VIEW POINT——

Fish fight

HE Sportfi ishing Defence
Alliance is almost certainly
going to be accused of racisin
sometime in the nor too distant
future as it stands up for the interests
of the recreational angler lured by the
thought of hooking a big salmon.
~- Any such accusation would appear
to be without foundation.
: : “Founding members of the alliance
who have spoken’ with the News,
“made it categorically clear that they

‘support the right‘of First Nations to -
“fish salmon for food, ceremonial and

treaty purposes.’
What ‘the alliance wants to. sce

-addressed is -how the’ regulations |

“relating” to stock conservation : jare
applied.” Fishermen are tired of being

Id.“ by® federal: enforcérs: that they
“cannot practise catch-and- release fish-
ing because’ if they do native fisher-

a box of tacks than « come.

programs rograms coordinator for Gab”
y and: Lesbian Community

‘the; reluctance : of, young ho osexuals on the ‘
ity with their parents, {From :

to discuss their s

men will take that as a licence to net
anything that swims past.

Srort fishing generally is reckoned
to have at most a 5% impact on
returning stocks, yet could casily con-
tribute $1.5 billion annually to the
provincial economy. But the industry
faces ever-more stringent restrictions
that are not delivered until the middle
of the year,— well after those who
make their living from guided fishing
or resorts need them since most inter-
national travellers decide where to
spend their travel dollars between
Christmas and March.

So a money-making, tourist attrac-
tion is becoming less an advertisement
for | “Super, Natural __ British
Columbia”: than . an- embarrassing
annual fish fight that showcases all
the worst elements | of government
administration. So , eet

“pay abuse victims”
‘run the headlines,
They. mirror the

Canadians about
their religious

the individual aims, ’.
“i now some 7,000 and
sull rising, from native’
people who say the:
were abused as stu ents.

-“ANGLICANS one year from -
ankruptcy.... Churches must.

A DAY AT THE BEACH

WITH JOE AND RALPH:

; Angus Reid survey earlier this eas
- showed 53% of Canadians believed
churches should sell pro; rty to pay:
abuse claims but 80%
thought Ottawa should
rescue them from bank
“ruptcy once they'd °
made a serious effort t
Pe pay. On closer examina:
-: tion, however, this’
“solution” makes no

“Once the churches were
"1 bled of all their assets, °°:
_Ottawa'would have to~

pay the remaining ..
claims in full. Given the

levy
on the level of erie ‘tens chimers is elsguided. ;
“Dis ct councillor Janice. Harris, arguing
a cast F ¢‘district’s 0% levy has yet to be felt

in government-owned residential schools ;
tun for Ottawa up to 1969 by the’

Catholic, Anglican and United Churches.

Total awards, if only about half the |
claims were successful, could easily top .
half a ‘billion dollars.:In th
cases already settled Or-swa has mostly”

relatively’ few. .

very. modest total of church assets, the

government’s eventual payout ‘on claims:
could obviously.run into the $500. mil

lion range or higher. . And that would not
: be i its only cos'

The churches use their member?
donations to provide, with volunteer

Hips juse'a udget cuttin:
yet. t's not like thi

paid 40% of the bill

the hook for. roughly 25% of the. eventual ;

claims.

‘dioceses being independent;
entities. So if on -Catholic.c diocese were

ae the other. :

+. workers, valuable social services of many
’ kinds. As just one example, th Angii
Church spends nearly.$3 million ‘a year:
supporting hundreds of churches across
Canada’s far-flung North, closure’ of.
which would have profound effects on
those'tiny northern communi
Ongoing support and outreach services
to help the poor, komeiess, sick and aged
: are common to all ‘the churches - at no
cost to the state.:
~. Such free services would be cut o
even eliminated if if the churches lost thei

nt of any y abuses ce committed
y. perverts arid pedophiles hired by resi
‘dential schoo church ‘administrators 30

sitat gly‘claim to be. Christian.

revealed in'an’

ame, : full. address. and telephone: numbel
“ Sabailt via, evmall to: to: wrenshaw@nsnews.com

’ the only cour

ind commen, sense is for
ow to'assumMc:total liability and Jet the

¢ hurche

their tax

“maintain, and do ‘it all without, raise,

‘called: mothers.

ly: