Snakes, snakes, snakes

New book person

Snake lovers and others have
their say about the creatures via
letters to the editor/NEWS A2

Holly Nguyen, originally from.
Halifax, is the new children’s —
librarian/COMMUNITY B1

Dream clinic

Three hoopsters got advice from a
member of the American Dream
Team /SPORTS ci |

"WEDNESDAY
AUGUST 17, 1994

Here’s a way you can make $50 |

LAST YEAR the federal govem-
ment paid $35 ta learn what local
people thought about land claims,

This year it’s the provincial
government’s turn and It’s paying
550.

To cara that money, two groups
of up to 12 people will sit in a
room for a couple of hours and
have
claims recorded. -

“We are entering land claims
negotiations with more than 40
First Nations so it’s. important
that all British Columbians under-

a as

ae

their thoughts on land ~

sland what we’re doing,”’ said a
provincial aboriginal affairs min-
istry. official last week.

“To do this, we need to do re-
search into the needs and atti-
tudes that people have about the
process,”’ said Anne Ferdinands.
“We're not doing quantitative
research. It’s not about numbers.
We're doing qualitative research
to find out in detail,’ she said.

Terrace, Campbell River and
Prince George are the first three
cilies on the provincial govern-
ment’s list.

# Picture perfect

BRYAN SMITH was the photographic subject for a Gizella Botz, the old bridge. Gizalla takes her camera along on every outing

a local woman who started taking pictures two years ago. She
took this picture of her friend on the bank of the Skeena under

. seemed |

One local person contacted by
Angus Reid, the company hired
by the provincial government to
do the research, feels the effort’s
designed to only give the govern-
ment what it wants to hear.

Robert Seaton said screening
questions asked over the phone
by an Angus Reid interviewer
aimed at’ excluding
people rather than including them
in the groups,

The president of the local trap-
per’s association and a member
of a local Nisga’a land claims ad-

with her day program worker, Nick Bains, photographing much of: .

visory group, Seaton was first
told he would qualify for a group
and then told he wasn’t needed
because ihe company wanted
other types of people.
“The questions were . really
pointed, One was ‘Do you Per.
ceive natives as being ~ lazy
people.’ Another asked if my-alti-

tude about natives. has changed

over the past year,’? said Seaton, .

“These were very specific
questions io know exactly where
I was coming from,’’ Seaton con-
tinued.

t

the Terrace area and people. For more on Botz see page Bi.

Cana

Pet st

lah do lar an attraction

German visits rise -

GERMANS ARE making up a
major portion of the northwest
iourism population this year, ”

At least as many Germans as
Alberlans, are. now -visiling up
here, says Erika. Cordes, the
senior travel counselor at the

chamber of: commerce’s tourist.

information contre on. the high-
way.

“In general, we're getting: a lot
of people from overseas this year.
We're noticing lots. more people
from Italy,’’ she said.

Cordes added that an attractive -

exchange rate is helping. attract

more Germans and is boosting an .

already. strong American tourist
presence. :

The Canadian dollar has fallen
in relation to the American dollar.

and the German mark so that their

money buys_ mote. “of our cur

rency,

advertising bias helped bring
people to Calada.

“I'd say. there must be a big .
push in Haly. The, people: from,
there that do- stop: say. they’ve.-

seen ads,’* she said.’

A western “Canadian circle
route, especially, with Germans, is.

proving -- _particularly ; popular;

Cordes also says. more. oversens -

Cordes continued.

*‘What happens is that Germans
will fly to Vancouver, pick up an
RV, lake the ferry on the Inside
Passage up here, drive across to
Jasper then te Banff, then to the
Okanagan and back to Van-

-couver,’”’ she said.

Cordes indicates there arc two

_ main streams of German visitors

— those who take the clrcle route
and those who stay at area fishing
lodges.

Cordes ranks British ‘Colum-
bians as first overall In northwest

- tourists, followed by Albertans

and. Germans. in second place
with Americans in third,
‘Infocentre statistics indicate
1,625 parties of tourists visiled
‘the centre in’ July compared to
1,589 parties in July 1993.
Chamber ‘employees ‘don’t
count the number of people in
each party. but do apply a multi-
plicr of 2.5 people for each one.
That means just undér 4,100

people visited the. infocentre in
: July, says chamber ‘manager Bob-.
bie Phillips. .

Numbers were down itis June

- compared to June ‘1993 but that’s
because. the infocentre - “wasn't :

ett for the same 6 hows. =

“T think if we were open the
same number of hours, the num-
bers would be close,” said Phil-
lips.

There were 574 tourist. stops at
the infocentre in May, an increase
over the 427 recorded for May of
1993.

kk kkk

Business has been steady at
Heritage Park, says museum
society executive member Mamie
Kerby.
~ And as elsewhere, she says the
‘number of German visitors has
increased.

“They seem to like the log
building consiruction because
they. haven’t saved: theirs,” said
Kerby.

Kerby estimates 4,000 people
have-visited the park to date this
year, That’s a comparable figure
to last year.

Kerby feels that more tourism
information could boost numbers
at the park. -

“We're pretty well. set ‘up for

people who may have been on the

Toad ° and are bored, They can

“have: a place to eat lunch, to

asg,”* he sai

stretch out and their kids can play

“*] don’! mind if the company
wanted to make sure there was a
cross section of age, for instance.
But I think the questions will
result in a group of people that is
too narrow to be a cross section,”
he said.

Seaton said thal if the province
wants to know what people. think
about land claims, it should hold
a public meeting,

““T think what is going on on here -

is waste of my tax dollars, real-
ly,’’ he said,
Vancouver Angus Reid spokes-

man Daniel Savas said Seaton has,
gotten . the situation _ turned
around,

- **In focus groups we don’ want

people with the same* opinion:

‘That's why we ask questions, We

want lo get. broad. spectrum of

_ opinion,’’ he said,

‘Savas said an ideal focus ‘group

will have a couple representatives.

from different. segments of the

population to ensure there is more _

than one opinions = ° -
**With Mr. Seaton we may have
already filled our quota.

Tempers flare at
land claim meet

IF THE REFORM Party’s public
forum on Jand claims is any in-
dication, settling the issue up here
won't be an easy task.

Reform supporters joined MP
Mike Scott last Wednesday night
in denouncing ~ government
secrecy surrounding land. claim
setilements,

But the evening turned nasty
when Wet’suwet’en speaker Herb
George rose to speak.

When he said his people are
marginalized, ‘We're not consid-
ered a part of your society,”’ t he
was shouted dowh, ~

“Who signs your paycheck,”
called one man, ‘‘]’m sick and
tired of paying their. damned
way,’’ yelled another. to loud ap-
plause and cheers. By

Later, a visibly angry Jim
Davidson, Smithers council rep-
resentative on the third party ad-
visory committee for land claims,
spoke from the podium, calming
people down with a plea for
respect. ;

About 200 people turned out for
this first in a series of “town
hall’’ meetings on fand claims the

Reform Party is calling across the .
Northwest. Scott plans to hold. :

one here in the fall.
Scott, Prince George MP Dick.
Harris, and North Island MP John
Duncan outlined their concerns
the Canadian people are being
left out of the negotiating process,
‘Specifically, they focused on
secrecy surrounding what they
feel will be an over-gencrous land
and cash offer to the Nisga’a.
That and the recent Sahtu Dene

CHANCES ARE that overseas visitors are looking for the kind of.
western image imbued here by Lakelse Lake resident Peter.
Nicholson who was at Heritage Park for Riverboat Days ac--

- tlvities, There's been an Increase in the number of people from: . | -ve
“over as thie y - peer

and Metis Comprehensive Land
Claim Agrcement in the. arctic
pose a “‘dangerous precedent’?
for settlement of land claims in
this area, they said.

The Sahtu agrecment advances
40,000 square kilometers of land
and $130 million over the next 15,
‘years — far too much, Scott said,
for less than 1,800 people, “hale
of them children”?

He. also “had concerns. that self:

‘government for. norihem natives

‘will setup a separate ‘level’ of
government | thal dees not have ta

follow “the” Files ‘OF established. .
-governmenis, or even follow: the ’

Charter of Righis and Freedoms. -

Scott said he has problems with
current forms of native leader-
ship. The hereditary chief system,
_he said, is undemocratic, _

‘ ‘Tribal councils are elected and |
-you can. turf them’ ‘out. With,
hereditary chiefs if you're: born
right you can” be as “leader
forever.??..: 40 eet
Responding . to. a number of
people saying™ thoy don’t ‘under-
stand what native’ people “want,
Herb George rose: B'to ) speak a sec-
ondtime:; = 2°. ot

This time the audience. was

silent as George outlined the
limitations the “Indian” Act bas
placed on native communities:
’. He said hed been instructed by
‘his’ chiefs to séek out third party
advisory commillee representa-
tives and make himself available
to them..“‘I don’t look forward to
it, personally,. but. 1 make ‘that
commitment, The questions have
to be dealt with,”

Royal
visitors

A GOODLY number of locals
ere in Prince George today to
sce Queen Elizabeth JI offi-
cially open the University of
‘Northern B.C,

Fifty people from here have
official invitatlons to atiend
this aftemoon’s ceremonies. .

UNBC spokesman Rob. van
Adrichem sald. 60 invitations
were scent to local residents,’

As many as 3,000 people
are on the official guest. list
for the afternoon.

Northwest Community. Col-
lege president Michael Hit,
Margaret Dediluke who sat on
the first. Interim: -university
governing board. and’ ‘Gerry
Martin, who sat'on the local
university access © ‘committee,
ate among local allendess.!

The Terrace ‘flavour ‘con:
tinues = with the’. local
Kermodei -. Chorister young

‘singing ° group set to perform
for’ the Queen «at: the
ceremonies,» - .

There'll bea gala ‘ritertain-
ment evéni tonight and one ‘of
the. groups: appearing {is the

New: Aiyansh Harmonic . Sil

tented ee scene or ae ne