- Page Ad Terrace Standard, Wednesiiay, January. 9, 1981. ° : Stetiea, phgtogetphs, Gasigns and ty tustration rege services | and advertising ayencien . Senvitg ‘tha io wn. Published on weseesey olaach weak by Catboo Press (i) Lv. a” ‘soa? Lares , ies in he Teract Standard a0 the property ‘a te ropa " Flaptaduetion in whole te ry part, without written. parmission. ls sgectealy pronibited ~ -Authertred as ‘second-class’ mail penctng the Pest Office ‘Pevartment. for payment of postaga in cash. . Pubiisher:: - Production Manager: -Edouard Credgeur. pel - Baxter mma Duncan - "Typesetter, Rose Fishor.= ‘ront ottice Ma : : sam Collier = Adar Comin Ten Miller ~ ~_ Greualion Supervise , Bidar: oe chy porragpondents. for: ; lye Andlercon —'Typesetter, Susani Cradgaur — Composing/Darkroom’ | +a ee: Rod Link _ _ ie. pi The ‘p’ word is politics. Mayor “Wozney : seems to suggest that since the Port is being backed by the Social Credit ‘government. and since the Socreds aren't popular, i an election defeat might not see the development: greeted favourably by. ' .an NDP administration. Keeping on track ~-Bven before the GST, we ~ They’ re missing . Order it to, ‘To its ‘credit. the province wants to | negotiate what. it calls fair settlements ” for’ ‘finality and certainty. Some of: that ‘may come from a sense of, social justice: ‘More: realistically, it comes from prod- - ding by. major. resource corporations and ‘the need to take action before the courts ‘ The province’s S ferris for dealing with land claims i is principles for negotiation.- They were promised i inthe summer, then : in early fall, then in late fall, then in ear- ‘ly winter, then before 1990 ran out. Now we're told perhaps they'll be released later this month. That's little comfort for residents in areas where land claims settlements will have an effect. These missing principles — are very important for the northwest ; because of the pending Gitksan-Wet’suwet’en court decision and .of the negotiations on the Nisga’a claim. The meeting between the Nisga'a and the two governments in Prince Rupert later this month could be one of the last before they sign what’s called a ~.. Stormy. port — ss - 7 A ‘What ‘makes this interesting is the pro- - spect that some kinds of development are tied to political fortunes. If you've ‘got the right kind of guys on your side, you can do things -you might otherwise not be able to accomplish. Then again, governments are suppos- ed to make decisions, especially those that involve tax money, for the benefit of all. Good business is also good politics. But, is good politics also good business? Government waste happens Through tien everyone “goes along”. ‘ake. the case of the Terrace chool bus that rambled some 0 km every noon fetching one indergarien student from osswood. : few weeks inta the school ear, the. student and. her ther: moved to Terrace. Still, ‘or miore than -a month after- yard; the school bus continued - F “If it hadn’t been for perplex- d *. Rosswood ' ‘residents repor- ng the phantom’ bus to school ° istrict officials, this redundant ply. oute’ ‘might never have: been ancelled,. ow is: “that possible, you tend school, student ‘provide it. When . the. mother. ‘moved rom ‘Rosswood to Terrace, the the paucity of passengers on his overtime run -~ if not the first week, certainly during ensuing days, Or was he accustomed to ‘making: the run for nothing because the bus company wasn’t notified when the child was Sick- or otherwise not in need of a ride to school? Similarly, the. _school district is obliged to sup- : transportation, . though it may choose how to: In turn,-the bus contractor k? ‘decides which size bus to assign ‘ each route. A 48-passenger bus -. - (or 72-passenger, if the kids. are’ trips, this expensive route with its lone passenger. They had to know the public would react badly if it learned so much budget was be- ‘ing spent on one hapless child., As* luck would:-have -it, . at roughly the-same time the have ” taken ‘ maintenance superintendent some. time to become familiar ~ with all aspects of the bus.run, Luckily for him — and tax- payers. —! the bus ‘contractor’ shouldered responsibility, apologized for the superfluous, ‘and ‘refunded mileage charges, here’s- also the need for a : nice warm issue with which to go to the - To date, there have been two meetings _ polls. secretary-treasurer. Both must have been painfully aware ‘of “ at least a start | . i . itksan and ; : VICTORIA — For a couple of = fected. Big deal The Gitks framework agreement upon which to weeks now, members of the 4 &: Wet’suwet’en said as much seven years ae , : i WF ae . . ‘ inst th negotiate a settlement. B.C. Legislature have been — F th - ago when they first filed suit against the . subject to a new law governing rom the province for 54,000 square kilometres of It would be nice to know what is going - conflicts of inteiest which Ca f tal . northwestern B. on on before it’s a done deal.” although better than what we P . had before, is still only a half. by Hubert Beyer ‘measure. Oday Oa The. Members Confilige,¢ Ing terest Act, introduced by’ legislature during last year’s session, replaces the so-called conflict of interest guidelines : laid down by Premier Vander Zalm shortly after he took of- fice in 1986.- The guidelines were a monu- - ment to political naivete, a _ manifest of the premier’s belief that with a little bit of _guidance’and goodwill, everything will turn out just fine, a piece of take, as it ~ were, One of the. fatal flaws of the . guidelines was that the premier himself and only the premier decided what was a conflict of interest, what wasn't and what to.do about it. When it came to alleged conflicts of interest, the premier was judge, jury and executioner, on the straight and narrow, and it became obvious that, “sooner or later, the govern-, ment would have to replace them with something better. The best way to deal with politicians’ conflicts of interest would be to refer them to the - “courts. Leta real judge decide what’s right or wrong. Unfor- tunately,:the government . - ra Kindergarteners (now called parent nioved, so did the didn’ t go quite that far. im sake ne daily, Irhp. Year One students under the maintenance superintendent. — ‘The new law defines stan- -.. , Manty practice a profession or assene "Year 2000 curriculum must at- to Hazelton. No doubt it would dards ‘Of official conduét for old-an office or directorship ‘uhe - incoming, Members'of the Legislative '. Assembly, and provides a. : mechanism for the early iden- “tification and resolution of potential conflicts of interest. ”. The law also provides a framework. for investigating - ‘Alleged. confllcts.of interest and ‘requires MLAs to disclose their fi nancial interests. a 4 government and passed by the’ » Not the only law governing the -¢ conduct of elected officials. ‘+ The Financial Disclosure Act _ Tequires all candidates running -in provincial elections to disclose their assets. ’ from furthering their private - : public office, unless'that infor-, » Mation is:also available to the - position to acquire information . stance prohibited under the * from this rule, “are gifts | and. benefits received . Gat | ub The new act is, of course, i The Constitution Act pro- “hibits MLAs from receiving _ Money other than their-normal salaries and stipends, while the Criminal Code of Canada pret: ty well covers all other criminal activity. The legislation prohibits members of the legislature interests. by using information. gained inthe execution of general public. - According the the new law, ‘" {he “whistle on government "the term “private interest’? istingui i : n ow aste, how many ee us would Bifocals Well, as it turned out, the _ isn’t restricted to the MLAs: it oF utmost integrity, When a ere by Claudette Sandeck! guidelines were spectacularly. - can include spouses, minor unde ; Y unsuccessful in keeping MLAs justice system was under. sieg children and relatives, Because they are in a unique and influence, not available to- other MLAs, let-alone the general public, cabinet ministers are subject to especially stringent regulation. © ‘Cabinet ministers are, for in- ‘Hughes. : - act, from carrying ona business, : engage in employ- where any of those activities are likely-to'conflict with’. * public. duties. Social clubs, religious organizations and - political parties are exempted : ‘MLAs aren't allowed to ace cept gifts. The only exceptions asa result of protocol or of. cant, ficial duties, That might ins. clude plaques or lapel pins. At any rate, it sounds close to the | - rule most reporters live by: i you can eat it or drink it i two hours, it’s not a bribe The whole thing is watched, i _- over by Ted-Hughes, former: deputy attorney general. The act calls for a conflict of In-: * terest-commissioner, and after. retiring from his former posi-*: ‘tion.as chief law enforcemen - ‘officer of the province, . ' Hughes agreed to serve.as th conflict of interest watchdog Isaid at the outset that it: would be preferable if the courts dealt with conflicts. of interest, but failing that, ~ ‘ Hughes would have been my next choice, too, Hughes is a former jude, but equally important, he's: : - during the Bill Reid-Bud | -Smith-Moe Sihota scandal ‘Hughes held things: ‘together. And if the system survived t onslaught rather unharmed,’ was largely thanks to Ted. ‘Hughes will now y ride on our MLAs, Like.the budsman and the audito general, the conflict of Legislature. Possible ‘pe te _ Include a reprimand, a suspeti sion for'a certain period lime, a fine up to $5,000° or; _ declaring a member’ 5, Mee role rey . elementary age) seems 'a mite oversized forone "5-year-old. In- suranice, . ‘safely: regulations ‘or union