Watershed should turn into a park Dear Sir: Do most people know that there is a small lake called Cameron Lake and wooded area just north of the City of Terrace, all within watking distance of the city? This is within a proposed recreational reserve. The watershed area could be our Stanley Park. There is an old growth forest, beautiful views of the mountains and a small lake, The new pump on Highway 16, will replace the watershed off of Spring Creek Dam Road. My question is what will happen to this park-like set- ting? We have no busses to take people to Lakelse Lake but we do have a bus ihat lakes us to Halliwell and North Eby. From there it is a good walk to the entrance of the watershed. The watershed area could be our Stanley Park. There is an old growth forest, beautiful views of the mountains and a small lake. I think it would be a shame to tum this beautiful and useful area into housing when there is a need for a park and a place to swim just a short distance from the city of Terrace. I have spent years lobbying to have this area turned into a park both as a private citizen and as a commisioner on the parks and recreation commis- sion with little effect. So now it is up to you, the people of Terrace and the regional] district, to tell the district and city that we need this park. Eileen Puge Terrace B.C. Condom cure a big lie Dear Sir: The Terrace intellectuals are at it again by want- ing to install condom machines in school. Teen pregnancies are up all over the country. Public health officials and Planned Parenthood are at a loss to explain. It appears their only solution is sex education and condom machines in the school, but il is proven everywhere that this is not working. We tell our kids ‘Don’t smoke’ ‘‘Don’t even have one drink and get behind the wheel’’ ‘‘Just say no to drugs”’ but never an ad saying ‘“‘Say no to sex’’ until marriage. No, the answer is to put condom machines in schools for ‘‘safe’’ sex. Wrong. Following is an edited version of an arti- cle ‘by:Dr.-Steven Sainsbury of San Luis Obispo, Galif., which appeared in the Los Angeles Times. “"My 15 year old patient lay quietly on the gurney as ] asked the standard questions: ‘‘Are you sexual- ly active?’’ She said "Yes". Next question: "Are you using any kind of birth control?" The response was "No", Next question "What about condoms?" Response "No", "Her answers didn’t surprise me. She had a rip roaring case of gonorrhea. It could have easily have been AIDS. I treat teenagers like this everyday. Most are sexually active, Condoms are used rarely and sporadically. "Yet in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, I con- tinue to hear condoms touted as the solution to HIV transmission, Condoms are being passed out in high Unionization would hike silviculture industry costs The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 8,1998 - A5 CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag schools, sold in college restrooms dispensers and promoted on TV. The message is: Condoms equal safe sex. "As a physician, I wish it were true. It isn’t. It is a dangerous lie, "For condoms to be the answer to AIDS, they must be used every time, and they can never break or feak, So what's the answer? The only answer is no sex until one is ready to commit to a monogamous relationship. The key words are ab- stinence and monogamy.” Maybe some day, some Hollywood producer will appear on TV and say "To all of you that had your lives changed by sexually transmitted disease or by teen pregnancy. I lied about sex. I sold you sex as fun and I’m sorry.” Parents, don’t try protecting your daughter by putting her on the pill and supplying her with con- doms, because she is going to do it anyway. Give her credit for having brains to just say no. And parents, take charge and make a stand and say no to condom machines in the schools, A.F, Egan Kitimat B.C, Hat off to CFNR Dear Sir: I appreciate that CFNR wants to diversify on what is beard on the airwaves. People should have as many options as possible to choose from in any marketplace. Tt is quite true that any monopoly grows com- placent in deciding what people want to listen to. To answer the question on the relevance of a Vancouver-based radio station being heard on a Terrace station, it’s good to get a different perspec- tive on things once in a while and keep the mind ac- tive, The question I ask is why Skeena Broadcasters feels threatened and wants to keep the radio monopoly to itself. My ball cap is off to Clarence Martin and the CFNR staff for weaning themselves off government grants and relying more on private advertising revenue to continue operations. I hope that CFNR is successful in their endeavours. Ron Murdock Prince Rupert B.C. Transition work lauded Dear Sir: In reply to the fetter from M. Lubke, March 18, 1998. I cannot belicve the words that were written in this column! I don’t thiak he speaks for all men in general. We do get calls from the men who are involved with the women and children who are ficeing abuse, Some are threatening and some are positive. And there are men who phone our crisis line to talk about their problems. We help them, too. We do not discriminate against anyone who needs help, and we try our best to help whoever calls, Perhaps if you educate yourself of the cycle of abuse, you would understand tmore and realize the impact abuse has on the women and their children. 1 doubt watching Gilligan’s Island would have anything to do with a woman being beaten! Or not having a meal ready, There is an underiying prob- lem hiding behind Gilligan’s Island, and late ‘meals.,.these are merely excuses to beat someone. I quote Mr. Lubke, ‘‘Some ladies should never get married in the first place. They should be de- pendents of the state or province,” Have you checked how many people are ‘‘depen- dents of the province’’? The majority are women and children who live beneath the level of poverty because of gender inequality ic, wage. Same work, different pay. And it is tue, some people (men and women) do need counselling from a psychiatrist or psychologist, and not necessarily because of domestic problems. A citizen will more likely receive a harsher sentence if he hit his neigh- bour, broke into someone else’s home or treated an animal in- fAumanely. Some women do ‘‘end up in Ms. Scarborough’s care’, but not because they ‘‘cannot look after their own’, Some women go to the Transition House for the sake of the children, who have witnessed abuse towards mother, and she can no longer bear to have the children watch this abuse going on. Also for safety reasons, support, education, etc. Mest children need to be cared for, even if it means leaving the home which has become a battleground. It is often the children who suffer the most, because they can’t make choices like the grown ups do. Of course, marriage is a paxtnership. Nobody ever doubted that. But it certainly doesn’t give anyone the right to abuse their partner, be it man or woman. You can hit the dog too many times, and she/he -willrun, Los . ‘Don’t get me-wrong, there are couples who have - healthy relationships ‘and are able to communicate: with one another. As for the RCMP, they do have to uphold the law, and that’s to apprehend men or women who break the law. And domestic violence is against the law. A citizen will more likely receive a harsher sentence if he bit his neighbour, broke into some- one else’s home or treated an animal inhumancly, but this is changing. Women are just as adept at swallowing and not whining, just as well as the next person, The pastor may state whatever he/she wants, but I’m sure the pastor has a holistic view other than just making a statement. Rather than crawling on their bellies, perhaps mankind will someday realize we can’t keep lower- ing ourselves into beating each olher up, sexually and physically abusing men, women and children, then ‘pointing lo someone clse for causing their problems, — It states in the Bible thal woman was made from a rib of man, meaning all “mankind’’, therefore that includes men, women and children. *-] commend Debbie and the RCMP for the work they do ia the community. I know she and the other “ladies” are always there to help the abused women and children who want to feel safe. [ know . because | work with her. Kay Wilson-Baysinger Terrace B.C, Reform in no danger Dear Sir: _ Re: ‘‘Reform Party put on notice’’, The Terrace Standard, Jan, 28, 1998 which quoted Heather Stillwell, of the Christian Heritage Party (CHP). T can not understand why people such as Heather Slillwell have no better way to distribule their time other than to travel around crilicizing a political parly that, apparently, she is not familiar with. She may brainwash and mislead some, but hape- fully, good solid-minded people, will uot swallow her political garbage in connection with the policies and the platform of the federal and provin- cial Reform parties. Wilhout a doubt there are many good honest, Christians, thal support the principles of the CHP. We also have good Christians from all walks of life within both the fed- eral and the provincial : Reform partics, , . Ta Heather Stillwell, Heather Stillwell and all concerned, both of these parties are on good sound foundations, and neither one is bound to collapse, as staled by Stillwell. I, and many others, do not mind one bit, if Stillwell wishes to honour her own party. But she should not target and ridicule the Reform party to try and increase strength and power on their behalf, and for the benefit of her party. We had enongh criticism before the last provin- cial election in connection, with the Reform Party of British Columbia, that was not at all called for. Reform Party of B.C. is now on a good founda- tion and come next election, if we vote Liberal, it will split the vote, and re-elect the NDP. Alfred Forsyth Houston, B.C. - About the letters The Terrace Standard welcomes letters to the editor. Our mailing ad- dress is 3210 Clinton St., Terrace, B.C., V8G 5R2. You can also fax let- ters to us at 250-638-8432. And you can send an e-mall jetter to us at standard@kermode.net. We need your name, address and phone num- ber for verification, but only your name and city will be printed. Dear Sir: - There is a dramatic shift taking place in the silviculture industry. Many forest workers and contractors will be affected. In the 1998 season, it’s proposed that forestry workers who wish to work on Forest Renewal BC contracts on the coast (including Vancouver Island and inland to some point between Terrace and Prince Rupert) will be forced to join the Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers of Canada (WA). Hiring for these contracts will be done by the FRBC-controlled New Forest Op- portunities Ltd. Under the proposed agreement, unemployed I,.W.A. members will take first priority in the hiring ‘scheme, followed by aboriginal peoples, and unemployed local workers respec- tively. Experience silviculture crews will be the last to be granted employment. The government's plan to create new jobs for unemployed forest workers by displacing an already existing and skilled Nothing Dear Sir: I would like to confront a lot of the comments being circulated over the new agreement between I.W.A, Canada and the New Forest Opportunities Limited under the B, ©, Jobs & Timber Accord, We have all heard comments such as: @ “Hundreds of non-union workers who plant trees and space replanted forests are about to be displaced.’’ wi ‘Many skilled silvicultural workers, whe ate used to working hard and effi- ciently and getting paid for precisely what they produce, are sidelined.”’ @ This will be the biggest job sub- sidy or welfare program cver invented by the government.” These are untrue rumours being spread to cause unfounded fear to workers, communities and the general public. work force is preposterous. According to a 1996 industry profile by Coopers and Lybrand (completed in 1997), there were approximately 15,000 silviculture workers in BC. Seventy-five per cent were over 25 years of age and 51 per cent had over five years of experience. All silviculture workers are being locked © out in the cold with no sunshine in sight. Contractors are being forced to give up their skilled work force to be replaced with untrained workers, This raises costs astronomically, Estimates are between three and ten times the cost for the same volume of production. How can our pro- vince maintain global competitiveness in an already floundering BC forest indus- try by raising the costs of silviculture so dramatically? No jobs are being created. Costs are es- calaling. Where is the logic behind the NDP?’s decisions? Justin Spearing Terrace B.C. First of all, tree planting is nol included under the new agreement, If we put aside the politics and rhetoric, we will all benefit from the Jobs & Timber Accord, the creation of New Forest Opportunities Limited, and a single freely negotiated collective agreement for all workers on FRBC land-based projects. New Forest Opportunities Limited will be the new employer for FRBC-funded land-based projects. Priority hiring will be given to displaced foresiry workers, First Nations, and local residents. This also means that all workers will have the benefit of a freely negotiated collective agreement, regardless of whether they were prior union members. Despite all the shetoric to the contrary, the unionization of silvicultural wotkers performing FRBC funded work will be a SILVICULTURE CONTRACTORS Duncan Morris and Justin Spearing aren't impressed with plans to radically change the silviculture industry on the 8.C, coast, So far there are no plans to extend the new system to the interlor, but it's not yet Known how close the coastal zone will come to the woods around Terrace. to fear from unions in the woods benefit to the workers and contractors. Although New Forest Opportunities Limited will be the employer of the labour force on FRBC land-based work, all contracts wil] be competitively bid. So, not only will existing union and non- union contractors be eligible to bid on FREC work, but those who bid will be assured of a level playing field when it comes to labour costs, Furthermore, successful contractors will be supplied with a qualified wark- force, without the headaches of recruit- ment, labour relations, payroll, and other administrative details, This will give the contractors an opportunity to better util- ize thelr time managing the project and ensure the work gets done efficiently. This agreement will reaily benefit communities. Existing forestry workers who lose their employment will be able to support their families and com- munities; and other local residents, in- cluding young people, will have access to new work in the forest industry. This initiative will help distribute the bencfils that ow from FRBC funding back to our forest-dependent communities. Unionization of the silvicultural work- force: in British Columbia could well represent a ‘win win’? situation for sil- vicultural workers, conlractors, and com- munities. So, why all the uproar from the sil- viculture employers? For years, forest companies and contractors have made a decent profit from the forests and forest communities. The new trend has been that both the public and provincial government have demanded the forest industry put something back into forest communilics in the form of new, good- paying, family-supporting jobs. Some contractors underslandably resist a concept that they feel will sirike at both profit margins and their control over their workforce, 1.W.A. Canada believes that il is only fair and right that silvicultural workers should have an opportunity to enjoy the same improved wages, benefits and working conditions that other workers in the forest sector take for granted, Our many years of dealing with employers, large and small, tell us that employer resistance is no teason to halt the struggle to improve working condi- tions for working men and women. Bob Freer, vice-president IWA Canada, Local 1-71