sponsorship, endorsation and membership of local coalition.
Sponsorship implies responsibility and Science for Peace has a policy of sponsoring only activities in which we are actively engaged, and then only after approval by the Board. We suggest that Chapters adopt a similar policy and make quite clear that sponsorship which has not been authorised by the Board commits only the Chapter and not the national organisation.
Endorsation of a statement likewise will normally be submitted as a position paper for approval by the Board. Two position papers have already been issued: the Kennan Proposal and the Minority Report of the Parliamentary Committee on Security and Disarmament. Other position papers will be added in due course and Chapters or individual members are invited to make suggestions.
Membership of ooarition is encouraged for the purpose of communicating with other peace organisations, but it should be made quite clear that the Chapter reserves the right to withdraw from specific activities of the coalition and must be asked to sponsor separately each major activity.
The Constitution of Science for Peace is enclosed with this Bulletin as guidance for people forming a Chapter. We interpret the Constitution to be broadly enough formulated to permit the arrangements for Chapter outlined above.
e). Summary:
We strongly encourage the formation of Chapters of Science for Peace. A Chapter greatly enhances the effectiveness of a local group of members and the existence of Chapters across Canada will strengthen the national organisation.
Please inform us as soon as your Chapter is formed, providing a list of members and of course the name of the President and of other executive officers (if any).
Keep us informed of your activities, both past as” well as planned for the future. The reporting (or failure to report) on your activities by the media for example is worth recording. Public events planned for the future may be more effective if they can be co-ordinated across the country.
Send items for inclusion in the Bulletin directly to the editor.
Finally, the Objectives of Science for Peace stated in the Constitution and on the membership application form should be the guide for evaluating proposed activities of the Chapter.
82.47. News From Halifax
Gerhard Stroink, professor of physics at Dalhousie University, who is forming a Chapter of Science for Peace in Halifax, sends the following notes:
8 Saturday seminars on nuclear war issues at Dalhousie during the Spring semester.
Formation in April of a Coalition Against Nuclear War with 33 organisations participating.
May 30 March Against Nuclear War by about 4000 people linking Nova Scotia to UNSSOD II: no coverage whatever in the Globe and Mail, some in the local press and quite good by CBC.