Free speech Time to celebrate The champions What do pepper sprayed protes- North Coast Distance Education A penalty shot and a couple of ters have to do with a Terrace School marks 10 years with an yellow cards prove decisive in aviation company?\NEWS A:I.3 open housekCOMMUNrrY B1 men's soccer finals\SPORTS B6 93¢ PLUS 7¢ GST WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBE.R 23, 1998 TANDA.RD VOL. 11 NO. 24 NDP recall defence faces probe A 'covert operation' including 'dirty tricks'? Or a textbook well-organized political campaign? By JEFF NAGEL "fake" "letters to the editors prepared for "It was a campaign just like any other ray confirmed. SKEENA MLA Helmut Giesbrecht~is distribution to local papers as part of a campaign," Murray said. "We tackled this McPhee's presence for two weeks was rejecting suggestions his supporters did "dirty tricks" campaign. just like we would an election. This is the reported in news stories by the Standard as anything wrong in defending him "It's a load of crap," Giesbrecht said only way we know how to do a political early as Dec. 23. Murray says had she been against a recall campaign last winter. Thursday. "It's the biggest crock of horse fight ~ an organized campaign." a secret, covert operative, an interview Elections B.C. on Friday appointed foren- manure I've heard in a long time." "But this time we didn't just out-organize would not have been granted. sic auditor Ron Parks to investigate recall "There was no covert operation. There them, they didn't have the support they Both workers were paid and their salaries campaigns here, in Prince George and were no dirty tricks. There were no fake let- thought they had to begin with." and benefits are accounted for as part of a Comox. ters," he said. "It was a local campaign, The allegations of wrongdoing run on $4,200 item in the campaign's financial dis- The Vancouver Sun on Thursday called we were in control and that's it." several fronts. closure, Murray said. the involvement in the campaigns of out- Giesbrecht and campa~n organizer Gaff She said the campaign had no involve- side workers a secret "covert operation" Murray -- his executive assistant who took Outside workers ment in bringing in a third activist, CAW coordinated out of the Premier's office. unpaid leave to work on the pro-Giesbreeht Two workers ~ Susan McPhee and Sam Ontario organizer Buddy Kitchen, who the Helmut Giesbrecht campaign countering the recall petition Bridge -- were paid to work on the The newspaper also alleged financial ir- Continued Page A15 regularities and characterized the use of say they have nothing to apologize about. campaign here for a few weeks each, Mur- Letters Let advocates weren't pay to protect phoney grizzly bears ---MLA Gov't quickly submarines HELMUT GIESBRECHT admits his recall campaign local biologist's proposal workers wrote letters to the By CHRISTIANA WIENS editor for local people to A LOCAL biologist says bear advocates should sign and send to newspa- be allowed to compete against sport hunters to pers. save grizzly bears from the annual hunt. But the MLA says that's different from creating let- By.allowing environmentalists to join the lottery, !;1 ters and signing fictitious system of providing hunting rights, they would final- names to them m something ly got their say in the fate of B.C. grizzly bears, says that t~oreed Parksville MLA Dionys de Leeuw. Paul Reitsma to resign in In his report, Limited Hunter Entry in British Cohimbia disgrace this spring. Bear Management the senior habitat biologist claims griz- "All the letters that were zly numbers are exaggerated written were signed by and based on "best guess" living, breathing people," estimates. Giesbreeht said. "There He calls for three specific were no phoney letters, recommendations. there were no fake letters." First, says de Leeuw, if Sample letters to the editor 300 grizzlies are allowed to were sent from a communi- be killed, only issue 300 li- cations organizer in Victoria censes. to paid anti-recall workers Current policy en- in Prince George and Ter- compasses hunter success race, with suggestions they rates so that in the Skeena could be edited, signed and Region, for example, 500 li- sent to newspapers. censes are issued but only 10 to 20 per cent of hunters will actually kill a grizzly. Then, de Leeuw says the "'OM we use some goverument should sell two types of limited entry ap- canned letters? plications N',kili" tags for Dionys de Leeuw Sure, what's wi'ong hunters and "protector" tags for those opposed to the with that?" hunt. That then pits bear advocates against hunters ill a coml)e- tition for far fewer licenses. His final recommendation asks the ministry to make "Did we use some canned limited entry and bear population statistics available to letters? Sure, what's wrong B.C. residents. With that?" responded Gag De Leeuw then attacks the government for protecting Murray, who headed the and supporting "an infinitesimally small number of trophy pro.Giesbreeht Skeena Tax- hunters" and ignoring the remaining B.C. population that payers Association. oppose the sport. She said letter preparation "This is an injustice to the extreme," writes de Leeuw. is often done in election [] Fall fever! The biologist sent his report to 91 ministry offices in- campaigns, although she ad- READY FOR HALLOWEEN: That's four-year-old Jessica Cote and Jordan Anderson sitting in front of the cluding regional staff, directors, wildlife managers, mitted it probably happened Lillian Schulte's pumpkin harvest on south Kalum Street Wednesday. The Schultes also pulled in a great government-commissioned study groups and the ministry more frequently in the stash of butternut squash, watermelons and cucumbers from their garden, recent recall campaign. Continued Page A12 Murray said it did not con- sist of campaign workers taking prepared letters around in an effort to •find Busy lin es block ambulance calls people who would sign them. said. "The new plan and other (com- department. "This is a problem that we've noticed What typically happened, Cheap long distance panies') plans have changed the nature of When the fire fighters learned of the over the past week," said Bob Pearcc, man- she said, is a local person plans cause delays in dilemma, they too tried calling for an am- ager of communications for B.C. Am- would come into the office, long distance on the network." Noel explained that since Terrace's emer- bulance. bulance service. "There have been several want to write a letter, but emergency response gency ambulance dispatch is in Kamloops, When they got a busy signal, a crew was instances of delays from the Kamloops dis- needed help doing so. By ALEX HAMILTON dispatched to the scene inunediately. patch." "If somebody helped that long-distance number could be busy if EMERGENCY CALLS to ambulance all the circuits are being used. To remedy the problem temlmrarily, B.C. them to write them, what's dispatchers in Kamloops are sometimes And that's exactly what happened to Tel officials say ambulance callcrs who wrong with that?" Gies- Carla MacDonald when she called for an can't get through can call the oPerator and brecht added. getting busy signals because cheap long "This woman could have distance calling plans have caused tele- ambulance Sept. 10 after a 68-yesr-old din- he or she will place the call. Giesbrecht said he has fre- "B.C. Tel is adding circuits as quickly as phone gridloek in the evenings. ner guest, Marion Amado, fell unconscious died on my doorstep because quently helped write letters possible to ease congestion," Noel said. for constituents to sign who Several people have complained about at her party. all the lines were busy. Am- She immediately tried the number again, "Using the operator is la temporary solu- were requesting help from getting busy signals when trying to call for bulances shouldn't be busy an ambulance, said B.C. Tel spokesman thinking she had dialed incorrectly. But tion." various cabinet ministers or ever." " This solution, however, doesn't comfort arms of government. Kevin Noel. when she got the same message, she was People in that situation should instead call shocked. MacDonald. "That doesn't make them She tried calling the ambula,ce for 30 fake letters," he added. the operator, Noel said. "A message said all lines are unavailable He said the situation is because telephone and to try again," MacDonald said. "This The firefighters eventually got through to minutes after her guest was taken to tile "Some people have got to the ambulance dispatch service using a spe- hospital. But each tinre, she said she get a little bit real." customers taking advantages of unlimited woman could have died on my doorstep be- long distance plans have overwhelmed the cause all the lines were busy. Ambulances cial unlisted number. received a busy signal. Murray said. she's con- The ambulance arrived on the scene ap- "City council needs to geL911," she vinced the other side of the network, shouldn't be busy m ever," "With the new $20 fiat rate calling plan, After her second attempt at calling an am- proximately, three minutes after the fire de- said, "HOW are people goingl to know to campaign also prepared let- partment. ...... call the operator when the line is busy7" ters. it,s tough to get a long dlstance circuit,, ' he belance, MacDonald called the local fire iiiIIm ! A2- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 23, 1998 Papers' owner lOth Anniversary STOP Press targets treaty S .A .L .E 77re 7Ol'l'ace Stamlard and every other community news- ptember Friday 25 & Saturday 26 paper in B.C.