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

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