Terrace has been targeted by _. the Legal Services Society as the site of a full-time legal aid of- fice, Jack Olson, Executive Director of the Society told a group meeting at the Kermode Friendship Centre May 11. by Chariynn Toews Olson was accompanied by Barbara Murphy, Director of Native Services, Native Services Fieldworker Theresa Tate, and board members Mark McEwan and Ace Henderson who were travelling in the area to meet with friendship centers and legal aid offices regarding public legal services. They were also soliciting mames for native representation on the Legal Ser- vices Society board. ‘“‘Our mandate is to provide legal services to those who can’t afford to hire a lawyer, and to provide public legal informa- tion,’? Henderson explained. ‘‘We have a $25 or $26 million budget, but about $100 million worth of projects to spend it on. We're meeting with groups to determine their spending priorities and interests.’’ He is hoping they may have a bit extra in their budget this year to fund community law offices in the north, and will know the amount after their June 22 meeting. Olson said the request for funding .a community law office in Terrace had been supported ‘by Attorney General Brian Smith, but they still need ap-- proval of the Treasury Board. Joanne McKay, the Native Courtworker in Terrace said she works hand in hand with Legal Services, taking legal aid ap- plications. If clients aren’t ac- cepted by Legal Aid, she can assist them prepare for trial or liaise with their private lawyer. While McKay can help with criminal matters, civil and fami- ly law needs in the community are not being met, due to lack of resources. This is a problem in other areas of the province as well, according the the Legal Services Society 1987 Annual Report. While demand for legal aid has increased, the percentage of cases accepted is decreasing, particularly in family and civil law. Less than half of the family law matters, including custody, access, and restraining orders, and only about 20 percent of civil law matters such as legal problems with Workers’ Com- pensation, unemployment in- surance, and foreclosures, could be accepted by Legal Aid in 1986-87. Pearl Louie, the Legal Infor- mation Counsellor in Terrace, also assists clients but often has to refer WCB complaints to Prince Rupert or family law cases to lawyers outside Terrace. “A full-time community law of- fice would mean we could take those cases not covered by Legal Aid, and we'd have a lawyer to assist us,”’ Henderson noted that Native Courtworkers and Legal Infor- mation Counsellors often do the work of lawyers, while a larger _ budget would allow for hiring a ™ Terrace Review —- Wednesday, May 18, 1988 “Community law office - becoming a reality — lawyer. Barbara Murphy, Direc- tor of Native Programs in Van- couver said a full-time office would be complimentary to cur- rent services. “ A community law office would let you do what works in your community,’? Henderson said. ‘‘The form is up to you, and the agreement, funding and evaluation would be worked out with Legal Services.”’ Executive Director Joanne Peters of the Kermode Friend- ship Centre said that they had sent out letters to community organizations seeking support for the Centre to have the service as a native community law of- fice. “The Friendship Centre board is hesitant to say yes until we know for sure the community supports us.’’ She read a letter from the Terrace Women’s Re- source Centre strongly endors- ing the proposal. Louie said a number of Ter- race lawyers had so far verbally supported the idea, and Alder- man Danny Sheridan said informal city council discussions appear in favor. ‘‘I would hy- pothesize the proposal would be highly received,’’ he said, citing recent crime statistics of Terrace indicating a need for more legal services in this highly-utilized weekend-shopping center, as well as council’s long-term com- mitment to the Victim Assistance Program. Martin Adams of the newly- formed Terrace Nisga’a Tribal Council said there should be no problem getting support from native people. ‘‘There’s a large percentage of our people who get caught up in the legal system.”’ He added he was hap- py to see the Legal Services Society Board wants native board members. Olson and Henderson en-. couraged supporters to lobby politicians, as that is where the decisions are ultimately made. ““We have a long way to go in convincing the Treasury Board. We need a high public profile of — the need for public legal ser- vices. The awareness of some MLAs on this issue is close to zero,’’ Henderson said. He ex- plained Legal Services is trying to restore the services that ex- isted in the province in 1981, before restraint. The 1984 Task Force on Public Legal Services in British . Columbia suggested restoring funding levels in the Native Pro- grams Branch; “The reductions have caused particular problems in the areas of family law, juvenile justice and legal prob- lems and it is recommended that, without impairment to the criminal legal aid system, greater priority be given to these areas.” It also recommended restoring the number of Native Court- workers. Henderson referred to this study May 13 when he told the Justice Reform Committee in Vancouver, ‘‘The problem has been studied to death. What is needed is an adequate level of funding to provide services that everyone acknowledges are needed.’’ A brief presented to the Justice Reform Committee in April by the Smithers Indian Friendship Centre echoed this, recommending ° that the riative programs receive a larger percentage of allocation of Legal Services expenditures. “Approximately 20 percent of people seeking legal aid in this province are of native ancestry,”’ the brief stated, ‘‘yet only 4.64 percent of the Legal Services Society budget — is allocated to native programs.” They also recommended a larger overall budget for Legal Ser- vices. for Native People in Canada noted that ‘Problems exist with any ‘general’ legal aid program when applied -to natives. The lack of specialized services in terms of knowledge and person- nel, the lack of bilingual (native languages) services..., and final- ly the reluctance of native people to make use of resources offered by such programs due to cultural barriers cannot be under- estimated,’’? However, Barbara Murphy’ noted the reverse was not true: ‘Native community law offices in other centers serve everybody.’’ Upon leaving the meeting, Olson said he hoped to have the decision from the provincial government regarding the fund- ing of a native community law office for Terrace by the end of June. A 1982 study, Legal Services | perty taxes for 1988 will cost home owners 10.61 percent ‘more than they did last year. This is an average between 6.16 percent city increase and a 20 percent school tax increase, and it means a home valued at $75,000 will be taxed $1,613.52, or $154.84 more than in 1987. Of those taxes, a little more than half, $852.33, will go to the city, $679.91 pays for schools and the balance, $81.82, is divided up between transit, regional district, hospital and the Municipal.Finance Authority. by Tod Strachan In order to encourage small business, business taxes have in- creased a total of only 6.59 per- cent — an increase of 4.64 per- cent from the city and 15 percent from ‘the schools. Heavy in- dustry is the hardest hit with a 14,21 percent overall increase — 16.11 percent from the city and 15 percent from schools. “Our budget basically collects seven percent more than what was collected last year,’ says Mayor Jack Talstra. ‘But there are categories within the tax col- lection system, basically residen- tial, business and heavy in- dustry.”” ““We’ve tried to stagger that seven percent increase so that in effect the business increase is 4.6 percent, the residential increase ‘blow as | city taxes: tise” ". TERRACE = Residential pro- is 6.16 percent’ and heavy in- 7 | dustry is. 16. percent... You ‘average all that out among: the many, many residentials and the few heavy industries that’ we’ _haveand it would come to about — seven percent,”’ Talstra said. According to the Mayor, ‘the city finished with ‘‘a bit’? of a surplus last year, and in order to hold the taxes down they’ve- taken a portion of that surplus | and carried it over to be used’ this year. This frees up about $500,000, according to Talstra, the most since 1980. ‘*In 1980 we had capital pro- grams worth about that, or a lit- "tle bit over, which dropped toa low of $35,000 in 1983 and then it slowly built up. Last year we had about $200,000,’’ says Talstra, , He says this means the city can continue with projects: like the Arena hill and also do addi- tional recreational work, such as contributing $10,000 to the E.T. Kenney School playground and grading and surveying the Heritage ball park. There will also be funds for computeriza- tion. In public works,” which is . where the bulk of the tax dollars are spent, Talstra says that highlights include two carry- over projects — the paving and drainage of the 4700 block Hamer Ave, and the 4600 block Tuck Ave, Every Monday evening it’s Cribbage Night at Ter- _raceview Lodge from 7 to 9 p.m. Everyone in the com- © munity Is invited to drop in and.catch the action.