: Hy ; ‘Bf . 8 I : i : % 5 { + i } Lcd a AG Feprace Revi — Wetnesday, Febpyary 20,4901 -_ EDITORI he board of the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District has fre- - I ~~ quently tried the patience of fired-up developers with its pedantic and careful approach to land use decisions that . " occur within its jurisdiction. Although the regional board is some- times seen as an obstacle rather than an aid to new ideas, the region has generally been served well by the thoughtful and comprehensive manner the board brings to bear on issues, particularly those that come through the door to their board room with a considerable head - . Of political steam. _ ‘This past Saturday the regional board stepped out of character, rather abruptly rejecting two proposals that might have been given more careful thought. Vancouver engineer Brian Fairbank arrived here with a well-- researched proposal to explore the potential for a new, environ- mentally sound industry in the area. He not only had a proposal but was prepared to stake nearly a quarter million dollars of his own money on it. Even if his search for geothermal deposits strong enough to generate electricity had failed, the exploration would have contributed something to the knowledge of the geology in the area around-Lakelse Lake and its famous hot springs. The regional board virtually told him to go fly a kite. The disappointment in this lies not in the fact that Fairbank’s idea was rejected, but that it appears to have been rejected on the basis of nothing sounder than the superstitious fears of Mount Layton Hot Springs owner Bert Orleans, The single report on the matter " requested by the board was composed by a local consultant who, although extremely competent, admitted that greater expertise could have been brought to bear on the matter. It would have cost the board little to have asked for further research, available from any number of geothermal experts in several areas of the world. If further research hadn’t shed more light on the technical aspects of the proposal, it at least would have conveyed the impression that the board was doing its job thoroughly, an impression that is lacking in the action it did take. Another item on the same agenda illustrates the contradictory nature of the Community Corrections system. Although there is strong public support for the idea that people convicted of minor crimes should serve their brief incarcerations in their home communities, it appears that no one wants them around while they’re doing it. A proposal to locate the new corrections centre near & developed area in Thornhill prompted a public outcry among residents of the area that had an edge of hysteria, a reaction not unlike the one dtawn by rumours of the same proposal last year in a different area of town. Whether the site is suitable in every respect or not, there should have been an opportunity for public hearings on the matter to allow a somewhat more rational dialogue between corrections representatives and the locals. In the controlled arena of a public hearing, concerns about the size of the land parcel and whether constraints on the development specified by the regional district can in fact be enforced could have been discussed in detail. Instead, the board killed the rezoning application altogether. Tt was not one of the board’s more enlightened performances. ylerrace Second-class mail Established May 1, 1985 registration No. 6896. The Terrace Review Is published -each Wednesday by . rotected under Canadian copyright Registre- Close-Up Business Services Ltd. fi 778 mot fegal re flon No, 362775 and cannot legally be repro- duced for any reason without permission of the * Publisher: publisher. Betty Barton Errore and omissions. 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Opinions Ptease include your t The editor reserves the expressed are not necessarily ihose of the Terrace Review. All material appearing in the Terrace Review ia — 4 = | eZ EEEEEEEK! “YOURE BAK! ap | Basis VICTORIA — Some observa- tions of a political columnist upon returning to the trials and trivial tribulations of B.C.’s politicians, after three weeks in the Middle East: @ There are some Social Credit Party members — primarily the more rabid sup- porters of Premier Bill Vander Zalm — who may have cheered the news on Feb. 8 that the party’s grande dame, Grace McCarthy, would not be seek- ing re-election. . But the majority of Socreds must have felt a sadness at the unglamorous exit from the scene of one of the province’s longest-serving and most re- spected politicians. - Even the NDP opposition MLAs acknowledge that Amaz- ing Gracie, now 63, was a sub- stantial force to be reckoned with over the past 20 years. And the New Democrats will view her absence from the looming election as a bonus for them, which it is. The lady herself must be sad- dened to see Mr. Vander Zalm clinging to power by whatever means possible; and further disappointed at the lack of guts ‘by other Cabinet ministers who told her they would resign over his leadership. - Instead, they have chosen to hang on to their $90,000-plus salaries, and to dismiss evi- dence that the Premier appears to have lied repeatedly about his involvement in the opera- tion and sale of Fantasy Garden World. - There is some suggestion that Mr. Vander Zalm will “re« ward’? Mrs, McCarthy with a senior posting (B.C. Hydro? Yi.Oe , Y } WP a ake Re ma! The view from Victoria — by John Pifer British consul-general?), as a means of placating her sup- — porters within the party. Even if such an offer is made — and apparently it has not been up to the time of this ‘writing — this scribe would be amazed if Mrs. McCarthy were to accept it. @ Speaking of the Premier’s — latest mendacity regarding Fan- tasyland, some of his loyal MLAs are asking: ‘Who really cares?’. They maintain that the twist- _ ed trail of Asian wheeling and dealing over Bill and Lillian’s property is of narrow interest only in Greater Vancouver and Victoria, and that the grass- roots elsewhere in the. province do not consider it an issue. Putting on a brave face, they say they are ready for an elec- tion, that the buoyant economy and Social Credit's financial wisdom will be hailed by the voters, and that Fantasy Gardens will be forgotten. Don’t count on that, given that the NDP plans to concen- trate on Mr. Vander Zalm’s leadership and the lack of in- tegrity in government as their two main election planks. © In counterattack, the Socred _ plotters intend a frontal assault - on ‘‘wishy-washy’” Mike Har- court and what they label as his constant fence-sitting on major issues. Either way, it is certain to be one of the most vindictive and nasty election campaigns in years. @ The question now is whether the election will be preceded by a sitting of the Legislature. Mr. Vander Zalm in the past few days has said that there will be a session, and that it will be televised. But there are many who do not believe him on these points, either. ; Some senior Socreds argue that it would be sheer stupidity to give the NDP a public forum in which to add to the- mounting political indictments against the Premier. Other more arrogant Socreds — former attorney-general Bud . Smith springs to mind — say that they would get the upper hand in the House, and use it to attack Harcourt, Moe Sihota and Co. as a prelude to a general election. Before the latest blow-up over Fantasy Gardens, the game plan was for an election -. gall in early April after a few weeks (but no Budget) in the Legislature. The vote itself was pencilled in for the first few days of May. For a party that is demoral- ized, deeply divided, and destined for defeat, Social Credit may as well just get it over with, and go even earlier. Parting Thought: Let it be clear that the Fantasy Gardens fiasco is more about lying and misrepresentation than it is about a politician selling the family home. One might manage even to ignore the effort to squeeze out an extra half-a-million dollars in a commission scam. Just note this: ‘‘Lillian has been handling it, with the real estate people working on it.’’ — Continued on page A7