The future? Ottawa moves to re- examine its moratorium on offshore oil. exploration\NEWS A12 Survivors A group of local sledders escape what could have been a tragic avalanche\SPORTS B4 a The right stuff . ga Caledonia’s team _ AM vapourizes the com-. @ petition at recent physics # contest\COMMUNITY B1 $1.00 plus 7¢ GST ($1.10 plus 8¢ GST outside of the Terrace area) fac | TERRACE | , April 2, 2003 Fear, praise greets forest reforms By JEFF NAGEL NEW forest rules are either a massive sell-out of the public interest or just the medicine a desperately ill system needs — depending on who’s talking. Former logger and Thornhill regio- nal director Les Watmough said it spells disaster, giving New Skeena boss Dan Veniez free rein to sell all the logs he cuts in the northwest with- out ever milling them. “He doesn’t have to run anything - nothing,” Watmough said. “If he’s not going to run mills he should lose the timber but that's not going to hap- pen because the new rules say he can do it.” a Veniez could opt lo never reapen the Terrace sawmill, Watmough added, making money by selling standing timber and by selling off parts of his forest licences. New Skeena’s CEO agrees. “All of that is true,” Veniez says. “But why would I do that when I have a magnificent asset like the Terrace sawmill sitting there in the middle of that fibre basket?” Logs could be shipped to Vancou- ver, but he says transport costs would make them the most costly logs in B.C. “It doesn’t make any sense.” Inefficient mills elsewhere may close, Veniez said, but added Terrace stands to gain, repeating plans to run the sawmili here around the clock. He called the reforms good news even though major licensees lose 20 per cent of their timber - in New Skeena’s case 337,612 cubic metres. “People have to see this cup as half full and work with it,” Veniez said. “This is the right thing to do for the right reasons.” He and Skeena MLA Roger Harris say it will mean more timber for abori- final groups and others. Harris said the timber will give na- tives the ability to establish forest ventures and build expertise as they ml Summary of reforms, A12 move toward final treaties. But Unity B.C. leader Chris Dela- ney said ‘Victoria’s plan to hand timber lo natives is at adds with its policy of no longer linking timber to specific areas or mills. “They are giving timber to native communities on the basis that those communities should have access and control over the resources closest to them, but they are doing the opposite for non-native communities,” he said. “Why the double standard?” Delaney called the new rules a payback to big industry- players that donated heavily to the Liberals in the 2001 election. NDP leader Joy MacPhail also calls the plan a sell-out. “The Liberal government is tearing apart the social contract upon which this province was built with little thought 10 the economic consequences for interior and coastal communities,” MacPhail said. “Workers want to know thal if a iree is harvested where they live, the’ economic benefit will go to their com- munity, The Liberals are telling them that the benefit will leave town.” Critics argue relaxation of cut con- trol rules will mean companies can log huge amounts of timber when prices are high and shut down — possibly for years at a time -— when they’re low. While companies see increased flexibility and reduced costs that way, others fear it will magnify the boom- bust economy in resource towns, But Harris said any timber licen- sees fail] to cut will be taken back and made available to other users, he said, adding that will give natives and other users chances at more wood, Watmough also takes issue with the $200 million fund set up to compen- sate companies for the clawback of 20 per cent of the timber. “That’s our timber," Watmough said, attacking the plan. “We're going to buy it back? Bizarre.” Big box |chasing | final okay | By JEFF NAGEL channel growing to carry be i na Airborne SNOWBOARDERS and skiers battled it out at Shames Mountain March 23 during the sixth annual Ruins Cup. The boardercross and skiercross events drew dozens of athletes. For details see page B4. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO Student progress here probed By JENNIFER LANG IS THE Coast Mountains School District keeping its promise to im- prove student achievement? A review team sent by the edu- cation ministry will take at closer look at the district next week, Officials were expected to ar- rive here April 6 for a three-day stay, district superintendent ‘Randy Smallbrugge said. The review team wil! be look- ing at the objectives outlined in the district’s accountability con- tract to assess how well those geals are being met. The ministry is reviewing 20 districts each year for the next four years. The aim is to provide school districts with feedback and recommendations. The review team will look at student test scores and marks, as well as the district’s accountabil- ity contract, The district pledged to improve reading and numeracy skills for students in Grades | to 10 by five per cent across by 2005 — using the Foundation Skills Assessment, the ministry's annual snapshot of basic skills. The district has also promised to improve how well high school students perform on provincial exams, with a special emphasis on boosting First Nations student graduation and retention rates in the district. Another goal is improving stu- dent social responsibility in school and in the community. Individual schoo! plans on how student achievement will be im- proved will also be assessed. The review team is selected by the ministry and includes a super- intendent from another district, a parent, a ministry staff person and some teachers. The team will visit some local schools, including distance edu- calion and alternate programs. The team’s report that will ap- pear at the ministry’s website at www. deed. gov. be.ca/review. DEVELOPERS of an ex- pected Wal-Mart are now armed with a new study that backs their claim that there’s no serious threat of riverbank erosion. City planner David Tra- win said First Pro Shop- ‘ping Centres paid for the study that shows erosion to be almost non-existant. That will be the crux of their argument that the ‘province should relax the current 60-metre setback on building near the river. Trawin said the study shows “very insignificant” erosion on that stretch of river in the past century. That contradicts earlier city estimates thal the tiver bank might be falling into the river at a rate of up to six inches per year. Neighbours have de- nounced the city. plan to trade park land next to the animal shelter for a river- side trail they say will gra- dually wash away. The study was based on survey records of the top of the riverbank taken in 1911, Trawin said. Those were platted and compared to the current riverbank. ’ He said it shows erosion has been minimal despite floods in 1938 and 1946, It also suggests there’s little danger of the slow- moving western river more water volume.’ That's because bedrock toes of Terrace Mountain jut into. the river just up- stream of Ferry Istand, di- yerting the mainstem river into the east channel. While that’s good news” for First Pro, the developer has hit other difficulties. It now faces complica- tions from old underground fuel tanks buried beneath the animal shelter fand. Trawin said there have been some suggestions that old tanks there are in fact bunkers that housed anti-aircraft guns during the Second World War. “There may be muni- tions in the area, which means they have to bring a special machine up to look for that, which is another $20,000." He said there’s also testing happening on the site to determine if soil contamination from a for- mer Petro Canada fuel bulk plant north of the highway may have ,spread to the area. , Representatives of the developer are in town this - week to meet with neigh- bours and others. © Trawin said they're ex- pected to present a new site plan that will pull the store a bit further north away from homes. Child health drive now underway THE PROVINCIAL government is put- ting $300,000 into an effort 10 improve services to young children in Terrace. It wants to bring together all the various agencies that provide such ser- vices, have them work together better and build out from there by involving as much of the community as possible, explains Linda Reid, the provincial minister of state for early childhood education. The plan is based on a growing bank of studies indicating that the early years of a child are crucial for success later on. Terrace is one of 15 communities where the Children First Learning In- itiative, as it is formally called by the: province, is either already underway. or. will start this year. Just as important as support for children is ensuring families are ready prior to conception of a child and have assistance during pregnancy, said Reid. “If every child in this province was born at full term and at full birth weight, the rate of learning disabilities would be reduced by 40 per cent,” she said during o brief northwestern tour last week. “That would be a huge win for the province but’a niuch bigger win. for the children,” Reid continued of the plan ‘to have children attain all that they need when they enter school. _. Healthier children can. also be ex- plained in economic terms,‘the mini- ister: said. ; _ -.-. "I've spoken about this — and so has the premier — to have a stronger pro- vince you have to have stronger fami- lies,"" Reid added. Getting to that level is going to re- quire more co-ordination among the Bi Some of the money has already been spent, A2 m- Victoria wants others to chip in as well, A2 agencies. that already provide early childhood development programs and services, But Reid says the need for more to- getherness doés not necessarily .mean metging of smaller agencies into-one large one, said Reid. eee! But there’s nothing wrong in having agencies band together to share office space and administrative services, she added. “All ] want to do is have them talk amongst each other a bit more,” said Reid. She described money available for programs as a “carrot” to persuade apencies to co-operate more. Not alt of the money will go direct- ly to programs. | , Money has already been spent bir- ing a Victoria consulting firm to bring local agencies and groups together. Yet: Reid: said the idea is not. to have: an outside group impose its vi- sion on the community. - “Having something brought in from the outside. won't work. It’s got to” come from the community,” she said. Also part of the overall effort to im- prove services was a questionnaire on each kindergarten student that was filled out by their teachers.in February. it asked questions about physical health as well as emotional and social maturity among other items. This information will then be used to help determine any deficiencies in services for young children and what should what should be.done to improve services. The same questionnaire, called the Early Development Instrument, was filled out by all schoo! districts across the province. The information will be combined with maps of local services such as libraries and parks to further pinpoint areas for improvement.