Aa - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 6, 1995 TERRACE. TAN DARD ‘ ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 ADDRESS: 4647 Lazelle Ave., Tertace, B.C. * V8G 188 TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 » FAX: (604) 638-8432 MODEM: (604) 638-7247. THOSE WHO backed the referendum bid for a second arena received a tangy taste of direct democracy when voters defeated the project. And that’s the way it should be for voters are the ones who have to pay for projects such as these and it is voters who should have the final Say. But the defeat also points out what happens when there isn’t leadership, when there isn’t a consensus and when there isn’t a vision of how a community should develop. , The critical moment came last June when city councillors and the regional district were asked to approve going to referendum on the revised, scaled-down project. Despite the cut in costs, everyone knew it would be a tough sell and probably a highly divisive issue. Many locally elected officials privately believed it would not fly with the voters. But only city councillors Gordon Hull and Ed Graydon (although he would in later weeks carry that, The official rationale was that the second sheet organizers had a right to take their. project and try to sell it to voters, regardless of the personal opinions of city councillors and regional district directors. ; . | That’s well and good but these same officials and the second arena backers failed to place the project in context. Referendum backers ran a low-key « campaign, hoping only their supporters would show up at the ‘polls. But two weeks before the Vote the in- |. evitable debate over costs began and the issue had blown up ‘in their faces.’ By then’ it was too’ late to counter opposing arguments, It’s debatable whether belated. efforts of the mayor and some councillors for the ‘Yes’ side actually helped or were the kiss of death. Now with a 55 per cent ‘no’ vote and a 45 per. cent ‘yes’ vote’on the books, little is resolved. Was the project too expensive? Were voters. simply not in a mood for more taxes? In the aftermath, councillor David Hull has an | idea — bring everyone together to reach a con- sensus on the big-ticket items the area needs, so we can then go forth united to work together on our community to-do list. At the time the regional district and city council gave the nod for a referendum, there was ex- treme pressure from the second arena backers. They wanted a second sheet approved quickly so it would be ready for the 1997 Northern B.C. Winter Games. Now that such artificial deadlines are gone, there’s time to pause, reflect and put that to-do list together. The next referendum window of opportunity is November 1996, Should this be the case, pres- sure will build because the electoral machinery | must be put in motion by early next summer. Efforts to clarify what the people want and are willing to accept in the way. of community projects should continue now while the debate is fresh in the public’ 5 mind. my PUBLISHER/EDITOR: ‘Rod Link | ) ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L. Hamm Ne ‘PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur EaERIPS, “NEWS Jeff Nagel » NEWS SPORTS: - 0 COMMUNITY: Cris Leykauf OFFICE MANAGER: Audra Creek “ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: ‘Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros, Tracey Tomas ADVERTISING ASSISTANT: Emma Law DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur COMPOSITOR: Kelly Jean CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Karen Brunette MEMBER OF B.C, PRESS COUNCIL | Serving tha Terréca and Thornhill area. Publishad on Wedinesday af each week by Gatibeo Prass (1969) Lid. at 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, British Columbia’. ” Stories, pholographs, illustrations, dasigns and lypastylas in the Terreca Siandard afd the property of tha sont haldars, Including Cariboo Press. (1968) Ud, te ilustration: 'repKa Ferices and advertising agencies, - Reproduction ih whole ov In part, without vitian permission, is spectically prohibited. Authorized as Segond -dase mall pending the, Past Office Ospartmert, for payment of postage intash, + CNA Special thanks to all ‘our ‘contributors and correspondents ‘tor thelt time and tafents re hice out a 180-degree reversal) had the guts,io admit CONTROLLED No psychopaths need apply VICTORIA — Conventional wisdom holds it that those who wish to be leader of a political party must have an almost psychopathic desire to become ‘premier. In the upcoming race for the leadership of the New Demo- cratic Party, the winner of which will, for a while anyway, become premier, " there'll be no shortage of can- didates in that category. My advice to the NDP is: change the criteria for ap- plicants. Give the job to some- one who doesn’t want to touch . it with a 10-foot pole, someone who gets anxiety attacks at the very” thought of having to serve as premier of B.C. The dividends of shanghaiing so some. unwilling “and - ‘terrified » candidate, dragging ‘him or-her:: to the job, kicking and ’scream- . ., ing, if necessary, would be peace of mind for the ' * populace. The relief that would come wilh not being Ied by some egomaniacal, power-hungry little Napoleon would have a ‘very soothing effect on an electorate that is getting dangerously addicted to a dict of politicians for breakfast. Do I have a suitable victim in miad? You bet, I do: Bill Bar- lee, Minister of Small Business and Tourism, “I wouldn’t want to wish that job on my FROM THE CAPITAL » HUBERT BEYER ~ be looking ‘for’ in pedple who: worst enemy,’’ said Barlee when reporters asked him if he would throw his hat in the ring. Now, that’s exactly the atti- tude the public in general and the NDP ‘in ee rticular, Sh want to succeed Mike Harcourt as leader of the NDP: and premier, until at least the next election, ‘Of course, any potential con- tender for the job should have. some qualifications other than © a general loathing for the of- fice. Barlee has those,’ in spades. ; ‘Barlee is a shrewd businessman who isn’i about to let the Fraser Institute run circles around him. He’s a fur- mer chamber of commerce president, no less, He under-' stands the intricacies of busi- ness, big or small, He’s also financially well off and, there- fore, immune to accusations of being in politics for a regular pay cheque. As a cabinet minister he’s a | tough taskmaster. He asks a lot of his staff, but they like him. Barlee is also his own man. No handlers and spin doctors will } to tell him what to do, He . Might tell them where to go. Aside from all that, however, Barlee’s biggest plus is that he thinks he'd rather swallow Strychnine than run for the leadership of his party. The idea of ‘‘Barlee for leader”? isn’t mine. I got about half a dozen phone calls last week from readers telling me that Barlee would make a good ty teader and premie f.. ‘didn’t buy “intd draft until he said; thanks; but ‘no ‘thanks, Then I thought, what a great opportunity to change the whole dynamics of politics. Just think. In the formal flow of leadership races, you’ve got a lineup of people who, according to the very rules of the game, must be ened arrogant and boast- 1 They will call in every marker they’ve collected over the years, twist arms, in- timidate, woo, even beg ta claw their way to the top of the heap. They promise td solve all our problems in less than a week. Miracles take a little longer, but are not ruled out. People like Barlee, on the other hand, know it’s a rotten job and want no part of it They don’t embarrass. them- selves by trying outdo the voluntary candidates’ with foolish displays of political prowess. And they are under no obligation == to = make Promises they couldn’t possib- ly keep. - So, here’s-the deal for all you organizers ‘of the NDP conven- tlon next February: You ‘tell anyone who offers himself: or _ herself as a candidate to. get lost. If they don’t give up voluntarily, call the cops. On Feb, 15, the eve of ihe ., convention, you send the shock the job. If he struggles, feed him: some Demerol. Just get him } there, Trust me, he'll make an outstanding party leader. . Beyer can be reached at: Tel:(604) 360-6442; Fax.(604) 381- 6922:E-Mail: - hheyer@uirect.ca Being Canadian is too fair RECENTLY TWO Stewart hunters were charged for using a helicopter io go hunting. Conservation officers allege “the two men contravened the Wildlife Act by hunting six . hours of being airborne. What, I wonder, docs that mean — within six hours of being airborne. That if you take off in a helicopter, let’s say from a remote airstrip, and immediately spot a moose be- low, you must fly around a holding pattern for six hours before you can Icgally shoot a . moose? Or that you. must fly -six hours in a straight line away from your takeoff site — per- haps passing over any number of moose-before shooting at one? Hunting while airborne is il- legal, a rule I’d guess resulted from aircraft owners loosing profits repairing doorjams splintered and windows shat- (A ‘THROUGH BIFOCALS 23 CLAUDETTE SANDECKI- tered by passengers who are too eager to discharge their weapons. The six-hour rule, a conser- vation officer explained, means hunters must hold their fire until six hours after they touch down. The rule is in- tended to level. the playing field between a fleeing animal up to its belly button in snow and a high velocity bullet. GOODBYE TOURISTS !GOOPBYE. HUNTERS! GOODBYE SCIENT(STS! GOODBYE STUDENTS: , GOODBYE FILM MAKERS! GOODBYE MINERS! B GOODBYE JOURNALISTS! GOODBYE ARTISTS ! SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER !! ) | Cc What does Ottawa expect a hunter to do for six hours? Cry? Brush snow off a stump “and play cards? Or spike a bull’s eye to.a hemlock in line . With the departing moose and target practice? Absent from the Wildlife Act is provision for an impartial timekeeper. Also missing is a referee to make sure moose are allotted their full six hour head start. Nor does the Wildlife Act require hunters to sing out. ‘Ready or not, here I come.”’ Without a stopwatch of its own, how’s a moose to gauge when the six hours are up?. So we have a situation of ‘a moose grazing the hinterlands miles from roads, viewers and law enforcement, Stalked by hunters armed with enough fire power to retake Sarajevo, fly- ing in a helicopter piloted by someone Whose sole job it is to land them near a quarry, pect hunters to land, whip out: their wristwatches, and twiddle their thumbs until exactly six |: hours have elapsed from. the ; ' moment of landing. And they~ : are ta do this unobserved, of : their own free will, spurred - } only by their sense of fair play. How Canadian. How fair. Bear in mind some of these hunters will be counted among a the group who fail to lock up their guns though for years the. _ law has said they must. They - - may also be counted among +. ~ the ‘group who brag they'll. defy registering their guns. ‘It’s this blind faith of our’ oo elected officials that fuels the * 10 °the ‘Batides” “troops to "Barlee’s office in °° Victoria; Union organizers will : do very nicely. They. subdue. °. —; the minister, hustle him intoa . 9). waiting car, whisk him to the ~ Hyatt Hotel in Vancouver and | present him to delegates as the ~ only candidate available for. . creativity of ‘Air Farce, #: °° “This Hour Has 22 Minutes,’ woes and “Double Exposure."’ ‘In the case of the Stewart 4 hunters, some honest citizens - + - witnessed the alleged illegal — hunt and cared enough about + wildlife to report it. But caring a Yet politicians naively ex- witnesses ar rare, MeV Clem. de AND So Beanis AN Me DA ANOTHER YEAR -IN , THE TRUE NoRTH! ”] APVENTOR EE “(SCENERY ‘| PATA ¥ RESOURCES - TEP Tey rin Fr 7 —