Ad - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 27, 2002 TERRACE. STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, [988 PUBLISHER: ROD LINK ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. * V8G SR2 TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 « FAX: (250) 638-8432 WEB: www.terracestandard.com EMAIL: standard@kermode.net Nothing to lose YOU SEE them when flipping through history books about the north. Men wearing floppy hats, sometimes sporting handlebar moustaches. They stand by mountains of stacked, square timbers — ties for the new railway carved through the wild- emess to the ocean. It was piecework, hard and dangerous. It also represented the first effort to create a value from raw logs. From that start came the “gyppo” sawmills. Again, small groups of men sawing marketable timber out of the wilderness using homemade equipment. Gradually those mills became larger and more efficient to the point where moderm-day opera- tions are a testament of the ability to marry re- sources with technology. Yet there remain people who don’t want to go with the flow, who want to create their own em- ployment from the wood resource. And it is these people to whom the provincial government should now turn to help revive the northwestern economy. There is nothing to lose compared to the poten- tial gain of having the provincial government take immediate measures to free up small amounts of wood for entrepreneurs who feel they can create some value from the resource. If small operators are willing to take the risk, then the government, especially this one which has set a course for in- dividual responsibility in all facets of life, should embrace that ideal. The Skeena Timber Trust, for instance, has laid out a plan for a log yard where sellers can join to- gether, with buyers, creating a viable and healthy. market. nen To be sure, the benefits won’t be as apparent when put up against the sight of a large mill em- ploying hundreds of people. Yet each one of those jobs from small operations brings with it a benefit of its own ~ a source of stability and hope now sorely lacking and very much needed in the northwest today. Bad decision THE PROVINCIAL government is committing a grave error in its decision to cancel the audio- books program for people who cannot see or who otherwise have a condition preventing them from reading the printed word on a page. Its reasoning that the service is available from the private sector is suspect. Most of the com- mercial audiobooks come from the United States and are abridged versions of books at that. The cost — approximately $280,000 a year — is minuscule. The effects are not. What the province is doing is singling out a specific group of people for particularly harsh treatment. It is discrimina- tory and mean-spirited. PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link ADVERTISING MANAGER: Brian Lindenbach PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS: Jeff Nagel 2001 WINNER NEWS/SPORTS Sarah Zimmerman See NEWS/COMMUNITY: Jemifer Lang COMPETITION FRONT OFFICE: Darlene Keeping & Carol McKay CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Terri Gordon ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Bert Husband & Stacy Gyger TELEMARKETER: Stacy Gyger COMPOSING: Susan Credgeur AD ASSISTANT: Sandra Stefanik SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL: $56.25(+$3.94 GST)=60.19 per year: Seniors $49.50 (+$3.47 GST)=52.97; Out of Province $63.22 (+$4.43 GST)=67.65 Outside of Canada (6 months) $152.34 (4910.66 GST)=163.00 MEMBEA OF B.C, AND YUKON COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION, a CANADIAN COMMUNITY REWSPAPEAS ASSOCIATION C AND CNA COMMUNITY Wi FWRPAPEES apepesatoan WHEE Geter Ov? Fede B.C. PRESS COUNCIL (www.bcpresscouncll.org} Serving tha Tetrace and Thermhill atea. Published on Wednesday of each week at $210 Clinton Streel, Tarraca, British Columbia, V8G 5R2, Stories, photographs, illustrations, designs and typestyles In the Terrace Standard are the properly of the copytight holders, including Cariboo Press (1969) Lic., its ‘llustation repro services and adiverlising agencies, , Reproduction in whale orin part, wilhout wrttert permission, is spactically prohibited, Authorized as second-class mail panding tha Pos! Olfice Department, for payment of postage In cash. Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents for their time and talents COMING UP ALLERGIES ARE KICKING OW YEAH, PLAYED SOME GOLF A COUPLE OF SETS OF TENNIS... TONIGHT WE'LL HOTTUB gai ON THE DECK, GOTTA Tele YA THOUGH, WITH FLOWERS In, BUT HEY IT'S SPRING , o fh oO: orn eS a AS ai =~ coecer LEON ¢. —_: ANOTHER CRANK CALL FROM TORONTO. Q 0 . 0 ‘ & ra) oO age a em gee Oo Oo a AVL Winter wor DONE "Sy RecN SNOW HIT MAINLAND AND WI) = | - th SY \\ WAN Warmer isn’t necessarily better VICTORIA — Well, it’s offi- cial: British Columbia’s cli- mate is definitely heating up, and not because of anything the Liberal government has been doing. Average temperatures throughout B.C. have risen aver the past century, along with average sea levels, ac- cording to a report released re- cently by the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protec- tion, The report, Indicators of Climate Change for British Co- lumbia 2002, is based on ana- lysis of historical temperature and precipitation data carried out for the ministry by the Ca- nadian Institute for Climate Studies at the University of Victoria. Many of the B.C. findings are consistent with trends identified in other parts of the world by the United Nations scientific panel on climate They include: WM Average B.C. tempera- tures are warmer now than they were in 1895 by 0.6 de- grees Celsius on the Coast, 1.1 degrees in the Interior, and 1.7 degrees in the North. I Average sea levels are 4 to 12 centimetres higher now along most of the coast than they were in 1909. FROM THE CAPITAL . HUBERT BEYER M@ The Fraser River is 1.1 degrees warmer now than it was in 1953. @ Ice disappears from the junction of the North and South Thompson rivers 24 days earlier now than it did in 1946. Other worrying develop- ments include the retreat of two large B.C. glaciers by So wehanpé. tite bly of! of seer /anore;than-ja kilometre:each, and the increase in precipita- tion in southern B.C. by 2 to 4 per cent per decade. The future outlook is even grimmer: Average temperatures in British Columbia may in- crease by 1 to 4 degrees; aver- age annual precipitation may increase by 10 to 20 per cent a year; sea levels may rise by as much as 88 centimetres along some parts of the B.C. coast. Some interior rivers may dry up in summer; salmon mi- gration patterns and success in spawning will likely change for the worse; the mountain pine beetle, already wreaking havoc on many forests, may expand its range. You'd think that this sort of warning might get everyone to support the Kyoto Accord. Far from it. Chambers of com- merce across the land have been telling the federal gov- ernment not to ratify the ac- cord, which calls for drastic lowering of harmful emissions, for fear the cost of implement- ing it could ruin the economy. The official opposition in Otta- wa has been singing a similar tune. Even while releasing the re- port and saying that its predic- tions might well point to a cri- sis, Joyce Murray, the Minister of Water, Land and Air Pro- lection, would,not gos far:a8....irrespinsible to ifuturé ‘gener: to support the Kyoto Accord. And then there ‘are those who claim that there is no proof that global warming is caused by human activity. While there have always been natural fluctuations in the world’s climate, can.we agree that spewing millions of tonnes of harmful emission into the atmosphere may cause the cli- mate to change? Can we agree that lowering automobile emissions is bound to have a beneficial effect on the air we breathe? Can we agree that throwing away a chance to avert disaster on the long run for short-term economic gain is myepic, to say the least? On the other hand, maybe the accord’s opponents here on the west coast are taking the — really long view, seeing tropi- cal conditions in British Co- lumbia 300 years down the road, that would enable us to give Hawaii a run for its tour- ism money. I jest. At least David Anderson, the federal Minister of the En- vironment, isn’t waffling on the issue. Whatever the opposition throws at him, Anderson is sticking to his guns, insisting that the accord will be ratified because not doing so would be ations. © ’ Pd say that is a better posi- tion than whining about the possible adverse effects of the accord on the economy. And I have absolutely no problem throwing my support behind Anderson on this issue, Beyer can be reached at: E-mail: kubert@coaolcom.com; Tel (250) 381-6900; Web hitp://www.hubertbeyer.com Make that label thinner, OK? STEP OUTSIDE and your skin will tell you the temperature, yet most of us seek corrobora- tion of a thermometer. Similarly with ketchup and other bottled foods. We can tell fairly accurately by lifting the bottle if its approaching empty. How much more reli- able, though, if we can see the depth of the bottle’s contents, Borden Foods sell Real Lime in bottles sheathed to the shelf in an opaque label that wraps completely around. To further confound, the bottle it- self is unusually heavy. Only by peering into its neck can you be sure you have juice left. Recently, with her supper preparations nearly complete, Mrs, D. reached for her bottle of Real Lime. To her dismay and the ruination of her meal, mere drops remained, She was shocked, annoyed. She phoned to suggest a column on the shortcomings of bottled foods so shrouded by their labels you can uhexpect- edly run out. From the label she read the 1-800-361-8998 wow! your NORTHERN sannnagatainaadiae mith THROUGH BIFOCALS CLAUDETTE SANDECKI number to call. That number reaches Bor- den Foods, who gave me a second number to call, 1-800- 241-4923. This number con- nects you with Mott’s, makers of applesauce which, I learned while I held, “you can use as a substitute for oil in most recipes.” Push 3 if you’re call- ing from Canada. A patient, middle-aged sounding woman heard me out. “Why,” [ asked, “is the label on Real Lime completely lap- ped around the bottle and down to its base?” “Ym taking this all down,” she said, her keyboard click- ing. “That label has been in use for the longest time.” Spoken like a veteran poli- tician. “We've always done it this way.” “Is it because you need every inch of label ta display all the information that has to be printed on it?” Only dieti- tians understand the ingre- dients named. “That’s it exactly,” she said, sounding relieved. “I’il pass on your comments. We'll send you and Mrs. D, each a coupon for a bottle of the product.” Now [ll watch the mail like Dirty Harry expecting a ran- som note. Today most products list a 1-800 number consumers can call for answers, recipes, or to register suggestions or com- plaints. Mott’s has ta know one dissenting voice might repre- sent the views of as many as 50 like-minded consumers. Companies deserve feed- DOCTOR? Nore! CHIROPRACTOR 7 NoPE! ~~ — PHARMACIST ? NoPE! 5 DRYLEANER? NOPE. 7 am Pizza HUT? NoPE! LOIN E CAMERASHOP? Nope! JU ost HAIRDRESSER ¢ NOPE. ! ue { UGLY LITTLE Hote! back. Though I don’t expect my two cents worth to alter the course of Bordens or Mott's. Still, remember those consu- mers who did influence corpor- ate directions? The chocolate bar revived by Nestle’s after mothers of peanut-allergic children told the company their candy bar was the only one their children could safely eat. Or Coca Cola’s about face when consumer rebelled at the phasing out of Coke. While I can’t recall the brand or the product, I know I have tried to scrape off a strip of label with a sharp scissor blade so I could see the bot- tle’s contents, Trouble is most labels adhere beyond a life- © time, Labels thin enough for con- tents to show through as a sha- dow are fine. Real Lime's label resembles laminated plastic. Mott’s would sell more Real Lime if customers like Mrs. D. knew earlier they were about to run out, and could stock up. Surely Mott’s doesn’t need me ‘ or Mrs, D. to point that out. TO LOOK DIFFERENT BUTNOT BE DIFFERENT ! yg