A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 9, 1994 TERRACE | SS WH DEPT NK STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 ADDRESS: 4647 Lazeile Ave., Terrace, B.C, * V8G 188 TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432 MODEM: 638-7247 Too secret SOMEBODY SHOULD write a book about the trials and tribulations of the library expansion - project. The latest in this wearying story is enough to cast severe doubt on the whole thing, Council recently tacked on an additional $250,000 for architectural fees and other costs to what was regarded as a final construction figure of $1.8 million. Even that latter figure is a stretch. A referendum authorized the borrowing of $1.2 million but it’s highly unlikely the provincial goverment will pony up the $600,000 it’s been asked for under the B.C, 21 program. And now it appears the city kept secret news that the provincial government put off a decision on the B.C. 21 grant. Not only was this kept from the library board, it seems some members of council were unaware of what was going on. The reason given is that city hall didn’t want to scare off subcontractors already lined up to work on the project. They’ve already been put through a couple of extensions and it was felt another delay might cause them to cancel altogether. That doesn’t quite wash. It assumes sub- contractors aren’t intelligent or well informed enough to make rational decisions. Even if this reason could ever be considered valid, to not tell the library board is unforgivable. It should and must be regarded as full partner in the expansion project. . Now couple this with the wish of at least one council member to redefine items council should be able to talk about in private. The idea is that council should be able to work out intricate strategies in secret. Well, that didn’t work in the case of Kitimat’s orthopedic surgeon. Just days afer council discussed ways of helping Kitimat keep'the ‘surgeon, health minister Paul Ramsey decided the service was going to Prince Rupert. Given the failure of a secret strategy in that cir- cumstance, we wonder about the validity of keeping anything behind closed doors. Council members last fall campaigned on the platform of more open government. What’s happening here is something completely different. It’s not wel- come, needed or healthy. Eco-madness HAVING FAILED through two world wars to impose its will upon the world, the darkest por- tion of the German psyche is at it again. This time there is a different kind of battlefield — one involving public relations and public percep- tions. The shock troops come from the German arm of Greenpeace. Its most recent blitzkrieg victim was Premier Mike Harcourt, hounded and as- sailed by demonstrations, pickets and the like during a recent visit to Germany and other parts of Europe. Granted, Mr. Harcourt is a politician and should expect this kind of thing. But the damage caused by German Greenpeacers to the provincial econ- omy has the potential to rival even the most ef- fective and brutal of air attacks. SINE “ina = Gp. ity ty fii Af GETS.” a SW SQA - “ep REESE LTE: ty, jp Vid “ Le HOWEVER... ONE \z2 MUST ADMIRE THEIR HONESTY. “tp CPL INU yb Li Ya & OF : INSANE SPENDING be "Gy -, KG . \’ ‘ > G FESS INNS Premier Mike does battle VICTORIA — Firsi, let me say to Her Majesiy’s Loyal Opposition that Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell’s criticism of Premier Harcourt’s visit io Germany is. not just ill- founded but downright stupid. If ever a British Columbia premier needed to go to Europe to try to set the record Straight with regard to this pro- vince’s forest practices it is now, and Liberal leader Gor- don Campbell doesn’t come off looking too good for hav- ing said that Harcourt should have stayed ai home to “get his own house in order.’” Greenpeace and other en- vironmental groups have gone wichallenged too long, and it ___, was, high time the. premier tried > fo meet them head-on. To understand the damage Greenpeace in particular bas been doing to British Colum- bia in Germany, one must un- derstand the power the groups wields abroad. In Canada and the United States, environmen- tal groups have lately been viewed with some skepticism. Their claims are no longer ac- cepted without questioning. In Europe, however, Green- peace has free reign. Its reputa- tion for protecting the environ- ment Is untarnished or rather has been until recently, when Denmark's slate-owned TV-2 tan a documentary that dulled the organization’s shine con- FROM THE CAPITAL HUBERT BEYER siderably. More about that later. It didn’t take Harcourt very long to square off with Green- peace. Members of the organi- zalion were in evidence the moment he arrived in Ham- burg. Calling them ‘‘hypocrili- eal eco- imperialists,’ the premier began countering Greenpeace’s claims that Brit- ish Columbia was the “Brazil of the North.” The question is, of course, whether Harcourt will accom- plish his mission. It won’t be easy. Greenpeace has hundreds of thousands of members in Germany, and moncy is n0 problem. Greenpeace’s campaign against British Columbia falls on particularly fertile ground in Germany, be- cause the country’s own forests are in danger of dying. It is estimated (hat up to 70 per cent of ali trees in Germany are to some degree damaged by acid rain. About 30 per cent are believed to be severely damaged with little hope of survival. I spoke to a jot of people about our foresis during my recent trip to Germany. The misinformation was remark- able, Over and over, I was told that we are fast running out of trees and that we don’t replant what we harvest. And when I asked where they got that information, people would tell me from the media. And therein lies the tub, Greenpeace has virtual '. power and less accountability.’ “than a multi-national company. Statements issued by Green- peace. . That, I’m sad to say, includes Der Spiegel, Germany’s big- gest and most respected news magazine. In fact, Greenpeace is so powerful in Germany that publishers are refusing to buy any products from countries the environmenial organization targels. And there goes our pulp and paper and our lumber exports. But things may be changing, The Danish documentary 1 Teferred to earlier has been get- ting attention. Called “Crack in the Rainbow,” the docu- mentary, broadcast last No- vember, claimed that Green- peace has funnelled millions of dollars inlo private bank ac- counts, bribed politicians and associated with eco-terrorists, specifically of the Earth First varicty. . , Perhaps the most damaging. . commentary in the one-hour documentary came from Ben- nett Metcalfe, CBC freelance writer, former CBC theatre critic and co-founder of Green- peace, ‘The way we started il and the way itis today, I often see myself as a kind of Dr. Frankenstein who created a monster that now has a life of ils own,”’ said Metcalfe. ; Greenpeace today has more Its annual world-wide budgel is close to $200 million. And few of the people in Germany, for instance, have a clue whal threat Greenpeace and its anti- British Columbia campaign poses fo communities in this province which depend in log- ging and pulp and paper mills for their very survival. That’s why Harcourt had to go to Germany. Time will: tell whether his message gets across. And even if it doesn’t, ° and resource-based British — Columbia communities turn into ghost towns, it was worth: a try. Organs playing new tune THE PREVALENCE of organ transplants puts a new face on many familiar conversational expressions. In the future, we'll do well to consider pre- cise meaning before we loss off these communicalion mainstays. This realization came to me last week while I was viewing a recent home video wilh my two little granddaughters and their father. The video was of the three-year-old’s birthday party. ; Observing the marked family resemblance of the baby to her mother as the youngest ap- THROUGH BIFOCALS. CLAUDETTE SANDECKI more people are becoming less and less their own person. Bes- ides prolonging and improving the quality of life for many recipients, such medical mile- stones have altered the strict interpretation of many every- day expressions. Now, when somebody is out " of sorts, depending upon the extent of his organs exchange, his irascibility may legitimate- ly be excused with the words, ‘'He's not himself today.”’ No longer is Doris Day the only one singing the challenge “Anything you can do I can do betler.”” disciplinarian hand to the be- — hind of a child who has recovered from burns with the help of skin grafts taken from her thighs, has every reason. to proclaim, ‘‘This hurts me mor than it hurts you.” cet No longer is it sticily a rhetorical question for a re- placement nanny, at theend of . ~ her rope with a misbehaved child, to throw up her hand and wail, ‘‘What’s gotten ‘into you!” Soon, if the day comes the. nerve tissu regenerates, we’ ll actually be able to experience - walking a mile in another fel: Mr. Harcourt is right in calling German Green- peared in a closeup, I And when a young mancon- low’s shoes, Using his feet. = peacers ‘‘eco-imperialists.’” Perhaps *feco- remarked, ‘‘Erin has her Surgeons have progressed = fesses_ to a young woman, Hallmark could make a for. fascists”’ is more appropriate mother’s tyes.” from successfully transplanting “Youre the apple of my eye”’, tune, selling a greeting card pprop . Whereupon the three-year- Ccomeas, kidneys and skin to he may be far from sentimen- designed especially for giving old piped up, ‘She has her replacing hearts, lungs, livers, tal. thanks to organ donors. - The own.” intestines, even combinations A few married couples nave erect senitment would be Thal’s more than can be said Of major organs. cod reason to refer to their their advertisin slogan: CG cha PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link cone for a lol of people’s organs Wit each breakthrough in ates as “my better half’’, “Because you cared enough i ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L. Hamm jacee these days. transplant surgery, more and And a mother, applying a give the very best.’ oar PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur ‘allel | ; NEWS COMMUNITY: Jelf Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Malcolm Baxter HEY AREN'T SO WHY ARE You NoPE! Ou Nol A 90% OFFICE MANAGER: Rosc Fisher YOU FROM IN THE ARCTIC WE DID IT } , HERD EXCHANGE? - COMPOSING: Pam Odell » TYPESETTER: Ariane Viasblom THE MUSH HERO'S RANGE ? | \ MAINLY TO... J 3: 3 OUR THEORIES ARE DARKROON: Susan Credgeur LAKE HERD? BETTER FOOD? PRIVE THE. ALL GARBAGE! ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros LESS SNOW 7 FEWER WOLVES 7 BIOLOGISTS CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Charlene Matthews Serving the Terrace area. Publluhed on Wednesday of each week by Cariboo Presa (1969 Lid. al 4647 Lazelle Ave, Terrace, Britah Columbia. Stores, photographs, IHustrations, designs and typestyles in Ihe Terrace Standard are the property of the copyright holders, including Caiboo Presa (1969) Lid. i's Mlustralion repro saryicas and advertising agoncies, Repmductien In whole of In part, withoul witten parmission, ia spectically prohibiied. Authorized es sactnd-dass mail pending the Post Office Deparment, for paymont of postage in cash. 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