Page A4 — Tertace Standard, ‘Wednesday, June 17,1992 ~ Rod Link. Ont TERRACE. STAN DAI = ~ - : . * eSTABUSHED APRIL 27, 1988 . "Rdglaation No. 7620 4047 | Lazella Ave., Terrace, B.C., ved 188: Phone (604) 638-7283. Fax (604) 638-8432 Serving the Terrace area. Published on Wadoesday of bach woek by Caridoo Prous (1969) Lid. at 4647 Larelle Ave,, Terrace, British Columbia, Stores, photogeaghs, Ustaers, designs and typestyea ia the Tarace Stand ara the breparty ofthe copyright kis, incading Cartoo Pass (1089) Lt i i Sustration repro tervices and advertising agencies,” Reproduction ia whole or fa pert, without written permission, ts apsctcaly provbited Aubartted a3 second-cisss mal pening the Post Otfice Department, for paymant of posinga In cagn. Gu a PubilsheriEdltor Advertising Manager Marlee Paterson Production Manager: Edouard Cradgeur - eft Nagel = Arena Watls — NevisConminity, Matéoin Baxler - Aiowsspor to ase’ Fisher — ‘Front Office Manager, Carolyn Andarson = Typesetter — Typesetter, Susan Cradgeur — Composing/Darkreom, . Janet Vivelras ~ Advertising Consultant, Sam Collier — Advertising Consultant, ‘oe ' Charlane Matthews — Circulatien Supervisor HAN CO oid “AUN ; x cee re yERIFIED. CIRCULATION CONTROLLED | Speclal thanks to all our contributors and correspondents | for: their time and. talents. . EDITORAL. out “Health “minister Blizabeth Cull accom- plished | iwo of Julius Caesar’s’ three achievements’ on her: visit here Jast- week, She came F quer. ishe. saw, but. she didn’t con- It's: not a bad average for. a fi rst time tour of the northwest: by'a’ ‘cabinet’ minister:who isn’t the: most. ‘popular because of ‘hospital budget: . restrictions “ ‘resulting: in: bed closures and layoffs, The minister gained points ‘for listeniiig and for saying that if her ministry is wrong in the way. it calculates hospital budgets, northwest facilities can expect some relief, That’s not ‘as. good as whipping out the proverbial. ‘government ‘Chequebook. (tat- ‘a8 it is), but it is better a _ “OF people representing areas beyond the tered and batt than a poke in'the: eye with a dirty stick. Of course, the minister’s announcement. of. a-review. of: health care.services — stil]. undefined — may be: viewed with a bit of cynicism. It follows closely with one done | for the north -in:1990;the Seaton royal commission’ on‘ health’ cate and expendi-- tures of last year and one that concentrated : on Mills’ Memotial ‘Hospital, also last year. Paty, The simatt social. service ‘agencies’ work- ing'in the Third World teach people how to - help themselves,'It’s-# valuable. lesson, and money: available: nowadays: vaobicbe ht ‘The same philosophy i is being used by the provincial , social services ministry. Last week, . social: “services “Minister Joan. Smallwood ‘announced that more people’ on. income assistance: will “be -ablé “to take : those: training. ‘progtams, ‘particularly. people who are single parents or those who. lege. “Investing in: people is fundamental to : both. ‘our. economic and social develop- ; Rig! ht direction | them i in a ycle of dependénca?: 1-298 108 one that itiakes”sense ‘given the” “limited mans of three - _ The seemingly endless government studies _ by now. must warehouse somewhere in Victoria, fill an average size : Most j impressive was the minister’s chal- lenge to hospitals, And that is to find new _ anid. creative ways to.spend the- limited - amount of health care: money. available, _ The province is changing the way it allo- cates health care money and hospitals will have to get used to it. This involves blending in all manner of health care services, extending the hospital to the community and the community to _ the hospital. The Terrace Regional Health Care Society has already started that pro- cess by having-on its board a broad range confines of Mills Memorial Hospital. - Fulfi illing this mandate requires not only a massive regional and local effort’ but also the giving up of authority by. the provincial _ government. The northwest may become ready to take on the new role, but will the - entrenched provincial. health bureaucracy be willing to follow suit? ment, ” said the minister. ‘‘We’re building. programs that support people, . ‘not® {ap “Rhetoric aside, the’ Social’ Services ‘minis! > try’s ‘goal ‘is evident: —. social’ assistance ‘breeds dependence ‘and that dependence. continues with future generations. “Locally, the ministry i is financing ; a. news : bulletin. for people learning how to. read or. those with limited reading capabilities. It’s - - being: produced ‘by Project Literacy Ter- race. and is just one of several literacy ef. are handicapped, Included in this is the... o possibility of attending university or: ‘col- . forts underway. » The expectation is that informing people ° in afi easy to read fashion will build inde-- pendence. That, and the increased training - programs, represent welcome news, “Fineen cents, doesn’t buy much Mioney well spent today. A licorice stick, One piece of bubblegum. One: lone kum-. quat. But jf Thormhill voters say ‘yes’ ty the library, expansion referendum June 20, T'contime Blfocals |: to have’. urilimited -tecess | @- oe! aed, ‘Qnane books, ‘videos, and magazlies - — by Claudette Sandeck for 15, cents-a day. : "To: buy: an average. hardcover . book costs ‘112 of more. Mostly. Through more, Magazines: are $1.50 and up. Way up. Videos are $20 plus. "Sul, there are plenty of folk”. who: will balk wt supporting the .: public library. with; $54 in taxes annually, Yet they think nothing Of taking their Pariridge-sized: family - out. for. hambungers sand. . "fries at I¢ast orice a ‘week, paying. $29-a nionth to have thelr weight recorded. by 8 thin} ‘person;: or" ~ forking “over: another $200, fine. for impaired driving, . ° ‘> Their priorities stump me. Falsd. : don’t understand why the ‘Unem-. -ploymetit. ‘Insurance’ ‘office’ must * cotiduct . classes ‘to teach office. ‘Terrace has:a city map so old ar- rchacologists can’t carbon-date it, summer break, it — around: thé ‘clock’ —'4 post, and. why . ‘movi gratuitous foul language. “Why does - Canada American criminals?- ‘Why has the Canadian Football League’ signed a person who- Js: permanently bantied from’ the’ ‘National’ ‘Foot staff English; math}. ‘and: how. to” get along with’ the public,” why: ‘or why school, dumpsters fill with - garbage during the two month, ey pre why: anyone.’ “would : think I hanker.for sccnés with'car: chases, exploding buildings and ‘haybour - ball ‘League for dug use? How i is it Canada donates millions to fight poverty in Mexico but ‘doesn’t commit a loonie to deal- ing with homelessness in. this country? ‘I ‘ask myself why scemeone would go to great expense and ef- "fort; building a high, solid fence, | -: then forget to build: a gate, or - “leave” it open: Where’: vis* the < - punishinent in: ‘suspending a.per- son's driver's licénce for drunken * delving. if he is allowed-if he’s-al-. ‘lowed. ‘ta drive” his © ‘uninsured “* vehicle?: How: cant. a. ‘non-urgent ‘public? meeting be: ‘called with only a 24 hour notice? “Why: do. businesses ‘claim: ‘to - tout ‘contlitental ’ ‘free ‘trade, then “pull. more sttings than a. web- mending spider to freeze ‘out ‘competition down the block? And why — if it’s true — must unwed “mothers ‘be anesthetized: into un- . "consciousness while undergoing a “cesarean: ‘Séctlont the surgery? What kind of parent allows a leenager to bicycle along a.sireet - after midnight? Why do vacant lots. attract” garbage? How can a “romiaricé writer earn a living at fifteen. cents soyalty on _ tach “pocketbook | sold? li : { 4€"married . ‘women may be awake ‘throughout I can’t find the answers to these questions even at the library. I can, however, take my mind off them by reading novels, enjoying videos, or leafing ‘through more " magazines than I can afford to subscribe to, all borzowed free from the library. ’ And while [’m at home reading, L can’t lob a rock’ ‘through é a plate ‘glass window, side- -swipe a car’at _ 140 Kilometres per, hour; or tiptoe . .- out with someone’s VCR, S ‘Fifteen cents.. towards library” : ‘expansion will buy our com- munity, years of Pleasure and PrO- “tection. oe oy AS: Alfted BE. Newman of MAD “magazine would - “885 “Fifteen ~ . cents is cheap.” me wo a nies sit ae NES Se ; not one ay inte entire w Economic development min- ister. Dave Zirnhelt tells the following story about his trip to Japan earlier this year. - During a meeting with Hok- kaido: officials, the vice- governor of the island -prefec- - ture, asked him how he would "describe ‘the’ difference ‘be- - tween the NDP’ government and the previous administra- ~ Hon, __ Trying to make his answer as apolitical, as possible, Zirnhielt oath “Said thatthe: Sbcrdil'" govern. mént “had: ‘somewhat ‘of ‘a "laissez-faire" attitude - ‘in ‘its _ business dealings, | while the NDP government believes that government and industry should work closely together. According to Zirnhelt, . the vice-governor laughed and said to all and sundry that ir- responsible was probably the better word to describe the previous government’ s atti- tude. - I would caution Zirnhelt, though, not ‘to take too much .comfort-in the knowledge that a. powerful politician in Japan’ S. most northern pro- vince had the Sacreds figured out-as well as we did here at home..” I'll bet you B. C’s entire an- nual production of dimension ’ lumber against a couple of Hondas that if. the Japanese kept such close tabs on Vander Zalm and his’ free enterprise crew, they'll be watching Har- court and his NDP hordes with an equally sharp eye, ready: to take advantage of : any weak- ness, The Japanese, Zimhelt ‘ads mits, are the world's toughest traders; They are also extreme- ly important, to British Colum- bia’s.: economic future, as is the entire Pacific Rim. - "The biggest hope for British Columbia ‘is in. Asia. | We should’ redouble our efforts to make marketing: inroads. in ‘Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore," he says. B.C. has great. products to export, he says, and. he’s not. just talking about resources, a although mineral products and important, “Europe beckons. as financial ally | From the Capital _. by Hubert Beyer lumber are still the leading ex- Port items, British. ‘Colum Kays, is"“amiong world leaders in the development of pollu- tion control and forestry tech- nology. There. is also 4 good chance that British Columbia | might beable. to export its land assessment system, which is considered to be among the best” anywhere. Russia, . he _adds,. is among, the countries interested i in the latter, © ~ And while the U.S. and Asia are and: probably will remain British Columbia’s two most’ trading partners, there are great new pos- . sibilities in Eastern Europe. With the. collapse of the communist regimes in eastern: Europe, a huge market is opening up, although Zirnhelt says there will initially be some hurdles to overcome. . Eastern Europe, the minister says, is not developing ‘as fast as, for instance, the former East Germany - now part of a reunited Germany - because ‘they don’t have the cash reserves that Germany is pour- ing into its eastern part. As a resull, any sort of trade. with eastern Europe; he adds, might have to be more af a barter na- ture. Zinthelt believes in the im- portance of trade missions, _ even though the public might perceive them as unnecessary - junkets, Premier Harcourt, he says, is trying right now to are range a trade mission to Asia this coming: ‘fall, ‘to. be led by. the four western premiers. Mz-anwhile, here at home, Zimahelt. is reassessing his ministry’s-role- which, in the past, has always been reactive, often having had to respond to: crises cause by failing com- ‘panies. He wants the mini ‘on Zirnhelt; After. all, ~ only been in his job for a little ~ more than half @ year, but I'd to become more proactive, 7 pen up ew markets. fot’ B,C. businesses. = Zirnhelt says he’s not: fail: iar enough with the workings of the European .Community to say where British Columbia might fit into the scheme of things. . 1 don’t want to be too harsh he’s Suggest he get: familiar with the E.C. at the earliest possible opportunity. And there’s nobody better to brief him on the importance of the world’s largest trading block than Garde Gardom, British Columbia’ S agent gen- eralin London. Gardom has been criss- crossing Europe .for several years, spreading the word about British Columbia among member nations of the Euro- _ pean Community. He. knows that the E.C. market is getting more and more ‘difficult for olitsiders to penetrate. Zirmhelt is correct when -he _ Says. we should look towards Asia for new and growing ex- port markets, but to ignore Europe would be foolish. - British Columbia has a num- ber of _ specialty — ~ wood manufacturers who ‘have _ carved out small but profitable niches in Europe. That toehold ‘could be easily jeopardized by the government’s failure to ~ understand: the intricacies ‘of the E.C, bureaucracy. T'll be in the U.K. next week, and I’! be happy'to tell Garde that Zirnhelt--wants a .crash course on the E.C. and its im: portance to British Columbia’ 8 economic future, rT mae WE'RE Just BACK FoR ANOTHER. / CHECK: UP, Hows IT & GOING OUT: HERE | ? Ae Jer UMn.. DEL YouR DIARY LOOKS OKAY... ANY REASON You FEB BEATER TAIS a . . =) . Dy, f SQUIRREL Stew II! DR QUn ART HEY! THAT WAS m7 = ATOKE! TAw'y | | | BUSHED L SUEAR! Ml