i
a

Glese call

The River Kings trade’
shots with Kitimat in

_ their final game of 2004
‘\SPORTS B4

Sleser |

The final push is on to cut
a deal to sell New Skeena’s
sawmill here to someone who

tina

Photo friendly

Why this woman will be
going ‘around town taking
people’s pictures

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a.

: wwii

\COMMUNITY B1

would operate | it \NEWS A12

* outside of the Terrace area)

$1.00 PLUS 7¢ GST
($1.10 plus 8¢-GST

VOL.17_ ‘NO. 40

www.terracestandar dc

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

| MLA re Vs up y northwest aid pitch |

SKEENA LIBERAL MLA Roger Har-
ris now has his eye on using a chunk
of B.C.’s forecast $2: billion surplus to
jumpstart the region’s economy,

He doesn’t have afigure in mind yetor ,

a specific project but says. the province's
rosy financial picture puts it in a position
to lend a hand: ®

“The province now has the opportu-
nity for capital investments. Government
provides services for quality of life, but
* today we have the ability to make invest-

«ments for infrastriicture,” Harris said last .

week,

Although Harris may not have a proj-.
ect list set out, he favours an added boost

to the plans to develop a container port in
Prince Rupert or a commitment to help
build what’s called the Stewart-Omineca
Resource Road to open an area northeast

of here to mineral, forestry and tourism’

potential.
Northgate: Minerals already has one —

__mine in the area, the copper-gold. Kemess

South property, and wants to open anoth-

"er, Kemess North.

It now ships its product east to Mack-
enzie for rail transport to’a smelter but,

“says Kemess North would be, better:

served by a road coming south and west
to join up with Hwy37 north of Kitwan-
ga. From there, the mine’s ore would be
taken.to the port at Stewart.

The projected $40 million cost for the
Stewart-Omineca Resource Road puts it

out of Northgate’s financial reach, lead- .-

ing to pressure. on the province to de-
velop it by itself and recoup’the cost by
charging user fees to other companies

~who have developments that. would then

“be economically viable.

“The road would be cost effective to
moye minerals and we can’t forget about
tourism values as well,” said Harris.

“Such an economic impact would help ”
Terrace as it-is the regional centre,” he
added. ,

Harris also thinks there would be sub-
stantial economic ‘activity generated by _

extending B.C. Hydro’s hydro lines fur--

ther up Hwy37 North. °
Having secure electric power would.
provide surety for resource companies
who have projects that would-not be vi-
able otherwise, he said.
The MLA’s plan to ask for some. ‘of

_the government's surplus. comes at a
time when there’s already discussions _

between northwestern municipalitics and .
provincial government ministries for’ fi- .

nancial help because of. the New Skeena
bankruptcy.

It also follows. the failed efforts of a

‘local society to convince him.and the.
” government to provide at least $100 mil-
lion worth of assistance to the northwest.
‘The money, $110 million (US), was,
paid by Alcan to B.C. Hydro and stems
from a complicated power sales contract

‘the former signed with the now- bankrupt

_ American Enron power sales company in
the late 1990s, When Enron went out of
business, Alcan had to carry through on
a guarantee to provide either money or
power, It had first fought that guarantee
but then agreed to pay up and forwarded
the money to'B.C. Hydro late last year.
That moncy now sits on B, C. Hydro’s
bottom line and more than likely will go
into its rate stabilization’ account which

is ‘used to case the cost of overall opera-
tions.

Harris, said he liked the Kitimat-Ter-.
race, Industrial Development Society’ S
idea of gelling a large: chunk of money

for economic development but drew the | .

line at using the Alcan payment. ,
. “One of the first changes we made_as'

government was to stop any. government

from being able to drip into the pocket.”
book of B.C. Hydro and taking money,”
he said.

important to remember that the Alcan
money will indirectly benefit the north-

West — and the rest of the province — by:

helping keep hydro rates as. low as pos-
sible.

- Any B.C. Hydro profit left after mon-
ies are put into the stabilization account
is sent to.the province: Harris said it is

| _ Tsunami

+ SETIEIIE

ta

FROM ‘door-to- door Rice Krispie square
-sales to plans for a massive benefit concert, a

tidal” wave of Terrace generosity is building —

* to aid Asian’ ally victims. ¢

some people ‘and give ‘them homies maybe,”
- 10-year-old Brittany Seymour said.

. She and her best friend, Taylor Belanger,
raised $33.53 selling Rice Krispie squares at
just 25 cents each to neighbours.in the Gi-
taus subdivision on New Years Eve.

They also sold handmade coasters and
pillows, knocking on 25 doors. ;

One neighbour bought a whole batch of

squares. Others donated more when they |

learned the girls were going door-to-door.
They donated the money to Safeway,
* -which collected $2,279 from customers
here for the Red Cross.

t

ce off

4

The heartbreaking plight of the victims of

last month’s tragedy and the mounting,num-
_-ber of confirmed dead in the affected nations
has spurred other Jocal residents into action.

“For me, it’s ‘probably the same as for

everyone else in town, just seeing this on
television and feeling powerless, and wish-
ing you could help,” music teacher Robin
Hollett explained.

-On New Year’s Eve she realized: there

was something she could do — ‘organize a

benefit concert for the Red Cross.

“Terrace has this incredible resource,
which is our performing arts community. |
just thought if everybody came together, we
could probably do something.”

The next morning she began making calls.
‘T tried to wait until noon,” she added.

On Jan. 29, more than 100 local perform-

ers will take to the stage at the R.E.M. Lee in.

a gala-type concert and silent auction called
Help Live (for more details, : sec City Scene
on page B2).

The title takes inspiration from the histor-

ic 1985 Live Aid concert for African famine

‘victims but also: emphasizes the need to en-

sure those, displaced by the tsunami remain

TAYLOR BELANGER, at the left in the
top photo, and Brittany Seymour sold
Rice Krispie squares while paramedic
' Jeff Peden collected money for.
tsunami relief. TERI SEYMOUR, TOP PHOTO,
MARGARET SPIERS, BOTTOM PHOTO

alive.
“I was just so amazed. Every single group
I have phoned has wanted to participate.”
Terrace’s ambulance paramedics collect-
ed $4,054.34 for the Red Cross in just two -
afternoons as part of a province-wide money
drive spearheaded by B.C. paramedics. .
“Our totals were nearly as high as Van-
couver paramedics were reporting,” para-
medic Chery! Spencer said.
“The people of Terrace were. so awe--
some,” unit chief Carl Wassink said, adding
the amount surpassed any expectations.

Continued on page A2

AN INCREASE i in the number of women > working
part time has dropped the monthly regional

unemployment rate to a level not seen in at least

four years.

’ And most of those , jobs are in the accommo- —

dation and food service. sector, says a federal
employment analyst who spent late last week

pouring over stats for Dec. 2004 which put the

unemployment rate at 8.6 per cent.

“We were close to December with 8.8 per cent
in Oct. 200! while in January 2000 it was 8.5 per
cent,” said Patrick McIntyre.

He said it is now statistically safe to say the
drop in the unemployment rate which began last

‘summer can no longer be solely attributed to peo-

ple leaving the area to find work.

“Yes, the population has dropped but the peo-
ple who have stayed have found work or a way to
be productive. In itself, that is a positive thing;”
he said last week.

' November's unemployment rate was 9.3 per
cent and it was 9.5 per cent in October.

In December 2003 the rate was 12.5 per cent —

while it was 10.6 per cent tn both October and
November of 2003.
McIntyre did note that the number of ‘male

- workers, particularly those in the traditional well- .

paid resource sector, has held fairly steady for the
past months..

“There was an increase in full time employ-
ment for men and women, but it is so small itis.
“almost as it didn’t happen,” McIntyre added of the

comparison between Nov. 2003 and Dec. 2003.

Unemployment rates for this area come from
surveys done by Statistics Canada from Vander-
hoof to the Queen Charlotte Islands and up north
to the Yukon border.

Overail, the northwest has had the largest drop
in unemployment in the past year of any region in
the province. The provincial unemployment rate
for December was 6 per cent, a 20 year low. |

The northwest’s either working or available

labour force of males and: females over the age

of 15 for December was 50,900, a hike over the
50,600 of December 2003.
Of that December 2004 number, 46,500 peo-

we

. waa gual :
pene . Mt
paw Loh

ole said they were iifloyed wi with 34,300 i ina full
time job and 12,200 in a part time position. -

There were 34,000 pcople in a full time job in :

‘Dec. 2003 and 10,300 in a part time job fora total
employment of 44,300.

Mcintyre said a significant figure is ‘the drop
in people who said they were looking for work
but were unemployed — — from 6,300 people in Dec.

2003 to 4,400 in. Dec. 2004, making for a differ- ;
~ ence of almost 2,000 people.
“You could almost say |,000 people have left

and 1,000 have féund work when you look. at
those numbers,” said McIntyre. “Of course, they
won't be the same people but it does indicate what
is happening.” .

The overall population of men and women over
the age of 15 was listed at 71,900 for this area in
Dec: 2004 compared to 72,800 in Dec. 2003.

McIntyre said there was an increase in part
time jobs for women in the health care and social

assistance field, but it is not as much of a gain as.

it is in the food and accommodations field. Retail
jobs of all descriptions continue to drop, he said.

TERRACE’s. neivish homes ©
e«have risen in- value while
‘older housés are oncé again”
vorth less‘ ‘according to B. C. -
- Assessment.

’ “Assessment |

[> official ,Fraéy Wall “said a

typical newer single’ family.
home valucd at $167,700

ey ir 2003" is‘ now assessed:at~
- $185,100.
2 “Most of the older homes

”

in Terrace are worth less,

she said, giving the example .

of one older home valued
at $129,000 in 2003 . that
dropped to $119,000.
The split market is’ be-
cause construction of new

homes pretty much ground .

to a near halt in 1997 when

-Skeena Cellulose collapsed. ©

“We really haven’t been
building new homes since
then,” Wall said.”

But new people still
move to town and existing
residents increasingly want
‘newer updated homes.» —

_ “There’s “more ‘demand
_. for the newer homes and we
. just don’t have the supply to

fill the demand,” Wall said.
“LT hat has created this in-
crease in. the market.” Wall

. Characterizes newer. homes

as ones built after 1980. |

She said home age is
the biggest factor - ahead
of neighbourhoods — and
the pattern holds up in
Thornhill,

“Generally the. trend. is
similar in Thornhill, with the
newer homes worth slightly

more and the older homes »
worth about the same as last -

year,” Wall added. ~
Atypical newer Thornhill
home is up from $143,100 to
$148,700, she said, while a
typical older one is down
from $94,800 to $94,300.

Wall said-it can be dif- -

A Newer homes —

-ficiilt for northwesterners to. .
“watch the booming housing .

-market® of: other* ‘parts of the --'
in “some...
"8 cases prices have doubled or

province, » where:

even tripled in‘a year. |

pane On an. optimistic, note,,
. this i is the first time ina few °

years We've seeh residential

Property values increase \in
_ the. newer ‘homes .in Ter-

Oo

race,”
ing. we’ve ‘finally reached
the bottom and we will per-
haps see things start to turn.
around in our area,”

The estimated values are |

as of -July 1, the snapshot
date-each year on which as-
sessments are based.

Total assessed values in

‘Terrace rose to $724.8 mil--

lion in the 2005 assessment,

“up. from $717 million a year
- ago.

- It was the second strai ght.

. year of modest increases

since assessments here bot- -

". tomed out in 2003, after five -
straight years ' of declines

since assessed values peaked

“at $831 million in 1998:

An increased property as-

sessment can mean a higher . .
, tax bill — even if city coun-
- cil keeps spending’, steady.

— but that’s usually only for
homes where the assessment.
has’ gone up- ‘significantly
more than the average.

To compare assessment

"values, go to www. beassess-

ment.be.ca.
Local realtor John Evans
notes assessments are based

on averages and don’t ulti-..

matcly determine the market
value of a home.

“The value is always de-
termined by having a willing ©
seller‘and a willing buyer in
a reasonable period of time,” :
he said. Se

she said. “I’m hop- |

_ Terrace property values -
_ total assessments in $ millions

i

850 -
420 -
790 —
760:
—

1997-2005

Tt tee Bea cores