a _ TheReview Wednesday, January 22,1992 — A7 Promises not worth a damn Victoria — I’m not particularly surprised to see most of the NDP promises go out the window. The government hasn’t been elected that didn’t renege very quickly on most of the promises it made during the election campaign. I would like to make the point, nevertheless, that not even the sanctimonious New Democrats are immune from acute memory loss the moment theyre in power: Only a few months ago, the NDP attacked the Socred government with a fury over its university tuition fee policy. A disgrace, they called it, demanding an immediate freeze, lest only the children of the rich be able to attend higher institutions of learning. That was before the election. Two months into their mandate, theyre singing a slightly different tune. Gosh, says Advanced Education Minister Tom Perry, the money situation is really tight. Freezing tuition fees may be awfully difficult, if not impossible. The students feel cheated, of course, and so they should. They believed the NDP promise, because they are not yet cynical enough to know that in the world of politics a promise is merely another weapon to achieve power. The environmentalists are equally browned off at the government: What was it Premier Harcourt said during the election campaign? “It’s time to stop the valley-by-valley battle between environ- mentalists and the forest industry.” Sensible people, he said, could surely sit down and work out their differences. I tried on a number of occasions to get him to tell me just how he was going to make loggers and environ- mental activists happy at the same time, but he just kept saying that it was time to stop the “valley-by-valley ...” and so on. Needless to say that quite a few environmental- ists are madder than hatters over what they perceive to be a government sellout to the forest industry. They expected an immediate morato- rium on the logging of sensitive areas, but got nothing. I’m not advocating the implementation of all the promises the NDP made during the election campaign. I’m saying they shouldn’t have made any of those promises to start with. How can you speak of honest government when the first thing you do is break promises? Alas, there’s one promise that hasn’t bitten the dust — the school meal program, launched last week by Education Minister Anita Hagen at an initial cost of $7 million. Funding for a school meal program for elemen- tary schools, expected to reach up to 50,000 children, will cost $5.9 million, while an addi- tional $1.1 million has been allocated for pilot projects in secondary schools during the current school’ year. Milking that one for all it’s worth, Hagen said “the health and education of our children are top plorities of our government. Good nutrition is fundamental to a healthy learning environment.” The program got a good reception from the Liberals. “You can’t feed the mind on any empty stomach,” concluded Opposition education critic Doug Symons. “T must add, however, that this program must be no more than a stop-gap program to meet an immediate need. The govemment must tackle the long-term root causes of hungry children — poverty in our society,’ Symons added. Ah, I can already make out the dim contours of a Liberal election promise next time around. Fight poverty, better yet, “let's do away with poverty.” Has a nice ring to it and is less specific than those darn promises the NDP made in the last election campaign. : So, what other promises will be going out the window? In a nutshell, anything that costs money. No tax increases? Forget it. Doubling the size of park land? No way. Forbid logging in sensitive areas? Right. The only thing that'll be left is the sunshine package which includes tighter conflict of interest laws and access to information legislation. Come to think of it, guaranteed access to government information and protection of private information held by government may not even become law this year. The implementation of such an act will cost an estimated $40 million a year, and that may be too rich for Finance Minister Glen Clark’s cash-strapped coffers this year. The government may, therefore, bring in what is called an exposure bill, something of a white paper, that would invite input form all interested parties. That way, the actual cost of implementing the legislation could be delayed by a year. I'd like to stress again that I’m not faulting the government for putting most of its promises on hold. The last thing we need is a government that gets us deeper into the red than we are already. But I'd like to make a plea for more honesty and fewer promises before an election. Stalking grizzlies and whales FOLLOW THE ADVENTURES OF nature photographer David Myers as he stalks grizzly bears, fur seals, puffins, polar bears, killer whales and blue whales from the Pribilof Islands to the shores of Labrador. This free slide show will be presented at the Sidney Museum Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. For further information, call the Museum at 656-1322. Also, the Museum’s final Portraits of the Past photo feature ran in last — week’s edition of The Review. The series, which was published on a regular basis to commemorate Sidney’s Centennial, would not have been possi- ble without the enthusiastic co-operation shown by curator Calvor Palmateer and assistant cura- tor Susan Kilpatrick. * * * MP LYNN HUNTER’S BOSS will be in town on Friday. Audrey McLaughlin, leader of the federal New Democrats, will attend a dinner for the Saanich-Gulf Islands MP from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Columbo’s Restaurant on East Saanich Road. For tickets and information, call 655-4144, 477-1372 or 652-3774. * OK O* KATHLEEN SEWARD OF SIDNEY awoke from a short nap. in front of the TV last Wednesday just in time to watch some familiar 6/49 lottery numbers being drawn. They were familiar because they matched five out of six winning numbers plus the bonus number on a ticket she shared with her husband, Max. The prize was worth $69,575.60. “One more number after another kept cropping up on our ticket,” she said. “I was so surprised when I realized we'd 1 FEA Han TAS TS matched five out of six plus the bonus number, I thought I must be still half-asleep.” The couple bought the ticket at Tanner’s Books. x EXTENDING A BIG THANK-YOU to Don Buttrell and Dogwood Tree Service is the Central Saanich Lions Club for chipping Christmas trees for the club this year. * KOK PRESENTING THE ORIGINAL CHAIN of office for the Town of Sidney to the Sidney Museum was Mrs. VY. Dawson. The chain was presented to Mayor Arther W. Freeman in 1967 by Naval Air Squadron V.U. 33. He was the first mayor of the new Town of Sidney, which was incorporated in 1967. The chain was donated by Mrs. Dawson along with a photo of Mayor Freeman, and was accepted on behalf of the Museum by Mayor Marie Rosko. x * x “Disneys MERMAID DOLLS 20% off COORDINATING MERMAID. . - Barrettes ¢ Pony Holders e Headbands ° Earrings “Disneys See acu, $4 498 Reg- $19.98 2496 Beacon Ave. 655-7171 at THE BEAR FREE BUFFET Kickoff time until Game End Plus Half Time Games and Prizes 656-1176 2280 Beacon Ave. Another vee Moment = by Carole Bawif Za 7778 WEST SAANICH ROAD James Hagan House ‘The oldest known house on the Peninsula has seen many changes since its origin 130 years ago. The original 2 room cabin was built in 1864 by Peter Lind: The building and land was eventually sold to James Hagan in 1872. He enlarged the cabin adding a 2-storey wing facing West Saanich Road. From 1892 - 1913 the house served as the HAGAN POST OFFICE. Son Larry, a Saanich Alderman, resided in the house until 1944, when the property was sold to the Woodwards, who tore down the poorly built 2-storey wing and renovated the house for their Herdsman. It served as such until 1988 when it was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Ron George. Because of technicality in the sale, it became an illegal dwelling and was rendered uninhabitable. The Heritage Advisory Committee has recominended it be heritage desig- nated and returned to its former status as a legal dwelling. Whether your preference is for a Vintage Home, a Contemporary Residence, or a Condo, for your special home on the Peninsula, call CAROLE BAWLF 656-0911 If It’s News Call The Review 656-1151