Farewell

Bruce Carruthers says
goodbye to the
Skeena Valley Golf
Club\SPORTS B5

Sample question
What the education
ministry says Grade 4
readers need to
know\NEWS A12

Season opener

The TLT explores the
life lessons contained
in a Monopoly
game\COMMUNITY B1

$1.00 pLus 7¢ GST
($1.10 plus 8¢ GST
outside of the Terrace area)

By JEFF NAGEL
NORTHWEST towns say they were
led by the government to believe — in-
correctly -that Skeena Cellulose
could only be sold and kept out of
bankruptcy if communities raise $20
million to become joint owners.

This raises the possibility towns in
the region might not have pledged to
raise money and conduct referendums
if they’d been given different informa-
tion.

The community buy-in plan is a
condition of the offer for SCI by Swiss-
based Mercer International, which
Victoria picked as its chosen buyer.

A 90-day extension of bankruptcy
protection granted last Thursday gives

more time for all parties to work {o-

wards the sale.

But key components of the deal
must be hammered out by Dec. [4 or
else the extension may be overturned,
triggering bankruptcy.

Rival bidder NWBC Pulp and Tim-
ber Co. Ltd., organized by a former
Repap executive, said last week its
offer never depended on communities
putting up money.

Nor does any mention of the idea
appear in NWBC’s Oct. 22 formal
offer to buy SCI, obtained by the Stan-
dard.

But Thorpe. told City of Terrace
teps in a conference call that com-
munity buy-in was needed by both bid-
ders, said Terrace Economic Develop-
ment Authority executive director Ken

Veldman.

“Phe minister told us both of these
bids depend on this $20 million to
make them viable,” Veldman said.

“He said here’s your choices — ei-

More inside
@ Sale may hinge on many
conditions, A2
_Hf Rival bidder calls Mercer
offer inferior, A16

‘ther you’re in on this concept or it’s
hot going to gel an extension and hil
bankruptcy. [t seemed like a fairly
easy decision.”

Wednesday, November.14,2001

SCI rescue based on wrong info

That's backed up by a press release
of the North West Community Invest-
ment Limited Partnership, the group
communities have formed to raise
money.

“The B.C. government indicated to
the communities that a $15-20 million
stake was required to complete two
potential purchasers’ offers,” it says.

-Terrace mayor Jack Talstra also
says he acted on that understanding
when he told Thorpe he was neutral on
the bidders and advised Thorpe to
choose the best offer. "

“Minister Thorpe asked me if 1 had
a preference,” he said. “I said no, go
with whichever is the better deal.”

Talstra would not speculate on
whether different information might

have affected the decision to raise
money to buy in.

But Veldman admilted some dis-
comfort about whal towns were told.

“We've got same concerns about
that,” he said. “If one group is coming
forward and saying we've got a viable
business plan and it doesn’t depend on
the communities, then why the hell
would we be involved in this?”

Asked if he told northwest reps both
bidders needed community money,
Thorpe said: “To my knowledge | did
not make that statement. If someone
misunderstood that comment, so be
it.”

“The province of British Columbia
in no way ever suggested to one

Continued Page A11

1 Teachers take
limited action

By JENNIFER LANG
DISTRICT superintendent Randy Smallbrugge patrolled
the playground the morning of Nov. 9 as students headed
into Cassie Hall Elementary School.

The school district's non-union administrative staff

_haye been assigned to specific schools, where they're
hdlping principals supervise students before class and
during tecess,

“It definitely is a disruption to our normal working
day,” Smallbrugge said as students settled into class.

On Nov. 8, B.C. Teachers’ Federation members across
the province launched phase one of a limited jab action
designed to put on pressure at the bargaining table in its
attempt to gain salary increases of 34 per cent over
threee years.

Although essential services legislation means tea-
chers aren’t allowed to walk picket lines, the Labour
Relations Board has ruled teachers don't have partici-
pate in a range of non teaching duties.

That means classes are continuing as normal, but
school principals and other administrators will have to
find ways to supervise children, even if it means making
parts of the playground or school off-limits — or even
staggering recess times,

The Terrace and District Teachers’ Union, which re-
presents about 240 local teachers, is holding firm on that
point.

“We are on strike,” TDTU president Frank Rowe said.
“They need to understand that.”

Teachers will only supervise students if every alterna-
tive has been sought, or to protect students’ health or
safety.

“If there’s an emergency, we'll respond immediate-
ly,” Rowe said.

Teachers also won't be participating in school fun-
draising activities.

Day one of the job action saw the postponement of
this Saturday night’s music concert by Thornhill Junior
band students at the R.E.M. Lee.

The concert is the band’s main fundraiser for a plan-
ned trip to a national music festival and competition in
Calgary in May,

The band needs to raise $35,000 in the next six
months to help cover travel expenses.

The BCTF ruled band teacher Michael Wen, who is
also the conductor, would be in contravention of the job

Cont'd Page A2

No change
in reading skills

By JENNIFER LANG
FOR THE second year in a row, a provincial test
has found 30 per cent of students in the Coast
Mountains School District are nol reading ta their
grade level,

That figure is on par with the district's resulls
from last year’s Foundation Skills Assessment, an
annual snapshot thal looks at reading, writing and
numeracy skills in Grades 4, 7, and 10,

Last year’s reading scores prompted the school
board to champion literacy as the district's num-
ber-one pricrity.

The 2001 Foundation Skills Assessment results
show 30 per cent of Coast Mountain's Grade 4 stu-
dents tested aren’! mecting reading expectations.

That’s the same percentage as last year, and it’s
eight points behind the provincial average of 22
per cent not meeting reading expectations.

Grade 7s showed a slight improvement in read-
ing this time out, with 32 per cent of those tested
not meeting expectations (the provincial average
is 24 per cent),

Grade 10 students here slipped seven percent-
age points over last year year, with 34 per cent of

. Cont'd Page Ai2

m Just imagine
GRADE 2 student Selena Kunar peeks through a window in a
mock space station assembled in E.T. Kenney’s gymnasium
last week. She was one of about 40 kids in the schaol’s sci-
ence club who helped work on the project. Parents and stu-

dents got to see the completed station Nov, 7, when the
school wrapped up its bi-annual home reading program with a
read-in. Parents and their children read together in the gym for
about 20 minutes and snacked on dehydrated space food.

ging CMTs

vage timber in the area.

Halpert’s logging was also
overseen by forests minisiry offi-
cials, who visited the site a num-
ber of times.

“This is not a case where we
have an individual sneaking
around the bush with a chainsaw
trying to remove trees surrepti-
tiously without anyone’s

No jail for lo

By JEFF NAGEL
A TERRACE LOGGER won’t
go to jail in the first-ever convic-
tion for illegally logging trees
once used by aboriginal people.

George Halpert was sentenced
Nov. 8 to six months on proba-
tion and was ordered to write a
letter of apology to the Kitsum-
kalum band council.

He had been convicted earlier
on charges under the Heritage
Conservation Act of cutting down
seven culturally modified trees
(CMTs) on Kitsumkalum. Moun-
tain in 1999. He was also convic-
ted under the Forest Practices
Code of taking live trees rather
than salvaging dead ones.

A culturally modified ‘tree is
one altered by iiative people
through traditional use. Alterations
include test holes, peeled bark,
partially chopped trees or stumps

had no prior record of criminal or
forestry offences,

He also decided not lo levy a
fine, adding Halpert had already
been required to pay a $4,000
penalty levied by the forests mini-
stry.

He has also suffered financially
and fost his cedar shake mill, de
Walle added.

Halpert could have faced a fine
of up to $1 million and jail time
of up to three years for the Forest
Practices Code violation, and
fines of up to $2,000 and prison of
up to six months for taking the
CMTs.

Crown prosecutor Christine
Birnie had called for a jail sen-
tence of up to six months to serve
as a deterrent against similar acts

The case is the first conviction
under the celatively new Heritage
Conservation Act.

and trees delimbed for wood.

Some of the ones logged by
Halpert dated back to the 1600s,
court was told.

At trial, defence lawyer David
Mardiros argued Halpert didn’t in-
tend to illegally take the trees and
that identification of CMTs can
be so difficuit as to confound ex-
peils, let alone loggers.

Defence portrayed Halpert as a
victim. of a changing regulations
and government officials who did
nol adequately warnloggers about
avoiding CMTs.

In passing ‘sentence, Judge Ed
de Walle said Halpert is guilty. of
at least negligence in determining
which trees to take.

Bul he said there’s no evidence -
the logger set out to steal timber
or hide his actions.

The judge noted Halpert en-
tered into licences, paid fees and
obtained proper documents to sal-

Marked by history
- ®Aclose look at cultur-
ally modified trees, A5

knowledge,” de Walle said.

‘He agreed identifying CMTs is
“very difficult.”

And he also noted there was

‘snow coaling many of the trees,

making. identification of CMTs
even more difficult.

De Walle ruled a jail sentence
was not warranted, noting Halpert

Be

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