|., George McLean, Gurbax Gill, t Ranjit Nizar Fax: 635-7269 i Accounting: — _ Mar] Fwytord, Ome Yeanads 3900 1. Harminder K. Dosanjh Close Up Business Services Ltd. 6 Terrace Review — Wednesday, October 9, 1991 a : : . . W hen the Tsimshian Tribal Council demanded $50,000 to do their own study of the Orenda pulp and paper mill proposal, one could easily visualize components of the non-native community being aghast at what they perceived as being a tall amount of gall. What they are looking for, howev- er, is not greatly different from what most people who have concerns about the project are after: objective data to allow an informed decision on the plan. | The Tsimshians have gone right to the heart of the major flaw. of the Major Project Review Pro- cess, the imbalance of resources between the pro- ponents and the general public. It’s Orenda’s brainchild, and without making the company’s honesty or lack of it an issue, the information pre- sented to the public during the period of the MPRP when submissions to the steering committee are being drafted is generated almost entirely by the proponent, from the prospectus right through the public meeting stage. Supporters, detractors, the gullible and the sceptical alike are left to grapple with reams of technical data, much of which is gibberish to lay people, and stumble their way to a position with virtually no assistance. : The MPRP would have far more credibility and effectiveness if it were staged to allow government agencies, who do have the resources to analyze claims made by the proponents in all areas, to prepare their submissions in advance of the public hearing portion of the process. Those submissions could then be published and distributed for the general public to mull over before the public meeting and submission stage. The result would be a better-informed body of opinion on the pro- ject under review and a process that would have far more significance for everyone. It would add an additional month or so to the process, but it would also make the difference between having the MPRP perceived as a legitimately critica review or having it, as is the case at present, widely perceived as window dressing. The addi- tional stage would also save the proponent, as Orenda will testify, from having to issue weekly bulletins quashing wild rumours about project impacts that arise due to lack of information or misinterpretation of technical reports. For the Tsimshian, $50,000 is the price tag for addressing a legitimate grievance. The same thing could be bought with 30 additional days and some ‘changes to the process that would cost very little and save a great deal of public aggravation.€ Second-class mail Established May 1, 1985 registration No. 6896 ‘The Terrace Review is published “ each Wednesday by Close-Up Business Services Ltd. Ail material (including original artwork) appearing in the Terrace Review is protected undar Canadi- * Publisher: an Copyright Registration No. 362775 and can-. Betty Barton not be reproduced for any reason without the per- : Editor: ‘ mission of the publisher. , Nor. Errors and omissions . Advertising is accapted Michael Kelly - onthe condition thal in the event of a typagraphi- oe 34 cal error, that portion of the advertising space * Staff Reporters: occupied by the arraneaus item will not be Tod: Strachan, Betty. Barion ~ National Advertising: tharged for, bul the balance of the advertisement will be patd for at the applicable rate. Advertisers must assume responsibility for errors in any clas- ‘ Marjorie Twyford - gifled ad which Is supplied to the Terrace Raview Local Advertising: in written form. In compliance with the B.C. . Jack Beck Human Alghts Act, no advertisement will be pub- _ lished which discriminates against a parson due Office/Typesetting: to age, race, religion, colour, sex, nationality, . . Carrie-Olson ancestry or place of arigin. nO - _. Production Manager: ; me im Hall 4535 Greig Avenue, 4 ' .. Beadiintian: | errace, B.C. Production: VBG {M7 : Brian Slater, Charles Costello, Phone: 635-7840 Oul of Canada $100.00 Seniors in Terrace and District $30.00 ‘Seniors oul of Terrace and District $33.00 GST will be added to Ihe above prices. ”_ Art and Graphics: Marianne Brorup Weston Mark Twyford, President “Letters to the editor wilt be considered for publicalion only when signed. Please | include your lalephone number. The editor raservas the right to condense and edit}. VATU? TDyonstrexwe| " latters. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Terrace Review. oHOuLD THATS ODD... THEY WINE BEEN HERE BY NOW... The view from Victoria — VICTORIA - It is time for some crystal-ball gazing, to — consider some of the possi- ble/probable events which will follow the Oct. 17th B.C. election. . Scenario I: The New Democratic Party led by Mike Harcourt loses, with Social Credit eking out a narrow victory. Let us dispense with this one quickly, because it must be, at this stage, considered . the least likely result. The various public-opin- ion polls, the Socreds’ lack- lustre campaigning, and the steady water-torture drip of scandal after scandal which are plaguing them, puts this one into the 25-to-1 range... at least. , But if it did happen, the NDP would have little option but to dump Mr. Harcourt... and quickly. After all, we pundits have been saying for the past year or more that the election is the NDP’s to lose, that they have the inside track, and that only some major gaffe on their part could derail their runaway victory train. Scenario I]: The Socreds lost - either suffering an ignominious defeat, say a ratio of two seats to one or worse, or a somewhat less painful one in which they (miraculously, one might add), salvage 30 or so seats outofthe 75.000 Either way, the same fate would bo in store for the loader Premiér Rita John-- 9 after an election defeat is now an automatic provision of the Socred constitution. It calls for a secret ballot to be conducted at the next provincial convention, over whether or not a leadership contest should be held. If they stick to the current schedule, the dregs of Social Credit would assemble in Penticton on Nov. 14 to pick over the ashes, and to hold that secret ballot. ’ Mrs, Johnston might win a temporary vote of confi- dence, and a call for building for the future - but not if she loses her own Surrey seat, - something which remains a distinct possibility. Perhaps that is why some of the potential candidates for “Convention II, The Aftermath”, are so desperate to get re-elected, and there- fore to have a chance at tak- ing over what would be left - of Social Credit, How else, other than des- peration, could one explain the strange goings-on in recent days over the ferry between Comox and Powell River, for instance? . Education Minister Stan - Hagen says there will now be two ferries, and that his Comox Valley constituency would be well-served if the Socreds get back in. (This convenienily ignores the fact that even the one existing ship is not used to capacity). _ Across the Strait of Geor- by John Pifer _ ston. ; gia, Socred MLA Harold A leadership challenge Long says the Premier is on his side, and that the one ferry promised to be based there, will be... and not in Comox. Could it be that Stan has seen the latest polling fig- ures which show a snowball in Hades stands a better chance of survival than he? And could he therefore realize that any aspirations which he might have held for the top chair are melting even faster? Could be. At this rate, the only cur- rent or recent Cabinet con- tenders who might be around to try to lead Social Credit or its successor will be Peace River’s Jack Weis- gerber, West Vancouver's ; John Reynolds, and Lang- ley’s Carol Gran. Scenario III: If one leaps forward on an assumption of an NDP government, up looms the dilemma facing . big-business and the power- ful corporations which con- trol. much of the province's resources, and jobs. Do they band together to try to oust a Harcourt gov- ernment as soon as possible, as happened in 1972 against NDP Premier Dave Barrett. Do they threaten to leave B.C. altogether, while asking the last person out to please turn out the lights? Te Continued ONiw > Clas MF deca eee ee oo