Ad - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 26, 1996

TERRACE

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, L988

ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. « V8G 5R2
TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432
E-MAIL; terrace.standard@sasquat.com
MODEM: (604) 638-7247

Hands off

FOR THOSE of you who scrimp, save, beg,
sweat, struggle, cry, scrounge and generally
drive yourself into the ground to stuff every cent
possible each year into Registered Retirement
Savings Plans, there’s bad news. Revenue Cana-
da wants a massive piece of whatever you
managed to contribute once you reach your
retirement years.

Here’s the deal. Beginning in 2001 the federal
government is wiping out the conglomeration of
Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supple-
ment and other items aimed at retired people in
favour of a new Senior Benefit.

The idea is to provide a base level of income.
After a certain level the government will deduct
dollar for dollar from its payments based on
other income you might have. And once past an-
other level, the Senior Benefit is reduced to zero.

On first glance this is a worthy plan for it seeks
to provide security for those who may have not
had the benefit of pension plans or high levels of
income to invest a lot of money in RRSPs.

But the bad part is that the clawbacks involved
can actually represent an additional tax payment
rate of 20 per cent on top of regular income tax
rates, Some benefit-to-tax tables suggest the
combined effect of regular income tax plus the
20 per cent could hit as high as 70 per cent.

And the government will also make its calcula-
tions based on family income, not single in-
comes.

The overall effect of this is a punishment for
those who were able to and who took seriously
their responsibility of working to provide for
themselves during their retirement years.

All of this is even more important given the
grave doubts about the Canada Pension Plan’s
ability to act as an effective entity in the next
century,

Taxation is designed to do a lot of things but it
should never be used as a brutal tool of state in-
tervention.

|
Way to go

TWO GOOD things have come out of city hall
in just the last little while and both have to do
with recreation.

The first is councillor Rich McDaniel’s work in
lining up willing donators to create a skateboard
park behind city hall.

Up until now skateboarders have practised their
craft more or less at the mercy of businesses
around the town. They are now in the position
very soon of having a place they can call their
own.

The second is councillor David Hull’s sugges-
tion that the library be open on statutory holidays
or Mondays in the next budget year. That makes
a lot of sense as the library is a valuable educa-
tional tool as well as an important recreational
outlet, Many types of recreation are enjoyed over
long weekends and the library would be a worthy
addition to the options. ;

What’s encouraging about these two items is
the recognition of the many types of recreational
opportunities in the area, They also go a long
way to providing alternative outlets for youth
who might otherwise be tempted to do some-
thing else with dire and unwanted consequences.

PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link
ADVERTISING MANAGER: Rick Passmore
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credpeur
NEWS Jeff Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Dave Taylor
COMMUNITY: Cris Leykauf
OFFICE MANAGER: Laurie Ritter
ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS:
Sam Collier, Janet Vivciros, Karen Dietrich & Cheri Reidy
ADVERTISING ASSISTANT: Emma Law, Kelly Jean
' TYPESETTING: Sylvana Broman
DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur
CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Karen Brunctte
MEMBER OF B.C. PRESS COUNCIL
Serving the Terrace and Thornhill area. Published on Wednesday af each weak by Cariboo Press (1969)
Lid, al 3210 Clinton Street, Terrace, Brilisl Columbia, VaG SR2. ;
Stories, photographs, illustrations, dasigns and typestyles in the Terrace Standard are the property of the
copyright holders, including Cariboo Press (1969) Lid., its iustralion repro services and advertising
agencies.

Reproduction in whole or In part, without written permission, Is specifically arehibiled,
Authorized a3 second-class mail pending ihe Post Olfice Department, fdr paymant of postage |n cash.

Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents

for thelr time and talents

». OK! BRING OUT
CHRETIEN..

Clark sticks to tried-and-true

VICTORIA — Premier Glen
Clark didn’t take any chances
with his new cabinet, adding
no new face and removing no
old one.

Faced with a vastly more
powerful opposition in the up-
coing session, the premier
played it safe, allocating the
most important portfolios to
his heaviest hitters, the rest to
equally experienced people,
and leaving no room for on-
the-job training for any newly-
elected MLAs,

Gender parity went out the
window, with only four out of
the 13 porlfolios going to
women, while regional repre-
sentation is roughly equal, with
seven cabinet jobs going to ur-
ban MLA and six to rural ones,

The reduction of ministries
to 13 from 15 is largely
window dressing, saving little
if any money, but meant to
convey concern over the cost
of government.

Although Dan Miller had
been widely touted as the most
likely candidate for Finance
Minister, the job went to
Andrew Petter. Miller will, in-
stead, be in charge of Employ-
ment, Investment and
Municipal Affairs.

Both are veteran cabinet
ministers who will be able to

‘FROM THE CAPITAL

HUBERT BEYER

hold their own during the
forthcoming legislative battles.
Environmeulalisis won't be
happy with Paul Ramscy’s ap-
pointment as Minister of En-
vironment, Lands and Parks.
They would have preferred

thal portfolio. He may not have
delivered all they wanted, but
they considered him the best
bet.

Sihota’s talents as a high-
profile and oulspoken and
result-oriented cabinet member
will, however, not be wasted in
his new role as Minister of
Labor, Education, Skills and
Training.

Labor disputes have tradi-

tionally tested the mettle of
B.C, labor ministers, and
Sihota should provide an inter-
esling choice for the job in this
province’s volatile — labor-
management climate. The edu-
cation system, too, needs more
than 4 few band-aids and could
benefit from a firm hand.

Not surprisingly, John
Cashore remains in his job as
Aboriginal Affairs Minister.
Treaty negotiations with Brit-
ish Columbia's First Nations
are at a crucial stage, and
Cashore has been in on the
process from the start.

Corky Evans’ appointment as
Minister of Agriculture, Food
and Fish comes as somewhat
of a surprise, at least to me.
David Zirnheit bad been preity
good at the job, while Evans
was just starting to get familiar

i - wilh ‘his Transportation .and:...
Moe Sihota to stay in charge of

Highways portfolio. | -, ;

Tn Clark’s new lineup, Evans
will get Agriculture, while
Zimhelt will be moved over to
Forests, If I had wanted Evans
in a new job at all, I would
have given him Forests. He's
got quite a bit experience in
the field. But hey, I’m not the
premier.

Dennis Streifel will exchange
his short stint as Forest Minis-
ter for the Social Services port-

.

folio. He’s still too new in cab-
inet to predict whether he’s up
to the task of his new duties.

Smal] Business, Tourism and
Culture, for years the domain
of the gregarious Bill Barlee,
who was defeated in the elec-
tion, will go to Penny Priddy.
Although a very capable cabi-
net ninister, she will definitely
not bring the same pizzazz to
the job that her predecessor
did.

Joy MacPhail, another expe-
rienced hand, should have ne
problem taking, on the Health
porifolio, and Sue Hammell
will be a warthy proponent of
women’s issues as the new
Minister of Women’s Equality.

Lois Boone, the new Minis-
ter of Transportation and High-
ways, has been in cabinet be-
fore and can be expected to
speriénm well: after/an- initial:

:, period of familiarization with

the job.

And finally, there’s no
change in the Attorney Gener-
al’s Ministry. Ujjal Dosanjh
will remain in his job. He’s
been good at it until now and,
I’m sure, will continue to be
good at it,

Hubert Beyer can be
reached at; (Tel) 604-920-
9300; (Fax) 604-381-6922;

email: hbeyer@coolcem.conm

Booger miners should beware

JUST AS minor movie actors
win awards though the lead ac-
tor in a movie may not, so too
in newscasts, the fringe action
may be more memorable than
the main event,

Three recent television
broadcasts prove how casy it is
for an unintentional —ap-
pearance to eclipse the enter-
tainment value of a staged pro-
duction,

While Glen Clark and a
panel of other election candi-
dates were being interviewed
on CKNW’s apen line shaw,
the camera picked up three
speclators standing behind
Clark on ihe other side of the
glass partition. One spectator
was Jamie Lamb, the freclance
columnist, exchanging remarks
with a Pamela = Wallin
lookalike in a periwinkle blue
suit.

Ams folded, she swayed
back and forth. stifling
laughter. What did she find so
funny? It wasn't Clark’s con-
versation, But her off-air met-
riment was more compelling to
watch and speculate about than

THAT FoREST !!

wow! look AT 7

THROUGH BIFOCALS:
CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

the news clip,

Two weeks ago, during a
break in the Westray Mine in-
quiry being conducted in Stel-
larion, Nova Scotia, as the
courtroom waited for ane wit-
ness to exil and the next wit-
ness to take the stand — an
aide clipped a microphone to
the wilness’s shirt front, some-
one else fetched a fresh snifter
of ice water, a third administ-

AND THOSE. LAKES!
AND RIVERS AND
OPEN SPACES!!!

ered the oath — the inquiry
canlera pammed to a group of
four spectators,

Seated together in two front
rows, slouched in their chairs,
ankles crossed, all sat glum-
faced, arms folded as though
choreographed, in a pose body
language experts interpret as,
“T don’t believe a word you're
telling me.”?

The brief glimpse of four
pairs of arms stoically folded
emphasized the skepticism of
victims’ families listening to
the testimony of officials who
failed to safeguard miners’
safcty on the job.

Closer 19 home, while a
delegation was putting their
cast to Terrace city council,
two young female reporters
shared the camera’s focus, One
reporter vigorously exercised
her jaw muscles mauling a wad
of gum the size of an unshelled
hazelnut. I had to divide my at-
tention between her mag-
nificent chewing and my retch-
ing reflex.

The young woman sitting
beside her, lacking gum,

no! WE WERE
ON HOLIDAYS

a

nibbled reflectively on her
cuticles, inspected them for an-
other approach, then resumed
tugging loose ragged bits of
bothersome skin.

What, I wondered, was the

cameraman up to? Did be have
no choice but to treat us all to
an aesthetician’s nightmare?
Didn't the reporters suspect
they might be on TY, seated as
they were behind the delega-
tion in the camera’s sight line?
Or maybe they didn’t mind let-
ling their boss and
readers/Viewers see them more
intent on their personal habits
than taking notes or listening
to the delegation.
‘ In my mind’s eye I can fe-
mun the episode wilh total
clarity. But I don’t remember
even the topic of the delega-
tion’s presentation. Maybe that
only reveals my shallow inter-
ests, more than my dismay that
two working reporters would
behave that way while report-
ing a council meeting.

It reminds me never to pick
my nose for boogers when
there’s a camera nearby.

AND WE'RE Ti UST,
COMING Home!!

SO IRAR Te

Cie EN ei seed

Sa A ea Sa tes VCH Tee a oe 2