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WEDNESDAY
JUNE 18,1997.

936 PLUS 7¢ GST .

STANDARD

Shutdowns loom for Skeena Ce

Banks will close mills

without concessions

By JEFF NAGEL
GOVERNMENT and union leaders show
no signs of giving in to bank demands for
massive concessions to keep Skeena Cel-
lulose operating.

The Toronto Dominion and Royal banks,
which now own the company, say it will
run out of moncy around June 27 and close
all operations unless two key demands are
met:

@ Unions must agree to cut nearly 250
jobs or one-third of the workforce at the
company’s Prince Rupert pulp mill and
agree to other labour changes, like more

contracting out of services.

W@ And the provincial government must
step in with millions of dollars to help pay
for a portion of a $278-million, three-year
capital expenditure program that would
modernize the pulp mill and ensure there’s
money to build jogging roads.

The request for money from the province
is believed to be as high as $130 million,
close to half of the total package.

Employment aud investment . minister
Dan Miller wouldn’t confirm that figure,
but said it’s ‘‘not way out of whack.”

Miller told the Standard the province will
consider extending a large loan to the banks
— backed by some form of security — but
said a straight bailout is not being consider-

ed.

‘*We do not work to deadlines,’ he said.
‘Just as the banks have certain standards
for extending Ioans, we do as well.”’

‘We don’t want a gun to our head,”’
added forests minister Dave Zimhelt who
was in town Saturday. ‘‘We’re not going to
rush in and be a saviour at the public’s ex-
pense,’’

Kal Sandhu, president of the Prince

‘Rupert local of the Pulp, Paper and Wood-

workers of Canada (PPWC) all but rejected
the job cut plan outright fast week,

“The banks are here to extract the money
they’re owed,”’ Sandhu said. ‘‘It’s disgust-

ing.”

“They’re holding northwestern B.C.
hostage,”’

The union, which went on strike for 110
days in 1995, is known as one of the most
militant in Canada.

David Bowra, ihe court-appointed
monitor with Coopers and Lybrand, said
the company’s survival also depends on the
province carrying through on its commit-
ments to cut stumpage and Forest Practices
Cade costs.

Measures announced last week are ex-
pected to yield savings of $20 million a
vear for Skeena Cellulose.

Continued Page A14

Terrace’s Chad Wilson leads his
NY college hockey team in goals

VOL. 10 NQ..10

Dan Miller

Terrace
air has
urban
pollution

LOCAL AIR monitoring
has shown Terrace air to
contain trace amounts of
heavy metals —- something
usually only associatéd with
larger cilies.

Dong Johnson, air quality

‘ meteorologist with the en-

vironment ministry — in
Smithers, has found levels
of barium, copper,
manganese and zinc in Ter-
race’s air that exceed
provincial screening criteria.

Johnson says the data con-
firms his belief that Terrace
is beginning to have the
problems of other ‘urban’?
settings.

According to Johnson, the
heavy metal pollution can
come from a number of
sources —— including indus-
try and automobile exhaust.

So while communities in
the northwest may have
fewer than 20,000 people,
they still have the problems
of urban air pollution.

Johnson cautioned that the
ministry’s screening criteria
aren't air quality objectives,
they are just the first stan-
dard for determining
whether the ministry should
give further attention to an
issuc.

There have been scientific
studies, however, that point
lo metals pollution interfer-
ing with the human body’s

basic functions — as do
things like dioxins and
furans.

Ironically the sampler in
Terrace, atop the govert-
ment agent’s office, is a
control testing site for an air
testing program based in
Kitimat.

That program aims to find
out whether or not Alcan’s
aluminum smelter is putting
significant amounts of met-
als into the atmosphere.

Several air = quality
measuring stations ~—in
Kitimat, located at varying
distauces from the smelter,
take regular air samples
there.

Johnson noted he has been
finding metals in samples
from all stations and not in
any pattern that points to
Alcan or other industry as
the sole source.

Testing was conducted
from last November to May
and Johnson will have to
look at the remaining six
months worh of.-results to

figure out the magnitude of .

metals pollution in Kitimat
and Terrace.

Bi Air time

ROB MOSES, Terrace's premiere skateboarder gets some serious air at a boarding demonstration outside
Thornhill Junior Secondary last week. City workers dragged the ha!fpipe clear across town for the
demonstration. However, much to their dismay, skateboarding students weren't allowed to try the pipe.

opinions.

the waters.

decade ago.

New rules hi

Recipients bracing

for smaller cheques |

By CRIS LEYKAUF
COMPLICATIONS from diabetes have
prevented Elvin Purdy from working for
the last three years,

Now 58 years old and supporting a wife
who suffers from manic depression, Purdy
is worried he might lose $142 off his wel-
fare cheque.

Until now Purdy was classified by B.C.’s
human resources ministry as unemployable.

But the province has changed its defini-
tion of what it means to be unemployable.
Changes come into effect on June 30 and
will mean a smaller cheque for some
people.

Terrace poverty advocates say the
changes will probably affect about 150-175

‘people in the Terrace area. About 100 of

those people could lose money off their

ae da

Purdy Friesen

cheques.

Ministry spokesperson Karen Johnston
says she doesn’t know how many people
will have their cheques reduced...

Purdy currently receives $953 to support
himself. and his wife. A single person

would have his or her cheque reduced from
$596 to $500, the basic welfare rate.

The ministry has created three new cate-
gories to replace the old unemployable one.

The category which most unemplayables
will apply to be part of is the new special
necds category.

It’s for people aged 19-64 who have a
medical condition which stops them from
working for at least one year and who need
help with daily living tasks. These people
will continue to get the basic extra $96 a
month, or more if they’re supporting other
people.

Another category is disability bencfils,
for people with more severe disabilities and
high costs. They’ll get more money than
people in the special needs category.

The last new category is employable, but
temporarily excused. This is for people who
have illnessed for under a year, are leaving
an abusive relationship, or are {n mental

s

ee wie ee dee sar dak“ cded ? hl mens) ees ~ cee etl “antares sees comet _ meio wali ile oti “maim aaiiimee | gle “pita.

City set to kill —
shopping idea

Council won't go to referendum

THE BUSINESS community's drive to allow stores to open
on statutory holidays in the summer was stopped dead in its
tracks Monday night.

City councillors decided to not even take the issue to refer-
endum and “let the people decide” - as Chamber of
Commerce president Skip Bates had urged.

The final vote on the matter doesn’t come until next
Monday, but all indications are it will be unanimous, ....

Chunciliors David Hull, Ron Vanderlee, Linda Hawes, and

Rich McDaniel all spoke against the idea. And councillors
Yal George and Tim Down had earlier expressed similar

“1 don’t think there’s the demand or the will,” Hull said,
adding the argument Terrace will lose business to Kitimat and
Prince Rupert is weak.

He aiso said a referendum is meant to be an affirmation of a
decision taken by council ~ not a public opinion poll to test

“We also have to think of our families,” added Vanderlee.

Their decision came after hearing delegations from workers
who feared losing more lime with their families.

Bates and other chamber officials argued that passing &
bylaw that permitted stat holiday shopping wouldn’t force
stores to open, but would merely give them the choice.

“We're asking for choice,” said Sharon Taylor, “that's all
we're suggesting.” '

Bates said two surveys of both Chamber members and
downtown businesses indicated strong support for the idea.

And he said it would cost the city nothing to add a question
about holiday shopping when the issue of Terrace-Thomhill
amalgamation goes to referendum in October.

“Let the people decide,” said Bates. “It's not going to hurt
to take it to referendum.”

But protesters in council chambers said businesses — not
employees — would make the chaice about whether to open.

“It’s not our choice,” said Lauric Kasperski.

Another protester predicted the Chamber wouldn’t stop at
the four holidays now being sought — Victoria Day, Canada
Day, B.C. Day and Labour Day —but would ultimately go aft-
er the remaining holidays.

Mayor Talstra recalled the Sunday shopping debate of a

He said two votes al that time came back with residents
opposed to Sunday shopping by a two-lo-one margin, but
store owners ultimately opened anyway after the Lord’s Day
Act was struck down in the courts.

“The storekeepers didn’t honour the opinion of the people —
ihey opened anyway,” Talstra said, suggesting there’s little
evidence businesses would respect a new referendum on sta-
tutory shopping.

“It is divisive to go through and those that choose not to
abide by it won't abide by it anyway.”

t ‘unemployables’ |

health or in alcohol and drug treatment,
These people don’t have to look for work,
but they don’t get any extra money on their
welfare cheques.

The ministry exempted two types of
people from its changes, says Johnston —
single parents and people aged 60-64.

Purdy worked as a taxi driver in Terrace
for 20 years. He quit about three years ago
because of siress and left to work as a taxi
driver in Kitimat.

The job was lined up, then Purdy was told
he wasn’t wanted since he was over 50,

Purdy suffers from pain in his neck and
hip and can barely walk on his right hip.

“I can’t sleep well at night,” he said.

His wife suffers from crippling arthritis
ard manic depression.

He hasn’t worked in three years.

“ps bard. 1 don’t have an education,’’ he
said. When asked about upgrading he said,

Continued Page A13