A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 15, 1997 TERRACE STANDARD 4647 Lazelle Ave, Terrace, 5.C. V8G 1S8 (804) 638-7283 Fax (604) 698-8432 ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1938 A Division of Cariboo Press (1.969) Ltd. ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. * V8G SR2 TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 * FAX: (250) 638-8432 EMAIL: standard@kermede.net Nothing new WHAT’S LOST in the emotional turbulence over the Skeena Cellulose situation is that the 161 jobs to be cut at its Prince Rupert mill is nothing new. The need for improvements was one of the rea- sons cited by former owner Repap more than a year ago when the province gave it approval to- take over the Orenda Forest Products wood licence. Repap wanted the licence for collateral to borrow money for the work. Avenor Forest Products of Montreal] announced it also wanted to make improvements as part of its abortive attempt to take over Repap earlier | this year. Making improvements increases efficiencies and reduces labour costs because fewer people are needed. It’s a fairly straightforward (albeit brutal because it means job loss) matter of tech- nological change. But the issue became skewed this summer when the Toronto-Dominion and Royal banks threatened to put Skeena Cellulose into bankruptcy because of its debt load. Instead of a phased-in process of offering workers early retirement incentives and counting on attrition to ease job loss, the matter became the dominant issue on the emotional roller coaster of saving the mill and the other Skeena Cellulose operations in the northwest. Having the banks say they wanted labour costs reduced by 250 jobs created a panic flashpoint. It didn’t matter that the cuts would be done over three years as the improvements were made or that buy-out incentives would be entertained. It’s no wonder the provincial government was drawn in. Not only was it responding to the banks’ wily demand to help with financing im- provements, it had to deal with the emotions tied to that job loss number. Bankers are smart; they knew the province was in a jam. So instead of what should have been tech- nological change financed by normal private business methods, the provincial taxpayer has’ now bought into Skeena Cellulose directly for $124 million (not counting the at least $50 mil- lion in other initiatives tied to the company). Along the way the northwest has lost millions in wages and accumulated more than its fair share of shattered nerves and heartache — all for something that would have happened anyway. A big step IF THORNHILL were just 10 or 15 miles down the road it would undoubtedly have had municipal status for years. But it’s not down the road. It’s right next door to Terrace and that’s why it is what it is. Other than having a strong volunteer firefighter contingent, there’s never been an overriding necessity to provide a full range of services. It’s always been easier to have Terrace take the lead and then pay user fees which don’t cover the full freight. But the times are changing and the prospect of having thousands of people live in a twilight zone of a bit of this and a bit of that won’t work anymore. The vote this Saturday isn’t about Ter- race taking over Thornhill. It’s about making all our lives better. PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link ADVERTISING MANAGER: Sam (bollicr PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS Jeff Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Dave Taylor COMMUNITY: Cris Leykauf STUDENT REPORTER: Salwa Farah OFFICE MANAGER: Sheila Sandover-Sly ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Janet Viveiros, Brian Lindenbach TELEMARKETER: Tracey ‘Tomas ADVERTISING ASSISTANT: Kelly Jean TYPESETTING: Sylvana Broman DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur CIRCULATION MANAGER: Karen Brunette SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY MAIL: — $53.50 per year; Seniors $48.15; Out of Province $60.99 Outside of Canada (6 months) $149.80 (ALL PRICES INCLUDE GST) MEMBER OF °C CNA. BG, AND YUKON COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION, CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION AND B.C. PRESS COUNCIL SCYCKA bok ft , Sarving the Tarace and Thornhill area, Published on Wethnasday of each woek by Cariboo Press (1969) Ltd, al 3210 Clinton Street, Terrace, British Columbia, VeG SAZ. Slorles, photographs, Ilustrations, designs and typastyles in the Terrace Standard ata the property of the peck holders, including Cariboo Pross (1969) Ltd,, its Mlustration septa servicas and advertising aereaucton inwhols or in part, without writlen permission, Is specially prohibited, Authorized aa second-class mail pending the Post Office Department, for payment of postage in cesh. See — ALSO, LATELY , [HAVE THE UNCONTROLABLE i 10 WA i A CANE AND LIMP f BIT. ofa. baw VICTORIA — Premier Glen Clark has unveiled British Columbia’s newest and biggest park. About the size of Nova Scotia, the 4.4 million-hectare remote wilderness area in northeastern B.C. would pro- vide wildlife protection on an unprecedented scale. The huge park, comprising one million hectares in park land and 3.4 million hectares in ‘‘special management areas,”? would be home to an estimated . 27,000 moose, 15,000 elk, 9,000 stone’s sheep, 5,000 mountain goats, 1,000 wolves, 500 grizzly bears and 500 black bears. Plans for the park have been in the works for more than four years. About six months aga, all parties involved in the dis- cussion stage agreed unani- mously on a final proposal which was sent to cabinet. When even opposition MLAs are in favour of a government initiative, you know it’s got to be good. And Richard Neufeld, the former Reform and now Liberal MLA for Peace River North has nothing but praise for the scheme, provided the premier sticks to the proposal that was sent to cabinet. “The message is if you start changing it because by some fl } FROM THE:CAPITAL HUBERT BEYER “miracle in Victoria you think ‘you know better, that won't fly,’’ he said. » Environmental purists will probably balk at the special management areas, preferring the whole thing to be protected | from any commercial activity, which may range from mining and oil exploration to logging and hunting. A brief look at the jobless rate, however, should be enough to convince anyone that a compromise is called for, particularly if commercial enterprises in the special man- agement areas are subject to strict rules and regulations. Industry representatives wel- come a chance to prove that they can work in an environ- mentally sensitive area without upsetting the ecological balance. **We know there are ways to work collectively to develop plans and procedures that al- low us to continue to develop the resource in a way in harmony with the environmen- tal interests,’ says Wayne Soper of Westcoast Energy, a major investor in the area. The new park would also fit perfectly into the fabric of an- other major international scheme that envisions connect- ing all parks strutting the Rockies from the Yukon to Yellowstone Park in the U.S. to provide wildlife corridors through which animals can travel safely and unhindered from park to park. When the American and Ca- nadian parks systems were cre- ated, we kaew little about wildlife migration, and as a result, most wildlife species are confined to ghetto-like parks and have no chance ta move a8 far afield as they should. The proposed corridors, con- necting all major parks along a stretch of thousands of miles, would give wildlife a new chance at survival in the long mn. Banff National Park with its New park must work for all teeming urban environment and out-of-control tourism is probably the worst example of what a parks and wildlife habitat shouldn’t be like. The new park in northeastern British Columbia will be something to cherish for future generations. It gives us a chance to do it right, But before Clark grabs all the credit, some of which he un- doubtedly deserves, it is pru- dent to remember that it was his predecessor, Mike Har- court, who set in motion the process of increasing British Columbia’s protected areas to 12 per cent from six per cent of the province’s land mass. In the contiguous U.S., wilderness parks are far and few between. What once was wilderness has been swallowed by the habitat needed for its 300 million people. Canada in general and British Columbia in particular are in the fortunate position to have wilderness areas left. Our children and grand- children will thank us for hav- ing protected some of British Columbia’s awesome wilder- ness before it was too late. Beyer can be reached at; Tel; (250) 920-9300; Fax: (250) 385-6783; E-mail: hubert@coolcom.com Go shopping, get a workout TERRACE’S NEWEST newest superstore offers a shopping experience akin to touring Santa’s toy shop in ear- ly December. A leisurely get-acquainted stroll — up this aisle and down that —- excecds my daily ex- ercise quota. So before I go there to buy, I have some train- ing to do. , First, I need to weight lift to build up my muscle sirength. Luckily, a third fitness center is about lo open in lown. If I don’t increase my strength, my shopping will be limited to lower shelves, paper coffee fil- ters and potato chips. I could also benefit from in- struction in driving a forklift. Perhaps I could practice moving crated appliances or heaves of lumber for a building center, ~-Now the superstore uscs con- ventional sized shopping carts, f THROUGH BIFOCALS. CLAUDETTE SANDECKI] persuaded to welcome each customer with keys to a fork- lift. Almost everything in the stare is packaged in bulk, Load three or four items into the cart and its wheels might slay like Bambi on ice, A thoughtful touch for customers braving either the frozen teat or dairy sections would be the loan: of ‘Arctic but soon, I’m sure, they’ll be survival gear. Not. since AND THESECITY SOT STARTED FoLisS HAPA TO DRINK OUT SPECIAL ROOM OF IT BUT THIS with A BIG WHITE | | LADY CAME IN Doc Bowl iN iT! A SHODED ME : AWAY !1 Safeway underwent reniova- tions in winter have I suffered frostbite while selecting yogurt. The Sunday afternoon I was there, I was wearing a warn jacket even though the parking lot temperature suddenly rose to 75 degrees. I had to zip around the dairy section and scoot past the frozen meats to foil hypothermia. The store is definitely geared to large families, logging camp kitchens, and mine expedi- tions, Muffins are big enough to quarter. Popcorn comes in bags the size of potting soil, The whole store ought ta be off limits to dieters and seniors. I passed a middle-aged daughter and her elderly mother weighing the pros and cons of a liter-sized bottle of white blue. ‘You'll never be able to usc it all,’” the daughter remarked. And that’s my feel- ing about many items. They’re packaged too generously for the average consumer. On the other hand, if I ac- cumulate six months grocery money, I could shop semi- anaually for non-perishables: hand lotion, Shreddies, pickled silverskin onions. The onions in their gigantic glass jar made me drool. No doubt the store will foster. an increase in sales of 21 cuble foot freezers, steel shelving, and freezer paper. Even large families may want to divide purchase before they stock them at home. The building’s plain decor and high ceilings made me feel as though I were a kid again, walking around one of the drafty exhibit buildings at North Battleford's August fair. AJII missed were a few broken panes of glass high up for breezes and sparrows to flutter through, THEN You KNow WHAT SHE DID... OA 4 RQUHART