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_ Page ‘Ad'—-Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 17, 1991

spemmmtmemseante meray - fh Gy
raneanimretac ea :

see ical. Mereatn, ts and psn |

'$ special hanks t to a
our: contributors, and:
"correspondents for

pon time: ONd ge:

_ -ainy of them. Do they all outlive
- George Burns? or does society
stockpile theif remains for even-

— Sheridan‘ took | one piece of folk wisdom.
_ too'-far at the July 9 council meeting.
os They did obey the tenet that if you can’t
_ Say. anything nice about anybody, don’t

‘Say anything at all. But they also walked
“out of the meeting. |

Their departures came as three people
from the audience spoke about the plan-

"ned Orenda Forest Products pulp and
‘paper mill south of Lakelse Lake. And
- because of the departures, council lacked

@ quorum and the meeting ended.
‘The action was more akin to that of

. children who, not getting their way,

picking up their toys’ and leaving the

sandbox. It’s not something expected of

‘people elected to represent the city.

What those three people had to say
‘concerned the role of the city in the pro-
vincial approval process Orenda must
follow. While some of the presentations
might not have been exactly moderate,
the departure of alderman Cooper and
Sheridan was plain rude.
’ In the case of Mr. Sheridan, it is ‘leo
puzzling. Mr. Sheridan had no problem ©
several nights before the council meeting
at the chamber of commerce’s installa-
tion banquet. He gave an old-fashioned,
Somewhat emotional but very entertain-
ing tub-thusmper: Of.a, specel about, the.
Orenda project. .. won

It. is, Mr. Sheridan said, the’ biggest
thing ever to hit the city. He warned that
the forces of darkness and evil are mar-
shalling their resources. He said the pro-
ject ‘won’t -happen unless the. chamber
participates. Too bad Mr. Sheridan
didn’t hang around the council meeting.

It was a speech worth repeating.

He and alderman Cooper had. the-
perfect opportunity .to ‘state the .city’s
position. And that, it seems, is a request
to Orenda and to the provincial govern-
ment to provide all the information

needed about the: project: and to ensure - .
" that citizens of the city and area are in- |

McCarthy

volved and made aware of the Approval
process.

The Orenda project will go. “through
the provincial: review. The ‘first step of
that is an’ examination by government
agencies. The company will also hold
public meetings to explain the project.

And the public will have a chance to res-

pond. Those responses will be con-
sidered by Orenda and by the province. —
‘All council had to do was explain that

‘to the people at the meeting. All it had to
do was state it would bird dog that pro-

cess to determine if a more detailed ex-
amination — one that’s provided for in
the approval process — is required..
Instead, the duo chose to declare war.
before they or anybody else determines

there is just cause to shine up their ar-

mour and saddle up their trusty steed.
What must Orenda be thinking? It surely
doesn’t need a modern-day version of
the Crusades. The last thing needed here
aré- ideological: ‘Aniights ' ‘of the’ ‘council
table.

It isn’t a good sign for this council
which will be expected to show some

leadership as the Orenda approval Pro:

cess begins,
_ Then again, it seems to be following a a
pattern of a council which lately seems to”

be ignoring several. important issues.

here must be more obnox-

The other side

VICTORIA. -_ “Hoping for. .

~ the Best’ might be an apt
’ slogan for the Social Credit. -

leadership convention. being: .
held at Vancouver’s Trade: and
Convention centre this week. :
“Mission Impossible’?is ©".
another one I'd like to submit
for consideration. -
The five candidates have. ;
been telling-us a lot about their

' devotion. to-integrity» hotest: |
‘and fairness, all ofwhigh ‘may |

well be true, but the foremost -

task facing the new leader is to -

erase memories of Bill Vander
Zalm.

It's an awesome task, con-
sidering that all five candidates
had roles in the political drama
that played to bewildered au-
diences in B.C. for nearly five
years,

True, some played minor
roles, others left the cast
before the final curtain, but all

' . five were on stage at one time

or another. »
Of the five candidates, ;

* Premier ‘Jotinston i is. probably.

so-and-so! s than .the few
| emiet, yet none of them ever
seems to croak. Al least I never
‘hear of. funerals being held for

Through |
Bifocals —.
by Claudette Sandecki

‘victims: are ‘lauded by:
‘tances and kin,

‘always. bubbly; optimistic, and
: had. a smile on her t face,'" sobs. a.

pat ‘tual | disposal. But disposal how?
-) Are they secretly eased along
‘to their final resting placecloak- -

ed in euphemisms designed to

~~ gloss: over their offensive

ature? For example, rather

= than admit someone was a
‘Miser, do we brag of: the,

_Sizeable legacy she husbanded
for her heirs. Or if a father
walked out on his toddlers leay-
-ing them to get ‘by on welfare,
do we boast ‘he _faught his
‘children’ to. stand on their own
two feet. -

‘. Maybe as rigor mortis stiffens:

“the corpse, a spiritual alchemy

selectively efases uncharitable-
~ thoughts from the memories of.

all. who knew him, the way aCD

player. can’ be programmed to

-skip over tunes.

_ ~~}. Certainly: nasties: ‘don’t bite
the dust accidentally, judging

‘from news reports of fatal plane
crashes and traffic mishaps,

’ - Media: accounts could lead us to

Conclude that accidental death

- befalls only the affable, or that

the likable are particularly acci-
Bent prone, ~

‘Without exception, , accident

_ beautiful lady, dignified, refin-
ed’" weeps a niece.

With emergency sirens still
echoing in their ears, only.aclod
would blurt, ‘‘She never recycl-
ed,”’

Obituaries, too, invariably
- Claim the deceased will be great--
ly missed. Sure, but by whom..
A stock broker, A tobacconist,
But’ co-workers may: deem it
high time he shuffled off his
mortal coil before they choked

him withit, -

I know, | know: Ir’ you can ‘t
say something nice.., .

Either: death so outrages us. d
we glorifyall victims as an an- -

tidote. to-‘our helplessness, or

we're too’ chicken to “call them .

likes . we sees them**. The old
“Don't kick them when they’re
down" rule.)

At: funerals, ‘every dear
departed ig: praised: to the skies,
as if our soft soap can grease
theig ath ; tothe hereafter. In
truth, we're probably working
to guarantee our own reception’.
at the Pearly Gates. By lionizing

those who go before us, We”
Hope = when our ti a

one inwilling to
share their cloud wit us

businessman of the year,:
George Clark. In San Diego,

Canadian cartoonist Lynn’

Johnston received. the
prestigious Ink Pot award : for
her syndicated comic strip, For
Better or. For Worse, printed in
800 newspapers. io

Both. Clark and Johnston
have’ been. acclaimed for being
all. they. ‘can. be, to. paraphrase’
Rick Hansen. But most of us

will never: know haw good, we.
are until’ we’ re eulogized at our.

funeral.
“Woody Allen says, “Death

i

nuke,

asn’t scare. me?’] just don’ t.
.-to be there when it hap,

Au! 1 SEE Jou: mae My:
BACKGROUND: PAPER ON

‘the one most vulnerable | to ac-

cusations ‘of guilt by associa:
tion. To: the very last day, she

supported ander Zalm,

vigorously defending. him =?
against all critics.” TF

Mind. you, at. the time, she ee
was the only one I: thought:had -:
not only the right:but the diity a
to defend him. Unlike most’ of

her cabinet colleagues, who |
chose to ignore their leader's

blatant conflicts of interest ‘and;

outright irresponsible: ”
behaviour for political expe-. .
diency, Johnston acted out of
a sense of personal loyalty.
She and Vander Zalm had

been good personal friends for.

more than 20 years, ©:
She lost a lot of Fespect and

credibility in the eyes ‘of many,

when. she finally cut Vander ~

Zalm loose, going much fur-. -

‘ther i in her. ‘condemnation: of.
the man than simply apologiz-

ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICAT 104)

> gO.
” ‘And hiad the. party. replaced
 Vander:Zalm at'that-time, it oe
Would have greatly improved’. ”
: chances for Metory, An. the next.

a ani DI
fy You Tw oF 11 ?,

| om the.
Capital
by. Hubert Beyer

caucus decision.

Mel Couvelier, too, will find
_it difficult to-disdssosiate:5'

himself: from the past. Hew was’
finance minister in Vander —
Zalm's government. He came -
up with the idea of the Budget
Stabilization Fund, discredited
by-most financial experts. And
he chose to ignore Vander’ = ©
Zalm's follies, even when © '

_others-in the party spoke up.
"Duane Crandall, an early
Vander Zaim:supporter, can -

point to his relatively early
rebellion against the former
premier, He.and two others
quit caucus two years ago in
an attempt to. force a leader-
ship review. Their gesture.,
achieved. absolutely nothing. ©

returned to. the. fold.:::

Of the five candidates, | ae :
Norm Jacobsen i is least tainted «.

by the past.: ‘The former logg-

‘ing contractor has- always been
‘one of the miost unassuming:

and modest politicians. He was
neither. a preat supporter nor

*.. an outspoken opponent of
“Vander Zalm and-has'no
- apologies to make.’ now

The fifth candidate i is Grace |

“=. McCarthy. Like Crandall, Mc- © :

Carthy found herself at: odds:

with Vander Zalm's leadership’ 4
style and when ‘she decided she.
could: ‘no longer play | a part in |
‘his government, she quit her
_sabinet post, | me
Bui although she severed her
‘ties with the former leader, she
refused to,take part.in-any ..
», palace revolt, If McCarthy had
followed the dissidents into
ing. for his. actions and her ‘part
in them. 9.00.
“Johnston also hasn’ t exactly -
. provided i inspiring leadership. —
“since ‘she was made premier by -

Sg yote ‘of caucus, and she. will
"5 gonna’ miss the ultimate .

‘caucus exile, she might have _

triggered a gene/al revolt in the =.
Social Credit ranks: two. years.

the hope
for socred future

election, but instead, McCar-
thy sat idle’ at the time, allow-
jng Vander Zalm’ ‘td. ‘conitititie *

doing ‘as ‘he pledséd’ ‘until a
. Conflict-of-Enterest Commis-
sioner Ted Hughes fi finally
brought him down. : ’

« Based on the foregoing _
_ observations, Jacobsen would
be the best choice for Social
Credit, leader. He is: least
associated with the former: .
premier, and he’s a decent «-
chap with undoubtedly good
intentions, but that alone
doesn’t win elections.

- Even after having had their. .
fill of charisma and smiles, the’
voters would still not elect a

~ man-who is totally lacking in

- those: attributes. “Jacobsen is
Nobody followed them into’ eX, ;

- ile and all three eventually

drink: ‘anid it is ‘doubtful that
he could’ make British ‘Colum-
bians forget all: about’ ‘Vander
zalm whien they go 10: the
‘polls, -

The. only: one: ‘whe has any
hope’ ‘of. bringing’ off. that
miracle: is McCarthy: Her

political style has the | Necessary:

ingredients of nostalgia and vi-: -

Sion to make the next election:
~ at least a-race rathér than.a
‘political suicide ritual. for the
Socteds. :
All the polls shaw that Mc- :
Carthy i isthe only’ one of the |.
five candidates: who could.
possible. beat: Mike Haréourt
and ‘the. ‘NDP. Well, there i is".
one: poll. which, ® iccording. to:

Johnston’s supporters, has the. .

premier neck to neck with
. Harcourt::Too bad, they’ won't,
let anyone see it,
_ Leadership; conventions can -
- develop a dynamics-all their \
own; arid-it, would be’:
- Premature. to declare anyone a:
Sure Winner, but.unless the

s. WoKe., i
GREAT FOR FISH WeAtRees

AND rurey fare R's s! oo