Going hungry A big demand is predicted for this Incredible journey in memory Sledders took to the snow to period/NEWS A3 month’s food bank distribution | Locals have the chance fora trip of a life time to see | China/COMMUNITY B1 WEDNESDAY .~ JANUARY 10, 1996 mark the sixth anniversary of a tragedy/SPORTS B5 TANDARD 75¢ PLUS 5¢ GST VOL, 8 NO. 39 Unions fight over Nass workers THREE UNIONS are locked in a strug- gle to determine who will represent Nisga’a Valley Health Board workers in the Nass Valley. It’s a situalion that also involves self government portions of land claims talks now underway between the Nisga’a and the federal and provincia] governments, The three unions — the B,C, Govern- ment and Service Employees’ Union, the Hospital Employees’ Union and the B.C. Nurses’ Onion all have applications be- fore the Canada Labour Relalions Board. At stake is representation for the nearly 60 full and part time workers of the health board. The first application for certification was filed to the B.C, Labour Relations Board in 1994 by the BCGEU in con- junction with the Nisga’a Employees Union (NEU), a Nass Valley-based workers group forined in 1993. That application for certification was tumed down by the provincial board last year, saying that the health board falls under federal jurisdiction. This lead to a new application by the BCGEU and the NEU before the Canada Labour Relations Board. At the same time, the Hospital Em- ployees’s Union (HEU( began signing up health board employees and the B.C. Nurses’ Union (BCNU) also sought to represent nurses working for the health board, ‘The Nisga’a Valley Health Board — with the help of the Nisga’a Tribal Council — fought the first certification altempt before the provincial labour rela- tions board and also opposes the applica- tions before the federal board. They’ve asked the federal board to bold off on any decision until a land claims trealy, with accompanying self governing powers, is settled. Dena Robinson, a health board em- ployee now on leave who took part in the first attempt with the BCGEU and NEU, said workers want fair wages and better working conditions. She said, for instance, that a non-native worker was hired at a higher wage than that paid native workers because the for-- mer has to pay income tax while natives don’t, “That’s discriminating against your own people. They say get an education, gel an education. And when you do, youre still not recognized,’’ said Robinson, “The bottom line is they don’t want a union,” said Robinson of the health board’s opposition, ‘When you have a grievance it’s frus- trating because lhere’s no ane to turn to and no one to talk to,’ she added, Canada Labour Relations Board offi- cial Phil Kirkland says it’s completed reports on the HEU and BCNU applica- tions but hasn’t finished the one for the BCGEU/NEU, “We've been asked by the employer to hold everything until such time as the trealy negotiations are completed,” he added. Although it’s clear that the federal board has jurisdiction to decide certifica- tion questions involving employees of native governments and native-ran pub- lic sector institutions, the situation be- comes murky when native — self- government is introduced, said Kirkland. “Some native organizations take the view that your laws are no good here,” he said. There’s no indication of when that is- suc will be dealt with by the federal labour relations board or when the board will rule on the Nass Valley health care workers’ case. For more on this issue, please sce Page A2. Kitimat mayor gets Liberal nod toe By KATHLEEN BRANDSMA KITIMAT MAYOR Rick Wozney will be the Liberal party candidate in the Skeena riding for the next provincial election. He was the only one to ‘throw his hat in the ring, but Liberal constituency assaci- ation = president Sharon Taylor says she’s not dis- appointed that Wozney has been acclaimed. She calls him a ‘'class A candidate” and adds she’s delighted he’s running. “The Liberal party in the riding bas been undergoing a rebuilding, and it hasn’t been a particularly active group, but it would have economy and calls Reform candidate Ron Town and current NDP MLA Helmut Giesbrecht **formidable candidates.” Woaey’s looking forward to the election call and fecls the NDP will be in trouble if it chooses a wew leader from" the current cabinet. Skeena Liberals were to hold a nomination conven- tion Jan. 27 at the Terrace Inn. With Wozney now ac- claimed as the candidate, it will be a general meeting with Liberal MLA Gary Farrell-Collins as the key- note speaker. Terrace mayor Jack Tal- stra, another well known Tr . uTTLe supe 'SRAIS wa leu wa at 1:33 a.m. on Jan, 1 and was the first baby born in 4996 in Terrace and Gupposed to ba bom on Jan, 16, but he heard about all the great presents the 5, And decided he couldn't wait. His mother Bridgette received an Infant car seat, a hand- more clearly whether or not people support him. side, “It’s kinda neat to win something without having to said Wozncy. He declined to say who Signed his nomination papers, that he had 25 signatures, a number of them from Ter- race and Kitimat municipal politicians. Wozney says the move to provincial politics from the municipal side was a natural progression, “T've always had an ambi- tion to serve provincially, but I haven’t outgrown municipal politics,’ says Wozncy. “I'll always find thal interesting.” He says he'll focus his plalform on jobs and the Flying cost hardly a fare deal By JEFF NAGEL IT’S THE pet peeve of all northerners: for the price of a flight from Terrace to Vancouver you could fly to Montreal, San Francisco or even: England. 1 Dercgulating the airline industry was sup- . posed to mean competilion and cheaper flights. t And it has if you’re travelling from Van- . couver to Toronto, or going overseas. But meanwhile air fares in and out of smaller - cities have soared at five times the rate of ticket price increases between large centres, A new report from Statistics Canada says that . since deregulation, the cost of flying to smaller centres rose at 13 per cent a year — compared to just 2.6 per cent a year for the major Cana- dian routes. The price of both economy class Hights and the least restricted discount fare front Terrace to Vancouver increased 57 per cent from 1988 to 1954, according to published airlines schedules, . alt fares and schedules without government ap~ Meanwhile, flights from Vancouver to Toronto have seen hikes to basic fares, but dis- counts fares have had no increase whatsoever since '88, It has always cost more to fly to and from smaller cities, because there are fewer customers to supporl the fixed costs — dis- patchers, ground crews, maintenance bases and airport fees. “The smaller and lighter and thinner the roule the more expensive it’s going to be to service,” says Statistics Canada air fare analyst Bradley Snider, “Once you're in the air whether you fy 10 miles or 10,000 the only real difference is your " fuel costs’? But the gap was relatively small in the early 1980s and actually narrowed until 1988 when deregulation allawed the airlines to set domestic proval, “Anyone could fly anywhere they liked and charge what they felt like,” says Statistics Can- ada air fare analyst Bradley Snider. By 1994, air travellers were paying an average 28.4 cents per kilometre to fly between small cities — nearly double the cost before deregula- tion and two and a half times the 11.9 cents per Kilometre to fly between large cities. What happened? Charter carriers were suddenly allowed to cherty-pick the most profilable routes without serving smaller runs that the major carriers serve, “The charter aitlines are not interested in op- erating from Terrace to Vancouver and with deregulation nobody can force them to,’? ¢x- plains George Clark, owner of Terrace Travel. The competition hacked the profit out of the large cross-Canada: flights for Air Canada and Cont'd Page Ai2 But he adds the acclama- | tion is not without its up’ work for it for a change,’?' volunteering only Rick Wozney been nice to have had a area Liberal, thinks it’s race,”” tremendous that Wozney is Wozney agreed, saying a running. from his party. race would have indicated ‘‘This will allow all three The NDP nominating candidates to bring forward their platforms in an articu- late way,’’ Talstra said of the coming race between the Liberals, Reformers and NDP, meeting will likely be held after the party chooses a new Icader next month. Reform candidate Ron Town is going to a party planning session Jan. 18 in Vancouver, “TT guess they’re going to send me off to Reform school,” he said. kakkk Skeena MLA Helmut Giesbrecht has not yet received the official nod True party faithful KITIMAT MAYOR Rick Wozney’s candidacy for the Liberal party was the best known, worst kept secret in northwest politics. A long time Liberal and the mayor of Kitimat since 1989, Wozncy has lies to provincial leader Gordon Camp- bell when Campbell was mayor of Vancouver, Early on in bis leadership, Campbell drew on connec- tions made through the Union of B.C. Municipalities, the provincial association of cities, towns and villages in B.C. Wozney was onc of 11 municipal politicians across the province to support Campbell’s leadership bid in 1993, Wozney has lived and practised law in Kitimat since 1971. He served on the school board for 10 years and was a town councillor for two years before becoming mayor. Wozney’s married and has three adult children. Wife Christine is a teacher at the Kitimat campus of Northwest Community College. Cell phone first A CELLULAR PHONE tip helped local police make an arrest Friday night. I's the first time the new cel- lular service was used for such a purpose. RCMP said citizens driving by E.B. Horsman and Sons clectrical supply outlet spotted thieves inside the Kalum St. business around 11:30 p.m. They got a description of the suspects, a vehicle licence plate number and relayed it to lhe RCMP, Three adult men were arrested soon after and a TV taken from the business was recovered. All are to be charged with break-and-enter and pos- session of stolen property. Police are still looking for the culprit or culprits who smashed out a window at Elizabeth Fashions later that same night and stole about $1,000 worth of Mondetta and Guess label sweatshirts.