A2 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 11, 1997

Code fix cuts red tape

CHANGES to the Forest Practices Code announced Manday
will reduce red tape, put more staff in the field, and preserve the
environment at the same time, according to Forests Minister
David Zirnhelt.

Forest companies and forest service staff will both have fess"

paperwork to do under the changes, which follow a teview ‘of
the code announced earlier this year

One big change will be a simplified approval process tinder
which forest operators file only three plans instead of six. Bul'as aS

to how much money the changes will save remains uncleat.-.:

“We expect there to be a savings to both industry and g govern :

said.

Extra expenses created by the code have pushed up the: cost:

of harvesting wood in B.C. by $12 percubic metre.
‘Industry had complained its operating costs have skyrocke
since the code was introduced two years ago.

ment, although we can’t put a precise figure on it" Zimahelt-

‘While less paperwork and streamlined approval processes are ,

expected to save money, Zirmhelt said code standards will not:

be relaxed, “This is still the toughest, most comprehensive code
inthe world, it’s just easier to administer.”
‘For these who willfully break the code, “the punishment

stream is much more vigorous” under the changes, he said.

A“‘special enforcement unit” is being set up that will be
linked with the RCMP’s Forest Crimes Unit.

“What we’re saying is we want to beef up our enforcement
with the kind of experience they've {the RCMP) had in leading
to convictions,” Zirheit said. “This will be a message to indus-
try that “don’t willfully go around the code,”

The government wants a visiting RCMP officer work with
tke forests and environment ministries and assist investigations.

However, operators who do everything right but run into pro-
blems won't suffer the full weight of prosecution; they'll be
ticketed and told to fix the problem.

Changes announced Monday include:

Bi eliminating duplication and reducing paperwork by merg-
ing six operational plans into three.

Wi streamlining planning and approval to give forest opera-

” torsa two-year supply of cutting permits

| making administrative reforms to bring greater clarity and
consistency in interpretation of regulations.

Bi strengthening the focus on results achieved rather than
ptocess, with more reliance on professional foresters -

Ma improved enforcement by putting more staff in the field.

Native dance performance interrupted

A TAHLTAN dance performance at
Kiti K’Shan Elementary School was
marred by a incident of racism Friday.

A special services assistant disrupted
the performance by tearing down the
blitton blanket backdrop on stage, claim-
idg the performance was idoltrous and
against Jesus Christ.

“‘He’s a religious person with a narrow
view of Christianity,” said David
Rattery, coordinator for the Tahltan
Dancers.

"The dancers are high school students

songs and dance.

"Big s stink solved

RESIDENTS LIVING near Terrace’s sewage treatment
plant can once again sleep easy ~ with their windows open.
The stink that has pestered them for weeks is gone. (See
also story Page Al).

the treatment ponds.

“Within a half hour the smell was gone,” says Stewart
Christensen, director of engineering for the city.

Christensen says the peroxide was suggested Friday by
environmental engineering consultant Sam Turk as a shori-
term solution to the problem. The next day, a truck load of
peroxide was delivered to the site.

“The problem is, there just wasn’t enough oxygen avail-

it the needed oxygen, but it’s not lasting.”
“The city added 100 gallons more on Monday and another
100 gallons yesterday. And Christensen says the treatment

aerators, which will pump oxygen into the pond.

“Hopefully we'll have them running by the end of next
week,” he says. “That will be a temporary solution too, until
we see what we can do in the long term.”

Christensen says after the new aerators are installed, the
city will pull up the existing aeration lines and test them for
blockage.

PECTIC SoS ee eee eee eS

Hospital crisis protested

CITY COUNCIL is once again protesting the continuing
budget problems at Mills Memorial Hospital.

Council voted Monday night to write another ietter to the
health minister denouncing the lack of money provided.

The hospital faces a continuing budget shortfall which
threatens to erode its reserve of capital money.

Latest plans there include limiting use of one of its two
operating rcoms and cutting the number of beds from 39 to
32. Hospital officials are also working to have no more than
25 of those beds occupied at any time.

“I know very well we've done this before,” councillor Val

record,

He predicted further deterioration of hospital services is
guaranteed if nothing is done soon.

Councillor David Hull said dipping into the hospital’s
accumulated surplus to come up with money for the annual
deficit - which this year hit $333,000 — is not a sustainable
practice, adding the money will run out in a little over a year.

He suggested the hospital board has not done enough to
fight for more money from Victoria.

Hull noted Milis Memorial has declined from a 100-bed
hospital 10 years ago to essentlally 25 beds today. “It’s cra-
zy,” he said, “The ministry seems to have no plan.”

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Phone survey underway

A TELEPHONE survey of local people will be underway

: the city needs.

Commission’s fact-finding mission.

The second of two public meetings on the subject attracted
only four people — two each from Terrace Minor Hockey and
‘|. Terrace Minor Softball.

: City parks and recreation superintendent Steve Scott said
r the groups stressed the need for more and better quality soit-
‘fT bali fields, and a second sheet of ice, Both groups represent
if around 450 children.

‘t The commission is also analyzing about 400 survey forms
‘+ that were returned. Once the telephone survey is completed,

recreation options for the city by the end of June. on,

Garage burned

Terre

Walsh Ave was burned Monday night.

Fire chief Randy Smith says it appears the fire was started
by the garage door. No one was injured and the fire was con-
tained lo the garage, The garage was split by a divider, and
most of the damage was confined to one side of the garage.

Pilferred plants

A THIEF with a green thumb made off with nearly $1,000
in plants from the Uplands Nursery Sunday night.

Police say sometime during the night of June 8, someone
stole about 15 potted red and purple rhododendrons from the
nursery, Anyone with any information about this crime is
asked to call Terrace RCMP or Crimestoppets.

ee

able at the site,” Christensen says. “Hydrogen peroxide gives.

will continue until the city receives two or three floating:

from Dease Lake who were touring
throughout B.C., performing traditional

“The dancers were obviously dis-
traught, but they understood who they
were and that it was not an atlack on
them, but First Nations culture,” said
Rattery. The dancers held a circle talk
afterwards to deal with the incident.

As for the Kiti K'Shan students, parent
Oscar Dennis says the children were
aware the destruction wasn’t part of the
performance. Dennis had two children

On Saturday, city workers poured hydrogen peroxide into

meer

George said, adding council may be sounding like a broken '

+. soon to help determine what kind of recreational facilities

It's the next stage of the city’s Parks and Recreation

F the group will try to complete its report to city council on

A GARAGE behind row housing on the 4700 block of bs

added,

who watched the dancers and thinks the
special services assistant should be fired.

The teacher in question is under inves-
tigation this week, school officials said.
He has been removed from duty at the
school pending the results of the
investigation.

“We understand that the attack was not
from the school, not the school district or
staff but just from one guy,’ said Rattery
who commended the way-in which the
school dealt with the incident.

Pantein based a”

veotttog

Minister says
changes save
company $20m

$20 million.

About $10 million of the savings are the result of changes to
the way logs are appraised, according to Snetsinger. Those are
the same changes announced earlier that convinced West Fraser
Timber to restart ils northwest logging operations.

: Another $5 or $6 million is to come from adoption of much

, lobbied for changes to the stumpage system that will reduce the

stumpage paid i in pulp-heavy areas, and i increase the stumpage in
- areas rich in sawlogs,

‘And the remaining $4 or $5 million is‘expected to come from
more efficient operations due to amendments announced

~Manday to the Forest Practices Code.

Those saVings don’t take into account the province ’s earlier
action to let large amounts.of the company’s stumpage go
unpaid. More than $10 million in unpaid stumpage has been
deferred so far.

Snetsinger predicted Skeena Cellulose will need a combina-
tion of higher market pulp prices and cheaper operations, par-
ticularly at its Prince Rupert pulp mill, before it can get back on
its feet.

Skeena Cellulose woodlands general manager Dan Tuomi
called the announcements good news.

“Any stumpage changes will be felt immediately,” he said.
“But any changes to the code will take time because most of
them are in the planning stage or development stage. It takes
some time before you can see the benefit of it.”

How the changes will affect the cash-strapped company’s
plans — and in particular whether it’s enough to carry out a suc-
cessful restructuring — may become clearer this week.

~ Officials with the TD Bank, the Royal Bank and consultants
with Coopers and Lybrand are in Terrace today to meet with
workers, contractors, unions and community leaders.
The company has until October to put in place a plan, which is
expected to involve sacrifices from every group that does busi-
ness with Skeena Cellulose,
Stewart mayor Andy Burton is one of the people awaiting
word of the company’s plans.
“It’s grim here,” Burton said. “Nobody’s working. It’s very
bad,”
He said the road construction plan gives some hope thal there
Will at least be some work by the end of the summer. -

“We're hopeful. that It night get some. of our. guys t back to
wotk,” "he said, °°!
’ He mriaintains the province has been too o lenient with the com-
pany, and says the northem forest licences should be taken away

“becuse the firm won't fulfill its obligations lo log half of its

annual cut in those areas. .

“We're at the point now where it’s either use it or lose it,” he
said. “If they don’t want to use il, maybe if it was available
somebody else would take a crack al it.”

Tuomi said the company plans to resume shipments of wood
from Alaska this summer. Because the wood from the Kenai
peninsula js infested with spruce beetles, they won’t restart ship- -
ments until after mid-July, when the beetle fly perid is aver.

Tuotn! was hopeful the company’s halt to road building will
be only temporary.

He sald failure to put new roads in place s soon will begin to
cause logistical problema “in a month of two.”

“We're bumping along with our heads on the ceiling,” he

ed PEE Bey Cietes

All playing fields at
the Terrace/Thornhill
area schools will be

School District No. 82
(Coast Mountains)

fertiiized monthly.

This program will
run from May

through Oct. 1997.

Kermode Friendship
Society

is having their

ANNUAL GENERAL
MEETING

on
June 21, 1997 at 12:00 p.m.
at 3313 Kalum Street

All members new and old are welcome
fo attend. Business/Luncheon

Environmental Health Issues: Leaky Basements

A few weeks ago I
arrived home to find an
inch of water covering my
basement floor. No-one
told me about the old
stream that cut across
Scot! and Straume .and
continues to Flow under
my house during heavy
rainfall, Maybe [ could
start a nice salmon
hatchery.

Many of us suffer from
similarly damp (to say the
least) basements. Flowing
streams are far nicer run-
ning down mountains and,
it-turns out, less hazardous
to our family’s health. The
problem is toxic mold
growth and yes I did men-
tion it recently but this is
my column and | think
this warrants more
discussion.

In 1994 Palmonary
Hemorrhage among inf-
ants in Cleveland was
associated with these toxic
moulds in leaky or flooded

SHOPPERS @]@&>
DRUG MART

“NEW. SATURDAY. HOURS: OPEN TILL 9: 00 PM. STARTING: MAY 17/ 97
4635 Lakelse Ave.

basements. The potentially
life-threalening discase
where babies cough. up
blood, was linked to
recent flood or plumbing
problems which allowed

“Doug Qui ell.
CPHL, ReEH.O. ~ |
’ Environmantal Health
Officer for Cammunity
Health Services. -

the growth of
Stachybotrys mold.

A few common factors
were to blame in the 1994
illnesses. After the source
of the flooding has been
fixed, appropriate mold
cleanup is imperative.
Water damaged items such
as wet carpets should be
professionally cleaned and

dried, ar simply replaced.
A strong bleach solution
should be used to sanitize
contaminated surfaces.
Two ounces. of bleach to
one gallon of water should
do the trick. Open wind-
ows to increase air circula-
tion in the affected areas,
Throw out any exposed
foods except undamaged
cans bul remember to san-
itize their surfaces before
using them. — If the damp-
ness and mold get back
behind the wall you’re in
trouble. Slachybotrys
mold growth has. forced
some familics to leave
their hames behind. You
actually have to get behind
the wall, sanilize, allow it
to dry thoroughly, then
replace the wall facing,
As I quickly learned, the

best time to service your
sump pump, (or even to

check that it is plugged in)

is before the flood.

=

Phone: 635-7261

Note: Shoppers flyers delivered in the Terrace/Kitimat Weekend
Advertiser on Saturday have a sale start date of Wednesday.

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