A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 30, 1996

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988

ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. « V8G 5R2
TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432
MODEM: (604) 638-7247

Not guilty

IT’S RARE for something to happen to peel
back the layers of one of the most secretive and
ill-understood parts of our society — the legal
system.

So it was an intriguing thing recently when
word came through that a senior B.C. Supreme
Court judge administered a smack on the wrists

to local] lawyers who, it seems, have heartily con-

tributed to plugging up the local court system.
Things were so bad that Associate Chief Justice
Patrick Dohm apologized to the citizens of Ter-

race for lengthy delays in court proceedings. |

Most disturbing was the revelation that some
criminal cases were dismissed simply because
they were taking so long to process.

Not all of this can be laid at the feet of our local
lawyers. Anybody who has sat through a typical
day at the courts comes away frustrated in hear-
ing story after story of how somebody can’t be in
court — despite knowing weeks in advance of
their obligation — for some lame brain reason or
another. The result is delay after delay at sig-
nificant cost to the taxpayer.

What is fascinating is the revelation that in
criminal cases where a person can choose be-
tween a judge or a jury, 75 per cent choose the
latter. That’s tied to a tidbit floating out there
that Terrace juries tend to be more lenient on the
issue of guilt or innocence.

Defence lawyers quite rightly have the obliga-
tion to defend their clients to the utmost of their
ability. But let’s hope that Terrace juries don’t
deserve a reputation for leniency. Otherwise we
could be in for a growth industry we can’t afford.

Fe Rear)

“itl do

IT WAS a Canadian who came up with the idea
of time zones. And it’s that all-Canadian innova-
tion which is driving some Canadians, the west-
erm variety, crazy.

It concerns voting during a federal election.
More often then not, those who drive to the polls
in British Columbia after 5 p.m. or so know that
the final outcome has already been decided be-
cause voting has ended in eastern and central
Canada, Even more frustrating is that modern
communications means we can find out who is
winning before we cast our ballots.

This week Parliament is being asked to rectify
this through a private member’s bill. Vancouver
Liberal MP Anna Terrana wants to do away with
the traditional 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. voting time. In-
stead, she wants to stagger voting hours across
the country so that opening and closing periods
roughly match up. If the bill is accepted New-
foundland polls, for example, will open at 11:30
a.m. and close at 10:30 p.m, Central Canada will
begin voting at 11 a.m. and end at 10 p.m. In
B.C., polls will open at 8 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
While not perfect, it is better than what happens
now and deserves the support of Parliament.

Just as welcome is a piece of new government
legislation to reduce the voting period from
seven wecks to five. That’s two fewer weeks of
being inundated with electoral machinations, a
most welcome initiative.

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Serving the Terséce and Thorniiill area, Published on Wednesday of each week by Cariboo Press (1969)
Ltd, af9210 Clinton Street, Terraca, Brilish Calumbia, Y8G 5R2, ae an ‘

Stories, pholograpts, illustrations, designs and typastyles in the Tarrace Standard ara ihe proparly of the
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Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents
for their time arid talents -

rr oo

this year wanted |

to go trick)

- Glen Clark bUt Ae Says

my nose isnt lo
enough

aS
nN

Golden requires gov't help

VICTORIA — While Golden
is burning, Premier Glen Clark
is fiddling on TV.

The town of Golden is in
trouble, in serious trouble. The
town’s largest = employer,
Evans Forest Products has shut
down, throwing hundreds of
people out of work,

The reasons for the closure
are numerous, mismanagement
among them. But whatever the
reasons, the result is a town on
the verge of collapse. And the
government doesn’t seem to
pive a damn,

When I arrived at the press
gallery last Monday morning, a
number of letters, faxed to me
by people in Golden, were
waiting. Copies of the letters
had also been faxed to the
premier. Since he’s unlikely to ..
make them public, allow me to ;

“share some of their: content‘

with you.

Mickey Balas: ‘‘I am writing
to voice my concem about the
painful tragedy which is slow-
ly unfolding in the community
of Golden.

“My family has been direct-
ly affected by the closure of
Evans Forest Products. My
husband has been an employee
of this company for 32 years.
We are facing the very real
possibility of losing everything
we have worked for, My hus-

FROM THE CAPITAL
HUBERT BEYER
band is 50 years old. He
doesn’t have the time left to

carve out a second career.”
Janice Musaph: ‘‘How do I

continue to send money to my

sister who has four young chil-

dren?.-How.do I care for my .
parents? How do I- buy my...

friends a cup of coffee, and
what financial institution wants
to give me a mortgage?

**] ery for Golden, and now I
am finally crying out to the
government for help so we can
all enjoy that lifestyle in a
manner we were taught — to
give, to take, to help, to be
happy, to survive, and that
means working, I am holding
out my hand. Please take it.”

Tracey Balas: ‘‘I stand to
Jose everything I have worked
for in building my small home-

based business over the past
six years. I operate a family
daycare in ‘my home. I have
sunk every cent have into this
business, All of my efforts will
be for nothing if we don’t get
the moms and dads back to
work,”

Stacy Feuz: “It took me two
years to find this job, and if
something doesn’! happen
soon, [ will probably be job-
hunting for another two years.
My father is a local contractor,
one of many who is caught up
in the financial difficulties of
Evans Forest Products,

“In my immediate family,
there are nine employees of
Evans, nine men who are the
main breadwinners for their
families, nine men who will be

forced to relocate, nine men —
who have wives, children and

grandparents who are all de-
pendent on them.”

As I said at the outset, poor
management of Evans Forest
Products was one of the rea-
sons that has led this com-
munity to the edge of the
abyss. But it wasn’t the only
one. Others include the high
cost of logging in the area,
high stumpage fees and a big
reduction in the annual ajlow-
able cut in the region.

If the Clark govenumnent uses
the mismanagement factor as

an excuse not to get involved,
it will be shirking.its responsi-
bility.

solution: Allow a $15 reduc-
tion in stumpage and install an
auditor in Evans Forest Pro-
ducts to get the company back
on its feet. McKnight says he
didn’t vote for the NDP but
figures the premier for a smart
man, Well, here’s his chance to
prove it.

The government is poised to
steal $400 million from the
Forest Renewal fund to reduce
a looming $1 billion deficit. I
advise the premier, one more
time, to think carefully before
taking that money.

Instead, Forest Renewal
should provide funds - for

whatever solution is best to™

guide the town.of Golden

through its present difficulties. :

That’s what the Forest
Renewal fund was created for,
not to get you out of your
budget mess.
You will be judged by your
actions, premier, nol your TV.
appearances. Do the right
thing. We can always get our-

selves a new premier, but by —

that time, it may be too late for
Golden, ,
Beyer can be reached at Tel:
920-9300; Fax: 385-6783; E-
Mail: hubert@coolcom.com —

Electoral zoo affects us all

FIFTY-SEVEN candidates are
competing against the mayor
of Vancouver for his job.

OF those 57, some are
serious, qualifies contenders.
But almost half of them will be
on the ballot because a local
pub guaranteed candidates all
the free beer they could swill,

Victoria also allowed the bal-
lot name to be a candidate’s
everyday name — Andy in-
stead of Ambrose, if that’s
how friends know him — rath-
er than a birth certificate name.
This has spawned 16 goofy
aliases such as Zippo the Dog
and Barb B, Doll. Another 10
names are suspicious.

The quality of candidates
reflects Victoria’s dropping of
the $300 filing fee and the
number of supporting signa-
tures from 25 to two. Now
anyone with moxy and two
friends, eligible voters, can run
for mayor.

‘The smart alecks in Van-
couver’s race may be pub
crawlers wha confused the

ANP NoW OUR.
NEW NoRTHERN
CANDIDATE 4
VIC CONIBEAR |.

“THROUGH BIFOCALS:
CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

mayoralty race with an audi-
tion for a Fringe Festival mob
scene. That’s what an all-
candidates’ meeting will
resemble. Anyone denied the
right to participate in a debate
for lack of time or space
should call the SPCA, not a
lawyer and the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms.

With so many candidates, a
debate is bound to be a zoo,
with the intellectual substance

REMEMBER |

Folks! BASED ON THE
PROGRESS PARTY'S STAND
ON ENVIRONMENTAL.

of an overcrowded cocktail
party. The venue would have
to be GM Place. The micro-
phone system would have
more wires that Kitimat’s
Aluminum City Telethon. And
each candidate would be asked
only one question with 30 sec-
onds to reply.

Voters can weed ont trivial
candidates with three tests:
Cross off anyone whose plat-
farm advocates actions illegal
under current Canadian law.
Screen out those whose war-
drobes are recycled from
MGM epic movies, And tear
up the name of anyone who
goes on air using language that
triggers the ten-second delay
switch. That will leave less
than half the contestants.

Ballot printing costs alone
will make this Vancouver
mayorally race one-of-a-kind,
Whole mountains will be
deforested to supply ballot
paper for ballots that will have
more folds than a road map
Jike those in Nicaragua last

week where CBC reporters

Merle McKnight offers a =~

spoke of ballots ‘‘by the bale’.

Larger polling stations will
be needed for the industrial
sized ballot boxes equipped
with ladders. Pingpong tables
will be needed for vote
counters to spread out the bal-
lots. And stockpiling of ballots
after the election until they can
be legally destroyed will call
for forklifts, semitruck trailers,
and security staff patrolling on
bicycles,

Superficial candidates
highlight the flippant attitude
of some citizens toward the
privilege of voling. While they
snigger at the precious free-
dom they have inherited, in
other countries people are
losing their lives in the search
for democracy. ,

Only 70 years ago Canadian
women won the right to be
considered persons, with
voling privileges equal to men.

Vancouver’s
mayor demcan all Canadians.

[Z.-To VOTE FoR MARTEN FISHES!

PROTECTION I URGE YOU...

Lo YOU CAN ALWAYS
f TELL A NORTHERNER

RATS

BUT ‘You CAN'T
TELL HIM miuce |!

clowns-for- |