A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 17, 1996 STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 ADDRESS: 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C. * V8G 158 TELEPHONE: (6()4) 638-7283 » FAX: (604) 638-8432 MODEM: (604) 638-7247 School daze SOMEWHERE OUT on the high seas is a float- ing, fast food restaurant. It’s located on one of the giant, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. With a crew of more than 5,000, the restaurant does a brisk and thriving business. That seemingly bizarre marriage of government and business just might be coming to British Columbia. There’s a growing discussion in the school system of how to better spread an in- creasingly stretched taxpayer’s dollar. Does it make sense nowadays to have school buildings sit idle during the summer? Can schools be used more at night? Should we reconsider the model where school buildings are used solely by students and teachers? Should schoo] districts own school buildings, or should they be built by private developers and leased back? Answering these questions may lead to a com- plete gutting of the way we have structured the school system. It’s very rigid what with the com- mon model of school being in session during the fall, winter and spring with summers off. Any kind of new system would have a profound impact in Terrace. Skeena Junior Secondary is overcrowded, inefficient and sorely in need of a replacement. Uplands Elementary, on the bench, is also overcrowded. The growing population up there has eaten up the space given when the school expanded several years ago. The school district has a chunk of land on the bench for a new school location. Down in town its negotiating to buy a piece of property on which to build a new junior secondary school. Building a new school is a long, frustrating and hideously expensive exercise. Already the educa- tion ministry wants to switch. from custom-. designed schools to universal, off-the-shelf ar- chitectural plans in order to save money. By looking at new ways — leasing, combining education with other community services and the such — the school district just might be a leader in how things should be done from here on in. Change is always frightening. The unknown is scary and challenging. But there really is no alternative facing the public sector if it is to con- tinue to provide an acceptable standard of ser- vice with less and less money. Exciting time WHAT A RARE treat for the voters of Skeena. There are three solid contenders for the riding in the next provincial election, The three, current NDP MLA Helmut Giesbrecht, Reformer Ron Town and newly unveiled Liberal Rick Wozney, are competent, skilled and have solid supporters, All of this points to a high-spirited campaign wherein voters will have a chance to ask ques- tions and get back three viewpoints on what’s happening now and what should happen next. The essence of democracy is a free-wheeling exchange of issues, ideas and opinions. Every election is crucial but this one in Skeena will concentrate on land claims, resource use and fis- cal responsibility. It?l] be a dandy and one that will be remembered for a long time. Cy ys : ob Gan KS) PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link u \/ ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L. Hamm PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur § NEWS Jeff Navel » NEWS SPORTS: COMMUNITY: Cris Levkaut OFFICE MANAGER: Audra Creek ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros, Tracey Tomas ADVERTISING ASSISTANT: Emma Law DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur COMPOSITOR: Keily Jean CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Karen Brunette MEMBER OF 8.C, PRESS COUNCIL Serving the Terrace and Thomhil area. Published on Wednesday of each week by Cariboo Press (1969) Lid. at 4647 Lazelle Ave. Terrace, Briish Columbia. . Sicnes, photographs. illustrations, designs and typestyles in the Terrace Standard are the property of the copynght holders, including Canboe Press (1969) Ltd., its illustration tepto Services and advertising agencies. Reproduction in whole or in part, without witlen permission, is specifically prohibited, Authorized as second-class mail panding the Past Office Deparment, for payment of postage in cash. CONA ‘verurce eel CONTAC LPE Special thanks to ail our contributors and correspondents ’ for thelr time and talents KEEP A GOOD EYE ON HIM... AND MAKE SURE HE’ ALWAYS IN FRONT OF YOU... Money plan could hurt badly VICTORIA — The majar is- sue in this year’s election campaign is taking shape. The Liberals, still out front in the polis, are busy building a plat- form that is closely modelled after former premier Bill Ben- netl’s resiraint program, To flesh out their basic plan to reduce the public work force in British Columbia by 15 per cent, the Liberals have enlisted the help of several people who were instrumental in designing Bennett’s restraint package that hit the province like a ton of bricks in 1982. The bom-again Socred restraint architects include David Emerson, former aide to Bennett and Bob Plecas, a high-powered bureaucrat dur- . ing.the Bennett years... » Liberal leader Gordon Camp- . bell, the man who would be premicr, is still reluctant to talk about the details of the fiscal policies he would implement, but he doesn’t miss a chance to talk about the eed for restraint. "We are going to see the shrinking of the public ser- vice,’” he said recently, adding thal drastically reducing the number of public servants ‘‘is not about punishing people,” but about getting the best value for every dollar spent, It’s a familiar tune, played HUBERT BEYER FROM THE CAPITAL. nearly 14 years ago by Bill Bennett and recently dusted off and played again by Ontario Premier Mike Harris. In case Campbell wasn't paying attention when Bennett hammered the province with his restraint program, I'd like to point out a few details for his consideration, Bennett sold the merits of his restraint package on the same basis as Campbell is going to offer his version: Money is tizht, debis are out of control, something’s got to be done. Something was done all right. In his quest to save money, Bennett took the pro- vince to the brink of disaster. He cut programs and altered the social safety net, alienating huge segments of society. Solidarity, an amalgam of dozens of special interest groups, including human rights organizalions, environ- mentalists, trade unions and a lot of ordinary folks, was born. Angry protesters by the tens of thousands assembled in Vic- toria and Vancouver. Wildcat strikes broke out, and the pro- vince came close to being | paralyzed by a general sirike. Bennett’s plan also included laying off 25 per cent of public servants working directly for the government, which af- fected roughly 10,000 people. The people were laid off, but in the cnsuing weeks and months, most were rebired on contract, The whole thing turned out to be a sham. Ben- nett could point to a 25-per- _. seat reduction. in government. employees, but it didn’t save the laxpayers any money. Relative peace was restored to the province when Bennett and IWA chief Jack Munro reached the so-called Kelowna Accord. That chapter of British Columbia's history should have taught politicians an im- portant lesson: people will al- low themselves to be governed only within generally accepted parameters of power. The politician who crosses the threshold of public tolerance inviles chaos. An election promise of “restoring fiscal order. Getting the best value for every dollar spent,’ or whatever fuzzy thetoric a party aspiring to power may use, docsn’t give it a mandate to savage a social fabric that took decades to evolve. Campbell, it appears, slept through that important lesson. He’s hell bent for leather to try it again. And while governing is the premier’s prerogative and, indeed, duty, failing to do so without adequate regard to the effects on society, has certain consequences, The Social Credit Party was not destroyed by Vander Zalm alone. It died because those in power, in the end, had little _ Jegard for hose. they governed. They. had Jost touch with the common people. If Campbell plans to do what I think he docs, he must spell the details before the election. He must tell the public to what extent he’s willing to ga to get “the best value for every dol- lar spent,”’ Only then will he be able to claim a mandate for whatever restraint measures he has in store for British Columbians: Beyer can be reached at: Tel:(604) 360-6442; Fax:(604) 381- 6922;E-Mail: hbeyer@direct.ca Dyeing to try this one LAST WEEK when couver police raided =a Marijuana paraphernalia retailer, one staffer’s green hair snagged my alteation. What a fashion statement! ‘I’m me,” it said. “I do as I please,” The fashion critic, Mr. Blackwell, might not approve but Dr. Seuss sure would, Did a cosmetics consultant do his colours, or why would anyone deliberately dye his hair the colour of a putting green. Once, accidentally, my Aunt Mil did it in the 19405 when hair dyes were still un- teliable, experimental even, Far from being thrilled with her algae look, she threatened the area with a water shortage as she scrubbed and rinsed, Surely hair dye doesn’t come in shades of preen: be must use a fabric dye like Rit. Is sich a colour difficult to maintain; docs it naturally fade toward fall. When he needs to buy Van- CLAUDETTE SANDECKI more dye, docs he match the dye lot by taking along a swatch of Astroturf? When grooming, does he choose between a comb and a rake, a brush and a hoe? [n- stead of dandruff, itchiness and receding hairline, docs he battle carwigs, dryness and blight? And when tresses tangle to the point of pulling loose at the roots, does he SEE? HANDLES. combat the difficulty with con- ditioner or liquid fertilizer? I can see green hair having some advantages. It helps you -dress the part for carnival, Mardi Gras or St. Patrick's Day. And in cases of narcotics raids, you can blend in among the cannabis plants. If you're a salad chef you can forget hairnets, As for disadvantages, hikers must beware of becoming lost among ferns or netiles. You have to be immune to smart remarks, such as, ‘‘Hay, do you practice crop rotation?’’ aud ignore nicknames. Vigoro springs to mind like grass be- hind a footstep, Napping in the backyard is out if its home to rabbils. Green hair isn’t that spec- tacular when you get right to the root of if. We're ac- cuslomed to Carol Channing and her pink bob, Ronald McDonald with his red mop, WHICH Shows THAT BUSH LiFe (S EASY: — OD. URQUHART- out? and vacationing malons with mauve or blue perms, Given a choice, I'd prefer a son with green hair rather than body tattoos, a Mohawk cut, or a nose and lip ring, especially those linked by a draped chain like a public walkway ina zoa. Hair colour is icss permanent; any scarring is on the parent’s psyche, Unless appearances are deceiving, gree hair has the texture of oat straw, Running fingers through it would be as Tomantic as surting Fida's bed- ding in search of his dogtag. Barber time is a quick: Weed Wacker trim, or a bareheaded dally near cud chewers until he attracts an animal with ‘in- disctiminate laste. A Nubian goat, perhaps, I’m too introverted to opt for his hair the colour of swamp scum. But] can vouch for it as au atiention grabber. Who needs to wave an AKA7, LF YoU KNow How To HANPLE 11!