A4 - The Tarrace Standard, Wednesday, November 2, 1994 “TERRACE STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 ADDRESS: 4647 Lazellce Avc., Terrace, B.C. * V8G 188 TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 » FAX: (604) 638-8432 , MODEM: 638-7247 The brush off BACK WHEN the American colonies were a part of Great Britain, Boston residents protested taxation without representation by dumping a. goodly amount of tea leaves into their city’s har- . bour. We’re not suggesting northwest residents do the same in the Skeena River with surplus paint but some protest is in order over a new tax. It totals 50 cents on a can of paint, and was ordered by the provincial government to help finance environmentally-friendly disposal of the liquid. The money is going directly to paint manufac- turers with the understanding they are to set up collection depots around the province. Fine and dandy for some B.C. residents but not for northwesterners because the closest the paint manufacturers seem to be coming here for now is Prince George. It’s nothing less than a poke in the eye with a stir stick from people who appar- ently have a basic lack of knowledge of the pro- vince’s geography. It’s wrong to assume that a collection system can be set up immediately-in all parts of the pro- vince, but paint manufacturers seem completely unaware of and not sympathetic to the more out- lying areas of the province in promoting and ex-. plaining their plan. Nobody’s arguing against the need to cut down on the dumping of surplus and unwanted paint. And 50 cents a can is not an onerous amount should the intended result be of mutual benefit to society. But those who pay taxes must expect at least a passing semblance of equity and fairness. For now, we’re getting the brush off. Welcome news. IT’S NO secret’ that’ not all of those’ children which start school end up graduating. And it’s . also no secret that native students make up a dis- proportionate amount of those who do drop out. That’s why it’s encouraging to see the forma- tion here of a society of parents who want to change what has been a bad situation. The society stems in part from new provincial direc- tives which insist that monies allocated for na- tive students be spent on specific programs for them. Although School District 88 already devotes time, money and people to programs and help for native students, the provincial government thinks more effort should be put in to ensuring they have an equal chance at an equal education. In a lot of respects, the move is also one of seeking the best value possible for the invest- ment of public monies. If industry and business is concentrating on value-added methods, the Same can also work for government spending on social and educational programs. No doubt tightened government spending is also a driving force here. This clearly is an issue of great importance for the school district. One in five students in Ter- race and area are native. About half of all native students in School District 88 between the Hazeltons, Kitwanga, Stewart and Terrace go to school here. As much as $1.5 million has been earmarked specifically for native student pro- grams. To not seek other methods of providing for quality education would be wrong. The work of the new society and of the school district is wel- come news, ae G@cnA PUBLISHER/EDITOR: RodLink j,RaeAlR ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L. Hamm “tatteor PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS COMMUNITY: Jeff Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Malcolm Baxter OFFICE MANAGER: Rose Fisher _DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros, CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Charlene Matthew Serving the Terrace area, Published on Wednesday of each week by Cariboo Press (1969) Lid, al 464: Lazelle Ave., Terrace, British Columbia, ee Stories, photographs, illustrations, dasigns and typestyles in the Tertace Standard are the property of the copyright holders, including Carboo Press (1965) Lid, i's illustralion tepro services: and. advertising agencies. : . : . Reproduction in whole or in part, wilhout writlen permission, is specifically prohibited, Authored as second-class mall panding the Post Office Dapartmant, for paymant of postage In cash. Special thanks to all our contrbutors and correspondents for thelr time and talents tb ed % acme y MICROCHIPS ta ) i ¢ i y N we. SQ ’ \ r i | ) Fe X 4 ' N 4 a \ a Gry (HSOETE A dee N ; Cariboo compromise a hit VICTORIA — Quickly: What do Cariboo forest companies, loggers, “ranchers, local politicians and Premier Harcourt have in com- mon? environmentalists, They are all smiling these days. They are smiling because they have achieved what scemed impossible a few weeks ago — reach agreement on a land use plan that is to put forestry in the Cariboo on a sustainable footing. It isn’t quite the same plan the Commission on Resources and Environment proposed in July, following two years of local discussion by numerous stakeholders, It’s better. It’s a made-in-the-Cariboo plan that has the regional stamp of ap- | ”” proval, It’s not imposed by far-*- away Victoria. When the Cariboo table failed to reach a consensus ear- Her this year, there was a lot of thetoric on all sides. Environ- mentalists said the plan pro- posed by the Owen commis- sion fell short of protecting vi- tal ecological systems, The Caziboo Communities Coali- tion seemed intractable in its. opposition to any solution other than one of its own making. But the players rolled up their sleeves and went to work again, They met, talked, and made progress. During the Trespassers aren’t aware ONCE AGAIN Terrace coun- cil is concerned about safety in Canadian National’s railyard as pedestrians bent on crossing to the olher side of town by the shortest route zigzag between Stationary and rolling train cars to get there. Council should stop worry- ing. Little can be done to pro- tect individuals with an “It can’t happen to me’? attitude and no respect for private property. Millions spent by council won't alter the behaviour of lazy trespassers. Danger wam- ings mean nothing to those who lack common sense. Witness the many warning signs pasted around Lynn Can- yon near Vancouver. Some sigus tell how many have dicd or drowned in Lynn Canyon over recent years. A number in the double digits. Are people deterred from diving off the cliff into ibe boiling water far below? Do hikers stay well back from the dangerous slopes? Some do. WHAT ARE THEY DOING DAP? “FROM THE. CAPITAL HUBERT BEYER final stages, goverment mediators were able to assist the former antagonists reach a consensus, ’ What was ‘achieved. in the Cariboo is nothing ‘short’ of .a triumph of reason. Once again, the great Canadian com- promise prevailed. The final product differs from the original Owen plan, but still incorporates the major objectives the NDP gover- ment set out when Harcourt first announced the process that was to lead to sustainable forestry in British Columbia, Parks and protected wilder- ness areas in the Caribao will be doubled to 12 per cent of the land base. Most of the areas to be protected will be set aside immediately, with only one- quarter of one per- THROUGH BIFOCALS CLAUDETTE SANDECK] Yet hardly a week goes by without someone being fished from the raging waters — dead or seriously injured — at con- sidcrable risk to search and rescue Workers. No one is so pressed for time he must tespass through CNR's. switchyards. Anyhow, risking accident is no shortcut. Even a minor accident can waste untold time dealing with emergency hospital visits and answering RCMP questions. A STRAIGHTENING A | BEND IN THE ROADL® cent to be left for future pro- tection of small areas contain- ing outstanding local features. Eighty per cent of the Cariboo’s land base will remain available for commer- cial resource use, ensuring ac- cess on these lands to sustainable forestry, ranching, mining, tourism, and other TesOUrce USES, The land available to resource users will fall into three categories: In the En- hanced Resource Development Zone, resource users, particu- larly forest companies, are re- quired to set the highest stan- dards of sustainable resource use through intensive reforestation, spacing, thin- ‘3 ning; pruning, and new harvest ‘ pradtices. Details are to be - worked out over the next three months. The Special Resource Devel- opment Zone is reserved for areas with significant fish, wildlife, ecosystems, back- country recreation and tourism values, Timber harvesting, mining and grazing will be al- lowed in this zone in a manner that respects these values. . The Integrated Resource Management Zone includes areas that will be dedicated for sustained integrated resource use. Cariboo —environmentalists have worked hard for the best- fatal escapade ties knots in family and official routines for months. Canadian National could hire more cops to police their railyards. Presently CNR cops are spread thinner than jam on a diabetic’s toast, But cops would have to be on guard duty round-the-clock, helped by dogs. For policing to deter, trespassing fines would have to increase. Tenfold, Present fines are token. And charges — now tare —- would need to be laid and trespassers prosecuted, Still, fines in other arcas have done little to reduce erime. We have fines for driving while impaired, for speeding, for not wearing a seat belt. Statistics prove sobriety, sensible speeds, and seat restraints save lives and reduce injury. Yet every Counterat- tack campaign identifies motorists ignoring the law and their own safety. Why would heltier fines BUILD IT STRAIGAT IN THE FIRST ee NS ANN possible deal, and cven though they may not have achieved everything, they should be pleased. Among the 17 new protected areas to be created almost im- mediately are the rare grasslands of Chrun Creek, the provinces only nesting colony of white pelicans at Scum Lake, the Mitchell-Niagara watershed areca in the Cariboo Mountains, and the Junction Sheep Range “with its internationally-renowned -. habitat for bighorn sheep. Well, Senator Robert Ken- nedy, how would you like to eat your words? Would you like me io repeat them? “In British Columbia, the people of British Columbia do: ‘not have: the. opportunities for. public participation that many -- people in the United States take for granted,”’ you said. Scems to me, the Gentleman from Massachusetts is a-little confused. Perhaps he’s been listening to the same people who keep telling the Evro- peans that British Columbia is the Brazil of the North. If the made-in-the-Cariboo land use plan isn’t a great ex- ample of public participation, I don’t know what is. Perhaps - Mr. Kennedy can expend a little more of his energy on problems back home, God knows there’s no shortage, reduce incidents of trespassing on railway properly? CNR could enclose its yard with a chain link fence. Twelve feet high. Electrified along the top. But that would only entice offenders. The higher the barrier, the more ir- tesislible. Historically, Terrace’s railyards have been frequented by drug and alcohol abusers avoiding police. I'd say “Welcome’” if it weren't that Tailyard accidents haunt train personnel, and leave taxpayers with unnecessary bills for the cosls of coroners’ inquests and: : police investigations. Council should skip . pre- vention and concentrate on scooping up. Build a monument — a tall monument —- to bear the | names of those who have and who will lose their lives or - their limbs to moving trains, | Then stock up on sympathy cards bought at case lot. dis- counts, oe BE NOTHING- FOR THEM 50 YEARS. pee rms BECAUSE. THERE WOULD | To Do FOR THE NEXT