Don’t kick us
while we’re down

Taking away seats in the north would further accelerate our economic decline

By LORNE SEXTON
THERE ARE are a number
of very valid reasons for not
weakening the voting power
of the less populous northern
ridings.

In addition to the sheer size of
these areas, and difficulty of
getting around, here are several
compelling arguments against
changing our present bound-
aries.’

Representation

In a democracy it is not rea-
sonable to assume that you will get
your way all the time, but it is rea-
sonable to assume that you will be
heard,

A person living in Vancouver or
Victoria has access to Government
nol only through their elected rep-
resentative (they can likely walk to
his office) but also through easy ac-
cess to media such as BCTV and
CKNW.

The Vancouver Sun and Province
and the Victoria Times Colonist all
have political writers who give
voice to citizens’ concerns.

Vancouver and Victoria city
councils have tremendous political
- , clout and are
readily acces-
sible to resi-~
dents of those
cities.

Southerners
also benefit by
proximity to
senior
bureaucrats and
just by being
near the seat of
government.

: in the North,
er

an cae our only access
Lorne Sexton to government
is through our elected representa-
tive,

Many people in Skeena have be-
come very cynical in the past few
years about how effective this rep-
resentation actually is.

Part of an MLA’s job is to act as
an advocate for his constituency.
Without a strong northern presence
in Victoria, it is extremely difficult
for a northern backbencher to per-
form this part of his job.

To be denied proper representa-
tion has the effect of making north-
emers subjects of British Colum-
bia, instead of citizens of British
Columbia.

The present Government has in-
troduced legislation for the appoint-
ment of a Northern Commissioner.
This is a tacit admission that north-
emets lack representation.

Diluting our voice further will do
nothing to alleviate our scnse of
alienation, nor will it result in bet-
ter government.

Equality vs. reality

Section 3 of the Charter of Rights
reads as follows:

“Every citizen of Canada has the
right to vote in an election of mem-
bers of the House of Commons or
of a legislative assembly and to be
qualified for membership therein.’’

After the Charter was introduced
in 1982, there was some concern
that Section 3 would be interpreted
as each vote should have equal
weight, and therefore all con-
stituencies should contain an equal
number of voters.

Indeed this Commission and the

‘ -

REDRAWING THE LINES: Derrick Curtis urged the Electoral Boundary Commission not to eliminate the
Skesna riding and split Terrace between two neighbouring constituencies. He said the constituency

should be expanded to the north and east to take in Hwy 37 communities,

1989 revision of the Electoral
Boundaries Commission Act seem
to have come about as a result of
this concer.

Subsequent to the 1989 revision
there was a Supreme Court of Can-
ada ruling on provincial electoral
boundary reform. (Reference Prov.
Electoral Boundaries  (Sask.),
{1991]2S.C.R. 158).

Madam Justice McLachlin, writ-
ing for the Supreme Court of Cana-
da in the above ruling said:

*“The content of the Charter right
to vate is to be determined in a

broad and purposive way, having’

regard to historical and social con-
text. The broader philosophy un-
derlying the historical development
of the right to vote must be sought
and practical considerations, such
as social and physical geography,
must be borne in mind, The Court,
most importantly, must be guided
by the ideat of a ‘free and demo-
cratic society? upon which the
Charter is founded,”

‘The purpose of the right to vote
enshrined in s. 3 of the Charter is
not equality of voting power per se
but the right to ‘effective represen-
tation’. The right to vote therefore
comprises many factors, of which
equily is but one. The section does
not guarantee equality of voting
power.”

*‘Relative parity of voting power
is a prime condition of effective
representation. Deviations from ab-
solute voter parity, however, may
be justified on the grounds of prac-
tical impossibility or the provision
of more effective representation.
Faclors like geography, community
history, community interests and
minority representation may need
to be taken into account to ensure
that our legislative assemblies ef-
fectively represent the diversity of
our social mosaic.”

Madam Justice continues: “It is
argued, quite correctly, that our Ca-
nadian background is different
from that of our American neigh-
bour, It is said that we have never
insisted upon precise equatily of
Voting, power, but instead have tra-
ditionally placed greater emphasis
on the representation of community
inieresis and given wider recogni-
tion to geographic considerations.”’

"] dgree with these submissions.
In Canada we have recognised that

the vast, sparsely settled regions in
the north must be adequately
represented cven where their popu-
lation is Jess than half of that of a
constituency in the south, To recog-
nise this is to recognise the reality
of Canada and Canadian geog-
raphy,”’

Cyclical Downturns

Adjusting electoral boundaries in
the south is a fairly straightforward
exercise, as population trends tend
to be reasonably constant.

Adjusting boundaries in the North
is a far more complex problem.

Populations trends are not that
easy to predict as they tend to fluc-
tuate depending on the demand for
OUr resources.

Simply put, when there are no
jebs in our resource based in-
dustries, workers move on to where
they can find work.

Right now, our mining, logging,
pulp, sawmill, construction and
fishing industries are all bottoming
out at the same time. The result of
this is a temporary drop in popula-
tion in Skeena.

For example, two of our largest
employers, Skeena Cellulose and
Skeena Sawmills have shut down
or curtailed most of their opera-
tions, yet according to figures
released East week, our unemploy-
ment rate has dropped by over oné
percent.

This is a clear indication that
people move away from resource
based communities when times are
bad. They will come back if there is
work for them!

To lake a single snapshot in time
of a fluctuating northern population
and use it as a basis for a change in
the electoral boundary for the next
8 or 10 years is just plain wrong.

Political Power and
Wealth Creation

In the 1950s, there were 8 seats in
the North and 45 seats total, The
North had approximately 17.7 per
cent of the voting power.

During the 50s and 60s there was
unprecedented growth in the North.

Kitimat(Kemano, the W.A.C.
Bennel dam, Cassiar Asbestos,
mining, logging, pulp and paper
mills and highway construction
were the economic engines that
created the wealth and investor

THE ELECTORAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION consists of Anglican priest and lawyer Katherine Hough,
Who was formerly a Crown prosecutor in Terrace, retired appeal court Justice Josiah Wood, and B.C,
chief electoral officer Robert Patterson. Their findings are due by year's end.

confidence that gave us the tife-
styles we now enjoy in all parts of
British Columbia, north and south.

In 1998 there are still 8 scats in
the North, however there are now
75 seats in the house, The North
now has only 10.7 per cent of the
voting power and our economy has
gone into a tailspin.

The following facts stand out in
Slark contrast to what once was the
reality in the north:

Hi Cancellation of Kemano Com-
pletion and Windy Cragey projecis
have nol only hurt the economy of
all B.C,, but have discouraged in-
vesiment in the North,

Wi Investment is also being held
up by uncertainty over native land
claims, while negotiations —
which exclude northerners — drag
on.

Hf The whole town of Cassiar was

shut down due to southem in-
difference after the Atin Con-
stitiency was dropped.

M@ Cur highways are breaking up.
Paved roads are being put back to
gravel in an effort to save capital
Spending on pavement overlays-
adding unnecessary cost to tax-
payers.

ME Logging costs are now the
highest in the world.

@ Our commercial-and sport fish-
ing industries are in serious decline,

@ Mining companies are not in-
vesting in exploration at a suffi-
cient rate ensure new mines will be
opened up to replace those that are
now using up their reserves. B.C,
mining companies are investing
their profits overseas, not in the
north.

Mi Our health care system in the
Norih is under severe stress. Doc-
tors are overworked and hospitals
in the North are underfunded,

Mi The government recently an-
nounced a 100 million dollar in-
crease in education funding then
proceeded (o slash education
budgets in the Novth.

Is it a coincidence that with a lack
of political power, we have begun a
downward spiral?

] submit to the commission that if
the north was not being marginal.
ized by lack of effective representa-
tion, the picture would be much
different.

We need strong representation to
bring the economic potential of the
north back to its former promi-
nence. The well-being of the whole
province depends on it.

There is much to aitract people to
this part of the world, With a strong
economy here populations will in-
crease,

It would be far betier for the
north to grow into electoral parity
than to intensify our decline by tak-
ing away what small political clout
we have,

Please don't kick us while we are
down.

The economic importance of the
north is far greater than the current
population would indicate.

1 implore the commission to take
info account all factors before
changing any northern clectoral
boundaries.

Population is only one part of the
equation, The North has many very
special circumstances,

Lorne Sexton was ihe proponent
of a recall campaign to unseat
Skeena MLA Helmut Giesbrecht
earlier this year, The above were
excerpts from his submission June
15 to the Electoral Boundary Com-
mission hearing in Terrace.

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 24,1998 - AS
SE ee

CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE “ERRACE STANDARD

not,

The Mail Bag

Thumbs up for firewood

Dear Sir:

Thanks to everyone who faxed, phoned or wrote to
the parks ministry in order to get firewood back in
Kleanza Creek Provincial Park.

People who use the day use for picnics will still have
to supply their own-wood, bul campers will have wood
supplied as usual,

It Was the overwhelming nutnber of messages being
sent in that reversed the decision to cancel firewood.
This I believe was province wide. You can make a dif-
ference when you make your wishes known,

We do need to conserve on wood to keep.casts down.
The parks department is asking that fires do not bum
ail day, but for meals when needed and to sit around in
the evenings when it is cooler.

We look forward to seeing you this summer.

Carol and Jim Glen,
Terrace, B.C,

And why not here?

Dear Sir:

Anywhere else in the province composting is con-
sciously encouraged,

Programs to initiate composting advertise colourfully
in Victoria, Vancouver and other more modern areas,
Composting is touted as an efficient way to reduce
landfill bulk (on average, one-fourth of municipal
waste is compostable material), reduce air pollution
(from incinerated garbage) and most importantly,
maintain healthy, nutrient-rich soil.

Soil erosion and its loss of vital nutrients is a priority
one environmental concem. The smell of compost is
despite city council's attempt to sound
environmenially-friendly with the anti-compost bylaw
phrase stating the necd to “eliminate or reduce the
fouling or contaminating of the atmosphere through
these [compost] emissions,’”

The article in The Terrace Standard of June 3 con-
ceming the clean up on CN land, by contrast, makes a
mockery of the fuss over compost emissions. A
pentachlorophenol spill hag sat beside the most heavily
trafficked area of town for well over a year, sccping
into the soil and now the water table.

To this day, how many Terrace residents actually
know what that mound of dirt piled beneath plastic
sheets under the Sande overpass actually is? CN has
lackadaisically started a minimum effort clean-up job.

The amount of things that can go wrong with you
loday, health-wise, is astounding, and for all our medi-
cal technology, these problem are only on the rise! And
they are on the rise because of the general toxicity of
our everyday living spaces,

Well, ‘‘acceptable’’ levels of pentachlorophenol in,
the water or not, the toxicity of your everyday living
space has just gone up.

The same philosophy that figures the best way to
handle a toxic spill is to barely acknowledge it secms
the same philosophy that figures the most democratic
way of dealing with a few complaints of compost smeil
is to do away with composting all together.

‘There are far more constructive avenues Frank Bow-
sher could spend his energy on. Instead of passing out
composting fines he could spend some time educating
the locals on effective composting techniques. There is
plenty of advice regarding composting on the internet,
available to everybody through the local library.

Now is a time when people everywhere are evaluat-
ing the decisions society has made in the past and
making intelligent and informed choices to enjoy
cleaner and more naturally harmonious lifestyles. Ter-
race can’t seem to figure out whether it wants to join
this motion or remain a backwards litile town.

What we call backwards is trying to re-call the MLA
for not audiencing a hate-rally. Backwards is not caring
whether we have recycling in Terrace or not. Back-
wards is a snap decision to make composting 2 legal
offeace,

What we would call forward motion is a tearing of
the anti-compost clause right out of the city’s book of
bylaws and sending the sheet of paper straight to
Kitimat for recycling. Please think about il.

David Western, Aeron Reid
Terrace, B.C.
(received via e-rnail)

If it smells, it ain’t
Dear Sir:

In reference to Mr. Frank Bowsher’s idea thal com-
posting should be banned on account of the smell.

Just recently we had a horrible smell coming across
the road from Lower Little Park to our house.

A huge pile of grass clippings was dumped by the
city workers. This was partially wet, mixed wilh dog
poo, heated by the sun, Afler a week it was unbearable,
We took a garden fork and spread it out to dry.

Affer ten days the pile was loaded and hauled away.
Thank goodness.

I am sure Mr. Gardenland could tell city council all
about composting, By the way, if compost smells — it
aln’t compost

Maxine Smallwood, Bob Gaodvin
Terrace, B.C.

Run wild, run free

Dear Sir:

Give me a break. Peaple want the right to run their
dogs without leashes in public parks? Really, people,
don’t we have anything better tc do with our time?

Twenly years ago when [ had a dog I took him up a
logging road a enjoy the scenic route, We both got out
of the carand got some exercise walking.

My point is there is enough wilderness surrounding
Terrace that we don’t need to encroach on pedestrian
public parks with dogs today any morc than past days.

Take your dog berry picking or go smell the skunk
cabbage!

Brian Gregg, Terrace B.C,

The Terrace Standard welcomes letters to the editor.
Our deadline is noon Friday for the following Wed-
nesday’s issue, Our mailing address is 3210 Clinton
St, Terrace, B.C. V8G 5R2. Our fax number is 250-
638-8432. We particularly welcome letters via e-mait.
Our e-mail address is
standard@kermode.net

More letters, Page A6