A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 11, 2003 STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 PUBLISHER: ROD LINK ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. » V8G 5R2 TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 * FAX: (250) 638-8432 WEB: www.terracestandard.com EMAIL: newsroom@terracestandard.com Vote on this AS LONG as city council is in a referendum mood - ie. fluoridation and backing a proposed $2.5 million loan by the airport society for a run- way extension — it might as well add statutory holiday shopping to the list. The issue has been put on the table by the pro- vincial government which is doing away with any kind of regulation on holiday shopping. Unless municipalities pass their own regulations, holiday shopping becomes a wide open proposition. To date city council has left the job of trying to — determine the appetite for wide-open holiday ~ shopping to the chamber of commerce. In turn it has conducted three informal surveys. The first © determined that a majority of chamber members did not want wide open shopping. A second sur- vey divided chamber members into two classes — retailers and non-retailers. The majority in each category opposed blanket openings. A third sur- vey asked about opening only during the summer statutory holidays of Canada Day, B.C. Day and ~ Labour Day. Sixty-four per cent of chamber members responded in the affirmative. While helpful, the three chamber surveys aren’t conclusive in that not every chamber member will have responded. The chamber itself says it won't be making any recommendations — it simply will provide council with its results. That being the case, city council would be loathe to consider the matter solely on the. strength of the chamber’s surveys. Holiday shopping is more than a matter of commerce. It also speaks much about how resi- dents view their city and themselves. Holiday shopping would add another dimen- . sion to Terrace’s positiori as the dominant retail- ing centre of the northwest. It would enhance a sector of the economy that generates wealth and jobs apart from traditional resource industries. But it would also complicate the ability of fa- milies to spend time together, to attend public ev- ents together that are keyed to statutory holidays and to simply take a bit of a pause from the ri-. gours of everyday life. A referendum would provide everybody with : the opportunity to make their wishes known. And that’s not such a bad thing. Thumbs up THE LACK of hospital-based kidney dialysis in - the northwest was a black mark, considering that every other region of B.C. had the service. So the opening of the $1.4 million regional dia- lysis unit at Mills Memorial Hospital last week represents a medical leap ahead for the northwest. No longer will those with kidney ailments needing dialysis have to leave the area, disrupting : their lives and those of their families. 4 . 4 ‘ PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link ADVERTISING MANAGER: Brian Lindenbach PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS: Jeff Nagel NEWS/SPORTS Sarah A. Zimmertnan 2002 WINNER NEWS/COMMUNITY: Jennifer Lang CCNA BETTER FRONT OFFICE: Darlene Keeping & Carol McKay NEWSPAPERS CIRCULATION SUPERVESOR: Terri Gordon COMPETITION ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Bert Husband & Denise Young TELEMARKETER: Denise Young COMPOSING: Susan Credgeur AD ASSISTANT: Sandra Stefanik SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL: $57.94 (+$4.06 GST)=62.00 per year; Seniors $50.98 (+$3.57 GST)=54.55; Out of Province $65.17 (+$4.56 GST)=69.73 MEMBER OF 8.0, AND YUKON COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION A B.C. PRESS COUNCIL (www.bepresscouncll.org) Serving the Tertace and Thomhill area. Published sn Wednesday of each waek a! 3210 Clinton Streel, Terrace, British Columbia, VEG 5R2, Stories, photographs, llustrations, designs and lypestyles in the Tanrace Standard are the property of the copyright halders, including Carboo Press (1969) Ld., its illustration repro servicas end advertising cles, Reproduction in whole or in part, without written permission, is specifically prehibited. . Authorized as second-class mail pending the Post Office Deparment, for payment of postage in cash. Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents _ for their time and talents ORs There’ll soon be VICTORIA — The B.C. Legis- lature without Joy MacPhail? It’s hard to imagine. Bul she announced this week that she will not seek re-election. Ever since the Liberal jug- gernaut all but eliminated the NDP in the last election, MacPhail has shown British Columbians the stuff she’s made of. Bright, sexy, tough as nails, she’s faced the Herculean task of leading a two-member op- position against a sea of 77 Liberals, and she’s acquitted herself brilliantly. I wasn’t easy, as she herself said, At limes, she was so frightened of walking into the legislature to confront the Lib- eral colossus that she felt like vomiting. Alas, she didn't. Instead, she became a one-woman fighting machine, especially during the maternity leaved of her colleague, Jenny Kwan, giving the government hell at every turn, . »., And, this in spite of the gov-/i ernment’s mean-spirited deci- sion not to accord her and Kwan official opposition sta- tus, which meant fewer finan- cial resources. MacPhail, 51, was first elected in her working-class tiding of Vancouver-Hastings in 1991, when the NDP ended nearly 40 years of Social Credit rule in British Colum- bia, interrupted only in the early 70s by Dave Barrett's NDP government that lasted Pulling IN A nearby subdivision, eight white surveyors’ guard stakes ‘ have been pulled out of the ground and lie useless upon the gravel, six of them in one clump. These guard stakes marked corners between two lots and the road. At the back of lots, one post would mark the corn- er of four lots. Absence of that stake could add extra survey costs to four property owners when they buy a lol, build a house, or add a fence. The subdivision developer paid a survey crew to set the guard stakes. Before a pur- chaser builds on a lot, he will first have to hire another land surveyor (o reestablish the corner boundaries of his prop- erly. Survey crews cost $125 per hours Sure, the buyer could wave around a metal detector to try to find the buried metal monu- ments, but without the triangu- lar wooden stake to localize his search, finding one inch of protruding metal monument could take awhile. Each triangular stake marks the location of a legal survey } HAVE ONE MESSAGE FOR PAUL MARTIN AND JEAN CARETIEN: THE FREE RIDE 15 OVER. TACKLING THE PC DEBT FOR NEW LEADER PETER MACKAY -FROM THE CAPITAL. HUBERT BEYER for three-and-a-half years. MacPhail was appointed minister of social services in 1993, health minister in 1996 and finance minister in 1998 during the New Democrats’ second mandate. She served as deputy premier and labour minister under Premier Ujjal Dosanjh, who replaced Glen Clark after he resigned over a casino-licensing controversy. . MacPhail became. interim wleader,aftey, Dosanjh: lost his. seat in the May 2001 election _and resigned. Not surprisingly, reactions of praise for a job well done weren’t long in comi:z. No sooner did she annow .ce that she will not seek rc-election nor contest the party leader- ship at the November election, than a chorus of admiration expressed regret at her leaving politics. Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton said “Joy MacPhail THROUGH BIFOCALS: CLAUDETTE SANDECKI monument about 30cms in front of it, A monument can be a square iron post 30 inches tong driven into the ground; or a bronze monument 3cm in di- ameter on a steel shaft driven into the ground; or a tablet in concrete or drilled into rock. Each guard stake carries several letters. IP means iron post. R means road. RW signi- fies right of way. Numbers ref- er to lot numbers. MON de- notes a monument, possibly a tablet monument. Depending upon the diffi- _newal at the provincial-leve wShe said, 0b ry: Last time: around, the party - has done an unbelievably fab- ulous job in drawing attention to the failings of the Campbell government. Federal NDP MP Sven Robinson said “I think she has a huge contribution to continue to make to rebuild the party in British Columbia,” but surpris- ingly, ruled himself out as a possible candidate for the pro- vincial leadership. He’s usual- ly in any leadership contest like a dirty shirt. I'm a little at odds with MacPhail'’s advice that no former NDP MLA should run ‘for the leadership. “I think it's time now for the NDP to set a new course, and I think that means new ideas and new energy and most of all new leadership,” she told Global BC. “Both people inside and outside the party asked me to stay on as leader, but what I know now is that it requires re- newal from within and also re- had an ideal candidate in Corky Evans, but instead opted for Ujjal Dosanjh, whose sup- port evaporated as soon as the buses that had transported in- stant party members to the convention, left the parking lot again. The NDP will need someone with experience as their leader. It’s great to talk about renewal, The fact is that without an experienced Iéader, culty of the terrain the cost goes up when surveyors must hack sight lines through bush or climb over hills. replacing a guard stake can cost from $2000 ta $20,000. While the wooden stake is intended only to call attention to the survey monument, and to make it easier ta see where a monument is if you're run- ning equipment near it, dis- turbing any stake is a serious offence. Intentionally pulling up or moving a stake, especially to fraudulently alter a property boundary, would break both provincial and federal laws. Any disturbance of a guard Stake is at the least vandalism. Recently in Victoria a man who intentionally moved a guard stake several feet to ex- tend his property line, then fal- sified a legal document, was jailed for one year, When a guard stake is pulled out, a surveyor cannot just read a survey plan and put the post back, He must find an established survey marker or the best evidence available, STocK MARKET Has BELN DOWN AND GOLD WAS UP! BUT THE MARKET IS GOING UP AND , GOLDS GOING Down! For GUARANTEEING | You THE NEXT FEDERAL ELECTION, PLEASE SEND A CHECK OR MONEY ORPER TO THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE PARIY OF CANADA. WE AlS0 TAKE ALL MATOR CREDIT CARDS 1," tii _ BECOMES THE FIRST ORPER OF Business NO Joy in Victoria the NDP wilt go nowhere fast, I’ve always had great re- spect for Corky. He’s the most honest and plain-spoken politi- cian I’ve met in my more than 40 years in journalism. What you see and hear is what you get with Corky. No political double-speak from him. Mind you, I have no idea whether he would even want the job after the shabby rebuke - that party handed him last time. But I digress. One of the more memorable times. I crossed swords with MacPhail, was after I criticized her in a column. A few days after the piece appeared, [ got an e-mail from MacPhail that began with “Hubert, dearest.” What‘ fol- lowed was a tirade worthy of a legislative performance. Then there was her sense of humour, Following a reception in the Parliament Building dur- ing-an evening recess, she -had ‘Managed ‘to“ege ona-few“other * women MLAs to deposit a dancing penis on the desk of Liberal MLA Ted Nebbeling. It set tongues a’ wagging. I thought it was funny. So, in fact, did Nebbeling. Ah, the good old days. With MacPhail gone, those days will seem even further in the past. Like I said, the legislature won't be the same without her, Beyer can be reached at: E-mail: hubert@coolcom.com. Or phone him at (250) 381-6900. up stakes is expensive He must locate the nearest un- disputed corner post and pro- rate from there. Depending upon the lay of the land and other problems this, can be time consuming and expensive.e Certain laws exist to protect the cadastral system. The ca- dastre is the official register of the quantity, value, and owner- ship of real estate used in ap- portioning taxes. “Our entire economic sys- tem is based on land owner- ship,” notes a local land sur- veyor, “And when you look at . the rights that go with land ow- nership, the definition of. it is very important.” Nothing frustrates surveyors . more than people who lack re- ~ spect an appreciation for the stakes” value and purpose. Kids pulling stakes for fun. Land owners uprooting them to make way for the mower. Heavy equipment operators paying too little attention, Even highway _ construction crews bowling over stakes. All rob surveyors of job satisfaction. Intentionally moving or. dis- turbing a survey post is serious. Sol. SHOULD SéUL You VRIGHT AND z= = Df fos . TLL USE € Stocks IN my MUNI HEM AS : COMPANY BUT NOT Mi oot OPAL __t 3 To BUY GOLD Ts AND Not SEvv it /