ree a The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 16, 1993 - Page AS LETTERS” NUMBERS @ 41,500 TONNES of gar- bage was dumped in the Kitimat Stikine Regional District in 1991. (3.4 mii- lion tonnes province- wide), @ 164 TONNES of tires and 140 tonnes of batteries were recycled in 1991 from the regional district. (2.4 milllon scrap tires and | 720,000 car batteries ‘recycled province-wide,) @ THE AVERAGE household in the region dumped 3,011 kilograms of garbage in 1991, (Provincial average: 2,347 kg) @ THE AYERAGE household in the regional district recycled 26.6 kilo- grams of waste in 1991. (Provipcial average: 391 ke/household) i $23,000 WAS the City of Terrace’s subsidy to the _Skeena Valley Recycling Depoti in 1992. sae rf ete li THE CITY: of Tertacé ; -will spend $467,000 on gar- bage collection and dump Operations in 1993. @ THE Kitlmat-Stikine Regional District will spend $243,000 on its dump sites in 1993. RECYCLING DEPOT volunteer Scott Schooner oversaw the closing just before Christmas of the Skeena Valley Recycling Depot he helped start two years earlier. High transportation costs and plunging prices for recyclables have combined to make recycling a losing proposition in the north, Province prods north to recycle F VICTORIA'S provincial recycling report was a report card, we'd flunk, Only one per cent of the waste in the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District was recycled in 1991, ac- cording to the report. While that was an improvement — our recycling rate is listed as zero in 1990 — the region lags far behind the provincial average of 14 per cent. The report measures the pro- ‘yince’s progress towards the provincial goal of a 50 per cent Teduction in waste by the year ne “Envigoatieai. ‘Cashore called “very encouraging’. and said people are reducing, reusing and recycling at an unprecedented Tate. The regional district of Dewdney-Aloucite rang up the highest rate of recycling in the proviuce — 25 per cent — fol- lowed by Greater Vancouver's 18 Governments creating myths We get failing grade per cent and the Cowichan val- ley’s 16 per cent. The communities with the high- est numbers are concentrated in the Lower Mainland and Van- couver Island — ¢lose to markets for recyclable materials. In more remote paris of the pro- Fully half the regional districts in B.C. had recy- cling rates of less than five per cent... amr Haw Os ae Pee woke tired § herd seedin 23 vince, where the high costs of transporting recyclables to markets often makes recycling impossible, the pumbers were dismal. _ Fully half the regional districts in B.C, had recycling rales of less than five per cent, -.The.Bulkley-Nechako Regional District managed the highesl recycling rate of the north: nine’ per cent. The Kitimat-Stikine Regional District is hiring a consultant this fall io begin the process of devel- oping a Solid Waste Managenient Pian for this area, ‘That plan must be completed by 1995. One of the possibilities that will be examined is the creation: of one large “‘super dump”’ serving the Terrace and Kitimat areas. . aration of recyclable ue a Yiaie for” indaspioriation’ ae -fnatker woul likely take ‘place’ at the same site. - Terrace’s —-_ volunteer-operated Skeena Valley Recycling Depot ‘closed at Christmas after Tezrace City Council refused to continue subsidizing it. _ The depot was losing moncy on’ every type of recyclable material its was collecting. Think before you spend BY CYRIL SHELFORD There is no doubt the strike by teachers in many areas of the pro- vince should be a clear signal to all of us in B.C. that the collec- tive bargaining and right to strike in the public service have proved — conclusively to be a total failure. The use of our children as pawns to oblain higher wages is morally wrong, not only because it places the “next generation in jeopardy of ieceiving a first-class education but also because of the young teacliers coming out of teaching training, The more-money paid to. the present teachers. means that few new teachers will be hired, which is a shame. ‘The latter surely have some rights also. There is.a great difference with collective bargainig in the public sector compired to that in the pri- vate sector where, when. things are difficult with a company, they have no choice' but to hold the line. Otherwise: they go out of business, In the public sector, however, govemments of all kinds can _ keep going as they can either raise taxes to pay the increase or. else borrow money - standard practice of all brands of govern- ments since the early 1970s and the reason for our massive debt in all provinces and the federal government. The latter takes more than $60 billion a year to pay the. interesl alone without any debt reduction at all. In. fact, the debt Is still going up close to $50 billion a year. Bargaining: in the public sector -is totally different, especially close to elections when govern- ments need the votes of their union workers. Because of this need, governments do not siand firm like managers do in the pri- vate sector because suc man- agers do not have to worry about “votes. Even worse is the constant in- crease in taxes and: other user charges to companies and indi- viduals in order to pay for the in- creases. | Such increases granted to the public sector workers make ‘it im- possible for companies to hire more young people coming out of schools and universities, because they have less money availabie for expansion or renovations of homes or factories after the huge tax grabs from governments. It is a myth when governments of all stripes talk about new government programs to create jobs for thousands of people; they Should also say that in order to achieve this it will mean higher taxes and a loss of jobs in the pri- vate sector, There is only ons way where governments. can create jobs without a loss in the private sec- tor and that is, if they have gov-- erned well during good times and have built up a large surplus, then they can truly create jobs without tax hikes or borrowing. [ simply cannot understand why so many well-educated people in today’s society are so naive as to think that governments can do this, Even with surpluses to’ spend, governments should never we this money to pay increased wages and salaries to anyone simply because when the econo- my takes a downtum they are stuck with high wages and less revenue. Governments should only spend surplus funds taken from the tax- payers on one-shot programs such as roads, bridges, power genera- tion, hospitals and schools - but never on ongoing progratis which only escalate the total cost of government for years to come. I Find it difficult to understand why so many people over the last 20 to 25 years have not un- dersteod that governments have no money of their own. Before governments can spend it on programs, the money all has to come initally from taxes of all kinds. '. Cyril Shelford was an agricul- tural minister and represented two northero B.C. ridings un- der two Social Credit gov- ernments. TO THE TERRACE STANDARD he Hospital needs more people Dear Sir: On April 27, 1993, I was taken to the Terrace hospilal by ambulance. I had excruciat- ing pain in the lower: back which made it almost im- possible to walk. Even to try and turn onto my side I felt like crying out. I arrived at 1:15 p.m. after a three-hour drive. The nurses were very helpful and caring, but I was told the doctor would not be able to see me until 5:30 pm. when he was finished at the clinic, The nurses had to phone the doctor again and were told to give me a shot of Demeral, ‘‘to tide me over Iill he gets there’. I was not impressed one little bit, actually mad was the way I felt. Why is there no doctor on call at the hospital? There should be ons there at all times. This kind of treatment is deplorable. I was admitted to the nospital and underwent x-rays and therapy. The following week, my doctor said 1 could go home on Friday or Saturday if the bed wasn’t needed. There is no surgery on weekends, I live 165 miles from Terrace and my husband was able to pick me up on Friday, but on Thursday, the nurse told me I had to leave that day. I told her Thad no place to stay and she said ‘‘T would have to get a motel room’’. How was [ to get there? Who was lo pay for the room? The hospital? I don’t think so. Isn’t the staff always telling patients not to keep valuables and much money in the hospital? After several long distance phone calls, I was able to find someone in Kitwanga to come and get me. It was an in- convenience at the time for them but they did help me out and I do thank them. __When I was getting dressed I slarted hurting all over again when I bent down. I was not ready to go home yet. The other ladies in my room were shocked that I was kicked out of the hospital when I was in such pain. Yes, kicked out is the only word to describe how I was discharged. When I left, J counted four beds already empty. One more night wouldn't have been an in- convenience to the hospital as. it was to me. I understand there have been Many cutbacks in the medical profession which is ridiculous. Why should the patients have to suffer, The medical staff are also sufferlng as there are never cnough to cover the work requited, I am absolutely disgusted with the way I was treated. I do thank the nurses in Emergency for their comfort during my ridiculously long wait. Something has to be done about the lack of staff and all the cutbacks. 1 think it should start with the staff and the pub- lic. What happens if someone is in an accident an is bleed- ing? Do they have to wait for hours to see a doctor, My situation was just as important and so’are the others in the Emergency ward. Why would we go there if it isn’t an emer- gency? There should be a doctor at all times in the hospital who could look at the patient, or at least come when they are needed, [.wonder. how many other people have had to wait for hours and be treated so badly. Something must be done and it’s time we said something to our government. I know I am certainly going to say some- thing. Val Legros, Meziadin Lake, B.C. Te i elfes A POdoG te V st ane aed al? Dear Sir: The legislative reform com- mitice held hearings in Terrace on two proposals May 27, “One of these proposals is called “referenda on initiatives’’, and it received overwhelming sup- port from voters when. it. was . put to referendum in the 1991 provincial election. . If the B.C, government were _ to adopt legislation requiring referenda on initialives, voters would have the right to petition for a proposed policy, program or legislative amendment to be put to the electorate in ‘a referendum. If approved, the would be binding on government. That . is, ‘yesults the the government would be forced . by, referendum to enact the Kegislation if a majority of voters supported it, - : If and when we are given this tight to referenda, I propose that the people of British Columbia: petition the provin- cla government to hold a wferendum on. international trade agreements such as the Canada-U.S. Free Agreement and the © North American. Free Trade Agree- ment, , Trade” How can the federal govern- ment, through such trade ~ agreements, impose regule- tions and jaws in areas - tourism, mining, fecreation, housing and municipal affalzs - where the federal govemment has -no or little, jurisdiction? These, afier. all, are areas of provinclal, not federal, juris- ‘ diction. How can the federal govern- ment arbitrarily impose such agreements without any con- sultation or debate, without even asking British Colum- bians if we want to be a part of such trade pacts? As Canadians, we ‘should be allowed to make an. informed and balanced decision on‘ such a crucial and far-reaching policy, a policy that will change the face of B.C. and — ‘Canada as we know it, a policy that could affect our freedom to make our own decisions. If we wish to have any say in the matter, or want to Find any avenue out of such irreversible agreements, then we must face this challenge now, before it is too late, Yours sincerely, Norm Lavallee, Terrace, B.C, More on Page A7 the Start is for people learning how to ‘read, Drive It'll take longer to drive to Kitimat this week, The highways ministry is doing ‘some work on the highway. It is sealcoating the highway. Sealcoating is made up of oil and gravel. This is put down on top of the pavement.: Sealcoating protects the highway. Ie “makes the slow pavement last longer. Traffic may be held up for 20 minutes at a time until the work is done. Drivers are being asked to also go slow, That’s because there will be. rocks on the road for a bit. » The rocks .can crack windshields if cars drive fast. - 3 tion. somet 7 Van. Woods Take a tour this sum- mer. Go see a logging opera- The man in the photo i is Gerry Dodd. He is one of the people taking care of the tours. He’ll take you in the To find out more, call 635-4689 for information. Bring a lunch.