DUSTIN QUEZADA -CHARLYNN TOEWS Who’ s been naughty? ith a federal election campaign over Christmas, and the current popular- : ity of classic and retro toys, here’s a great opportunity to match last-min- ute gift ideas to political parties. Jack In the Box . An ideal present for an NDPer to give to Liberal. friends. A likeness of Jack Layton’s head jumps up up and sings “Pop goes the Weasel” to taunt the ruling party over the sponsorship scandal. “f - ‘Tinker Toy Liberals’ ¢an mock Conservatives who want to reduce the GST by a point or two over five years, after introducing it under Mulroney. . Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist dummy Green Party members can give this one to any of their Capitalist Party friends, with Big. Business ; acting as Edgar Bergen. * Wood Burning Set The classic technique of making marks in wood with fire, buy in bulk! Conservatives can hand these out to Greenies, with a note to quit making their yard signs out of plastic (uses polyflourocarbons in its manufacture) and steel (uses coal). Weebles Wobble (but they don’t fall down) Liberals can buy the little rocking, spinning toys for both New Democrats and Conservatives. The wrapped package can be marked “Do not open Jan. 23 (when we win another Liberal Minority Government.)” 3 ’ Mr. Potato Head Peter McKay Conservatives can give this to Stephen - Harper Conservatives, if they’re still annoyed at the Leadership results. Wrap it assembled, with the . tongue sticking out and one eye missing for best: effect. Barbie Doll Peter McKay Conservatives can give a blonde, — ‘ dishy doll to Belinda Stronach. Liberals. The walking across the floor, the break-up, it all still — - really really. hurts. ; ; . Easy Bake Oven Any Green Party, Bloc Quebecois, Conservative,” } or Liberal can give this this to Marijuana Party . friends. Add a note thatlooking through the window is to watch things bake: it is not a new kind of TV or DVD player. They should be fine with it, they can mix up some brownies. Rock’em Sock’em Robots Two contenders control the plastic boxer’s every move til one knocks the other’s spring- -loaded head off! NDPers will paint a likeness of Paul Martin’s face over Red Rocker and Stephen Harper’s over Blue Bomber and send them off to Conservative friends. A card will say, “Go, Blue, Go! - from Santa.” Will New Democrats ever be surprised Christmas morning when they receive a Rock’em Sock’em set from a “Secret Santa,” plotting Jack Layton vs the PM! ; The Original Bozo Punching Clown Bozo’s sand-based inflatable clown figure always bounces back! Everyone can give this to Liberals, . including other Liberals. Rubik’s Cube Champions can solves these 1970s puzzles i in only a few minutes, but most people need days or weeks. Liberals give them to Conservatives in an attempt to distract them, for, oh, say, three or four years. Chemistry Set, circa 1962 (Instructions in English cnly) BQ members will - wonder at receiving such an old-fashioned set, - complete with a variety of dangerous chemicals, from numerous ‘‘Noél de pére secréte” via E-Bay. Wooden Top Green Party members find these perfect as stocking stuffers for Conservative friends. ; Dominoes New Democrats and Conservatives give this to each other, encouraging the other not to play traditional table games, but to set them up in order to knock them.down.: 1965 Give-a-Show Projector (Missing ‘slides, still projects images, packaging stained) Another classic gift from E-Bay, sent to’. Liberals from friends near and far. ' Rocking Horse Going places only your imagination can take you is so much fun! Both NDPers and Greenies will be annoyed to receive these. Punch & Judy Puppet Sets - Their constant battling is laughable. Green Party members buy these for all of the Conservative, Liberal and NDP friends on their Christmas list. “Chien glissant”’ ‘The Bloc Quebecois don’t hand out gifts to all parties, but they make sure to buy plenty of these for their Liberal friends. It’s the original Slinky Dog. ‘COUNSELLORS Doug Sandwell and Jeannette An- derson are seeking a cross-section of the Terrace community to make addiction solutions work. Aiding addicts. needs unified | approach. By DUSTIN QUEZADA THE MANAGER of Northwest Addiction: Services believes helping people with substance abuse is a duty for the community asawhole.. .. . That’s why the ‘local agency has formed a com- munity advisory committee that will meet once a month for an hour. Doug Sandwell, a coun- sellor and manager with the | service, says the. commit- tee’s goal is to estabiish a ‘link between itself. and the ~ community. “What we need i is a two- - way. exchange of informa- tion from the agency to the- community,” said Sandwell. “We need to let the com- munity know what kinds _ of services; knowledge and education we provide and- the community needs to tell us its needs and ways to im- prove (addiction) services.” Sandwell says the agency offers six kinds of services. It operates a youth resi- dential facility in Terrace that houses six 12 to 19- year-olds from across B.C. battling alcohol and drug de- pendency for 28-day stays. "ready involved on a day-to- day basis with social issues. “Interested people don’t “have to be professionals,” Sandwell said. “They just have to be concerned. citi- ° zens...the door is open.” If the advisory commit- tee develops, said Sandwell, members will come up with their own projects. . A similar committee in Kitimat that has operated for years ‘created coasters with ‘anti drinking and driving ° Messages that it circulated to . area restaurants and bars». Time will tell what the committee might accomplish - in its goals but Sandwell is clear of what the community needs, “A detox or. withdraw- al management facility is needed — here,” Sandwell one is in Prince. George and that’s far from ideal. “Also, we need support- ive housing for those hav- ing difficulty managing their (dependency) problem... a place that enforces rules about responsible drinking and partying.” Sandwell says those needs would be met if the community expressed an. “We’re not going to do it by ourselves. We’re a piece of making a change but we never imagined to. solve it ourselves.” _ The five broad counsel- ling services it addresses are: outpatient counselling, for adults and referrals to. other services; family and youth help that extends into the school system; counselling - for mental health patients also fighting an addiction problem; counselling from . First Nation-specific coun- selling; and help for problem gamblers. The main addiction -problem in Terrace remains alcohol, says Sandwell, cit- ing people have a problem when substances affect child care, work or their ability to drive. Visits in the last year for the agency’s services are up, - _ though Sandwell said ex- panded services make it hard to put a figure on the rise. That’s one reason for the - advisory committee. “We'd like to raise the - ’ awareness in the community of alcohol, drug and gam- bling addiction because it’s © affecting the well-being of people here,” Sandwell said. The advisory committee -has met four times in its in- fancy, what Sandwell calls a “recruitment stage. He is hoping to have a broad community represen- tation. In particular, more youth, more representatives from Thornhill and surrounding communities and more of what Sandwell calls ordi- nary citizens. The first meetings were strongly attended by profes- sionals — those who are al- interest — and the funding is made available. Sandwell says people have unreasonable expecta- tions of what the agency he manages can do. “People walk around town and see people drunk. in the park and say, ‘here’s Northwest Addiction Ser- vices..why haven’t ~ they , fixed that?’” Sandwell said. Sandwell says he> and’ other counsellors don’t have the power to forcefully stop people from drinking in the ‘park. “We're not going to do it by ourselves,” said Sandwell of solving addiction prob- lems. “We're a piece: of making a change but we never imagined’ to solve it ourselves.” Sandwell says the advi- sory committee has been a long-planned project. — “Tt’s almost part of our mandate to have a formal link with the community as a non-profit organization,” he said. “We have to be an- swerable to. the community and our funders (the North- ern Health Authority).” The next scheduled meet- ing will take place Jan. 16, 2006 at the Youth Oppor- - § tunites building on Lakelse Ave. Northwest Addiction Ser- vices, a program of Terrace and District Community So-. cial Services, has been help- ing addicts for 15 years. — Those interested in be- ing part of the community advisory committee can call Doug or Maria at 638-8117. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 7, 2005 - B1 Around Town Elks secretary Baker mourned THE ELKS of Terrace have a hole that will be impossible to fill, says a close friend and colleague of the late Lawrence Baker. After more than two months of living with the aid of ones. Baker passed away suddenly Nov. - 2005 after suffering a heart attack in tis Nome He was 76. “We're going to have a hard time replac- ing him,” said longtime friend and Elk Jim * LeCleir. Baker, who was with the Elks organiza- - ‘ tion over 40 years, had been the secretary of _ the local group for more than 25 years. - LeCleir said the list of chores he per- , formed can hardly be counted. In his capacity as secretary, Baker took care of all the correspondences, tracked all the meeting minutes and volunteered with - whatever needed to be done. “If they had to drive a nail; he’d hold the board up,” said LeCleir, of the long- running renovations the Elks building : “has under- gone. Baker also spearheaded the Riverside “Music Festival, which again was staged si suc-. cessfully this past August. Baker was born in Moosehorn, Man. in ° 1928 and moved.to Terrace with his family in 1942, . ‘He married his wife Jean Baker, in 1968, inheriting four children Lecleir says he raised as his own. The couple were avid travellers, espe-.. cially taking road trips in their motorhome. She said Baker’s other: favourite activi- ‘ties included playing, cards and tending, to their yard, | ’ Lecleir sums it up the man best. “He was always a. good friend to any- body,” Lecleir said. “He was always there to lend a helping hand.” Textural meeting | THE NOV. 23 issue of the Terrace Standard featured a story on an emerging art exhibit. that is expected to be showcased in the spring of 2007. “ Text and Textures, the narne of the pro- posed show, is the idea of a group of local artists and writers spearheading the unique: exhibit that will combine both the written word with visual arts. ’ Artists and writers interested in the proj- ect will have until the end of March 2006 lo submit their. first pieces — those are the works from which other writers and artists will draw their inspiration for the exhibit. But first, an information meeting is set” for Dec, 8 at the meeting room ‘in the Ter- - -race. Public Library at°7:30 p.m. to gauge interest in the project from area writers and artists. For details call Noreen at 635- 6938 or Sarah at 638-8899, Three days of fun — and music THE SKEENA Mall will host the community next week for a project that has far-reaching benefits. - The mall’s community room will be alive with gift wrapping, Christmas carols and the selling of homemade bookmarks Dec. 16-1 8 from 9 a.m to 9 p.m. The project’s goal is to raise money. for local Heather Bellamy’s project in Afghani- _ stan and the Dalit Freedom Network in In- - dia. Local organizations - the Aglow Inter- 7 national of Canada, Terrace Lighthouse; Waaps .Nagwaadm; and the: Traditional — Learning Academy — are Supporting the _ project. Contact numbers for. details are: 635- 1935, 635- LSS, 638- 0514 and 615- 3879... Kids i in concert. THE YOUNG musicians from Kiti K’Shan Primary School and Cassie Hall Elementary School are in the holiday spirit. ° On Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 10 a.m. at the -REM Lee Theatre, the primary schoolers will present “The Littlest Christmas Tree. ” There will also be a presentation from .: both the kindergarten and French immer- . sion classes. - Later that day, also at the theatre, Cassie - Hall school presents its Christmas concert at 1 p.m. There will be a presentation from the school band and the Grade’4/5 and 5/6 classes will present “Surfin’ Santa.” - trig gd ys TS ; u Rtttree a0 hs ‘Betty Campbell gets an 84th birth: _day throne from friend Yvonne - Moen at the Happy Gang Centre - Nov. 30. “DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO "| Parading about DEB Hosein with son Marcus walks in the Nov. 26 Parade of Lights through the city’s downtown. Several community groups (the pair were with the Down- town Merchants Association group) braved the cold. DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO Crowned — |. 638-7283