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Wedriasday, Janiary 23,

200i

Job cuts just the start, MLA says

More pain to come

in the new budget

By ROD LINK
PROVINCIAL JOB cults amounting to
nearly $5 million in payroll and bene-
fits to the Terrace area announced last
week are just the first in a series of
wholesale changes, says Skeena Lib-
eral MLA Roger Harris.

More impacts tied to the govern-
menlt’s effort to reduce costs and
change the way government does its
business will be coming when the pro-
vincial budget is released Feb. 19, he
said.

“That’s when we'll get into the
greater discussion over whal govern-
ment services there should be and op-
portunities there are,” said Harris last

week, “What's happening here is a
fundamental shift.”

Last week’s announcements, and
the ones yet to come, will feature the
province transferring what it does now
fo municipal and regional authorities
and to the private sector.

The MLA said British Columbians
will be shocked al the size of the defi-
cit when the budget is released Feb.
19.

He said provincial revenue has
been hit hard by a general economic
collapse spurred by the aftermath of
the Sept. 11 attacks.

But he said the previous govern-
ment also left what he called a
“structural deficit” in that there is a
growing inability of government reve-
nues to support government spending.

“We had to take drastic action. We

have a crisis,” said Harris,

The situation is so bad, the pro-
vince may have even been justified in
its decision to cut out a program
whereby low-income seniors can buy

Cutback fallout
m Mayor denounces cuts, A2
m@ Small towns pounded, A7
Social services may be
regionalized, A7
mw Details of impact here,Ai2

bus passes for $45 a year, he added.
“The state we’re in is very bad and
that will be evident when the budget
comes down,”-Harris said,
The MLA also did not deny the pro-

vince is 9 amin legislation to
open public sector labour contracts in
order to cut costs.

“What is important?” said Harris. “I
think the question should be have we
reached a point

where low in-
come bus passes
are important?
We have to de-
cide what’s more
important,” he
said of the poss-
ibility of re-open-
ing civil service
contracts.

When it comes
to jobs alone, 89
full time equivalent provincial posi-
lions will be gone within three years
with 57 of those to be cut this year.

Roger Harris

Fuil time equivalent means
number of working hours to make wpa a
full time job.

But since not everybody does work
full time, more than 89 people will be
affected by the cuts.

The figure of §9 does not include
the number of positions which had
been vacant and which were declared
surplus and then eliminated.

The provincial government esti-
mates each job is worth. an average
$55,000 in salary and benefits, making
the economic impact of 89 positions
nearly $5 million.

Harris said he had no idea he'd be
the MLA of a city where this level of
job reduction would occur.

“But I did understand we had to
make tough decisions and those tough

Continued Page A2

Cuts hammer

PROTESTERS gathered in front of MLA Roger Harris's office Friday to demonstrate against the government's move to sell Skeena
Cellulose to Mercer International, and not consider bids by other groups, such as NWBC Timber and Pulp. JEFF NAGEL PHOTO

White knight pulls out of race for SCI

Resistance futile,
NWBC concludes

By JEFF NAGEL
NWEC Timber and Pulp Ltd. has
withdrawn its offer {o buy Skeena
Cellulose, saying there is no point
resisting the province’s sale of the
northwest forest company to Mer-
cer International.

“The government has made it
quite clear it’s made up its mind,”
NWEC president Daniel Veniez
said. Jan. 18.

His announcement. came as
Terrace sawmill workers were

preparing to demonstrate in front
of MLA Roger Hartis’s office in
support of NWBC’s offer.

The province had repeatedly
rejected bids-from the Montreal-
based firm chaired by former
Repap head George Petty.

. , Veniez said NWBC decided to

walk away from its offer to invest -

$150 million in SCI after Victoria
again gave Mercer exclusivity,
effectively barring. NWBC in the
final stage of the sale. -

The province is expected. to , He
nalize its deal to’sell Skeena to a.

subsidiary of Swiss-based Mercer
International after the. “agreement

is approved at a cabinet meeting
today.

The collapse of the northwest
Operations under Repap ownership
in 1997 sparked protests against
Peity and anger thal lasted years.

But much of that sentiment
evaporated in recent weeks as
many in the tegion came to regard
NWBC as a white knight to fight
off what some think is an inferior
bid from Mercer.

Mercer’s plan has been shrau-
ded in secrecy, but it’s believed it
will buy SCI for less than $10

‘million and invest considerably
than.

less in the operations

NWEC.

Mercer has also told some

northwest groups it plans to sell
off the sawmills eventually.

By contrast, NWBC toured the
region and laid bare its plans,
winning many converts.

The province has been under a

court-set deadline to achieve a...

final sale-by Feb. 15, It has said
NWBC’s requirement that it get

90 days to raise money in finan-.

cial markets was impossible under
that deadline.

Veniez said NWBC has 1 man- |

aged to raise $40 million that

Continued Pg. A11

poor, women,
and seniors

CHANGES TO social as-
sistance programs - an-
nounced last week mean

fewer benefits for low in-
come seniors and more

challenges for single par-
ents.

And a Terrace group

says thal means poor
people will be made to
pay for tax cuts given by
the provincial Liberal. pov-
eroment to high income
carers. a

“There is an incredible
arrogance and disregard for
the needs of the people of
the province, particularly
for people in the north and
rural communities,” said
Maureen Bostock of. the
Action Coalition of Ter-
race, a group formed late
last year to pratest govern-
ment service cuts,

Gone is a subsidized
$45 annual bus pass for

“These people are not
living -high off the hog,’
said Bostock. “That. 11 per
cent reduction means there
will: be children going

‘without food,”

low income seniors and —

. Single, employable parents
who were allowed to stay
home with the children

4

until they are seven will -

now have to find. work’

when their. children reach
three years of age.
Also gone are supple-

ments paid to low-income

seniors.

Employable ‘people
without dependent children
can collect, benefits for a
maximum two out of every
five years,
they will be cut off.

Parents of dependent.
children will receive bene-

fits for two years out of
five, after: which time
those benefits will be cut
by 11 per cent.

‘after which:

“How appalling. This is
not about balancing the’
budget. This is about a
new social agenda.”

Bostock said the’ coali-
tion is particularly upset
with reductions in legal
aid and in victim services
and with. plans to cut
grants to women’s centres |
in two years. -

“This is terrible news
for women,” said Bostock.
“The government is saying .
we don’t care about issues
of violence against wornen
or their Position in the:
economy.”

She’s predicting there’ iL
be an increase in home-,
lessness and in crime.

’ The. shift in social as-
sistance programs by the

'. government aima to put as,

many recipients as pos-
sible-into the workforce. _

Those on benefits or ap-
plying for benefits will
have to take job search

- courses and demonstrate

they are looking for work.

At -the same time, the
province is eliminating a
program whereby people
on social assistance could
earn up to $200 a month
before having their bene-

. fits reduced. That: program

continues, however, for

“people with disabilities.

And the-annual Christ-
mas allowance will only
be paid to dependent

‘children.

Nursing students begin training here

IN A week when there was lots of bad
news for the public sector in B.C.,
Northwest Community College does
have something good to report — ils
first class of licensed practical nursing
students began studies Jan. 21.

Instructors welcomed:26 students to
the 12-month program at the college
campus here in what has to be a re-
cord for the fastest approval for such a
program. :

“I’ve said we should get some sort
of medal,” coramented college presi-
dent Stephanie Focsyth last week.

The college was told late last Au-
gust by the. province it would -get the
money fot’a licensed practical nursing

program if it could get it underway by
January,

That accelerated plans already un-
derway, culminating in approval just
last week by. the College of Licensed

-Practical Nurses and. the provincial.

government.

Applications were invited, “instruc-
tors interviewed and classroom reno-
vations begun at the same time as col-
lege officials were working ‘on their
program submission.”

--The-final program document was
submitted to the nurses’. college’in De-
cémber and a site: Visit by the nurses’
college took place in eafly January.

_ Forsyth said the nurses’ college had

this week booked as a time for a deci-
sion on approving the program but that
it was asked to do it jast week in order
for the program to start as scheduled.
“It wasn’t hard to keep motivated,”

said Forsyth of the work from August:

until now. “We had really. good sup-
port, particularly from the health orga-
nizations in the northwest.”

' The college accepted 26. students,
thinking that there may be some who

_ will leave as the program goes on in—
order to meet its goal of having a a

person graduating class.

Students come. from across the”

northwest and three of the students ; are
men, said Forsyth.

+

In addition to classroom studies and
practical studies at the college, stu-
dies will do clinical work al Mills
Memorial Hospital in Terrace and at
Kitimat General Hospital in Kitimat,
said Forsyth. ©

They'll also be sent cut to various.

health care facilities around the north-
west for the practical portion of their
training,

The provincial government is giving
the college an initiaf.$97,000 to cover

the set up costs for the program and to.
pay +for the program "8 first three

months of operation.
Forsyth sald $10,000 of that went to
pay the College of Licensed Practical

Nurses for its work-in approving the
program. ,

Running the program for 12 months
will cost just under $210,000. °

Two full time people and a number
of part time people have been hired.

The. establishment of the program
here, ‘approving similar ones at other
places across B.C, and expanding ex-
isting ones for both licensed practical
and registered nurses is in response to
an acute shortage In both categories.

In addition to the licensed practical
nursing program, the college is offer-.
ing courses, credits from which ¢ can be -
transferred to registered nursing Pro-
grams elsewhere. © Bo