"WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 29, ‘1993

JIM MacKAY is $500 richer this
month.

That’s because the MacKay Fu-
neral Service owner doesn’t have
to pay bonuses to some of his
staff,

This doesn’t have anything to
do with profits or an employee’s
performance.

It had everything to do with a
challenge to his employees wha
quit smoking — if they last until
the Christmas party, they get
$100 each.

But not one of the five smokers
who quit made it to the month of
December.

“Tt was a total,

total, total

loss,’ said employee Jim
Westerman. ‘At first we made a
point, out of who was getting
caught. Then we didn’t.”’

Westerman called his failure
more pronounced because he
lasted 18 months, quitting way
before MacKay issued his- chal-
lenge.

“tt was funny, I had quit once
for seven months and went to my
cousin's place in Nova Scotia, got
into a party and started,” said
Westerman, .

‘*] went back to the same house.
to the same cousin, had some
drinks and started again,”” b he con-
tinued.

Westerman was hard on him-
self, saying that he had long
passed the point of having with-
drawal symptoms.

Another employee, Maggie
MacKay, said that while she dealt
with the craving, dealing with the
habit was much tougher:

Westerman said most of the —
smokers started again on the sly
and then progressed to the point
of not hiding it.

“Tt was kind of embarrassing to
say that you started,”’ he added.

- Westerman. said. starting again
might have something to do with

‘the particular kind of stress that

funeral service employees go

through.

“You might have four or r five
cases a day and some be very
difficult. It’s when you're -fin-
ished with them that you have to

deal with your own emotions and ..
one way is to say you need a |

cigarette,’’ he said.
Westerman remains pleased
PB

_ with MacKay’s original offer, -
' saying it does act as an incentive
- to people who quit and stay off of --

cigareties,

“There’s also a good chance

that employers won't be spending
all that money they thought they

would,’ he noted.

75¢ PLUS & GST
VOL. 6.NO. 37. >.

vit

| Partial truck ban eyed for
neighbourhood streets

CALLS FOR action on com-

“mercial vehicles. driving
through and patking ‘in
residential neighbourhoods

have achieved partial success.
' Council’s public works com-
millec has asked administra-
lion to drafi by-law changes
‘which will) {ntroduce* some
-. fimits on truckers... 2

One is -the cstablishment of a
designated truck route. Loaded

restricted to :ihal route “‘ unless
in the process of ° “delivering
. goods”’,

“The other will-ban the ‘park-
ing of commercial vehicles. on
residential streets and boute-
vards,

‘property in those arcas.

_ by. these: trucks: starting up in
Jn this case, the .committec

-- Jaw enforcement, recommedn-
“ing ‘‘noise and nuisance com-
. plaints be dealt. with on their
commercial vehicles would be .

drawn up the. changes, they
“will come back to the com-
‘Miltee for further discussion.

Truckers will, however, be
allowed to park on private

That despite complaints
about the disturbance created

the carly hours of the morning.

handed the problem over to by-

individual merits,’”

Once “administration . has

Representatives of the com-
‘mercial trucking seclor will be
inviled to that meeting.

‘drivers

THIS IMAGE of RCMP
Const. Cam doseph ap-
proaching is not what you
want to see if you're driving
and you've had a few to
drink. ROMP -report the
numbers of impaired
drivers. are up during this
. year's Christmas
- Counterattack. As of Dec.
20, nine drivers had been
charged with impaired driv-
ing. and 15 others were
Issued 24-hour suspen-
sions, “l was’ surprised
we've had so many so far,”
said Const. J.R. Walker.
‘The ‘number of impaired

the end of November is up
morethan 40 per cent over
the same period last year,

Drunk —

' drivers charged in 1993 to - [Rs

Opinions differ on wood sale

SKEENA NDP MLA Helmut
Gicsbrecht says he'll do whatever
he can to get some wood for a
now-closed sawmill in Kitwanga.

He made the comment last
week after the province announc-
ed it'll put up 110,000. cubic
metres of wood for-sale under its
small business program.

The wood is coming from the
Cranberry Timber Supply Area,
an area north of Kitwanga that
used 0 be known as Tree Farm
Licence (TFL) 51. a

Ironically, the area was once
tied to the-Kitwanga mill when it
had a TFL designation ‘but that

ended when Westar walked away

from the Heence and: mill earlier
this year. *

Since then, the Gitwangak band
bonght the mill. and has-been
looking for a -long term. timber
supply 10 operate the facility.

The ‘mill: was the.

main-
employer in -the village atid its: |”
closure has Ancreased: ‘sotial BB:

sistance payments and problems.

But even though wood is bec-
oming available, Giesbrecht said
the government decision isn’t
going to make everybody happy.

That’s because it’s coming from
an area claimed by both the
Nisga'a - Tribal Council and
Gitanyow, a Gitksan village up
Hwy37 from Kitwanga.

The announcement did not con-—

tain any sign there had been a
resolution of the boundary over-
lap.

And the MLA acknowledged
that the provinclal government
bad waited for months for the

Nisga'a and Gilanyow to reach an »

_ agreement before finally deciding
‘to move in.

‘* What this does is provide, un-

der the small business program,

for some wood almost immiedi- -

ately,” said Giesbrecht. “It's

needed to provide jo

under the Forest ‘Act to ensure

“<1 will be dolng omhatever can

Gitwangak does receive some
wood,”’ he added.

Giesbrecht said. the small busi-
ness sales should encourage busi-
ness relationships between the
Ceed Forest Products, the
Gitwangak band-owned company
which bought the mill, and the
Gitanyow and the Nisga’s. |

Advertisements for the sale of
the 110,000 cubic metres should

be out in January.. The amount is
the same as the annual allowable
cut set this spring.

A forest service oificial in
Smithers said the . immediate

small timber sale could put’

‘people back to work and have the
wood flowing within. several
months,

The -small. business advertise-
_ ments will-be followed swiftly by ©

one putting up 100,000: of the
110,000 annual allowable cut in

‘the form of a long’ term forest

‘Hence, said Graeme Hynd.

“A forest licence could d take up an

to a year to process. Small busi-

ness sales can be done much.

quicker,’* he said.
Hynd didn’t know what size the
small business sales will be.

Hynd added that the govern
ment policy of fiduciary responsi-..
bility by asking natives for their’.
opinions on the matter have been ;

met.

And ‘although the - provincial ©. We's
the
Nisga’a and the Gitanyow will. ..ur
resolve their land claim overlap, °°
Hynd said the decision to put the g
wood up for sale will result in -

government’s hope ‘that

some kind of movement.

"The main thing is that this is.
an opportunity for all interested
parties to look at their. positions -
and act accordingly — to form al-
liances, and positions that move...

forward,”’ sald Hynd, |

But the president’ of Cged_

Forest Products. had a different:
view of the matter. . :

Lary Moore sald! the ‘decision. |

in effect put the Gitwangak band
and its company in the middle of
the dispute between the Nisga’a a
and the Gitanyow.

And he said Cged can’t act on. a
"the “sale “regardless “because. it
doesn’t have any money. 10 make
a bid on the;wood. - ~ ;
éd from’ our: Social :

OP .
oooflons, “said : company official Pat
See coi ene ba

"from being sold,

y ee
to the’ highest bidder, makina Bere
een that ‘a cmt player. such .

get any of. the

One | company. that has: joney ‘is: bs
ub it is ‘first going to look.

going to take a hard look x at it
he sald. ':.: we
Ogawa : ‘added that “there | ‘are

~ short. term’ ‘possibilities. ‘for: the

company. ‘in the small business
° program and longer term ones un-
‘der the proposed forest licence.
“Meanwhile a spokesman | from
Gitanyow said the band. Will take.
-court action: to stop. ny. wood

. We've. told: “them: ‘they: must

mi consult us first,’’ said: Williams of
“samy: goverment Plan to dlspose

of the wood.” -
Sy think you'll see. us. én court
-eatly in the new. year. to have it
set aside,”” he said,

Williams. adde at: : the
Gitanyow. feel. the.:14.0,000- cubic
-metresa year cutting ‘limit is too
high
We know ‘there ‘has been a lot .

“* of pressure’ ‘from: Repap. and ‘the
-“sfasult ds
Y Hore,”” he said

i pebing

=
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