Mill plan hits high gear | TERRACE — Months of speculation has turned into in- tense activity with the news last week that approval in principle has been given to the Orenda Forest’ Products plan to build a pulp and paper mil] south of : Lakelse Lake. Construction is conditional upon Orenda meeting a set of requirements laid down by the provincial government before construction starts on the $400 million project: ~ “We're at the permitting stage and that’s the final stage,’’ said Orenda vice presi- dent Frank Foster after the ap- proval was given. He expects construction to start this summer at the Dubose Industrial Site. Orenda’s mill will produce 173,000 tonnes of magazine- quality of paper a year using 183,000 cubic ._ metres. of pulpwood and 23,000 tonnes of kraft from other pulp mills. That’s a very high rate of value-added return compared to traditional mills, It’ll employ an estimated 140 people directly and provide other jobs in transportation and in related service sectors. Orenda will use Finnish technology to grind wood into pulp as opposed to traditional kraft mills which use chemicals, hydrogen The process uses Natives say they want fobs and other benefits from the Orenda project and the city wants the mili site included in its ' boundaries. | A provincial official says the Nisga'a wanted a government ‘decision put off until their ‘land claim was settled, And the way the decision was made has come under criticism. You'll find those stories on Page Ad, peroxide as a brightening agent and not chlorine. ‘The facility is being billed by Orenda as North America's first zero. liquid effluent mill because it'll recycle waste water. Orenda has to participate in a monitoring committee of local and government represen- tatives, conduct further en-. vironmental studies and take where they can - rinks: ihe wil vie ‘for. prizes in five events: Out-of- “twners jon the fray tomar iow ‘hight which aio. signals | the. beginning: of sound-the-clack curling. ‘That'means while A and’B vent contenders en joy a telatively’ easy run:to: Sunday's finals, those relegated to D and. E Ww ~ and: Oot much of that Saturday night. E e snatetiing sleep, Not city’s fault TERRACE - Don’t blame us! That’s the message council wants to get across to the local . taxpayers before they recelve . their °92 tax notices, - Adopted by council Monday — _ night, this: year's $10.6 million " cily budget includes a 1.81 per cent increase in _tesidential tax rates, For the owner of a 365,000 home, it means. the city is:only looking for an extra $12.90 this year, or atotal of $727.31. However, mayor Jack Talstra pointed out, ihe hike will “be much greater than that: because " the provincial government had abolished. the supplementary: homeowner's grant, Last year, taxpayers were ¢n- tilled to the basic:homeowner's grant of $430 plus a supplemen- lary grait to cover part of the difference between’. the ‘basic . grant and the taxes levied by: th “school district..." In the case of the $65,000 house, the school district taxes were $657 last year for a lotal of $1,348. But once the two grants were deducted, the homocowner’s bottom line was only $861.47, . Now, that same taxpayer. will face a bill fo $946.96 - assuming ‘the school district docs not raise ils taxes atall, _ In other words, they will pay "an extra $85 even though the ci- ty's -bite has gone up less than $13. And the figures get worse the higher the assessed value of the home. ‘*We've held the line,'' Talstra. emphasized, ‘'We’ ve been about as reasonable as we can. be,’’ Noting several department’s would have less - Money: to operate on .than: last year, he added, ‘We don't really know. where, we! ean cut “anymors." we He said council would be” lobbying Victoria to take telief: ’ action and suggested residents do the same, part in a socio-economic study to boost native economic benefits. y Foster welcomed the monitoring committee, saying it'll help Orenda explain the project to area residents, He said some of the en- vironmental studies, particular- ly one assessing the impact on the underground water the mill TERRACE — Supportive hous- ing is one of the greatest needs facing the older residents of this city, members of the provincial Seniors Advisory Council were told last week. “Housing is a fundamental right in our society,’? said Aileen Frank, the local senior citizens counsellor. “It’s over 20 years since Ter- race seniors received any hous- ing consideration,’? Frank said, a reference to the length of time that had passed since the open- ing of Terraceview Lodge. She told the council, here to listen to senior citizen opinions, that there is an immediate need for 20 supportive housing units Frank said .supportive hou "ing in particular would benefit * ‘ three groups: * those who could live in such a complex but were presently in Terraceview for lack of any other choice} TERRACE — The marriage of Terrace and Thornhill or the possibility of creating a municipality in Thornhill is years away. But the latest attempt at H . changes in local government is slowly moving forward. “It’s in the incubator,” ‘says regional district. director Les Watmough. The Greater Terrace Restruc- ‘ture Committee met for the first month and its time last members will meet again before summer to draw up terms of reference for a study by a con- sultant. Terrace mayor Jack Talstra admitted the process is moving slowly, but added it can’t be . rushed. ‘‘] see it being two or three years before we get it settl- ed,”' he said. The people representing the area on the committee are Ter- race aldermen Danny Sheridan and Darryl! Laurent, Terrace residents David Lane and Dave “+ McKeown, 2 directors Les Watmough and °° Sandy Sandhals, and unincor- regional district ‘porated area residents Doug MacLeod and Donna Ziegler. Watmough said the commit- tee will appoint an independent - chairman who isn’t already on the committee. will use, are already underway. Foster called the socio- economic study to determine native benefits precedent setter for the province. “These are times of change in the province. There is a new government and. it has new policies," he said, ’ That study will be financed by the provincial government and by Orenda. Terms of reference will be set within 30 days and it will be completed 90 days after that. Orenda can begin site clearing when the terms of reference have been established and once it gets a permit of occupation for the Crown-owned land. * spouses of lodge residents who wanted to be closer to ‘and help in the care of their love ones’’; and * people in the community who were “in need of attention physically and psychologically who could move closer to sup- port facilities without having to move right into them.” Noting it was now five years since the supportive housing concept was first raised here, she asked, “‘What has happened to that proposal? . Is it still on the back’ burner?” Frank’s view was-echoed by Terrace Regional Health Care Society president Alex Houlden “who knew..couples.who, . while HO longér able “to look “after” - the old homestead’’, were not yet ready to move into long- term care facilities such as Ter- raceview. Moving instead to.a suppor- _tive housing complex adjacent He was responding to the regional district’s call a week earlier for direct intervention by the municipal affairs ministry. Directors passed a motion by Hazelton director Pete Weeber calling on Victoria to ‘expedite a form of self-government for Thornhill.” “Sometime in the future an amalgamation will have to hap- pen,’’ Watmough predicts: *t’s a sensible thing. You reduce your costs. You don’t duplicate. councils. You don’t duplicate administrations.” The study grew out of a. native review of ‘the ‘project commissioned by the provincial government earlier this year. The review confirmed government and Orenda studies that the mill can be built provid- ed it meets stringent pollution control conditions. This. met what is called a fiduciary responsibility of the province to ask native groups for their opinions on developments that might: -alfect them. . Although the native review delayed a government decision on the project and caused wor- - cont'd Al4 Seniors housing need proclaimed to Terraceview would be the solution, he said. It would allow them to maintain their in- dependence while at the same time providing them ready ac- cess to medical help if required, he added. Houlden said there could also. be a significant health care cost saving to be made because there were individuals living in Ter- raceview at the moment who would find a supportive housing complex quite adequate for their needs, That would open up places at the lodge which would in turn .. allow at least some of the 11 long-term care patients current- ly residing in Mills Memorial ‘ . hospital . t0,, MOVE... raceview. The saving would come because the patient cost-per-day figure at Mills was $540 com- pared to $113 at Terraceview. “fit makes good business and moral sense,” he added. Thornhill fix years away “Incorporation is of course an option. But over the long, long term it’s the wrong option.” .. It’s the third time local representatives have tried. to. solve the Thornhill problem, . says Watmough, adding the_last .. attempt was in the early 1980s. City of Terrace administrator - Bob Hallsor said the committee has a grant of up to $40,000 from the ‘municipal affairs ministry to carry out a restruc- turing study. tO. Tees assault TERRACE —