'fit
FOftUn
BS!
Dnes
that
cut
to
more
iaboo
issues.
More
people
tiould
speak
out
against
Hie
government.
Like
letting
funding.
Ryan
Sa
patch
Welding
Program
im
A
Dear
Abby-style
advice
column,
where
students
can
submit
problems
and
get
advice.
-Melissa
Column
University
Transfer
r7?af
would
you
like
to
see
in
the
Free
Forum?
real
issues
that
affect
udents
and
teachers.
I
would
like
to
see
the
Free
Forum
in
color
print.
-Gye
Inncogneato
Student
of
Life
Arts
and
Entertainment
I
would
like
to
see
an
anecdote
column.
-Beausifus
Hair
Dressing
Student
-
11
ha
S$J
.-Mil
ortherners
must
speak
with
one
voice
Peter
Ewart
I
The
following
article
was
I
lished
on
December
5,
2005.
Opinion250,
a
website
based
in
hern
British
Columbia,
that
can
at:
http:www.opinion250.
IFor
many
decades,
the
Central
Northern
Interior
of
BC
has
ributed
huge
amounts
of
nues
to
the
provincial
government
(ers
in
the
form
of
stumpage
fees,
fees
and
taxes.
Over
the
years
contribution
has
amounted
to
i
of
billions
of
dollars
which
the
temments
of
various
stripes
have
ed
in
various
ways,
many
of
i
have
benefited
the
North
little
tat
all.
e
latest
example
is
the
hyped
2010
Vancouver
-
itler
Olympics.
This
two-week
lavaganza
of
gold
medals
to
rtes
and
concrete
monuments
oliticians
is
estimated
to
suck
i
of
dollars
out
of
the
provincial
federal
government
budgets.
I
be
the
return?
Construction
panies
in
the
Lower
Mainland
nake
a
lot
of
money,
and
so
will
tourist
industry.
But
even
the
starry
eyed
and
enthusiastic
cian
has
a
hard
time
explaining
the
Olympics
will
benefit
in
substantial
way
the
resource
action
and
manufacturing
heart
of
i
Columbia.
he
latest
revelation
from
John
ng,
the
CEO
of
the
Vancouver
Olympics
Organizing
Committee,
is
that
construction
costs
for
the
Games
venues
and
facilities
could
jump
40
to
50
over
original
estimates.
The
reason
given
is
that
"the
original
estimate
was
made
in
2002
dollars."
Apparently,
Organizing
Committee
representatives
have
only
just
learned
theefementary
'accounting
lesson
that
in
a
multi-year
construction
venture
you
must
factor
into
your
estimate
what
material,
labour,
and
other
costs
will
be
in
5
or
6
years,
as
well
as
other
factors
such
as
inflation.
That
is
why
it
is
called
an
estimate.
Perhaps
part
of
the
problem
is
that
the
firm
involved
in
developing
the
estimates
for
the
Olympics
was
none
other
than
the
Arthur
Anderson
firm
whose
parent
company
was
implicated
in
the
Enron
accounting
scandal
in
the
U.S.
Critics
of
the
2010
Olympics
raised
this
fact
several
years
ago
but
were
ignored
amidst
all
the
hoopla.
Another
concern
raised
by
Derek
Holt,
RBC
Financial
Group's
chief
economist,
is
that
"there's
a
strong
chance
the
provincial
economy
will
go
into
a
serious
slump"
immediately
after
the
Vancouver
Whistler
Olympics
(Richmond
Review,
Nov.
26,
2005).
Unfortunatery,
that
is
about
the
same
time
that
the
full
brunt
of
the
downturn
in
our
region
as
a
result
of
the
pine
beetle
infestation
is
expected
to
hit
us.
So
Northerners
could
be
facing
a
"perfect
storm"
of
their
own
in
terms
of
these
three
threats:
spiraling
Olympics
costs,
economic
downturn
after
the
Olympics,
and
economic
i
-t
-
y,
'
"
l
tBEL.
'
n
l
K
ea
l
,
'
.'
Si..-
-VA
downturn
as
a
result
of
the
pine
beetle
infestation.
Add
in
a
possible
U.S.
recession
and
there
could
well
be
a
serious
problem
ahead
for
our
region.
Yet
for
the
next
five
years
we
know
that
the
provincial
government
is
going
to
be
caught
up
in
the
hoopla
of
the
Olympics
and
dazzled
by
all
the
"glory"
it
will
bring.
In
the
midst
of
this
"perfect
storm",
Northerners
will
have
to
make
their
concerns
loud
and
clear
about
the
pine
beetle
epidemic,
and
the
billions
of
dollars
of
aid
from
government
for
economic
development,
reforestation,
displaced
worker
training
and
so
on
that
are
vital
to
see
our
region
through
this
turbulent
period.
One
of
the
problems
in
the
past
is
that
Northerners
have
not
spoken
with
a
unified
voice
to
the
provincial
government.
Too
often,
our
political
representatives,
as
well
as
various
organizations
they
have
influence
over,
have
taken
positions
that
are
contrary
to
the
interests
of
Northerners.
The
sale
of
BC
Rail
to
CN
is
one
of
the
sorriest
examples.
Why
is
this
the
case?
Party
factionalism
is
a
big
factor.
Instead
of
Northerners
and
their
representatives
lining
up
together
to
make
demands
of
the
provincial
government,
too
often
they
line
up
according
to
party
faction,
that
is,
either
the
Liberals
or
NDP.
This
factionalism
is
very
destructive
for
the
North
and
prevents
us
from
bringing
maximum
weight
to
our
demands.
We,
as
northerners,
have
contributed
hugely
to
the
province
t.7j
.
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'3fS'"
w?mm$
f,
hfMrfWfc
.4.W'""f
i-''
viv.
ncncto
over
the
last
50
or
60
years.
Today
we
are
facing
some
serious
economic
problems
down
the
road,
and
it
is
our
turn
to
get
something
substantial
back.
But
to
do
so,
we
must
speak
with
one
voice,
whether
we
are
municipal
or
provincial
politicians,
Chamber
of
Commerce,
unions,
community
groups
or
ordinary
people.
In
terms
of
the
long
term
economic
interest
of
our
region
and
the
province,
our
forests
and
the
forest
industry
are
far
more
important
than
the
two-week
extravaganza
in
2010.
But
don't
bet
that
the
politicians
based
in
the
Lower
Mainland
nor
the
provincial
government
thinks
so.
Five
years
ago,
concerned
citizens
filled
the
Multiplex
with
over
7,000
people
who
demanded
that
something
be
done
about
health
care
in
the
North.
That
got
results.
Regarding
the
pine
beetle
epidemic,
maybe
what
is
needed
is
a
march
on
Vancouver
and
Victoria
supported
by
everyone
in
the
Interior
and
North.
As
the
full
extent
of
the
pine
beetle
devastation
unfolds,
such
an
action
may
not
be
so
far
fetched.
Peter
Ewart
is
a
college
instructor,
community
activist
and
writerwho
lives
in
Prince
George,
British
Columbia.
His
email
address
is:
peter.ewart
shaw.ca
This
article
was
published
on
December
5,
2005,
in
Opinion250,
a
website
based
in
Northern
British
Columbia,
that
can
be
found
at:
htttp:
www.opinion250.com
.