Ad - The Terrace Standard, Wednesclay, February 20, 2002 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 WEB: www.terracestandard.com EMAIL: standard@kermode.net Road deaths THE PROVINCIAL government would do a great service by pausing in its attempts to cut costs and change the way it operates by consider- ing the number of people who have died on its northern highways in the past year. Any death is one too many. An accumulation of them, particularly those involving highway ac- cidents in the winter, must result in a response by those responsible for licensing drivers and of en- suring our roads are safe for travel. There is a growing swell of public concern over the condition of northern roads. That concern is repeated constantly and consistently around sup- per tables, in coffee shops and in the workplace. Every northern driver has a story to tell about travelling up north — of not seeing a maintenance truck for several hours between towns and won- dering why, of not seeing any sand or salt on a road and wondering why, of the constant glare of oncoming headlights reflected off of the icy buildup of the highway and wondering why that is. Each and every time a person dies on a road up here, those stories are repeated and emphasized as a collective sign of sadness and grief over what has happened. Lately, those stories are more and more connected to government cuts with the feel- ing that the condition of the roads is tied to the sprovincial government’s overwhelming desire to save a dollar. . A government, as is the case with any bureau- cratic organization, looks to averages and statis- tics as a measuring stake. To date, government officials say the number of. road deaths is about average and that there is no cause for undue alarm. They say the roads are fine and that drivers must act according to the prevailing conditions. They say maintenance contractors are exceeding the standards that have been set for their perfor- mance. But these same government officials are also human, They react with sadness as would any person at the news that another person has fallen victim on a northern road. It is time for these government officials from various offices and agencies to bring together their human side with their official one to deter- mine what exactly is going on, It is time for the B.C. Liberal northern caucus to set aside its New Era zealous pursuits and push for a coroner’s in- quest with jury for a comprehensive review. Are we simply bad drivers? Should a course in northern driving be a mandatory condition of re- ceiving a license? Have we all been lulled by war- mer winters? Do we rely too much on on our ve- hicles instead of on our driving skills? Do we de- pend upon the wrong kind of tires? If mainte- nance standards are being met are they instead, as has been suggested, too low? These are questions which deserve answers. PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link ADVERTISING MANAGER: Brian Lindenbach PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS: Jeff Nagel NEWS/SPORTS Sarah Zimmerman NEWS/COMMUNITY: Jennifer Lang FRONT OFFICE: Darlene Keeping & Carol McKay CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Terri Gordon ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Bert Husband & Stacy Gyger TELEMARKETER: Stacy Gyger DARKROOM/COMPOSING: Susan Credgeur AD ASSISTANT: Sandra Stefanik SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL: $55.15(4+$3.86 GST) per year; Seniors $48.85 (+$3.42 GST); Out of Province $61.98 (+$4.34 GST) Outside of Canada (6 months) $152.34 (+$10.66 GST) MEMBER OF B.C, AND YUKON COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION, di CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION = AND We CNA. sonore norm B.C, PRESS COUNCIL (www.bcpresscouncil.org) Aseaeia Wilh Galualte aad Vadro Serving the Terrace and Thornhill area. Publishad on Wednesday of each week at 3210 Clinton Street, Terrace, British Columbia, VAG 6R2. Stories, photographs, Illustrations, designs and typestyfes in the Terrace Standard are the property of the copyright holders, including Cariboo Press (1969) Lid., ifs illustration rapro services and advertising agencies. Raproduction In. whele or In part, withoul written parmission, |s spaciically prohibited, Authorized as second-class mail panding the Post Cifice Department, for payment of postage in cash. Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents for thelr time and talents SALT LAKE 2002 LR? DOPE TESTING: SKATING, JUDGE Damn the torpedoes, gov't says VICTORIA — “Keep the faith, Campbell,” Izzy Asper, I mean the National Post, said in Thursday’s editorial, warm- ly endorsing Tuesday’s Throne Speech in Victoria. As throne speeches go, it was no more or less detailed than the myriad of others that went before. There was one discernible difference, though. Whoever wrote it was ob- viously vying with Casino Royale (It was a dark and stormy night) to produce the worst prose possible. Consider the following: “Though the storms of change may tage, and rain hard with their resistance, they will not cloud our common purpose.” I swear I saw Jona Campagnolo, the Lieutenant- Governor, blush ever so dainti- ly, having to read that and si- milar literary bon mots. “My government's priorities will not waver and its mission will not be altered.” We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them in the air until with Gad’s help - OK, I made up that last part. But purple or not, the prose loudly and clearly got the message across that the gov- emment isn’t about to cave in to the folks who are protesting everything from cults in public service staff and programs to EACH JUNE worthy Cale- donia high school grads re- ceive scholarships intended to help them pay the costs of continuing education. Scho- larships come from funds donated to School District 82 by individuals or companies. Donations fall into three categories: 1. A perpetual scholarship where perhaps $1,000 is do- nated, but only $500 is given out. The rest is left to build through accumulated interest. 2. An amount donated an- nually. 3. Donations of a sizable sum where interest from the donation is awarded annually. At the best of times, this re- quires a sizable lump sum. With today’s low interest rates, any annual award could be substantially reduced. In all three categories, the donor has the opportunity to decide on what basis the scholarship should be awar- ded, whether to a student going on to study for an aca- demic career or beginning an FROM T APITAL HUBERT BEYER the Medicare premium hike, from the lifting of the college and university tuition freeze to ripping up public sector bar- gaining agreements. “Regrettably, my govern- ment must eliminate or scale back a number of services that many British Columbians would like to see maintained or increased,” “the Throne - Speech said. © te te teen -- To mitigate ‘the: effects. of these measures, the govern- ment would phase out several less vital services over the next three years, it said. Among those would be the Debtors’ Assistance Branch, a government agency that has returned millions of dollars a year to creditors by helping people hopelessly mired in debt to get their financial house in order. THROUGH. BIFOCALS. CLAUDETTE SANDECKI apprenticeship program at a trades school. The donor may develop criteria for selecting the scho- larship winner. Usually, win- ners are chosen for their all round achievements: involve- ment in extracurricular activi- ties, perhaps the student newspaper, student council, or band; participation in sports; and maintenance of a minimum grade standing through the year. To set up a scholarship That sort of program should be right up the Liberals’ alley, but they decided inexplicably to axe it instead, But there is hope. To make up for the short-term pain, the Liberals are intent on deliver- ing some long-term gain, like securing the 2010 Winter Olympics for a joint Vancou- ver-Whistler bid. If you can’t give them bread, give them games. Actually, [I’m a bit unfair here because I would love to see Vancouver and Whistler host the Winter Olympics. Aside from the initial econo- mic benefits, estimated at up to $10 billion in revenues, B.C. would have the lasting legacy of first-rate training facilities, .not to mention the future im- pact on tourism. But in the context of Tues- day’s dark Throne Speech, talk about. getting the. Olympic games seems a bit flippant. ' The austerity measures out- lined in the Throne Speech and to become more specific after the budget is introduced next Tuesday, are’ to mitigate a $4.4 billion deficit, the high- est in B.C. history. How in view of this huge deficit the government hopes to accomplish its aim of ba- lancing the budget at the end of three years is somewhat of fund, the donor meets with the school district’s scholar- ship representative and a Ca- ledonia counsellor to discuss the dollar amount, the type of donation, and the criteria for awarding the scholarship. The scholarship must be identified by a name, usually the name of the donor or the field of study the money is intended to fund. Once the terms are clarified and agreed upon, they are typed up as a document, and signed, Caledonia’s administrators armed with their knowledge of the students’ academic re- cords, social behaviour, and general suitability winnow applications to single out one student to receive the award, In case of a tie between two equally qualified applicants, the donor is asked to cast a tie-breaking vote. All donations and arrange- ments should be in place by the end of March to allow high school counsellors time to pass along information about the scholarship’s avail- Be | BUT REWARDING! FOE COURSE THERE IT'S A TOUGH JOS eat WHEN YOURE Avi BAD DAY! (6 HELPFUL AND UNDERSTANDING | ONE OF THE IN MODERN om | ARE SSES! Bur ALSO WATCH FUL SOCIETY a |You Gor Be THERE AND. PROTECTIVE. GETTING —_ FoR EVERYBoDY.. THEM To EXERCISE 15 BIG... Most VITAL ROLES an enigma. Some possibilities, however, come to mind. How about selling of B.C, Hydro? The private sector has been lusting after this very pro- fitable utilily for a long time, and the government may well opt for a quick sale to alleviate some of its fiscal problems. The sale of ICBC might also bring in a nice chunk of change. Then there is the land itself. About 95 per cent of British Columbia’s forests are Crown land. That is, they are owned by the people, us. Dare we consider the forests sacrosanct? You tell me. I empathize with Premier Gordon Campbell’s dilemma. For eight years he ham- mered away at the NDP for budget deficits and now that he’s premier, he produces the biggest deficit in B.C. history. vs Not that he’s ta blame. for it, . not for all of. it anyway. .The economy is soft, our lumber in- dustry on the mat, consumer confidence wavering, our for- mer Asian markets eroded. But that, premier, is your cross to bear. You wanted the job and you got it. . At least, the premier can iake comfort in the solid sup- pert he is getting from the Fra- ser Institute and Izzy, I mean the Post. Diversity’s the key to scholarships ability to potential applicants. For years as I] worked alone in my upholster shop, I considered donating scholar- ship funds to perpetuate my dying trade, kind of a DNA bank, but would any grad bo- ther to apply? In 29 years I’ve met only two young people who expressed even a fleeting interest in my line of work. —. So far as I know, B.C. has" one college offering upholst-: ery training. Ask Employ- - ment Canada where to train, - they'll tell you to find an up+.. holsterer willing to teach you. But no regulations exist to~ tell you which upholsterer might be qualified to teach, - even if he was willing. Nor are there guidelines to define when an apprentice qualifies to call himself an upholsterer.. My criteria for. winning.an upholstery scholarship would. — be a grad who enjoys his own company and working with. his hands, is self reliant, inno-. vative, hangs on until a job is. done, believes in himself, and. ~ listens well to instructions. THE FAMILY