Democrats’ Resources and Eco- gomic Development Committee visited the Terrace area for three days last week as ‘a part of the New Democrats’ plan for devel- oping strong regional econ- omies,’ according to committee - Chairperson, Glen Clark. Members of the NDP caucus on the tour izcluded House Leader Mark Rose (Coquitlam Moody), Agriculture; Dale Lovick (Nanaimo), Ferries, Science and Technology and Consumer Affairs; Joan Small- wood (Surrey Guilford Whalley), women’s economic issues, Environment, Parks and B.C. Transit; Dan Miller (Prince Rupert), Transportation and Highways; Glen Clark (Vancou- - ver East), Energy; Bob Williams (Vancouver East), Forests and Lands; Anne Edwards (Kooten- ay), Tourism, Culture and Small Business; and Larry Guno (Adin), Mining and Fisheries. Of the many issues discussed: at a public meeting in Terrace,. none demanded the time spent on Premier Vander Zalm’s an- ‘Houncement that he intended to divide the province into eight economic regions, © Dan Miller summarized the discussion. most effectively by saying, ‘‘I wait along with other British Columbians with antici- pation and concern about what he really means. So far, his own caucus doesn’t even know. I think it’s going to be a total disaster.’’ ECONOMIC REGIONS MEANS PRIVATIZATION, DECENTRALIZATION, " ‘DEREGULATION _ Dale Lovick said that the . premier’s. announcement to di- vide the province into eight eco- nomic regions amounted to ‘‘qa redrawing of the social and economic map of this country”’ and in his interpretation means selling off crown corportations, contracting out services now performed by public sector workers and also included the whole area of degregulation. ‘fn short,” he said,, ‘‘reduc- ing the size of government.” “‘But in effect you carve up the province into the United States of B.C. - each region of which has its own political com- missar.”” ‘And,’ he added, “I think that’s the real danger.’’ ‘*You suddenly have each of those eight people in a position to offer all the favors in the world to his worker friends.” Bob Williams added to Lov- ick’s comments by saying, “That’s not decentralizing. That’s extending the power of the cabinet into those eight regions in many, many ways. According to Dan Miller, the plan to add another layer of. government to bureaucracy and the million dollars promised to establish each region would do nothing more than ‘‘allow the minister of state to set up a. political office. A clearing house. So that no matter where | you come from in the region you’ve got to clear everything through that minister’s office. “If we've got a highway pro- blem in Prince Rupert, we're go- ing to the minister of highways. And if we’ve got a health pro- blem, we're going to the minister . of health. And that’s the way. it should operate?‘ said Miller, . Speaking on regional econom- ic development, Joan Smalil- wood said, ‘It is very clear that the people in this community have really good ideas about what is needed. There has been a lot off work done here on eco- nomic development.’’ She added that the NDP Party believed that, “The role of the. government is a role of facilita- ting and supporting local initia- tives. Not one of shuffling of- fices around the province and extending the long arm of gov- ‘ernment in Victoria right into your back yard. “We applaude the work you’re doing and we’d like to support it,’? Smallwood said. Bob Williams conceded that Vander Zalm’s concept of giving local communities or regions more say in government was a good one but “he’s saying we're going to send in a political boss as a part of that process,’’ © “And if the government’s thinking of a political boss for this region, I suspect it might be Dave Parker,’’ Williams predic- ted. Speaking on the topic of de- regulation, Dan Miller said that, **In theory it sounds great. We'll get rid of.a lot of red tape and ‘regulations that are somehow in- terfering with our lives,” But he said the “‘reality behind deregulation,’’ was that _.the regulations developed in Canada over a period of many years made sense for a large ‘country with a small population and ‘‘de-regulation takes the regulations away.” Miller said that regulations in- ‘sured safety, controlled tariffs and set individual transportation routes, and deregulation would simply transfer that responsibli- ty to industry. “It throws the whole thing open to the marketplace and the marketplace in the United States is killing them,” he said. © “There has been a rapid in- crease in the number of airlinés, a.rapid decrease in safety levels, and a great increase in the abuse of customers,"’ said Miller, and, ‘‘There’s been a string of horror stories coming out of the United . States.’’ . Dale Lovick agreed with Miller’s description of deregula- tion but added that it had to be . put in the right context “so you. can see how it fits in with: privatization.” He explained that there may be an underlying motivation for a government to deregulate an | industry because ‘‘what deregu- lation means, among other things, is simply reducing the cost of doing business,’’ *“*What you do in fact, is in- crease the likelihood of a par- ticular business that might not be economically viable, to sud- denly become viable,” said Lovick. “‘That’s how it connects very nicely with privatization,’ he explained. “If you want to make something attractive for sale, what you do is take away the regulations that made it difficult to sell in the first place.”’ | Opposition caucus analyzes | | government policy during | VISIT to. Northwest , _ Eight members of the New In summarizing the whole topic of decentralization, Lovick said that, “‘the only thing that’s clear about the decentralization ‘intitiative, is that nothing is clear. We don’t know, quite frankly, just what it means.”? He added to that, ‘It appears that once again the premier is shooting from the lip,”’ and he © said this was typical of the Socred’s ‘‘ready, shoot, aim”? kind of approach to govern- ment. '* EDUCATION HAS ~ CENTRALIZED ITS POWER BASE According to Anne Edwards, our education. system is one of the really clear indications that “what is being called decen- tralization is not the least bit that - it’s the centralization. of power,”” oe .- She said that the whole ques- tion is who makes the decisions. “*And with the plans we think we hear from Vander Zalm, the de- cision making is still right at the . top.”’ : Edwards accused the provin- cial government of taking the in- dustrial tax base away from school boards only to use the fund for ‘Excellence in Educa- tion’ as.a reward for school boards that conformed to gov- ernment policy. , At the same time, she said, the government allowed municipal- ities an school boards to take the blame for rising municipal taxes. She said that, ‘The whole situation doesn’t give the re- sponsibility to the people who are making the decisions. the whole business is confused and - the taxpayer doesn’t know what’s going on.’’ Joan Smallwood said that ‘educational cuts had resulted in poor text books, not enough teachers and no support staff, and ‘super parents’ were having to make up those differences through fund raising projects. Smallwood said this was cre- ating disparities between rich and poor school districts and . continued on page 28 Capture Presents a photography contest - “Spirit of Terrace” Open to all amateur photographers in the Terrace aréa. Your contribution to the contest could be a colour - New Democratic Party Transportation and Highways Ciitle Dan Miller (N.D.P.. Prince Rupert), told a Terrace. audience recently, “Deregulation takes the regulations away. It takes the responsibility away and throws the whole thing open to the marketptace. Well, the marketplace in the United States is killing their transportation industry.” yet Speaking on education to a gathering in Terrace, N.D.P. Tourlsm, Culture and Smatl Business critic, Anne Edwards (N.D.P. Kootenay), said recently “The whole question is who makes the decisions and with the plans we think we’re hearing from the government the decision making Js still right at the top.” > the : , TERRACE ART ASSOCIATIONS Canadian ~ Catardian Adelines luterantional. - Herrace Review — Wednesday, October 7, 1987 3 ee ee 2 " photograph of a local celebration, a special event or some Item of interest that typifies Terrace. The win- ning picture will go to Calgary to be displayed at the Olympic Arts Festivat and Olympic Winter Games. The winning photographer will be awarded a trip for two to Calgary courtesy of Canadian Airlines International to be entered in the contest. to Saturday, October 31. 638-1174 (days). - ‘and two nights accommodation courtesy of Terrace Travel. The trip will enable the photographer to view . ' the winning print on display. Second and third prizes will also be awarded. a Northern Lights Studio and Ken's Photo Studio are offering 20% discount.on matting and framing of prints .: § _ Contest Deadline: Saturday, October 31 , Display at the Art Gallery: November, 6 - 22 SPECIFICATIONS FOR PHOTOGRAPH -~ conventional drymount on 4 ply rag board -— white, off white or ivory coloured matt preferred -— complimentary coloured metal frame a ee is — regular 2 mm clear glass oo en a .Golour — full colour print preferrad Print size — minimum 8" x 70” - — maximum 16” x 20" Mounting — 3" x 3.5” border Matting — single 4 ply rag matt Framing Two entries only per person and each must be accompanied by an entry form. Entries'are to be turnedinto’ the Terrace Parks and Recreation office during office hours, or at the Terrace Art Gallery irom 7:00 - 9:00 © : oo Wednesday and Thursday, Saturday 12:00 - 3:00 or Sunday 1:00 - 4:00 during the week Sunday, October 25 mo Judging: Thursday, November 5 Photographs must be unsigned — ‘ Entry forms available at: Terrace Ari Gallery; Terrace Public Library, City of Terrace Office, Terrace Parks and Recreation Office, Northern Lights Studlo and Terrace Sight and Sound. mo, os. Deere For further information call Diana English at 635-5905 (evenings) or Terrace Parks and Recreation at a dy _ ‘in i: ia i 1