A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 5, 1994 TERRACE STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 ADDRESS: 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C, * V8G 1S8 TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432 ‘5 - MODEM: 638-7247 . The right move TERRACE COUNCIL is headed in the right direction through the creation of a regional and aboriginal affairs committee. Chaired by rookie councillor Val George, the committee is to act as the eyes and ears of council on broad issues ultimately affecting the city. For too long municipal governments have tended to slumber in isolation. They react to situations outside of their boundaries instead of acting. This is particularly dangerous for a city. ~ such as Terrace, It is now the main service centre - for the northwest and should cement that role by taking on the position of being the leader for what happens up here. But there are additional steps the city can take to ensure that what happens makes sense and does not unduly affect it. One such measure is inviting the Thornhill regional district director to sit on the new committee or to sit on council’s committee of the whole. This person would not have a-vote, but would take part in discussion and debate on issues involving that area and the city. Mayor Jack Talstra is correct in stating that 1994 could very well be the year the provincial government will move to make a change in the ‘way Thornhill is governed. It does not make sense anymore for such a large population living in an urban setting to remain governed by a sys- tem designed for a more spread out population. The options are for either Thornhill to in- corporate and become a municipality or for it to merge with Terrace. By having the district direc- tor sit with council, Terrace will be well on its way to forging a new relationship no matter what ultimately occurs. This same concept can be extended to Kitsum- kalum and to Kitselas. These two villages are tgrowihg and itis best: that their development pro- -Ceed?in' concert with events within the city. It is far easier to be in on the ground floor of change than to play catch up or to have to deal with cir- cumstances introduced without local consensus. - Much the same is true for the broader implica- ‘tions of the Nisga’a land claim. Having a Nisga’a Tribal Council representative sit with a council committee and for a Terrace councillor to ‘do the same with the tribal council will do ~much to allay uncertainty and suspicions on both ‘sides. More than anything else, a measure of goodwill is needed in advance of any creation of ~ another government structure in the northwest. Access needed IT IS way past time the provincial government ‘opened an aboriginal affairs ministry office in the northwest. To have the ministry dealing with the most crucial issue facing the northwest - remain cloistered in Victoria is wrong. The case for 4 northwest office is even more important given the Nisga’a land claims negotia- ‘tions. Although the ministry, the federal govern- meat and the Nisga’a have let a little light on the subject, there is no local contact point for those who have a question or wish information. .It is foolhardy and dangerous to create a new level of government without first building a level of trust and understanding. A ministry office or Nisga’a claims office would be the first step. The ministry is hiring a regional co-ordinator but that person is to act on behalf of natives and will be based in Victoria. This move will be a help but unfortunately ignores the interests of the other people who live up here. ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L. Hamm GONNA - werraia PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link @ CMA PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur "sient NEWS COMMUNITY: Jeff Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Malcolm Baxter OFFICE MANAGER: Rose Fisher COMPOSING: Pam Odell * TYPESETTER: Ariane Viasblom DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Charlene Matthews Serving the Terrace atea. Published on Wednesday of each week by Carino Press (1969) Lid. at 4647 Lazele Ave, Terrace, Getish Colunbla, Stories, photographs, ltuslrationa, designs end typestyles in the Terrace Standard are the property of the copyright hoklers, incuding Cariboo Presa (1959) Lid, i's illustration repro services and advertising ncies, Papodictionin whoke of pelt wihou! wiiten pennissio, ia specticaly prohibited. Auborited es ¢econd-dess mal pinding tha Post Office Dapartment, fot payment of postage In cash, ‘Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents for thelr ime and talents LOOK..UP THERE... THE POVERTY LINE \ sha turerry ' Robber barons ride again THE NPP government is about to sock it to you again, After having exhausted every conceivable method of taking money out of your pocket, ei- ther by direct taxation or by in- creasing everything from mar- riage licence to hunting fees, Harcourt’s latter-day robber barons have laid the ground- work for another huge tax grab, this one hidden in B.C. Hydro rate increases, With the help of some crea- tive bookkeeping, the Harcourt government has given the Crown corporation marching orders to collect an additional $80 million from its customers this year and up to $170 mil- lion a year in the future. The orders came in the form of ‘‘Special Directions,” which orderéd B.C, Hydro to, Mons “rdcléssify mort’ than’ $1 "Billion. worth of customer-supplied funds as part of ils own equity, Nearly half of these funds are provided by customers to build transmission lines and other facilities’ which are, by generally-accepted accounting practices, not considered equi- ty but “‘no-cost’” capital. By a stroke of the pen, the government has thus increased B.C. Hydro’s equity base, creating the false impression that an increase in rates is war- tanted. And they said the Socreds used creative account- ing methods, SORTING OUT two years’ ac- cumulation of family photog. Taphs into chronological order is like cataloguing skeletal remains from an archacologi- cal dig. Even classification tools are similar. You need a boardroom-sized table, magnifying glass, pencil, eraser, and daily diary cover- ing the two years. The mental recall of someone who holds a . the deductive - grudge — plus powers of Perry Mason come in handy. Polaroids have it over regular film when it comes to accurate dating: the dale can be pen- tilled on a Polaroid before it has altained maximum colour. With 24 or 36 exposure films, sometimes weeks go by before the whole film has becn shot. Add the days it takes: to: have the film developed, espe-' . Clally if it’s mailed out-of- — town... : A few dated Polaroids’ - sprinkled throughout the ac- cumulation scrve lo keep dates accutale, like a squad car in » ALUS A WELL WE ALL WENT 70 THE CONFERENCE IN) RIO THEN THE WORKSHOP IN FAIRBANKS + ANP TOOK A COURSE (N VANCOUVER. SABBATICA ‘FROM THE ‘CAPITAL HUBERT BEYER The move has brought to- ' gether some rather strange bedfellows who are trying to convince the government thal the Hydro rate hike is bad news all around. Leading the charge is a coali- w, lon of B.C. resource industries .. .. ., and the British Columbia Pub- ” lic Interest Advocacy Centre. The fatter represents six dif- — ferent public interest groups: the Consumers’ Association of Canada; the B.C. Old Age Pensioners’ Organization; the Council of Senior Citizens’ Organization of B.C.; the Fed- erated Anti-Poverty Groups of B.C; the Senior Citizens’ As- sociation of B.C., and the West End Seniors’ Network. Industry coalition spokes- man, Dick Bryan, called - the Tate increase ‘‘a hidden, regressive tax which, like the corporation capital fax, bears ‘THROUGH BIFOCALS CLAUDETTE SANDECKI traffic, If you’re lucky, the bulk of the pholos will feature Christ- mas decorations, Halloween jack-o-lantems, or Easier bun- nies. . Another category easily iden- ified are momentous acca- sions. Family reunions; wed- dings; birthday celebrations; a rare. visit from a roving aunt. The exchange trip to Rimouski, Lee , Q BLA TABEEBELORRE ER Ges BUT MR, FISHER YOUR NET PRODUCTIVITY tS NEAR. ZERO, YOU CAN'T RUN A BUSINESS WHERE YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE RARELY DOING REAL WORK ! no relationship to anyonc’s abilily to pay and simply raises inpul costs on a continuing basis,”’ _ Bryan estimates that about 40 per cent of the additional $170 million a year the government is going to collect will be born by large in- dustries. ‘*This comes at a time when the pulp and paper indusiry is still reeling from the worst markets in decades, wiih no end in sight until 1995 at the earliest, and mines are closing in British Columbia, some as recently as two weeks ago.’” Bryan says that with this latest increase, B.C. Hydro will be allowed to carn revenues that would no be permitted a pri- vate utility. .He calculates _ Hydrg’s retusi-on tine, equity _at about, 32, percent, well,in ._ excess of that allowed a private utility company such as West Kootenay Power, which will earn an after-tax relum of 11.5 per cent this year. So much for the response from big business. How about the little guy? He isn’t any happier, Michael Doherty, staff lawyer for the British Colum- bia Public Interest Advocacy Centre, calls the rate increase B.C, Hydro must implement at the orders of the government objectionable for a number of reasons. ‘First, this is a tax on some- Then you're down to the bar- flers. Lacking anything distinc- tive, these photos require con- centration and deduction... If there are young kids in the picture, major toys can be as reliable as carbon dating, The tricycle given to the hwo-year- old last Easter. The sicigh from Santa. The shopping carl pur- chased during Riverboat Days. Pets — especially young pets —- define earliest points. The tolypoly puppy brought home mid-October, The labby kitten adopted in July. ; Scasons -can often be determined from scenes through windows. Sun-dappled lilacs visible from the kitchen. Leafless alder beyond the living room. Golden sun- flowers in the yard, Incidental details may prove to be less than incidental. Winter boots in the mud tray. An celeciric fan on the kilchen table.'A wall calender with the month legible to a Sherlock. Christmas cards strung like laundry. thing which is absolutely es- sential to people for their day- to-day survival. Taxing elec- tricity is just like taxing bread, It’s saying to people, ‘if you want to have heat, if you want to have light, we will tax you for that privilege,’ ’? Doherty says. — Second, it’s a regressive tax which will have a dis- proportionate effect on people, A family living below - the poverty line may find itself facing the same sort of in- crease in its electricity bill as a wealthy family.” He also. finds objectionable the fact that it represents a hid- den tax. Governments, he says, have a duty to present -pro- grams and policies in an _.above-board manner, so the s@lectorate can decide :whether or not to support them....~ jarrs “This .is not what has.hap-. _ pened here. Rather than col- a thousand words lecting a lax in a.manner that is _ apparent, B.C, Hydro was used to launder the money.” 4 - Well, now you know, an maybe you can do something - about it, A chorus of protest from around the province would be music to my ears, Send you NDP MLA a left- over Christmas -card with ‘humbug’? written all over it, Gel on the phone and give these self-proclaimed champions of the underdog ‘a piece of your mind. Don’t overlook houseplants. Not only do plants blossom at predictable times. They lose or gain leaves in response to stresses, such as being a kit- . ten’s litter box. People’s garments — or lack of — provide plenty of dala. A baby clothed only in a diaper suggesls a hot summer - day. The toddler wearing Dad’s fleece-lined gloves hints ‘at January, if the gloves were a Christmas present. The photo site may offer” clues. A partly painted wall in anew house. Concrete foolings -- for a building. A parden of green shoots. Oddly, the more photos taken of any one day, the easier the job of dating the photos, be- cause clothing wom that day will appear in all the photos. That’s where ‘one accurately dated Polaroid shines. " Balancing the cheque book, flossing, and taking out the ~~. garbage arc tasks best done regularly, Ditto dating photos, 5 4} (you s/° po! ' : \E Ye ; ‘\