AG Terrace Review — Wednesday, May 29, 1991

—" DO ITORIAL

he recent federal court decision on Alcan’s Kemano II

; ; project has lefi federal politicians embarrassed and

- Alcan feeling somewhat hard done by. After all, if you can’t count on an agreement with a First World govern- ment, what in the world can you count on? _-The past few years should have been a learning process for government and industry, but what they haven’t learned is that the public will have its due regardless of such agreements. When the federal Environmental Assessment and Review Process was set up in 1984 as a rule of thumb for major indus- trial projects, it is doubtful that the government ever dreamed that the guidelines for it would acquire the force of law. This court decision, along with other rulings in similar cases affec- ting dams in Alberta and Saskatchewan, effectively removes any discretionary power on the part of the federal Cabinet for exempting major projects from: the EARP.

Which leaves Alcan, who thought they had a deal but now find that they don’t, continuing the project and headed for court to appeal. Somewhere a credible balance will need to struck between the need for hydroelectric power and the condi- tion of the Nechako and Fraser rivers. Alcan believes it already has that balance in proposed environmental measures, and perhaps it does... but does anyone believe them? A cleat and open public process is the only thing that will satisfy the

people who brought this situation to court.

This entire 10-year drama has turned into a vindication of the EARP. With disputes of this nature on the doorstep of every corporation and community, it has become obvious that public hearings and impartial decisions on projects of this nature will be the only way to avoid a considerable amount of wasted time and energy in public disputes and court actions.

If Alcan had gone with the process from the beginning instead of counting on an agreement that appeared to be some kind of an insider deal with federal politicians, the company would now have something airtight.

-The EARP — and, provincial politicians take note, the B.C.- Major Project Review Process — were conceived to plug a

yawning crevasse in credibility between the purported and actual environmental and social impact of big, profitable devel- opments. When that process is circumvented, the courts can be counted on to set things in order because the public and the rules of due process of law will not allow for anything else.

‘The EARP may seem like a long and circuitous process that delays necessary developments and is a giant pain in the neck for the people involved, but it is certainly more effective than

having the game rules changed in a billion-dollar project that is already half finished.

Second-class mall registration No. 6896.

All material appearing in the Terraca Review is protected under Canadian copyright Registra- ¢tlon No. 362775 and cannot legally be repro- duced for any reason without permission of the

Established May 1, 1985 The Terrace Review is published each Wednesday by Close-Up Business Services Ltd.

Publisher: used p er. ; ' Betty Barton . Errore and omiasions, Advertising Is accepted Editor: on the pronation | thal in the event of typographical error, that portion of the advertis: Michael Kelly ing space occupied by the erroneous item will

not be charged for, but tha balance of the adver-

" thsament will be pald for at the applicable rate. Advertisers. must assume responsibility for er. rors In any ciassified ad which is supplied to the Terrace Review in handwritten form.

: Staff Reporters: Tod Strachan, Betty Barton

National Advertising:

ee Marjorie Twyford in compliance with the 8.C. Human Rights Act, Local Advertising: no -advertisemant will 66 published which + dack Beck die mingle against a person due to age. race Office/Typesetting: religion, colar, sex, nationally. or place Carrie Olson 4535 G A Production Manager: 2 reig Avenue, Jim Hall errace, A. _ Production: ; Charles Costelio, Gurbax Gill, Phone: 635-7840 Ranjit Nizar, George McLean Fax: 635-7269 Accounting: —— j tions: Marj Twyford, Harminder K. Dosanjh ne year su becriptions

Art and Graphics: Out of Canada $100.00

Marianne Brorup Weston Mark Twyford, President Close Up Business Services Ltd.

Seniors in Terrace and District $30.00 Seniors out of Terrace and District $33.00 GST will be added to tha above prices.

a a

Letters to the editor will be considered for publication only when signed.

Please include your telephone number. The editor reserves the right to condense and edit letters. Opiniona

axpressed are not necessarily those of the Terrace Keview.

The view from Victoria —

by John Pifer

VICTORIA — Nor surprisingly,

we in the news media are often asked why so much more atien- tion is paid to the government and Social Credit Party trials and tribulations than to what the New Democrats are doing.

The answers are this simple:

A. The power'struggles within Social Credit are far more lethal, more. nasty, and more public than the NDP’s internal arguments

about balancing union jobs against environmental concerts.

B. The cast of colourful charac- fers among the free enterprisers is more wide-ranging — dare I say from the totally bizarre to the boringly bland — as compared with the more low-key players within the "socialist horde".

C. Ifthe situation were reversed

(and well it might be, come the

fall election), the NDP would be _

subjected to the same scrutiny, the same questioning about their actions and policies as the So- creds are now.

The party in power must be viewed under a stronger press microscope than the Opposition, simply because it does have the

power to change Jaws and to raid,

‘or to manipulate, the public purse. Do not buy for one minute the whining from some government

MLA’s that the media is made up

only of left-wing pinko radicals out to destroy society (i.e: the government).

That’s a crock.

True, there are those In my pro-

fession who have political opin-

jons and leanings to the tefl, just

as there are in any such group.

A long; long list of maybes

personal beliefs tilt the other way.

Do not forget that reporters are voters, too, and may wish to sce one party or another forming the government.

But it is to be hoped that any such preferences are confined to the voting booth, and are irrel- evant when it comes to perform-

_ ing the task of reporting, or even commenting upon, the actions and. decisions of the government of the day. .

Politicians need us; we need them. And that means forging relationships with members from

both sides of the spectrum and/or -

whoever lands in the middle.

The media needs to be a watchdog, one which nips incess- antly at the heels of the politi- cians and power-brokers, not 4 lapdog seeking only to please a master.

And the politicians who lash out at reporters and commenta- tors, who blame all of their prob- lems or their party’s problems on the communist and/or Fascist (choose one) press, are the ones unable to face themselves honest-

ly in the mirror to find the true source of their troubles. Don’t get me wrong. There are times when we screw up, when the media overdoes it.

But wouldn’t you really rather have us err on the side of being too diligent, too skeptical, than on the side of being too compla- cent, too easily convinced, too easily led?

1 think so. I hope so.

But there also are those whose

~ voters who turned their backs on

Looking now at the "race" for the leadership of the Social Credit Party — a race which i seems more like a snails’ derby Hl; — the most noticeable thing that at is lacking (besides candidates) is ay any excitement.

Maybe that will change es more would-be premiers emerge.

Maybe the malaise which per- meates that party will improve as attempts increase to bring back the disaffected members and

.

it through the past two or three years of Bill Vander Zalm’s dictatorship... er, leadership.

Maybe the concept of Rita Johnston as "Premier Mom" can be sold not only to the delegates, but also to the populace as she launches an around-the-province tour. (And believe me, that sell- ing job is under way at the highest levels).

Maybe any other declared can- didates (except, say, Mel Couve- lier) will step aside at the last minute to unite behind her and make the July leadership conven- tion a coronation.

Maybe Johnston’s 20-year ties to the style and methods of Mr. Vander Zalm will be forgotten or forgiven, as the scare tactics of bashing the spendthrift NDP increase.

Maybe the Socreds can some- how win 39 seats out of 75 (for a clear majority), despite the fact that pundits believe that a vote today would see them lucky to win 20. ;

Maybe pigs really can fly.

Maybe,