Aa - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, Novernber 20, 1996

TERRACE

STANDARD

ESTABLISI IED APRIL 27, 1988

ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Strect Terrace, B.C. * V8G 5R2
TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 « FAX: (250) 638-8432
MODEM: (250) 638-7247

Water woes

ONE OF the most frustrating things about being
an elected leader is the criticism. Those who we
elect are in trouble if they do something and in
trouble if they don’t do anything.

Such is the case facing city council from com-
plaints about the new well water now flowing
through the system. The bit knock is that the
water is too hard, affecting the quality of refresh-
ments and making it difficult to generate soap
suds.

In defence of the new water supply, city offi-
cials say it’s purer, with fewer bits of stuff in it
and there’s much less chance of contaminants
than having to rely on surface water sources as
was the case before.

The politics of water has even flowed into the
debate about the future governing structure for
Terrace and Thornhill. Hardline Thornhill
loyalists point with pride to their water, claiming
it to be of a. greater standard than anything Ter-
race can hope to match.

A few Thornhillians even suggest there are dark
plots afoot behind merger plans with Terrace to
ship their water across the Skeena River and tie
it into the city’s system. City officials say there’s
nothing to that. The expense would be too great
and besides, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Eventually the complaints about the new city
water will subside. In the meantime, council
finds itself between a rock and a hard (water)
place. oF _ |

Way to go, PM
JUST WHEN you begin to wonder just what the
heck Prime Minister Jean Chretien does for a
living, up he pops with an impassioned speech.
The subject concerned the hundreds of thou-
sands of refugees jammed into eastern Zaire, an
almost hopeless situation involving appalling
dysfunctional countries, vicious tribal hatreds
and human misery we can’t even begin to under-
stand. 7
_ Canada may not be a super power, said the
Prime Minister, but it can and does act as a
moral power in the world. And it that capacity
Mr. Chretien committed already thinly stretched
military forces in other peacekeeping missions
around the world to eastern Zaire to assist with
humanitarian relief.

Mr. Chretien’s actions continue with Canada’s
record of stepping in internationally wherever
and whenever possible. We have a long estab-
lished tradition, beginning with Prime Minister
Lester Pearson, of being an international power
far beyond our relative size and weight on the
world scene.

But he also aimed his remarks at the United
States which wasn’t and isn’t exactly thrilled at
ihe prospect of sending its troops into eastern
Zaire. If tiny Canada can do it, said the Prime
Minister, so can the Americans. And it seems
they are. For Mr. Chretien, it was a good day’s
work, a : 7

en
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~ THAVE
CONTACTED THE
=. SPACE ALIENS WHO

~ HAD ABDUCTED ME

— ANDHAD ALTERED

— MYMEMORY,....
PLEADED, AND THEY

AGREED To
REPROGRAM ME

Recall could skewer NDP.

VICTORIA — I’ve got a
proposal for Liberal leader
Gordon Campbell. I would like
to give him, free of charge, a
pian that just might succeed in
throwing out the NDP. More
about the plan later, First let
me take you back in time.

In 1991, voters, by an over-
whelming 83-per-cent margin,
demanded that. the next B.C,
government introduce recall
and initiative legislation. Dis-
gusted by the shenanigans of
the Social Credit government
under Bill Vander Zalm, the
electorate wanted the tools that
would enable them to fire
Members of the Legislalive
Assembly between elections,

Smelling the wind during the
election campaign, then NDP
leader Mike Harcourt had
reluctantly supported the idea,
even though he didn’t like it
one bit. Hey, opportunism
knocks only once.

When the NDP was elected,
Harcourt didn’t want ta be ac-
cused of breaking his promise
to bring in recall and initiative
legislation, so after much stall-
ing, his government finally ia-
troduced Bill 36, the Recall
and Initiative Act, in the legis-
lature in 1994,

He might as well nol have
bothered. I said at the time,
that under this legislation, it

FROM THE CAPITAL
HUBERT BEYER

would be difficult to recall Idi
Amin, bad he been in-
advertently elected to the B.C,
Legislature,

To get rid of an MLA, 40 per
cent of the voters of a riding,
eligible in the previous elec-
lion, must sign a - petition.
What's more, the process must
be completed in 60 days, The
legislatian was, no doubt,
meant to fail. It was a sham or
scam, if you prefer, It certainly
wasn’t what 83 per cent of the
voters had demanded.

Now ia my plan, Take note,
Gordon. To make the govern-
ment tumble like a house of
cards, you target three ridings
in which the NDP won by just
a few votes. You alert all your
riding associations, you appeal
to the public and conscript the

No substitute

EVER SINCE fire destroyed
Terrace’s commumity center 25
years ago, whenever the sub-
ject of youth crime comes up,
someone calls for construction
of a replacement building, as
though by some alchemy of its
own the communily cenire
brought about good behaviour
among city juveniles,

Never having had the
pleasure of making the build-
ing’s acquaintance, I realize I
missed meeting a great per-
sonage. The defunct com-
munily centre is always spoken
about with reverence an affec-
tion like mourners reminiscing
about Joc Ghiz.

Lately [ - worry fond
memories of the dear departed
might be hobbling our quest
for imimicdiale solutions. Are
we silting on our hands waiting
for a Phoenix to rise from the
ashes when we should be tack-
ling youth crime from every
olher angie?

Any new building will cost
several million dollars, Dollars
neither the province nor the
district has. Even if surplus

YoU NORTHERNERS
DON'T UNDERSTAND
ENVIRONMENTALISM |
IT’S REDUCE ,REUSE

THROUGH BIFOCALS
CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

finds were available, I sce no
sign of anyone in power caring
to spend it on our kids. Though
every dollar spent on young
folk keeping them safe and
happy saves from four to seven
dollars laler in health and legal
costs.

A community center —
properly operated and super-
vised — might accupy the free
lime of many kids who other-
wise could get into -trouble.
But. for hardcore individuals
luracd on by crime, recreation
facilities won't deter them one

troops you need for an all-cut
offensive on the government.

You move your troops into
the three ridings and have them
battle-ready, Then you start the
recall process, You now have
60 days in which to get the
necessary 40 per cent of
eligible voters sign your peti-
tion.

Whai makes me think that
the legislation, which was
designed to fail, might
succeed? The mood of the pub-
lic. Back in 1994, it might, in-
deed, have been difficult to use

‘the legislation to unseat Idi

Amin. Today, you could prob-
ably recall Mother Theresa,

It would be a monumental
task, but it’s doable. Back
then, there was some minor
unrest among the populace
over the Nanaimo
monwealth Society scandal,
but Harcourt, one of the most
decent men in politics [ have
come across, was not personal-
ly involved and still firmly in
the saddle.

Today, we have a govemn-
ment under siege over its fiscal
bungling and the surrounding
obfuscation and lies,

If the phone calls, fax mes-
sages and e-mail I’m getting
these days are any indication,
the public is more than willing
and ready to give the recall

Com- .

process a whirl, no mattcr how
unwieldy the legislalion may
be.

The whole scheme presup-
poses, of course, that Campbell
has the courage to take this un-
precedented shot alt wresting
power from the government. I
does take some courage, be-
cause there isa risk of failure.

On the other hand, the public
mood is so volatile that the
chances of success are a hell of
a lot betler than those of get-
ting Premier Glen Clark to- ad-
mit he knew before the elec-
tion that we were headed fora
massive deficit.

Ihave never been a supporter
of recall legislation, but since
the law is on the books, we
might as well have a stab at it,

One more thing: Even if a
concerted effort resulted in the
necessary 40 per cent support,
within the designated 60-day
period, the government
wouldn't actually be bound to
abide by the outcome, How-
ever, failing to de so, might
make life for the premier and
his government even more
miserable than he can possibly -
imagine.

What are you waiting for,
Gordon?

Beyer can be reached at Tel:
920-9300; Fax: 385-6783; E-
Mail: hubert@coolcom.comn

for parents

bil,

Government figures show 20
percent of B.C. kids ages six to
12 stay alone or with brothers
aud sisters after school cach
day. Those 46,000 kids
deserve all the community cen-
ters and supervised after
school activities we can afford,

Affordability comes down to
fiscal priorities. Daycare and
counseling... or policing and
correctional centers,

Before we pin too much hope
On a new community center,
we must consider the changes
in society over the past 25
years.

In 1971, more mothers
stayed home all day with their
children; they kept a tighter
rein on their kids. Teenagers
didn't have as much spending
money; few had keys to their
own vehicles. Drugs were a
rarity, Alcohol was for adults.

Teen pregnancies = were
frowued upon.
Then it was unusual for

school age kids to be out late at
night. Now, like shift workers,
teens leave home at 1:30 a.m.

| WE REDUCED
THE b& PACK
To Emeries !

WE REUSEP
THE CANS!

AND Noo We RE
RECYCLING THE BEER. } -.

perhaps to do a tour of
vandalism, theft, arson and
who knows what other. in-
diclable offenses,

On TV we hear of a 12 and a
14 year old stealing a car,
broad siding another, and kill-
ing the 30 ycar old mother of
two instantly. The 14 year old
has 20 convictions already. In
another case, parents = —
charmingly helpless — plead
for police and courts to im-
prison their unruly 14 year old
before he, too, kills an ‘in-
neccnt bystander by driving a
stolen car,

Some parents scem incapable
or unwilling to discipline their
children. They expect the
government to do it for them. |

Society foots a hefty bill for
crimes by kids whose parents
have abdicated their parenting
responsibilitics. This © year
alone B.C. ‘drivers through
ICBC will pay $100 million
for stolen vehicles smashed or
used in other crimes.’ ce

A community center is no
substitute for — responsible
parents, -