Yes, by 19 votes IF ALL the votes from Terrace and the rural areas were counted in one pile, the Nov, 20 multiplex re- ferendum would have passed — very narrowly. The yes votes from Terrace, Thornhill and the other rural areas add up to a total of 2,616 while the No votes from all voting areas add up to 2,597, No councillor was suggesting a 19-vote Majority of area residents wag a huge mandate, but it did bolster their resolve to look for a way to proceed with the project. Some Terrace councillors had suggested earlier in the fall. that.a. “corporate vote" be conducted that would take in the entire area and count all the voles together avoiding the situation of the rural area vetoing the the wishes of the majority. — That idea was rejected on the advice of regional district officials who said it would be complex and it would be legally questionable for the board to go ahead with the plan against the wishes of the Thornhill and Area C directors. Sixty per cent of rural voters defeated the propo- sal 966-653, while the project got the support of 55 per cent of voters in Terrace, where the final count was 1,963 Yes to 1,631 No, A few votes wasted Apart from 200 blank school trustee ballots in which voters didn't make a mark, there weren’t an extraorinary number of rejected ballots, Some multiplex No voters, however, ruined their vote by writing down obscenities on their ballots in addition to their X. Any mark on the ballot other than an X in the appropriate box results in it being rejected. Another voter, rather than marking Xs for the councillors, had numbered them one to six, pre- sumably in order of preference. That, too, was re- jected. Other ballots were rejected because the voter marked check marks rather than Xs. Of the 3,623 voters, there were 39 spoiled ballots for mayor, 59 for council, and 24 rejected multi- plex ballots. Under the V, voter There were 10 polls within Terrace, but they were divided up alphabetically, rather than geogra- phicaliy. That meant you couldn’t tell how bench residents, for example, voted, but you could look for patterns based on people’s last names. On that basis, the Thi-Z poll, which takes in Dutch names starting with V, was expected to be Strong for Jack Talstra. It delivered - that poll along with the Bow-C poll and the advance poll were the only three to give Talstra an outright 2:1 margin over challenger Linda Hawes. The strongest Hawes polls were G-Hiz, in which she trailed 176-154 and A-Boy, where she trailed 182-135. . Every city poll recorded a yes vote for the multi- plex. The closest the No side got to victory was in the P-R poll, where they were edged out 173-171. Strategic voting used Voters were allowed to choose up to six of the 11 candidates for city council, but there’s no require- ment that you use all six votes, In fact the average number of council votes cast by each voter this time was 4.9. That reflects a voting strategy many people use sometimes called “plumping” the vote or “plugging” the ballot. The idea is that if you really want one or two or three candidates to be elected to council, you’re best to mark just those names and no others. The reason for that is that if you do mark others simply to fill out the six spots you’re allotted, and the race for sixth spat is close, the extra votes could cost your preferred candidates the election. BC Wonien’s Domestic Violence Project Is making health care safer for women. Biish Columba's Women's Hoipdal and Hearn Cente eR ensure the best possible future for our kids. BRITISH Se Election In Brief | Health body pays to polish its image TERRACE’s health coun- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 1, 1999 - A15 way Dk, EPILEPSY MF CANADA 06 be remmear E errey Revere ier 1 600 860-5499 - cil has hired a public re- lutions person to improve its tarnished image. Local resident Rana Nelson, the interim coordi- nator of the Terrace Tour- ism Council, was hired in October to improve the hospital’s public relations. The council, which runs Mills Memorial Hospita! and Terraceview Lodge, has faced a firestorm of criticism this year over budget and service cuts, Health council chair Bob Kelly said hiring someone to write articles on good things happening with local health care is important because the public should be informed. He said council mem- bers have regarded some of the news coverage on the hospital as inaccurate. “We don’t believe they’ve been factual when they come out in the paper,” said Kelly. “We don’t deny there are bad things that happen but we feel we're not getting a fair shake.” Tom Novak, Rana Nelson is imperative. And often he’s too busy — he’s also Kitimat Hospital’s acting CEO -— to handle that task in Terrace. Nelson is working about one day a week on a con- tract basis to improve the hospital’s cormmunications. “It’s absolutely neces- sary that people know what's going on, ” Novak said. “I don’t thing we’ve been doing a great job of : communicating.” acting |! Novak said the health CEO, said in times of council has budgeted change, communication $10,000 annually for pub- with the media and public fic relations, SS ¢ Mirrors °¢ Collectibles ¢ T-Shirts ° Barbies , ¢ Children’s Clothin ° Brand New - Harley Davidson Footwear for Men & Women J HARLEY DAVIDSON of SMITHERS 1-800-410-5473 _ Hwy. 16 West ¢ Smithers ae , e ee Sear? 8 is an issue that is near and dear to all of us. The quality of care children receive early in life has the greatest impact on their success in school and in their adult lives. Parents are the primary caregivers for their children and provide the foundation of security, respect and love on which they build their lives. But because many working families have | : difficulty finding and affording the quality child care they need, providing this care is a é _ responsibility shared by all of us — parents, communities and governments. G The recently released discussion paper outlines what's been done in B.C. since 1991 and, our ideas and proposals for better and more accessible child care in B.C, We want feedback, 4 debate and input from the broadest possible range of people, including parents, child care = providers, social agencies, business, labour, special Interest groups and the general public to - For more information and a copy of the discussion paper, call (250) 387-6485 | . oF visit us at: www.sdes.gov.bc.ca : Please provide your input by January 31, 2000 Our children’s well-being Moe Sihota, Minister Ministry of Social Development and Economic Security — EE ESE EE RE Phone: 604-689-0978 in. We Believe in the Magi op Christmas “8 a xt “from rustic to romantic” staff, , throws, teddies, dolls, and so much “yourself or for that * someone specia ‘Country Cottage Gifts a “" Come enjoy a wonderful shopping experience” ++ in a unique little shop with friendly and helpful We catty angels, snowmen, handcrafted ornaments, stocking stuffers, mulling spice mix, gift baskets, scented candles, wreaths, placemats, ; : - ; _ RADELET & COMPANY Barristers & Solicitors Tax Law ¢ Trusts * Corporate & Commercial 1330 - 1075 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, B.C, V6E 3C9 _ Fox: 604-689-1384 ee eat : a} cof morel! * y2. We puteg into every gift you buy, whether for 17 I" nt fp The Terrace Rotary Club wishes to thank the following businesses and organizations for their help with donations of material and equipment to refurbish the “Welcome to Terrace” signs east and west of town: Acadia Northwest Mechanical Inc. Candian Tire Convoy Supply Ltd. Independent Industrial Supply Ltd. 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