VICTORIA - Tempting though it may be to devote

another column.to the growing examples of patron-

age appointments from the NDP government, onward |

to a less "sexy" topic.
During the ‘election, campaign, ‘the New Demo-

_ erats promised that they would double the land set
aside for parks and wilderness areas in the province, ©
Some feared that would mean an. arbitrary move,

to end harvesting i in. some timber supply areas, thus
jeopardizing jobs.and whole communities. hat

Now Premier Mike Harcourt and his Cabinet

henchpersons in forestry-and the environment have

unveiled their “protected areas strategy" which will -
designate 23 new parks and wilderness areas this

year.
But it was somewhat of ‘a ‘welcome surprise to

from immediate,

In fact, the government says that the target to
protect 12% of the province, rather than the current

six, is at least eight years away. |
And the decisions on another 161 areas being
considered for protection frorn resource development
are far from automatically going to be i in’ favour of

that protection. «6°. :

The. strategy. pepers talk aly: “of ‘possible |

Could it be that the new government has had a

reality check?
_ Could it have come to recognize that such deci-
~ sions cannot be biased in favour of the environmental

lobby, but must be judgments taken only after wise, .

careful assessments? ~

“Perhaps the New Democrats are begriadgingly
coming to realize that walking the fine line between .

protecting the: province’s parks and wilderness, and

providing stimulation and stability to preserve jobs
and resource industries, is a rocky trail indeed, one

littered’ with obstacles, |
| “Ine 4 province with an economy kept busyant
thiviigh! the harvesting of. its natural resources,

, ‘Terrace Review “May 15,1982 7 - |

; politically-motivated "celebration of musi¢s
. Socreds' patched: together to: try to wingffierids and:
: influence voters? ‘Hen
learn that the doubling of the parkland‘is to be far

alah Kevetar i. ;

perhaps it is very wise indeed to allow a at least eight
years to study ¢arefully the implications of ruling:
huge plots of fland out-of bounds for ‘resource develop.
ment. ; Yo :

Naturally,: the ’ "green" caucus within- the: NDP

7 feels that its party i is not moving fast enough nor: far:
enough toward.’ (Preservation and environmental;
‘protection...

But judging from the' ‘non-announdement' about:

~~ the 12° percent strategy, ' “it. would appear that the’ .
 saner heads have prevailed. : :

Remember Music 91, the financially disastrous,
‘which the:

Well, the: ‘NDP. has not forgotten. ice n tf

. minute.

_ And during a most lively exchange in the Legis-
lature with former Socred Cabinet minister Lyall

. Hanson, Tourism Minister Darlene Marzari

levelled some rather pithy descriptions of what
punsters last year had labelled Music’ 9-1-1,

Here’s the Hansard text of that exchange, during
the annual review of tourism ministry expenditures:

-Marzari: We had a mess to clean up:’ ‘(We)’ are
paying for shoddy and slipshod operations-in past...
administrations. It makes my bldod boil:?? °° =:

Hanson: I'd like to know from the iiiiriister; in’
this mess she has inherited, wheré the ihesé was' lit .
the tourism ministry?

 Marzari: I can only point to Music 91, which

, spent about. $21 million to $28 million; which bene:

fited neither the cultural nor the tourism industry. It?
was some kind of whimsical political. plan which
ended up as a bunch of American’ entertainers’

‘coming: up to sing in parking: lots and Shopping

malls. |
Music 91 has been replaced by "Face the Music

92" and d that's what we're ® doing right n now.