| 14 Tense Review — Weiinesday, February 4, 1987 Ilfyouread , °°) Hubert Beyer Terrace Review Victoria Correspondent r I have mixed feelings about a recent announcement’ that the names and work skills of 3,700 ‘‘employable social assistance recipients”’ will be fed into a computer. On the other hand, my feelings about remarks at- ‘tributed to Social Assistance Minister Claude Richmond in connection with the computer-based work skills in- ventory aren’t mixed at all. Ostensibly, the exercise is to help find jobs for people on social assistance who are able to work, but ever since: I read George Orwell’s 1984 and have lived to see a few of his nightmares become part of my daily life, I am reluctant to accept.government annoucements at face value... . . .. And the Minister’s warning that welfare recipients a who won’t accept jobs offered them might have their a children taken away doesn’t make me any more en- ayy ini Le Block Parents Donna Mclisack, executive member of the Terrace Block Parents group, sald the organization currently consisis of 190 participants who work to make local streets safer for | young children. The Terrace Block Parents’ efforts will be “in full swing” during 1987 with the addition of eight families to _the group in 1986. RCMP seek suggestions The Terrace RCMP detachment has asked Ter- race council for input in developing their short- term operational plan for 1987 and 1988. In a letter to council received at the Jan. 27 meeting Insp. Yeske, officer-in-charge of the local detachment, stated the plan will ad- _ dress all aspects of polic- ing ranging from problem areas to training and well- being of members and employees in a police en- vironment. a ‘“‘Last year our target was youth-oriented of- fences,’ Yeske ‘stated, ‘“‘with particular emphasis on their involvement in and drug offences,’’ Council referred the matter to the Finance Committee for recommen- dations. shoplifting, liquor, traffic - ring abell thusiastic about the scheme. In fairness to Richmond, the work-or-lose-your-kids warning. came about in a convoluted way. If someone on welfare refuses a job, the Minister. said, his or her social assistance payments will be cancelled. And if, asa result of not getting welfare, a social assistance reci- pient’s children are considered at risk, the Ministry may apprehend them, he added. - oy _ The opposition NDP responded immediately by ac- cusing the government of turning British Columbia into a police state. I wouldn’t go that far, but there's certain- ly something potentially sinister about the whole ” scheme. Having my name fed'into 4 computer scares me at the best of times, although I will admit that it can hardly be avoided in this age of high tech. , . My SIN number is probably in all sorts of computers. _ So ig my credit rating. Hospitals have my health record. And I’m not the only one who.can call. up my bank - balance by sticking a little card into a machine. The bank can do that just as well, anytime it wants to. ’ But these examples apply to most of us. What makes Richmond’s scheme unpalatable is that it zeroes in ona select group of people — 3,700 welfare recipients in Kamloops and Surrey-White Rock. They have no choice in the matter, unless they want to starve. -¥ou might say that the names of all welfare recipients are already in some computer, After all, Richmond doesn’t make out the monthly cheques by hand. True, - but again, the names aren’t fed into the computer selec- tively. They’re in there for the purposes of a mailing list, no more, . The work skills computer inventory, on the other hand, is discriminatory because it divides welfare reci- pients into two classes — employable and unemployable. The distinction, in the eyes of many, is one between genuine hardship cases and welfare bums. In legal terms, such a distinction is ‘improperly discriminatory.” ' Having said all that, I will admit that it probably can’t hurt to find out at a moment’s notice what skills a person on social assistance has, although I fail to see where the jobs for them should come from. __ There are more thana million names in the UIC com- puters, names belonging to people looking for jobs which don’t exist. What chances, do you think, Rich- mond has of finding jobs for employable welfare reci- pients? . Unless, of course, the Socreds plan to adopt a clever ‘little scheme used by the NDP government to get people off the welfare rolls. _ At that time, a person had to have worked for 10 weeks to be eligible for unemployment insurance. To help people on welfare get the necessary 10.weeks, the government instituted all sorts of make-work programs,. _ hired people for 10 weeks and then turned them over to the federal UIC rolls, freeing the same jobs for the next batch. Bingo. Welfare costs went down. : If the government plans a similar program of reliev- ing provincial coffers at the expense of the federal Joseph Durando (left), president of the Terrace Italian Cana: dian Club, along with club member Marta Andolfatto, recent: ly presented a cheque to the Terrace Child Development Gen: - tre for the sum of $152. Susan Phillips (right} accepted the donation on behalf of the establishment. The Terrace Italian Canadian Club is also celebrating its 20th anniversary, and would like to thank everyone who has supported the group by attending their dinner and dance. A special thank you goes to Northern Drugs, Kalum Elec- tric and Shefield & Sons for kindly donating the door prizes. The profit of the last dance on Dec. 13 is going to non: profit organizations. Phate by Oaniete Berquist, As I said at the outset, I have mixed feelings about the — scheme. Despite Richmond's ill-advised remarks. that people better accept-jobs or lose welfare benefits and — perhaps their children, the government’s- basic inten- But I am also convinced that the scheme could be suc- cessfully challenged in the courts. And perhaps it should be. Discrimination is unacceptable, even when it is trig- gered by the best of intentions. a | Directory of | Terrace Churches 4 Sacred Heart Catholic Church Maes iimes Saturday: 7:30 p.m. ‘Sunday: . 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. Pastor: Allan F, Noonan, 0.W.1. 4830 Straume Ave, ‘St. Matthew’s Anglican/ . ’ Episcopal Church 4726 Lazelie Ave., Terrace Phone 635-9019 Rector Rev, Canon Lance Stephens — 635-6855 . Sunday services: ‘9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Sunday School HRIST and Adult Class UTHERAN 9:45 a.m. HURCH Sunday Worship - 11:00 a.m. Phone - "9229 Sparks Street, Terrace - 635-5520 - - -Rev. Michael R. Bergman Terrace Seventh-day Adventist Church _-+ 3306 Griffiths — 635-3232 |. ‘Saturday — Sabbath School — 9:30 a.m. . — Divine Service — 11:00 a.m. Wednesdays — Prayer meeting — 7:00 p.m. Pastor Ed Sukow — 635-7642 635-2313, it EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH 3302 Sparks Street, Terrace, B.C. PH: 635-5116 Pastors Jim Westman and Bob Shatford Sunday School for all ages — 9:45 a.m. Sunday Services — 11:00.a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Prayer Meeting — Wednesdays — 7:00 p.m. KNOX UNITED CHURCH 4907 Lazelle Ave. Phone: 635-6014 " Sunday Moming Worship 10:30 AM Sunday School 10:30 AM Youth Group 6:30 PM Aduil study throughout the week. Call Church office for details. Minister: Stan Bailey You are welcome! Terrace Pentecostal Assembly 3511 Eby Street Phone: 635-2434. 9:45 AM Sunday School 11:00 AM Morning Service. : 7:00 PM = Evening Service John Caplin — Pastor Len Froese — Assoc. Pastor 4923 AGAR AVE. TERRACE — Ph. 635-7727 PASTORS: S. COUTTS and J.T. McNAIA (Interim) ANNUAL MISSIONARY CONFERENCE — Feb. 5 to & with Missionaries Frankiin & Doris Inwin — tha Philippines Thurs. 7:15 PM — Public Service Fri. 7:15 PM — Public Service Kids Konference — 7 years dad up Sat. 8:30 AM — Men's Breakfast 1:00 PM — Ladies! Luncheon 7:30 PM — Youth Fellowship ce Sun, 945 AM — Open Session — Grades 1-7 71:00 AM — Massage — Faith Promise Offering - 6:00 PM — Closing Rally (after Church Fellowship) ALL ARE CORDIALLY INVITED The Salvation Army 4643 Walsh Avenue education: all 9:45 AM — Christian Education: all ages _ SUNDAY 11:00 AM — Holiness Meeting SERVICES 7:00 PM — Salvation Meeting FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PHONE 635-6480 THE ALLIANCE CHURCH | 1