Bruce Hallsor from Terrace was recently elected premier of British Columbia Youth Parliament during elections held in Victoria..."It's quite an honor” stated Hallsor. He's the first in Northern B.C. and the youngest at age 19 to be elected premier. Daniel Berquist photo “The e youngest, at the age of 19,and the first from northern : B.C., Terrace - resident Bruce Hallsor has been elected premier of the British Columbia Youth Parliament. (BCYP).. Elections: were held in December at Victoria. by Daniele Berquist His post as premier will begin in September; how- ever, Hallsor won’t be of- ficially sworn in until December 1987. ~ The first Parliament of British Columbia Youth was formed in 1923 under the premiership of the late . Walter S. Owen. The parliament has since de- veloped a wealth of history, said Hallsor. Former Terrace resident obtains Queen’s. Counse TERRACE _ Former Terrace resident Bruce McColl received the honor of being named as Queen's Counsel. This appointment means that the lawyer is considered responsible to the point of even de- fending the Crown. Few lawyers: in B.C, have had this honor bestowed upon them. ~ Bruce McColl lived in Terrace from.1949 to 1957 when he graduated from ‘Skeena High School: He © then went on to the University of British Col- umbia (UBC) to get a law degree. Now McColl is liv- Popcorn sale funds raised Grade 5 students at Clarence Michiet Elementary School pre- sent a cheque for the sum of $34.30 to Margaret Dediluke (left). from the Terrace Child Development Centre. The pro- ceeds were ralsed through a popcorn sale done by the | students. Daniela Berquist photo BUCKLE UP! Seat belts save lives. ing in West Vancouver with his family. The ap- pointment came just: around: Christmas time and added to the holiday spirit,” ae 7 a the Pee te ee McColl is the brother of local resident Merry Hallsor. Good news,» Former Terrace resident Bruce McColl (back, eft) recently received notice of_a Queen's Counsel appoint«~ ment. The news arrived dur: ing the Christmas holidays and added to the joy of the lawyer and his family: (back, right) wife Elizabeth, (left) daughter Fiona, (right) son Innes, and (front) son Alastair. ite pa ho Hallsor elected BCYP premier I am very excited about taking on the challenge as premier, he noted. As far as Hallsor knows, he is the youngest to be elected premier in the 63 year history of the parliament, “Vd say it’s quite an honor.”’ The. BCYP serves as a model parliament where young men and women between the ages of 17 and 21 years of age learn -all about the Canadian par- liament system and how it appointment works, ; The BCYP also oper- ates Camp Phoenix in conjunction with Ministry of Social Services: and Housing for underprivi- leged children in the prov- ince of B.C. Bach year the camp operates in a dif- ferent location throughout B.C., Hallsor said. He was chosen by the Caledonia Senior Secon- dary School’s student council to represent the’ Skeena riding. Hallsor, “Terrace Review ~ Wedel January 14 1987. said he applied because he was curious to know what it was all about. Everyone at the school was given the opportunity to apply, he added, Until Hallsor i is official- ly sworn in, he will remain as‘ cabinet minister for Western Canada Youth Parliament (WCYP),. which B.C, is hosting this year. The WCYP entrusted Hallsor with a budget of $20,000. From those funds he will be respon- sible for finding accom- modation and transpor- tation for members of the youth parliament from the western provinces. The budget also includes secur-. ing the legislative buildings in Victoria for the event.. » AS premier, Hallsor “said he would like to see -everyone get a chance to . be part of the parliament. “Our parliament system is better than the U.S.,’’. Hallsor stated. ‘‘Very few students know our system since parliamentary edu- cation is just an option in our school systems.”’ Even though ‘the Ter- race youngster is very in- terested in politics, his ultimate aim would be to. become Governor General of Canada. Hallsor com- mented that what makes Canada a unique nation, and different from the States, is the Canadian constitutional monarchy. Hallsor said he also thinks the Governor General should have a higher pro- file because, after all, quoted Hallsor, ‘‘He rep- resents what’s important to our country.” As a career before be- coming Governor General of Canada, Hallsor said he’s heading in the direc- tion of Foreign Services and business law. ‘‘I want to work and represent Canada.” A night out with the RCMP — in the lock-up. The ar- resting officer is writing a report, and from the direction of the cellblock a cacophony of inhuman wails, cries, laughter and howling reverberates into the room. A string of curses and imprecations dies off into a low mutter, The silence that follows is almost unsettling. The girls are. both juveniles, runaways from another community in the Northwest. The officer who interviewed them states he was told if they’re returned to their homes they’ll run away again. In an senseless and unplanned act of sudden violence a glass door has been shat- _tered} ‘the person alleged apparently | to have done it has been arrested, detained and charged; and a witness has agreed to testify. The owners, upon conviction of the vandal, have the op- tion of seeking restitution through the court. Everything seems to have fallen into place, except two young women spend- ing the night in jail who may never fall into place anywhere in this society. Later, two social workers, called away from home, enter through the back door. After a brief «conversation and the sign- ing of papers, they leave. The law seems to be called upon over and over to deal with problems for which there are no legal solutions. Pakenham acknowledges there are - ty of money. few options in the way of evening activities for young people in Terrace; from a law enforcement point of view the downtown arcades, Frank’s Field and other gathering places are a con- venience because they keep young people con- centrated in a few spots that are easy to monitor. Pakenham, when he came to Terrace in 1984, helped found Project R.A.F.T, It’s reaching a few kids, he says, but a genuinely effective youth center hinges on availabili- “For $2 million,’? he says; ‘'we could put together a facili- ty that would knock those kids eyes out.’ The possibility of anything ‘close to that, however, is _ extremely remote. When asked about the ‘usefulness of a curfew, Pakenham said. that from experience in a previous posting he found it helpful because a curfew supplies legal backing to prevent problems before they start. In Terrace police have no authority except to order wandering groups on the street at night to disperse. The question at the core of the issue is ob- vious to him. Where are the parents? The conclusion of this two-part story on the work of the Terrace RCMP detachment will appear in the Jan. 21 issue of the Terrace Review.