Everything to lose We’re in the middle of environment week, and it seems no coincidence that one of our lead stories this week describes the frustration local conservation officers are experiencing in trying to do their jobs to a reasonable standard. There are two of them to cover 25,000 square miles, and it’s a reflection of their situation that, like’ their counterparts throughout the province, they cannot say how serious the poaching problem is in this area. . These people are overworked, and the protection function | of the Ministry of Environment is under-funded. In view of the announcement last year that a team of four additional environment investigators were assigned | to the region, it comes as an unpleasant surprise that conservation officers are still being called off their _ wildlife stewarding duties to take on-site evidence for the ~ Waste Management Branch in pollution events. The provincial government. announced a $273 million special fund in the March 18 budget for the environment, but its effect has yet to be seen in this area. Based on objective observation rather than government press releases, B.C.’s commitment to protecting the environment looks invisible rather than green. - The federal government should not get off without mention here. The repeal of the antiquated federal sales tax on manufactured goods presented a tremendous opportunity for a progressive and imaginative form of consumer tax on ecologically unsound goods and ‘practices. Taxation is a powerful tool to bend public behavior that can be used to punish some forms of spending and reward others. There could have been punitive taxes on excessive energy consumption, redundant packaging and other forms of environmental stupidity. Instead what we got is the GST, which penalizes everything.and rewards nothing-except. accounting creativity. And if it seems that a selective consumer tax would be difficult to administer and collect, take a look at the GST encyclopedia of procedures and consider how much more complex any tax could be, The province doesn’t come off any better. There’s a couple of ill-conceived measures that add flat taxes to automobile tires and batteries, but they aren’t refundable deposits and certainly won’t discourage people from buying tires or batteries nor encourage them to use their — Continued on page A7 Second-class mail Established May 1, 1985 registration No. 6896. The Terrace Review Is published each Wednesday by Close-Up Business Services Ltd. Publisher: Mark Twyford 7. * Edltor: ’ Michael Kelly Staff Reporters: ; Tod Strachan, Betty Barton . Advertising Manager: Mar) Twyford ‘Typesetting: ; . Carrie Olson ¢ Production Manager: . * Jim’ Hail: _ ‘Preduetion: ‘Charles Costello, Gurbax Gili, _ Karyn Kirk, Linda Mercer, Ranjit Nizar Office: ‘Carrie Olson “Accounting: . * Mari Twyterd, Harminder K. Desanjh All materlal appearing in the Tarrace Review is protected under Canadian copyright Registra: tion No. 362775 and cannot iegally ba repro. duced for any reason without permission of the pubilsher. Errore and omissions. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that in the event of iypographical error, that portion of the advertis- “ing space occupied by the erroneous item will not be charged for, but the batance of the adver- ‘Ulsement will be paid for at ihe applicable rate. Advertisers must assume responsiblity for er- rors In any classified ad which is supplied to the 7 Terrace Review in handwritten form, ' “Iv compllarice with the 8.C. Human Rights Act, fo - advertisement will be published which ’ discriminates against a person due to age, race, + religion, color, sex, nationality, anceslry oF place al M ofigin. "4535 Greig Avenue, Terrace, B.C. - V8G 1M7. Phone: 635-7840 Fax: 635-7200 —- , eee x in Canada $24.00 Gut of Canada $50.00 ” Seniors in Terrace and Distiict $12.00 | Senlore out ol Terrace and District $15.00 ey ‘editor w be considered for puiblidation : As ‘inchide your fe . ‘ - - The editor reserves the right: 70. “condenige: ‘and