SOMETIMES the Skeena River which acts as a boundary between Terrace and Thornhill seems as wide as the Pacific Ocean.
That’s certainly the impression over the recent sign flap in which Mr. Ted Ramsey, the Thornhill director on the Kitimat-Stikine regional district board, was successful in having the ‘Welcome to Terrace’ sign removed from its spot alongside Hwy16 in Thornhill.
Many have vilified and ridiculed Mr. Ramsey for his stance, painting him as either dictatorial or as someone who has lost his senses.
But from this controversy, two distinct themes emerge.
One is that many in Thornhill closely identify with Terrace and saw no affront with the sign. The fast that it replaced an earlier sign welcoming people to ‘Terrace and District’ was not lost in this kerfuffle.
Second is that Mr. Ramsey does speak for a portion of Thornhill residents who are passionate that, despite being without its own specific municipal government, Thornhill does have an identity.
In this regard, the sign is but the most visible of Mr. Ramsey’s continuing efforts to have Thornhill become its own municipality. How that might be reflected in future relations with the city is complicated.
Still, Mr. Ramsey is fond of saying that Terrace and Thornhill are joined at the hip.
But it’s a hip that sometimes results in an uneven gait.
