It’s about shopping, keena and lights New STUDENTS WHO take Melissa Munn’s English 050 English course at Northwest Community College find themselves studying radio stations and newspapers for one section of the curriculum. They've toured the Standard Radio building and have read issues of The Terrace Standard. lt was a natural follow up to ask students to write letters based on what they have read. Pjease find below eight letters covering a broad range of issues. In the picture to the right are four students from the class. From left to right, seated, are Gurpreet Jaswal, Glenn Johnson and Lila Mason. Standing is Josh Striker. Mill action needed now Dear Sir: I am responding to “Skeena rejects Rupert money” in The Terrace Standard of Oct. 8, 2003. i disagree with Dan Veniez. I am a former employee of SCI and the issue is important to myself and to all the other workers. Some are sitting at home waiting. for the mil] Ai ton up. Some have not worked fdr'tWo years arid ri causes difficulty i in paying for their mortgages. 7 As a result, some have gone to other areas such as Prince George, Vancouver and points east in search of employment. When will this . end? Mr. Veniez is doing all he can to see that the mill will soon be operating but it is at the expense of those thal are eager to work. In light of the fact that some possibly key people have left town, will Mr. Veniez have enough skilled employees to operate the mill when he finally opens it? Has he considered this? Some workers have retired; others are closer to retirement. There are not many young men: willing to stay around when there are em- ployment opportunities elsewhere, We need some action soon on Mr. Veniez's part to get the mill up and running. Glenn Johnson, Terrace, B.C. _ Where was story? Dear Sir: I read through the Oct. 8 issue of The Ter- race Standard and was very disappointed to find that there was no media coverage on a man who had been nearly beaten to death at the park by the library, He later died at Mills Memorial Hospital. He was a human being and deserves justice. His friends and family have a right to know what happened to their loved one. Is there an investigation happening? Will justice be served?, Why wasn't this covered by The Ter- race Standard? ae Kristy McKay, Terrace, B.c. -\(Edttor’s note: A story about the incident - mentioned in this letter can be found on Page Mn) ~ Playground went to the wrong school Dear Sir: +As.a mother of two kids who attend at E.T. Kenney Primary Schoal, I’m responding to the -Oct. 8 article in The Terrace Standard about the ‘new playground at Clarence Michiel. = Ethink the new playground should be at E.T. “Renney. rather than at Clarence Michiel be- SS Gause the one at the primary school is old and 7 rolting. The new playground should be for the - “younger kids, “0T find that if the older kids get something “new, like the playground they just received, it “doesn’t last them long because they outgrow it. ‘Finally, not only is the playground equip- . nent at.the wrong school but this is the second “or'third school to have anew playground while ns ET Kenney’s is rotting. a *~" Lilla-Rase Mason, Terrace, B.C. Safety need echoed ear Sirs I am writing in response to the letter to the editor “Safety First” by Sharlene Lindstrom in The Terrace Standard of Oct. 8. a Ma. Lindstrom talks about bathroom safety -there. “now in’a store that’s fortunate enough. to be Stay closed on Christmas and New Years. Two holidays a year is not a big deal, but why : close on all of them? Look at what you calla mega box store and the sales they offer on holidays. Take a lock at these holiday sales and then consider the sales we’re missing. You _ too might change your mind. _ Sure. you worry about the smaller compa- nies like that Copperside that are going to get hurt. if the. Saye, On. Foods and Safeway are and how bathrooms are built in a way where your children could close the door and open the drawer knowing that the parents couldn’t get in. She then asked the question “in the world of safety products and warnings of unsafe toys, etc. who would still design a bathroom with the vanity right beside the door?” As a single mother of a seven year old boy,. }.gupport and agree .with, Ms. Lindstrom. .., i eataey “Children ‘are, our Fulure, and, igsenve a ‘safe ety... open, Aut. iE yop take, a,look you, might féalise. - that Copperside has a monopoly being the only one allowed to be open, The last time I checked monopolies are illegal. Josh Striker, Terrace, B.C. vironment to grow in. I am happy to see someone speaking out for children’s rights. to safe environments and. hopefully architects will read her letter and keep this in mind when they design their next home. Rosealeen Wesley, Terrace, B.C. Streetlights liked Dear Sir: I am responding to the article “Kitsumkalum getting lights at intersection” in The Terrace Standard of Oct. 8. I think it is a good idea to install the street lights there. I thank former Kitsumkalum chief councillor Diane Collins and the provincial transportation ministry for installing a series of lights by the Tempo gas bar on Highway 16. I have noticed that it can be dangerous leaving the Kitsurnkalum hall (located beside the gas bar) after some late night functions, With all the people driving out after midnight and even some people walking down the street, you really have to be extra careful. I think that this series of lights is great be- cause it will not only help drivers to see better at night in that area but it will help calm things down when people are leaving the hall. It seems that everyone leaves these functions at the same time and, with limited visibility, it can become dangerous. I know we, as communities, will benefit from these street lights and I appreciate thal people are taking our concerns and safely seriously. Will there be justice? Dear Sir: I am writing about “Crown urges judge to reject native ancestry in sentencing” from The Terrace Standard of Oct. 8. I agree with the crown in this case. It should net matter what race Walker is because he did break the law. He beat a man to death, Did Walker give the victim a chance to live? Nol The judge should not give Walker a chance by giving him a lesser sentence just because of his native ancestry when the case is this serious, Walker should be getting what he de- serves because it wouldn't’’t be fair to Lorne Lupick’s family. In my own experience, my mother was mur- dered when I was five, It wasn’t fair to me when the person who committed this crime only served eight years. The most important person in my life will not be with me forever. Justice would not be served if Walker gol a lesser. sentence. It would make other native men think that if they break the law in any way, they will get away with it. I feel every person who breaks the law should be treated equally. , Also, I think that a lesser sentence would generate racial tension. In summary, I don’t understand why the government has a set sen- tence if they are going to change il anyway. Candace Quock, Terrace, B.C. Gurpreet Jaswal, Terrace, B.C. Stat shopping is fine Dear Sir: Jeff Nagel’s “Holiday openings approved” in The Terrace Standard of Oct. 8 brought up a city debate of whether we should open up cur stores on stat holidays in the summer. What's the debate? Take a look at our stightly larger communities. Prince George and Vancouver open on stats offering a wide range of shopping. If stores don’t mind paying the cost of being open on a stat holiday, why slop them? Sure,, the people of our small community are all worried about saving our families and family values. but maybe we should look at other possibilities for family values: because shopping is not really the start of our problems We need to stop school violence Dear Sir: I am concerned about the violence that is going on in schools taday and about the kids it affects. As we all know, these days kids are exposed to more and more violent behaviour on TY ot in reality. My personal belief is that we need to edu- cate children at a young age in acceptable be- haviour. We need to teach them to accept dif- ferences and not to’single out ‘those who may not be of the same skin tone or financial back- ground. This may. seem like a fairytale world but as a member of a visible minorily group, I have experienced things in the form of racism from children who weren't old enough to know any better. Also, I have worked for the school board in a variety of schools and have seen in- nocent:kids being bullied. This. type of be- ‘haviour is learned from one's environment and not something that-an individual is born with. ~ Tam not such a-dreamer to think that we ‘are going. to change the world overnight but perhaps, if we.all did our, part to educate and listen .to.children, we will make a difference ‘ both-in:the. school’ system and in the adults of tomorrow, If you really look at the whole picture, many of the people that work at these retail jobs are teenagers. How many teenagers do you know that want to spend time with their families? As a young adult and. a teenager,.1 spend more time with my family on a regular. day then J do with them when it’s a holiday. I have been working on holidays for five years able to stay open. It’s not like they make you~. stay there. all day, Bésides -how: many teenng-'. ers do you know that actually want ta stay home with their families anyways? “Arwind: Bal, Terrace, B.C, The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 22, 2003 - AS a CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag Why be personal? Dear Sir: I must ask why Michael Tugwood, in his Oct, 1, 2003 letter to the editor, must resort to personal altacks to express his opinion. It’s very much thanks to the Liberal/Socialist leaders, their overwhelming greed, and ignorant attitudes that so many people live “lives of deprivation,” to use Mr. Tugwood’s own words. Pouring money into murdering our fellow Canadians through abortion is not helping improve poverty or “the downward slide of the environment.” Until benevolent. pro-abortionists can present an educated, factual debate without the use of ad hominem arguments they will continue to receive my pity for their lack of knowledge. And Mr. Tugwood? Leave religion out of it. Julia Panchuk, ' Terrace, B.C. Union deal all wrong Dear Sir: It was with great interest that [ read the story regarding health unions in the Oct, 15 issue. I found it quite enlightening to find out that my union, the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU), is considering entering into local agreements with the Northern Health Authority (NHA). Until I read that column, § was totally uninformed as to the intentions of the HEU executive, although | have attempted to contact them to get more information regarding this very subject, Until now, I thought I lived in British Columbia. It turns out that according to HEU, I really live in Quebec. This really does remind me of the referenda in Quebec. After all, the provincial members voted against a similar agreement in May. Since HEU doesn't get the answer they want, they approach the various health authorities. The NHA agreed to enter into negotiations. Again; the agreement was voted down. According to the HEU constitution, for such a change to pass, there must be two-thirds of the locals and 50 per cent of the membership in agreement. ~ This standard was not reached so the agreement was not ratified. Now, we may be voting on a local- by-local basis, What's next — voting on an individual- by-individual basis? The wage reduction is only part of the concession package. Also included is a reduction in vacation days and an increase in hours per week. In all, this represents over 100 hours of additional work for considerably less. What if Kitimat accepts and Terrace rejects the offer. Workers in Kitimat will work for $6,000 to $10,000 less per year with still no guarantee of employment. Even in this agreement, there is no guarantee that the NHA will not contract out before March 31, and after March 31 this agreement expires so they can contract out any time afterward without breaking the agreement. It would not be feasible for the NHA to contract out only those facilities that did not agree to the deal while! leavitig the rest'intact, Bven‘if they: did, what is to stop workers from the facilities being privatized from bumping the workers in other facilities? — The article also missed an essential point. There are a number of technical positions in HEU including computer technicians and biomedical technicians. It is already difficult to recruit in the north — how much more so if a person south of Prince George will be earning $6,000 more per year for the identical position? Like rats leaving a sinking ship, there will be a massive migration to points south if this deal does go through. Douglas Lancaster, Terrace, B.C. Embrace Spirit Bear Dear Sir: In a recent story you mentioned a gentleman by the name of Simon Jackson. Specifically, you said that having the Kermode bear as an emblem would “keep the Kermode as a northwest property and cut of the hands of people such as North Vancouver environmentalist Simon Jackson.” As a former Terrace resident, I can think of no better man as guardian of the Kermode, Mr, Jackson ‘has dedicated his life to ursus americanus kermodei. At just 21 years old, he has already made numerous trips to Prince Royal Island and other areas where the Kermode is known to exist, and has spent many weeks with the bears, Eight years ago he founded the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition, which is dedicated to the survival of our beloved Kermode. ] know some people take offense to “the Spirit Bear,” name, but ] think we should embrace this, too. Before the bear was named after Francis Kermode, the Tsimshian knew the Kermode as Moksgm’ol, or “the spirit of the. rainforest.” Furthermore, “the spirit bear" is much more likely to be remembered by this name than Kermode, which .most people mispronounce as “ker-mode.” In order to protect our cherished bear, people must ~ be well aware of it, and awareness is more difficult to achieve with an unmemorable name. No matter what you call it, it’s still our unique white black-bear, _ symbol for the City of Terrace. There is no better way to alert Canadians, Americans, and the rest of the world to the plight of ihe Kermode than a movie about the animal. As an executive producer of the show, 1 feel Mr. Jackson will portray the Kermode correctly and positively. The only danger such a movie presents is too much tourism to the Kermode’s habitat. - That's right: too-much tourism: ]'m shocked Tite Terrace Standard has a negative view of the movie. Tourism would be an excellent source of income for a sick economy. 1 hope. that the City of Terrace, yells — if not screams — worldwide that Terrace is “the Home of the Spirit Bear” after the movie is released. ’. Mark Rose, Prince George, B.C. About the Mail Bag The Terrace Standard welcomes letters. Our address is 3210 Clinton St, Terrace, B.C. V8G 5R2. You can fax us at 250-638-8432 or e-mail "us at newsroom @terracestandard.cam. No attachments, please. We need your name, address and phone number for verification, Our deadline is noon Friday or noon Thursday if its a long weekend.