Clock ticks on Alcan dispute Court filing may be unavoidable By JEFF NAGEL KITIMAT officials say they will go to court to settle the Alcan power sales dispute if there’s no negotiated resolution by the end of summer. ‘They had planned to file their -legal challenge in early June but are waiting longer after two meet- ings with provincial cabinet mini- sters in the past month. Town manager Trafford Hall said they cannot delay much fur- ther without jeopardizing their case, adding efforts underway may simply run out of time. '“There’s clearly a time limit here,” he said. “These processes have started two years too late and they are moving too slow even with the best intentions of the parties.” He’s optimistic some govern- Ment ministers are beginning to understand Kitimat’s position. “Tcan see it’s quietly dawning on them that this is a serious problem,” he said. He said another meeting may take place July 7. Kitimat council, backed by a large citizens’ coalition, main- tains the original agreement gov- erning Alcan power sales must be enforced to ensure electricity gen- erated from the Nechako reservoir PREMIER GORDON CAMPBELL, here last Tuesday to open Terrace's new dialysis unit, also met local leaders on cther issues, including the dispute over Alcan power sales, JESSIE GIES PHOTO is used to produce aluminum —and northwest jabs - not for lu- crative power exports. Given a free hand, they say, Alcan will minimize aluminum production and northwest jobs and eventually maximize power sales, Hall predicts a court decision upholding Kitimat’s interpretation would mean Alcan would have to immediately restore the smeiter to 100 per cent aluminum produc- tion. He said it would have a limited time left to sell roughly 140 megawatts of surplus power, after which it would have to use all electricity to smelt aluminum or sell it for industrial use in the vi- cinity of the works. He said the 1997 agreement compensating Alcan for the can- cellation of its Kemano Comple- lion Project gives it until 2014 to sell unused power, It was antici- pated it would open a new smelter by then. Hall said he’s grateful premier Gor- don Campbell gave agsur- ances last week the pro- vince would abide by any final court in- terpretation, and nol try to circumvent it with legislation, “We were somewhat con- cerned about that,” Hall said. “The amount of money on the table for the company is enormous and a loss for the public is enor- Trafford Hall mous. The company isn’t going to give this up without very good reason,” Campbell, who visited Terrace : and Kitimat June 17, stuck to the | government’s line on the Alcan issue. “All of our legal advice is they are acting within the constraints of all the agreements they have made with the province over the past 30 years,” the premier said. “The courts aren't the solution to the problem,” he added. Campbell said Kitimat must decide what it’s ultimate objec- tive is, “My goal is to have Alcan in- vesting in an industrial plant in , the northwest of British Columbia, to have Alean saying British Co- lumbia and Kitimat are great places to do business,” Court rules against terminated loggers TWO LOGGING companies have lost a final court battle to reinstate contracts terminated by new owners of Skeena Cellulose. Clear Creek Contracting Ltd. and Jasak Logging Ltd. had ever- green logging contracts totalling 196,000 cubic metres that they say supported 75 local jobs. The B.C. Court of Appeal this month upheld an earlier ruling that the buyers of SCI had a right under bankruptcy protection rules to ter- minate the five-year replacable con- tracts last year. We need a We need a salesperson with Submit resumes in person. The contractors argued provincial rules governing evergreen contracts should trump bankruptcy law. This decision is devastating for our employees. and our shareholders, Clear Creek president Rob Wood said. Our company has now. lost a contract it paid in excess of $825,000 for. He also said it sets a disastrous precedent for other evergreen con- tractors who work for licensees that fall into creditor protection. New Skeena Forest Products president Dan Veniez insisted the new salesperson. Rut we have some special requirements. One of them is that you have to have big ears. That’s our way of saying that you need to know how to listen really well ro our customers. Think of the many stores you’ve been in, and no one asks if they can help. ‘And if they do ask, they don’t seem to listen. So you begin to see why you've got to have big ears. Our customers are used to being heard. And we intend to keep it chat way. Jf you'd like to hear more, we'd like co talk with you, province terminate the contracts as a condition of purchasing the opera- tions. He said that would allow the restructured company to put some of its timber out to open bidding to ensure competitive pricing. Clear Creek and Jasak were se- lected for termination, while three other evergreen contractors were not. Veniez claimed Clear Creek and Jasak weren t cost-competitive. '. But Wood says-his: firms: have: ‘since outbid other conttActors for in recent timber auctions. So were pretty competitive, he said. Wood now hopes the provincial government will consider a special remedy to aid the contractors. He says enterprise minister Rick Thorpe, who headed the sale of government-owned Skeena, circum- vented provincial law in okaying the contract terminations. We want to.be compensated in one form or another, Wood said. To have the rug pulled out from under our-feet is pretty disappoint- ‘ing, he'added. It doesn t help my ‘ company out. It doesnt help the community out. LARGEST TFISH @ND PRIZE SRD PRIZE Standard along with Northern Photo Ltd. now provides this service. 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Karavan Trailer aka Retail Value: $7295200 Pontoo $750.00 Neid Enterprises HIDDEN WEIGHT 5 = $300.00 Misty River Tackle Gift Certificate 6-- 7000 “Ambassadeur wl Daiwa Heartland 10 % Rod | one 7 ~ $200.00 Misty River Tackle Gif rificat 8 - Protac Fly Combo GT987/ S78 9 - $1 00. 00 Gik Certificate | 10- Flambeau Soft Tackle System . u - Fly Vest Bushine #6307 The Terrace Stendard, Wednesday, June 25, 2003-A3__ a News In Brief Big chase for grants A CITY application for grant money for a confer- ence centre downtown is in for tough competition. Mayor Jack Talstra says Terrace’s is one of 1,400 applications for federal assistance grants being parcelled out to communities hit by the soft- wood lumber trade dispute. The project was split off of the multiplex so the city could pursue separate grants for two separate projects. Terrace will use an already approved $2 million grant for its planned $4 million sportsplex - a sec- ond Olympic-sized ice rink in between the existing pool and arena. Talstra says the city now has more than $85,000 in local donations committed or in hand. Man wins $500,000 CAM GORDON of Terrace said it took him until the next morning to believe that he won $500,000 on the Extra in the June 18 6/49 lottery draw. Gordon bought the random computer-generated ticket at Mohawk. “It came at a good time,” said Gordon, who was recently laid off from his job at LOL Industries Ltd in Kitimat. He said he plans to pay off his mortgage, help out his family and put some money in the bank. The 35-year old said he may also buy a hot tub for his family including five-year-old Keaton, nine- year-old Luke and wife Carla. Taxiway to be paved WORK is expected to begin early next month to repave the airport’s main taxiway. Terrace Paving won the $723,000 contract, which is to be complete by mid-August. The rehabilitation work involves cold milling and crack sealing the existing runway, as well as leveling and overlaying it with hot mix asphaltic concrete. Airport officials said the project will cut mainte- nance costs and extend the life of the “alpha” taxiway, which connects the main runway to the terminal building. The federal Airports Capital Assistance Program will pay for 95 per cent of the costs, leaving the Terrace-Kitimat Airport Society coming up with just $36,000, Airport reps expect little or no disrup- tion to airport travel as a result of the work. Election update MISSING from last week’s coverage of the Kitse- las band council election were the band councillor results. Judith Gerow topped the polls with 69 votes. Ken McDames Sr., Wilfred Bennett Sr. and Shirley Gray took the remaining three seats on band coun- cil, The four — all incumbents - beat out 14 other challengers to secure re-election. : Since chief. councillor Glenn: Bennett ,was also band council at the helm for the next two years. 2 HED ERTERPRISE UR AECREAT 635-=: oe “SEE ENTRY FOR FOR CONTEST RULES re-elected, it-means: the village-has an-experienced:--[