A2 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 3 1999

Millennium tree plan
is starting to take root

IT WAS city councillor
David Hull’s idea to plant
200 trees by the year 2000,
but a local resident is

making sure the’ idea flow-"

ers.

And Tony Walker wants.

to take it further and get. a
full 2,000 trees planted ‘in
and around Terrace to mark
the millennium, .

“I want to make Terrace a
better place,”
“Everybody likes ‘- nice
trees.”

Soon he'll be approaching

land owners, service clubs,
the city and various. other
groups lo raise money, grab
their shovels and start plant-
ing.

Money generated by indi-
viduals and businesses will
be used to purchase millen-
nial trees,

vhe’~ said.”

Walker said the sugar
maple is being considered
for the official tree of Ter-
race.

Working together . with
city planner David Trawin
and superintendent of Parks

‘and Recreation: Steve Scott,
Walker said the project is -

“absolutely possible.”!

That’s because. if local
residents ‘and businesses
plant about ~1,000° trees,

‘Skeena Cellulose —willll

donate another 1,000 cedar
plugs to make sure the 2,000

- goal is reached.

‘Trawin will decide where
on city property the trees
can go, and Scott will work
on what types of trees will
grow best

Walker explained that it
isn’t just a matter of sticking
trees in the ground every-

Tony Walker

where and anywhere.

“Maples are nice shade dormant period (before May
trees, but their roots bubble or late September) while
he said. most of the tree’s energy is

up pavement,”’
“And broadleaf trees clog stored in its root system.

storm sewers,’”

Every tree on public prop-
erty will be checked by
Trawin and Scott so that fu-
ture problems don’t occur.

Watker said there are a
number of areas that lack
trees, including George
Little Park, Riverside Park,
Big Bertha Park, Rotary
Park, and Linear Park by the
Sande Street Overpass.

Walker would like to keep
track of the number of trees
planted under the Millen-
nium Tree Project, He asks
locals to contact him at 638-
8528 so he can keep a run-
ning tally.

He said the best time to
plant a tree is during its

Fire insurance rate break pursued

YOUR NEXT BREAK on fire insur-
ance could come via the regional dis-
trict.

District staff have been compiling a
report with assistance from the Ter-
race and Thornhill Fire Departments
on the Value cf sharing equipment.

Their aim is to see whether each
area can improve services enough to
eam a better rating from provincial
fire underwriter, who is expected back
here in the next few years.

FROM FRONT

Jf Terrace and Thomnbill earn a bet-
ter rating, businesses and homeowners
could see an insurance premium drop.

For example, a commercial building
in the 4600 block of Terrace’s horse-
shoe that now pays $5000 per year in
insurance could cut as much as 10 per
cent or $500 from their budget per
year, said Terrace’s deputy fire chief
Rick Owens, The same should hold
true for residential insurance rates,

But the sharing is more likely to

centre around trucks, hoses and dis- .

patch services than combining the two

halls into one building, said district —

Tepresentalive Verna Wickie.

“Moving into their building is not
beneficial to us because we need a fire
hall in Thornhill to give people
premiums,’’ said Verna Wickie of the
regional district.

She expects to present her feasibility
and cost-sharing report to the regional
district board at its April meeting.

Press Council backs Black |

saying the directive allowed only one
side of the debate on the treaty to be
presented in editorials and columns,
“We're disappointed with this deci-
sion and the impact it will inevitably
have on freedom of the press and
diversity and balance of coverage and
information, especially in an industry
where one person can control editorial
and opinion page content in com-
munily newspapers across the pro-
vince,’ Clark said.
“T am personally concemned that the

“press. council chose. not ‘only -tor-dis--:

miss our complaint, but has: character-.

‘ized. Mri. Black’s directive as, fully, :

consistent with the traditions of news-
papers in a democratic society.'’

Nisga’a leaders had no comment on
the decision.

Black said it was the right decision
and that the government has mis-
represented his conduct.

“Phey knew fromthe beginning
that we were allowing alternative
opinion in our papers,’* Black said.
“They misled the public with their
advertisements and announcements
about the treaty, and for two months
they misled the public about our
editorial policy because it suited their
political agenda to do so.”

Political columnist Hubert Beyer,
who wrote columns in favour of the
Nisga’a treaty that were carried in
Black papers, said he doesn’t think the
newspaper owner intended from the

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start to allow pro-treaty opinions.

Ta September Black summoned his
editors to hear criticism of the deal by
treaty opponent Mel Smith, who later
wrote a series of columns carried in
Black papers. At the same time Black
directed that the papers’ editorial
stance would be against the treaty.

It was the first time in 23 years the
owner had directed editorial positions
in his papers, and Black said he was
doing it because of his profound con-
cems the treaty would entrench the

“reserve''system and separate: natives’
from’ the rest of B.C.:in apartheid-like
.-enclaves.:..:

“The fact Black raised
this whole fuss has _ in-
creased the discussion
about the treaty.”

“In the beginning he meant it (the
edict) to apply to everything,’’ Beyer
said. ‘‘At that time I feared he would
allow no opinion in favour what-
soever,’”

An immediate firestorm of criticism
changed Black’s mind, Beyer said,
and the edict was soon clarified to
apply to only the newspapers’
editorials.

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bine think he saw the light just in

” Beyer said, adding changing

gear on the fly probably fuelled con-
fusion about the directive,

“He made it up as he went afong,”’
Beyer said.

Although Beyer disagrees with
Black about the treaty, he says the
newspaper owner has every right to
set the editorial stance of his papers~
and the press council's decision was
the right one.

“The marketplace is ultimately a

-judge,’?: he’said. “‘IfTidon?t! like ‘his
‘papers’. editorial stands, I’m. going’ to

phone up and say J don’t want that rag
at my doorstep.”’

“The fact Black raised this whole
fuss has increased the discussion
about the treaty,’? he added.

The press council adjudication was
muddled, he noted, by the issue of
concentration of corporate ownership.

“T don’t think it’s the press coun-
cil's place to deal with that,’’ he said.
“That boat was missed 30 years ago.
For better or worse government al-
lowed this huge concentration and
here we are.”?

‘The press. council typically handles
complaints involving a single newspa-
per rather than a group.

It serves as a low-cost altemative to
suing a newspaper for people who feel
they’ve been wronged by its coverage.
Member newspapers are required to
publish the decisions involving them.

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