= ee NA re Ce me alah aN ete RE e ea z —e =— = ot This. week — Jovial gets out on the ground » Part Il In last week’s Foresiry Insights, Milton Jovial got his first look at a logging operation — his own. He also got a look at a few problems when his forester Herby Squish discovered that the contractors were not following his operational instructions and maps. "Nobody follows those maps," Skidmore and Nicholl said in unison. "My dad knows how to log," Archie junior said defensively. *He’s been doing it for years and he told me, “Junior, take the shortest route, and if there’s some- thing in the way drop the blade. Time is money and it takes far to much time and fuel to follow a foresters map.’ "And he told me, ’Foresters don’t ‘care about production. What do they know about the real world of logging anyway?" That's what he told me.” "Shut up junior!" commanded Skidmore senior. “But...” *I said shut up!" a Squish ignored junior’s recital of his father’s insulting remarks. To Skidmore and Nicholl, he said, "They follow the plan here, Any- body working for Milton Jovial follows the plan." "No way. Nobody follows those silly maps anywhere," Skidmore repeated. "We're here to cut the trees down. To make money for Mr. Jovial here. If we followed your plan it would take twice as long and eat up good portion of my profit." Squish ignored him. "Milton. You should shut this operation down... Immediately. As soon as Skidmore repairs the damage he’s done, he can go back to work." "Shut down for what! What damage are you talking about?” Skidmore was beginning to scream again. "You quack, You're the one that should be shut down. Follow your plan and I'd be bankrupt. If I knew I was going to have to fol- low your silly little map Mr. Jovial would be ‘paying me a lot more money." Jovial swallowed hard. He hated such negative phrases that used the word money. "There’s a copy of the PHSP attached to your contract," Squish pointed out. "Doesn't say I have to use it, though,” Skidmore fired back in a childish voice. "Milton," Squish said calmly. The Way I See It... by Stephanie Wiebe Each year, the residents of Ter- race, Kitimat and Prince Rupert: enthusiastically compete in a tri- city Fitness Challenge. The idea is to see which city can recruit the highest percentage of its — citizens to engage in 15 minutes of physical activity. This year’s Fitness Challenge is next Wed- nesday, May 29. Last year, Prince Rupert came in first, with fifty cight percent of the population actively involved. Terrace achieved second place (38 percent) and Kitimat took third (30.5 percent). This has traditionally been a friendly com- petition — until now. This year, the residents of Terrace will get down to serious business and claim their rightful position at the top of the list. It’s a matter of pride. I’ve got our plan of attack all mapped out. With my simple seven-point outline, victory is outs, First off, as in any athletic com- petition nowadays, there’s always the question of steroid use. How can we be assured that Prince Rupert residents are not taking steroids to boost their Fitness Challenge performance? ‘You a Pifer — Continued from page A6 follow the Socred leadership stakes is Mike Harcourt in his red silks. At this stage, it looks like a foolish waste of money to bet against him and his NDP stables to take the crown. Annnnd they’re off!! guessed it — urine samples. We want urine samples from cach registered athlete in this north- — western port. Vials will be dis- tributed at all major access points — city politicians could handle this. Second, being the landing point of ferries, Rupert does have the sneaky advantage of possibly im- porting athletes from all over the world. This year, we want docu- mented proof of residency. Sim- ply attaching a Prince Rupert Library card to each urine sample vial will be sufficient proof. It’s not that we don’t trust them, we just want to make sure all the bases are covered. Third, the altitude differences must be determined and adjust- ments made in compensation. Prince Rupertarians and Kiti- matites, living just above sea level, naturally breathe more oxygen, thereby increasing their athletic ability. It’s much more difficult to be active for 15 min- utes at 217 metres above sea level in the thin-aired high aiti- tudes of Terrace. We should have a three-minute handicap on the 15 minute rule for that. And about that 15 minute time measurement. Being slightly north of the other two cities, there may be a teeny-weeny, almost undetectable time differ- ence. Oh, we don’t notice it, but it could make a big difference in a "borderline" athlete. Fifteen minutes is definitely longer here than it is there. Another minute off the total time will compen- sate. Now, with a higher population, Rupert enjoys another major ad- vantage over its competitors. It’s a known fact that people are easily caught up in any move- ment where. many others are involved. This is evident in the excited spectators of large sport- ing events in major centres. The audience gets caught up in a "wave", pulled in by the actions of the huge crowd. Ever try doing a wave with five people? It doesn’t work. Similar conditions exists during Fitness Challenges in small towns — the larger populations have the advantage of numbers, which attract more participants. Three minutes off the total will compensate for this — four for Kitimat. Having won last year, the city of Prince Rupert has already adopted a positive, winning atti- tude, an element which is statisti- cally proven to effect overall performance. Prince Rupert is a city of hills. Therefore, by simply walking to get their mail, Rupertarians are unconsciously training for the Fitness Challenge in daily life throughout the year. It’s not so easy for the rest of us. We flat- valley people are much more sus- ceptible to shin splints. Not to mention the difficulties of winter — it’s more pleasant to walk in the rain than in the snow, and you can’t do aerobics in a parka. We'll take another three minutes off for that. Now we’re down to two min- utes of activity, If, on Wednes- day, May 29th, every Terrace resident sets down the television remote control and walks over to the refrigerator, we've won. Kiti- mat comes in second. Remember, you read it here first. i can hardly wait 'til next year. Terrace Review — Wednesday, May 22, 1991 Al "Look at that hillside. It’s a mess. Right?" "Dunno," said Jovial. "Well take my word for it. It is,” Squish said. “Look at it. Skidmore began harvesting too soon. The soil is still wet and soft because of the rain and melting snow. And Archie junior here, in his ignor- ance, has been four-wheeling any old place he feels like. There are ruts and grooves going every which way. "You're only allowed to use seven percent of the area for skid trails, and these guys have used about 15 percent of the six to eight hectares they’ve logged so far. There is far more site disturbance than your approved PHSP allows. The are has to be rehabilitated. "And Archie senior here is right. It’s not written into his contract. He’s not legally bound to follow the plan. You can thank 'Plug’ Nicholl over there for that." "Plug?" Nicholl frowned. "That's about what your con- tract’s worth to your boss," Squish said firmly. "A plug nickel." Jovial laughed. But not for long. Without a pause, Squish dropped the bomb: "He's the one that’s going to end up paying the cost of rehabilitating this site.” "I am?" Jovial gasped. Nicholl cringed. "It'll cost you about $2,000 per hectare," Squish informed Jovial. "And if you don’t clean it up, the Ministry of Forests can either shut you down or levy a fine. You're lucky we caught these guys when we did, It would have cost you a lot more if this had continued." Jovial levelled a dagger-like stare at Nicholl and then the two Skid- mores. "It will be in the next con- tract Herby," he said in an even voice. "Nicholl... ’Plug’, is going to sit down with Skidmore and explain to him exactly what a PHSP is, and why it should be followed. And you and I will sit in and listen, just to make sure that everyone's got it right.” The Terrace Review is a member of CNA ‘ Canadian Community Newspapers Association Unique to Terrace, B.C. delivering the local story. "Yes sir," said Nicholl obedient- ly. "And when you're finished,” Jovial continued, “You're going to visit Hightower and Fairlead and do the same thing.” "Yes sir. Uh... About the name *Plug’..." "I kind of like it Plug," Jovial said decidedly as he rubbed an aching right shoulder. “It fits.” "Yes sir.” Then it was Skidmore’s tur. "This time, I pay," Jovial told him. "Next time, you’ll fix it yourself... Or you'll hit the road. I'll get someone else to do the job. Con- tract or no contract, you're not allowed to break the law. And the way Herby has explained things, that’s exactly what I think you've done." Skidmore didn’t say a word. He glowered at Nicholl and pawed at the dirt with his right foot. In the ~ long run, this whole incident was going to cost Skidmore some money. =~ "Well. I think we got this thing nicely sorted out,” Jovial said, in effect ending their impromptu discussion on harvesting practices. Then, turning his back on Nicholl and the others, "Herby. Give me a ride over to High Tower’s oper- ation... It’s on your way back to Terrace and we can talk on the way, Nicholl. You follow us." As Jovial and Squish headed toward Herby’s truck, Nicholl could overhear a bit of their con- versation. “Ever ride with that guy?” Jovial asked. "He’s insane. Potholes bigger than any in down- town Terrace and he can’t even steer around them." "That’s another thing," said Squish. "That road. You're going to have to have to talk to Rocky about it. I don’t think Skidmore’s the only one that’s been cutting costs." *Rocky Rhodes," mused Jovial. "Another guy recommended by Plug Nicholl. What’s the matter with the road... Other than the obvious?" "It’s not ballasied properly," Herby explained. "In other words, the heavy rock that’s supposed to be below the surface, under the gravel, is either inadequate or missing all together. It’s going to have to be improved soon or you’re going to have problems with Wheeler. I don’t expect it will be long before he refuses to haul from this site and you'd better hope that the other roads Rhodes built were done right.” "This is not turning out to be a very good day," Jovial muttered. "Let’s head for High Tower’s operation and pray he's doing something right." wom. OE oe a te ee res mas