White gold

African mind-blower

Okay, our town's mascot is.
suddenly famous. Now how do we
cash in?\NEWS A14 |

Eritrean trip puts country stars in
‘touch with hardships endured by
Peacekeepers\COMMUNITY B3

King of the hill

Norm Hebert is riding high after
scoring a snowmobile racing
triumph\SPORTS B4

VOL. 14 NO. 2
WEDNESDAY

April 18, 2001

_www.terracastandard.com

$1.00 p.us 7¢ GST
($1.10 plus 8¢ GST
outside of the Terrace area)

Victoria puts more parks into land-use plan for this region

areas had to be preserved because
most of the 20 protected areas in the
plan are small scenic marine anchor-
ages along the Douglas Channel, and
add up to barely 7,600 hectares.

The two sides agreed to disagree in
December and sent the plan out for
public comment, -but local reaction
was also divided. .

That sent the final decision on the
unresolved areas to Victoria.

Not everything went as local envir-

onmental groups had wished,
Some locals had also wanted the

Continued Pg. A11

By JEFF NAGEL

THE PROVINCE has sided with
local environmentalists’ demands for
more protected areas in giving final
approval to the Kalum land-use plan.

The decision by cabinet preserves
an extra 60,000 hectares, or close to
three per cent of the 2.1 million hec-
taré area around Terrace and Kitimat.

The extra protected areas are the
Foch and Gilloyees watersheds, which
connect the Douglas Channel to the
upper reaches of the Gitnadoix River.

The increase means the total area
protected in the Kalum Forest District

He has
eyes
only for
Vincent

By SARAH A, ZIMMERMAN
LIKE MOST two-year-olds,
Hayden loves to play. With his
beautiful black hair and big
brown eyes, strangers are drawn
to him.

But unlike other two-year-olds,
Hayden has a very important job.

Hayden is a black lab and he is
Vincent Cooke’s seeing eye dog.
And when Hayden's wearing his
harness he’s on duty and that
means no pelling.

“People can stop and talk to
me but don’t touch the dog,” says
Cooke, “It’s the same as a two or
three-year-old kid; he’ll get dis-
tracted.”

Three years ago, at the age of
64, Cooke lost his sight due to
diabetes, Going blind after a life-
time of being able to see required
some transition but the long-time
Terrace resident has taken every-
thing in stride.

“You just bear and grin it,”
says Cooke nonchalantly. “If you
have to go through it, you have to
go through it.”

Almost immediately Cooke put
his name on a waiting list for a
seeing eye dog. ,

After two years of waiting
Cooke finally got word that a dog
was available to him through an
organisation called Canine Vision
Canada.

Cocke flew to Oakville, Ontar-
io, where he spent-a month at a
special training school with Hay-
den.

It’s been almost two months HAYDEN is a seeing
since Hayden and Cooke paired igyes tg play, it sometimes makes it difficult for the pooch to ca

STA

NDARD

“Terrace is B.C.'5 2001 Forestry Capital”

will be boosted from the present 18.6
per cent to just over 22 per cent.

That’s well above the goal of pre-
serving 12 per cent of all of B.C.

Kalum Land and Resource Man-
agement Plan participants were only
able to agree on an increase of about
0.36 per cent, to around 19 per cent.

Industry reps said large areas al-
teady preserved in parks such as the
Kitlope and the Gitnadoix- made it dif-
ficult to protect much more.

Local conservationists disagreed,
arguing the Foch and Giltoyees water-
sheds should also be protected.

They said more significant sized

eye dog for Terrace resident Vincent Cook

e. While the two-year-old black lab
ncentrate on his job.

up and so far so good.

As Terrace’s oniy seeing eye can’t resist petting the black lab.

dog Hayden attracts a lot of atten-

tion. And the only problem Cooke _ the dog that’s just taking his mind
has had has been with people who — off the job,” said Cooke.

Hayden is more than just a go for a walk I’m with

“If someone starts playing with guide for Cooke; he is also quick- somebody,” says Cooke, “He gets

ly becoming a friend.
“He's good company. When | ing ina straight line.”

me there safe and keeps me walk-

Landing system looks good

ILS would slash number

of missed flights at airport glide path indicator,

NAV CANADA has indicated it's very
close to approving an instrument landing

system (ILS) for the Terrace airport.

The word care in the form of a letter in
which the not-for-profit.air navigation agency
concludes a precision approach using instru-

ments is possible here.

“This is a major step forward and very good

Reed said Nav Canada still has .
to ensure the Jocalizer will still
have the same signal strength from

its new location.

news for us,” alrport manager Rick Reed said. —_ ished for next winter.

An instrument landing system: is expected
to eliminate 75 per cent of missed approaches '-see the ‘cement: being poured," he

to this airport in inclement weather,’

The project involves moving the existing

added. mo

localizer beacon so it’s in line with
the runway, and installation of a

After that, it depends on how
quickly the project ~ which could
cost from $500,000 to $1 million
~is put into Nav Canada's budget.

Reed’s hopeful it could be fin-

2. "We won't count onit until we

pe ted $350,
“The airport has been lobbying strongly since

last summer for an ILS here,

Reed said Transport Canada and
Nav Canada both called soon after
Skeena MP Andy Burton raised the
issue in the House of Commons and

q asked transport minister David Col-

-lenette to act:
Pulting in the ILS ‘will also. mean
some tree cutling on the west side

He said the airport will also be re-—
quired to upgrade Its runway ap-
proach lighting if it gets ari ILS.

That: will cost the airport an estima-

of the runway and on Punk Rock, a -
f knob on Little Herman Mountain:

000, but 95: per cent of the bill will...
‘be covered by’a Transport Canada grant.

FOCH ESTUARY, down the Douglas Channel, is one of the marine
parks created in the Kalum land-use plan. The larger watershed behind
the anchoratge has also been added to the plan's protected areas.

Unions nix
SCI export

Job commissioner backs plan

By JEFF NAGEL |

A DEAL to let Skeena Cellulose export raw logs is unra-
velling because of opposition from its unionized workers.

Four unions representing workers at SCI’s Prince Ru-
pert pulp mill and sawmills in Terrace, Carnaby and
Smithers say, they oppose exporting raw logs. ;

“Export of unprocessed resources pravides no econo-
mic benefit to our members or our communities,” said a
letter last week tothe premier from the IWA, PPWG,
and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers.

The economic plan crafted by job protection commis-
sioner Eric van Soeren would let Skeena Cellulose ex-
port 10 per cent of the wood it cuts this year, and up to

15 per cent over five years.

That would cut SCI’s logging costs and let it operate
more than otherwise possible while markets are poor.

Van Soeren said the forests ministry is ready to sign
and he has agreement-in-principle from Port Edward and
Prince Rupert town councils, which would agree ta on-

going properly tax deferrals.

But he said those municipalities are now under pres-
sure from the unions to withdraw support.

“Now they’re being lobbied to reconsider,” he said.

The jobs commissioner backs limited log exports as a
way 'o keep people working although unions believe
exporting logs equates to exporting jobs.

Logs exported overseas fetch much higher prices.

Continued Page A2

Return of school
boss uncertain

THERE’S STILL no word
on when Herb Fader will
return to his superinten-
dent’s post al the Coast
Mountains School District.

Fader has been on sick
leaye since February, and
na one's saying how long
he’ ll be off the job.

“All we know is, he’s
away,” said acting super-
intendent Randy Small-
brugpe,

It's not even known if
Fader will be able to re-
turn before the end of the
school year.

“We don't know,”
Smallbrugge said. "We're
prepared to move ahead,
and we're prepared to do
what we have to do in
cuse he comes back here.
We're all kind of in a
holding pattern.”

Fader, hired just last
year and who caine with a
repulation as a person who
could reconcile diverse
groups of peapie, was liv-

-ing in a small trailer, It has

since been removed.

No. permanent plans
have- been made to deal
with Fader’s absence.

“We can’t because the
guy’s away {ll and we
have ‘to assume he'll be
back,” Smallbrugge said.

. In the meantime, ad-
ministrators have: had to
shuffle into temporary po-

Herb Fader

sitions to ensure work gets
done.

Hazelton Secondary
School principal Vie Di-
kaitis has been named
temporary director of in-
Struction, a position that
involves some of Small-
brugge's regular duties,

Dikaitis has taught all
grades in both small and
large schools, board chair
Linda Campbell said.

He has extensive exper-
ience as a principal and
superintendent of schools
in both B.C. and Alberta,
she added,

Instructor Scott Stewart

_ has been named acting

Hazelton principal. An on-
call teacher is filling in for
him in the classroom,