A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 17, 2001

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIE 27, 1988

PUBLISHER: ROD LINK
ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C, » V8G 5R2
TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 * FAX: (250) 638-8432
EMAIL: standard@kermode.net ,

Juiced up |

THE GOOD news about natural gas in B.C. is
that the provincial government is reaping a wind-
fall of royalties. Badly needed revenues are flow-
ing into the provincial government’s coffers and
are being spent in areas such as health care,

A goodly portion of the royalties come from
our neighbours to the south, hungry as they are
for a clean alternative to coal and nuclear energy.

The bad news is that because of free trade and
deregulation, the price is being set by the Ameri-
cans and it is one we also have to pay. With a
strong American dollar relative to our Canadian
version, we’re staring at zooming prices and
holes in our wallets.

While we can make an argument for a two-
tiered pricing structure — one for British Colum-
bians as it is our resource in the first place and
one for the United States, it is too late. Deregula-
tion and free trade won’t let us. .

It’s a good lesson when we think about the
other abundant natural resource we have — water.
Our water is turned into electricity courtesy of
B.C. Hydro, a provincial crown corporation.

For the moment, we’re safe. We do have a
two-tiered pricing structure. We enjoy low rates
relative to other places in North America and
B.C. Hydro is making a staggering premium by
selling power into the United States. |

_That’s not the case in Alberta where Premier
Ralph Klein deregulated the provincial electricity
market. The result was a rapid increase in prices.
While that brought about extra millions in reve-
nues to the Alberta government, it hit residents of

ra ee

_ B.C, Hydro has spent the past couple of years
preparing for deregulation and a freeing up of the
electricity industry. Given the massive American
appetite for power, such freedom is tempting, |
But we should be very clear in our message to
the powers that be. This is our water, B.C. Hydro
is our corporation. We should have the benefit of
low rates and the stability which flows from
them. Don’t mess with it. |

Our turn |

LAST YEAR the federal government. gave VIA
Rail, a federal crown corporation, $450 million to
spend over five years on capital improvements.
Last month VIA announced it is spending $125
million on new rolling stock for its eastern routes,
leaving $325 million in the kitty,

Our tiny VIA station here could use some
sprucing up. Surely there must be some money >
available for this task within that $325 million
VIA has left. - eee ee

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VICTORIA — When Paul
Ramsey, the finance minister
announced that he would not
seek re-election, Mike de
Jong, the Liberal deputy house
leader gave this response:

“He follows in the footsteps
of virtually every senior mem-
ber of caucus and cabinet.
These are peaple who don't
want the public to review their
performance.” -

I realize that the cut and
thrust of politics demands a
certain adversarial stance from
its practitioners, but why can,t
de Jong, who is an otherwise
nice fellow, keep the nastiness
out of virtually every public
pronouncement?

Since Ramsey, the. NDP
MLA for Prince George North,
was first elected in 1991, he
has shown himself to be a very

. capable and honourable: politi-

iat hla ‘doesnt Have! 16°fedr
‘Public scrutiny’ of his perfor-
mance. a
The 56-year-old Ramsey
has served well in several
portfolios, including’ educa-
tion, health and environment.
As finance minister, he pre-
sided over the first balanced,
make that surplus budget, in
10 years. And it’s a safe guess
that the last one he will intro-
duce this spring will also have

Since CBC TV showed us the
first update in November, I’ve
worried about the welfare of
the two pioneering couples
“homesteading” on 40 acres
near Argyle, Manitoba so a4
Mmoviemaker can produce a
documentary of their exper-
iences.

When we had below zero
temperatures recently, Man-
itoba had me * so.

Were the . safe, or freezing
fingers and toes dressed in
their 1890's clothing?
Manitoba is known for. bliz-

_ 2ards and whiteouts. Did they

have the good sense - and the
Tope — to string a lifeline from’
their log cabin to the bam they
built Jast summer for their li-
vestock?

And what of insulation to
chink their log cabin? Even if
the neighbour was able. to

teach them how to’ mix clay

and straw, would the mixture

keep out the cold anywhere

near as well as R30 pink insu-

$54,88(4$3,85GST) per year: Seniors $48.62 (+$3.40GST);
Out of Province $61.69 (4$4.32GST)
Outside of Canada (6 months) $151.60 (+$10,61GST)
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eo 4.

a surplus. That’s not a bad re- °

Good guy says his

FROM.THE CAPITAL
HUBERT BEYER

cord with which to leave
tics behind,

Ramsey says he would like
lo spend more time with his
family,

“I want a life for the next
few years. where I have more
evenings at home than on the

poli-

Toad. Lwant.a. career, where, “~-Streifel -and’ Gret chen" Brewin; a
you're not on call:24thoursiacul gaol “al

day,”

Ramsey, a former English
composition and communica-
tions instructor at the College
of New Caledonia, also wants
to write poetry.

“Strangely enough, I've ac-
tually been playing around
with ‘ideas for poems and I
haven’t written any poetry for
20 years. It’s sort of like re-
turning to a previous life.”

And finally, he wants to go
fly-fishing and camping and

THROUGH BIFOCALS
CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

lation?

Then there’s the struggle to
keep feet warm on a bare
wood floor. They might have
had the time and know-how to
braid rugs. . ,

Nonetheless I can picture
cold air curling across .the
cabin floor like fog whenever
the door is opened. Porch or no
porch,

MYIHES AN

INDIVIDUALISM

_ of their ways,

has planned a canoe irip in the
‘Yukon,

I can’t argue with those
sentiments, I have said time
and gain that our politicians
are overworked and underpaid
for the privilege of being verb-
ally abused at every turn by an:
unappreciative public.

It may well be that Ramsey
doesn’t want to run again be-
cause he isn't sure whether he
could win. It may also be true
that he doesn’t want to spend
another four years on the oppo-
sition benches.

The same may hold true for
the other senior members of-
the NDP caucus who have de-
cided to leave politics behind.
They include Dan Miller, Lois
Boone, Andrew Petter, Dale
Lovick, John Cashore, Penny
Priddy, Jan Pullinger, Dennis ,

tf HHOAITEAT Ta

Burs mai | NETO
.. When Bill Bennett, the for-"

- ther Social Credit: premier,

-was first elected, he said he
would stay 10 years. When he
announced his surprise retire-
ment, it was closer to 11. .

Ten years is about one-fifth
of the average working life.
Wish that all those who have
nothing better to do that call
all politicians crooks devoted
that much time to serving their
fellow Canadians,

I bet their windows, small

‘ and few, aren’t double plazed.

Can they see out on a 30
below day, or are the windows
furry with half an inch of frost.

Entertainment I expect isn’t
much on their minds, Lacking
electricity, running water and
anything invented after 1890,
every chore takes longer. By
the time supper dishes are
done, they're happy to case
their tired shivering bodies on
to a feather mattress.

A feather mattress is my
notion of luxury in their situa-
tion. Though cold as an ice
slab at first, once body tem-
perature warms ithe feathers, it
can be toasty, ,

Toilet facilities figure in my
thoughts, They built an out-
house way off in the distance.
Every drop in temperature
must make them see the error

The movie maker’s rules
outlawed ‘toilet tissue. Too
modern, ,

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE WHITE HOUSE, THE BUSH ERA BEGINS.

The mass exodus of. sea-
soned NDP politicians will hurt
the party’s already slim
chances in the next election,
although Ujjal Dosanjh,: the:
premier, puts a good face on it.

“We are building a new
team of New Democrats: with
some veterans like me, some
new ministers and some new
faces to provincial politics to
offer B.C. a progressive chdice
in the upcoming elections,”
Dosanjh said.

Well, I wish him luck. ‘The
elections, which will probably
be called in March or April,
aré going to be tough sledding
for the NDP. Do,

But that alone should not be
a reason for Ramsey and others.
like him to feel obliged to run
again. Ramsey has spend 10
years serving the province.
fand He, Has “acquitted him.
7 ail iq PO peek GREE
we I in that endeavour, .

ae vout
_ _ Meanwhile, de Jong who is
always eager to belittle his op-
“ponents, achievements still has
to prove that his capabilities
exceed those of a professional
heckler, i
Maybe they do, but we
won't know until he gets a:
chance to prove it.

Beyer can be reached at:
E-mail: hubert@coolcom.com;
Tel (250) 381-6900; Web
http://www. hubertbeyer.com

What's Up with these people?

How do they decide wit
will be the first up to start the’
Stove, chip the ice in the water
pail, and start breakfast?

One family vacationing for
two weeks in a cottage is
cramped. Two couples sharing
one small room over six winter
months...., Not easy. ,

Worse, one couple is young,
inexperienced in wilderness
living. The older couple are
more savvy but the wife is
there mainly to support the
back-to-the-land dream of her
husband, a man annoyingly up-
beat and funny. He also plays
guitar-and sings,

In mid-February, CBC will
show us the pioneers’ progress.

hope my worries are unfoun-
ded.

Based on the first report,
though, I worry. In June they

were planting potatoes in run-

ning water and bulldogging a

pregnant sow through the bush.
What troubles have they had .

since?

THAT MADE IT So You CovLD Sy] PT OEE
- DRIVE DOWN-THAT NICE GRAVEL SNOPES Gey tL Son
at ROAD AND HAVE YOUR MEETING- || STRENGTH ar} YOUR CANDY ASS ;
I's HIS KINDOF | INTHIS NICE WARM BUILDING / ] CllaRACTERL/ LITHLE cammytteg!
AGGRESSIVE. || INTHIS NICE LITTLE Town |! ra |