a a Se ee owe Tough choices looming Pregnancy, abortion stem from personal decisions Dear Sir: It has come to my attention that I have cre- aled some controversy arising from my presenta- tion to the select standing committee on finance and government services held recently. Firstly the suggestions given by myself, were my opinions and may or may not reflect the views of individual members of the Terrace Health Watch. There were a number of issues brought forth by myself on ways to save money in the delivery of health care of which expensive medical pro- cedures used in the form of birth control such as vasectomies, tubal ligations and abortions when used as a birth control method. These are individual choices made and should be locked at for funding as only one of several issues | brought forth. The choice to have a medical procedure such as a termination of pregnancy is individual, the same as is in most cases for the procedure used to become pregnant. With the abundance of birth control methods available for both male and female, if pregnancy is the end result, in most cases that was a perso- nal choice and |am questioning, should the health care system now pay for the results of those personal choices? There are many individ- uals with life threatening illnesses such as breast cancer, heart disease, kid- ney failure and the list goes on that have to wait for months to access the health care system, and {the difference here is that 4 in most cases they did not 4 have a choice. E a It has become abundantly Don Ritchey clear that health care de- livery is in a crisis, and cannot be everything to everybody. There will be tough decisions made all acrass Canada not just in B.C. or in Terrace. I believe health care as we have known it will no longer exist as a carte blanche system. I urge every one to get involved, whether it is controversial or nol but get involved. Don Ritchey Terrace B.C, Extend the logic Dear Sir: Re: “Gov’t told it could save money by not paying for abortions” (Terrace Standard, Oct. 31, 2001). | am shocked and dismayed by Don Ritchey’s comments regarding the goverment being asked not to pay for vasectomies, abortions and other birth contro! measures. If that is the case, Mr. Ritchey shauld be in- cluding all health care measures for procedures which are preventable. Thus, treatment for diabetes type If, lung can- cer and many forms of heart disease should also not be. paid for. Marianne Brorup Weston Terrace B.C. It wasn’t our idea Dear Sir: Re: The October 31, 2001 Terrace Standard article, “Gov't told it could save money by not paying for abortions.” The Terrace Health Watch is a non-denomi- national, non-political group of individuals who are alarmed at the decline of health services in this area. We have identified the areas of concern and recommended ways of improving them as well as uew services that are desperately needed in the north coast region, such as kidney dialysis care. We represent a broad spectrum of the community who have common concerns. The comments to the legislative committee by Don Ritchey about non-payment for abortions, vasectomies and other birth control procedures as cos! saving measures are Don’s own personal views and are not part of the concerns of The Terrace Health Watch group. Unfortunalely, your article makes it appear that these comments are a part of the recommen: dations. | can assure you this is not the case. Glenn Beard Terrace B.C. Here’s real gov’t waste Dear Sir: Your report on the select standing commitice on heallh care was accurate, but one point was missed. That is the cost of this roving band to a gov- ernment that claims to be broke. ‘The price tag of this group, and for each of the other four roving bandit groups is $5,000 per day, and that does not include the printing, editing and the other costs of getting the report together. My friends will say this is good, that this is valuable input, and worth the money. 1 say look again. - Ida Mohler was upset about the CHC spending $5,000 for the printing and distribution of. the year-end status of Mills Memorial, and Terrace- view Lodge. All the witnesses, Ida included, sat and gave evidence before this $5,000 committee and at the very moment we were gathered before them, the real political powers in Victoria were slash- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 7, 2001 - A5 CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD _ The Mail Bag LOGGERS picketed outside the TD bank branch in Terrace in September after Skeena Cellulose was unable to pay its bills. Contractors, MLAs and even cabinet ministers have said the TD effectively took the money SCi had set aside in its accounts to pay its loggers. TD bank getting a Dear Sir: Recent articles in this newspaper have de- scribed the non-payment of various trade and contracting payables by Skcena Cellulose, and the subsequent protests that have been directed towards TD Bank Financial Group and, in partic- ular, its TD Canada Trust Terrace branch. These stories contain factual errors that do a disservice to your readers and, more importantly, to the people directly affected by this unfortunate situation. We recognize that many people have been af- fected by Skeena’s situation and that they are frustrated by the company’s inability to pay its creditors. We do believe, however, that the protests have been unfairly directed towards the Bank and its employees, particularly the ones in Ter- race. Our employees who are also members of the community are simply trying to carry out their duties. Here are a few facts that might help your readers: TD has provided very substantial financial support to Skeena for well over ten years. Subsequent to the Skeena’s Companies’ Cre- Says it's bad rap ditor’s Arrangement Act (CCAA) reorganization in 1998, and at the specific request of the pro- vince of B.C., TD agreed to maintain its support, when no other Bank would do so. Also at the pro- vince’s request, TD agreed to provide incre- mental funding based on the province’s guaran- (ce. TD has incurred very substantial loan losses, including the $127.5 million written off as part of the 1998 CCAA reorganization, in financing Skeena. TD is still owed approximately $94 mil- lion, which is nol guaranteed by (he province, TD has supported the provincial government in its efforts to seck a buyer for Skeena since commencing this initiative in 1998. We understand the frustrations and hardship that many are experiencing in this unfortunate si- tuation but we believe that it has been unfairly directed towards our employees who are mem- bers of the community. We hope, having had the opportunity to voice our position, your readers will have a better un- derstanding of this issue. : Kim Robertson TD Bank Toronto, Ontario ing Pharmacare. The day after our town’s meeting, while this $5,000 committee was meeting on the north line, the real po- litical powers in Victoria froze health and education funding for three years. The people of this town took the time and sacri- ficed wages to tell this « $5,000 committee our vi- 4 A sions of changes needed in health care, and while we | !da Mohler were doing that Victoria just did what they damn pleased, Three days after our meeting with this com- mittee, the kidney dialysis program was put on hold, pending a ‘review’. What a waste of our time and our money. What a total farce. This is, indeed the ‘new era’, They are, indeed, listening to their masters. Unfortunately that ain’t us. rn ee Les Watmough Terrace B.C, Wrong number on PR Dear Sir: It was reported in the Wednesday Oct. 31 Ter- race Standard that Ida Mohler, a member of Ter- race Health Watch, gave a report to the Standing Committee on Health on Oct. 17 in Terrace. It was reported that she criticized the Terrace and Area Health Council for spending $10,000 annually on a public relations person. This amount was a budgeted amount and was not the actual experience. I wish to correct this false impression, The public relations consultant was paid the . ollawing amounts for the last three fiscal per- iods. 1999/00 ~ $712.50 2000/01 — $2,749.99 2001/02 ~$ 1,225.00 Total: $ 4,687.49 ; We are of the opinion that if is unfair to leave false perceptions in the communily without cor- recting them. Terrace and Area Health Council's reputation is important to the councillors and administra- tion. Dieter Kuntz, CEO Terrace and Area Health Council Editorial was off target on school literacy Dear Sir: Your editorial of October 24th asks some im- portant questions about literacy and our educa- tion system. Unfortunately, your answers shed more heat than light on this important issue, andthe editor- ial is a classic example of why educators are so leery of test scores: thelr use by eminently un- qualified people, such as yourself, to make pro- foundly ignorant pronouncements for political purposes. an Of course, as an edilorialist, you have the right to have an opinion. Bul as a newspaper you have an obligation to be informed, and a re- sponsibilily to foster reason rather than ignorance on issues that affect our children. Implicit in your editorial is the belief that school trustees, simply by virtue of their being elected by “the tax payers”,-are somehow quali- fied to tell educators how to leach, without the obligation to consult with educators: You can protest as much as you like that this isn’t teacher-bashing, but it is exactly that. One purpose vf the education committee is to review those policies, in cooperation with the school board, which will profoundly affect child- ren’s education, such as arbitrary requirements to spend 411% of teachers’ time “teaching literacy”. You ignore the fact that the education com- miltee is concerned about being seen as limiting teachers to 40% of their time to address these profound problems, as well as the fact that most teachers feel that spending only 40% of their time on literacy would be a step backward. Also implicit in your assumptions, and unexa- mined, is the assumption that teachers don’t al- ready spend at least 409% of instructional time fostering literacy. You might have examined questions such as whether this test is an accurale reflection of this district's literacy, and whether the problem is ac- tually related to how much time teachers are spending on curriculum, Or whether our literacy problems are more re- lated to social factors such as English as second language students, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, the inordinate number of single parent fa- milies in this district, Nintendo and simply not You have an obligation to be in- formed, and a responsibility to foster reason rather than ignor- ance on issues that affect our children. reading to our kids enough at an early age. You might have examined how society has changed since you and | were-in-school and how this has profoundly impacted reading and writing skills. You might have asked if “teaching to tests” is best for children, and society. But you didn’t. Nor did you ask whether your paper's continu- ing support for tax cuts, and thus fewer resources for children and teachers, is consistent with your opinion that literacy is important. You could have examined a really important issue, like what happens to our children’s educa- lion when teachers are expected to deal with twa or three special needs children in their class when their aid time is drastically reduced be- cause of budget cuts. Have you ever tried to teach 25 energetic eight-year-olds, and at the same time tried to give enough atlention to an FAS or ADHD child that someone, somewhere, has decided will be better locked after in a reguiar classroom without enough special assisiants? Maybe yuu should before you spout off opi- nions on topics about which you have demonatra- ted you are profoundly ill-informed. Want our children to read and write better? Buy them books, well-written books. Read to them, starting when they are babies. Talk to them, sing with them. Limit their tele- vision time, and spend some time learning which TV programs teach good values, Maybe buy an encyclopedia set instead of the latest Nintendo for Christmas. Read yourself and set an example. And maybe, just maybe, once in awhile, sup- port teaching, and teachers. This profession carries a huge social respons- ibility. Being an effective teacher requires an en- ormous amount of energy, intelligence, caring and plain hard work and il takes its toll. But, just so you know, the greatest toll is taken when ill-informed pundits don't take the lime, or make the effort, to show the least re- sponsibilily to infurm themselves on this issue before moving their fingers over a keyboard with their mind out of gear. - a Bruce and Anne Hill Terrace B.C, Show yourselves now Dear Sir: Re: Lloyd Brinson’s letter of Oct. 31 concern- ing infiltration from within self-governed Cana- ‘ dian jurisdictions. All al Qaeda terrorists currently residing on Nisga’a lands are requested to immediately sur- tender themselves and their effects and assets to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. Beam me up Scotty, there's no intelligent life here, _ Anneke van Keulen, Terrace, B.C, About the Mail Bag ". The Terrace Standard welcomes letters to the editor. Our address is 3210 Clinton St., Terrace, B.C, V8G 5A2. You can fax us at 250-638-8432 or you can e-mail us at standard@kermode.net, No attachments, please. 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