A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 16, 1997 ‘TERRACE STANDARD AGA? Lazaile Ave,, Terrace, 8.C, V8G 198 (604) 638-7283 Fax (604) 639-6432 ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 A Division of Cariboo Press (1969) Ltd. ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C, * V8G SR2 TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 * FAX: (250) 638-8432 EMAIL: standard@kermode.net Tax sneaks IT’S AMAZING how a government which preaches the two-word philosophy of consult and’ process continually finds itself in trouble because it doesn’t do either. That’s clearly evident in how the environment ministry pushed through fishing fee hikes this year. There’s no question the angling community had no problem with fee increases to better reflect what everybody considers a prime and valuable recreational resource. That was based on the position the government would devote the amount of those increases to enhanced conserva- tion measures. But as detailed in a story last week, the angling community wasn’t told beforehand of the size of the hikes, when they would be raised or asked what it thought of the proposal. Environment ministry officials in daily contact , with the angling community told their bosses : there would be trouble because of the failure to’ do the above. That advice also came from offi- cials whose job is to polish the government’s public relations apple for the best possible shine. . If these people think a plan stinks, then you should know you have trouble. This became apparent when the first press releases in advance of this year’s angling season | came out. Fee increases weren’t specifically mentioned yet there were general phrases that more money would be made available for con- servation and enforcement. But the glaring absence was this — not all of the extra money would go to conservation and enforcement. Some would go to general revenue to feed an increasingly desperate and financially- strapped provincial government. In the end this is what it was all about — another tax increase somebody hoped could be snuck through without anybody noticing. And it didn’t work. Good news CAN THERE be any good news in the Skeena Cellulose crisis? There is and it has everything to do with the in- terent value of Skeena Cellulose’s assets, the workforce in the northwest and our trees. At the heart of the problem is a horribly ineffi- cient pulp mill on Watson Island near Prince Rupert, It makes money only when the price of pulp is high enough to cover huge operating costs. There’s now a consensus that the mill is inefficient and needs massive improvernents which, unfortunately, means fewer jobs. While the mill is a mess, it does have the roads, power, water, port and other facilities needed as’ the foundation for whatever may come next. The trees here remain and they carry a value that will attract investment to produce a product that can and will be sold. Also here is a skilled workforce which has deep community roots and a commitment to living and thriving in the northwest. PUBLISHER/ EDITOR: Rod Link ADVERTISING MANAGER: Sam Collier PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS Jeff Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Dave Taylor COMMUNITY: Cris Leykauf STUDENT REPORTER: Saiwa Farah OFFICE MANAGER: Kathleen Quigley ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Janet Viveiros, Tracy Cowan, Brian Lindenbach TELEMARKETER: Tracey Tomas ADVERTISING ASSISTANT: Emma Law, Kelly Jean TYPESETTING: Sylyana Broman DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur CIRCULATION MANAGER: Karen Brunette SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL: $53.50 per year; Seniors $48.15; Out of Province $60.99 Outside of Canada (6 months) $149.80 (ALL PRICES INCLUDE GST) NEMBER OF B.C, AND YUKON COMMUNITY HEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION, CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION AND. (* argreesn tari efarsr B.C. PRESS COUNCIL Ditiish Ealout!s ou Wslrm Serving the Terrace and Thornhill aaa. Pubtished on Wednasday of each week by Cartboa Prass (1969} Lid, at $210 Clinton Streal, Terrace, Briish Columbia, VEG SR2, Stories, photographs, illustrations, designa and typestyles in the Terrace Standard are lhe property of the copyright holders, including Cariboo Press (1989) Ltd., its illustration repro services and advertising iJ nautry ne eee ag Reproduction i in whole of in part, without written permission, is specifically prohibited. Authorized a8 sacond-class mail pending the Post Offica Department, fot payment of postage In cash. Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents for their time and talents He's probing in a minefield VICTORIA — Auditor Gen- eral George Morfitt is walking through a political minefield these days. He’s conducting aa independent inquiry into last year’s budget fiasco. Morfitt’s path is fraught with obstacles you usually find only in a war zone, but if he suc- ceeds in rooting ont the cul- prits that derailed the process which normally should lead to a responsible and fairly ac- curate fiscal forecast, then, in the parlance of his profession, he will have delivered value for ihe money. When Clark was one of the pitbulls in opposition, he very much wanted Morfitt to be- come auditor general, which he eventually did. That was in 1988. In £994, Morfitt was re- appointed for another six-year ‘term. And just about now,,. ‘Clark probably wishes Morfitt was fine-tuning his golf game in- stead of fishing in murky political waters. What Morfitt intends to find out is how a budget thal, be- fore the last election, according fo the government, would deliver a surplus, ended up deeply in red ink. And the out- come could be very embarrass- ing for the government and a handful of top bureaucrats. are aiding efficiency,’” says Nancy Ozawa, director of the London Institute for the Fu- ture, A study by Gallup and Ozawa’s institvte found that the average middle- Management executive sends or receives 178 messages and documents each day, secre- tarial staff face more than 190 daily correspondences, includ- ing mail, e-mail, faxes, phone calls, voice - mail, sticky notes, pager messages, courier deliveries and internal mail. Now a daily tally of 178 messages in an eight-hour shift averages one interruption every three minutes. That’s equivalent to the frenetic role of a mother with three pre- schoolers with colds and cray- ing altention. Hartied mothers resort to cold cereal breakfasts, oc- casional babysitters, and Satur- day morning garage-saling as a WE'RE GEOLOGISTS | FROM MAGMACORP. B THey SAY You HAVE THE BEST Rock FROM THE CAPITAL HUBERT BEYER The way in which Morfilt proceeds signals a tough in- quiry. He is placing witnesses under oath, «a procedure employed very effectively by former Conflict of Interest Commissioner Ted Hughes, Remember, Hughes got the ball rolling that eventually bowled over former premicr Bill Vander Zalm. If Morfiit simply interviewed the key players in the budget fiasco, chances are they would colour their accounts to protect themselves, Under oath, they ate compelled to tell the truth to the best of their recollec- tions. Placing senior finance minis- try officials under oath also protects them against possible “THROUGH BIFOCALS | CLAUDETTE SANDECKI brief escape. Similarly, office workers stay beyond reach by switching pagers off or letting mobile phone batteries run down. I’ve suspected slacking off for a long time. Most clectronic gadgets were invented to improve our ef- ficlency and relieve us of siress. Washing machines and dryers do; communications devices don't. A major drawback of voice AND THIS ONE) LOOKS JUST UKE USTRALIA AND ERe'S ONE WHHA MB COLLECTION) IN “TOWN: y KEYHOLE RIGHT THROUGH, ITS AND retaliation from their political masters, In short, under oath, wilnesses don't run for cover. There has bec much speculation how a budget forc- cast can promise a surplus dur- ing an election campaign and tum out to be deep in deficit right after the election. The government has stead- fasity maintained the dis- crepancy was duc to economic fluctuations and a flawed fore- cast procedure. Critics say the government kiew damued well before the election that the budget was headed for a deficit, but hid that fact from voters to win the election. I agree with the critics. Since the controversy first flared up, a lot of finance ministry docu- ments aud memos have sur- faced, many. of which warned the government at the lime that” its budget forecasl was too op- timistic. But the premier knew that the forecast of a budget deficit would severely hamper his chances of squeezing another mandate out of the voters, So he stuck with the optimistic forecast. Both critics and defenders of the government agree that any budget forecast is somewhat flawed, particularly in a pro- vince that relies so heavily on mail and answering machines is caller impatience and un- certainly. Why is the person aking so long to call back? Did he ever receive the mes- sage? Consequently many cal- lers leave messages in several different modes, multiplying message traffic. Saturday I received one phone call from a womaa who exhaled audibly when I ans- wered. “You're the third per- son I’ve called and the only one that didn’t use an answer- ing machine.” I] know just how grateful that caller felt. Often I’ve punched my way through a maze - ‘Push three for English’, ‘Push four to have this mes- sage repeated,”’ In the end I’m embarrassingly beholden to be spoken to by a living, brea- thing individual. Though I have no data to back me up, it's my feeling voice mail is more widely tsed in Canada than in the U.S. Rarely must [ follow the orders revenue from natural resources, which can fluctuate : --: wildly and without notice. But even that doesn't account for the fiasco of Last year’s budget projections. Morfiit’s inquiry may pro: : duce two beneficial results: the forecast. procedure changed to teflect the vagaries of economic forecasts, and governments may in future be less inclined to hoodwink ‘the public. At times like this, it becomes obvious why we have agen- cies, independent of govern- ment, to keep the system on. - the straight and narrow, Can you imagine the results of. an internal finance ministry inves- . ligation into this or. any other matter, the results of which ae . may or may not be released to =: the public? — . « Morfitt has shiown in the past ne that he’s no patsy. If he finds dirt, he’ll expose it, albeit-in somewhat (more language than your average newspaper columnist’ would use. But that’s alright’ PU. « a | translate Morfitt’s findings into | ./)- ’ I very plain English, Beyer can be reached at Tel: . (250) 920-9300; Fax: (250) 385-6783; E-Mail: .... hubert@coolcem.com Human contact the best yet “WE HAVE passed the point where communications tools of a mechanical voice when I phone south of the border, Beyond the ‘push one’ rig- marole, my pet peeve is the ad- vertising I’m forced to listen to while I wait. As a rule when I phone, [’m in a burry, ’m hot in the nicod for an upbeal sales — . pitch about a product Ihave no ~ intention of buying. For pure’ efficiency, - you can’t beat the boss who aiis- wers his own. phone: He can make decisions instantly, the caller knows he’s reached the right person, and there’s no time wasted for either party. True, come quitting time, the photic-answering manager can’t boast. “I survived 170 messages today,’’ But he can point to a tangible product, whether it’s a truckload | of bucked firewood, six. saws sharpened, ora tow of jelly preserves. * Maybe whal’s to blame isn't electronic communications, but delegation. WHAT.A FLAKE! ALL HE COLLECTS is, ‘BEAUTY ROCKS’ YEAH! BUT THREE OF THEM WERE FROM DIAMOND PIPES II es War ope pe, Beas é aeE YEE Li emcee te may be ~~ diplomatic --.