Ad - Tha Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 31, 1996

“TERRACE.

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988

ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. * V8G SR2
TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432
MODEM: (604) 638-7247

No need for this

US OR THEM.

That seems to be the attitude of Prince Rupert
when it comes to the touchy matter of the sur-
vival of the northwest’s airports.

It sounds a bit nutty, but our coastal neighbours
are deadly serious about the idea of building a
bridge to Digby Island to improve the position of
Rupert’s airport vis-a-vis the Terrace-Kitimat
airport.

They think the feds might pick one of the two
as a regional airport and continue subsidizing it
after the Year 2000, when the gravy train is sup-
posed to end.

The scent of the gravy always seems stronger
on the coast.

But do we really have to act like two plane
crash survivors eying each other and fumbling
about for big sticks in case one has to eat the
other?

A bridge to Digby would greatly improve the
Prince Rupert airport and be beneficial to the
northwest as a whole. And it should be done if it
makes economic sense to do so.

CityTel — the local phone company the city of
Prince Rupert would sell to finance the deal — is
probably worth about as much now as it ever
will.

And a pending federal treaty settlement with
the Port Simpson band could help extend the
road to link up with that community.

But a strategy to spend a gargantuan pile of
money now to force the feds to flush even more
in the future reflects the wrong attitude.

By contrast, Terrace city council has embraced
the idea of making the airport more efficient and
turning the area into a new light industrial site to
help pay for it.

That’s the kind of attitude that’s going to fly in
the lean years ahead. Hopefully, governments
will reward, not punish, that type of philosophy.

Easing the paranoia of our neighbours will be a
big chore for Terrace’s city fathers in the days
ahead.

Rupert sees its regional position in the north
being steadily eroded by Terrace’s growth. That
fear drives ideas like the Digby Island bridge and
will only lead to more trouble in areas like
tegional health care spending.

Kitimat is simply in denial about the airport
problem.

Although they’re vastly richer in terms of in-
dustrial tax base, Kitimat council doesn’t want to
help pay the bill of running the airport or even
make the smallest contribution in helping figure
out how to keep it operating.

Somehow our neighbours must be persuaded
that we’re not out to get them and that
parochialism isn’t the answer.

Bus business

A HEARTY HORN toot to the new B.C, Transit
and city council plan to improve our bus service.
Bus passes, a new fare schedule, more routes to
Thornhill and the bench should all help to make
the bus system easier and faster to use,
This is the kind of thing that7ll make the city
and area a more livable place.

A, PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link
Gona's ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike Hamm
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MEMBER OF B.C. PAESS COUNCIL
Serving the Tetrace and Thornhill aea, Published on Wednesday of each week ty Canboo Press (1969)
Lid at 4647 Lazelte Ava,, Terrace, British Columbia. .
Sicries, photographs, illustrations, designs and typestyles in the Tetraca Standard ara Ihe propery of the
copyright holders, including Cariboo Press (1969) Lid., its illusiration repto services and advertrsing
agencies, ; : -
Reproduction in whole or in part, without written permission, is specifically prohibited.
Authorized a5 second-class mail pending the Post Clice Department, for payment of postage in cash.

ConA

COMTACILED

Special thanks to all cur contributors and correspondents
for their time and talents

got the

VICTORIA — After having
served for five years as British
Columbia’s first Conflict of In-
terest Commissioner, Ted
Hughes is about to retire, al-
though J hesilate to say for the
last time,

Hughes has always been an
unrepentant optimist when it
comes to matters of honesty,
dignity and integrity, the in-
gredients we look for in our

elected representatives, but in

his 1996 annual report - the
last one to be penned by him -
Hughes admits that whatever
progress has been made, the

public remains cynical of
politicians.
“The level of cynicism,

suspicion and lack of trust in
politicians seems to continue
without significant diminu-
tion,”’ Hughes says.

“Notwithstanding that the
overwhelming majority of our
politicians are honourable to
the core, they ail get tarnished
by the slippery and shoddy ac-
tions of the few,’’ be adds.

Yet, behind the scenes, out of
the public’s jaundiced and
myopic view, the pictures is
different. In his five years Brit-
ish Columbia’s conflict of in-
terest legislation bas been in
effect, and Hughes has had
only one occasion to find a
member of the legistature in

“wow. AUiglone DREAM
1S BECOMING REALITY, .

*, . . j ‘
LSI k the NY

_ FROM. THE CAPITAL:

HUBERT BEYER

violation of the rules, And
even that didn’t merit a penalty
in Hughes’ judgment.

“‘T believe that that is truly
good news, and considering all
the negativism that floats about
these days with respect to the
performance of elected repre-
sentatives, I would hope that
any pudlic mention of this
report card will record this sig-
nificant achievement,’”’ Hughes
says,

Glad to oblige, Ted. I too am,
if not an optimist, then a
bruised idealist. And I agree
that one case of conflict,
among 75 MLAs, in five years,
puts the lie ta the public’s per-
ception that politicians are not
to be trusted,

In his swan song, Hughes

REALLY GOT YOUR MINDSET

BECOMING A TALKSHOW HOST

Me, a
bs panel AB ‘i
G A \ a0 eT Ant he f
we een

recommends a number of pos-
sible amendments fo the Con-
flict of Interest Act, One would
broaden the scope of the legis-
lation to caver ethical conduct,
covered neither by the existing
legislation, nor the Criminal
Code of Canada,

Such an amendment ‘would
require members to act with
honesty and uphold the highest
ethical standards so that public
confidence and trust in the in-
tegrity, cbjectivity and im-
partiality of government are
conserved and enhanced,””

Hughes also says the legisla-
ture should consider including
senior officials in the scope of
the legislation,

People who hold responsible
and sensitive senior positions,
says Hughes, are more often
confronted with ethical
dilemmas and potential con-
flict of interest situations than
backbenchers, whether they be
on the government or opposi-
tion side,

“T refer particularly to ex-
empt slaff of the premier and
his ministers and also the
deputy ministers and those
who rank at that level, usually
by virtue of order-in-council
(cabinet) appointment.

““The holders of these posi-
tions often have access to ex-
tremely confidential informa-

EH KID...

sy
|

back on track

tion, and some of them are ina
position to exert considerable
influence through input into
policy decisions and legislative
initiatives.’*

Right on the money. Requir-
ing senior bureaucrats and ap-
pointees to high positions in
Crown corporations and all
sorts of government agencies
to live up to the strictest rules
of ethics and conflict of inter-
est is long overdue and as es-
sential as keeping our
politicians on the straight and
narrow,

As I said at the outset, this
was Hughes’ last annual
report, For five years, he has
presided over the institution
that is to keep our politicians
from getting into the murky
waters of conflict of interest.
He has succeeded beyond all
expectations,

Hughes’ retirement will be
keenly felt. His shoes will be
hard to fill. As for his future, I
don’t think the ex-judge, ex-
deputy attorney general and
ex-conflict watchdog is quite
ready yet to spend his time
pruning roses. And whatever
he might tackle next, my best
wishes go with him.

Beyer can be reached at:
Tel:(604) 360-6442;
Fax(604) 381+ 6922;F-Mail:
hbeyer@direct.ca

City council needs to

WHEN AN agenda item poses
a conflict of interest for a city
councillor because it’s of per-
sonal financial benefit to him,
he’s expected not to vote on it.

Yet Terrace councillors who
have no time for CBC feel it’s
their place to vote against it,
How come?

One councillor says CBC is
one organization that needs
severe financial trinuming,
How did he come to know
this? Intuition?

Another councillor, who
believes government should
leave everything to private en-
terprise, proposes CBC be
funded by listener donations as
is America's PBS,

But PBS has 255 million
potential sponsors; CBC has
only 30 million, Yet the two
networks serve a physical area
of equal size.

Slashing CBC is popular
ationg Fraser Institute types
citertained by bells, whistles,
and the rise and fall of the al-
mighty dollar.

Those of us who lead or-

STUCK INA LOG

THROUGH BIFOCALS

CLAUDETTE SANDECKI.

MARTEN'S GOT HIS
SPUTTING MAUL

dinary lives appreciate CBC
for its intelligent conversation,
listenable music, and mind-
expanding ideas.

Thanks to CBC Radio I’ve
met dozens of admirable Cana-
dians from heritage seed
growers to rare individuals
such as Stan Rodgers, Dennis

Kaye, Ella Danica and Big
Ben,

Informed lectures by two
Nobel science — winners,
anthropologists, architects,

4

'S PICKAXKE «..

NOW HE'S BURIED
BOTH WEDGES AND

surgeons, agronomists, Cordon
Blue chefs, city planners and
others have taught me about
Canadian history, geography,
literature, music, art, and
sports.

I’ve heard fascinating details
of hobbies and interests as
diverse as ice skates, pencils,
live bats and polar bears to
glass blowing, rock climbing,
and snow fleas.

I’ve come to recognize the

j voices and personal philosoph-

jes of accomplished Canadians
who project an image of who
we are to the outside world —
politicians from all provinces
and territories, writers, singers,
musicians, actors, and our
three astronauts.

I've learned about Canadian
discoveries and inventions that
benefit the world, from ancient
forest mere inches high grow-
ing on the river bank below the
prime minister's residence to
the ubiquitous Robertson
screw,

My life has-been brightened
by the humour of Arthur

o

Cf ALL
a -

JoUR
SNS hes, | AINDLWe!
n ¥ a((

tune in

Black, Rick Mercer, Bob
Robertson, Wayne and
Shuster. I've been read to by
Alice Munro, Susan Musgrave
and Robertson Davies; sung to
by Stompin’ Tom Connors,
Susan Aglukark, and Ben
Heppner; and tapped my toe to
the tunes of The Best Cree Fid-
dle Players of James Bay and
Ashley MclIsaac,

I’ve also soaked tissue after
tissue lislening to mothers
coping with a child crippled by
disease, disability, or political
indifference, and been uplifted
by the efforts of Ben Wicks,
Peter Gzowski and common
folk to end illiteracy in Cana-

a.

My job allows me to listen
while I work. With CBC I
never feel alone even when I
am. Through their fetters and
Phone calls to CBC, 1 know
who else is listening, too.

Indeed, CBC is the fibre that
holds our country together.

City council should try more
fibre,

NORTHERNERS

NEVER

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