A16 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 2, 1998 Liberal MLA doesn’t mind if locals oppose treaty vote B.C, LIBERAL party Icad- ers pushing for a provincial referendum on the Nisga’a treaty say they’re not con- cemed that they don’t have the support of some promi- nent northwest party mem- . bers, Mike de Jong, the party’s aboriginal affairs critic, toured . the .northwest last week and met with Terrace mayor Jack Talstra and other local city councillors who are Liberals but op- posed to a __ treaty referendum. De Jong said party mcem- bers are entitled to their opinions adding, ‘‘I’m here to hear what they have to say.” The party pushed for a free vole in the legislature on the treaty, he added, 50 it must also be prepared to ac. cept differing opinions in- He also said he docsn’t want to interfere in the role of local government, which are closest to local issues. “There has always been a realization on the part of lo- cal governments that these treaties will live or die on whether local people make them work,”’ he noted. De Jong characterizes the party’s push for a referendum as one that would establish principles for future sets of treaty ne- gotiations. But the emphasis on future negotiations doesn’t mean they’ve given up on stop- ping the Nisga’a deal as it. stands. He said a referendum defeat of the Nisga’a princi- ples for treaties elsewhere would also put insurmount- able pressure on the goveri- ment to overhaul that treaty The referendun — envi- sioned by the Liberals would ask a series of ques- tions about components of the treaty which are seen as likely to form a template for future deals, de Jong said. “We're not saying take the whole 250-page docu- ment, stick it in a polling station and ask people yes or no. Don’t think that’s particularly helpful,’’ he said. The referendum might ask, he explained, whether voters support elements such as the degree of self government provided, the end to tax-exempt status, and the treaty allocation of commercial fishing rights. A referendum could hap- pen one of two ways, he said. Either the premicr agrees to one under political pres- sure, Or else a legal chal- Mike de Jong lenge — which the Liberals say they’re now drafling — would argue that the treaty amounts to an amendment to the constitution and there- fore must be subject to a referendum under B.C. Jaw. - De Jong said he umes B.C, attorney-general to simply setile that issue by putting the legal question to the B,C, Court of Appeal as a reference. ternally on the deal. ste. Making progress TWO-THIRDS OF the units needed for a seniors housing project to go ahead have already been spoken for, says a member of the project committee. . Wayne Braid of the Dr. R-E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation says it has deposits on 17 of the units for the Heritage House project beside Terraceview Lodge on the bench. The foundation needs to sell 26 in order to secure bank financing for the 40-unit project. ‘‘We’re extremely happy with the progress and our plan is by next spring to be at our target and to start construction,”* said Braid, The project is being called supportive housing, a term that applies to people who can live independently but who may need a minimum level of services. Units are to cost $79,000 cach under what’s called a life- lease. All told, Heritage House has a price tag of just under $3.20 million. Tenants will also pay a monthly operating’ expense charge to cover repairs, taxes and utilities. . Each unit in an apartment-building style construction will be one-bedroom, have a laundry area and have 562 square feet of living space. They’ll be handicapped acces-. ‘ sible. Common arcas will consist of social and recreational before passing it. : _ James W. Radelet _ RADELET & COMPANY barristers & Solicitors PLANS FOR the Heritage House housing project beside Terraceview are examined by Wayne Braid, one of the project members, and eager tenants Muriel O'Boyle and Walter McConnell. 1 * Nearly finalized is an agreement between the R.E.M. Lee foundation is a deal with a bank to grant mortgages to pur- chasers through a blanket qualifying plan. That way, said Braid, people buying will be dealing with bankers familiar with the project. go neering 7. p> While Yo “Cha s Ra u bp Of ore ey, @. Thank You The Terrace Public Library would like to thank the following busi- nesses for their generous donation of prizes to our “1998 Wild About Books” Summer Reading Club: Canada Safeway Ltd | A&W Restaurant McDonald’s Kentucky Fried Chicken. 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