| for crack

By DUSTIN QUEZADA
and MARGARET
Lo. SPEIRS
A MAY 17 win would not
only cement his. plans for the
next four years, but it would
also bring Patrick Hayes

back to his Victoria-based
_ girlfriend. 7

: Five _ months
from completing ‘a bachelor
of science in economics at
the University of Victoria,
in many. ways, Hayes,. the
Green party candidate for

« He has a long-distance
girlfriend in Victoria;

mother’s car; he’s looking
for work.

: Instead of perusing. the
Help wanted signs, however,

Hayes jumped at the oppor-
tiinity to run for the Green
Party in Skeena.

“The party sent out. a
province-wide e-mail asking
someone to run in:Skeena,”
Hayes said. “So, I decided to
come home.”

“Hayes became a member

__ of the Greens in Victoria, ®
where he suys he met people

and “got his feet wet” politi-
cally.
_ Though the campaign
trail is a busy one, the Ter-
race native says it’s fun, hard «
work,
Hayes says much. of his

' character and strong work

ethic was learned on the
organic farm in Old Remo
where he was raised until his
parents broke ‘up when he
was entering teenagehood.

removed |

he:
has aspirations of travel; he —
lives at home and ‘drives his.

Skeena, is a typical 23- -year-
. old.

’ His mother, Margot. Van- .

Kleeck, is executive director. -

at the Terrace Child Devel-_

opment Centre, while his
father, Bill Hayes, a retired -

teacher, lives in Alberta. |
. The elder Hayes also ran

OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST Patrick Hayes i is bringing energy, youth and’‘a newly-minted degree i in economics to.
his Green Party candidacy heading toward the May 17 provincial election.. .

oung Green comes h
at political |

DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO

unsuccessfully for the pro-
vincial Liberal party here in
1986.

It was tough at the time
when his parents broke up,
but his upbringing overall
was a good one.

‘Hayes speaks a ‘little bit
of French, learned at, Kiti
K’Shan and Cassie Hall

elementary: schools and:
Caledonia Senior Second-

; In 1999, he whet his cu-

riosity for unknown places ©
"after graduating high school, . .
~ ofall types of music learning
to Play the: acoustic guitar

spending three months on an
_exchange to Norway.

org hes

From there, it was back to

__ academia. He spent a year at
Northwest ' Community Col-

lege, before shifting to the
provincial capital.
He came into his own,

picking up new hobbies and_
enjoying the new surround-.

ings of a different place.
With his best friend and
neighbour in Terrace, Jeff
Bolingbroke, he formed the
Strange Brew-Society, pick-
ing fruit and*making wine

from scratch..

Hayes: also fueled a love

Family, then sports

tagcat

“ATES 2 Vevstbb sats.
Key to
By SARAH A
ZIMMERMAN
THERE ARE two passions
in Roger'Harris’s life — fam-
ily and sports, in that order.
Married to Kathryn for
nearly 29 years and a father
of three now-grown sons, the
Liberal candidate believes
family comes first. .
He still gets choked up
thinking about the moment
in February when he real-
ized the heart attack he was
having could mean he’d nev-
er see his family again.

“I can clearly remember
thinking I was going to die ©

and thinking I would not be
here anymore,” he says.
Pausing to catch his
breath and ward off tears in
an interview last week, Har-

ris thought he was over that. -

kind of reaction,

“For six weeks I couldn’ t
talk about this without cry-
ing,” he admits, “I thought I
was over that.” ,

‘ His eyes light up when

NDPer has a business degree

ROBIN AUSTIN leans for-
ward in his chair and waves
his arms to make a point.

- He’s talking about chil-
dren, food and_ literacy
~ all key aspects of his job
co-ordinating a number of
school-based programs with
the Kalum-Horseshoe Com-
munity School Society.

“[ think that we have
many small victories,” said
Austin, the NDP’s Skeena
candidate, of helping make
sure children have enough to
éat and can learn how to read

_ dnd write.

+ “When we look at the: sta-

tistics we know that things

are not easy. But we see stu-
dents that are benefitting and
succeeding. It’s an. ongoing
struggle.”

It’s ironic. that Austin
owes his job to a program
financed by the Liberal gov-
ernment of Roger Harris, the

‘man he wants to defeat May

\7.

’ “We have a lot of hard-
ship in this community.
That’s what fuels my pas-

0 Liberal’s life.

he speaks of his three sons
Cameron, 25, Brendan, 23,
Matthew, 19, and Kathryn.

“She’s my best friend:

without a doubt,” he says.
When it comes to the im-

portance of family Harris

lives by what he says.
Not’ only do his two

youngest sons still live: at
home, he and Kathryn also —

care for her elderly parents,
Len and Lola, who are both

ill, and have Kathryn’s sister

Louise and her seven-year-

_old® daughter Sam living
-with them.

“Some people look at it
and go ‘that’s a whole lot,’
but it’s family,” says Har-
ris, adding he enjoys having
his extended family around,

‘particularly the lively de-

‘bates his father-in-law likes
to initiate.

“He loves to engage me
and have discussions,’ he
says. “Len is a political neo-
phyte.”

Elected

in 2001, Har-

sion here. I think that B.C.
is a province that is very

wealthy overall but the dis-.
tribution of income of this -

province is making those
doing well before the Liber-
als came to. power do even

better and there are tons.of-

people being left behind,

_ and that means children,”

Austin said.
There’s nothing in Aus-

tin’s background to suggest -

he would one day run for the
NDP.

’ Born 47 years ago in Lon-
don, England, Austin spent
10 of his younger years liv-

ing in Accra, the capital of.

Ghana in West Africa.

His father was a Mobil
Oil accountant executive
and a very conservative per-
son. His mother is from Sri
Lanka; then called Ceylon.

“¥ certainly don’t share

-my father’s political views,”

said Austin.

' He graduated with a B.A.
in business, specializing in
hotel administration, from
Strathclyde University in

PO a eee eet

ris said he is always glad to
come home from Victoria.

“T am net one-of those
guys who at the end of it re-
ally enjoyed living in Victo-
ria, not at all,” he says.

“T couldn’t get to the air-
port fast enough to come
home and spend time here

to start to. get out with my’

friends again.”
When _ he’s not . spend-

_ing time with his family or
friends, Harris can be found.

taking in some of the many
sports offered here.

_ He’s played a wide range
of sports throughout his life
and has suffered ‘his fair
share of bumps, bruises and
broken limbs along the way.

Visiting, the Riverside
baseball diamond last week,

‘Harris remembers a game
many years ago that saw him -

covering second base. _
A player from the oppos-

“ ing.team slid in to touch the,

base with such force he
Cont’d Page A6

- River Books between school

young economists are scarce .

BASEBALL AND HOCKEY are two of Liberal candi-

visa in Ireland,” he said. “I’d
_ like to do economic research

in Dublin because the econ-
omy is booming there.”

Hayes said regardless of .
the election’s outcome, poli-
tics will be part of his life in
the future.

Removed from.his ‘ ‘ideal
day” of hiking .with friends

and partaking in drum and

guitar jams with friends.
His face may be familiar

because he worked at Misty

o

years. °
Hayes said ‘he’s glad to
be back in Terrace because
he. loves to take. advantage
of the outdoors, listing rock ,

climbing, hiking, caving, in .unexplored forests, the |
mushroom picking and kay- campaign trail is also con-"
aking as hobbies. = © " tributing to a habit he’d like |

tobreak: am)
“I've been: ‘drinking way iu
too much of this,” he said,
hoisting. his ‘coffee-filled
mug. " ,

- Unfortunately, jobs for:

here,.so Hayes is looking at:
options beyond May 17.
“Pm applying for a work |

date Roger Harris’s favourite sports.
SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO

- HE’S NOW a social worker, but NDP candidate Robin Austin began his working life
in hotel management, aided with a business degree.

DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO

Scotland.

Hotel jobs followed in
England and then in Cana-
da.

the world works very well

“¥ think that eventually,
as I hit my 30s, I realized

privileges,” said Austin.
“The reasons people are
successful may not be from
Cont'd Page A6

for those who have certain

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 4, 2005 - A5
CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

The Mail Bag |

Log exports help us

Dear Sir:

NDP candidate Robin Austin’s letter in the April 27

issue of The Terrace Standard is a telling testament to his
‘lack of knowledge of either the forest industry or the re-
gion he lives in.

‘ His continued reference to the NDP urban-based plat-
form position on raw log exports as the only solution to-
the northwest is oversimplified and very destructive.

There is no mill in the northwest today shut down be-
. cause of raw log exports. In fact both the West Fraser saw- .

mill and the Kitwanga mill are open today because of the
ability. of the harvested sector to blend there costs by sell-
- ing some of their logs across the whole market place.

Without some limited access to the full market the:jobs
of all the employees of these facilities would be at risk.

Robin, the challenges in the northwest are much more
complex and systemic and the Liberal government is the
* first government to actual tackle them.

They have created a special northwest zone in ‘the.
province to represent ¢ our unique fiber basket and opera-
tion costs.

. They have listened and acted on recommendations: of
groups like the Terrace Forestry Task Force and the Wes
Cheston Report and iniplemented many if not all of their-
recommendations. :

Today we have a community forest licence for the city
of Terrace as well as forest licences for the Kitsumkalum,
. Kitselas and the Haisla, all community- -based business.

We are seeing investment in mills like the Terrace
Lumber Company. The harvest, level is starting to climb:

‘ again and jobs in the forest industry. are starting, to come ve
back to the northwest. « -

‘Our second growth is coming online, and for the first

‘|, time in a long time investors are looking at the northwest

again.

- Robin, before you start touting public policy changes”
maybe -you should have taken the time to talk with out’’
local industry not just Jim Sinclair. After all, doesn’t eve

-erybody matter? 2
» Jim Murray, Terrace, B. c.

Moving moments |

Dear Sir:

Something minor, yet momentous happened ata music

festival event at the REM Lee April 14, 2005. . -
_. A young girl, Sammi Brown, of Prince Rupert had be-~
-gun her lyrical jazz dance routine, after months of prepa-
ration. About 20 seconds into her 2-3 minute routine, the
music, which she was to interpret in “her dance, stopped
cold, «.
‘Imagine the thought going. through her head. at that .
_ time: “I prepared for this moment for months and get only
. 20 seconds?” =. “

od

It would certainly bé 2 a horrifying. or at least embar- -

rassing situation to many. However, Sammi drew courage -
from deep within her heart, -and said to herself, “T came »
this far; I am going to complete the race.”
So for a couple of minutes, the theatre crowd. was

treated to one of the most moving moments they will see

in their lives. The execution of a plan no matter what ob-
stacle may beset the COUISE, wo gh ecabie gis .
7 We ine crowds sat ‘quietly’ as. ie “watched née Wot

~ ever so gracefully; her eyes’ darting’ among: ‘US! nervously,’

as she fully realized all eyes were on her, and that the Si-
lent dance must look odd to the crowd.

Yet she held'a tenuous smile as she danced, accompa- ,
nied only by a hushed pit-a-pat of her feet on the dance “
floor. As she exited per her routine, she was ushered by a
thunderous roar of applause by the appreciative and com- -—
passionate audience.

I was disheartened that the adjudicator only mention
that she ‘danced well even after the music’ stopped’, to
paraphrase her comment. ;

This was a great teaching moment. She should have 7
praised Sammi for her determination and courage; to in-
spire all’ others who would follow, but she dropped | the

- ball.’ picked it up. Someone had to. .
Such courage is an ‘inspiration to us all. Thank you,

Sammi.
. David Hardwicke, Terrace, B.C.

Who paid for this?

Dear Sir:
At the April 26, 2005 Terrace All- Candidates. Forum
(presented in part by The Terrace Standard —‘thanks .—

again, folks), we were treated to the spectacle of Liberal

candidate Mr. Roger Harris lamely defending himself and’ =

his party.

Their current indiscretion? Being caught taking money:
for what was purportedly a governmental function (the in-
vitation, after all, was on legislative letterhead) but the bill
was payable to Mr. Harris’ war chest.

We shouldn’t be too surprised; this is just. the Liberal
privatization agenda carried to its Togical extreme, after —
all.

Mr. Harris’ defense? The wrong was committed. by a.
misguided minion who was dismissed as soon as the issue
came to the public’s attention. Bravo, Mr. Harris. _

Now, perhaps, Mr. Harris could explain why his pro-

- motional materials in the lobby at the forum prominently
featured a generous supply of the 12-page budget high-
lights brochure, all proudly waving the Provincial govern-
ment’s insignia.

"Did the Liberal’ Party purchase’ ‘them? Or did the cost
come out of the public purse? Did the brochures come
form the supplies of Mr. Harris’ constituency office, or. -
from his campaign headquarters? (Is there ~ to the Liberal.

_ mind — any distinction between the two?) And which low- .
echelon Liberal worker will get to take the blame for this:
indiscretion?

It would appear that Mr. Harris and his cronies in Gor-

don Campbell’s B.C.. Liberals are not immune from the | 7

disease of their federal Liberal colleagues: they, too, seem _
incapable of distinguishing between the public interest —
and their own, freeing them to qualmlessly appropriate
portions of the public domain for their own partisan ben-
efit. .

The Liberal mantra shouldn’t be “B.C.: open for busi-.

ness”. “Government for sale” would be closer to the
truth. -_
John How, Terrace, B.C.
About the Maii Bag
The Terrace Standard welcomes letters. Our

address is 3210 Clinton St., Terrace, B.C. V8G SR2. -
You can fax us at 250-638-8432 or e-mail us at.
newsroom @ terracestandard.com. Noattachments, please.
Name, address and phone number required forverification,

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