TERRACE STANDARD | The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 5, 1996 - A5 ELECTION ‘96 Native vote clinched NDP win THE VOTE in the aboriginal villages of . he Skeena riding gave NDP incumbent Helmut Giesbrecht the edge he needed to win re-election, When the ballots were tallied, just un- der 600 votes separated Giesbrecht from Liberal Rick Wozney, a closer: resutt than many imagined. When you consider that 12,781 votes were cast, not includ- ing, absentce ballots, that means he won by just 4.67 per cent of the total vote. In total 606 people in aboriginal vil- lages voted for the NDP, up fram 309in the 1991 provincial election, *L. certainly realize my win is at- ' tributable to people in the villages ‘and workers’ in Kitimat,’ said Giesbrecht, His first reference was to the native com- munities in the riding, Giesbrecht visited every village during the clection, talking to leaders and visit- ing houscholds, “First Nations people have historically not given too much attention to voting,”’ he said. ‘‘After beating: your head against a brick wall for a hundred years you get kind of tired: But most felt this was probably the time to get involved.’* And they did get invalved, coming out to vote in significantly” higher numbers than the previous election. In Kitamaat Village, 249 people cast their vote for the NDP. In comparison, the other four parties got a combined to- tal of just 14 votes. In the 1991 provincial election, only 144 votes in Kitamaat Village were cast. The majority, 124, still voted NDP, and 20 voted for other parties. That means an increase of 125 votes for the NDP from 1991, In Gitanyow (Kitwancool) the NDP fared far better this election. Giesbrecht racked up 107 votes out of a tolal of 137 this year, However, in 1991, be won only 38 votes. Anather 42 voled for the Social Credit and five for the Liberals. So the NDP tallied up an increase of 69 votes. “In Gitwangak the trend continued. The NDP received 138 out of 154. That’s up. from 99 votes in 1991, out of a total of i113. An increase of 39. Voters in Kitsumkalum had no second thoughts about the NDP, casting 112 bal- lots for them, and just 11 for other parties. Again, a comparison of 1991, shows on increase of 76 for the NDP. The other partics, said Giesbrecht, basically wrote off that entire section of oweet it ain’t SKEENA MLA Helmut Giesbrecht has just secured his second term of office and the gold-plated pension that comes with it — right? _ Wrong. While there’s an assortment of long-serving MLAs who now qualify for lucrative pensions under the ald system, Giesbrecht won't be among them. Legislation passed last July to abolish the MLA pension plan took effect last week. Any MLA that didn’t reach seven ycars service prior to last week’s vote is out of luck. That includes Giesbrecht who was first elected in 1991, ‘The goverment has said it will strike a commission this year to determine a replacement pension plan for MLAs. Under the old plan, taxpayers contributed about five dol- lars for every dollar MLAs kicked in. North Coast NDP MLA Dan Miller, who has served one term longer than Giesbrecht, is locked in to the old system. ‘After 10 years of service the 51-year-old, who served as deputy premier before the election, hag a pension fund worth a maximum $1.2 million. ‘His first year pension benefit if he resigned now would _ be $37,700 increasing up to $72,000 by age 75. NDPer Jackie Pement, elected in 1991, chose not to run again in the Bulkley Valley-Stikine riding. She leaves with a severance package of $41,688 which also reflects her time as’ a cabinet minister in the last government. The biggest pension payout of the retired MLAs belongs to Robin Blencoe, who departs with a pension warth up to $1.68 million. Former premier Mike Harcourt's Pension. will be worth $1.33 million. thet ae Miller does well DAN MILLER racked in one of the more impressive NDP wins of the election by capturing the North Coast riding with 65 per cent of the vote. _ Liberal candidate Odd Eidsvik gathered only 2,817 votes — not even half of Miller’s total. Reform candidate Clarence Hail was Jeft in the dust with 804 votes. Miller was especially popular with native voters in the Nass Valley. There, he took 93 per cent of the total 676 vales. The NDP continued its winning ways in the Bulkley Val- bey - Stikine riding, albeit with a smaller margin. The right wing vote split right down the middle there their constituency. “Democracy isn’t just doing every thing the majority wants,” said Gics- brecht. He cautioned the other candidates that they had a responsibility to the every part of their-constitucncy, | “We're judged by how we treat our minorities,” he said, Elmer Derrick, a treaty negotiator for the Gitxan who lives i in Terrace, said he saw no deliberate’ effort “to get more people from the villages to vote this year, “But very hardline. positions were taken by the two other parties,’’ says Derrick, referring to the Liberal and Reform positions on land claims. And lhat meant more people were probably scared into getling out and voting. “Tf someone held a gun to your head, the way Reform did, you'd find a way to fight back,” he says, - That docsn’t mean native communities are necessarily happy. with the NDP. “'Given the options, you take that devil that you know,” says Derrick. © Haisla (Kilamaat Village} chief land claims negotialor Gerald. Amos was happy with the results of the election, but cautioned there was ‘‘still a lot of work to do.’?: The increase in the turnout of native voters, while indicating support for the © NDP, also was a challenge for the party “to do what’s right,"”’ Asked if that meant he would push them to deliver on their promises, he replied with a smile, ‘‘] always do.” ta be an ‘effective speaker during ali candidate peformances during the campaign. Serry has also given warning that he isn't deserting the political battlefield — the Kitimat candidate plans to run in the CONGRATULATIONS. That's Social Credit candidate Dave Serry, left, passing on his best wishes to NDP winner Helmut Giesbrecht at the latter's Terrace victory party election night. Al- with Liberal Pat Beach taking 3,480 votes and Reformer Bill Zemenchik gamering another 3,270, That left NDP candidate Bill Goodacre to take the seat with 4,231 votes. though Serry received only 239 votes on election night he proved November municipal elections in that community. It’s time to get down to business IT’S NO surprise government activity tends to slow way down during an élec- tion. ‘The polilicians are owt politicking and the civil service is reluctant to undertake _ activities that might be turned into can- non fodder. But now, with the NDP returned to power, there’s a long list of issues in the northwest that need addressing. And a lot of these issues were the result of NDP policies, meaning the government should be able to address them in a timely fashion. So with that in mind, here’s that list. Merger or what? What's it to be? The Municipality of Thomhill or Greater Terrace? _ That's been an ongoing question for a couple of years and it is scheduled to came to a bead this fall in a referendum. People naturally resist- change but ‘soinething has to-happen in this area be- cailse Thornhill cannot go oa forever as it ls now. , It’s no longer a sparsely populated rural area or callection of subdivisions. ‘Whatever takes place is going to be tricky what with the implications for taxes both in Terrace and in Thornhill. And although this may be regarded as a problem for the City of Terrace and the Kitimat-Stikine regional district, local governments are at the mercy of the provincial government. A decision here has to involve the wis- dom of Solomon lest it erupt into a large version of acighbours arguing over fence lines. Airport land UNLESS we want to be permanently grounded, somebody has to take over op- eration of the Terrace airport. Taxpayers won’t want to voluntcer for that duty unless there’s some hope that it could come close to breaking even, That’s where the airport lands come in. City council wants the new government to give them a good deal on the transfer of a sizable chunk of land surrounding the airport. That land would be used to create a light industrial area. The tax base from that, according to this theory, would be used to offset the operating losses of the airport. Only problem is that so far the pro- vince is only prepared to lease the land to the city and has said it wants a cut of any revenue the city gets from any sub- sequent land deals. It’s a dull-sounding issuc, but it’s one that’s crucial to the arca’s survival and growth as a regional hub. , Related to this is the campaign in Prince Rupert to build an: expensive bridge to that city’s airport‘on Digby Is- land, Turning over the Terrace airport lands wouldn't cost Victoria a dime. The- Rupert bridge scheme would cost-at least $65 million. Continuing stinginess by the New Democrats over the airport’ land wouldn't go over well here — particular- ly if locals end up paying higher taxes to maintain the alrport while they watch 3 a giant bridge built at the coast. Health care The NDP is quite proud in its statements that il’s protecting the provincial health care system against increasing costs and from federal cutbacks. A major component of the NDP’s health care strategy is: moving services out of hospitals’ and into cheaper communily-based programs. Along with that has taken place a gut- ting af health care administrative organs. We’re now to be governed by a system of community health councils which in tum are governed by a regional body. This two-stage whammy af more com- munily health care and a new governing structure has caused more than its fair share of grief, problems and uncertainty. The northwest regional health board is only now setting up and the progress of | community health care councils is slower than what was expected. All this has been quite confusing to cilizens and much more information is needed to properly explain what is hap- pening. The hospital The mililary calls i collatcral damage — what happens when a bomb or missile hits the wrong target. That’s what is taking place at Mills Memorial Hospital these days. In the drive to save money and to fi- nance cheaper, community-based health care’ programs, the government had to take from somebody and that tumed out to be hospitals. - It is a credit to Mills that it has been able to close beds and cut labour costs without — so far — materially affecting ~~ basic core services. Yet the hospital can only be asked to do so much until something bad: takes place. The NDP has to address the Mills” siluation and soon. Land claims The size of the Reform vote in the north and the interior should serve. as a. mas- sive neon sign flashing “Danger” to the NDP. Premicr Glen Clark should be a happy person that this highly emotional and divisive issue did not turn into a major election problem for himself or his party. While settling land claims may be regarded province-wide as a necessity, there is a difference in how this will hap- pen in the south compared to the north. Down south money will be a key player in bow claims are settled. _ And because money will come from taxpayers il.can be. mushed in with everything else to the point it will not have much of an impact on individuals. The story up north is different because the. majority of the claims will involve land and resources. Scttlements and their impacts will be‘ more visible, making the sell job much barder to accomplish. All of this means the Canadian ability lo compromise will be severely tested in the years ahead. , Although it is way too early to predict how the Liberal party will shape up as a contender in the next provincial election, the NDP has to tread carefully in ensur- ing it doesn’t hand the Liberals a politi- cal opportunity they can easily exploit. And, last week showed that the NDP cannot afford to > lose any more northern seats. Orenda’s licence THE ON AGAIN and off again attempt by Orenda Forest Products to sell itself is on once more. A planned merger with a New York- based consortium last year io use Orenda’s wood ‘in the Stewart area to help open a closed Vancouver Island pulp and paper mill fell through, That effectively put the company on the auction market and also brought to a formal end-Orenda’s. plan to tse’ the wood for -a northwest pulp: aud paper mill of its own, Nobody was much ‘surprised when Repap (formerly Skeena Cellulose) an- nounced earlier this spring it had reached agreement to buy Orenda. Repap, as with all major wood users, doesn’t have as much wood under its own control or ownership as it would like, Orenda’s forest licence would add to its guaranteed inventory. But while forest companies can sell and buy cach other all they want, the forests minisler must approve the lrans- fer of licences, As of last year, new rules by the NDP call for public hearings when such trans- {crs are being proposed. The minister can consider corporale concentration, the effect on communities and whether there will continue to be a competitive market for wood. If the new forests minister approves the transfer, a 1980s plan to diversify the norithwest’s wood industry will officially be over. Orenda received its licence in 1985 for the Slewarl-Mcziadin areca as did two other companies. One of those com- panies has now been taken over by West Fraser while Repap has the other onc. Orenda and Repap have a clause in their sales agrement that extends the pe- riad to finalize the deal if an election does take place. The first NDP government bas had a mixed relationship with forest com- patties, Mos! everybody likes Forest Renewal BC., the new crown which is putting lots of money into planting trees and then looking after them. — But the NDP and the industry will al- ways bea bit wary of cach other, The decision regarding Orenda could be the NDP’s first signal of how it'll ‘treat the Industry in the new government.