Page Ad '—- Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 22, 1992

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VERIFIED
CIRCULATION

CONTROLLED

EDITORIAL,

-Kemano kafuffle

The latest chapter “of the ongoing
Kemano Completion Project saga: shows
the NDP is fast learriing the difference be-
tween politics and government..

Being in opposition is a relatively easy
job..Come up with a couple of juicy
scandals, polish the quotes and the impres-
sion of competency tinged with passionate
commitment is conveyed. -

It’s only when a political party gains of-
fice and goes through the paperwork that it
finds there’s a big difference between talk-
ing about something and doing it.

Back before the NDP became the govern-
ment, it tied its fortunes to native, labour
and environmental groups who just flat
didn’t like the Kemano Completion Pro-
ject. The prospect of taking even more
water from the Nechako River would harm
existing fish stocks, they said. They
doubted ‘the idea of producing — large
amounts of power which would ultimately
be sold and used elsewhere. And don’t
forget native land claims.

These groups won.a federal court deci-
sion last year which turfed a 1987 agree-

ment between Alcan, the federal govern-
ment and the provincial government to let
the project go ahead, Alcan halted work

They’ re-dedi

Let’s see, The thingamajig is attached to
the doohicky and that connects to the
whatchamacallit. Recreational anglers here
may not know all of the many parts that go
into a fly fishing rad but the Germans do.

Simply getting a-licence in Germany is
complicated and onerous. Each prospective
angler is required td take a nine week
course and then must pass a comprehen-
sive exam.

Each person must learn all of the parts of
a fly fishing rod and be able to.name any
number of flies by sight. The textbook ac-
companying: the course rivals that used by
a nuclear submarine captain.

pending an appeal. The appeal came down
this past May in Alcan’s favour. Alcan
won’t decide if it will start up until the

waiting period for an appeal by the groups x

has expired. \S &,
Enter the NDP which, while in opposi- Ser Ae : &

tion, advocated full public hearings and a NG

review. Those same kinds of words were
used after the May court decision. Yet put-

"ting them into action is tricky.

If, for instance, the environmental and
other groups do not appeal, the provincial
government will find itself the only party
holding up the resumption of construction.
And, since the May appeal declared the
1987 agreement valid, the province might
look as if it is breaking it.

That just might be grounds for a lawsuit
by Alcan which already has $600 million
tied up in an idle project. No government
in its right mind wants to face court action
of this type.

But the NDP also has its political back-

- side to cover and can’t tisk ticking off its
support base. So look for lawyer Murray
Rankin — hired to provide advice for the
province - to find some way for the NDP
to balance its political and government
roles. It?ll be yet another fine example of
the ° greal Canadian art of compromise.

sated

And anglers are required to be learn
about the effects of pollution on German.
waters. They must report any such occur-
rences to the proper authorities.

It’s reported that 90 per cent of those who
take the exam pass. That alone is a testa-
ment to the dedication of the German
recreational angler.

Ti realizing all of this, there is really no
wonder why they undertake the lengthy

journey for a chance at a prized Skeena

River salmon.

And this should be a sober lesson for us.
Perhaps we don’t appreciate the value of
the resource at our own back door.

A smelly situation

Phew! The current edition of

Chatelaine magazine really
stinks.

Page 76 of the August issue
is a men’s fragrance scent slrip
rv) high-powered a skunk’s
nose would permanently kink
with envy.

My Chatelaine arrives by
subscription, Friday, after my

Through
Bifocals |
by Claudette Sandecki

‘husband ‘walked past into. the
kitchen carrying the mail, my
nose’ involuntarily twitched,
distracting me from my work.
I couldn’t figure what the odor
was. I. only. knew’ “something
had polluted my atmosphere.
Hinton, «Alberta flashed into
my thoughts.

Tracking © the’ stench, that

(railed my husband, Ifound it .

intensifies as [ approached my

kitchen. ‘desk.’ - There. lay the”

magazine..."
Ah ha. A scent strip. But this
was more ‘like’ a® pollution
pathway. It reeked: Subtle as

Animal’s” ¢ymbal “accents in
the Muppet orchestra, it could -
have been the- "Before". snifl

foragym ‘deodorant, °

I'd never buy. this: fragrance, .
If my husband took out a bank:
loan to findnce it-for himself,
Td. instantly nudge’ it: off the.
“the
! bathroom tiles, or empty -it’»

‘counter. to: “smash . on®

_ Into the toilet. Judging by its
“assault on dir, it would loosen

‘toilet’ bow! mineral’ buildup:
more effectively. than extra.

strength denture cleanser.

Since adverlisers adopted
scent strips, a blind person
would have notrouble finding

“the “magazine display in a
‘Strange supermarket, It’s the

smellicst- aisle -in’ the .store,

more redolent than the deli,

the bakery, or the garlic bin.
People allergic to perfumes

report disiress in the proximity

of these odiferous magazines.

As for myself, I’m put off by
“magazines that wrinkle my

nasal passages befaré my bifo-

cals bring them into focus.
“It.takes an intriguing article

or a-refowned writer to pry

money from my wallet with

onc hand while holding my
nose with the. other, -

Well ‘mannered scent strips
hint not until-a glued | ‘flap is

lifted. -But this one © reeks,

oozing . ‘from between - the

pages | like rotten cabbage from ~

a fridge whenever: the door is
opened. It makes me: lang for
the old days when magazines

- were made up.only of arlicles
‘and stories,

Now besides scent strips that
distract me, they contain full

size sewing pattems, tear oul
Christmas cards, . puzzle
boards, calendars, even brown
paper recycling bags, Some is-

sues are half cardboard
tearouts' for mail ordering
ceramic.. dolls, decorative

plates, books or craft patterns.
AS
there’s less to read, so less rea-
son to buy the magazine.

I appreciate some things sig-
nalling their. presence by a dis-

‘tinctive sniell. A chicken din-

ner. My bathed granddaughter.
A propane leak.

Magazines’ should be seen,
not phewed,

advertising takes over,

eS
iS

FOR THE 853278 ™ Me We
HOW ABOUT IT °?

Gols

ee y

Ce SU

Zz —
Children need aid

more than seniors —

VICTORIA -- Some years
back, when my beard was still
red and my hair blond, I sug-
gested in a column that the age
group in Canada which most
deserved society’s attention
and help wasn’t the senior
citizens but the young families
with children.

The result was a barrage of
letters and phone calls from
just about everybody over 65,
telling me in no uncertain
terms where to go and what to:
do when 1 got there. Nearly --
every one of the browned-off
seniors said'I would change —
my tune with advancing age.

Well, my hair is white now
and so is my beard, but I have
had fo reason to change.my |
tune. I’m more convinced than
ever that we must change the
focus of our social safety net

to help the growing number of -

children living below the
poverty line.

Arecent report by Statistics
Canada confirms that conten-
tion. Canada’s seniors have
become richer and its children

poorer because of government

policies which, according to
some analysts, has set the
stage for a public debate aver
who should get what social as-
sistance.

A similar debate has already
been going on for nearly a
decade in the United States
and Europe. In the USS, it’s
been referred to as an “inter-
generational war," with dif-
ferent factions arguing
whether to recognize the past
labors of seniors or allocate
more public resources to the
future of children.

The Statistics Canada report,
written by analyst Edward Ng,
and titled "Children and Elder-

‘ly People: Sharing Public
Resources", bolsters the argu-
ment in favor of investing
more in the future of our chil-
dren.

The report says that j in 1990,
15 per cent of senior citizens
had low incomes, compared

‘With 28 per cent in 1980. In
comparison,. 17 per cent of
children under 16 were living
below the poverty line in
1990, as opposed to 15 per
cent in 1980. Children living

From the |
Capital

by Hubert Beyer

with one parent were the most _

likeiy to suffer. More than half
of these families lived in
poverty.in 1990,. We pad
The report said that the aver-
age income for seniors from
government sources rose by

nearly 50 per cent in real dol-

lars from 1971 to 1989, while |

the value of income received ©
from family allowance and
child tax credits has declined
over the past decade.

Meanwhile, the public still
perceives seniors as a group in
need of help, and that percep-
tion is reflected not only in
govemment programs, but
also in private sector initia-
tives,

Seniors get discounts on just
about everything, from admis-
sion to sports events and
movie theaters lo symphony
concerts. Scores of restaurants
offer discounts of up to 20 per
cent to seniors. ;

Seniors can get their clothes
dry-cleaned or their hair cut at

a reduced price, A Victoria de-..

partment store offers a 15 per
cent discount to seniors, once
a month, on everything they
buy.

Governments aren’t skimp-
ing either. Seniors get a higher
property tax grant, and
cheaper rides on public trans-
portation systems, including
B.C. Ferries,

And in typically Canadian ©
fashion, which abhors means
tests, this lop-sided way of al-:

’ locating public resources has

resulted in some rather weird

to

examples where, for instance, —

our millionaire former prime
minister, Pierre Elliot

- Trudean, was eligible for both

old-age pension and family al-
lowance.

Add to all this that a large.
percentage of seniors have
paid off the mortgage on their
homes, and you get a fairly:

well-to-do age group with a

high disposable income. .-
Young families are in a real :

bind, by comparison: Skyzret’

rocketing real estate. price:
have made it all but-im-*:°
possible for young families, -
even those wilh a relatively -

good income, lo buy ahome.. 4

Most are'struggling just to. -
make ends meet. Their-income —
barely covers the day-to-day
expenses of food and shelter. -:
And at the very bottom are
the single-parent families who,’

even if the mother or father

works, can’t get above the

_poverty line.

‘Clearly; we-must rethink our’ =
attilude toward the allocation -
of public resources, the ~
Statistics Canada repart
predicts that. the discussion -
over how the country should’.
provide for its youngest poor...

will heat up ifthe recession _;
.doesn*tend soon, Canadians,

it says, will become more

aware of the extent of child -

poverty.
Changing course won ‘Lbe
easy. The report predicts that

: “achieving an equitable divi-.
: sion of resources for both -

young and old, in the face of
demographic changes, will
pose a significant challenge to
both governments and the pri- -
vale sector |

All of which isn ‘Lt say that
there aren’t-seniors i! in need of ©

“help. There arc, but itis an in-.
- disputable fact that, on Aver- a
age, senior citizens are far. bel- oo

ter off than the young...
We should not ignore the

_labors and the achievements of

the past generation, but-our

" prime responsibility is to make
- Sure thatthe new generation

can take its rightful place.
And with 17 per cent of our:

-.. children under 16 living below.

; ‘the poverty line; we're not
.. living up to that responsibility.

WHAT
is (Tel!

7A MOOSE! A MOOSE!
RIGHT BEHIND THE.
TOOL SHED!!! |:

32-88

Boy on Boy!! THEre

HASN'T BEEN A MOOSE

THIS NEAR HOME SINCE
_ LAST APRIL s+