~ and to. reduce public anxiety due ‘to the transportation of danger- 7 -Ous goods. Le ... According to the Terrace area. “coordinator for Emergency ‘Ser- .. vices; Ray Tank, some changes “will result when CN switclies to . — cabooseless trains; but he says TERRACE. -— The city’s r) Fi- Flow includes | ¢lassified - military” Shipments | tance, ‘Personnel and. -Adminis- tration: ‘Committee is reviewing an offer from CNR, who: would like. to make a presentation to_ ‘First Responders, emergency planners, health officials and “city council: in Terrace on May ll. - According to a letter ‘from : CN’s general manager of opera- - tions, presentation would focus on the Telationship . between -changes ‘that will occur when cabooseless . emergency response procedures, and community awareness, CN | spokesman D.V. Gadsby said in” “interview - with ‘the «Terrace: _ Review. that the meeting could _ be open to the public if that were P.J. MacDonald, the trains. become a council's wish. . MacDonald says the presenta- ‘tion is a part of their Transpor- tation, Community Awareness ‘and Emergency Response Pro- gram (TRANSCAER) that are planned ‘along our right-of- way to raise public awareness concerning the transportation of dangerous goods’’. - He says the goal of the : TRANSCAER meetings is to Amprove safety and reduce acci- “dents that result in injury or environmental damage, a more - effective emergency response _-$ystem, better cooperation be- ‘tween transportation companies and. “chemical manufacturers, that the handling of dangerous cargos is well: controlled and they’re prepared ‘for - disaster. The only real change he says he is aware of is that cargo mani- fests listing dangerous goods will be carried in the engine instead of the caboose as they are now. , - But ‘Tank says an, effective ‘emergency: response plan is in place, He says CN promises a response within seconds. as to the nature of any material they -are carrying in the event of a disaster and adds that this sys- tem will soon be put to the test with a mock disaster. exer- ‘cise. But ‘he says a: ‘flood isa more likely disaster in the Ter- _race area than anything that. might be.caused by CN cargos. Still, says Tank, any emergen- cy response. system is only as good as the public awareness, and because dangerous cargos ‘do move through Terrace resi- dents have to know what to do in the event of an accident. He says that with the exception of U.S. military cargos, CN keeps . him up to date as to the type of cargos they are. carrying, and _.even -the classified military in- formation is readily available if there is an accident. The committee recommenda- tion on the CN proposal should be made this week, and council could make a decision Monday night. = Last Thursday B.C, Finance Minister Mel Couvelier ‘Claimed on behalf of the Social Credit government that he had balanced ‘the provincial budget for the first time ‘in 10 years, but the opposition New. Democrats say it by ‘Michael Kelly y In overall terms the govern- ‘ment has announced. spending ‘commitments of $1.546 billion 2 more for the coming year than it “{bpent in 1988-89. Projected - . ‘revenues are expected to go up $1,923 billion, but included in ‘the revenues is $.5 billion’ ‘transferred from the notorious ‘Budget Stabilization::;Fund Greated last year by Couvelier, which rather neatly makes up ‘the difference; rather too neatly ‘for thé chattered accountants’ _btofessional organization. or. isn’t true — and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of B.C. agrees. . NDP. finance critic Glen Clark, who was in Terrace yesterday. The Institute of Chartered Ac- countants first vice-president, Rick Acton, said in a statement the day following the budget, ‘Although the Minister is call- ing ita balanced budget, in truth ‘it is a two-year balancing act. There is a surplus in 1988-89 which will be used to offset a deficit :in 1989-90. The govern- ment has used the Budget Stabilization Fund to do this.’ If the effect of the Budget Stabilization Fund transfer were removed, Acton said, 1988-89 intone Drew Cie aA. Ta pera a ee | V8V 1X4 : Legislative Library, 7 OT Parliament Buildings, — @ ‘ Victoria, BC. . . _ A Welcome Wagon Bridal Party at the Inn of the West last weekend attracted about 100 brides-to-be, their guests, and sponsors and models. The models, featuring the latest in bridal fashions, were a highlight of the show. Above, Laurie Barry displays just one of the bridal gowns featured, with the help of flower giris (left to right) Crystal Raposo (5), Brandy Raposo (7) and Danielle Marieau (8). would end (on March 31) with a $237 million surplus, but next year’s estimates wind up with a deficit of $477 million, a net swing of $714 million over the two years, Acton’s figures also removed a $102 million transfer to General Revenue from B.C. Hydro, with the comment, **You have to ask yourself why is there a transfer of $102 million from B.C, Hydro when that crown corporation alone has a debt load of $7.5 billion?’’ Acton acknowledged that the Budget Stabilization Fund is dif- ficult for the average person to understand, saying, ‘‘Basically, the government’s general fund has borrowed from the Budget Stabilization for bookkeeping purposes, This is like your right pocket owing your left pocket oon a and Paying interest: on ti Glen Clark likened the Budget Stabilization — or BS fund, as it has become commonly known — to taking out a loan and put- . ting it in a savings account. “They could, if they wanted, put up to $4.9. billion (the amount of the direct provincial debt) in ‘it’ as a ‘reserve’ account,” he said, Clark noted, - however, that $180 million of the money tranferred to general revenue is ‘‘teal -money’’. The remaining $320 million, he said, is borrowed. The numbers It is unclear at this point what the government intends to spend -on the Northwest. The budget, in keeping with the Throne Speech, emphasizes what Couvelier calls the three ‘E's’ education, environment and the economy, grams, — with a thumb on the scales? _ Education spending will go up 12.8 percent to $2.2 billion. Couvelier says the increase will go to school districts’ operating budgets, teachers’ pension pro- the Pacific Rim In- itiative, capital programs,. and greater government funding toward private schools. - The budget’ for post- secondary education will go up by 13.9 percent to $994.8 million, The figure includes grants to universities and col- leges, funds for establishing university degrees in Kelowna, Kamloops and Nanaimo, stu- dent aid, English-as-a-second language training, and aduit basic education and literacy Pro- grams. 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