._ A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 29, 1998

: UTERRACE

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988

PUBLISHER: ROD LINK
* ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. * V8G 5R2
‘ TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 * FAX: (250) 638-8432
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‘Money, money
ONE KEY portion of the Nisga’a treaty should
have resulted in cheers and clinking of glasses at
law firms specializing in land claims. This sec-
tion calls for the federal government to chuck in
$30 million to train Nisga’a people in the art of
government.

The $30 million roughly equates to the amount
Spent by the Nisga’a on legal fees during a
quarter-century of off and on negotiations. Con-
necting the legal bill to the amount for training
was a last-minute addition to help seal the deal.
>The $30 million is clearly a victory for the
Nisga’a. It resembles the common procedure in
court battles where the winner iteceives costs
from the loser.
~ Under original guidelines set years ago, legal
costs of natives arising from land claims deals
were to be subtracted from the cash portion of
Any eventual settlement.

Yet with a legal bill owing of more than $30
million, the Nisga’a had a solid case in setting
aside the guideline for it would have put a
serious dent in the $190 million going to them as
part of the overall treaty.

: But this also sets a precedent fo the 50-plus
Jand claims deals now in various st ges of nego-
tiations across the province,

"The legal advisors to natives now know their
billable hours have a good chance of being cov-
ered off-in some fashion in any “Subsequent
treaties. ,

And native groups will be able to spend more
time and money on the best advice and on intri-
cate negotiations strategies without the fear of
having legal bills be knocked off the final cash
portions of their treaties.

While the legal bills of other native groups
won't be as high as the ones incurred by the
Nisga’ a in theit lengthy negotiations, there will
be untold millions pouring out of federal coffers.

And that, means good news for law firms in
what has become probably the only growth in-
dustry left in B.C. Those thinking of a career

‘change or young people contemp lating a profes-

sion would do well to contact their nearest law
School.

-Good knight!

NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT minister Dan
Miller has the best of intentions in opening a
northern commissioner office in Prince George.

- John Backhouse is to be our knight i in shining
armour, venturing forth to do mighty battle with
the forces of government evil in Castle Victoria. .

. But battle strategists know a full frontal assault
is messy and, in this case, expensive at $2.5 mil-
lion in sweat-soaked, taxpayer-provided cash.
¢ Better by far for Mr. Miller to have sent one of
his own knights into the field to mingle with us
peasants. We would then be snared the clanging
of swords and lusty cries of battle.

" After all, we’re already paying for Mr. Miller’s
knights. Which leads us to wonder what exactly
those guys have been doing all along inside
Castle Victoria in the first place.

<

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CoctenenTr Mewnrarses
Aprerrereen
pune Crioetve oef Fane

al a
ame

ve THE SHIRT OFF HIS BACK...
HOW ABOUT THE SHIRT OFF
HiS BACK

Te NX

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—~_) Se

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Sci
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77?

Faye

Campbell wrong on Nisga’a

VICTORIA Gordon
Campbell and his Liberal
troops have been hanging
around reporiers too long and

come to believe that releasing .

details of something before it
is to be released by the govern-

ment is a major contribution to _

freedom of speech and demo-
cracy as we know it.

The complete version of the
Nisga’a deal was scheduled to
be made public by the govern-
ment Aug. 4. Somehow, the
Liberals got their hands on the
betier part of the final agree-
ment and released it last week.

Leaking details of a budget
before the finance minister
slips on his or her new shoes
and tells citizens how they’re
going to be skinned for the
coming 12 months is a
favourije among reporters.

At one time, the hapless fi-
nance minister in charge of a

budget, details-of which were -

leaked, even had to resign. Ah,
the power of the media.

At least the media use any
information they get hold of
before its scheduled release to
either attack or praise ibe
government. Not so Campbell.
He hasn’t figured out yet
which way the public wind is
going to blow on the Nisga’a
deal and decided to seek refuge
on the fence.

“People have a right to know
what they’re talking about,”’

Have list, will

SAFEWAY'S FULL page al-
phabetical listing of products
and their aisle locations printed
in last week’s paper helped
orient me to the entire store.
And the birds’ eye view of the
store’s floor plan gives me a
feeling of control and con-
fidence.

My husband shops for us; I
subscribe to my mother’s rule;
whoever is best qualified for
the job gets to do it, When I
shop, it’s usually for the
Toutine necessities; bread,
milk, meats, fruits and vegeta-
bles.

Whenever I’m after an un-
usual item, such as unpopped
popcorn, I have to. waylay a
stocking clerk for directions.

Now, Safeway staff lack the -

skill to hide unlike so many
store clerks. Always, Safeway
staff are cheerfully accom-
modating, leaving their trolley
of ice cream to melt while they
lead me, past aisle after aisle,
to the exact shelf, Sometimes,

FROM. THE CAPITAL,

HUBERT BEYER

Campbell said after he tabled
the document in the legislature,
I think so, too. ] will defend to
the death, if necessary, Camp-
bell’s right to know what he’s
talking about. Unfortunately,
that knowledge appears to
elude him, at least as far as the
Nisga’ a deal is concerned. *

"In @ brilliant display of vacil- ©

lation, the Liberal leader said
he would withhoid bis opinion
on the historic agreement, the
one he released, until be gets
advice from a panel of law-
yers. Heaven heJp us all if
politicians won’t iake a stand
on an issue until they've
checked with a bunch of law-
yers.

Premier Glen Clark did the
only sensible thing when
Campbell scooped him by
releasing part of the agree-

] THROUGH BIFOGALS
CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

as in my hunt for Equal artifi-
cial sweetener, my search party
turns into a conga line as one
clerk secks guidance from an-
other.

With this comprehensive list-
ing I can write up future gro-
cery orders im sequence
eliminating backtracking by
my husband, The risk of him
skippiig an item will also be
reduced. [ was never sure be-

_ fore which aisle number held |

oucn | THE
CANOE KEEPS
BANGINGT
Butte

Good GRIEF! ARE You
NORTHERNERS So VAIN
YoU CAN NEVER
REMOYE YouR HATS a

ment, He downplayed the im-
portance of the Liberal move,

**We're going to have the
finished document published
nicely for everyone on Aug. 4
and distributed, and we’ll have
months to debate it So] don’t
know what the big deal is
about _ releasing draft docu-
ments,”’ Clark said.

“T's not like we're rushing
this ... in secret.’

Nisga’a spokesmen weren't
quite as charitable. ‘‘I find the
action by the leader of the op-
position unfortunate, ill-timed
and reprehensible,” said Joe
Gosnell, president of the
Nisga’a Tribal Council. ‘‘The
political grandstanding is an
insult to the Nisga’a First Na-
tion.”

Gosnell’s reaction is under-
standable. The Nisga’a have

been tying’ to , negotiate,,.a,..

treaty for 11} years. Time, and,

“again, “their efforts _ were -
thwarted, and when at long last
their Jabor bears fruit, some
clown tries to steal the thunder
and make political points by
releasing ‘details of it before
the date’ set for its official
release and ceremonial sign-
ing.

The final agreement differs
very little from the interim
agreement, signed in 1996 and |
published for all to see.

One of the major com-
ponents of ihe treaty concems

what. Thirteen aisles is a lot to
remember when you rarely
tour them.

I well recall when depart-—
ment stores posted framed pro-
duct listings beside each stair-
way, elevator or escalator. The
Bay in Saskatoon, Eaton’s in
Vancouver, Bloomingdale's ia
New York, even Woolworth’s
in Terrace kept an index handy
fora quick check by customers
buying an item unusual for
them.

A brief scan of the listing
and you could beeline right to
the display of your choice, ,

Today’s supermarkets boast
almosl as many square feet of
floor space as oldtime three-
Story department stores in
some cases, possibly more
square footage; yet I seldom
notice an aisle guide.

In addition, many stores
today, bigger and with more
variety of goods, often employ
fewer staff leaving the
customer mare at sea. If you do

Lucky THE, (orAGeves
ONLY HAD Togues!!

self-government, according to
which the Nisga’a will be able
to make laws on subjects rang-

ing from (Nisga’a) citizenship. |

to language. The Canadian
Charter of Rights and Free-

doms and the Criminal Code of «
Canada, however, will apply to

the Nisga’a.

The treaty will also give the
Nisga’a the right to tax Nisga’a
citizens to raise revenue for the
Nisga’a Nation.

The Nisga’a will also own all
forest resources on their land,
just under 2,000 square kilo-

metres in the Nass River Val- ‘

ley.
The treaty enshrines the right

of public access to Nisga’a,

land for temporary, non-
commercial and. recreational
uses. Public access, however,

doesn’t include harvesting or '

extracting, resources unless au-
wlborized. by the Nisga’a. In,
_ other words, the Nisga’a will .
truly be masters of their own.
home.

Unless there is a sleeper in
the agreement, one I haven't
found yet, I can only give it
my whole-hearted

will whisper into his ear.

Beyer can be reached at:
Tel: (250) 920-9300; Fax:
(250) 356-9597; E-mail:
hubert@coolcom.com

go shopping

succeed in pinning a clerk
where she can’t escape from
you, chances are she’ll be only
slightly more aware of all pro-
duct locations than a first-time
customer,

The range of goods Safeway
offers never ceases to amuse
me, Whenever I have a chance
I like to wander the aisles dis-
covering the variety of brand
names, flavours, and un-
expectedness of products. I
recollect shopping a drugstore
in New York City when they
began selling sports socks.
now grocery stores _ sell
automotive supplies and drug-
stores sell patio furniture, So I
never know what I might find.

All stores from hardware to
craft could assist customers
with an aisle index prominent-
ly displayed near the entrance,
Stores that shift shelves as
ofien as they dust could print
theirs on post-it notes.

This printed list will shave
off my shopping.

Fa.

support, ..
Campbell, on the other hand, is ~
waiting for what the lawyers -.,;

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,

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