AG - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 19, 1997 TERRACE STANDARD ~The Mail Bag Gov't didn’t abandon loggers Dear Sir: Your March 12 editorial (‘‘Tragedy'’) makes the point on the Repap issue that ‘‘the government abandoned the contractors” by not taking back the five per cent of their forest licence when Repap filed for bankruptcy protection and when Repap’s bankers wanted. lo develop a_plan to make Repap’s operations viable. The goverment had two options. The first was to risk Repap filing for bankruptcy. Contractors would have reccived nothing of the amounts awed, All Repap employ- ecs would have been oul of work, If no buyer was found al the end of it all, then Repap’s timber licence would reveri back to the Crown. The second option was to support the efforts to make Repap financially viable in a small way, provide financial bridging support for those hard hit in the process, and just possibly the contractors would get their money back. It would also have the advantage of keeping the operations going and people working over the six months while the plan is worked on. I take exception to your suggestion that the government should be ashamed to have supported the maintenance of existing jobs. The government has not sold anyone down the road, It has taken action in the best interests of citizens of the northwest in supporting efforts to protect jobs. The Job Protection Commissioner is involved. FRBC is in- volved and an office to co-ordinate all the efforts between the ministries is in place. Supporting the efforts has risk but at least there is hope that the pain can be minimized. There is much more financial and economic pain in the other option and the pain is certain and there is no hope of recovering money owed to contractors. The banks can still walk away before the six months are up and take whal is left of Repap to cover their losses. They are preferred creditors. Local contractors and retailers would get little if anything and the government would get the forest license back for a future forest compa- ny. How does that serve the best interests of the citizens? It is understandable that people are angry and frustrated, Yet Repap or George Petty’s method of doing business is legal and very common in business. Repap lost $128 mil- lion last year. Their debt carrying costs are more than $2 taillion per month, That is much more than Ubeir monthly stumpage costs and much, much more than any recent stumpage increase. If The Standard reaily wants to go after someone on this issue then you should sight your guns on George Petty and his ilk — not that it will do any good at this point. . Helmut Giesbrecht, MLA for Skeena Off the mark Dear Sir: The March 12 editorial (‘‘Tragedy’’) and Jeff Nagel’s ar- ticle (‘‘Petty denies blame for collapse’’) warrant some Tesponse. Mr. Petty blames the 1995 union strike, stumpage rate charges, and Forest Practices Code implementation costs, In fact, Repap’s crippling debt load and record of operat- ing losses were established well before any of these be- came factors. The editorial position that the government abandoned logging contractors is off the mark, Do contractors and the business community at large really want government to be involved in regulating private, third-party — busi- ness/commercial agreements in general, and payment schedules in particular? Reducing the tenured AAC by five per cent cannot be quickly reversed, and would worsen the fibre flow to Repap mills. The banks are by far the largest creditors, Who else is in a position to continue the integrated forest and mill opcera- tions while re-organizing the business to the satisfaction of creditors, shareholders and the B,C, Supreme Court? The provincial government is working to assist the restoration of a viable northwest forest enterprise with the involvement of the Job Protection Commission, FRBC and the Ministries of Employment and Investment and Forests. In the short term, FRBC has established a $15 million loan program for contractors and small businesses to pro- vide some credit relief and job maintenance. Dave Zirnhelt, Minister of Forests Clifford Robert Olson appeal prompts two local responses An open letter ta: Minister of Justice Allan Rock Dear Mr. Rock: Lam ata loss for words to describe how I feel about the part you and your colleagues have played in allowing Clif ford Robert Olson to wreak havoc on our elected officials, the families of his many victims, and the citizens of Cana- da in general. I realize that our constitution can play an important part in making sure that all Canadians are given fair treatment in many aspecis of our everyday life. But this matter of Mr. Olson is a gross misuse of that constitution and charter of rights. Unfortunately, there are many people who have studied the charter and know exactly how to manipulate it to ac- complish their own despicable agendas. Clifford Robert Olson is one such sick individual, and you, as an elected representative of the people of Canada, have the ability to put an end lo the suffering he is causing. You may not care about the mail your colleagues receive from him, but many of us care deeply about the constant pain he is inflicting on his victim’s families. It’s a pain that probably gives him as much satisfaction as abducting, sexually assaulting, torturing, and killing the young people that were the future of Canada. 1 am beginning to believe that you are no better than Mr. Olson, and perhaps you should be charged as an accom- plice, as you have done nothing to stop him. Do something now Mr. Rock, and perhaps the people who you represent may be able to once again atiach the word “honourable”’ to your name. As is stands right now, I don?t think that is the word they are using to describe you. Patti Noonan, Terrace B.C. kh kik Dear Sir: Where’s the justicc? This morning as [ listened to the carly news again, | was shocked and appalled to hear that the justice system was actually allowiag a convicted killer, Clifford Olson, to be reviewed for parole. I certainly can sympathize with Tammy Fee and 1] admire her great courage as she continues to lead yet another protest to change the Canadian laws of justice by helping organize an anti-violence rally. I, toa, am a women against violence but I would like to take it one step further and protest another person on the loose who is yet to be convicted. In fact, he is allowed to roam free. His name is Dr. Morganthaler and he openly admits in the March 10 B.C. Report that he might have been mis- taken and the fetus is actually a human being —- an un- born baby. At least in the latter months. Dr. Morganthaler is in fact responsible for hundreds directly and possibly thousands indirectly of unborn babies being aborted (murdered) in Canada, Meanwhile, Cana- dians and the justice system continue to tum their cyes ablind and let this person go free. Again I say, where’s the justice? As a former fetus who was given up for adoption and raised in a loving home, I am thankful my birth mother chose life, the loving answer — not violence, Shannon Moleski, Terrace, B.C. (‘Due to the Easter Holiday Weekend Early Advertising Deadlines will be in place for the issues of the March 29 Weekend Advertiser and The April 2 Terrace Standard. 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