Repairs due _

Que to the poets

to renovate Osborne Home
\News AQ |

The health council has agreed

Find out who Terrace’s
rising young poets are
-\Community B1

WEDNESDAY
October 13,1999

Hawes launches ma

TERRACE’S MAYOR has spent too long in the
chair and it’s time for a change, says Linda Hawes.
The city councillor launched her campaign for
the mayoralty Friday with a frontal attack on Jack —
Talstra, who has said he will run-for a sixth term -
but had not yet filed as of Friday. : ae
“In recent months his enthusiasm for the job. has
waned,” Hawes said. “I don’t think he can continue to serve
the community if he’s not ‘as excited about doing the job.
any more,” fee 8
Talstra has done a good job, she added, but suggested his
time is past. aes
“He's been in the chair for i4 years. Perhaps its time for
new enthusiasm, new creativity, more imagination anda
Tesponsivencss to the people.” , - 2
Hawes said she would pay more attention to the forest
industry and to social issues within the community:
“I think the biggest issue is responsiveness to the wish-

“run for MLA. -

es of the community,” Hawes said, citing council’s handling
of the multiplex.

She said Talstra and other council members wanted to
wait until next year for a multiplex referendum, when most
of the community wanted to answer the question now and
not ‘spend a lot of taxpayers’ money without a mandate.

‘Hawes also suggested Talstra may not be able to resist the
draw of provincial politics, and leave the mayor's chair to

~ “Jack is a consummate politician,” Hawes said. ;
Both Hawes and Talstra are active B.C. Liberals and were

‘tested in polling by the party over the summer as potential

candidates in Skeena to knock off NDP MLA Helmut Gies-

brecht. :
If a provincial election happens in the spring, Hawes said, :

and Talstra chose to leave office to run, “that would cause an

instant by-election and that would be a shame.”

Bul Hawes promised thal, if elected mayor, she will not

ee

Kickin’ it home

Terrace road runners finish
first in local competition —
| \Sports B6

yoral

leave office in mid-term to run for a different political of-
fice.

Meanwhile three other city councillors had entered the

race for council seals as of Friday.

Val George and Rich McDanicl were first off the mark

last Tuesday in filing nomination papers to again run for
city council. Counciilor Olga Power joined them filing her
papers Friday. ; ;

David Huil has said he will run again for council.
-Also pondering a council run is James Fraser, who was

an unsuccessful contender in 1996. Fraser said he'd. make a

final decision this week. |...
Some Braun’s Island residents active in their fight to deal

with contaminated water wells say they've also contemplal-
ed running either far city council or the regional district area

C director's chair, :
There’s no requirement that municipal election candidates
actually live in the area they seek to represent. Candidates

$1.00 PLUS-7¢ GST
($2.10 plus 4¢ GST outsida of the
* rs Terrace area)

VOL, 12 NO, 27

Linda Hawes

have until 4 p.m. Friday to file nomination papers.

Surgical
planning
advances

TERRACE COULD very
well be the northwest’s lo-
cation for high level ortho-
pedic surgery, says a pro-
vincial health ministry offi-
cial,

Kitimat has been the (ra-
ditional home for orthope-
dic surgery but it’s planned
replacement for aging Kiti-
mat General’ Hospital
doesn’t include the number
of operaling rooms normal-
ly required to handled or-
thopedic surgery as well as
olher kinds of surgeries,
says a health ministry offi-
cial.

“With plans for one
operating room and a trau-
ma room for the health
centre there, high end or-
thopedic surgery would
likely be located
elsewhere,” said Jeff Gau-
lin. ce

That location would
most likely be Terrace’s
Mills Memorial Hospita)
because of its ecntral loca-
tion in the northwest and
beeause il offers other spe-
cialized medical services,

“Kitinal would still be
uble to do the everyday and
more basic orthopedic
surgery, is just the high
end would be. offered
through a program-at Mills
[Memorial Hospital],”
said Gaulin.

He emphasized thal this
should not be taken as
bringing in a service just for
Terrace residents,

“You have to look at this
as a service for the’ narth-
weal, something that will
benefit everybody-in the
northwest,” said Gaulin.

Gaulin’s comments add
to whal appears to be a ra-
pidly developing plan for a
regional orthopedic surgi-
cal service in the north-
wesl,

They follow carlier sta-

Half pipe progress

Cont'd Page A2

Volunteers used a crane to put one of eight half
pipes in place at the Terrace Skatepark Wednes-

day, Oct. 6. Organizers hope to
week, depending on weather.

pave the sile this:

Multiplex vote
gets approval

AREA VOTERS will be asked to approve borrowing up ta
$7.6 million to build a multiplex ina referendum Nov. 20,

City council settled on that number Friday and rejected
councillor David Hull’s proposal to set the borrowing fig-
ure at a lower $6 million.

Hull said leaving $1.6 mitlion to be found from other
sources would have spurred’ polilicians and volunteers to
find partners and reduce the total cust to the laxpayers.

The move to authorize enough borrowing to build the en-
lire project eliminates that‘ incenlive and does a disser-
vice to taxpayers, he added. “I -ihink we have to show
we've pot more imagination than to dip in the back packet
of the taxpayer every time,” Hull said.

Hull fears the project will be voted down because of
public discomfort with the amount to be borrowed.

Other councillors said the authorizing the full amount
ensures the project will be buil( and still leaves plenty of
opportunity to search for partners and reduce the borrow-
ing required. “I would hate to see us nickel and dime il,”
said councillor Olpa Power, . | a

“The cancern f have is if it won't fly al $7.6 million, it
won't fly at 6, it probably won't fly at 5 or 4,” added mayor
Jack Tulstra, “People are either in favour of it or they're
not.”

Councillor Linda Hawes, who is running against ‘Talstra
in the Nov, 20 elections, predicted many. partners will slep
forward — as the Nisga’a have already done with an offer
to contribute — once a firm project gets the support of vo-
lcrs, “Once we have assent from the voters they're really
going to come on side,” she added. “f think the incentive is
there.” oe

Councillors setiled on the $7.6 million borrowing re-
quest — enough to cover the entire estimated project cost
wilh no other contributians — after also debating two other
figures. Other options could have seen them go with a iig-
ure of $7.1 million, which would have counted on at least
$500,000 to be raised by yolunicers. ,

Councillors decided not to include in the borrowing fig-
ure an extra $135,370 to cover the charge for borrowing
costs levied by the Municipal Finance Authority. ‘Phat
would have raised the total to $7.735 million,

The city’s decision to simply absorb that cost and not
make it part of the borrowing. is in line with what’s been
done on previous projects, said lhe mayor and city offi-
cials. ; ce

A bylaw was to be introduced Tuesday night. enacting
the referendum question, ee

The annual cost of repaying (he $7.6 million to be bor-
rowed over 20 years would-be split 70-30 between the city
and regional district voters, if approved in the referen-
dum. The project depends:on a yes Vole in ‘Terrace and a
yes vate in the combined tural-arcas, ©

Borrowing $7.6 million over 20 years at a current rate of
6.5 per cent wauld add $42.46 to the taxes of a $100,000
home in Terrace, and $63.69 to the taxes of a $150,000
home. ves ;
for more on the multiples, see Page A12,

Thornhill thrown into new school mix

THE SCHOOL DISTRICT is not only working on a plan
to replace the aging Skeena Junior Secondary School, it has
expanded that effort to include the futures of Caledonia Sen-
ior and Thornhill Junior, a

At a school board meeting in Kitimat last week, the
board made four recommendations which, if adopted, will
affect thousands of junior and (
Terrace and Thornhill: , ;

The board agreed the new replacement school should be
located very close to Caledonia: « Mee eel

Trustees also made allowances for Caledonla and the new
Skeena replacement school to be Joined in some fashlon,.

That way the schools can have interlocking timetables and

share facilities, ~ - ee hey as
“Thal way you get more benefil out of both buildings,”

senior secondary students in.

said Barry Piersdorff, school district secretary treasurer,

The board also recommended that the door remain open
for Caledonia and the new Skeena to operate as one, Grade &

to 12 school instead of two, Grade 8 to 12 entities.

Piersdorff explained the two schools will remain two
but can act as one big school, joined by

separate buildings,
walkways. - me 7 oe
“We're not building an addition on Cal,” he added.

The board also-agreed to investigate whether Thornhill
-Junior Secondary should be expanded to offer Grades 8 to

12 if Caledania.

moving to Terrace to finish Grades 11 and ‘12.

That way Grade 12 students would be able to stay in.
Thornhill for their entite high school years, rather than

grade 8-12 schools in Terrace and Thornhill, schools can't
uffer as many cleclives because of smaller enrolment
humbers. ,

“We want the possibility that these things can occur to
remain open,” said acting Superintendent Sharon Beedly, of
the recommendations, “The committee didn’t wani to close
any options”. a

Beedle said the next step in the long process invalves
hiring an architect who will work with the building com-
mitlee to design plans, ©

Construction of the new $12-million replacement school
could begin as early as next fall.”

; Students could be in their new school by Sepiember

~The ptoblem with that however is thal if there are three —

Sharon Beedle