Wake up, B.C. — the dream is ove! It's time to face reality about our economy or start losing our social programs - By CYRIL SHELFORD THE ASIAN _ economic downturn and the economic Spinoff effects on other coun- ities are very serious and, un- fortunately, we have little in- fluence to turn it around. It looks like we will have to learn to live with it for several years —~ so all the more reason for us to need to review some of the policies which we do have the ability to change. There are still many people who think that what we are going through is only a normal down ~ cycle that we have seen in the past. ‘This one, however, is quite dif- ferent and requires action and change in our outlook if we are to maintain our way of life and social programs. Kemano The first major action that started the problem was that inany high- salaried people were put out of ‘work by the cancellation of the Kemano Completion Project by government. Oue thousand people and close to 4,000 in support industries had been working for several months before it was shut down. Most of these jobs were high-paying jobs, where government would get better than 50 per cent of it in taxes from wages and salaries, Regulations No doubt, excessive regulations in nearly all areas of the economy {especially when dealing with the resource section) comes very high on the current problem list. For example, The Forest Prac- tices Act, first envisaged by the Forest Resource Commission, was to be a straightforward document that would pick up bits and pieces of Icgislation from different mini- stries of government aid put to- gether in oe straightforward ‘docu- meul that anyone could read and understand, but more importantly, Was easy to administer. Unfortunately for the province, hundreds of people came forward with very little experience with the resource industries, with their own pet project, with the help of many Willing helpers in government ser- vice, brought in so many clauses that The Forest Practices Code and Regulations to enforce the Code now piled on the floor is higher than the average person. Unfortunately, when the Stakeholders with interests in forestry, mining, fish and wildlife, environment, ranching, parks, Na- tives, etc., having only studied sec- tions of their immediate concern so that they are not familiar with other areas, are called together to make decisions very few understand the total issue and often find them- selves making compromise deci- sions, which have not been thoroughly though out, Suddenly, such decisions are policy that all regret later an. Mining Industry . The mining industry in B.C. was shaken to the roots when the Windy Craggy Development in the Tat- . Shenshini, on of the most important mincra] finds in North America, was taken away by the Harcourt government and changed to a United Nations’ World Heritage Site. , These deposits were estimated by the Ministry of Energy and Mines to have a value of $15 billion, The annual expenditure was estimated at $150 million per year. This would have required 535 direct jobs, plus another 1,500 indirect jobs of all kinds, for the next 50 years, The Co, Geddes Develop- ment Co. would pay to the provin- cial and federal governments over $1.3 billion, plus income tax from all who worked, The size of the area reserved was equal to that of Vancouver Island —~ Without any public discussions or bearings. The United Nations Cominiittee that was appointed does not necessarily have a Canadian on the Committee, ad no doubt the US Vice-President, Al Gore, has ruore influence than anyone else. The second shoe to fall on the mining industry came when the government reserved dour million hectares for parks and Special Management Zones that was rich in lead and zinc. One of the richest known deposits in the work is in the Muskwa and ALCAN workers pose with the tunnel boring machine that never finished its job of drilling the tunnel through Mt. Dubose for the Kemano Completion Project. The hydroelectric project meant millions of dol- lars for northwest B.C. until Alcan halted construction in 1991 in the face of environmental challenges. The province scrapped the project altogether in 1995 — with about $500 million in the ground. Kechika area . in the northeast comer of B.C. Again, this decision was made without even any public hearings, . Trying to develop in these Spe- cial Management Zones is not at- tractive and little better than parks when anyone can come forward with their own hitle coacern — whether it be a rare plant, bird or animal — and are able to stop a project with an injunction, block- ade or some other reason which would require further study or a hearing, Naturally, therefore, a company will move investment to other places in the world where they would be less regulations and protests (ali of which cost time and money). Native Land Claims Land claims must be resolved, as they are still a large factor in caus- ing the present downturn in the economy. In the current situation, no resource industry can feel confident to invest in this province since the Supreme Court decision was hand- ed down. ibe union or management. No government has any place in deciding who can or cannot bid on a project, They should simply call for tenders from all interested parties, whether they be wnion or non- union, and accept the best deal for the taxpayer whose money will pay for it. Whether the worker wants union or non-union should be Icft to the workers and matiagement to deal within their own rather than be sweetheart deals like ihe Island Highways and other highway con- tracts, which cost the taxpayer mil- lions of dollars extra, Value Added No donbt all of us want to sce far nore value added products made in British Columbia; however, we all must fully realize the higher our costs go the less we will achieve. We are now the highest cost country in the world for many rea- sous already mentioned. The solution is not easy when — most countries can buy on the open ” market wood products from any forest area in the world and with No resource industry can feel confident to invest in this province since the Supreme Court decision was handed down. Several companies that I have talked to feel reasonably confident they can reach an agreement with one Band; however, as they find in the Yukon and elsewhere, a pro- posed development can spark claims from as many as lhree or four Bands, who are all claiming the same area. This was true when the Huck- leberry Mine, south of Houston, started work. Certainty, which many use in their support of the Nisga’a Treaty, is simply non-existent until all the claims have been settled — some- thing that will take a greal deal of time because of all the overlapping claims. Labour Relations ‘Labour = relations «in British Columbia do not encourage eco- nomic growth. a We do not have a balanced, workable system that works for the ' best interests of all the people of this province. 7 Only those that are tied closely to government are something that is not good whether successful. — . their low labour costs: it makes. it most difficult for us to compete on world markets,» - vot oon 1 visited Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines a few years apo and their average wage, working on value added, was not more than $1.00 a day, There are many other countries where. they stil get less than $5.00 a day. I certainly do not think we should give up as there are certain things we can do. For example, supply power at cost for our industry, which was policy when B.C. Hydro was started back in the early 1960s. This is’ one. of many . policy changes that'can be made to help home industry — go back to power at cost and shred hundreds of regulations that aur industry has to carry along on its back, Our Environment There is no doubt that some en- vironmental groups do a good job bringing important issucs to the at- tention of government and deserve credit So Most people would agree “you Cyril Shelford have to have a healthy environment in order to have a healthy forest. However, the present-day multi- national groups such as Greenpeace with a budget of over $100 million have to share a great deal of blame for the present downfall in the economy, These same groups complain we are overcutting our forests that are unsustainable, It is totally impossible to have a sustainable cut until pressure groups stop pushing government to further reduce the industrial land base. ; After looking at many of our new forests planted during the 1970s and 80s, 1 am confident we will be able to double our AAC when those areas are ready to cul. The new wood grown will all be sound compared to the rot in the — old stands, where often the sound wood is less than 50 per cent of the total and is decreasing al approxi- mately 1 per cent a year. Old trees like old people do not grow. It is the young timber that is the future of our grandchildren. During the last 20 years or mare our young people have been unfair- ly misled by some very persuasive pecple that their future depended ut old growth forests. Nothing could be furtier from the truth and I wish more people would look far themselves at all the new forests growing on land cul over the ast 40 years. Reasonable protest is acceptable bul destroying our forcign markets that we have built up over a long period of time is totally inexcusable under any circumstances, T agree wilh the present govern- ment when they said that a short tite ago, | Cyril Shelfard was an MLA for 23 _ pears, representing first Ormineca and later Skeena. He ts the author of four. books. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 3, 1999 - AS CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag Get hospital costs down Dear Sir: Re: ‘‘Regional role for Mills seen once costs are reduced,’' The Terrace Standard, Jan. 27, The above article states, ‘It’s long been the argument of the hospital that it already acts as a regional treat- . ment center for seriously ill people in the northwest but without any accompanying financial support from the provincial government,’’ Let’s be perfectly clear here, There is no block of fuads cr additional operating grants to hospitals be- cause of a “‘regional’’ designation. The problem at Mills is that the cost per weighted case in 1996/97 was $2,762 and in 97/98 it was $2,763. If Mills was able to redute its cost per weighted case to just the average of similar hospitals ($2,607), it would provide $436,000 more for operations. The job of the expert is io work at getting the costs per weighted case to reasonable levels. There could very Weil be enough in the system to provide excellent acute care on a regional basis, If there is something that makes Mills Memorial so different from other hospitals that it requires more funding, yes, it will be easier to argue for more dollars. That has yet to be determined. Dr. Appleton’s opinion of why the expert is needed is his right. I don’t happen to share it, Everyoue will agree that doctors have a major role to play in getting the best value for a buck at taxpayer-funded hospitals. The expert will have a challenge. . Helmut Giesbrecht, MILA, Skeena Medical plan faulty An open letter to: Health Minister Penny Priddy Dear Minister: rs A few months ago I was diagnosed with a sleep dis- order called obstructive sleep apnea. As I am a resident of northern British Columbia, I was infonned I would have to fly to Vancouver for an overnight sleep study, An appointment was set and because | work in the private sector and do not have medical coverage, let alone extended health coverage, I-had to cover all of the travel out of pocket. After the study, I was told that | would require addi- lional treatment known as Nasal CPAP. This is a ma- chine that forces air into your airways to keep them open at night so you do not suffer periods of suffoca- lion Which causes your blood oxygen level to fall. This is quite a severe condition, however, I was told I would have to purchase the necessary equipment be- cause it is not covered by my medical. The cost of this equipment rauges from $1000 to $1500, Tam originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the NDP goveniment had established a medical program that the public did not have to pay for and that covered almost all medical situations. For a small monthly premiuin, a person could purchase additional coverage that would cover ambulance trips, private rooms in hospitals, discount prescriptions, etc. Seven years ago ] moved to British Columbia, which also-had an NDP government, and I was told I would have to pay for my medical, I later found out that this monthly premium, at $64, covers doctors, hospital visits, and medical treatment while in hospital, but not any extras such as travel to a hospital that has the facilities to do certain tests. It also does not cover any special equipment such as air casts, crutches, wheel chairs or Nasal CPAP ma- chines. These are all items that must be either rented or purchased by the patient. I live in a province that bas one of the highest tax bases in Canada and where | pay for medical, yet I can not get proper medical care without paying cash for any extras J might need to hetp my medical condition. Fortunately, [ am able to purchase this machine if I scrimp and save, but what about the people who can not afford this luxury. Sleep apnea affects two per cent of the adult population and it is a serious medical con- dition. It is not a cosmetic condition, it is a legitimate illness and should be covered by medical. The NDP government sees fit to continue to cut health care in this province while wasting our tax dol- lars on useless studies and ridiculous advertising. Fred Wilson, Terrace, B.C. Warning about ‘Net dogs Dear Sir: This is a reply to a letter to the editor from Angela Burton in your Dec. 23, 1998 issue. ] certainly agree with the point the lady was making about doing research and interviewing dog brecders, but please don’t do it over the phone or Internet, As I am the previous owner of the two ‘‘purebred German Shepherds”’ mentioned in the letter, I felt I had to carrect a couple of errors. ; Firstly, the SPCA were never told the dogs were from a local breeder. They were, in fact, from a kennel in the lower mainland, Secondly, I'm embarrassed to say they each cost at least three times the price quoted, It was a huge disappointment to have such sad specimens, not to mention the emotional trauma of having to give them up, ] had hoped the dogs would improve as they grew older, and sought advice from a helpful local breeder, The strange thing is that the breeders who should have been responsible for this quickly decided: they didn't want the dogs back, that it was my fault and not the breeding that caused the problem, I was furious. The local breeders checked over the guarantee to see if anything could be done, but ail the angles were covered. I would far sooner deal with a lo- cal breeder with years of experience than one who has a lovely web site and dogs who have the tendency to break my heart, ; M. Smith, Kitimat, I1.C. About letters THE TERRACE Standard welcomes letters to the editor, Our deadline is noon Fridays; noon Thursdays ona long weekend. You can write us at 3210 Clinton St, Terrace, B.C. V8G 5R2,. Our fax number is 250- 638-8432 or you can email us at standard@kermode.net Letters must be signed and must have a phone num- ber.