Ad - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 4, 1995 “TERRACE. STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 ADDRESS: 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C. * V8G 158 TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432 ca MODEM: (604) 638-7247 Too much? ONCE AGAIN in 1994 the city experienced a construction boom. And early signs are we could be in for more of the same this year. There is nothing wrong with growth unless it takes place in a planning vacuum. In some areas council has shown it is aware of the dangers — insisting on adequate parking being: provided by new businesses, for example. But there aré still many who are unconvinced it has a long term vision of what this city should look like by, say, the end of the century. The drive for a'second sheet of ice comes from arena users. The ¢all for a community centre comes through letters to the editor. Is it too much to expect that councillors should themselves be able come up with a Jong range plan that acknowledges such needs and sets some sort of target date for achieving them? That it should be able to put away money to al- low future construction of needed community facilities.in the same way it annually pumps money into the water and sewer reserves to ensure there’s cash to pay for such projects? © IN AN editorial of Nov, 16 last year, Forests minister Andrew Petter was taken to task over a press release on a value-added credit system idea being floated by Victoria. One of the criticisms leveled was it being faxed out on a Sunday when it was impossible to con- tact anyone in the ministry for further informa- . tion... ae ye So. in fairness — and the giving spirit of the ' season — it’s time to give the minister a pat on the back. | On last week’s front page there was a story about Petter’s announcing the appointment of the Forest Practices Board. This was conveyed through another release, of course. The difference this time was the ministry volunteered to have Petter on the other end of a phone to answer questions that same morning. . Therefore, much as it hurts to do so, we have to give the minister Brownie points for this one. And express the hope that one of his New Year resolutions is to keep up the good work. Thank you THE NEW YEAR is here, but before consigning 1994 to the archives, the Terrace Standard wishes to send out a “‘thank you’’. Thank you to all our columnists, regular and occasional, to everyone who sent in photos or ar- ticles of interest to our readers, to all who have taken the time to write letters to the editor, and: those people who have passed on their thoughts, complimentary or otherwise, about the paper and its content over the past 12 months. . The importance of such contributions to a com- munity newspaper cannot be exaggerated. We also want to take this opportunity to wish all our readers all they would wish for them- selves in 1995. ed . Gana 5) PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L. Hamm PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS COMMUNITY: Jeff Nagel» NEWS SPORTS: Malcolm Baxter - OFFICE MANAGER: Rose Fisher, Terry Miller DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros, Tracey Tomas _ CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Karten Brunette MEMBER OF B.C,PRESSCOUNCIL | . Serving the Tetrace and Thornhill araa. Published on Wednesday of each weak by Cariboo Press (1969) Ud. at 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, Grliish Columbia. Te Leen, Stories. photographs, illustrations, designs dod typestyles it {he Terrace Standard are ihe property of the copyright haiders, Including Cariboo Press (1969) Ltd. its illustration repro séfvices and advertising agencies. : 7 eee : . rare Cue a Dy 2 THATS SHOWBIZ OUD BOY! B.C. election now a certainty 7 VICTORIA — In last week’s column, one of my predictions for 1995 was “‘a good chance’’ for a provincial election. That may tum out to be somewhat of an understatement. For a number of reasons, Premier Harcourt will almost certainly be forced to call an election this year, no matter what opinion polls are saying about his chances of winning. The first reason is historical. Going to the polls in the filth and final year of its mandate virtually guarantees a govern- ment’s defeat. The closer a government comes to the end of its mandate, the more it is seen as out of ideas, ineffective, vacil- lating and running scared. But more important, this year is the only chance the NDP has to deliver a balanced budget or rather what will appear'to be a balanced budget. . ‘Prime Minister Chretien has promised that there will be no ‘federal off-loading of responsibililies and costs in 1993, but he hinted that 1996 will be a different story. In other words, the provinces will be asked to absorb even more costs formerly borne by Ot- tawa. And that means if Harcourt wants to deliver on his promise of a balanced budget ‘‘over the FROM THE CAPITAL. HUBERT BEYER business cycle’’ of his govern- ment, namely during its five- year mandate, he'll have one shot at it — this spring. The signs are all there. Mini-. stries have been told to cul their expenditures. A hiring freeze is in effect. And when the Finance Minister Elizabeth Cull stands up in the House to read the budget speech in two and a half months, [ fully ex- pect ber to Jay claim to bring- ing down a balanced budget. At which time a few hundred salt shakers will be in order, because the balance will be in the eyes of the beholder. For some time now, the NDP has removed capital expendi- tures for major projects such as highway construction from the operating budget. The reason- ing is that major projects should be amortized over a longer time and not paid out of the annual operating budget. And while there is some logic to that approach, it also enables the government to do some creative bookkeeping, with the result that the operat- ing budget for 1995-96 may well be balanced, while the province’s overall debt has still increased dramatically. On other fronts, the NDP will be less vulnerable. Premier Harcourt has nothing to be ashamed about when it comes to his govemment’s en- vironment © and land-use policies. Under the NDP, British Columbia has become one of North America’s most environ- mentally friendly jurisdictions. - And all the polls indicate that this approach is met with solid voter support. As for its land-use policies, the NDP government has achieved what appeared to be impossible a few years ago, Through the Commission on Resources and Environment, the NDP has forged blueprints for sustainable development of a large portion of British Columbia, including Van- couver Island, the Cariboo- Chilcotin and the Kootenays. ~ Backed up by the massive Forest Renewal Program infu- sion of $2 billion over five. years, the once only an empty - slogan of the forest industry, “Forests Forever'’ has become’: a goal that is within our reach. The NDP has also made giant strides in native land claims negotiations. And per-_ haps even more important, it has brought a measure of trust to relations between native and non-nalive people, Can the NDP win a second term? Not on its record alone, no matter how well the govern-_ ment acquits iiself. If the NDP is 10 gel voler approval for a second term, a few things will’ have to happen, the most im-: - portant of which is a strength- ciing of the provincial Reform Party. , In a two-way fight with the Liberals, the NDP would prob- ably lose. But any gains Reform makes -~ will come at the expense of the Liberals, which would make the contest one in which the so-called free enterprise vote is - split, ‘allowing the NDP to’ © come through the middle. To sum it up: I’m putting my moncy on a fall election, but I’m hedging my bets when it comes to predicling a winner, . - Letterm The CBS network backs David Letterman with the latest tech- nology, puts him in the theatre made famous by Ed Sullivan, then furnishes his guests with a chair conceived by a displaced Detroit designer. Ever Captain Picard, trained to perform for hours without scratching an unscripted itch, couldn’t sit stil] for a twenty minute interview. A veteran actor who’s worked years before cameras and is presently in the middle of a month long one-man pro- duction of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in New York City, Picard wriggled and twisted in the guest chair like a gaffed steelhead flung back on a rocky shor. ae Everyone who -appears on David Letterman's show no doubt goes through a, quick re- _hearsal including not only the : topics.to be discussed but in- structions on where, to sit and to look, to put them at ease. | Picard was far from being at ease, After initial wriggling as SURE ROLLS UP GEE! YOUR GEAR ~ he sat down, he shifted to right or left, hitched at his jacket like a pregnant woman vainly Irying to stretch an ordinary sweater over her nine-month bulge, or leaned forward as if to release his coailail. _.,.Was the padded chair too short" from front to back to properly support his frame? Maybe the chair had an FITS TIGHT AS A GLOVE HI) Aw wee ee THROUGH BIFOCALS CLAUDETTE SANDECKL YES! EVERYTHING awkward lilt requiring a wedge behind his shoulderblades. Or though the chair looks to be thickly padded, is it actually ‘upholstered like a modern sofa with pouf padding that allows sharp edges of the construction lumber to cut into arms and shoulders? One problem seems to be, unless the guest speaks only to Lellerman while turning his back on the studio audience, the guest must shift to face first Letterman, then — the audicnce. Perhaps Letterman keeps that chair especially because it makes guests ill al case, auto- matically putting Letterman in a superior position? Guests on’ Oprah, cven CBC’s Midday, don’t squirm. They sit comfortably erect on sleck, simple furniture. Be- cause they're relaxed, J can concentrate on their words. Thad difficulty concentrating on Picard’s words because I was too engrossed tracking his constant coniortions, an EXCEPT WHEN You 'RE PACKING THEM ANYWHERE OVISIPE THE >¢ @# _ CAMPING STORE 11! an guests get the chair He, found it harder to settle than a broody hen on a nest filled with fourteen eggs. What, I wondered, bothered him? Was he trying to hide a supper stain on his shirt? Had he laundered his shorts along wilh the case from his feather pillow? Was he wearing McCauley Culkin’s tee Shirt? I found myself counting the number of limes he scooted his rump into one corner of the olher of the chair; how many times he tugged his jacket around him; would he uncross - his knees, Then. again, maybe it was Picard, not the chair, initiating the resilessncss that mes- merized me, Letterman isn’t my regular TV fare. I just happened to watch Picard when the Let- . terman billboards told me a comic was to follow, Do olher Letterman guests find his furniture ~ un- ergonomic? : Workers’ Compensation should look into that.