Ad - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 12, 2000

TERRACE

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988

PUBLISHER: ROD LINK ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Strect Terrace, B.C. * V8G 5R2 TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 ¢ FAX: (250) 638-8432 EMAIL: standard@kermode.net

Trail talk

‘SLOWLY BUT surely Terrace is adding to its ‘quality of life by increasing the amount of recrea- tional green space. This not only makes it an at- ‘tractive place for current residents, but also pro- vides the kind of magnet to attract more people “and more businesses. Most recent examples are the linear park along- side Highway 16, the newly-seeded area adjacent “to Terraceview Lodge and Heritage Park on the bench and the trail system that runs along the bot- ‘tom of the bench.

It’s now time for the next step and that is to se- ‘cure public access to our most precious resource ‘~ the Skeena River. Unless you fish or have a “boat, the river remains elusive. We can see it

driving across bridges, but it’s darn tough to enjoy its majestic attributes.

So that’s why a trail system along its banks is $0 tantalizing. Suitable for pedestrians, cyclists ‘and other recreational users, it would open up a “vista for locals and tourists.

Elements of a trail were explored several years “ago along the southside and deserve to be re- _vived. And projected development rules for the

“two pieces of land north and south of the new bridge offer a glimmer of what might be possible _ in that area. - To not use our best efforts to improve access to the river would not only be tragic. It would also . be bad business if we we accept the premise that the river is a public resource.

A good thing

“FOR THOSE who would continually accuse the NDP government of wild spending, consider

‘ this. Not so long ago Surrey was on the list of . possible Canadian locations for a $3 billion com- ‘puter chip plant a Taiwanese firm called Mosel

Vitelic wants to build. With it would have come thousands of jobs in " a sector of the economy that shows no signs of . slowing down.

_ The challenge was that Mosel was shopping for - the best deal possible elsewhere in Canada and ‘ around the world. Its incentive was the jobs and

stability the plant would provide. What it wanted

"in return was a government to help finance the "cost.

But that price tag was simply too high and the

. favoured location is now Quebec. That province

~ js dangling the possibility of buying up to a 49

~ per cent stake in the plant. It also has competition

» from Germany which is also willing to pony up with some financial help.

Yes, a plant in B.C, would have provided nee-

. ded jobs. But it would have come at an extremely . high cost. If the idea is to wean corporations off " of government assistance, this is a good start.

PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link ADVERTISING MANAGER: Brian Lindenbach PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur

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Aa} 2000 _ BLUE:

RIBBON

MEMBER OF BA Ron con HEN SPAERE ASSOCIATION, c TY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION AND @CNA B.C, PRESS COUNCIL

Sarving the Terrace and Thornhill area. Published on Wednesday of each waak al 3210 Clinton Streal, Terrace, British Cotumbia, Y8G SR,

Storles, photographs, Illustrations, designs and lypestyles in tha Terrace Standard ata the property of the copyright holdars, Including Carlboo Press (1969) Ltd.; Its illustration repro services and acverllsing agencias,

Reprodvellon in whole or in part, without wriltan permission, is spacifically prohibited.

Authorized as second-class mail pending the Post Citice Department, for paymant of postage In cash.

Special thanka to all our contributors and correspondents ‘ for their time and talents

Balanced budget law a bit late

VICTORIA - As legislation goes, the Balanced Budget Act isn’t half bad, but if Pre- mier Ujjal Dosanjh hopes that it will give the NDP another shot at government in the next election, he’s being a tad opti- mistic,

The best that can be said for the act is that shows the government at long last reai- izes that it can’t do whatever the hell it feels like. And to that effect it has brought in le- gislation requiring it to do what it should have done all along.

Here’s what the act calls for:

A statutory requirement to meet or exceed progressively lower deficit targets and bal- ance the budget in 2004 and every year thereafter.

_ A 20-per-cent cul:in pay for 12 months for the premier and all cabinet ministers if legisla- ted targets are not met.

Pay cuts for ministers take effect the first time a quarterly report or other public state- ment indicates that legislated tarpets may not be met in a fiscal year. In the two other provinces with ministerial pe- nalties, pay cuts only occur once the public accounts for the fiscal year are released.

FROM THE CAPITAL

HUBERT BEYER

Like every other provincial balanced budget law, the bal- anced budget act sets out con- ditions where the legislated targets may be waived for a fiscal year.

But the B.C law requires

the goverment.to recall the Jlegistature and allow’ for. de-

bate on the | emergency or re- venue decline before the gov- emment is released from ils statutory deficit.

Changes in accounting po- licies and their impact must be fully disclosed and cannot be used to meet legislated tar- gets.

The vote on the act puts the Liberal opposition in a bind. Balanced budget legislation is very much part of the Liberal platform, but not if it comes

from the NDP. So, all they can do is gripe that it doesn’t go far enough. But just how far can and should such legisla- tive constraints go?

Ideally, a government should balance every budget, which would render legislation making balanced budgets superfluous.

The next-best thing would be an act that will result in a balanced budget next year, but given the current deficit, that’s impossible. So, the NDP gov- ernment gives itself four years to achieve what it hasn’t in the past nine — balance the budget by the year 2004.

It is that long stretch of de- ficit budgets — count ‘em, nine - that will keep British Co- lumbians from having any con- fidence in this legislation.

* And that means it will be the Liberals who have to live with that legislation, because another NDP victory just isn’t in the cards, in spite of the premier’s assurance that the Balanced Budget Act will set a new fiscal course for is gov- emment,

“Il am determined to change the way taxpayers’ dollars are managed,” he said.

“The balanced budget act is the third step my government

is taking to reach that goal for British Columbians.”

The other two pieces of le- gislation he was referring to are the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act and the Tax-On-Income Act, introduced last March. And for good mea- sure, the povernment has also introduced amendments to the - Financia! Administration Act and the Financial Information Act.

Finance minister Paul Ram- sey also patted the premier and himself on the back, praising the Balanced Budget Act.

“The premier has been clear in setting out his new direction for fiscal reform in this province,”

“We are taking action by requiring this government in law to open the books on its budget; balance the budget ‘and administer a more open and fair tax system,” he said.

All these acts are steps in the right direction, but they would have gone a lot further, had they been brought in eight Or nine years ago,

Still, better late than never.

Beyer can be reached at:

E - m a i ! hubert@coolcam.com; Tel (250) 381-6900; Web

http://www. hubertheyer.com

It's time to end the picketing

IF A heart patient was denied surgery because of a hospital picket line we'd be outraged. Yet we’re silent as a handful of picketers outside the north- west’s only recovery residen- tial facility keep 20 teenagers waiting for counselling to kick their drug habits.

Waiting for heart surgery can prove fatal; failure to treat drug addicted youth can have equally long-term conse- quences.

Think of the 16-year-old who suffered a gunshot to the face two weekends ago. “Alcohol may have been a factor,” the news said.

So the kid goes through life with a shot-up face and Medi- care pays big hospital costs to restore his anatomy and life to as normal as possible.

While E can sympathize with picketers who feel ig- nored in the planning of this facility - an announcement addressed to ‘Occupant’ falls

JANUARY 1, 2000!) BIGGEST HANGOVER _ OF THE CENTURY!

THROUGH.BIFOCALS " CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

short of heartfelt consultation before the site was chosen — our precious tax dollars should not drain away paying 13 weeks of salaries for specia- lized staff on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while they wait for neighbours to cease picketing. Only then can clients be treated and staff

earn their pay.

An interim operating li- cence for two of the six beds was issued June 20 and a full license is expected on July 19, according to children and fa- milies minister Gretchen Bre- win.

Picketing delayed such work as installing a sprinkler system. Now staff - hired to hang on to them — are doing little more than develop pro- gram ideas and paint walls.

Having specially trained, well paid counsellors painting ceilings, is an inappropriate use of scarce drug treatment dol- lars.

Skills erode while thumbs twiddle, The Health Watch Group has heard over and over how intensive care nurses especially have moved away

_ in search of full time work to

maintain their prized skills. These counsellors are precious.

Public consultation before decisions are made does. slow the process and test organi-

THEIR PLUG -ins |!

zers’ diplomacy. At the same time, consultation saves money, saves face, and unfurls the welcome mat.

The children and families ministry should have learned the value of public consultation after the Workers’ Compensa- tion Board had its non-smoking law slapped down by the courts for lack of widespread consul- tation. Going public — early would have let neighbours vent their feelings while alterations were feasible without capitula- tion.

This lone northwest youth treatment centre might not have ticked off neighbours had they been in on the planning

‘all along. But three months of

their picketing has made us look like bigots who cry for a treatment centre, then spurn it.

Picketers have made their narrow views knows. It's time to bow to the will of the major-

ity and treat our drug-addicted

youth.

EVERIONE FoRGOT

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