Ad - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 7, 1994 TERRACE STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 : ADDRESS: 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C. * V8G 158 TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432 MODEM: 638-7247 a Park pride NEWS THAT the provincial government spent $126,000 to publicize the creation of a park in the prizzly bear-inhabited Khutzeymateen Valley north of Prince Rupert is disquieting to say the least. Fe With the government living on borrowed money -— money that increasingly besieged tax- payers are ultimately responsible for paying back — citizens should surely have thought those in power would have held back from the temptation to pat themselves on the back. Then again, perhaps this is a sign of something we should all recognize. It’s a matter of pride. B.C. has one of the finest park systems — if not the finest — in North America. Anybody who has taken to the road and ex- plored the park systems of neighbouring pro- vinces and states yearns for what B.C.’s parks have to offer. In the more developed parks, there’s easily accessible potable water, pretty darn decent outhouses or flush toilets and showers, free firewood, individual camping spots, camp sites for those sometimes too monstrous motor homes, evening programs in the larger campgrounds and prices that are fairly reasonable. Indeed, new figures from the province indicate more than six million visits were made to provin- cial parks in July, the most every for a one- month period. Overall attendance is up by 20 per cent, to 15 million visits so far this year. The fig- ures state that 12 million of the visits were from British Columbians. Such a vote of confidence is hard fo ignore. Healthy future IT USED to be that a measure of progress and pride in smaller B.C. towns was the size of its hospital. The bigger the facility, the bigger its budget and the greater its services added up to major points for residents and for politicians who came calling for votes every so often. But that’s now changed. The town that has the smallest budget and the smallest hospital facility may very well soon be a source of envy. The'rea- son? The health care spending boog-a-rama is over what with growing government deficits and a tax-weary public. Enter a stack of provincial programs all aimed at taking all but the most necessary health care services out of hospitals and inio the com- mutities. And there’ll soon be local health coun- cils to make local health care spending decisions. All that sounds good in theory. The question is whether this’ll turn out to be a reality. Aside from the matter of ensuring that community ser- vices do benefit from a diversion of money away from hospitals, we're all going to have to change our way of thinking. Hospitals can’t be regarded any more as an ultimate cure-all for whatever ails us. Emergency rooms can’t be treated as a casual, walk-in health care supermarket. And we’re all going to have to realize thal being smart consumers of health care is just as important as being smart shoppers for anything else we buy. GNA i) PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Red Link ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L. Hamm PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS COMMUNITY: Jeff Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Malcolm Baxter OFFICE MANAGER: Rose Fisher _DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros, CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Charlone Matthews Serving the Teriece aiea. Publishad on Wednesday of each week ty Cariboo Press {1969} Ud. al 464; ’ Lazotle Ava., Terrace, British Columbla, an ; Stories, pholog'aphs, ilustrations, daslns and typesiyles inthe Tertace Slandatd are the property of the capyright holders, Including Cariboo Press (1969) Lid, t's Ilustialion tepto services and advertising incies. : Reproduction In whole of In pari, wihout wiitien permission, ts specifically prohibited. Authaized as sscond-dass mail pending the Post Office Department, for paymant of postaga in cash. CON Atl Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents for thelr time and talents ~ canada came first. inwestling.,.. they Vi Wit a SSS —_—_—_ == they should... wrestled h 4 def for GOd KNOWS how long felt Qpae 4 4, ‘ wt i (es t yf Waldo MLE Reform MP castigated | VICTORIA — Just what is it that attracts such ignoramuses to Preston Manning’s Reform Party? And I emphasize that I’m talking about the federal Reformers, not Jack Weisger- ber and his B.C. Reform col- leagues. While the latter are basically a reincarnation of the savaged Social Credit Party, espousing acceptable tight-of-centré policies, the federal Reformers seem to altract an inordinately large number of loonies who are no credit to the Canadian political scene. Not tao long aga, one of the federal Reform MPs compared native Indians {o children living 2 life of Luxury and lazi- ness in.some tropical paradise. The fact that the idiot apologized didn’t diminish the effrontery of his remarks. And now, along comes Art Hanger, Calgary MP and the Reform Party’s immigration crilic, telling Canadians that Canada is a haven for guer- rillas, terrorists, prostitutes, homosexuals, petty criminals and other misfits. At a press conference in Vancouver last week, Hanger intended to deliver proof of his allegations, but all he really "HUBERT BEYER proved was that he is a moron: at best and a detestable fear- monger at worst. , *Inunigration has opened the doors wide and hung out a welcome banner for those who are looking for a paisy nation to call home,’’ Hanger said. What appeared to prompt his asinine remarks was that Cana- da Immigration is fast-tracking some refugec claimants. The guidelines for this speeded up process consist of profiles of people from 27 countries who should be considered for fast- tracking, once questions of security have been satisfactori- ly answered. Among the guideline profiles Hanger objected to were those fast-tracking former guerrillas, homosexuals and prostitutes from Colombia, and homeless children suspected of criminal activity in that country. In an editorial, the Victoria Times-Colonist correctly ; pointed out that Hanger is forgetting that oppressive governments call their op- ponents ‘‘guerrillas,’’ while the oppressed masses refer to them as ‘‘freedom fighters.”’ Hanger also conveniently forgot thal discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited under the British Columbia Human Rights Act, and that the federal govern- ment is planning similar legis- lation. And what about children suspected of ‘‘criminal ac- tivities”? back home? Could it be that they were hungry and stole food to survive? As for guerrillas and ter- rorists, Hanger is either out to lunch or deliberately mislead- ing the public. Neither guer- Tillas nor terrorists can claim refugee status. They are screened out by the Immigra- tion Department prior to claimants being referred to the board for fasl-tracking, Ail of which isn’t to say that the screening process is per- ~ fect. It isn’t. The odd ~un-' desirable character. will. slip through, assuring big headlines from coast to coast. Bul by and | - large, the process works, This country’s future and its prosperity are linked directly to . its Without immigrants, Canada's future will be bleak. Proof of |.’ that can be found in any eco-' - - nomic report. Without fail, the . - provinces wilh the highest. — population increase, largely’ due io immigration, register. the highest level of prosperity. British Columbia, which leads the country in population. growth, remained pretly well immune to the last recession and didn’t post one single — quarter of negative growth. Hanger’s fear tactics are deplorable. They cater to the people’s lowest instincts. And .. Hanger uses the most wretched of humanity’s poor, refugees, . to further his own pathetic career, Was he rebuked by his leader? Not on your life. Man- ning actually congratulated him for speaking out. And this is the party that wanls to be Canada’s salvalion. Pardon me. while I bring up. , Loose dogs a problem | ROAMING DOGS are a bloody nuisance. They rob neighbours of sleep, enjoyment of their property, and the free- dom {o participate without worry. Unfortunately, irresponsible owners fail to realize this. They appear to be deaf, and few ever set fool beyond the front door without car keys. Roving dogs are a worry to anyone walking or biking. They are a special worry to mothers with young children. Many a family stroll has ended in tears and disarray when 4 mother and her toddlers were accosted by one or more fanged, barking beasts. A leisurely walk shouldn't be turned into a route wilh an angry, distressed mother hoist- ing aloft to safety 50 pounds of screaming, crying toddlers with strangle holds around her neck, Dog owners always say, “My dog wouldn’t hurt any- hody.’* Oh, sure. Sell that line WE SOLD EVERYTHING: IN TAHOE AND MOVED HERE So HARRY CAN weiTeE HIS NOVEL AND CAN SELL PRY ELOWER ARRANGEMEN 4 THROUGH BIFOCALS: CLAUDETTE SANDECKI to a stranger after a surly shepherd dog rushes at him from a driveway threatening to crunch his limbs, Another dog owner ploy is to bat their eyes and proclaim, ‘My dog never Icaves the yard.’* Really? | Recently two dogs pranced up and down our street all night. Each time they passed our yard our dogs barked, waking me up to rap my knuckles on the window to shush them. I got as much sleep as a mother with a new- born. That morming when | drove, off to keep an 8 a.m. dental ap- pointment both dogs were at the Volkswagen Intersection on River Drive, tongues drip- ping, Because power was out in town, I returned home im- mediately, By then the two dogs were at SKB, soaked from rambling through wet weeds. For years I’ve walked our. . dogs only toward the north end of Dobbie because several loose dogs live to the south. A leashed animal. is bait to an un- confined dog. So unless I’m also willing to ignore the by- law and Iet my dogs gallivant, I can expect to be lrapped in a bloody skirmish instigated by these pugnacious mutts, I recall when I bad to walk my dogs past a yard where a collic was kept lied with a frayed hunk of hemp. Invariab- ts! BETTING How MANY WHAT " MoNTHS BEFORE THEY ARE EItd€R SPLITUP OR YOU, ,, MOVE BACK SOUTH | ly the frenzied collie snapped ‘~ the final strand and set upon - my two dogs. Eventually, spurred by my gtaphic suggestions rendered at the top of my lungs while flailing a spare. chain lo beat off the lunging collie, the owner anchored the cur to the ’ front steps with 20 feet of chain. On my next walk, the collie - towing a twist of rotten splintered two-by-sixes - piled inlo my dogs while I was still three houses before its yard, ; In the ensuing melee of teeth, claws and chains, I was shoved down a sleep ditch, twisting my knee, For weeks afterward walking was painful. Today, that joint is crippled by arthritis. Lel’s hope future pet owners pay more attention to advice from Sandy Norman, judge of the fall fair’s pet show, than adults do to warnings from the animal control officer, 74-394 v immigration policy. a