A chicken in every pot, ~-a snowplow in every... — Next to talking about the weather, talking about winter road maintenance — or the absence of it — has.to.rank as one of our preferred pastimes in this area. Using our roads to get around — “Freedom to Move” as the government called it in a seizure of - self-congratulatory optimism last year — is something we think should be taken for granted. The indignation of being held =‘ hostage in our homes by snowbound roads tends to become focused on the people who are supposed to be clearing them off. There is a bandwagon mentality at large on this issue, and _ since the advent of privatized road maintenance for highways and — — rural roads it becomes especially easy for the facts to get distorted and for debate to go off in confused directions. Two incidents occurred during last weekend’s episode of bad weather that had all the ingredients of our worst highway night- mares: a school bus was hit by a loaded logging truck, and a ‘B’-train transport with a full freight of gasoline and aviation fuel slid off the road in Terrace’s downtown core. It was mainly h x — and by at least one account some tall driving on the part of the logging truck operator -- that prevented catastrophe. . Dur reporter on the scene at the school bus accident observed aa accumulation of snow in excess of 10 centimeters on Highway 16 east of the Copper River out to where the mishap occurred. There was little evidence of sand or gravel treatment beneath it. At about 9 a.m., probably half an hour after the school bus was scheduled to go through the area, a North Coast Road Maintenance dump truck passed the scene eastbound with its blade down. The obvious suggestion here is that the school district transportation authorities should monitor road conditions on bus routes and act accordingly, even if it means getting kids to school late. North Coast, however, had clearly fallen down on — the job in failing to keep that particular stretch of our main highway clear at that particular time of day. : At the site of the fuel truck accident, we observed a light skiff of fresh snow.on the Sande Overpass with a solid:base of sand underneath and good traction. In view of that, we found a press release issued Monday morning by the RCMP citing road condi- tions as a factor in the accident somewhat puzzling. Somewhere between being totally immobilized by foul weather and having a snowplow sitting in every driveway, there has to a consensus on what degree of winter road maintenance is accept- able. The current provincial government has made an evaluation impossible, however, by steadfastly refusing to reveal the value of private road maintenance contracts or the price paid for equipment and facilities. An internal review of performance has been completed, we hear, but even if that is made public we'll know what we’re getting but not what we're paying for it. If we’re going to complain about road maintenance, we'd like to know whether the complaints have foundation and we’d like to be able to turn them into constructive results. We’re being kept in the dark, and we may be getting snowed. ale ¢ 4 i sy ST a nt ott tee VICTORIA — In case you may not have noticed, the provincial election campaign is under way, full tilt. What’s that you say? There has been no announcement about an election? True, and there won’t be for a while. But believe me, the Social Credit Party continues to prepare the ‘groundwork for that vote — be it in six months or 16. And the New Democrats are lining up their troops, too, try- ing to guess what the govern- ment will do and when, and faq trying to prepare responses Established May 1, 1985 The Terrace Review Is published each Wednesday by Close-Up Business Services Ltd. o- _ Publisher: . Mark Twyford . ” Editor: Michael Kelly ‘Staff Reporters: Tod Strachan, Betty Barton Advertising Manager: Mar] Twyford Typesetting: Carrie Olson Production Manager: Jim Hall Production: Charles Costello, Gurbax Gill, Linda Mercer, Ranjit Nizar Office: Carrle Olson . Accounting: Mar] Twyford, Harminder K. Dosanjh Second-slass mail registration No. 6896. All material appearing“in the Terrace Review is protected ‘under Canadian copyright Reglatra- tlon No, 362775 and. cannot legally be rapro- duced for any feason without permission of the ub . Errore and omissions... Advartising Is accepted on the condition that In the event of typographical arror, ihat portion of the advertls- . Ing space occupled by the erroneous item will not be charged for, buf the balance of the adver- tisement will be pald for at the applicable rate. Advertisers must assume responsibility for er rors in any classified ad which |s supplied to the Tetrace Review In handwritten form. In compilance with the'B.C. Human Rights Act, no advertisement will be published which discriminaias against a person due to age, race, religion, color, sex, nationalliy, ancestry or place of origin, 4535 Greig Avenue, Terrace, B.C. V8G 1M7 Phone: 635-7840 Fax: 635-7269 One year eubscriptiona: In Canada $24.00 ; Out of Canada $50.00 Seniors in Terrace and District $12.00 Seniors oul of Terrace and District $15.00 which will garner votes. The Socreds are looking to rise from the ashes of a once- pitiful position in public opin- ion polls to be re-elected as ‘the only responsible choice for the voters’”’. Don’t for a minute think it can’t be done in this crazy province! As their election machine gears up, watch for all of the scandals, conflicts of interest and personal preaching of Premier Bill Vander Zalm over . the past three or four years to simply disappear from the newspages and the airwaves. They will be swept away by an Ottawa-bashing blitz coup- led with glossy ads and speech- es extolling the Socred govern- ment’s virtues as the only fiscally responsible one in the country. . And columnists/commen- tators such as I will. be urged to get off Mr. Vander Zalm’s back, and to leave ‘‘the poor = man’ alone. (In fact, I already 2 am getting such requests, from one; Cabinet ministers, friends, “8 enemies, and editors, and I ac- cept that they have a point... wagner st weet irren,s ciwaatendttireretlity cada hay, Wad | ee, 4 . if , " : i Se LLL yp ; Ys LCi hioittillbbe EL The view from Victoria — - by John Plfer - - tm | a vine mo aE for now!) >" _ Then, if the rest of Canada shrugs off the Socreds’ pro-- .’ posal to salvage the Meech Lake Accord, British Colum- bians will nod knowingly when they are told Mr. Vander Zalm .. tried to save Canada but was spurned by the narrow-minded Easterners. More votes. He and his party know that the vast majority of people in the province believe that Meech - Lake is a political quagmire which gives Quebec special status over the rest of the coun-. try, period. They know that the latest five-step proposal to ‘‘un- bundle’’ the Accord is likely to are but it will help to save face — and maybe even a political life; or two — onthe domestic = * front. Even I believe that the _y proposal deserves better treat- - ment and attention than to be laughed off by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Now, in politics, if you can find an issue about which the «: electorate knows precious little, but has a strong opinion about it anyway, you can score a lot of points by siding with that opinion. Ergo, Meech Lake. It is the least understood issue in years, so complex that simple pro- nouncements about it are ac- cepted as gospel, especially if they suit the mind-set of people already incensed at all the special favors (as they see it) which French Canadians have enjoyed for decades, . In politics, the number-one priority of those elected almost always becomes getting re- elected, regardless of the cost ur 4 a to principles, morals or ideals, . _’ Many enter the fray deter- mined to show that they can make a difference, or can have some influence on improving things for their constituents. All too often, those fine motives are set aside when the - ” prospect looms of being beaten at the polls. There is more evidence of the Socred Party’s pre-election machinations — from the un- equivocal warning to anti-Zalm opponents within Socred ranks to shut up or get out, to the important meeting held a week _ ago between the premier and his advisors with the presidents of all Socred constituencies. go nowhere outside of B.C... *» Methinks. the key is the _.Meech proposal. If it is re- jected, the government wins . because of its apparently ge- nuine attempt to heal the na-: tional rift. If it is accepted, Vander Zalm is a hero. Either one wins votes. The pollsters, the image makers and the advisors to Mr: Vander Zalm, and the man - ' himself, want to create a per- ception that he has been maligned and misunderstood, and if it were not for him and this government, B.C. would © be in a financial mess, etc. Given the short attention and memory span of most voters, and given the track record of the two Bennetts when they rul- ed the roost; don’t rule out the prospect of the master plan ac- tually working. Iam concerned about the motives of the decision-makers at the Vancouver Sun and of continued on page A7 TE OR EERE AERA UE ANS IN Po Hen HES eA nme Fe ge