epee eee AQ - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 30, 1998 . Province to fle complaint against Black THE PROVINCIAL government says it will lodge a com- plaint with the B.C. Press Council regarding the decision of David Black to prohibit the editors of his community news- papers from publicly supporting the Nisga‘a treaty. Black, owns numerous newspapers in B.C. inctuding The Terrace Standard, The Northern Sentinel i in Kitimat and The Interior News in Smithers. He opposes the. Nisga’a treaty and says his newspapers will” carry editorials to that effect,”Black has also hired land claims critic Mel Smith to write eight columns opposing the treaty. The third in this series appears on Page A5 of today's newspaper. , The provincial government is keying on the press council’s code of practice which states, “Newspapers should detend their hard-won fight tu exercise the widest possible latitude in expressing their opinions, na matter how controversial or unpopular the opinions may be, and to give columnists, edi- torials, cartoonists and others the same latitude in expressing personal opinicins, However, newspapers and journalists shall strive to avoid expressing comment and conjecture as established fact.” Victoria laywer Joe Arvay has been hired by the provincial government to press its case and he has asked “the council to refrain from taking a pasition an this issue until (it has) the benefit” of the province's submissions. Black’s stance on the Nisga’a treaty does not affect news coverage on the issue, letters to the editor or the publishing of established columnists and opinion pieces. He has told his editors that if they don’t want to write an editorial criticizing the treaty, one may be written for them for publication. ‘Premier Gien Clark met with Black last week and asked him to run a series of columns supporting the Nisga’a treaty. “We're still considering that,” said Black although he was nat sure what form any columns or commentary might take. “And we certainly have a forum for divergent views which is letters to the editor, columnists and news stories,” said Black. Black added that the idea of the Smith columns is to bal- ance government advertising of the Nisga’a treaty which he says is untrue. The B.C. Press Council has as its members more than 120 community and-daily newspapers, including The Terrace Standard. It hears complaints from the public and lobbies governments on issues of press freedom. Council chairman Ted Hughes said it will wait until it receives an official-complaint from the provincial govern- ment before making any-statements. Last week, Hughes did say it is a newspaper owner's right to decide the position taken on the editorial page. Depot robbed FOR THE second time in as many weeks, there’s been an armed robbery in Terrace. RCMP are investigating a theft Sunday, Sept. 27 at about 8:30 p.m, at K&M Mushroom Depot located i in the 4500 block of Lakelse Avenue. _ Five male culprits made off with an undetermined amount ‘Of tioney. Thrée adults and two ‘young offenders were charged. RCMP would not say. whether or not this crime was related to the armed robbery at Chalky’s two weeks ago. If anyone has any information on this robbery, contact the Terrace RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 635-8477. ' | Skatepark site opposed PLANS ta locate the city’s skateboard park up against the hill- side near the arena have come under fire from Birch Hill bench residents. “It is going to be intolerable if it goes where you have pro- posed,” said Cedar Crescent home owner Frank Hamilton, whose property goes down the hill and backs onto the proposed skateboard park site. “Tha sound will’ come right up the hill right inte our house,” he told city council Monday night. Hamilton said the temporary skateboard park - which is much closer to Kalum St, and further from Cedar Cres. homes - is already very audible to bench home owners. . He said he has already been woken up as late as.2 a.m. by skateboarders on the wooden ramps. “We weren't consulted, nothing,” Hamilton said. “Council needed a place to dump this.” Mayor Jack Talstra told Hamilton council's tentative approval of the site is subject to engineering tests and security concems, He said noise concems cauld also be explored before a final go-ahead isissued. + “The cement is not yet in place,” he sald. “Before it is in. place, we'll come and have alaok.” From front - Nisga’a take on paper owner pay their own way, said Gosnell, Wright says ibe own source revenue agreement is supposed to take into ac- count both profits made by Nisga’a government-owned businesses as well as royalties collected by the Nisga’a government from its own businesses and other businesses operating in their area. “It's a tax on the nation”’ but one that’s pegged to the ability to pay,’’ said Wright. “His argument doesn’t hold water,’’ Gosnell said of Black. Gosne]l also attacked Black’s call for eventual in- tegration of native people into mainstream socicty. “What is the difference between’ integration and as- similation?’ It sounds like Pierre Trudeau’s 1969 white paper aliempt at assimila- Gosnell reserved his shar- pest words for Black’s edict that his papers will attack the treaty. “Mr. Black is using his prestige and wealth and as- sets to oppose the treaty,” Gosnell said, ‘‘I ask who will be next? Will it be the tadio stations, television, corporations?”’ “So much for the bal- lyhooing of the media of this sacredness of the free- dom of the press.” While Black has indicated the editorial position of his newspapers on the editorial page will be opposed to the treaty, he has said there will not be any muzzling of other opinions in other parts of the paper. News stories, columns and letters to the editor will con- tinue to express any and all views on land claims and on Black’s directive. 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