Des aie a se te 2p te pe ey 2 aye a Heda

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- Pane Ad — Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 15, 1990

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—

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27,1988 _

TERRACE STANDA

~ jyavalion fapra services and advertising apencies,
-“Peptoduetion in whole or In part. without written permission, is epncificaly pronbiied,

Rgiatration No. 7820 4847 Lazelie Ave., Terrace, B c., v8G 188 (604) 698-7289

‘daitatied a8 eacondclass mall ponding the Pos! Office Oepartment, {or payment of postaga in cash,

= Editor:
Rod Unk

: ;ldacving tt Terrace area. Putiished on Wednesdey of aach woah by Caribod Press (1985) Ltd, a ati7 LazoBe Ave.. Terrace, Brilsh Columbia :
~ Sica, photographs, illustrations, designs end typestytes in the Terrace Standard ase tha property of tha Copyright hakders, indo Cart Prasa (160) a, is

on “ Publiaher: om
; Jim Coulter a

" Production Mariager:
Edouard Credgeur

7 Nagi - - Shuts, Nalin’ Barta _ _ News,
oe Aen :
«ai Couttr - Advertsing Manager, Janet Vivelros — ~ ‘Adve

her. Front Office Manager
7 Typesatting/Darkroom”

Sam Collar - Aarti tarsula, Tory vie _ Crean spe

~ Specta thanks to al
ole contributors and —

Correspondents: for

“thelr time and =

a |

I

if anybody ever needs yet another ex-
ample of a government horror story,
consider the latest surrounding the
regional district’s MK Bay Marina at
Kitimat.

It was a fairly sensible idea when first
conceived in the 1970s as a way to fill
recreational needs and to encourage
tourism. But, like its land-based and

equally: ill-fated Kitsumkalum ski hill:

twin sister, the marina soon ran into pro-
blems. The facilities couldn’t handle the
storms around Kitimat. Nobody was.
happy with what was there.

Back in 1988 the regional district .

decided it had to do something. It failed
in an attempt to sell the marina and so
applied for and received $1 million from
the federal government for an overhaul.
What was regarded as a gift proved to
be too good to be true. It was apparent
from the start, or should have been, that
the $1. million federal lollipop wasn’t
sufficient. A series of cost escalations
followed. Control of the project went to
the federal Department of Public
Works. It issued designs, more designs,
redesigns and projections. At latest
count, the promised final price tag is
$2.35 million.
_ The regional district put on a magic
act.to find that extra $1.3 million. It
Palle a $707,000 rabbit from the hat by

— Say that again _

If. -you look beyond the native

roadblocks you'll find a carefully crafted

effort at swaying and manipulating
public opinion. It’s just one of those
things for freedom of expression and ac-
tion, though sometimes cynical in its ap-
plication, is what makes a democracy.

But the interpretation varies according
to who is doing the expressing and ac-
ting. Mt. Currie chief Fraser Andrew
was kind enough to give us his version.
The band had established informational

case of abuse

getting a grant from the ever flush and

ever handy provincial lottery bank ac-.
count. But that still leaves approximately
$600,000 in rabbits unaccounted for.”

The regional district thinks it can get . |»

some of that by dealing with the
Kitimaat band in exchange for an equity

position in the marina. It also has an un- -

suspecting standby in regional district

“taxpayers for it can borrow what is need-

ed. It has also asked the federal govern-
ment for yet more money.

All this points to the major fault of

governments in this century — the

almost casual disregard of the public |

trust. In this case, there doesn’t appear
tc have been a clear and set understan-
ding of what the final marina marina
project would cost when the $1 million i in
federal money first arrived.

And even though there is now what is
promised to be a final price tag, it isn’t
known from where all the money will |
come. Unlike private businesses which
first establish their finances before
deciding what they can do, governments
have the luxury of endlessly tapping the
public purse.

There will be a marina built in the end.
It damn well better be worth it for the
monetary cost is overshadowed by that
of a system that is unaccountable and
out of control,

toad blockades. It i is also. a sponsor ‘of

the Stein Valley Festival. When
presented with the prospect of a
blockade of the festival from Pemberton
residents, Andrew was quoted in a press
release.

“These people (those who would at-
tend the Stein festival) should not have
to face the travel uncertainties presented
by those whose aim seems to be muzzling
free speech,’? said Andrew. Naughty,
naughty, Chief Andrew. You can’t have
it both ways. ,

Downhill solution

Welfare recipients should
shuck anonymity and become as.

hard to miss as native
roadblocks if they are ever to Bifocais
get enough funds to live decent- by Claudette Sandecki

ly,

Through

We read statistics of how

many families are on welfare,
but unless they make themselves
visible among us, neither society

nor politicians will heed them, .

We need to realize how many
children are growing up hungry,
in poor housing,
To wake us up, welfare reci-
pients have to capture media
_ Space the way native roadblocks
‘did. Reporters will be assigned
“to welfare beats, and special

sections of newspapers, as well .

- as radio and TV airtime, will be

. set aside for welfare concerns.
_ That would make welfare
fashionable. Civic leaders
‘would’ proclaim a welfare
’ *week’’, Rival communities
would contest who has the most
downtrodden, and awards
‘would be given out. Perhaps
- Vogue would use welfore reci-
_plents as: background for a
~ fashion layout, as they do now
\ in Ethiopia or Mexico, ,
But to snag the attention of
: Victoria, welfare.families must
* do more than dregs in uniforms
of Dayglo spandex.: They have
‘to mimic a -tourist-oriented ac-
tivity that’s become. exper in

: payments) a'm

enterprises, has a jargon of its
own. Welfare recipients could
add pizzaz to their drab ex-
istence by adopting ski slope
lingo, coded to their own situa-
tion.

The code ward for Social Ser-
vices and Housing would be.
**ski hill’’, Social workers.
would be “skiing instructors’.

Apartments would be ‘ski
lodges’’. . ;
Dependents would be.

tourists. That's key. Mere men-:
tion of tourism makes cabinet
ministers straighten their. ties,

and stand ready to vote Yes, in °

support of any money bill: |
Juxtaposing the words

tourist"? and “‘ski hill’? would.

have the premier and -MLA's

flexing the hinges ‘of: their.
favourite ribbon-culting shears. .

Under the code,: anyone new |
to “riding the chairlift” (accep-
ling welfare) would: visit a ski
hill to consult a.ski instructor

about arranging for’a season’s —

pass (income. . assistance) - in-
cluding a chairlift pass (monthly
Tent),

Later on, should there be: a
breakdown of ‘lift equipment
(default. on. child support

Could’ nek ¥

consolation at an apres-ski par-
ty (coffee klatsch). Fhere, talk
would revolve around ski runs
(delinquent fathers) skiing con-
ditions (paying bills) and a com-
parison of ski waxes (lawyers).

If a father failed to keep up
his child support payments, the
welfare mother would ‘select a
wax, and wax her skis (gar-
nishee her ex-husband’s . in
come),

These tactics should, imprint

.the plight of welfare families on -
‘politicians seeking election. ~

If not, welfare families will

continue to slide down the bun-

ny slope (live below the povery"
line,),

OKAY Rosie! waar DO
YOU RUB INTO A MOOSE
HiDE-To SOFTEN IT? ?/.

/OATHAT'S >
| EASY BRANES

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Election prospect

presents a danger

VICTORIA — There's a good - foe

chance Premier Vander Zalm
believes he’s finally found an.

issue that will get him... ©.

re’elected, but he should be —...
warned: that path i is fraught.
with Manger. oy,

“There. are. ‘indications, that .
it’s the native Indians Vandel
Zalm may be counting on to
help him win a second term in
office, not by voting forthe
Socreds but by providing a. «
central issue around which the
government could create a bit
of fear and uncertainty.

There’s little doubt that
Vander Zalm and native af-
fairs minister Jack Weisgerber
have been trying their best to
make British Columbians ner-
yous about the potential price
tag of settling native land
claims.

The figure of $6 billion,
nearly half of last year’s entire
budget, has been bandied
about an awful lot. Never
mind that the figure comes
straight out of Weisgerber’s

t.

Cage to

‘The scenario that govern-
ment might create to get re-
elected is simple. Put the In-
dians in a position of appear-
ing totally unreasonable and
then take a firm stand on the
side of law and order. It’s 95
per cent white votes against
five percent native votes.

I hope Vander Zalm won't
be that cynical, but frankly,
he’s done nothing so far to
allay fears that this is exactly

_ the direction he is headed in,

it seems Indian leaders also
have similar suspicions. Bill
Wilson of the First Nations
Congress told the premier to
stop building a soap box on
land claims,

“Premier, if you want to’
deal in good faith, stop trying
to create an election out of

_ this. This figure of §6 billion

‘for land claims, I'm sick and
“tired of this ‘garbage of $6
Wilson That's a blantant lie, *”
. Wilson said.

MARTEN NAME &
TRAPPING LURES

BEAVER CASTR ,
FSi OL MINK Musk,
COTANP, KLISE,..AND
ASAFOETIDA tt

|.” PHOEBE. ayar s THE

e From the
_ Capital
“Py H Hubert mn bever

praeee
i :

But in the absence of any
other issue that could be ex-
ploited for votes, the tempta-
tion of turning the land-claims,
controversy into a three-ring
election circus may prove too
great,

Unfortunately, . there are
those who advocate the tough

- stance and would welcome an

end to what they call appease-
ment of the Indians. One such
person, Maria McNary of:
Lillooet, sent me a six-page let-
ter by fax last week,

The rambling letter,

“presented as a sort of
background paper,complete
with references, pleaded for
the ‘‘political will’? to deal.
with the Indian problem once
and forall.

“It is all too obvious that
we cannot buy our way out of
this mess. We now must have
the guts to end it. No-one, in-
cluding our neighbours, to the
south would permit their peo-
ple to dictate to them as we
are being held to ransom by
our Indians,”’ McNary said.

“No other country with in-
telligent people would enslave

_ themselves and certainly their
children to a conquered peo-

’ ple,’? she added.

-I'm somewhat reluctant to
ask how she would deal with
the problem, but I don’t think
it would be a pretty sight.
McNary’s letter is a prime ex-
ample of the half-truths and

. outright lies that surround the

«land claims issue. And yes,

- both sides are guilty of stret-
ching the facts to suit them.

At one point in her tetter,

- MeNary becomes downright
ludicrous. Read on and scratch
your head. =.

tT RIFLE. Fo!
HUNTING SEALS ? v
30307 NOl.

{wair! 227 Ho!
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TOS Is)

“Why” are the Indians not
sensitive to the fact that they.
have a good life and could’ .

- make a real contribution to
Canada if they made the eh,
. fort??? she asks. :
The.good life? Really? If:

their lives are so good, why is is. _

infant mortality amoung In-
dians so much higher than in’
the white community? Why/are
the Indian communities leading
in teenage ‘suicide rates?, -
"-MeNary goes on to say that
“native culture is not really a

_ valid notion because the tribes

’ differ greatly from one
another, Again, a strange
argument. Because there are .
‘many different native cultures,
there’s no such thing as a
native culture.:

McNary doesn’t seem too
concerned about the facts.
Thus, she describes James
Douglas, British Columbia's |
first. governor, .as ‘one-quarter
Indian himself.’’

Well, Douglas was born in.
British Guiana, Not that many’

North American Indians there. «

Douglas did marry an Indian .
women though, but I don't:

think that made him a quarter a

Indian, a
- She.also gives a-semi- . -:)

' encyclopedic account of what a
reservation is, notwithstanding .
the fact that Canada’s Indians i
have reserves, not reservations. aa

The latter is a U.S, term:
~ All I'm really trying to 8
that there arealotof ©

misconceptions about the =: 7

issu, and exploiting it for a
election could be an: invitation.
to disaster. if I' were the

premier I'd think twice before: ,

playing with fire. The flames:
could be hard to put out. ~

TRADI TIONAL,

| EGE