P . “Ad - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 9, 1998 TERRACE | STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 PUBLISHER: ROD LINK ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. * V8G 5R2 TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 * FAX: (250) 638-8432 EMAIL: standard@kermode.net The basics TAKE A moment to consider the plight of Dease Lake. With the closure of the Cassiar mine and townsite in 1992, Dease Lake became the largest settlement north on Hwy37 leading into the Yukon. Two things then happened in Dease Lake. It received a new health centre and its airport was greatly improved to reflect its new position as the centre for that vast northern area. And now both of those facilities are going through tough times, Central Mountain Airlines is pulling its daily scheduled service the end of October, partly in response to it not being able to make any money and partly because it is now tied into the Air Canada/Air B.C. system. Air Canada is pulling out of some routes in favour of smaller Air B.C. aircraft and Air B.C. is in turn pulling out of some of its routes to be replaced by even smaller Central Mountain aircraft. At the end of the day, Dease Lake suffers. It’s also been difficult, if-not impossible, for the health centre to find doctors for its two salaried positions. The centre has been through a depress- ing series of temporary fill-ins and has gone without at times, a dangerous circumstance given the nearest medical care is a day’s journey away by vehicle. Nobody has ever suggested that conditions in the north should be exactly as they are in the south. But access to reasonable transportation and reasonable health care is, at the very least, not too much to expect. AUIS espreree erie . errant i taere Rouble rubble — THERE WAS simply no way to expect the Rus- Sian economy and society to easily convert from 70 years of massive state control to one of free enterprise. Heck, we haven’t even figured out how to do it and we’ve been at it a lot longer. But what has tumed thé Russian rouble into rubble more than anything else was thie massive theft and fraud that took place. An estimated - $100 billion i in foreign aid and capital has been poured into Russia since the Soviet Union crumbled. Estimates are that as much as $30 bil- lion was gleefully stolen. And what makes that even more telling is that a substantial portion of this stolen money ended up back in the west — in bank accounts, in real estate, in a wanton display of consumer excess. So now when the first of the huge foreign loans are up for repayment, there are no factories producing goods and services and people work- ing to generate income to begin those payments. Of course, this isn’t the first time this sort of thing has happened. Other news reports indicate that as much as $20 billion in World Bank money sent to Indonesia to help develop that country has vanished. Ever get the feeling we must have ‘sucker?’ written on our foreheads? PUBLISHER/ EDITOR: Rod Link ADVERTISING MANAGER: Brian Lindenbach PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS Jeff Nagel * NEWS/SPORTS: Christiana Wiens 1958 WINNER NEWS/COMMUNITY: Alex Hamilton mi NEWSPAPERS OFFICE MANAGER: Sheila Sandover-Sly ~~ COMPETITION CIRCULATION MANAGER: Karen Brunette ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Bedford;. Bunnie Cote TELEMARKETER: Patricia Schubrink AD ASSISTANT: Kelly Jean COMPOSING: Susan Credgeur ' _AD ASSISTANT/TYPESETTING: Julie Davidson SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL: $56.18 pex year; Seniors $49.76; Out of Province $63.13 we “Outside of Canada (6 months) $155.15 weet (ALL PRICES INCLUDE GST) MEMBER OF 8.0, AND YUXON COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION. CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION “ aX G@CNA »-= B,C. PRESS COUNCIL practice) tareoa “porin Colsmiis aad Yemen * Serving the Terrace and Thornhill area. Published on Wednesday of each week at 3210 Clinton Steel, Sven’ plage phe, herons, delgn and pes inthe Tenaoe Sanda asthe propery ofthe s, itustratons, designs and typestyles in the Tenace aro the prope copyright holders, Including Caritoa Pross (1868) Lid, its Mustration repra services and advertising agencies. © Reproduction in whola or in without written permisslon, Is specifically prohibited. Pod 2 vocont dass mak pending te Post Offica Department, for payment of postaga in cash. Special thanks {o all our contributors and corraspondents for their time and talents THE PLAN 1S SIMPLE .. TCHOPOFF OUR BRANCH. 1 STICK IT IN THE FOUND, . AND GROW OUR OWN TREE. . A Put fish first, and not politics VICTORIA — The very best one can say about the inquiry into Ottawa’s management of the West Coast fishery is. that it may have averted a blockade by B.C. fishermen, Apart from that, the inquiry, ordered by Premier Glen Clark, appears to be more concerned with political grandsianding and Otlawa- bashing than consideralion of salmon stacks. The point wasn’t lost on federal fisheries minister David Anderson who has ordered his department not to co-operate with what he calls an “inappropriate and politically-moti- vated” move by a premier whose intense dislike for Anderson i is well known. -. “The provincial: plan locanduct: an inquiry;into, the management of Fraser River salmon is yet another unfortunate example of playing politics with fish,” Anderson said, “Proper inquiries into complex mat- ters require expertise, proper author- ity, time and dedicated effort. This exercise proposed by the province has none of these requirements.” Anderson is right on all counts, The only expertise former Newfoundland premier Brian Peckford, who is to head the inquiry, brings to his task is thal, as premier, ‘FROM THE. CAPITAL HUBERT BEYER he presided over the destruction of the east coast cod fishery. Even though fishery, then as . now, was under federal jurisdiction, “Peckford continially” demanded higher catch quotas which hardly makes him a qualified candidate for an inquiry into anything to do with fish. Nor does B.C. have the proper authority. Fishery is under federal jurisdiction, and the only goyern- ment that could order a meaningful inquiry into the West Coast salmon fishery is Ottawa. As for the time frame, Peckford is to submit his findings by Sept. 25, a laughable deadline, considering the complexity of the issue. Not satisfied with his attack on Ottawa, our premier started hostili- lies a second front by reviving a U,S. court action intended to keep the United States from violating the Pacific Salmon Treaty. Any time now, I expect the B.C. Ferries fleet to be fitted with missiles aimed at Ottawa and Washington. Thave engaged in Ottawa-bash- ing myself, and sometimes with good reason. British Columbia, on the west- em fringe of this vast country has been often ignored by the powers that keep the federal wheels turning. But in this case, J find myself siding wilh Anderson. * My. teaction last year to Anderson's handling of the salmon issue was somewhat negative. I was convinced that he could have con- fronted the U.S. more forcefully. But I have never doubted his com- mitment to put fish first. Anderson has steadfastly pro- moted protection and restoration of salmon stocks. Fishermen, whose livelihood depends directly on the size of their catch, are understanda- bly upset over any policy that diminishes their income. As for the alleged over-fishing by the Alaska fleet, I do not profess to have the expertise to pass a-valid judgment, but given the often unre- ~ liable rhetoric that comes from our premier’s office, I’m keeping an open mind, Details aside, there is no doubt that some of British Columbia’s salmon stocks need protection and ‘ restoring. Some of the reasons ‘for : reduced stocks have nothing to do with over-fishing. Water tempera- iures, for instance, are unusually ; high this summer, resulting in a dra- matically increased death rate of . salmon returning to spawn, If Ottawa has to answer to questions of possible mismanage- ment of the West Coast fishery, the: - ’ Peckford inquiry is-the worst-possi-* " ble‘arena in which to’ do ‘so, and Anderson is well-advised to stay : away from it A Royal Commission, on the : other hand, headed by a credible person, might give us some of the answers we need fo improve man- agement of this valuable resource, Perhaps Anderson could. be convinced of the potential at such a commission. Beyer can be reached at: Tel: ' (250) 920-9300; Fax: (250) 356- 9597;E-mail; hubert@coolcom.com ; The trials of an estate sale AN ESTATE sale is a lot like a funeral: you're moving through the house of the dear departed, among bereaved relatives, where strict rules of decorum apply. Say nothing derogatory about the house or its contents; each piece of furniture, memento, or gadget bares the family’s ego to public criti- cism. Think how perfect and up-to- date your recliner or dining chairs would look hauled out on the sunny fawn wilh no colour coordinated carpet or soft lighting to disguise their blemishes, Recently [ read two articles on how fo organise your household to control clutter. Both articles advised, “Every time you bring a new tem . into the house, get rid of an old one.” I rejected the advice as contrary to my packrat nature, But threading my way at the estate sale through an A Y ra CAN' FIGURE. IE RAVENs HAVE NO SEASSE® OF SMELL oR ARE JUST INCREDIBLY STupID I! THROUGH BIFOCALS. - “CLAUDETTE SANDECKI array of Happy Mother’s Day plates, knickknacks, and nut bowls obvi- ously received as holiday gifts, the logic of clutter-cutting became clear. Unless you've actually done it, T expect you'd be inclined to under- estimate the sheer drudgery of pre- paring for an estate sale. - weil you're ‘STANDING. BESIDE. : “AROTTEN, MNGOT NFESTED | JACKESH AND ErrHeR You CAN'T SMELL IT OR on First, the house must be ran- sacked from attic to basement to fer- ret out all valuable or personal docu- ments and papers. Items coveted by family mem- bers and so not to be sold must be removed. Decisions have to be made about whether to sell things in sels, pairs, or singly, and at reasonable rates or at low prices guaranteed to enipty the lot by sundown, There’s the problem of space to effectively showcase the goods for sale; sometimes a partion of goods must be stored until selling clears sufficient space for more goods to be brought out front. The work of sorting, bundling, and tagging can take days, Only a dedicated crew will continue until every last piece is sorted and tagged. When fatigue sets in, boxes of dispa- rate leftovers ate the result. Some survivors hold that what- soever you brought into this house: you shall remove, That means you take home the cigarette maker you gave Dad, the handbag you gave Mom, and the crewel embroldered wallhanging, Some form of estate sale to’ clear out a deceased's property is ~ almost inevitable. But fewer doo- dads would pile up if we gave-our.. elderly relatives more disposable. : gifts such as magazine subscrip- tions, tulip bulbs, and vouchers, We could also make it okay for’ parents to give to someone else any. extras or duplicates, or anything : they no longer find useful. As one granddaughter at. he sale told her mother, “From now on, remember whalever you buy. Pll. have to get rid of after you die.” \. >. Ma LH | A i | sisi inlet Lee oe ee ee et travel : fF eee a wen ram Cae a you HAVEN T6or BRAWS [ooo ENOUGH To Rose IN ITH) |