A6 www.wltribune.com
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 Williams Lake Tribune
VIEWPOINTS
s 0UBLISHER 3ALES -GR Lisa Bowering s %DITOR Erin Hitchcock EXT editor@wltribune.com Free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad. - Albert Camus
Act could override FOI laws
JobFest aims to educate
S
I
t’s lilac time. As regular readers of this column know, lilacs are my favourite. Before so many of them fell to development, they were everywhere in Williams Lake. Granted, it wasn’t a pleasant time for people with allergies, but the French whole Connection town sure smelled Diana French good. The lilac is the city’s official flower, although you’d never know it. They are strangely lacking from most city properties. Judging from the look of many lawns this spring (including mine) maybe the dandelion should be our official flower. *** Some B.C. cabinet ministers like to call those who disagree with them communists/socialists. That’s so 1950s, but when they aim at critics of BC Hydro they are really off base. It was Social Credit Premier W.A.C. Bennett (hardly a lefty) who instituted BC Hydro. BC Rail was already a Crown corporation but Mr. Bennett “unprivatized� the BC Ferries and the three corporations served British Columbians well for half a century. One of the reasons Premier Gordon Campbell gave for selling BC Rail was that it was losing money. After years of success under several governments, BC Hydro is now deeply in debt. Does that make it ripe for sale? Or has it been sold out already? *** When salmon farms were first introduced, they seemed like a good idea. When evidence to the contrary began appearing, senior governments sided with the industry denying anything was wrong. Now farms on both sides of the U.S./Canada border are destroying thousands of their fish because of a virus. Guess what? Disease was exactly what the critics were warning about. Now the provincial government wants to make it illegal for any citizen, including journalists, to discuss any kind of animal contamination or disease outbreaks (bird flu, fish-farm viruses, mad cow disease, etc.) and the Animal Health Act apparently will override Freedom of Information laws. Can somebody explain to me how this is in the public interest? Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.
Our Viewpoint
No nukes in Japan Is the world’s infatuation with nuclear power finally over? Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima... We get the message over and over again that everything comes at a high cost, but it takes a while for the message to sink in. Maybe because the alternatives are not that great. Gas, oil, coal. Even the natural alternatives get certain segments of the population riled up - wind farms with their huge generators, hydro-electric dams that change the nature of our rivers. But, we’ll never have the incentive to explore other alternatives as long as we have unlimited (we think) sources of fuel to power our cars, trucks, air conditioners, plasma TVs, our cities, etc. What do you do when the power goes out in the middle of the day? No computers, no kitchen appliances, no television, no radio. Do you go for a drive? What if the only vehicle was a bicycle? Or a horse? What a difference it makes in our lives. I’ll be the first to admit that I get a little anxious when
I’m unexpectedly disconnected from my computer and the Internet. Not as bad as I used to be, but yeah, I need to get a life. Japan shut down its last remaining nuclear reactor last week. Since the earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011, they’ve been taking them offline for maintenance — the ones that weren’t immediately damaged in the catastrophe — and leaving them off. Before this all happened, Japan relied on nuclear energy for a third of its electricity. Their government is expecting rising carbon emissions as Japan is forced to turn to oil and gas for energy, but there is no word of that yet. The Japanese are smart, industrious people and I’m betting that it won’t be long before they come up with cleaner, more efficient energy sources. Up until now, alternative energy hasn’t really been taken seriously. It’s at a pretty rough stage as underfinanced fringe companies are the only ones offering it. But this might be the impetus that finally puts alternative energy on the mass market. — Wendy Coomber
A politically independent community newspaper published Tuesdays and Thursdays by: Black Press Group Ltd. 188 North 1st Ave., WilLIAMS ,AKE " # #ANADA 6 ' 9 s 0HONE &AX Lisa Bowering EMAILS editor@wltribune.com or classifieds@wltribune. Publisher/Sales Mgr. com, view our web page at www.wltribune.com. This Williams Lake Tribune is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council. Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent within 45 days to B.C. Press Council, 201 Selby Street, Nanaimo, B.C., V9R 2R2. For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bc.presscouncil.org All material contained in this publication is protected by copyright. Reproduction is EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED BY THE RIGHTS HOLDER 0UBLICATION -AIL 2EGISTRATION .O !NNUAL 4RIBUNE -AIL 3UBSCRIPTION WITHIN #ANADA '34
Erin Hitchcock Editor
Gaylene Desautels Kym Tugnum Ad Control/Production Circulation
Advertising Representatives: Brenda Webster, Lori Macala and Sharon Balmer. Ad Design: Leigh Logan, Sherri Jaeger, Mary Langstrom, Anne Blake. Staff Reporters: Gaeil Farrar (Community Editor), Greg Sabatino (Sports Editor), Robyn Chambers and Monica Lamb-Yorski. Tribune Correspondents: Veera Bonner (Big Creek), June Bliss (Alexis Creek), Linda-Lou Howarth (Riske Creek), Rosi Hartmann (Rose Lake/Miocene), Rhonda Kolcun (McLeese Lake), Bruce MacLeod (Horsefly). Tribune Contributors: Diana French, Liz Twan.
ummer is near and it’s that incredibly exciting time of year for 17- and 18-year olds across the province. As the school year comes to an end I would first like to congratulate all of this year’s graduates. It is a very important time in your lives and there are endless opportunities ahead of you. One of the most interestMLA ing ways Musings the province has Donna Barnett ever conjured to get youth excited about their futures and educated about opportunities is JobFest. Rolling into the Cariboo Chilcotin this June, this interactive, rock concert-themed mobile jobs event is sure to turn some heads — and not just because it’s accompanied by headlining rock talent. JobFest aims to educate youth aged 15-25 about labour market trends and upcoming career opportunities in our province. Over the next decade, there will be more than one million job openings in B.C. — we want to make sure youth know about these opportunities and have the skills they need to fill those positions. JobFest also offers an engaging exhibition that features presentations and guest speakers, inspiring youth stores, interactive career discovery tools and games, and various information displays. JobFest staff are extremely knowledgeable about the many resources and services available for jobseekers in B.C., and are always willing to answer any questions. They may even give you some free JobFest souvenirs such as t-shirts and DVDs. JobFest will be at the Williams Lake Stampede from June 29 to July 1, in Quesnel July 4 and 100 Mile House on July 6. It’s time to get excited about your futures! Be sure to check it out! I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the BC Liquor Distribution Branch for helping fundraise for local dry grad events throughout my riding. Cariboo-Chilcotin School District 27 received $10,943 from the BC Liquor Store’s Support Dry Grad campaign to support alcoholfree high school graduation celebrations in their communities. This is no doubt a time to celebrate, but it’s vital that these celebrations are safe and responsible. To the class of 2012, congratulations! You’ve come a very long way and have bright futures ahead indeed. I wish each and every one of you the very best. Donna Barnett is the Liberal MLA for the Cariboo-Chilcotin.