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The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 30, 1998 - A3

Kitimat keeps top spot at RD

Board chair broke deal to let
Terrace take a turn, rep says

IT WAS supposed to be
Terrace’s tum to lead the
Kitimat-Stikine
District, says a Terrace city
councillor,

But Rich McDaniel says

Kitimat councillors this year:

broke a deal the two cities
had to altemate the
chairmanship of the regional
district board between them.

McDaniel ran for the posi-
tion of board chair Dec. 11
but was defeated by Kitimat
representative Joanne
Monaghan, who has chaired
the board for five years.

“We have au agreement,”’
said McDaniel,

Last year, McDaniel said
Terrace agreed it wouldn’t
run and let Monaghan con-
tinue on as chair,

‘But this year, Terrace
members expected the situa-
tion fo turn out differently.

“We didn’t expect her to

n,” he said, ‘‘But we’re
not going to cry over this,

we'll just make sure we win
/mext year.’”
Regional ’

Monaghan said she badu’t
planned on running for the
chair again this year but
when she was approached
by other directors she threw
her name into the hat.

She says her pet projects
for 1999 include clearing
the Shames Mountain debt
incurred when the district
sold lift equipment from the
Kitsumkalum ski hill to the
mountain.

That equipment has never
been paid for and the district
wants to forgive the money
owed to help improve
Shames’ credit rating.

But to forgive the loan the
district needs approval from
the provincial government.

She also would like to in-
vite the federal ministers to
the area lo discuss the air-
linc situation with travel
agents and airport represen-
tatives.

News In Brief

TERAACE city councillor Rich McDaniel was returned this month as regional dis-
trict director, but he lost a vote at the regional district to become chairman.
McDaniel says incumbent board chair Joanne Monaghan surprised Terrace coun-
cillors by running again, breaking a deal they had to alternate the chairmanship.

Maps offered to ambulance dispatchers

By CHRISTIANA WIENS
THE MINISTRY of health said the B.C. Am-
bulance Service made two mistakes here this
summer when separate ambulances got lost and
jeopardized the health of a local baby and an

elderly woman.

The problem, said assistant deputy health min-
ister Leah Hollins, stems from ambulance dis-

patchers in Kamloops
having an “ongoing
difficuity”’ finding ac-
curate maps for rural
areas,

But Kitimat-Stikine
regional district chair
Joanne Monaghan
wants to know exactly
what is being done to
make sure the errors
don’t happen again.

And if that means
giving Kamloops dis-
patch maps of the dis-
trict, Monaghan is all
for it.

Monaghan said in a letter to Hollins.”

Monaghan says accurate area maps are crucial
to ambulance response time.

“A death or permanent disability because of
an inaccurate map is untenable,’ she said.
“When will the maps be updated or corrected

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and what mechanisms will be in place to ensure
accuracy ?’”

When Mayor Jack Talstra heard about the
map problem at a regional district meeting, he
responded by saying that the district should lock

at ways of pulling out of the Kamloops dispatch

Smith.

and providing local service — perhaps through
a joint Terrace-Thorahill fire department.
Terrace’s fire department already follows a
proviuce-wide policy that says fire departments
should be contacted if the incident is life-
threatening or if both ambulance units are al-
ready out on call, said Terrace fire chief Randy

“A death or permanent dis-
ability because of an_ in-
accurate map js untenable.”

Monaghan

"We would be pleased to’ share ‘any of 0 Our
rural maps wilh the Ambiildiice™ ‘Service, 1 Mores!

: “Should our people hear something we won rn
wait for a call from dispatch,’’ said Smith. ‘“We

But each detachment member here alsa listens
to a portable scanner that monitors ambulance,
rr search aatd rescue and fire department frequen

5

work for the taxpayer.”

Smith added that Kamloops dispatchers usual-
ly get in touch with firefighters once they are al-

ready in the trucks and on their way to the

emergency,

That’s whal happened on July 3 when the fire
departracut wasn’t called to help a choking baby
ata home in Terrace’s horseshoe.

After realizing the Smithers-based ambulance
team was lost, firefighters here attended the
scene anyway, arriving at the house six minutes
before an ambulance showed up.

Jn another instance, an ambulance was
directed to the Terrace-Kilimat airport on June 7
instead of the Kitimat Airpark where Arlene
Moloney lay suffering from a cardiac arrest.

Moloney died before the ambulance reached
her — a full 20.:minutes after her husband called
the ambulance. It’s not known whether a faster
ambulance arrival could have saved her.

A local dispatch would have also saved Carla
MacDonald from getting a busy signal on Sept.
10. MacDonald was hosting a dinner party
when a 68-ycar-old dinner guest became uncon-
scious. She called the ambulance dispatch only
to get a busy signal.

The problem was attributed to an increase in
long-distance calls that overloaded B.C. Tel’s
circuits after the phone company began offering
cheap flat-rate. long-distance calling . plans.

‘Since then, the-telephone nctwork has been up- :
graded substantially ‘said B.C. Tel spokesman ‘

Kevin Noel.

For the health ministry’s part, Hollins said the
problems at the dispatch centre will be eradi-
cated once dispatch moves lo a system of com-
puler generated maps.

Treaty an experiment on

B.C., Reformers say

BY ALLOWING self-government to be part of the
Nisga’a trealy the federal government is breaking from
its policy elsewhere and using British Columbians as
guinea pigs, says Skcena MP Mike Scott.

‘Every other treaty separated self-government from
the treaty process and has
not allowed self-government
to be constitutionalized,”’
Scott said. ‘*The federal
government is using British
Columbia like a laboratory,
experimenting to sec how it
works.”

Scott made the statements
following a Dec. 17 press
conference where he and
Reform leader Preston Man-
ning called for a province-
wide referendum on. the
Nisga’a treaty. He and Man- Bia
ning also met with the B.C. —

Liberal opposition last week Mike Scott
to exchange information on countering the treaty.

“The Nisga’a treaty and its self-government provi-
sions represent a break from democratic government as
we know it,’’ Scott added.

He also said statements last week by the Nisga’a thal
they might extend citizenship aud voting rights to non-
native residents of the Nass valley docsn’t seem like a
sensible solution to the problem. 4

‘These concepts of Nisga’a cilizenship and Gilxsan
citizenship and Tabltan citizenship — when do we all
just become Canadian citizens? We have a difficult
enough time uniting and identifying as Canadians, why
are we even going down that road?’”

Student numbers falling

“THE BLEEDING hasn’t stopped yet,’’ said school
board secretary treasurer Barry Piersdorff, describing
ailing School District 82.

Piersdorff said enrollment figures are dropping in
schools across the district. |

Since the start of school in September, a total 32 stu.
dents have withdrawn from schools in Terrace,
Kitimat, Hazelton, Stewart, Kitwanga and Thomhill,

Because the district gets $4,005 for every student, a
loss of 32 students means a monetary loss of $128,000.

“Tt means less money next year unless these kids
come back by Scptember,”’ Piersdarff said.

He projected that if enrollment figures continue to
drop at this rate about 150 students will be pulled out
of schools by next September.

‘We're going to have to cover these costs
($600,000),’” he said.

Crosswalks reviewed

DEMANDS for a pedestrian crosswalk on Keith Ave.
between the overpass and Kalum St, is being locked at.

Councillor Olga Power said pedestrians in that area
need a safe way to get across the street there.

She was responding to a letter to council by a local
resident who raised the shortage of crosswalks in
response to the city’s decision to create a $50 fine for
jaywalking. Council voted to have city staff take the
matter up with the highways ministry.

Mike Beausoleil -

_ TERRACE & DISTRICT COMMUNITY

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MENTAL HEALTH REHAB SERVICES —
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Programs fo support employment-d isadvantaged people
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NORTHWEST ADDICTION SERVICES

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