2. Terrace Review — Wednesday, December 7 Attorney General judicial reform re - © In‘a ‘press conference held in Terrace yesterday, B.C, At- ~ torney. General Bud Smith in- ! ~ troduced: the Access to Justice Committee report by saying that. the . recommendations, ‘if. im- . plemented, will make‘the justice system more accessible to the average citizen. Although he. describes the present - justice system.as ‘“‘excellent’’, he says that the committee was original-— ly set up because ‘‘the system . “1988. has more people that want to use it than it has the ability to fulfill at a reasonable cost’’. In its final form, the report makes 182 recommendations covering a broad range of topics and envisions a system which uses ‘plain language’ that can be understood, meets the justice requirements of specific groups such as Native Canadians, con- tains an affordable system of fees and costs, and also suggests -. Motorists warned to watch for pedestrians . At 3:54 p.m. last Friday, 14-year-old David Edwards of Terrace tried. to cross Lakelse Ave. on the way to his Soucie Ave. home. He stood. at the crosswalk between Petro-Can and the Bank of Montreal, and when a pickup truck stopped, he began to cross. As soon as he cleared the first vehicle, how- ever, he was struck by another pickup driven by a 17-year-old _ Terrace youth who had failed to stop. Edwards is listed in “stable” condition at Mills - Memorial Hospital. The cause, according to an RCMP spokes- man, was ‘‘driver inattention’. This type of accident can be- prevented and RCMP Crime Prevention Officer, Ewen Har- vie, says that it is everyone’s responsibility. First of all, he says “everyone, pedestrians, drivers and the city, should note the location of all crosswalks, particularly on Lakelse Ave..be- tween Emerson and Eby St. There are three of them: one at Ottawa, one at Sparks and a third in front of the Skeena Mall.. _ Pedestrians, says Harvie, have ~ the initial responsibility. He says they. should use the crosswalks but with caution. Pedestrians should not enter a crosswalk if a vehicle is too close to stop safe- ly, Before stepping out, look the driver in the eyes — if he’s not looking at you he probably hasn’t ‘seen you. A third thing pedestrians have to remember, he adds, is that if it’s a four-lane street like Lakelse, watch for traffic in each lane. . Drivers, Harvie-says, have to remember that pedestrians in a crosswalk have the legal right- of-way. The Motor Vehicle Act provides for a $75 fine for any driver failing to yield that right of way, and if the violation is serious enough, charges of driv- - -ing without due care:and atten- tion, a criminal offence, can be | laid. A more serious criminal charge is the dangerous opera- tion of a motor vehicle, carrying - a maximum penalty of up to five years in jail. Also listed under the dangerous. operation of a motor vehicle,, if the offence results in bodily harm, is a max- imum penalty of 10 years in jail. If there is a death involved, it could be as high as 14 years. Harvie says that drivers have to be alert, especially in con- gested’ areas, and watch for pedestrians and other traffic — both: can be unpredictable. There are two particularly dangerous situations to watch for on four lane roads. The first is when a driver in the right lane stops — he’s doing it for a reason and that reason could be to give the right-of-way to a pedestrian. . The second situation is when you’re in the right-hand lane and another driver in the left lane signals for a-left hand turn and stops. In this case, the other driver may not have stopped for - oncoming traffic, but may be yielding the right-of-way to a pedestrian. In both of these cases,. says Harvie, everyone has to slow down and exercise extra caution. A failure to do so could result in tragedy. - ‘Ing : Alley. Ltd., Terrace | Woolworths. _ The “Wheels to Awareness Committee” wisnes to. acknowledge the following « — sponsors: ; ~ A & W — Campbell Stewart, Booth Memorial dr. Secondary School, C.F.T.K., Canada Safeway Ltd., _Copperside Foods, Don Radelet, The Donut Factory, _Jannette Anderson, Jeans North — Phyllis Hull, Jon's Hairstyling, K-Mart, Kalen Consumers Credit Union, Ken's Photo Studio, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald's Restaurant — - Layton Hotsprings, Northern Accents Gifts & Gallery, Northern Drugs Ltd., Northern Motor Inn Ltd., Northern _ Sentinel Press, Prince Rupert Secondary — Anne _ Taylor, Reltman’s Clothing, Shoppers Drug Mart, Sight -& Sound, Skeena Cellulose, Spee-Dee Printers Ltd., - Star Men’s and Ladles’ Apparel Ltd., Sundance Ski & Sports, Sweet Sixteen — Susan Lugrin, Terrace Bowl- Association, Terrace Review, Terrace Standard, The Medical Clinic, Thornhill Groceries, Video Stop, and Karen Focker, Mount City Hall, Terrace Co-op “to-légal statutes iam some. changes and redefines court procedures’ § and jurisdictions. Some of the more important — recommendations noted by Smith include: - @ the introduction of new tech- nology ‘into the system, ‘in- cluding a toll-free network to ‘allow province-wide access of legal information; =~ @a new County Court pro- cedure, ‘the Economical Litiga- tion Program’’, which would enable people to conduct their own.cases, or allow lawyers to take the case for a more economical fee; . @ a pilot program in which Justices of the Peace would hear municipal by-law cases, freeing court time; : @ mediation and counselling services and court sittings on In- dian reserves. Another recommendation more preventative in nature is the development of a collection system for information on the role of drugs and alcohol. in criminal, civil and family cases. “The cost impact on our judicial system is stunning,’’ states the report. The same recommenda- tion .also suggests: the imple- mentation of a pilot program ‘similar to the Alberta Impaired Drivers Course, IMPACT, a mandatory course for, impaired drivers. oe Smith says the report is the _result. of ‘one of the.most,in- depth reviews of our province’s justice system ever undertaken’. He adds ‘that the committee’s - tour of the. province last spring © was a success, ‘‘Everyone who asked to be heard was heard,” © and “The result is a blueprint for reform that is innovative and will carry. us into the 21st cen- - tury.” -He is currently touring the province to get the reaction -of judges and lawyers to the com- . mittee’s recommendation. He - will be conducting a second tour. early next year to hold public in- formation meetings. _— - THE SIGN OF A GOOD BUSINESS NEIGHBOR . . . enter Seane Won. SEG UMU BUSPRE SS METLHB EU ‘ THE SIGN OF A MERCHANT WHO CARES ABOUT PEOPLE... This emblem identifies ‘ the clvic-minded businessmen who sponsor ecm Wiqm. | In the community. Alma _—._. 638-1204 Vi 6338-8672 Terry . 638-8178. Captain John Harker of the Salvation Army makes a plea to all to help those who are not as fortunate as ourselves. The annual Kettle Drive began last Saturday and the kettles are — now placed in a number of downtown locations. This year's — drive began with a total of $3,300 being donated by the Ter- race Elks Club, Royal Purple, Kinettes, Centennial Lions and the Jaycees during the official kickoff last Saturday. EN OO eee Weather report — Nov. 28 - Dec. 4 Date . Hi Low Prec, Nov. 2B 37 05. 2.2 mmrain, 1.0 cm snow Nov.29 62 1.2 §.4 mm raln ; Nov. 20 5.9 23 _ 87.2 mmrain, .6 em snow Dec. 1 3.4 02 «| 1.8 mm rain, 1.0:cm snow Dec. 2 1.3 -2.5 trace of snow oo Dec. 3 0.7 -1.9 30.6 mmraln, 20.0 cm snow - Dec. 4 1.2 0 47.0 mm_saln, trace of snow Forecast: Another system is moving in. Will bring rain late on. Wednesday .and Thursday, with unsettled weather Friday. Temperatures will remain mild. Forecast Perlod: 12/11- 12/17/88 ARIES Subile forces are at work to alter the direction of. ’ Mur. 21-Apr.19 career and public standing. New methods are mo introduced. . TAURUS Congestive factors in your life are cleared away Apr.20-May20 —_teavingyou free toexplorenew kingdoms. ‘ GEMINI New situations arise putting you ina position of -, May 21-June20 overseeing the finances and affairs of one close - toyou. CANCER Partnership relations tend to be a bit rocky. Try June21-July22 - nottoholdthereinstoo tight. Don't smother. EO L Shopping trips can be very expensive, as you are July 23-Aug. 22 attracted to the glitz. Leave the plastic cards at home. ° ' VIRGO You find a special someone while entertaining Aug. 23-Sept.22 business associates. It may prove tobe much more , _ than business. ot 7 ; LIBRA : "The basic foundation of your life will be under- Sept.23-Oct.22 going change. Just when you think things are ; "settled down, something new popsup. SCORPIO © Changesin‘your way of thinking bring about new ‘Oct. 23-Nov.21 objectives. You inust evaluate concepts and ideas for yourself. . ; SAGITTARIUS Financial activity related to taxes, insurance, in- Nov.22-Dec.21 _heritance, ¢tc., takes a surprising turn. Follow oo throvgh on plansto stabilize income. CAPRICORN Your interests in life undergo change as you Dec. 22-Jan.19 awakentothe fact thata lot of life out there is as . yet untapped. AQUARIUS Insplrational thoughts act as a spur to creative Jan.20-Feb.18 © expression, Share those thoughts with others in book form. a PISCES ~ You would do well on the speakers circuit, pre- . Feb. 19-Mar.20 senting your original ideas and concepts on your _ pet cause.