Page A12 — Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 22, 1990

| Man says loads of clay
‘damaged value of property E :

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TERRACE — A Merkley Road
property Owner says his land is
now worthless because 600-700
loads of clay were dumped there
without his permission.
Stan Winther
material has rendered useless a
septic tank field on the property.

and he can’t afford to put in a"

new ofie.”
Winther’ 5 problem began two
years: ago when a contractor
hired by the highways ministry
to work on a Johnson Road
construction project dumped
, the material on the low end of
_ his one-acre property where the
septic tank field was located.
The dumping was approved
by-a person who had a lease and
an option to buy the property

says the

and mobile home on it but was | :
done ™ so ' Without contacting

Winther. :

| The option wasn’t exercised, J
that person moved out; and last :
‘fall,

wanted to buy the property then :

.@ family relative who

moved in.

Winther, who moved to Nova ‘

Scotia five years ago, said he

had no knowledge of the pro-
blem -until this spring when

Skeena Health Unit inspectors
wrote him saying they couldn't
allow. people to live . there
because of a sewage disposal
problem.

“A neighbour complained.
Sewage had been leaking out

‘ because of the clay. The system

‘with you.’? That’s the
‘message the RCMP and In-
surance Corporation of B.C,
(ICBC) want to get across as
the police prepare a
crackdown on drivers who
ignore posted limits.

Figures released by ICBC
show driving at .unsafe
speeds contributed to 15 per
cent of all accidents in Ter-
race in which someone was
injured or killed.

_ The speeding awareness
campaign begins this Satur-
day, Aug. 25 and runs until
Sept. 7. Drivers are reminded
they face a $75 fine if caught
speeding — $100 if ‘driving
at excessive speed’? — and
will also get three penalty

ALDERMAN DARRYL Laurent gets into the spirit of things as
the RCMP safety bear tells him not to speed while in town or
on the highway,

Speeders beware

I TERRACE . — “Sooner or
' ‘later, speeding catches up

points tacked . on. to: their
driving records.

Get caught twice in a
12-month period and ICBC
will send you an early birth-
day present — a $150 driver
point premium,

Once speeders get oul on
the highway, the cause of ac-
cident figure more than
doubles to 32 per cent. It also
makes speeding the number
one cause of casualty ac-
cidents in the Terrace rural
area.

To underline the dangers
of speeding, the corporation
points out the faster a vehicle
is going, the longer it takes to
Stop in an emergency which
in turn can reduce ithe
driver’s chances of avoiding
an accident.

Opinions
‘wanted on
health

TERRACE — Opinions on
health care and its costs are
wanted as the province’s royal
; commission into the topics visits

wasn't
- because of the clay. The family

was old but it worked fine when
I left,’ said Winther.
“*T admit it was old and need-

.ed' work done on it and J was
’ prepared to do it,’’ he said,

- Winther™ says ‘the old ‘field
working properly

relative put in a temporary one

: last fall until another solution
.. Was found and it was this effort
. that the health: inspectors look-

ed at.
Skeena | Health Unit chief

public -health . inspector Ron:

Craig last week said the situa-
tion was unhealthy and couldn't
be allowed to continue. The

. family relative has now moved.

out.
““(It) was overflowing on to a
neighbour’s property. It was an

illegal pit and we sent a letter |

telling Mr. Winther to cease and
desist,” said Craig.

. He said Winther should diga -
hole on the higher side of the

property to ‘test perculation
levels.

“We've written him and now
it is up to him to get back to
us,” added Craig,

That possible solution of put-
ting in a new field on the higher
side of the property Would in-
volve moving the house trailer,
digging a new well because it
would be too close to where the
new field might go and diverting
a creek bed that holds water run
off, said Winther.

“It would just be too expen-

’ sive. I can’t afford that. We've

been told that even that would
be questionable if it would
work,”’ Winther added.

He says the problems began
when the material was first
dumped on the property
without his permission and that
the highways ministry should
have contacted him before the
dumping took place. Winther
also can’t gel the person who
had the option to buy to contact
him, ;

‘1 don’t understand. I’m in
construction and “on a project
with subtrades the general-con-
tract has-ultimated responsibili-
ty. That’s the way it should be
with the highways
department,’’ said Merkley.

“The highways department

Child killed

TERRACE — Tragedy struck
at the Terrace-Kitimat airport
last Wednesday evening when a
two-year-old child walked into
the path of a car backing out of
a parking spot outside the ter-
minal.

The child was rushed to Mills
memorial Huspital but was pro-
nounced dead on arrival. The
name of the victim has not been
released,

says that it is between me and

the contractor. They say he was —
hired to do the job and that it is

up to him to find a place to
dump.'’

. “T talked to the contractor

‘and he said he doesn’t have in-
“surance to cover. this sort of
thing. Somebody. screwed up.
There was no effort to contact

- me. All it would take is a simple _
Phone call to the land titles of-

fice to find out who the owner
is,’ Merkley said.

Highways district manager
John Newhouse said the matter
of the dumping is. between
Merkley, the contractor and the
person who had the lease’ and
option to buy the property in

_: don’t understand.
!'m in construction and
on a project with sub-
trades the general con-
tract has ultimated
responsibility, That’s the
way it should be with the
highways department."

the first place,

**¢A contractor) is responsible
for his actions. We’re not here
to oversee every aspect of work
he does,” said Newhouse.

Although ‘Winther says the
ministry approved the dumping,
Newhouse said the ministry
stated it had no objection as to
where the material was going.

He added that he is going to
Jook into what insurance the
contractor might have to cover
such situations.

Merkley said he has now
hired a lawyer to look into the
situation and is now waiting for
legal advice.

- “Uf it comes down to it, I'd
like ta come out there if I could.
I’m prepared to dump it back
on to highways property. I’m
out $30,000 and I can’t afford

_ to lose $30,000. It really upsets
=me,” ** he said.

y

—=}

COME’ To THE B.V. FALL FAIR:
Draft Horse Show

enn Sat., Sun., August 25, 26
EAS Bulkley Valley Exhibition:

ty _. The Show of the North
— Smithers, B. C. .

DISNEY-MEXICO COMBO FROM $786.00 FOR 10 NIGHTS
kkkkk
SEATTLE-TORONTO $299.00 COMMENCING OCTOBER 28. .
Everyday except Wednesdays, roundtrip..
. kkike

VEGAS-EXCALIBUR HOTEL — $45.00/NIGHT US
FROM SUNDAY-THURSDAY, 1 OR 2 PEOPLE |
kreakx . .

CANADIAN HOLIDAYS NOW FLYS DAILY VANCOUVER:
LAS VEGAS

«ft

CATCH THE SPIRIT AT.

635-6181
Skeena Mall |

: here Sept. 5.

: Already scheduled to make
\ ‘ appearances are the Terrace
i Health Care Society, the Ter--
‘ race Child Development Centre,
» the Terrace and District Com-
“munity Services Society and the.
' : health science association. -

The: appearance here of the
royal commission is part of a
provincial tour being conducted
. Since the commission was form-
ed this spring.

It's expected to make recom-
mendations on health.care and
its costs in a final report:

More information on the
commission and details on how
Lto-make a submission can be
had by writing the Royal Com- .

we mission on Health Care. and .
i Costs, Sth Floor, 1285 West
ts Pender Si.,

true ‘story ¢ ‘of-dine c
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- Station

Vancouver, B.C. mo . —
tV6E 4B1, The phone. number is. . No, 140-4741 Lakelse Ava., Terrace, B.C. 635-6121

or The Tere _ “No, 2: 2823 Clark t., Thornhit, B.C. 695-4841.
oe ¢ Terrace appearan = of a a
oe ‘place, at. the taippea set 629 Mounlain View Sa, Kitimat, B.C.” ; 632 4825. ee g
i penis '§, from I-5 p.m, and fre 300 Zid Ave., West, Prins Fuoert B.C $2422) |
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