A10- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 13, 1994 Rodent- carried disease hits three in B.C. A WILLIAMS LAKE woman has been infected with Hantavirus pulmonary disease spread from rodents to: humans. ; “She was a very. sick. person but she is-doing: much: belter now,”” said Dr. David Bower- ing, medical health officer. at ihe Skeena Health Unit.” The woman worked in close. scientific: research, “said Dr Bowering, . urine, he explained, "putting or live in homes infested with rodents at highest tisk. 5 “The tisk to ordinary people camping and using: the. woods is low,’’ he explained. : Although il is passed from rodents to humans, the disease cannot be passed from human- to-human. -- The first case was diagnosed in 1993 in the southwestern United States. Since then 75. other. cases have been reported. There have only been three Canadian cases reporicd, all from British Columbia. One of those three died. “We don’t think it’s a new disease - it’s just newly identi- fied,” said Dr, Bowering, “* As people start looking For it, we start seeing it more.’’ Because it’s not new, he added, people are no more at risk of catching the virus this year than last year: , Symptoms of the virus are similar to (he Hu-al first but progress to extreme shortness of breath quickly. While some - experimental anliviral medication are being used, the primary treatment is to clear the lungs: of fluid and kecp ihe, » person breathing “The biggest concem is al- ways to support respiration to make sure they get cnough oxygen,’ Dr. Bowering said, Because _ 60 per cent of people with virus dis, he added, diagnosing the discase as soon as possible is very im- portant, syndrome, or Navajo flu, a-rarc” contact with rodents doing |: Infected rodents: exorete the virus in their ‘droppings and ‘| people who work near rodents - normally. : ak ads August 15, FOREST PRACTICES CODE Changing the way we manage our forests T he Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act was introduced in the BG Legislature on May 16, 1994. It will make better forest practices the kw - hacked up by tough enforcement and heavy penalties. The Code will come into effect this fall. Dratt revulations and. proposed forest management — standards are now available for public review until for information on the Forest Practices Colle please cull: 1-800-866-7717 (in metro Vancouver call 775-0583) KEMANO COMPLETION PROJECT Review foes battle for public opinion THE SHOWCASE hearings into Alcan’s Kemano Completion Project have moved back north to Prince George. ‘But both company officials and project opponents tried to. put their own spin on the evidence .: thal -has been heard so far at the hearings in Vancouver. - “Alcan Started the action by stag: ing a June 28 press conference, which the Rivers Defence Coali- » tion matched: with one of their OW The following Monday —~ on “the final. day -of ‘the fisheries “phase of the review — the United Fishermen : and - Allied’ Workers Union announced i} was pulling outok the review. --UFAWU environmental direc- tor Mac. Burrows said the move comes because the review is restricted to social and economic .. Impacts in the north. ‘*Salmon runs-off the U.S. coast have. been decimated beacause of . dams ‘and: the same thing will happen here ‘if we allow this mas- sive hydroelectric project on the ‘Nechako River,’’ Burrows said. ‘The .Nechako is the largest tributary of ihe Fraser River. About 20 per cent of Fraser River salmon originate in the Nechako system,”’ save VIA study eyed UNITED we stand, or at least sland a better chance of saving VIA Rail’s passenger service in the northwest. That, says Smithers council, was the feeling of those present at the April North Central Municipal Association confer- ence, And it suggests the time has come for municipalities along the Skecna run.to come up with some bucks to fight for retention of the service. The Smithers cost share for- mula would have Terrace, as one the’ larger” municipalities, oaying $2,500 towards a total ~- $23,500 budget. That money would be used to " hire a consultant to put together a paper arguing the need for pas- senger service in the region. While volunteering to co- ordinate the effart, Smithers said it was willing to let another take over. British Columbia's > First “I think it’s nothing mare than 11th hour — grandstanding,’’ responded Alcan vice-president Bill Rich. '*Coastal communities are not affected by KCP — peri- od,’’ “‘T have no respect for people who, becarse they might not get their way, pick up their toys and go home,’” he added, UFAWU followed up by laun- ching a lawsuit aimed at stopping KCP because Alcan didn’t apply for an energy certificate _ for Kemano under the Utilities Com- mission Act. Rich contends that Alcan got approval for ali of its Kemano plans in the 1950s before con- struction on the first project be- gan. Under the original agreement, Alcan has the right to enough water from the Nechako to power whatever generators it has In place by the end of the century. Rivers Defence Coalition lead- ers pointed to the evidence of the environment ministry's Patrick Slancy and other fisherics biologists who said they doubt the water left in the Nechako will be enough to support chinook sal- mon, steelhead and other sport- fish. Rich points to evidence of fed- eral fisheries bosses who defend- ed the decision to sign an agree- ment in 1987 that established how much of the Nechako Alcan can divert to Kemano. “Some scientists want to see the Nechako returned to historic pre-Kemano water and fish levels,’’? Rich said. ‘“That was never in the cards. The goal is to midintain the existing productivity of the fiver.” The $1.4 billion hydroelectric project will drill a second tunnel through Mt, Dubose enabling Al- can to divert nearly half of the present flow of the upper Nechako River to a second set of generators at Kemano. The project has sat half-built since the company halted con- struction in 1991 in response fo a series of court challenges by en- vironmental groups. Alcan says construction won’t Tesume until the BCUC review and any other uncertainties about the project are resolved. - Premier Mike Harcourt an- nounced the review to fulfill an election promise after the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear environmental groups’ ap- peal challenging Alcan’s right to proceed, - The review is aimed at finding ways to reduce the fisheries im- pacts of KCP and to improve the project. Victoria has indicated it cannot scrap the project, because Alcan would be entitled to hundreds of millions of dollars in compensa- tion. ce Gay UPHOLSTERY CLEANING We will gently extract ground-in soil to help freshen your upholstered furniture and keep it looking its best! 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HAIR GALLERY 4711 D Keith Ave., Terrace __., - 689-3729. 01994 Sebastian htemational Inc. All nyrts reserved.-3 2008 51926 Bc 21 deadlines indicated. Opening Doors to Affordable Housing Homes BC ~The Ministry of Housing is launching HOMES BC to ensure that housing. options are available for lower-income people i in communities throughour ; British C olumbia, Non- -profit societies are invited to submit their Expressions of Interest proposals by the Homniss/At Risk HOusiNG _ Helps non-profit sponsors build self-contained - second-stage and permanent housing, It supports: housi ng for wamen and children leavi ng transi tion houses, people with mental illness or alcohol and drug “dependencies, inner erty youth, and young, single” mothers. Deadline: September 12/94. Non-PROLIT Housine Assists non-profit sponsors te build housing x for low and moderate-income renters. 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