44 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 13, 1996 “TERRACE, STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. * V8G 5R2 TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 * FAX: (250) 638-8432 MODEM: (250) 638-7247 Prove it LAST WEEK’S American presidential election exposed the soft underbelly of what our neigh- bours presume to be the greatest democratic country in the world, The United States doesn’t have the kind of comprehensive and all encompassing voters’ list organization that exists in Canada. Being put on the list is up to individuals in the United States with the result that millions upon millions of eligible people aren’t registered to vote. And those that are registered somehow fail to get the message that voting is important, The result? Last week barely 50 per cent of registered American voters turned out to choose a presi- dent. And given that Bill Clinton received just under 50 per cent of the vote, he’s back in office with only 25 per cent of the support of registered voters. | We have a much better system of registering voters in Canada and we seem to take a greater interest in what’s going on. It’s not uncommon to have voter turnouts reaching 75 per cent or higher nationally and provincially. But we also have a soft underbelly and it pops up during local government elections. There’s dancing in the streets in the Terrace area when the turn out rate hits 40 per cent. We often pride ourselves in saying we’re dif- ferent and better than our American neighbours. This Saturday is our chance to prove it. And yes, you can register at the polls on elec- tion day. With that kind of opportunity there’s no reason to complain about the state of local government afterward. The first step IT’S TOO bad really that two of the biggest local government issues to hit our area in recent years won’t be directly reflected on our ballots this Saturday. One is the proposal to have a private developer construct and operate a second sheet of ice in tandem with the existing facility. The other is the question of having Terrace’s boundaries extend into Thornhill and other rural areas. The first is very much a big step into the un- known. Can 4 private developer make money running recreational facilities which historically require great amount of subsidies? What’s the liability of the city should the wheels fall off of the cart? Voters last year at this time gave a thumbs down to the idea of borrowing money for a second sheet, indicating enough people are leery enough about the prospect of constructing a second sheet of ice. We won’t know more about the type of proposed arrangement the city thinks might work until next year. The second — extending Terrace’s boundaries — has been thrashed around for years. Local elected officials and the provincial government are tossing back and forth the dollar value of subsidies should this happen and the resulting tax implications on all concerned. Again, local voters won't have a complete package to consid- er until next year. So this Saturday’s vote should be regarded as the first step toward the need for responsible lo- cal government representatives on these key is- sues. There’s nothing worse than a politician who kicks back after being elected. PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link — ADVERTISING MANAGER: Rick Passmore [fa PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS Jeff Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Dave Taylor COMMUNITY: Cris Leykauf OFFICE MANAGER: Kathlcen Quigley ‘ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros, Karen Dietrich ADVERTISING ASSISTANT: Emma Law, Kelly Jean, Shannon Cooper TYPESETTING: Sylvana Broman — , DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur CIRCULATION MANAGER: Karen Brunette H COhmunty Newsrarms BAUESe! atidn brett Cormita ent Webee MEMBER OF B.C. PRESS COUNCIL a Serving the Terrace and Thombill area, Published on Wednesday of each week by Cariboo Prass (1969) Ltd, al 9210 Clinton Street, Terrace, British Columbla, VG 5R2. LS Stories, photographs, illustrations, dasigns and typostyles in the Terrace Standard are tha properly of tha copyright holders, including Caribao Press (1969) Lid, ils illustration repro services and advertising agencies, Fleptodction in whole or in par, wihoul written permission, Is specifically prohibited. Authorized as second-class mail pending the Post Office Department, for payment of postaga in cash, Special thanks io uii our contributors and correspondents I had orwlb ht ipa sear then | way right out Of jt. clarked my for thelr time and talents © Little guy is stomped again VICTORIA — When it rains it pours. For confirmation of that old saw, just ask Paul Leeson, one of the operators of ABC Wilderness Adventures Ltd. in Golden. At about the same time Gold- en was thrown into economic and social turmoil by the closure of Evans Forest Pro- ducts, the town’s largest employer, Leeson’s company was dealt a rotten hand by the provincial government. ABC Wildemess Adventures Tuns an award-winning guest- services operation at Purcell Lodge. A little more than a year ago, the company was awarded a 10-year contract to take over the operations of Mount Assiniboine Lodge in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. ABC Wilderness Adven- “~ tures won the contract fair and square in a compelition. For the next 14 months, the company prepared for the takcover, Spending — an estimated $150,000. That’s a lot of money for a small outfit, but ABC Wilderness Adven- tures wanted the new operation to be first-class, just like its ex- isting one. Then, on September 27, out of the blue, Leeson gets a phone call from B.C, Parks. He is told that his contract is can- celled, and that the tenure of FROM. THE CAPITAL HUBERT BEYER the current operator is ex- tended. As if the news wasn’t bad enough, the timing was worse. It was the day of his mother’s funeral. Leeson was stunned, lo say the least, There had been no in- dication that B.C, Parks might reverse its decision and weasel out of the contract. The government happily let him spend his money, only to pull the rug out from under him. B.C. Parks gave no plausible explanation other than to hint that a lawyer had identified flaws in the tender process. Leeson asked the B.C. Parks official if he could meet with them to sort things out. That request was denied, The press release, announcing the cancel- lation of the contract, had al- ready been prepared and were to go out right after the official hung up the phone, To get the other side of the story, I phoned the office of parks minister Jan Pullinger. The response would take some time I was told. I phoned the former minister, Bill Barlce, who bit the dust in the last election. Bill is a straight shooter, and he would tell me if be knew anything about. the case. As | suspected, he had never even heard of it. These things arc done by bureaucrats. T have been getting a flood of letters and phone calls from irate public servants lately who are slightly miffed by some of my attacks on the bureaucracy in this province. Cry me a river. The more I look into cases of . bureaucratic’: abuse and bun- gling, the clearer it: becomes’ that bureaucrats — I’m refer- | ring to the high-ranking ones — have inordinate discretion- ary powers that can make or break individuals and com- panies, The bureaucracy ‘has become a Jaw onto itself. In the absence of a logical explanation, Leeson says he can only speculate why B,C. Parks officials cancelled the contract and let him hang out to dry. He says ministry in- siders have told him that the about-face came in the wake of media pressure. A senior editor with the Globe and Mail, Leeson said, had been a guest at the lodge ABC Wilderness Adventures was lo take over and written a “scathing article,’’ condema- ing the B.C. government for not giving the present opera- tors an extension on their lease. Likewise, the lawyer - who had ‘ostensibly found ir- regularities in the tender pro- cess, had been a guest at the lodge, _ Whatever the reason, the de- cision by B.C. Parks doesn’t Stand up to the scrutiny of common sense and decency. What’s more, ABC Wilderness Adventures Ltd. is a B.C. based company, a Golden- based company, and God knows that town needs all the help it can get The current operators of the lodge, on the other band, are Alberta-based, and few if any financial benefits accrue to our province. I suggest the minister look into the matter and crank out another press release, this one announcing the reinstatement of ABC Wilderness Adven- tures’ contract. Beyer can be reached at Tel: 920-9300; Fax: 385-6783; E- Mail; hubert@coolcom.com Check out body language “DEMOCRACY IS being al- lowed to vote for the candidale you dislike least.’ Robert Byme When I mark two ballots Nov. 16, I'll choose my candi- dates according to an arbitrary syslem that gives scant weight to the words spoken by politi- cal wannabees. How they said those wards — their eye con- tact, posture, hand mations —- will win or lose my vote. I prefer independent people who show signs of thinking for themselves, who run [or office because they want to not be- cause an interest group asked them io front for it, What is his public demeanor?) Awkward? Self- assured? Know-it-ali? Super- cilious? Condescending? Does he display a sense of humour? Lengthy meetings over tedious topics grind people down if the mood isn’t leavened now and then by an apropos Willicism. Can he see the forest or only: the trees? Faced with a stump, does he throw up his hands, ef wm B25 RALPH By OWES You | J Ai wow THROUGH BIFOCALS- CLAUDETTE SANDECKI chip away al it, or suggest paths around it? Does he speak burcaucratese? Then be loses my Vole, Those who use terms such as stakcholders to mean parenls, teachers, and students, or on-site administrators for school principals, are too in- doctrinated to truly represent common folk like me, I get nervous about any can- didate who claims all the other candidates support his candi- dacy. Hf a council or board is BERT OWED JAKE 300 AND JAKE. OWED REx #225 ANDBTS To PAPA So BERT GAVE THE #300 To REx AND REX GAVE ME THES 75 SINCE RALPH OWES ME BS0 AND THE #25 1S YouRS | made up of like-minded indi- viduals, who applaud their every decision, they’re apt to ignore divergent opinions and pesky facts. A litte friction makes for balanced, middle-of- the-road government. Financial disclosures and the names of nominators are details I'd like to see published each election. Financial dis- closures hint at a candidate’s motives for running. Similarly, nominators’ names may give a clue to the candidate’s stand on some issues, not necessarily the same stand he voices dur- ing an all candidates debate. Incumbents must meet higher standards. Have incumbents been quoled by the media on any issues during their mandate, suggesting they can think and speak for. them- selves, or have they kept such a low profile I. didu’t know they were already a member of the board or council? Or have they bogged. the media spot- light until you'd think they were all of a board or council. - How accessible were they T CAN'T BUT I owe vic £50 AND TAKE &S0 So | YOU COULP Give IT To JAKE EXCEPT HE OWES while elected? If I had occa- sion to call them, did I reach them? After how many boops. And did they listen to my point of view or sort their daily mail wilh the other hand? Are they saying they’d like (0 do this or that — such as have more open communica- tion between the elected body and the stakeholders, as school trustees’ claimed .— when they’ve already had three years in which they could have done just that. Any candidate backed by a service club or other multi- member group loses by inter- est, I have no way of knowing if they support him because he’s a greal elected member or because he plays a good game of golf, The recent pravincial elec tion proves you can’t believe everything a candidate says on the stump. But how he says it — if accurately interpreted — is reliable, By their body language shall ye know them. , NORTHERNERS Dow? UNDER - } STAND ECONOMICS!