The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 9, 1998 - A15 ees : THE CITY needs more widespread public —Cily council handed. off the issue to its access to the Internet, says a city councillor. new social planning. commission. Hull David Hull said the four public access In- . noted there are government grant programs. ternet terminals at the library are constantly “It’s ‘an important part’ of our social fab- booked and the city needs more of them to ric,’? Hull said. “If we can make sure our ensure people without computers at home . little part of the world is wired ] think we'd be a better place.”’ Mayor stands by support City ponders net expansion of treaty deal TERRACE MAYOR Jack Talstra doesn’t plan to actively campaign for the Nisga’a treaty — but says he stands by his support of the deal. Talstra said he’s not planning to take the treaty to the next meeting of the northwest mayors ta seck a joint decla- ration of support, ‘Let’s face it — the population is split on this thing,”’ he sain “And I expect the mayors are split on this thing a as we a” . Talstra said he continues to back the treaty and believes his cily council does as well — although he said some of the ‘‘good Liberals” on council might be backtracking as Libera! leader Gordon n Campbell intensifies his opposition of the treaty. “By and large, as a council, we like the agreement,”' Talstra said, ‘You can nitpick if you want, but it’s part of a tradeoff process.” “We like the agreement and we'd like to sce il signed off so we can get on with our lives,”’ Talstra said Campbell’s court challenge of the treaty - to force a referendum on constilutional grounds amounts to ‘‘posturing”’ and playing legal games, rather than addressing real Life is- sues, “You can go through the courts and jump up and down and shout and so on. That’s a great exercise, but for what? What’s that ex- ercise trying to attain, real- ly?”” he asked. “The real essence of the situation is different groups of people trying to’ live to- Jack Talstra gether on the same land and sharing goals and objectives,’’ ' he said, ‘'That’s reality to me.” Talstra suggested the treaty could meet the same fate as the Charlottetown constitutional accord, which was defeated in a national referendum. “'Fhe Rafe Mairs of the day, they fought against the con- stitution, bui we still have the problem and we still have Quebec. threatening to leave, and nobody has a belter ans- wer today,” Talstra said. “Are we going to do this again now with the Nisga’a treaty? Are we going to trash this one and then flounder around for the next 50 years?’”’ “The more we mess around today, the worse it gets at a future time and for our children,”’ he warned. Like the constitutional accord, Talstra said, critics of the treaty are trying to find fault but offering few solutions, “It’s a little difficult to determine what the critics are after,” he said. ‘‘If not this, then what? If not row, then when?’’ He said B.C. natives have steadily gained ground in defining aboriginal title in the courts, raising questions of how any alternatives suggested by treaty critics could be imposed. “In the psyche of the white person in B. C., we still have a View that we should tell them what’s right for them and we're telling them this treaty isn’t right for them,”’ Talstra said. “T think we have to be more respectful than that. These people have some of the best advice in the country. Their lawyers are second to none. This is whal they want. Infact ~ they wanted more. But this is the compromise that resulted.” Talstra said he continues to be dismayed that provincial politicians are for the most part using the trealy as just an- other political battlefield. ‘What's lacking bere is a statesperson,’’ he said. ‘Somebody who can speak about these things who can rise above the politics. We don’t seem to have anybody in- British Columbia whe can do that.’” kk kkk Linda Hawes is one local city councillor — and a promi- nent local B.C, Liberal party organizer — who has not yet come out firmly for or against the treaty as it’s written. She was the only councillor who sat on the fence in the weeks immediately after the treaty was initialled while her fellow councillors pledged their support. “] am supportive of the trealy in its general intent,’ Hawes has said. “‘I am concerned about some of the details, Perhaps if | had some clear and unbiased answers I would feel more comfortable about accepting the whole document but until thal time I have to keep reservalions about it.”’ Hawes says there are still many unknowns in terms of how parts of the treaty will work, how it will unfold in years down the road, and what the specific plans of the Nisga’a are on fronts such as economic development. “Key questions have not been satisfactorily answered and certainly have not been answered by this propaganda campaign of Glen Clark’s,” she said. Hawes also said she doesn’t object to the Liberal party’s court challenge of the treaty, adding it’s better to resolve the issue now than wait until someone else mounts a chal- lenge later. Councillor David Hull, however, says further study of the treaty has led him to firm up his support of the docu- ment. “My position has strengthened,’ Hull said. ‘At the get- go [ might have been erring a little on the politically cor- rect side. Now in my heart] think this is the right thing to Appealing Appetizers | May we suggest an appetizer...as a delicious way to begin a meal. Do consider starting off with mushrooms neptune, calamari or another of our appetizing appetizers. Now, after 4 pm appetizers are “ 1 get the 2nd for Ve Pricel® 4702 Lakelse Ave. Terrace Ph: 695-6302 Where good food brings the » whole family together! * Of Equal or lesser value. 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