Vol, 2, Issue

Election called,
legislature
dissolved,
campaigns begin

B.C. Premier William
Vander Zalm has judged
that the time is right for
a provincial election.
Vander Zalm dropped
the long-awaited election
writ on Sept. 24, and

British Columbians will .

go to the polls to select a
new government Oct. 22.

by Michael Kelly

The Social Credit Par-
ty, under the leadership

of W.A.C. Bennett and:

his son Bill Bennett, has
dominated B.C. -provin-
cial politics for more
than three decades. The
only serious threat to the
Socred dynasty has been
the New Democratic
Party, which formed a
government under the
leadership of Dave Bar-
rett for three years dur-
ing the 1970’s, and
neither of the prominent
federal parties have been
able to establish any
' significant presence in
the B.C. political scene.
The tast B.C. election in
1983 gave Social Credit a
majority of 35 members
in the 57-seat legislature.
The remaining seats went
to the NDP with the ex-
ception of one indepen-
dent, Graham Lea, who
subsequently aligned
himself - with the Pro-
gressive Conservative
Party.

Both the Socreds and
the NDP have changed
leadership since the last
provincial election. Bill
Bennett announced his
retirement earlier this
year, and was succeeded
by Bill Vander Zalm, a
Socred member who left
politics in 1983 but
returned to make a win-
ning bid for the party
leadership in July. Dave
Barrett resigned after the
1983 election and Robert
Skelly, the MLA for
Alberni, assumed the
NDP leadership in 1984.

The composition of

the B.C. legislature prior
to dissolution for the
election was as follows:

Alberni — Robert
Skelly, NDP party
leader.

Atlin — Al Passarell,
Social Credit member, is
believed to have been
aboard a light airplane
which crashed Sept. 27 at
Dease Lake. The aircraft
has not been recovered

and ‘at latest report it is
feared that Passarell died
in the accident.

Boundary-Similka-
meen — James Hewitt,
former Social Credit
Minister of Education
who was transferred to
Agriculture and Fisheries
in the post-leadership
cabinet shuffle,

Burnaby-Edmonds —
Rosemary Brown, NDP,
who recently announced
she will not run this year.

Burnaby North —
Eileen Dailly, NDP.

continued on page 3

Hydrangea blooms i in + full blossom

Dorothy Smith of Terrace stands among the extensive branches of her Hydrangea tree which features blossoms that are
almost a foot long. “Everyone stops and looks at them,” Smith said. “It’s unusual to have so many large blooms. |
haven't seen any around this big." And the size of the tree Is also impressive. It measures about 12 feet across by six feet
wide and.stands approximately eight feet high.

Legislative Library,

Parliament Buildings,

Victoria, B.C.
V8V 1X4

~ §0 CENTS

Terrace candidate wins
Dave Parker, a school trustee and forestry consultant
from Terrace, recently won the Skeena Social Crecit
nomination at a party meeting in Smithers. See story
page 3.

Atlin MLA believed
among crash victims

TERRACE — Atlin MLA Al Passarell is believed to
be one of five people who died Sept. 27 when a light
airplane crashed and sank into the waters of Dease
Lake. The de Havilland Beaver float plane, owned by
Tasu Airways of Atlin, was landing on the lake at the
end of a flight from Atlin when the accident occur-
red. Passarell, his wife and three other Atlin residents
had reportedly chartered the aircraft to fly to the
Social Credit nomination meeting taking place in
Dease Lake. The pilot, Teresa Bond, was rescued,
but the five passengers failed to escape from the
cabin and are presumed dead, Corporal Jim Steele of
the Dease Lake RCMP detachment stated on the
morning of Sept. 29 that five RCMP divers with
depth-sounding equipment were engaged in efforts to
locate and raise the wreckage, Other sources in Dease
Lake indicated that at the time of the crash the
weather was good, with high overcast ceilings, good
visibility, calm winds and glassy water on the lake.

Community

plan gets
wary
reception

THORNHILL
concept of orderly
development in the rural
areas around Terrace
and Thornhill has been
greeted with misgiving
and suspicion by many
of the people who live in
those areas. A group of
about 50 residents of
Jackpine Flats, Lakelse
Lake, Gossan Creek and
other nearby communi-
ties gathered last week in
the Thornhill Communi-
ty Centre for a public
hearing of the Kitimat-
Stikine Regional Dis-
trict’s Greater Terrace
Community Plan.

by Michael Kelly

The mood in the hall
was critical, militant,
and occasionally confus-
ed ‘as regional district
representatives attemp-
ted to explain what the
community plan is and
why it is necessary. The
plan exists in the form of
regional district bylaw
number 247; it has re-
ceived second reading by
the regional district
board, and the public
hearing was held to get
recommendations from
the residents of the areas
it will affect. The recom-
mendations will be con-
sidered in giving the
bylaw its final form
before ratification. °
. The plan was. outlined
at the meeting by Dr.

continued on page 2

The

PE Ss

Toy Run participants

The McAvoy family from Terrace was part of a grand con-
tingent of motorcycle riders who took part in the 1986 Toy
Run staged in town on the weekend: Byron McAvoy, 17,
joined his parents Gary and Sharon on the ride. See story

page 24.

inside Outside
Business Guide 10 Date Hi Lo —- Pre.
Church Directory 16 Sent. 2 4 " oem
Classified Ads 22 Pl. .
Coming Events 14 Scot 2 8 7 O2mm
Comics — 21) Sept.260 BS ail
Crossword - 21 Sept. 27 15 8 nit
Dining Directory g Sept.2300 12 911.8 mm
Entertainment 1
Horoscope 20 = Forecast: Continuing
Letters 11 unsettled, sunny on
Opinions 4 Wednesday, showers
Sports 6 on Thursday, sunny
Stork Report 20 periods possibly for
Taik of the Town 5 the weekend.

"Cy an ican SE!

Pretetbrunicene phase