Forest industry takes stock ® after two very scary years TWO YEARS after the first round of forestry problems hit the area, most people are . still working but uncertainty continues to reign supreme | in the industry. This time in 1996 West Fraser announced a six- week closure that was to end in January 1997. And Repap, the parent company of Skeena Cel- lulose, began delaying bill payments past 90 days. West Fraser did open, but later than expected in 1997, and it has had several closures and cuts since. The company’s millworkers are on a work share program and its look- ing hard at ways of keeping its loggers in the bush. But the biggest impact was felt locally by the Repap crisis. It went into 1997 as the subject of a takeover by Avenor and then into complete financial free fall when it finally col- lapsed under a huge debt load. Skeena Cellulose was quickly cut loose from its parent to fend for itself. That resulted in con- tractors swallowing losses and the B.C. government taking over the company and pledging capital money to revitalize the Prince Rupert pulp mill — money that hasn’t yet materialized. “T don’t think anything’s changed in the two years,” said Justin Rigsby, of Alm- Wood Contracting and the lead spokesman for local contractors during the Skeena Cellulose crisis. "The company hasn’t got their capital expenditure funding. And that. Rupert mill is two years older than itwas,’’ be said. “Everybody says Skeena Cellulose got bailed out, but it didn’t. There’s a promise to maybe bail it out. But it hasn't happened yet.’” Out & About Forestry workshop COMMERCIAL _ thinning and new forest opportunities are the topics of a workshop hosted by the Northwest Loggers Association and the Kalum Forest District. The workshop will feature a number of presentations aimed at exploring the fu- ture of the forest industry in the region with focus on Strategies to retain our pres- ent industry but also to de- velop complementary secondary manufacturing. It happens at 1 p.m. Nov. 25 at room 328 in the Coast Inn of the West. Rupert on track PRINCE RUPERT is seen as being on the right track in its aggressive push for cruise ship business and the possibility of Juxury rail tours, So say Terrace city coun- cillors who took in a recent seminar on the subject in the coast city, “We're quite impressed with the efforts Rupert is making,’’ said David Hull. The coast city is trying hard to woo back cruise ships that have for many years cut Prince Rupert out of their list of stops. . Hull says Rupert now is going to get a chance to prove itself —- Norwegian Cruise Lines is planning a couple of stops there in the 1999 cruise season in what will amount to a test drive. If the experience is. good, il’s expected more stops will . take place and other cnilse lines will follow suit. Despite losses, frequent mill shutdowns and dramati- cally reduced logging, vir- tually all major logging con- tractors in the area have stayed afloat, “Tt’s true the forestry sec- tor has taken a hit,” says mayor Jack Talstra. ‘‘But it scems to me we were a lot worse off in the early 80s,”’ Gordon Hull, of Don Hull and Sons Contracting Ltd., said many smaller truckers and owner-operators have faced harder times and been forced to move or sell equipment. But he agrees most major contractors have managed to survive. Hull says a main reason the area didn’t get the widespread — bankruptcies many expected was a bridg- ing loan program backed by FRBC money and a require- ment that Skeena Cellulose pay contractors in advance. “That has been one of the things that’s kept a lot of people alive and for that reason you don’t see the failures that people would have expected to see,” Hull said of the bridging loans. “But that money won’t last _ forever either.” “Everyone’s gritting their , ” lamps, air conditioning, rear spoiler, stereo cassette, tilt steering, Gordon Hull teeth and trying to make it through in the hopes that things will eventually im- prove and get back on track.’* Hull said Don Hull and Sons used to get the vast majority of its work from Skeena Cellulose, but has this year seen that dwindle to about 30 to 40 per cent. To make up the dif- ference, they and other con- tractors have. scratched for work far and wide. ‘We've been going all over the northern half of B.C. for work,*? Hull said, noting they’ve been build- Saeet power deor locks and more. *258 > 2.9” SMAATLEasé 36 months/$3,261 down f ing logging roads as far away as the north end of Williston Lake in the Peace River country. “It’s been a necessary shift. If we didn’t do it we wouldn’t have been able to survive.’’ Although the company hasn’t reduced its truck and equipment holdings greatly, the number of loggers employed ig about two- thirds of normal right now. The forest district has also helped out with some in- } novative work — opening up logging to salvage bug- killed wood in the upper Nass and a small scale cedar salvage program that’s been popular with many small operators. District manager Brian Downie noted this region hasn’t been. hit by permanent shutdowns in the way some other parts of the province now have. “It’s an extremely dif. ficult time,” he said. “SCI and West Fraser have done a very good job in staying open,” ‘Give the people here lots of credit for working hard, and obviously they’ve got corporate support in doing it,’ V‘99 Pontiac Grand Am For driving excitement you can count on at every turn, shift to the all new Pontiac Grand Am. 2.4 litre twin cam engine, 4-speed automatic transmission, enhanced traction system, 4-wheel ABS, rear comering f Phone: 604-689-0878 _ James W ’ Radelet RADELET & COMPANY Barristers & Solicitors Tax Law ® Trusts * Corporate & Commercial 1390 - 1075 Wost Georgia Street, Vancouver, B.C. VSE 3C9 Offer also includes Fax: 604-689- 1386 Pager and 6 months ~95 voice mall and ; $9995 personal greeting. Panasonic EN-POWR . 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