October 21 2002

EDITORIALS

Over The Edge Page 5

Public Power is Moving out of the
Hands of the Public

By Colleen Mahoney

| realized that not only does
democracy require eternal vig-
ilance, but so does guarding
’ against apathy. | realized this
when debating whether or not
to attend a public meeting at
CNC about the privatization of
BC Hydro. | can’t always
expect that someone else will
advocate my beliefs so | went
myself. | was expecting a pub-
lic consultation where a mean-
ingless pencil pusher would
present a “glass is half full”
plan on how the Campbell
government wants to make a
quick buck to balance the bud-
get, while selling one of BC’s
greatest assets to private
interests: most likely
American interests, as they
are the greatest consumer of
our power.

As it turned out, it was not a
pointless bureaucrat; it was a
panel of 3 people who includ-
ed a Union leader, an employ-
ee, and a social advocate.
One of the things said at the
meeting was that the
Campbell government is
already in talks to sell a por-
tion of BC Hydro. The part that
is allegedly being separated
and sold is the customer ser-
vice. This is being transferred
to another company called
Accentura, based in the

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Immigralion Canada

SOCIAL
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Bahamas. The implications of
this move are very unpre-
dictable, and detrimental
according to the panel. When
this type of division happened
in both Ontario and Alberta the
results have been higher ener-
gy prices. The government

‘Public Power
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we will also pay higher hydro
prices in BC if this utility is pri-
vatized, and the justification is
that we should be paying
more, just like everyone else.
Admittedly, in BC we pay the
one of the lowest electric rates
in North America. But the cost
of low rates in electricity has

had huge costs in the past to.

the taxpayers and residents of
BC. Taxpayers footed the bill
to build the hydro-electric
dams, and those dams cost us
all future revenue from some
of BC’s most productive forest
lands due to the flooding from
the creation of the reservoirs.
Is this not reason enough for
us to deserve some benefits
for the past costs incurred?

What bothers me the most is
that this government would
even have the gall to have this
publicly owned asset
appraised without consulting
us, let alone providing the pos-
sibility of opening negotiation
for its sale in whole or in part.
Now is the time to hold the
people we elected account-
able. Questions are not being
answered, and our hydro is too
important to trust to a bunch of
green, double talking politi-
cians. We have to protect
what is ours even if it means
taking them to court!

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Pop Machine
Insanity

The Irritation of Getting
Just What You Don’t Want

By Dana Schwehr
Students don’t exactly have
it easy here in Canada.
Granted, it is better than in the
US, because our tuition rates
are much lower, but it’s not the
easiest life in the world. We
have rising tuition rates, crazy
roommates, exams, home-
work, and other action-packed
issues. The last thing any stu-
dent needs is to ——
put his or her
hard-earned
money into a pop
machine, expect-
ing to get a nice
bottle of iced tea,
and get a bottle
of water instead.
Unfortunately,

We were unable

to do. anymore
testing... by the
time this went to

press, mostly
because we had

very hard task, and it makes
everyone involved so much
happier.

Students spend a great deal
of money every year on tuition,
housing, food, and internet
access, among other things.
They simply cannot afford to
spend money on beverages
that they do not want. It is not
fair to expect a student who
has been work-
ing on three
projects, as
well as study-
ing for four
midterms to be
able to com-
prehend what
has happened
when he does

that is a very real not get his
possibility on the run out of selection from
UNBC campus. change the pop
There is one g machine. Why
machine in the then, do the
Wintergarden that does not people who fill the pop

always give students what
they ask for. The top button
says that it supplies the user of
the machine with water, but
when money is inserted and
the_button is pushed, iced tea
exits the machine. The top
iced tea buttons dispenses
water. We were unable to do
anymore testing of the pop
machine by the time this went
to press, mostly because we
had run out of change. When
is this kind of insanity going to
stop? How much are students
supposed to take? Filling a
pop machine correctly is not a

machines on campus not pay
attention to what they are
doing? It could be an honest
mistake, but this is not the first
time it has happened at
UNBC. This problem has been
occurring here for years, and it
is time that it stops. The stu-
dents of UNBC need to unite
to stop pop machine fraud on
campus. We should not toler-
ate this douche-baggery any
longer, because |, for one, do
not need this plateful of
gonads and strife to be put on
my table. | want more bling-
bling for my ching-ching. '

Scott Fanshaw
Service and Fixed Operations Manager

Honda North

105 Brunswick Street

Prince George, B.C.
V2L 2B2

Sales: (280) 562-9391

Parts & Service: (250) 562-4744

Fax: (250) 562-515!
Email: info@hondanorth.ca