News in brief

Treaty agreement signed

Native and federal and provincial government leaders last week
put their signatures to the B.C. Treaty Commission agreement.

Made up of appointees named by the First Nations Summit, feder-
al government and the province, the commission’s job will be to
oversee treaty negotiations with B.C. native groups.

It will co-ordinate the beginning of negotiations, decide how
much money the First nations need to take part, monitor progress
and keep the public up to date on that progress.

Establishing such a commission was one of the recommendations
included in the B.C. Claims Task Force report which came out in
June of last year. oo

Meanwhile, premier Mike Harcourt has announced the appoint-
ment of Garry Wouters to the position of deputy minister of
aboriginal affairs, effective Oct 19.

Wouters is at present Alberta regional director general for the fed-
cral department of Indian and northern affairs.

Chinese speakers growing

The number of people giving Chinese as a mother tongue grew
considerably in B.C. from 1986 to 1992, indicates information from
Statistics Canada.

Mother tongue information — it’s defined as the first language a
person leamed at home in childhood and still undersiands — was
gathered in the June 1991 census. That information was then com-
pared with results of the 1986 census.

The percentage of people who listed English as their mother
tongue in 1991 was 79.4 per cent, down slightly from 80.9 per cent
in 1986. Chinese was listed by 4.3 per cent in 1991, an increase
from 2.9 per cent in 1986 while German declined slightly, from 2.8
per cent to 2.5 per cent over the five years.

Number four in mother tongue languages is Punjabi with L8 per
cent of the population in 1991 compared to 1.5 per cent in 1986.
French is number five, accounting for 1.4 per cent of the population
in 1991 and 1.3 per cent in 1986.

The next five languages are Italian, Dutch, Ukrainian, Tagalog
(Filipino) and Spanish.

The percentage of people who speak a mother tongue other than
English in the Vancouver area is greater than in other parts of the
country, There, 71.9 per cent of the people reported English as a
mother tongue, 8.1 per cent Chinese, 2.4 per cent Punjabi, 2.2 per
cent German and 1.3 percent French.

Money for advocacy groups

The provincial government says it'll give $1 million to
community-based advocacy groups so they can provide support to
low income people.

Social services minister Joan Smallwood called the money a way

to ‘help find local solutions to local problems,”’
_ “Government has traditionally funded community agencies which
provide direct services to people. We believe it’s time to go the next
step to providing funding to the advocacy centres which help devel-
op and promote community solutions,’’ she said,

Ombudsman’s role widened

The jurisdiction of the province’s Ombudsman will be widened

‘over the next two years, says attomey general Colin Gabelmann.

This fall, schools and school boards will be the first group to
come under the Ombudsman’s wing to be followed by colleges,
universities, hospitals and provincial corporations in the spring of
93, *

-Later;.. government boards: and’ agencies, municipalities and
regional districts will be added to the list.

The Ombudsman’s office will target principles of administrative
fairness, effective internal complaint systems and intemal protocols

Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 14, 1992 — Page Aa

THAT'S RETURNING officer Elaine Johnston with the Ter-

race city map. The city was divided into sections as
enumerators for the constitutional referendum hit the streets

Vote deadline looms

TERRACE — The deadline
to be put on the voters’ list for
the Oct. 26 constitutional
referendum is fast approach-
ing, says retuming officer
Elaine Johnston.

And that makes it important
for people to realize what they
must do to avoid missing their
chance to vote, she added.

Although the enumeration
period for the preliminary list
closed last week, a revising pe-
tiod to be included is in effect
until Oct. 19 for people who
were missed.

‘Yes particularly crucial for
people living in the urban
areas. They could lose their
franchise,”’ said Johnston.

That’s because election
regulations state that pcople

living in urban areas such as
a .

2 eA ios

Terrace cannot register to vote
at the polls on referendum day.

People in Thomhill and rural
areas can, but they must bring
a person on the volers’ list to
vouch for them.

So if you live in Terrace and
have not yet received a voting
card in the mail, phone the
returning: office at 635-1329.

Arangements will be made
to send an enumerator to your
residence or you can go to the
returning office between 8:30
am. and 5 p.m. up to and in-
cluding Oct. 19 to be put on
the list.

The returning office is lo-
cated on Hwyl6 in the old
bingo halk located beside
Kondola’s Furniture.

If you live in a rural arca, the
information will be taken over
the phone.” ;

By a Mkys

to sign up voters. Those who were enumerated should be
getting cards in the mail. There’s still time to get on the
voters’ list if you were missed in the first go around,

Johnston said it is easier for
rural people to be put on the
list during the revising period
than to register on referendum
day because of the need to be
accompanied by a person al-
ready on the fist.

Those people enumerated
during the Oct, 2-7 period
should be getting their registra-
tion cards today or later this
week.

kakKK

And for people who want to

vote before Referendum Day,
that period began Monday and
ends Oct. 20 wilh the excep-
tion of Sunday, Oct. 18.

This voting takes place at the
returning office.

That makes it possible, said
Johnston, for a person to regis-

ter to vote and then cast a bal- .

lot at the same time.

Those peaple who have al-
ready becn cnumerated or who
are being put on the list during
the revising period have to
bring proof of such.

rekke

The enumerating period went
very well despite it being
shorter than the time given for
an clection campaign, said
Johnston.

But several cnumerators
were bilten by dogs and one
was sent to the hospital for a
tetanus shot.

Johnston said that kind of
trouble docsn’t come close to
making up for the wages
reccived by enumerators,

They receive 62 cents for the
first 200 names taken and 93

.cents-for each name thereafter:

TERRACE — The city will col-
lect more than $250,000 if its sale

nae

same controversy as the one cat-
lier this year.

A local couple cach bought two
Walsh lois in their individual

On that occasion a local resi-
dent complained a single family
had been able to snap up all six
lots offered on the section of
Walsh Ave, located on the Birch
Hill bench,

City policy states “‘at no time
will an individual or a company
be able fo purchase and hold
more than two lots.”

names and then their company
bought the remaining two.

Following the complaint, the
city agreed to review the relevant
policy.

Administrator Bob Hallsor said
last weck that review had been

carried out but it had been de-
cided to Icave the policy as it is.

for dealing with complaints.

Forestry cleans up road act

I
td]
It of Maroney Ave. lots is success-
City i
The B.C. Forest Service has introduced a new sect of regulations
covering all aspects of logging roads in the province,
They outline mandatory standards for the planning, construction, Those figures reflect the find-

| Council has decided to put 10
Maintenance and closing off of all roads and trails built whether by ings of an independent appraisal.

lots on the street up for sale at

prices ranging from $24,500 to
the logging industry or the forest service. | ots Council will also likely hope
: l this sale does not provoke the

$30,500.
REFERENDUM COMMITTEES AND FEDERAL LAV

ho mustregister = — |
as a referendum committeer —

Under the federal Referendum Act,
any person or group that intends to

| Note: As applications are considered
in order of receipt, committees should

apply as soon as possible.
‘Te obtain additional information
or an application form to register as a
referendum. committee, call this toll-free
number immediately: 1 800 387-2323.

- For the hearing impaired: 4 1 800 361-8935.

wo Vine yh |

Jean-Pierre Kingsley, ©
Chief Electoral Officer of Canada

spend over five thousand dollars during
the referendum period, for the purpose
of supporting or opposing directly the
referendum question, must register as
a committee.

Applications for registration as a
referendum committee must be sent to
Elections Canada in Ottawa as soon as pos-.
sible, and be received by October 26, 1992.
All applications must be addressed to 1595
Telesat Court, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0M6,
or they can be faxed to 1 800 267-8549.

ELECTIONS
CANADA

The non-partisan agency responsible for the conduct of the federal | referendums

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