12 Stupid printing presses. Those of you tun- ing in last week would have noticed that there were little hollow boxes followed by squished up text dispersed throughout my column. Those boxes were numbers. Hard stats and percentages. I hope that for those who read it anyways, my ideas were compelling none- theless. It seems that in the end, our Premier stepped in and became a hero to all those opposed to the recommended changes. Con- grats, Victoria, on seizing the reigns from the Electoral Boundaries Commission (EBC) you created with an aim to making recommenda- tions stem from a public process. Hope that legislation you draw up in a committee works out. I think I might know where they got the inspiration to shun public consultation from. It might be from the same mining companies and oil corporations they sold resource rich lands in Northeastern BC to. Right now there is a battle being waged by brave first nations peoples and supportive conservation soci- eties against companies that were sold min- eral rights with the logical expectation that they might get to extract them. In 2004 Royal Dutch Shell bought 58000 acres of pristine land east of Dease Lake and Telegraph Creek for a tidy sum of $85 million. Our provincial OVER THE EDGE Pk ca 26 - October 10, 2007 ‘The Rumbling Echo — Cody Willett - Editor In government gave them a 100 percent share of all oil and gas under their new property. Would it surprise anyone that the Tahltan First Na- tions people have hunted and fished in these Sacred Headwaters for millennia? Would it surprise you that they still haven’t managed to secure a treaty for their land claim? Elders who blockaded Shell’s exploration attempts in 2005 were arrested. I’d like to know what Shell and the Provincial government consider consulting in good faith, let alone negotiating in good faith. The area in question here, referred to as the Sacred Headwaters by the Tahtlan people is the birthplace of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers. These rivers are some of the most important wild salmon habitats in BC. This basin is also one of North America’s largest remaining intact predator-prey systems, due to its remote and sparsely inhabited location in B.C.’s North. If Shell gets an injunction to remove the blockade, it will be on its way to becoming a highly profitable coalbed meth- ane gas field scarred by a maze of wells, pipe- lines and roads. Organizations: like the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth International have stepped up to engage the public and policy makers in hopes of putting the brakes on this project. As if there wasn’t enough to worry about, another project called the Red Chris Mine aims to extract copper and gold using an open pit and dump tailings into the headwaters of area rivers. The Iskut and Tahltan First Nations, in concert with conservation organizations has petitioned for a judicial review of permits issued by the fed- eral Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Natural Resources Canada. They claim there has been little meaningful consultation with either band or other inhabitants. This is ludicrous. Why are we razing these lands for a few hundred jobs in the North? Tax dollars for the government? Not if we’re giv- ing away 100% of the royalty rights when we sell the land. Income tax? Drops in a bucket. You might say that these projects still require approval by government ministry commit- tees, so there are still hurdles to overcome before the go-ahead is given. After all, we’ve recently seen the Kemess North mines project derailed by a review panel citing undue en- vironmental degradation and lack of econom- ic benefit to outweigh the ecological cost. At least the company that fancies operating the mine, Northgate Minerals, has Kemess South up and running. Review panels can and prob- ably will be overruled by the government. I mean, how are they going to look if they sell off land to expectant companies and then fail to deliver the goods? I’d say that would sour the investment climate in BC. The gov- ernment wouldn’t want that now would it? Who would buy land and exploration licenses then??? It comes down to values. Short term economic gain versus the long term environ- mental legacy our kids and theirs will enjoy. Do they really think mining and gas are the answer to the looming destruction of the for- estry industry in Northern BC? Transportation would be better, even if CN Rail is derailing trains as frequently as éver while super tank- ers and cargo ships float off Prince Rupert’s beautiful shores. Maybe if we raise the alarm and organize a rally like the one against the Electoral Boundaries Commission, PG City councillors might opt to foot the bill as they did before to save the Sacred Headwaters. Per- haps our Premier might even see the issue as an image bolsterer and step in to save the day all over again. Oh wait, business people and politicians were the ones opposing the EBC. They’re all for development in the Sacred Headwaters. It’s only the first nations and sap- sucking environmentalists opposing develop- ment. I guess we’ll see which constituency’s concerns really merit concern. a Coming STC A U-Pass is a type of transit pass in which every student at- tending a university pays a fee every semester. In exchange for this, every student is able to ride on the bus system, any- where, anytime, by simply showing their student card. In some U-Pass programs, students may also be able to receive discounts at local businesses or get into local facilities for a reduced cost/free.. “But”, you ask, “what does this have to do with UNBC? We don’t have such a program here”. Well; that may be about to change. The NUGSS Board of Directors voted, near unani- mously (one abstention), to support the establishment of a U-Pass for undergraduate students this academic year not ex- ceeding $48 per student per semester. Of course, this is only a first step: exact terms would have to be worked out with the City of Prince George and then a majority of undergraduate students would have to approve of the U-Pass program though a referendum (which would probably take place during the NUGSS elections). So, the question here is: is the U-Pass a program worthy of student support? I believe it is. It gives greater transportation options to students. Obviously, it benefits those that use the bus every day the most. But even as a driver (which I am) one can receive benefits. If one’s car breaks down, one can use the bus system as a safety net to get around until one could afford to buy the replacement part you need. The same type of principle would apply if other events prevent one from driving. As well, by encouraging people to take the bus, less parking spaces would be taken, thus making it easier to get a parking space for those that are not going to give up driving (like me). It would also give students more stake and power over the city bus system. A U-Pass agreement with the City would make the university one of the largest, most stable users of the bus system; logically, when one provides a service, it is smart to cater to the largest users first to secure their loyalty before catering to lesser stakeholders. Finally, one cannot forget the positive environmental im- pacts arising from more people taking the bus. I’m sure that as details become more finalized and the refer- endum comes closer, there will much better and detailed argu- ments on why the U-Pass should be supported. But a quick parting thought: there must be some reason why UNBC is the only university in BC without a U-Pass program. Please visit UNBC Student Politics online at web.unbe. ca/~tasa to comment on articles on student politics, look at reports of the activities of UNBC Senate, and more. Politicians at the Northern Sport Centre Opening Ceremony a Piss-Off On Friday I attended the opening of the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre. It was quite the event, with over 1,000 officials, UNBC students, and Prince George citizens showing up. It was wonderfully organized by UNBC’s Rob Van Adrichem, who, for those who were looking, could be seen running about the floor organizing people throughout the hour and a half long ceremony. A few local sports stars said their bit, and a few politicians, such as Prince George - Mount Robson MLA Shirley Bond, and premier Gor- don Campbell, said their bits, congratulating all the hard work various people have done in order to make the Northern aii! Centre possible. This is the part that pissed me off. Politicians doing what some refer to as kissing baby work, drumming up voters, always makes me want to swear off politicians altogether. I’m fairly certain the part that pissed me off the most was when Bond, and most promin- ently Prince George Mayor Colin Kinsley, thanked to great length Campbell for his gen- erosity in giving $20.5 million towards the Sport Centre in order to get the project up off its feet. Campbell didn’t give $20.5 million, the taxpayers did. Campbell was just doing his damned job. In making the decision to help fund the project Campbell did a fraction of the work the taxpayers did in earning it. Although the taxpayers were thanked, it wasn’t nearly as much as Campbell was. This is entirely the politicians’ faults, as they tend to congratulate each other, sucking at the gov- ernment’s tit in order to garner more support so they can more easily be re-elected. -PISSED OFF ELDERLY 20 YEAR OLD.