Page Aa - — Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 27, 1991 oe lustraton tapep Services, and btvertising apancies, . Sacving the Terrace area. Pubtsned on Wednesday of cach wook by Catlboo Press (1969) Le, “at 4347 LazeRe Ave., Terrace, British Columbia, Stories, photographs, illustrations, designs and typestylas in the Terrace Standard are tha property of bid vcomyna holders, rndrn Caritoo Press (1089) Lid, its it Reproduction in whole or in part, without written parmission, is specifically ‘previtited. me Authorited a4 second-class mail pending the Post Office Department, for payment af postage in cash. O- < "TERRACE STANDA Jim Coulter ; — : ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 . oy a Pe : i Editor: Replatration No. 7820 4647 Lazolle Ava., Terrace, B. .C., VAG 188 (604) 6 638-7280 ~ Rod Link Gu Publishor _ Prochiction Manager: eae Edouard Credgeur | |: Densan— ‘Typesatier; Rosa Fisher — Front ‘Off Manager 2 “Carolyn ‘Anderson = Typasalter, Susan Cradgeut —-ComposingDarkroon ° -Jim Coulter: Advertising Manager, Janet Vivoiros — — Advertising Consultant — “ Sam Collier - =. Advertising Consultant, Tory Ml Miler - ~ Circulation Supervisor” an {Scene for - their time ‘and , talents. oe EDITORIAL Cruisin’ along . Once the exclusive territory of people who- burned wood for heat, backyard compost heaps and turned milk containers into planters, the en- vironment movement is turning into big dollars. It’s become fashionable to recycle — so much so that major companies tailor products for the green movement and politicians regard even the most major industrial project as something that is environmentally friendly. One of the top envirocrats in the coun- try is Dr. David Suzuki. From his begin- nings as a UBC scientist looking into ways of keeping fruit flies from mating, Dr. Suzuki has his own TV show, his own newspaper column and is widely published. He’s now formed the David Suzuki Foundation, the purpose of which is to gather in tax-deductible dollars to do tended new twist. good work. And lest we think Dr. Suzuki will be selling calendars, posters and the such to raise money, he’s come up with a It’s a holiday package on a luxurious cruise ship. It’ll depart Vancouver for a seven-day sail up the coast to Alaska via the Inside Passage with prices starting at just under $2,000 and topping off at $3,100. There’s also a $125 fee going to the Suzuki foundation The cruise ship company promises a tainment, casino, Broadway and Las Vegas enter- bars and lounges, classes and heated pools in addition to _talks given by Suzuki ranging from ‘‘The Ecocrisis And A New Paradigm” to **Genetic Engineering’’, - dance Somehow the environmental move- ment doesn’t seem to fit into life on a floating pleasure palace. Big Business meets Big Environment. Too bad. — Simply awful — Clang! That’s the sound of the provin- cial government’s plan for building a new correctional centre in Thornhill hit- ting the nearest circular file. And as frustrated or disappointed as provincial government officials. jnight, be, those needed for the regional district rezoning process. Indeed, the only public release planned would be the request to have the property rezoned. Residents in the area surrounding the praposed site, morg or less had to stum- about the fattureto'secure the site next to “ ‘ble across. the’ news. In the absence of the Thornhill’ nursery, they have only _any official word on exactly what was . - going on, it was up to them to come to . their own conclusions. It’ § @ curious and stupid way for the government to conduct the public’s business. Any other kind of announce- themselves to blame. There was no public statement from the provincial corrections branch that the site was the one they deemed most suitable. There was no gathering of in- formation about what the correctional ment concerning the construction of a centre is or who its inmates are. Instead the provincial government deliberately tried to submarine the issue. The only official documents prepared concerning the correctional centre were worse. public facility would have come attached with ribbons and banners. Admittedly, a correctional centre is a tough sell but try- ing to hide it only made the situation Tuning in and out When does a company’s staff layoffs cease to be “a private business matter’? and become instead very much a public con- cern? Give up? When the Cana- dian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commis- sion (CRTC) has granted the private company a monopoly license over a broadcast area big as a wildlife officer's jurisdic- tion, that's when, According to a news item, Skeena Broadcasters has dealt layoff notices to three reporters: CHTK sports reporter Todd Bentley and news reporter Jean Carson in Prince Rupert, and CFTK. sportscaster Len Harr- ington in Terrace, Why the layoffs? Because the station ‘can’t generate the revenue tO support’? present staffing. levels, management ‘says. Prince Rupert businessmen ‘ who support amateur sports “may take their advertising dollars elsewhere if they “get an indication: that people are not listening because they’re not getting local sports coverage”. How. baffling. Here’s a com- pany with a0. competition for miles in every direction, yet it’s shaving’ trouble with profits. ‘How long would it survive if it “I had three.or four competitors as most businesses do? Equally: : baffling is the “pudinessmen’ §. wonderment why ewers spurn the it’t ; they read s}Erom time. to time Through Bifocals by Ci audetie Sandeckl @ current events, . books, Almanac, Patrick Munroe. _. papers pleading for specific i im- provements in radio and/or TV service, I’ve wrilten a couple myself, Has anything improv- ed? Not that I’ve noticed. Maybe I’m not alone in con- - cluding my patronage is neither sought nor appreciated..I think . of Skeena Broadcasters as a broody hen, It puffs out to fill the space: it appears to be doing the job; yet it produces nothing. ' Until § forsook:CFTK Radio back about 1933 when they cancelled their morning current affairs program, I had never listened to CBC Radio... - Once I tasted CBC “‘Morn- ingside’? with its potpourri of ‘music, and I hung around for Gabereau, and So even if Skeena Broad- casters prune: their staff as drastically. as an orchardist treating for blight, won't be crimped, Nontheless I sympathize with’ staff losing jobs becauise thelr : employer’ 3 cutting costs. ~~ =” my -style Ii irks' ‘me, ‘though, that the CRTC would grant any broad- caster a monopoly license effec- lively limiting the public's. alr- ‘waves menu, +. Then to have the broadcaster cross off somé. of those few choices... We've considered installing cable, but nixed the notion in light of Channel 7's anorexic. . diet. Re-runs let me — and others — read a few’ more chapters in a library book. Maybe that’s partly why this fall the library will expand, while Skeena Broadcasters cut back. 4.0 i Periodically, CRTC licenses come -up for renewal. Usually applications are unopposed, But if sports groups, decide to Para in ae a ee . contest Skeena Broadcasters’ next renewal, they have the in- frastructure to organize ‘opposi- tion — and pull it off. REAL NICE | Aéose ake \ eee oe ay OF Ces Re PROPER | ~ EIDUNATION FOR THIS... BUT IF iPM a TE SOUNDS LIKE | AMIN SINE RD ROUBLE AHN. IT UN ‘It’s time for the — - Menourable path VICTORIA — When Bud Smith was under investigation for possible interference with -the course of justice, a charge of which he was found inno- cent, he stepped down as at- torney general. When Peter Dueck was ac- cused of conflict of interest, a charge involving a trip to Europe, part of the cost of which was picked up by a Ger- man electronics, firm, he step} ped down as’ ‘health minister. When it was suggested that Stan Hagen’s cement firm had . done business with a universi- ly, a government-funded in- stitution, he stepped down as advanced education minister. When Cliff Michael was ac- cused of having tried to sell recreational property he owned to people with whom he was — doing government business, he stepped down as transportation and highways minister. They all did what is com- monly referred to “'the honourable thing.'’ They removed themselves from cabinet while under investiga- tion. That practice is nearly as. old as our system of parliamentary democracy, | All four probably did so | with considerable encourage- ment from Premier Vander Zalm. It was he, after all, who said that appearances are every bit as important as reality. And while any of his cabinet ministers was under a cloud of suspicion, it was only prudent _of them to step aside and await the outcome of the in- vestigation. Vander Zalm, on the other hand, is doing no such thing. Instead of following the exam- ple he expected from his cabinet ministers, he's hanging on to his job for dear life “while conflict of interest com- missioner,Ted Hughes is con- ~ Aducting his investigation‘into the sale of Fantasy Gardens and the premier's-role in it, if ‘amy. - When I asked a number of Socred MLAs what they thought of the premier’s dou- ble standard, they said he pro- bablv had a right to stay on BuSH BUNNIES HEY SPEND ALL YEAR ou E TRARUINE DON'T IN’ ABOUT NINTENDO NINJA TURTLES OR Baar SM Boyt I From the Capital by Hubert Beyer during the investigation ‘becalise he himself: had asked Hughey to’ investigate hime: "T'm not sure E see the logic of that argument. Just because someone asks to be in- vestigated does not necessarily mean he's blameless. And _ anyway, Vander Zalm, it seems, is a trail-blazer in this particular double standard. Vander Zalm is the only first minister in Canada's history to stay in‘office while under in- vestigation, according to John Mallory, a specialist in Crown matters and powers of first ministers who teaches at McGill University in Montreal. Lucky us, Sources close to Vander Zalm say the premier’s deci- sion to launch an investigation into himself was a rather im- petuous one. They say he gave it no thought, nor did he seek anyone’s advice. The effects of this impulsive action on his part are having some disastrous results. For one thing, he can’t call an elec- ’ tion until after the investiga-- tion is completed, That was one of Hughes’ stipulations ’ before accepting the‘ task.’ Once again, everything is on hold, Most.Socred riding associations were gearing up for the big fight. The date was rumoured to be mid-April. You can only take so many false starts before you lose momentum. The other problem is the ses- sion Vander Zalm has promis- ed to call. 1 know that. his caucus is not looking forward to being skewered by the op- position, To make matters worse, the premier won’t be able to hide behind the in- vestigation. The NDP has every right to raise the issue and will do so, r) This session could well be every Socred’s nightmare. The . party'is intchaos, and it. will be very: difficult'for the Social® - Credit MLAs to put present an optimistic and united front when they gather jn Victoria next month. Ten sitting Socred MLAs have decided not to seek re- election, three candidates who had already been chosen to carry the Socred banner in the next election have pulled out, One of them, Nocole Parton, withdrew her candidacy because of the way he handled the Fantasy Garden issue. *] cannot in good cons- cience serve a leader who does not recognize the fundamental necessily to remove himself from office while an investiga- tion into his conduct is ongo- ing,” Parton told a press con- ference. “It is, att honourable tradi tion of parliamentary democracy that demands a member whose behavior is in ‘ question step-down until that: time that his or her name is cleared,’’ she added, But the premier obviously doesn’t see it that -way. He never sees things the way other people do. And while he con- - tinues to stumble from one crisis to another, seeking fault in others, never in himself, the Social Credit party is disintergrating. _— There are some important -Jessons to be learned from the Vander Zalm debacle; It takes more than an engaging per- sonality and a nice smile to run a province. 4 And never trust style over , substance, especially not when the purveyor of style publicly | declares that he sees no need | for substance since style, ob- viously works so well. Hey! WAERES | ‘YOU GOING !! ccemag: Bho Seu oe neem pl nya erties ec ge pa eg RE 710 Buy-A { TRAPLINE!! | sy NS be beac ee ee a aia ea