LOIS BOONE SPEAKING OUT CORY COLTMAN JARED YOUNG KATHY GUNN RYAN HUNT JORDAN KELLY B REE-ANN A ROBERTSON CHILDREN OF THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE Dear Friends: Although the legislature has not been sitting for the past 6 months, I’ve been kept busy in my office and working with many community groups to promote the needs of this region. The successful campaign for a university is something this entire community can be proud of. The question is no longer will we have a university but when it will be built. Congratulations to all those who worked so hard to see a dream come true. We are all the winners in this fight! STATEMENT FROM MIKE HARCOURT "New Democrats understand the economic, social and cultural benefits that will accompany a northern university. I’m proud to say Lois Boone has been the legislature’s strongest advocate for a Prince George campus. "New Democrats will put our commitment in concrete terms when the legislature sits, by tabling a bill calling for the establishment of an independent, degree-granting university. "The educational goals of people in B.C.’s North-Central Interior must be fulfilled. Let’s get on with it.” SERVICES Shortages - Despite the fact that we consider ourselves the Northern Capital of B.C., the Prince George region is still sadly lacking in many services those in the lower mainland take for granted. Mental Health services in this region have seen little improvement and remain inadequate to meet the needs of our people. To compensate for the lack of government services, non-profit societies have tried to meet our needs, yet many have had financial difficultie. Prince George Sexual Assault Centre • This centre has been operating without assistance for many years. Recently they developed a special program for children that included group, individual and play therapy. Initially assistance was denied by the provincial government, however after considerable outcry by the public, funding was provided to the end of March. The big question now is will this funding continue. As of this month, 96 children have been referred to and have active files, yet there is still no commitment from the government. This society has served our community well and deserves supportl Teen Crisis Line - Temporary funding was also made available to this service. With the lack of Mental Health Services available to the youth in this region, the Teen Crisis Line is one of the few avenues of help available. This must be kept going I Child Development Centre - The Ministry of Health does not fully fund this centre, even though it provides health services such as physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. There is no other place in Prince George that can provide these children with the help they require. I believe that the delivery of these services should be fully funded and not left to the rise and fall of donations and fundraising. These are truly special children. Cancer Clinic - Although it appears we are to have a university, we have been overlooked when it comes to the needs of cancer patients. I’m not surprised that we will not get the clinic but I am disappointed. Obviously the decision was based on population only and did not consider need. Anyone who has been touched by someone who has had to travel to Vancouver for treament understands the emotional and financial burden placed on families. We must continue to press the government to develop a centre to meet northern needs and find a way to reduce the financial burden to families. This is one fight we must not give up. ENVIRONMENT 1989 can be marked as the year that the general public became environmentally concerned. People are now aware that our world is in a delicate state and cannot stand continued abuse from our society. We must take action now to ensure that industry is not allowed to continue to pollute our air, water, and land. Unfortunately the sympathetic administration of this government has ignored environmental problems until now and both federal and provincial governments are struggling to play catch-up in setting standards and controls. Many believe current actions are too little and too late. All the average citizen wants is air and water that is safe and they want to know that corporate profits are not ahead of quality of life. Changes that must occur in our society must not stop at industry. Each of us has a responsibility to see what we can do to reduce the impact of our lives on the environment. A local group called REAPS has been formed to promote and inform individuals about recycling. If you want to make a difference call Chris Leischner at 562-9254. FORESTRY Conflicts continue to dominate the news as environmentalists, natives and industry clash over how land is to be utilized. These conflicts will continue unless communities begin to have geater control in the development of their region. As the amount of available timber shrinks, the way we make decisions will become more and more important and must not be left to bureaucrats in Victoria. The future of communities must be developed with the full co-operation of all the people involved. Our future challenge will be to maintain the jobs we have when the timber supply is being rapidly depleted. We must adapt and get more out of less. That may sound impossible but it’s not. Currently B.C. cuts 45% of the timber cut in Canada yet we provide only 28% of the jobs and 35% of the value added products. That means we take more wood to provide fewer jobs and fewer products. We can and must change because the timber just isn't there to sustain our current harvest levels. McCAFFRAY The termination of Charles McCaffray has shown clearly the problems of accountability when a board is totally appointed by government. Whether one is a supporter of Mr. McCaffray or not, it’s clear that the principals of fair labour process were not applied. If the board wanted a change, they should not have renewed his contract last year. If the board was dissatisifed with his performance, then notice should have been given and if there was no change, then termination with cause would have been appropriate. If they merely wanted a change for change sake, then the end of the contract would have been sufficient. To terminate without cause, in the middle of a contract, with no replacement around, makes no sense economically, legally or educationally. This community deserves some answers, yet attempts to meet with the chairman, were met witM reluctance and the statement “there’s not much point." •( Brian Gardiner, Paul Ramsey, John Brian Gardiner and I opened our new offices at Ricketts and I enjoyed a visit to the Sikh 1112 Sixth Avenue with a ‘ribbon’ cutting. Temple. HELP ME HELP YOU! Let me know how you feel by filling out Mail to: LOIS BOONE COMMUNITY OFFICE this questionnaire. 1112 Sixth Avenue Please clip it out and drop it off or... Prince George, B.C. V2L 3M6 HOW DO YOU RATE THE GOVERNMENT’S RECORD ON: GOOD FAIR POOR GOOD FAIR POOR ENVIRONMENT | | | | | | FORESTRY □ □ □ HEALTHCARE □ □ □ EDUCATION □ □ □ GOOD GOVERNMENT □ □ □ Should you require extra soace for coments, please attach a separate sheet. COMMENTS...................................................... Z YOUR NAME:.............................................Tel.#. Z ADDRESS.........................................POSTAL CODE.