4 Terrace Review — Wednesday, May 23, 1990 ————— fn ___ EDITORIAL _ 7 some people’s parents... There are over 5,000 students enrolled in Schoo! District 88. When the board called for written submissions and held a public meeting on the question of whether to install condom vending machines in schools, the response comprised 23 written opinions and attendance by 25 people, some of whom had already sent in briefs. In terms of numbers, that rates well below the worst byelection turnout in the area’s history and hardly qualifies the question as a major issue. The responses that the board did get appear to have stacked up overwhelmingly against installation of the dispensers in schools. The reasoning in the argumenis opposed to the move has blurred the line between public health and education; in all likelihood the board will vote with the opponents on June 12, and students who want to buy the devices wi!l have to do so anonymously from vending machines in public washrooms around town, or identifiably at one of the city’s three pharmacies. Although the issue has consumed a good deal of public debating time, broadcast air and print media ink, it appears that the status quo is going to prevail and the entire question has been a lot of invective about nothing. The most significant result has been perhaps the rather spectral attitudes that came roaring out of the closet in the public discussions. This issue isn’t about health protection — it’s about moral perceptions and the divergent expectations that the people living in this area have of the education system. Those who tured up at the public to speak against installation of the machines without exception based their arguments on Biblical scripture propped up by some rather spurious medical assertions about both AIDS and the effectiveness of condoms in disease prevention. There were calls for sequestering or quarantine of AIDS victims and people who test positive for HIV, and one woman suggested tattoos as a means of | identification. Anything, no matter how outlandish or impractical to administer, to keep vending machines out of school washrooms. The Prince Rupert school board decided in favor of installing the machines, and they’ve been present in the schools for about two weeks. The secretary-treasurer there reports that there have been none of the anticipated hooliganisms or practical jokes, nor has there been "a huge run on the supply". He didn’t mention any evidence of sudden moral decay, either. Students have to cope, like the rest of us, with daily reports of political corruption, failures of justice systems, environmental degradation, and portraits of a world seemingly gone mad. We seriously doubt that the sight of condom vending machines hanging on the wall of a school washroom is going to send any of them over the brink into insanity or moral turpitude. This must appear to them to be one more example of their elders going into a frenzy over nothing, Those with enough brains will act accordingly no matter what the decision, and those who are confused will require guidance and education. After the wind has settled, however, this is still a public health issue. There may be a certain symbolism in the fact that Dr. David Bowering, who brought this issue to the board, was unable to attend the public meeting, but Jim Westerman did manage to get there to argue in favor of installing the machines. "I wouldn’t want to see any of you bringing your child into my office,” he told the group. Westerman is a funeral director. Established May 1, 1985 The Terrace Review is published each Wednesday by Close-Up Business Services Ltd. Publisher: Mark Twyford Editor: © Michael Kelly Staff Reporters: _.. Tod. Strachan, Betty Barton "3... Advertising Manager: ; Marj Twyford Typesetting: Carrie Olson Production Manager: Jim Hall - Production: - ’ Charles Costello, Gurbax Gill, Karyn Kirk, Linda Mercer, Ranjit Nizar Office: Carrie Olson Accounting: Mar] Twyford, Harminder K. Dosanjh Second-class mail registration No. 6896. All materlal appearing in ihe Terrace Raview is protected under Canadian copyright Regletra- lon No. 362775 and cannoi legally be repro- duced for any reason without permiasion of the publisher. Errore and omissions, Adverlising is accepted on the: condition that In the event of typographical error, that portion of the adveriis- ing space occupied by the erroneous diam will not be charged for, but the balance of the adver- tlaemant will be paid for at the applicable rate. Advertisers must assume responsibility for er- fora In any clasaified ad which is supaiied to the Terrace Review in handwritten form.” ; (h compliance with the 8.C, Human Rights Act, no advertisement will be published which. discriminates against a person due to,age, race, retigto Ms color, sex, nationality, ancestry or place of origin. - : 4535 Greig Avenue, Terrace, B.C, V8G 1M7 Phone: 635-7840 Fax: 635-7260 One yeor subscriptions: In Canada $24.00 Out of Canada $80.00 Seniora in Terrace and District $12.00, Senlore out of Terrace and District $18.00 | "Democrats holding firmly to a comfortable margin over the -. Socreds, 49 to 33 percent. And REDICE THE NUMBER OF CHIL SERVANTS WN OTA Th PAY FOR INORE FARIN AD — PREMIER VANDER ZALM. Viconin Pney Gate STO, 7 RHE» SP ae, The view from Victoria — by John Pliter VICTORIA — The end of September now looms as the probable date for a general election in B.C., give or take a week. Much more than mere — speculation, that projection (I prefer that word over predic- tion) is based upon some solid information... or as solid as it gets in the ever-shifting- sands of politics. co After sifting through various reports of what went on during last week’s three-hour Socred caucus meeting, this scribe agrees that a September vote is the current target, albeit not one yet etched in stone. The government MLA’s were © given a state-of-the-party report by Premier Bill Vander Zalm’s chief political advisor, Jerry Lampert, who outlined the strategy for the next few months leading to the new election "window". And although Lampert, the premier’s principal secretary, spoke in general terms about polling results, he gave no specific figures — probably because the latest figures are not all that encouraging. ~*~ An.NDP poll has the New the latest poll from Decima — Research shows a 14 percent spread. for the Opposition. — Neither set of numbers can make the government or its _ party feel too confident, and they acknowledge that a hard summer of campaigning lies ' ahead. — What is significant is that the NDP has rarely budged from a — consistent 47-to 49:.percent . ~ aoe et ae a year or so. That’s going to be onehelluva base for the Socreds to attack, whether they do go in September/October, or next spring. But back to the caucus meeting. Party executive direc- tor Dale Drown and his new election henchman, Jesse Ket- chum, were there, too, to lead some pep rally cheers. The MLA’s also were “‘treated’’ to some sage advice from their most political MLA, Attorney-General Bud Smith, . about how to step up the at- tack on NDP leader Mike Har- court, The A-G, who filled the Lampert role as right-hand ‘man to former premier Bill Bennett, is the chief strategist among this collection of mostly rookie MLA’s. ; The truth is, Smith, Environ- ment Minister John Reynolds and Bud’s Kamloops counter- part, Forests Minister Claude Richmond, are the only real political animals left in Cabinet, now that Grace Mc- ‘Carthy is a backbencher and Stephen Rogers is the Speaker. (Finance Minister Mel _. Couvelier only thinks he is a _ political animal). The NDP see that paucity of - talent at the top as their most effective weapon, and the onus -on those few to carry the ball is ._ . formidable. Smith wants.a more ag-- gressive assault on what-he sees as Harcourt’s constant fence- sitting and ducking of issues, and he wants the backbenchers to increase their jibes in the House. ” Given that Smith himself gets . more testy, more:*‘chippy"’, « . ‘under fire than anyone, itll... be interesting to observe the next two months in the Legislature to,see if he has ig-- nited the troops. . One of the few uplifting items for the Socreds in the Decima poll was that en-- vironmental concerns had slip- ped from first to third. Although the poli sample was small — 350 or so comr pared with more reliable 1,000-person polls — that aspect has cheered the MLA’s and party HQ considerably. - The aforementioned John Reynolds (known by many as J.R.) is going to keep touring pulp mills, and charging other ones, and generally to keep a high profile which they all hope will be a ‘‘positive’’one. Let’s call it J.R.’s P.R. Parting Thought: Opposition House Leader Mark Rose, the feisty former MP who has an- nounced he will not seek re- election provincially, is noted for one of the best senses of humour in this place. His latest newsletter looks at the Senate, saying it already is triple-E “elderly, expensive and expen- dable’’. And Rose, with his tongue still planted firmly in his cheek suggests that some familiar, if infamous, people could make up a new B.C. Senate ap-. pointed by Premier Vander - Zalm. “‘What about Sen. David Poole, or maybe Sen. Charlie Glordano? Or Sen. Peter ‘White Spot'* Toigo for dietary advice? Nah, we don’t need itt” _ You're right, Mark, We. oe don’t. 9's. ete A SE aE tS eee Pai Aegean ae