Thornhill’s future

Bottom line costs of local.
government options for Thornhill | - -
are now ready\NEWS AS...

Double digit nominations

The number of people nominated
for Volunteer of the year hits:
25\COMMUNITY B1

Boomer

4

Terrace Pee Wees took bronze at
the provincials but needed an O.T,
goal to do it\SPORTS C1

THE PROVINCE has eliminated
11 Environment ministry posi-
tions in the Skeena region.

And that, admits regional direc-
tor Dick Anderson, could mean
some of the jobs previously done
by Environment will have to go
by the board.

“We'll cither have to re-
prioritize (workloads) so that they
are carried out by somebody else,
or they get dropped. We're in the
process now of irying to work
that out,”’ he said.

Among the positions axed is
that of the lone Terrace-based
habitat technician, Kathy Stuart.
Her redundancy became effective
miduight Friday night.

Part of Stuart’s job involved

carrying out reviews of potential
environmental impacts of pro-
posed projects or developments.

Because those are required un-
der the Environmental Assess-
ment Act, Anderson emphasized
they would stiil be carried out.

“Those. will be one of the
priority items. We don’t have a
choice in dropping those off the
lable,’ he said,

However, asked wha would be.

handling that work now for the
mhinistry, he replicd, “'That’s a
good question and something that
we still have towork out,

“Obviously it will have to be
picked up because some of these
referrals can’t be feft,’’

Figuring out just who would

ra

take on such tasks was one of the
problems when ‘‘crilical posi-
tions’’ were eliminated, he added.

Anderson said the picture
would be clearer once managers

- STANDAR

The positions cut affect nearly
every depariment at BC Environ-
ment — fish and wildlife, water
branch and protection, planning
and assessment, administration

Part of Stuart’s job involved carrying out reviews
of potential environmental impacts of proposed

profects or developments,

had prepared their annual operat-
ing plans, expected within the
next few weeks.

“But make no mistake, there
are some more bricks on the
wagon and some of them are
going to have to drop.’’

IT’S ONE of the most effec-
tive tools of law enforcement
across the country.

And after months of
organizing, Crime Stoppers is
here in Terrace,

An anonymous tps phone
line has been set up at the
Terrace RCMP detachment, at

. 635-TIPS,

The Terrace Crime Stoppers
board of directors can author-
ize reward payments of up to
$1,000 to tipsters for informa-
tion that leads to charges
being laid.

But RCMP Const. Rose
Burpee says ilpsters offen
don’! even want the reward,

CRIMESTOPPERS coordinator RCMP Const, Rose Burpee says the phones are hooked up
and police are ready to take anonymous information at 635-TIPS,

Crimestoppers on line

For many, it's an avenue to
help the police without bec-

- oming directly involved.

“There’s a great need for °
it,” Burpee says. “It offers an
avenue for citizens to call in
information that they have
and still remain anonymous at
the same time.”?

Informants are assigned a
code number and never have
to reveal their identity — not
even to collect the reward
money.

“They aren’t identified by
name at all,’’ said member-
ship commiltee chairman Paul
Axelson. “We don’t even

"know who they are,’

"are often solved through pub-

‘Protecting the identity of
the caller is the first and fore-
most mandate of the pro-
gram,’’ Burpee added,

Major incidents in Terrace

lic assistance, sald RCMP
Staff Sgt. John Veldman, who
added the Crimestoppers pro-
gram will likely enhance that
assistance.

“Crimestoppers adds a
whole new dimension to it,
he said,

The local group will work in
conjunction with volunteers
and RCMP in Kitimat and

Continued Page A2

and habitat. Only the Conserva-
tion Officer service escapes,
However, Anderson pointed
out, the 11 “redundancies” do
not mean the people involved are
being laid off,
Instead, they are being offered

one of 18 new positions being
created to deal with the Forest
Practices Code aad Forest
Renewal program.

“What we're asking for is for
volunteers to take these new posi-
lions depending on seniority.’
Staff had until 9 a.m. yesterday to
make their choice, he added,

Positions not filled by workers
from the redundant jobs will go
out to competition.

The new jobs being offered are
in district forest offices within the

" Prince Rupert Forest Region:

w Queen Charlotte District, a
forest ecosystem specialist and a
district habitat technician

mw = North Coast (Prince

75¢ PLUS 5¢ GST
VOL. 7NO.51

Rupert), district habitat technician
u Kalum (Terrace), Bulkley
(Smithers) and Morice (Houston)
will cach get a forest ecosystem
specialist and a habitat technician
« Kispiox (Hazelton), a forest
ecosystem specialist.

The habitat technician jobs are
under Forest Renewal B.C., while
the forest ecosystem specialist
positions are under the Forest
Practices Cade.

All the positions will remain
under the environment ministry's
control, Anderson said, allhough
the workers will be located in dis-
trict offices and funding will —
come from a different source. -

‘ .

Hold the

WITH A BIT of luck from a
strong economy and some un-
expected windfalls, the NDP
government has brought in a
balanced budget with a $116
million surplus.

There will be no new tax in-
creases for taxpayers, but fees
for a range of government ser-
vices will be goiug up.

Among them are: planned:

line budget passed

hikes to fishing licence fees.

The government is promis-
ing 2 freeze on taxes for an-_
other two years,

‘It’s accomplishing that by
cutting costs —- $90 million
alone to be cut by reducing
administration.

Spending still increases by
2.9 per cent to-$20,2 dillioa,
however... ert

hee page AZ.

One ministry where the
budget knife wasn’t felt was
aboriginal affairs; where
spending is going up 4.7 per
cent to $33.7 million,

All in all, it's 4 strong
budget to be going into an
election on.

For, more budget Metails, .

Transit ridership ©

figures on the rise

USE IT or lose it.

That was the waming B.C,
Transit, issued last September in
the face of rapidly declining
ridership on local buses,

And unless the trend was
reversed, the provinclally-owned
transit system said there would be
service cuts.

Year end figures suggest the
Imeasage got actoss, By Dec. 31
ridership on the conventional
buses had recovered to 89,300,
only 650 less than 1993's total,

Dave Storey, manager for Coas-

tal Bus Lines, which operates the
system here under contract to
B.C. Transit, also reports the up-
swing in passengers has carried
through into 1995, ;
' There’s more good news on the
financial front as well. Coastal’s
quote for the first year of its ew
contract pushed total costs down
$30,000 while a fare increase
kept revenves steady.

That combination meant cost -

recovery on the system rose to

centage points,

In other words, the subsidy paid
by the city, regional district and
B.C, Transit was lower than the
year before,

Gmeme Masterton, municipal
systems planner with the transit
authority, hopes changes to be in-
troduced this summer will mean
even further improvement.

First put forward in September,

- those changes will see « number

of youte alteratlons and ac-
companying timetable adjust-_
ments. he said July 1 “looks
good’? for the changes to come
into effect.

Unfortunately, it won't be
known vnti] this fall whether one
of the biggest changes will have
the desired effect.

That’s the plan to introduce the
College and Halliwell runs to re-
place the current Soucie and Hal-
liwell routes. Both new routes

“would take in part of the Horse-

shoe before heading up Lanfear.
Once on the bench, the College
service would tum west on a
McConnell-Mountain Vista loop
while the Halliweil would go cast

20.9 per cent, up almost two per-..

to Skeenaview Drive, then swing
back through the Horseshoe on its
way tothe Skeena Mall.

_ Using Lanfear, says Masterton,
should get bench area students
heading for Skeena and
Caledonia schools back on the
transit buses,

_ He explained the services lost
approximately 200 student riders
a day when the school board
determined it was too dangerous
for them to walk on Lanfear.

The walking distance involved

-in using the alternatives. —
Kalum Lake and Skeenaview
Drives — was long enough to
entitle the students to use school
buses, which is just what they’ve

been doing. .
Other changes involve introduc-
ing a reverse run on the south:
side, adding the Balsam neigh-
bourhood sub-division to the
Thornhill route and ~ returning -
conventional bus service to the
Queensway and Copper:
Mountain areas,
After the last major route
shake-up, Queensway and Copper
Mountain residents had to call in
and request the bus be diverted |
off the shortened route to pick -
them up, ma
Storey said the number of such
calls had been enough to justify
retuming them to the regular:
route.

'
*

By MALCOLM BAXTER |
B.C, TRANSIT hopes its
planned route and schedule
changes will turn the financial
performance of the local bus
services around.

The only question is will it
be in time?

In the course of the past two
Kitimat-Stikine regional dis-
trict meetings Terrace director
— and city mayor-— Jack
Talstra has dropped heavy.
hints his council may want to
re-examine the whole ques-
tion of subsidizing the buses.

.Fellow director and- city
counciilor David Hull - bas
been blunter.

At the most recent regional
district meeting, Hull’ un-
‘successfully called for the
elimination of all subsidies for
another form of transporta-
tlon, VIA Rail’s Skeena run,

Moments | later, . the “B.C.
- Transit report on the financial
_ performance of the Terrace-
- Thornhill bus service came up

‘for.discussion, — » ~: =

Future of buses
~-wnder scrutiny

Hazelton’s area director
Fred Roisum jokingly sug-
gested perhaps ihe subsidy on
those services should be dis-
continued and the buses re-
placed by taxis...

‘Hull responded that could -
be under consideration.

Asked what would happen if
the city did decide to with-
draw its financial support,

B.C, .Transit’s Graeme -
Masterton confirmed the
buses would have to go. —

Pointing out it was the city’s
service, he said it was coun-
cil’s: choice whether I con-
tinued.

And if the city pulls the plug —
but the regional district de-
cides to support a Thornhill
only service? wt
“We “would certainly do:
everything we can to help
them,’* Masterton said. | ;
- While it was unlikely that,
kind: of service: would use
conventional buses, he sug-.
gested some form of custom -
service could be worked out,‘

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