Despite some recent interna-
tional criticism of the manner in
' which the B.C. Ministry of En-
vironment executes its mandate,
congratulations are in order for
both department personnel and
Minister Bruce Strachan for the
progress in developing a com-
prehensive program for dispos-
ing of hazardous waste in the
province. .

It remains to be seen how
thoroughly the incineration,
chemical : neutralizing, sealing
and burial of toxic materials will
eliminate these contaminants
from the environment, but it is
certain that the system will be an
improvement 6n the wholesale
dumping of poisons.

The public at large is par-
ticularly well served by provi-
sions within the Special Waste
management guidelines that in-
vite municinalities to participate
in a householder collection ser-
vice, People who have previous-
ly had no safe way to dispose of
leftover paints, solvents, herb-
icides and other commonly used
chemicals will now have the
means to express their concern

Letters {0 the editor will be considered
for publication only when signed.

Please include your telephone number. .

The editor reserves the right fo con-
dense ond edit letters. Opinions ex-
pressed are not necessarily those at
the Terrace Review.
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Gna

Terrace
Review

Established May 1, 1985

The Terrace Review Is publishad each
; Wednesday by
Close-Up Business Services Ltd.

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Mark Twyford

- Editor.
‘.. Michael Kelly

; Staff Reporter:
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A positive action ©
for the environment

B.C. Special Wastes Inc., ap-
pears keen to operate a
province-wide collection system

- dustrial wastes. This is one issue

for the environment by keeping
them out of sewer systems and
unsecured landfills.

The company selected to build
and operate the disposal plant,

for both household and in-

at which the B.C, government
can throw money and get im-
mediate and positive results.

Now that the toxic waste pro-
blem has been approached in a
constructive manner, perhaps
the government will be en- -
couraged to examine the overall
questions of solid waste disposal
on the same sort of comprehen-
sive basis.

Free lunch program for schools gets

thumbs-down from government

Well, it looks like the NDP proposal for

a government-sponsored meal program in
Vancouver schools is dead, Good thing,
too, . .

Social Services: Minister Claude Rich-
mond gave the plan the deep-six at a recent
press conference. He said the government
had carefully considered the scheme and

come to the conclusion that it would, at
Hubert Beyer _ best, address the symptoms, but not the
in Victoria causes.

Here are the facts: Between 400 and 700 children in Vancouver
come to school hungry. They have not had breakfast and often
bring no lunch, These are estimates by teachers and principals who
recognize the problem but are unwilling to identify the kids out of
respect for their human dignity.

To address the problem, the NDP proposed a general school meal

~ program. Any student could take advantage of the offer, but those ~

who could afford te pay.would do so. Assurance of anonymity for
those who couldn’t pay made.the program inherently complicated
and, therefore, costly. |

Richmond said the biggest problem was that any such program
would probably get out of hand, even if the number of hungry kids
doesn’t go up. Anyone familiar with government has got to agree
with that assumption, Government programs, even the smallest
ones, have a tendency to become empires unto themselves. The ad-
ministrators of the programs will see to that.

The minister also pointed out that even if the program succeeded

jn feeding the hungry children, it wouldn’t address the root problem

— parental indifference, neglect or a family’s inability to manage its
budget. Right again. |
Contrary to many claims, B.C.’s social services is quite adequate.
Nobody needs to fall through the cracks. Here are some examples.
A single parent with two children gets $435 in monthly support
benefits, $486 in shelter allowance, $10.99 a month (averaged) in.
school start-up and Christmas allowance. The federal family

allowance, child tax credit and federal sales tax credit add another

- $147.84 a month, te, Lt
That gives a single parent with two children a total monthly in-

come of $1,079.83. Free drugs, dental, medical and hospital care
add an average of $114 a month to that total. And if, for some
reason, that amount should ever fall short of what’s needed, the
government will provide crisis grants. ;

The benefits increase with the number of dependents. A single
parent with three children has a disposable income of $1,256.a
month plus free health care; the figure for two parents with three
children is $1,368 a month. :

Keep in mind that the provincial portion of those benefits is fot

taxable income. The federal portion will also end up non-taxable if
it’s the only income. An employed person would have to earn at
least $1,600 a month to take home $1,368 a month, . |

Keep in mind that the provincial portion of those benefits is not
taxable income. The federal portion will also end up non-taxable if
it’s the only income. An employed person would have to earn at
least $1,600 a month to take home $1,386. That amounts to $9.85
an hour, not a princely wage, but more than a lot of working people
make,

Don’t get me wrong. The question is not whether it’s fun to be on
welfare. It isn’t. A job beats welfare six ways to breakfast. Unfor-
tunately, our free enterprise system is unable to provide work for

~ stomachs.

everybody. The question here is simply: are welfare payments too

low for families to feed their children? Based on the figures above,
the answer to that question has got to be no.

Cries by the NDP that the Socreds have no compassion for

hungry school children were as predictable as they are unconviric-
ing. The NDP has no monopoly on compassion. It 1s, however,
often convinced that there’s a‘government program for anything
that ails society. 7
Richmond said he would much rather see his ministry’s financial
advisers counsel families who can’t seem to manage their budgets.

He urged teachers and principals to identify children who come to -

school hungry and without lunch. .
When reporters asked Richmond what he would do if teachers

refused to co-operate, he was evasive, saying that it was their moral _

responsibility to identify the hungry kids. As for their legal respon-

sibility, the minister wasn’t so sure. Maybe he should check into —

_ that. oy
According to the law, any citizen has the legal responsibility to -

notify the authorities of child abuse. Letting children go hungry is
as much of an abuse as any other, and professing to lofty ideals of
respecting the dignity of children doesn’t put food into their

That Ain't So Bad

The government’s announcement that will sell the B.C. Steam- .
ship Co., which operates two casino-equipped ships between Vie-.

toria and Seattle, got some unexpected response from Victoria .

Mayor Gretchen Brewin. . ;
Brewin, a long-time NDP member with even longer NDP family

ties, said the proposed sale’s potential is exciting, as long as it

doesn’t involve the elimination of the Victoria-Seattle run.

Stellar Internationa! of Seattle appears to have the inside track on.

*

‘the deal, so far. According to a number of companies interested in
purchasing the Crown corporation, it is the casinos and slot
machines on the two ships that make the deal attractive. To be able
to keep an eye on the floating gaming activities, the government
plans to keep a minority position in the operation.

a -New Awards = |
What with the black eyes errant teachers and principals have been

' giving British Columbia’s education system, news of award-winning |

teachers is a welcome relief.

Last week, Advanced Education Minister Stan Hagen presented .

two Comox teachers with a Youth Advisory Council award for
“their dedication and commitment to young people in the com-
munity.”

The two were David Vranjes, vice-principal, and Heather Van
Holderbeke, house co-ordinator at Highland Secondary School. .

Super Salestady .

Super sales person of super-natural British Columbia, Grace Mc-
Carthy, announced last week that B.C. businesses will get a fair
shot at securing part of the action from two major federal procure-
ment contracts.

Up for grabs are numerous sub-contracts involved in the con-
struction of between 40 to 50 helicopters for ‘Canada’s military at a
cost of $2 billion, and the building of a $150 million sonar system
for the choppers. |

Prime contenders for the two contracts have already briefed B.C.

€

companies on the opportunities for lucrative sub-contracts, ©

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