Short rations

Wail art

Phew!

The province has cut grant money |
for a lunch program at local |
‘schools\NEWS PAGE AS

Murals are springing up all over
downtown and transforming dull
walls\COMMUNITY PAGE B1

The Northmen capped a late |
season surge with a title-clinching
| rugby victory\SPORTS C4

_ WEDNESDAY
JUNE 28, 1995

DESPITE reservations expressed by some direc-
lors, the Kitimat-Stikine regional district will con-
tinue the Skeena Valley Golf and Country club’s
tax exemption.

Addressing the board at last Saturday’s meeting,
president Jake DeJong conceded ihe club had en-
joyed another successful financial year in 94,

A financial statement accompanying the request
for exemption showed the ciub made a profit of
nearly $89,000,

And this year is already shaping up to be anoth-
cr banner scason. Despite opening two weeks
later than in 794, DeJong said green fee revenues
— paid by non-members — were running 20 per
cent ahead of last year’s pace,

However, he emphasized, “‘It (profit) all gets
ploughed right back irito the club.” Referring to

course, DeJong said increased. usage of the facil-
ily underlined the importance of that project. -
Responding to questions from New Hazelton
director Pete Weeber, district administrator Bob
Marcellin said the total amount of taxes the club
was asking to be forgiven was close to $13,000.
Bul, he added, just over half of that figure was
school district and provincial taxes so the lost
revenue for the regional district was only $5,800,
Suggesting the exemption was akin to fiving
the club a grant in that amount, Wecber said such

TLC IS THE KEY. it's a credit to the work done by its outside crew that golfers at the Skeena
Valley Golf club play on a course In excellent condition and one that lays clalm to having the
That's crew member Jerry Prosser giving the
fourth fairway a trim. In the background Is the new green for the par 3 hole which was opened
last Wednesday, The occasion was marked with closest to the pin events on both Men's and
Ladies nights which raised $300 to go toward the back nine construction project.

Golf club gets tax break

finest greens of any course in the northwest.

bulk of the tab, the cost to outside areas being

the club’s plans to expand to a full 18-hole-

a request would normally have been met with
“raised eyebrows’? by directors . from outlying
areas. The lost revenue, he pointed out, would
have to made up by increasing taxes for others,
However, Weeber’s opposition melted when
Marcellin produced a further breakdown which
showed Greater Terrace taxpayers picked up the

only $850 per year.

Although directors Jim Thom of Kitimat and
Fred Roisum of the Hazeltons electoral area
queried how Jong this form of subsidy would con-
tinue, the club was not short of supporters.

Alice Maitland from the Village of Hazelton
said local residents were not the only people to
benefit from the presence of the course, so did the
region by having an additional tourist attraction,

Lakelse’s Sandy Sandhals emphasized it was a
public, not a private course and its members pro-
vided volunteer labour each year worth thousands
of dollars,

And reminding directors of the district's experi-
ences with the Kitsumkalum ski hill and Kitimat
marina, Terrace’s Jack Talstra suggested if the
club had not constructed the course, the district
would by now be under considerable pressure to
do so, ‘'Then look where we'd be,"’ he added.

The board ultimately approved the exemption
without opposition,

Suite letter leaves

A CRAMER ST. homeowner

says the city has declared him
guilty of having an illegal suite
without proving {ts case,

Richard Colbome says a letter
received from the city last week
is insulting and degrading.

“Their attitude is you’re guilty
until you prove yourself innocent.
That's not the country we live
in,’” he said,

The letter, signed by city by-
law officer Frank Bowsher, tells
Colbome the cily has information
indicating his house may have be-
come a multipte-unit dwelling.

And if that’s the case, the letter
continues, additional living units

have to pay separate city utilities.’

"If we do not hear from you~“

within 30 days from the date of
this letier we will automatically
adjust the quarterly utility billing
ow’? the letter continues,

‘However, if our information is
incorrect and there ate no individ-
ual rental type suites in your
house, please contact us immedi-
ately to discuss this matter,’’ the
letter adds.

Colborne says he’s angry be-
cause there’s no indication. of
Where the city got its information.

“If this isn’t Big Brother, J
don’t know what is,”’ he said,

’ And Colbome says he doesn’t.

have an illegal suite,

“TL have five children. Do you.”
think I have room ‘for anybody:

else???

But city by-law officer Bowsher
says Colborne shouldn't take the

letter personally,

“Every six months we do
checks and send ont letters,
Through various sources we hear
things that lead us to believe there
may be a suite where there wasn’t

one before or one we knew
about,” he said, ,
Those sources include a

network Bowsher says is better
than the CIA,

*‘We can get phone calls from
people about their neighbours
saying they have a lot of cars out
front and a lot of garbage cans,'’

Said” Bowsher_of hints. a “house:

may contaia an illegal suite.”

He said suites'not on city books

| D 75¢ PLUS 5¢ GST
: VOL.8NO: 11.

City councillors
axe travel perk

TAXPAYERS will no longer pay
for city councillors to bring their
spouses with them when they
travel to conferences,

Councillors have decided to axe
Policy #58 — which govemed
travel by spouses.

If spouses do come along — at
their own expense — the city will
pay any additional room charge.

But councillors won’t be reim-
bursed for their spouses? travel or
food expenses.

Councillor Val George un-
Successfully argued against
paying even an extra room
charge,

“E think it’s a matter of princi-
ple,”’ he said, ‘“We simply should
not be paying anything for
Spouses.”

Gordon Hull and David Hull
were in favour of the measure at
last week’s finance committee
meeting. The recommendation
was to be adopted Monday night.

David Hull said ‘it’s important -

to have a sizable turnout at
gatherings such as the Union B.C.
Municipalities - ‘so ° “there ~ are”
enough Councillors to be at simul-
lancous workshops and meetings,
and to make a presentation in
numbers in mectings with key
cabinet ministers, -

“Two or three people a delega-
tion does not make,” he sald,
noting cabinet ministers view
smaller groups as less representa-

tive of a city’s wishes,

Mountain Vista

A DEVELOPER shouldn't
be allowed to turn achunk of land
on Mountain Vista earmarked as
parkland into more lots, say resi-
dents there,

Nearly 20 residents of the

" area showed up at a public hear-

ing Monday night and told city
councillors to turn down the pro-
posal by Rossco Ventures Ltd.

Milton Lindsay, of 5213
Mountain Vista, said he bought
his property, built his house with
lots of windows, and situated it
far back on the land all because
the subdivision plan called for a
park on the adjacent lot.

Ross Smith of. Rossco
Ventures wants the city to amend
the lund use contract Boverning
the development to remove the
park designation from that pro-
perty, because he has already met
the minimum requirement of 3.6
acres for parkland elsewhere in
the subdivision without including
that parcel,

don't pay their fair share of utill-
ties such as water and garbage,
“Those people who phone ask
us why those other people pay the
same utilities ag they do. In effect
thelr utilities are being subsidized
by the city and other taxpayers.’
Bowsher’s letters are at the

front of a city campaign coming

fo grips with the issue of illegal
suites,

For some years, clty council
hasn’t pressed the issue because
of a lack of rental accommoda-
tion _

But it recently passed a by-law
allowing. suites in all zones ex-

cept.-the single” residential : Ri.

David Hull
Councillors also agreed to limit
attendance at the annual conven-
tion of the North Coast Municipal
Association to two councillors.

_ After much debate they decided
not ‘to limit attendance at the
Union of B.C. Municipalities,
George had argued for a limitof
four there — the same number
proposed in the city’s recent: or-
ganizational review — ‘but the
committee’ agreed ‘the .UBCM
convention is an excellent chance
to learn about issues, politics an
government, 7
"It’s stuff you can’t learn if you
stay up here in the north and
aren’t exposed to what else is

But residents say the other
land destined to become park —

so far undeveloped — is some ©

distance off the street and unsafe
for children as a result.

“What green space do we

have. on Mountain’ Vista?”
Lindsay demanded. “Very little.”

_ $9,700,
Fisher

Val George

going on,’’ David: Hull said, ad-
ding it’s a. key. Opportunity to

"lobby officials. -

“I have reservations about how

‘much effect we really “have,”

George contended, _ ;
David Hull predicted no more

than five councillors would likel

be,. able to attend most years
anyway. ae

‘The city budgeted this year for
five councillors and five spouses
at UBCM at a total cost of

Deputy administrator Denise
said eliminating the
spousal ‘subsidy - should save

about $2,500 in air fare,

park defended -

“The residents in this area
haven't been getting ‘a fair deal,”
added Dighton Haynes. °°

__ Other residents dernanded all
designated parkland remain $6,‘

City councillors referred the -
matter to its planting committee
meeting next Thursday at noon.

ONLY ONE week into the
repair work on the Dudley
Little Bridges and already the
horror stories are legion,

Drivers trapped in line ups
under a blazing sun for up to
an hour.

A softball game cancelled
because players couldn't get
into town in tinic for the game.

Rush hour traffic jams
Spreading out like the tentacles
of an octopus to envelope the

A bridge too far

downtown core. :
The Terrace Standard wants
to hear’ these - stories, What
changes you’ve made to: your
routine to escape. And how
you pass the time when you're
Stuck in those line ups...
Drop a letter off at our office
at 4647 Lazelle Ave. or send a
fax to 638-8432°— maximum
150 words, tes
_ We'll publish the best in a
future issue, TE

law. Suites are allowed in all
other zones except for R1,’” said
city building inspector Paul
Gipps.

" He added that safety issues such
as ensuring renters have proper
access to the outside in case of
emergencies can no longer be ig-

nored, oo
What the city doesn’t want to

do is force people. from their
lodgings if illegal suites and

a sour taste

suites that don’t conform to

regulations are found in existing
homes, . | _ oo
Instead; when these. suites are
found, the city is-asking owners
to sign fornis indicating the suites
have : existed :

for, a niimber of

7 Zotte. oe ite dal ——— pein
- “We're going to follow the by Ghone acid Richard Colborne
{ _— enti. ne  . ee