Five Nations | come together A PROUD DAY: Hundreds of people gathered in George Little Park June 21 to celebrate Na- tional Aboriginal Day. Members of the Tsim- shian, Gitxsan, Nisga’a, Haisla, and Tahitan Nations attended the event. Organized by Lynn Wright of the Kermode Friendship Socie- ty, the day was full of sunshine and celebra- tion. Clockwise from top: Dan Wilson, a K’san: dancer. from the Hazeltons area, shows _off his talent; The .crowd. joins. in. on.the dan-. -. -eing; Shadow Dancer guitarist Rick Moore ‘tunes up his electric; Male and female dan- cers glide in sync; K’san elder Bill Blackwater - addresses the crowd. PHOTOS JESSIE GIES The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - A5 The Mail Bag. Put animal shelter where dogs have space to bark Dear Sir: We are the distressed residents of Graham Ave. and Kenney St, near the City Works yard where. the proposed dog pound is planned. Many neighbours signed a petition opposing this site as it is so near residences and as reported inthe June 18 Terrace Standard, it will negatively impact 20 homes in the area. A childcare facility in the area was required to approach three neighbours on both sides before they were given clearance to care for extra children in their residence. We received no such courtesy regarding this animal shelter, © We met with city counci! June 9 to express our concerns. Witnesses who had lived near two previous dog pounds in Terrace testified to the frustrating disruptions in their lives due to the incessant barking of stressed animals, They were forced to endure this noise even though they complained often. When we talked individually with city planners and council members many were sympathetic, and some even said they would be doing the same things as we are doing given similar circumstances. However, when it came to vote, the majority of councillors opposed considering other options. Our backs are against the wall. Who wants to complain and complain? The city cannot: legally contravene its own noise bylaws, but how can dogs humanely be kept quiet, in a 20-kennel dog pound with one attendant, who works eight hours a day? It is cheaper in the long run to place this pound where contravention of the noise bylaw is non- existent. Place this dog pound away from our homes so we can live in peace and the dogs will have the freedom to bark if need be without disturbing anyone. Jean O’Brien, Kara Carrita, Gail Webb, Lucy and Germano Carrita, Mario Silva, J. W. Taylor, Fred Philpot, Jim and Vicki Hansen Terrace B.C. Wrong move to cut extended care beds Dear Sir: ] just can’t believe that the Terrace area is going to lose more health care beds — this time 25 beds at Terraceview. I feel it is a disastrous decision and will have dire consequences to the quality of care our elderly and disabled will receive in the future, At the moment, Terraceview has 75 beds in use and the only way someone is accepted as 4 new patient, even if the need is great, is for someone to die to make room.’ ‘ My family recently experienced this, Our father had Parkinson’s with dementia that’ was very physically and mentally:disabling’: °° et) _ He. passed away’ after, being. a- résident’ of Terraceview for six weeks but someone had to die. for him to be able to become a resident. Until the health care system experienced his ‘spells’ in a hospital setting, the mental health care system refused to believe he was incapable of looking after himself and expected the family to care for him. The guidelines of assessment that health officials use to judge whether a patient needs 24-hour care is a farce, in my opinion. If the prospective patient can make toast and put some clothes on (and it doesn’t matter how long those tasks may take) they can be deemed to have sufficient motor skills. In addition, if they can remember their birthday, S.1.N.# and what day it is, they can be deemed to have sufficient cognitive skills (and it doesn't really matter how much of their day is spent in confusion). Mental skills, with dementia and Alzheimer’s patients especially, can take years to develop into a continuous mental state of confusion, : Meanwhile, during the progression of their confusion, il is up to the family to try to keep them safe, fed, healthy, etc. A 24-hr job — the stress is unbelievable! Too many people fall through the cracks with home care services. it is a disastrous decision and will have dire consequences on the quality of care of our elderly. Your financial position seems to have a lot to do with the degree of care you can receive. For example, housekeeping services are not provided through home care services, Healthcare — yes, housekeeping — no, Are they supposed to live in dirty homes because they can’t afford private housekeepers? . ‘ Companionship is another issue. Lonely people are more inclined to seek out health care professionals just for someone to talk to, This new government, full of these new professionals, pushing these new management systems into our new medical system, are forgetting something. The people they are now shoving out of the picture were the ones who built it. They deserve better from us. . Closing down beds at Terraceview is truly not fair for the people who have.such a desperate need to be “taken care of. I truly hope that this government has ta face another court battle to fight for the right to die with dignity. Although Sue Rodriguez. lost her fight, someone has to win eventually. We are going to need that right. a Bonnie Cooper Terrace B.C. About the Mail Bag The Tarrace Standard welcomes letters. Our address |s 3210 Clinton St., Terrace, B.C. VBG 5R2. You.can fax us at 250-638-8432 or e-mail us at néwsroom @terracestandard.com. No attachments, please. We need your name, address ard phone number for vetitication. Our deadline is noon Friday or noon Thursday if it's a long weekend. a i,