March
      18,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
      @-
      The
      Panther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      British
      Columbia
     
     
      ignores
     
     
      Environment
     
     
      isssues
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      MARINA
      ANTUNES
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (CUP)
      —
      British
      Columbia’s
      provincial
      government
      is
     
     
      quickly
      losing
      interest
      in
      environmental
      issues,
      critics
      say.
     
    

    
     
      They
      are
      concerned
      with
      Premier
      Glen
      Clark’s
      cabinet
     
     
      shuffle
      that
      gave
      rookie
      MLA
      Cathy
      McGregor
      the
      environ-
     
     
      ment
      portfolio
      in
      January.
      For
      much
      of
      the
      NDP’s
      first
      term
      the
     
     
      portfolio
      was
      held
      by
      the
      high-profile
      Moe
      Sihota.
     
    

    
     
      “[The
      government]
      is
      saying
      “We’ve
      done
      a
      lot
      for
      the
     
     
      environment
      and
      we’re
      putting
      it
      on
      the
      back
      burner,’”
      said
     
     
      Doug
      Ragan,
      director
      of
      the
      Environmental
      Youth
      Alliance.
     
    

    
     
      Joe
      Foy,
      of
      the
      Western
      Canadian
      Wilderness
      Commit-
     
     
      tee,
      agrees
      the
      NDP
      has
     
    

    
     
      pushed
      the
      environment
      aside
      and
      shifted
      priorities.
     
    

    
     
      “Tt’s
      clear
      to
      me
      that
      right
      from
      the
      get-go
      Premier
      Clark
     
     
      supported
      organized
      labour
      and
      that
      he
      is
      definitely
      turning
      a
     
     
      course
      away
      from
      environmental
      protection,”
      he
      said.
     
    

    
     
      But
      McGregor
      disagrees,
      and
      defends
      the
      NDP’s
      envi-
     
     
      ronmental
      record.
      “Our
      government
      has
      clearly
      not
      put
      envi-
     
     
      ronmental
      issues
      on
      the
      backburner,
      ’she
      said.
      ““That
      has
      been
     
     
      demonstrated
      by
      the
      continued
      commitment
      to
      many
      of
      the
     
     
      programs
      that
      were
      begun
      as
      a
      result
      of
      our
      first
      term
      in
      office.
     
     
      An
      example
      is
      the
      protected
      areas
      strategies
      and
      the
      land
      use
     
     
      planning
      process.”
     
    

    
     
      Instead,
      McGregor
      argued,
      the
      nature
      of
      the
      environ-
     
     
      ment
      portfolio
      has
      changed.
      “I
      think
      we’re
      understanding
      that
     
     
      the
      arguments
      are
      and
      issues
      are
      much
      more
      complex
      and
      that
     
     
      there
      are
      relationships
      in
      all
      of
      our
      activities
      and
      we
      need
      to
      have
     
     
      a
      coordinated
      approach
      to
      dealing
      with
      sustainable
      develop-
     
     
      ment
      and
      a
      sustainable
      economy,”
      she
      explained.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Computer
      fees
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      is
      a
      new
      idea
      in
     
     
      the
      workings
      at
      UPEI
      to
      con-
     
     
      trol
      non-academic
      use
      of
      the
     
     
      computer
      terminals
      and
      cre-
     
     
      ate
      revenue.
      The
      idea
      is
      imple-
     
     
      menting
      a
      user
      fee
      for
      the
      time
     
     
      spent
      at
      on-line.
      This
      would
     
     
      mean
      having
      the
      students
      pay
     
     
      for
      the
      time
      they
      spend
      using
     
     
      the
      computers
      through
      a
     
     
      method
      which
      has
      not
      been
     
     
      decided
      upon
      yet.
      This
      idea
      is
     
     
      still
      relitivly
      new
      and
      no
      deci-
     
     
      sions
      have
      been
      reached.
     
    

    
     
      David
      Cairns,
      Assistant
     
     
      Manager
      at
      Computer
      Serv-
     
     
      ices
      expressed
      that
      this
      is
      not
      a
     
     
      likely
      possibility
      for
      the
      forth-
     
     
      coming
      year.
      There
      will
      be
     
     
      monitoring
      next
      year
      to
      create
     
     
      a
      base
      line
      for
      the
      research
      it
     
     
      would
      take
      to
      implement
      such
     
     
      a
      fee.
      “
      There
      has
      been
      con-
     
     
      siderable
      discussion
      going
      on
     
     
      in
      the
      committee,
      and
      we
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
      very
      concerned
      about
      a
      new
     
     
      fee
      for
      students.”
     
    

    
     
      There
      are
      different
     
     
      ways
      for
      the
      fee
      to
      be
      imple-
     
     
      mented.
      There
      are
      three
      main
     
     
      routes
      administration
      could
     
     
      take.
     
    

    
     
      The
      fee
      could
      be
      in-
     
     
      cluded
      in
      tuition
      ona
      per
      course
     
     
      basis.
      Tuition
      would
      risea
      small
     
     
      amount
      in
      every
      separate
     
     
      course
      students
      registered
      in.
     
    

    
     
      Another
      course
      of
      ac-
     
     
      tion
      that
      the
      fee
      may
      take
      is
      to
     
     
      go
      by
      an
      hourly
      rate.
      Students
     
     
      would
      be
      given
      a
      certain
     
     
      amount
      ofhours
      using
      the
      com-
     
     
      puters
      at
      the
      first
      of
      the
      se-
     
     
      mester
      and
      any
      use
      on-line
     
     
      beyond
      the
      specified
      time
      pe-
     
     
      riod
      would
      be
      charged
      to
      the
     
     
      student.
     
    

    
     
      The
      other
      route
      would
     
     
      be
      to
      not
      change
      the
      present
     
     
      situation
      and
      create
      a
      new
     
     
      method
      of
      control.
     
    

    
     
      There
      are
      a
      variety
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      purposes
      for
      this
      fee.
      It
      would
     
     
      cut
      down
      onnon-academic
      time
     
     
      spent
      on
      the
      computer,
      there-
     
     
      fore
      making
      the
      computers
     
     
      more
      accessible
      for
      academic
     
     
      uses.
     
    

    
     
      "The
      purpose
      is
      not
      to
     
     
      raise
      money,
      it’s
      to
      control
     
     
      use."
      said
      John
      Crosely,
      Vice
     
     
      President
      of
      Academic
      Sup-
     
     
      port
      .
     
    

    
     
      Some
      other
      purposes
      for
     
     
      this
      fee
      are
      to
      cut
      down
      on
     
     
      wear
      of
      the
      computers
      and,
     
     
      therefore
      reduce
      money
      spent
     
     
      of
      the
      maintenance
      of
      the
      ter-
     
     
      minals
      and
      to
      create
      revenue
      .
     
     
      to
      maintain
      an
      acceptable
      level
     
     
      of
      technology
      on
      the
      terminals
     
     
      at
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      Cairns
      expressed
      that
     
     
      faculty
      and
      school
      orientated
     
     
      organisations
      would
      probably
     
     
      not
      have
      to
      pay
      the
      fee
      .
      This
     
     
      idea
      is
      still
      in
      the
      discussion
     
     
      phase
      in
      the
      committee
      and
     
     
      there
      are
      no
      definite
      plans.