Still unsolved

Damon comes home

continues to elude the

The murderer of Linda LeFranc -

Downhill racers

| Meet one of the smallest
premature babies ever to be born
in B.C.\COMMUNITY B1

First time Nancy Greene
racers undergo quite a

police\NEWS A12

WEDNESDAY
February 10, 1999

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. VOL. 14 NO. 44

Computer fix-it cost bugs city

THE COST of keeping city computers
from crashing on Jan. 1, 2000 has more
than doubled to nearly $270, 000.

Council had originally budgeted
$120,000 for the upgrade, which would
ensure its three-year-old Vadim com-
puter system still works when the millen-
nium ticks over,

The major upgrade is also the next ver-
sion of the Kelowna-based finn’s
municipal software package, making it
Windows-com pliant,

But other towns that have upgraded the
same system have found it gets much
slower because of larger files and greater
use of graphics,

That’s led them to add expensive file
servers {o the system — which is part of

the recommendation for Terrace and the
main source of the cost increase.

The total cost estimate, including

taxes, is $223,782, but new chief admin-
istrative officer Ron Poole said a 20 per
cent contingency should be added, bring-
ing the cost estimate to $268,782. *
’ That provoked dismay and cynicism
among city councillors wha suggested
software companies are milking the Year
2000 problem for money,

“They're using this as a pretty big
profit centre,’’ said councillor David
Hull, noting computer firms know users
are up against the wall to fix the millen-
nium bug.

“They’ve got the consumer right over

City council knew Vadim was plan-
ning a major upgrade to ils system when
they bought it in 1996 at a cost of nearly
$250,000,

The system of networked PCs replaced

an older mainframe system that rival

supplier Concorde had ceased to support.
And there’s no question the upgrade is
essential.
“The software will not work as of Jan,
1s1, 2000,” city treasurer Keith Norman

Noted,

So now city council is wrestling with
the question of how best to pay for it.

Mayor Jack Talstra said the economic
downturn is starting to force business

‘owners ta close their doors.

“T think it’s going to be a tough year
for this town and we don’t want ta put an
unduly heavy budget onto the taxpayer
this year,”’ he said. ‘I think we have to
really wateh what we're daing,”'

One option would be leasing the equip-

ment at a cast of aboul $60,000 a year,
instead of paying a larger amount up
front.

George agreed, saying he normally
wauldn’t favour a lease option, but that it
should perhaps be considered to keep ex-
penditures down over the next couple of
years.

The city had always planned to hold
off on the upgrade until sometime in

"1999, to let other users do some of the

work of debugging it.

But Poole said the city is now pushing
the envelope.

The city administrator has just moved
here from Chetwynd, where he says city
slaff made the same upgrade last year
and are still struggling to learn it and
deal with bugs and problems.

“This software is obsolete at the end
of the year,’’ Poole said. “If we don’t
get this thing moving we're really only
giving staff six months to train and work
with it and get it on line,”

‘TPs like. starting again,’? added

deputy Wweasurer Judy Degerness. “‘Each

operator will have to be trained as if it’s
a new system.’”

a basrel,”” added councillor Val George.

Court stalls

Nisga'a

treaty referendum bid

A CONSTITUTIONAL challenge of the
Nisga’a treaty won't be allowed to go for-
ward until the treaty becomes law,

B.C. Liberals had hoped their challenge
of the treaty could be heard prior to the pas-
sage of the treaty’s enabling legislation,
now before the legislature, and subsequent
passage by the federal parliament.

It formed part of their position that the
treaty. changes the ‘constitution and so
should go to a province-wide referendum.

But B.C. Supreme Court’ Justice Paul
Williamson concluded that continuing with
a court challenge would be tantamount to
granting the Liberals and other treaty chal-
lengers a “private reference’ of the
planned legislation by the courts,

Only governments are normally permitted
to seck a judicial reference of a bill before
it’s law, he said, and to do otherwise would
threaten judicial interferance with the role
of goveniment.

‘The courts must respect Parliament and
legislatures’ right to exercise ‘unfettered
freedom’ in drawing up and passing legisla-
tion,’’ Williamson ruled last weck,

‘These are matters fundamental to our
democratic beliefs, our history and our con-
stitution,’’ he said. ‘‘They should not be
impinged upon lightly, if at all.’ .

Thomas Berger, the lawyer acting for the
Nisga'a in the case, said the judge’s deci-
sion should mean any challenges to the
treaty’ won’t be heard until the treaty is
ratified by both the legislature in Victoria
and Parliament in Ottawa.

“We think that is Ihe ouly way to go,’’ he
said.

Berger also said the same logic should
apply to other lawsuits challenging the
Nisga’a treaty,

They include an action launched by the
B.C, Fisherics Survival Coalition and by
Nass valley resident Lloyd Brinsou.

FRBC cutting back;
companies to do more

IT'S TAKING more than one pair of hands and
one snow shovel these days to keep the average
driveway and sidewalk clear.:Nathan Petersen,

DON’T EVEN think about retiring your shovels early
this winter. An Environment Canada employee warns
there’s lots more snow to come.

“We do expect more snow,” said Gary Myers. ‘'It
fits the pattern.”' The pattern, he explained, is La Nina,
the colder twin of El Nino, the weather phenomena that
gave Terrace dramatically warmer weather last winter,

According to Environment Canada siatistics, Terrace
has received more siiow- than average this winter.

Myers said 304 cm of snow fell in Terrace from Oc-
tober 1998 to the. end of January 1999. The Average
snowfall for this perlod is 262 cm.

Last month’s snowfall was slightly below average.
Terrace had 102 cm of snow int January comtpared lo ant
average 107 cm.’ .

Although Myers said the data and statistics from. one’

10, Erica Braam, 7, and Brandon Braam, 10, were
busy last week getting rid of one snowfall before
the next one arrived, (ALEX HAMILTON PHOTO)

Weather expert predicts
there'll be more snow

La Nina to the next is inconsistent —- somactimes
there’s a lot of snow, and sometimes there isn’t — gen-
erally more snow is the norm. ;

“I'd be surprised le you didn’t get way more snow,”
ie said.

Local resident Sam Roy says that while there’s.a lot
of snow, the city has seen much fiercer cold snaps and
snowstorms over the years,

Abe Bourdon, a newcomer to Terrace, doesn’t under-
stand why locals are even complaining about the heavy

snow level, ‘After 30 years in Prince George, he said |

Terrace’s snowy seasoit is a snap.

“It's more moderate fiere thant what I’m used to,” he
sald. ‘It’s way colder in Prince George. This is love-
ly”? :

For more on the snow, please turn to Page A3,

FOREST COMPANIES
will be expected to do more
environmental and other
work following = major
spending culs announced by
Forest Renewal B.C,

The provincial crown cor-
poration was formed in
1994 to use money from
stumpage lees to repair old
logging damage and to put
the forest industry on a
more scicutific and efficient
footing.

But the slump in the forest
industry has cut the fees
companies pay and that in
turn has cut FRBC’s budget,

From $540 million last
year, FRBC officials are
saying their next budget will
be approximately $300 mil-
lion.

And that'll burt businesses
and workers in forest
dependent communities as
they had come to rely on
FRBC contracts for any
number of projects, some of
which were only remotely
connected to forestry,

The Crown corporation

plans: to lay off 78 of its 195 .

staff in the next two to four
inonths.

What miongy it. has left
will be used-to focus on
value-added industries,
forest silvicullure and on
communities particularly
hard-hit by ithe forest
downturn.

Gone will be FRBC-
financing for bridge replace-
nent, delailed biodiversity
work and fishery and‘ wild-
life inventory work.

This will now become the

. responsibility of forest com-
_ panies.

FRBC expects revenue, e of

$150 million — half of its
expenses —- for each of the
hext two fiscal years. This
will force the corporation to
rely on a $700 million con-
tingency fund.

And there’s no guaranlec’

ihat the crown corporation
will make money after thal,

“Any increase beyond
$300 million is contingent

corporation is up for discus-
sion.

The cuts could cut the
regional FRBC office in
Smithers in half, from 14 to
seven employees,

Most of, those cut should
be placed in other govern-
ment jobs thanks to a union
contract clause,

FRBC may suffer more

on a recovery in market revenue culs if stumpage
conditions,’ said FRBC rates are reduced again
communications official when the current Canada-
Mike Hogan. U.S, softwood lumber
B.C. forests minister agreement expires in two
David Zimhelt said last years.

week that the future of the

Radar vans
aren’t here

RCMP BUDGET cuts are keeping phote radar vans out of
the northwest.

The north’s photo radar unit is based in Prince George
and officers are being restricted to a day’s drive of that
cily, says unit member Constable Doug Leshures,

As is the case with all other RCMP operations, spending
has been trimmed to absorb a budget deficit, he said.

“The restrictions are In place until April (the start of the
force’s next fiscal year),’’ said Leshures.

It means photo radar officers are stopping at Fraser Lake
on Hwy16, the limit at which they can do their work and
retum to Prince George the same day. Moucy is saved in
gas, tneals and accommodation, said Leshures.

Photo radar was introduced several years ago In an al-
fenipt to stop speeding and subsequent accidents, =

It’s been criticized as too expensive to maintain and as a
cash cow for a Hnancially-strapped provincial government,

The travel restrictions don’t necessarily mean photo
radar van officers are working fewer hours, said Leshures,

“The number of tickets being generated is the same and
the hours the vans are out are approximately the same,”’ he
added, ;

In effect, speeders within a day’s drive of Prince George
are more likely fo be caught on film than would normally
be the case. Leshures said the restrictions weit into effect
in December:

x8]