it’s now or never The library on this week’ s dovefnnvent grant decision/NEWS A110 Seu Society Wanis to- know more about a player piano its acquired/COMMUNITY Bi Delta too much. The Kermodes run into tough competition but learn from the experience/SPORTS C1 _ WEDNESDAY JANUARY 26, 1994 Mills to cu MILLS MEMORIAL Hospital is culling the number of beds from. 67 to 52 as of March 1. It ll be the second majar- cut in bed numbers since health care budgets started shrinking three years ago, Bul this time, says Mills official Michael Leisinger, the reduction isn’t as financially painful as in past years, “We were predicting a deficit for this year but now we're opera- ling at a surplus,”? he said, “TE this continues, what was a $1 million deficit for next year could be a deficit of only $200,000 to $500,000,” Leisinger added, As matters stand now, Leisinger’s estimating a possible $100,000 te $200,000 surplus for the financial year ending March 31. That’s compared to a predicted deficit of $250,000. He attributed the financia! tum around to cost savings caused by Increasing efficiency, more day ‘surgery and more utilization of the beds now at Mills. “We've been operating at only 39 beds over the past year so to go down to 42 is entirely feasi- - ble,”’ said Leisinger. (The 10-bed psychiatric unit is treated as a separate entity within the hospital.) Leisinger predicted that staffing levels might not be affected given the economic performance of the Past year. ““There’s such a power in savings on indirect costs by hav- ing fewer patients in the. hospital. We're starting to get a little op- timistic we won’t see that hap- pening,’ he said of job cut poten- tial. Leisinger did acknowledge that a bed level so close to what is being used could pose some prob- Jems such as adults in pediatrics and having male and female patients in the same room. **We’'ll be adapting and adopt- ing. We’re doing the job differ- ently and that’s a reality,’ he sald. One measure is more intensified discharge planning, the procedure used to judge when a person should be released from the hos- pital. The less amount a time a person Spends 4s a patient, the more the costs go down. This same Philos- ophy applies to an increase in day surgery. That 52-bed figure includes the 10 beds in the psychiatric unit. The remaining 42 beds are ‘made up of 21 for medical-surgery, 6 for pediatrics, 12 for maternity and 3 for intensive care, “We still haven’t fully devel- oped the plan and we are still de- li Loaded weapon TRAINING SESSION: Smithers RCMP Const Rick | Ekkel demonstrates proper use of the canisters of hot pepper spray northwest police officers are now trained to use, See story, Page AZ. Bret Wet cep! corey Seb Foe a Report no revelation By MALCOLM BAXTER THE KALUM Forest Service and logging companies operaiing in the district have to clean up their act. That’s the message in a report released last week by the Forest minister Andrew Petter, But it’s old news as far as both are concerned, Prepared by Tripp Biological Consullanis of Nanaimo, the report details the affect of logging in 100 cuiblocks in six districts, It examined whether logging operations had complied with the Coastal Fisheries = Forestry Guidelines (CFFG). Those guidelines are supposed to ensure fish habitat is not damaged by logging. The Kalum district finished sec- ond last in overall compliance, rating 65 per cent compared to 80 per cent for the Queen Charlottes, Skeena Cellulose (SCI) and West Fraser also finished near the botiom ofa table comparing com- pany compliance records. Overall, Tripp found Skeena Cellulose complied with \ the CFFG 63.3 per cent of the time while West Fraser (Skeens Saw- mills) rated 56.1 per cenit, Only Interfor at 50.6 per cent had a poorer record. | However, none of this comes as a surprise to either the companies or local foresters... District manager Brian: Downle . confirmed the: audit was. carried - out in 1992 and the results, on which the report is based, were in _ the hands of the Forest Service, SCI and Skeena Sawmills in Feb- Tuary of last year. And there have been several significant changes over the inter- vening 11 months. The CFFG themselves have been revamped to address some of the weaknesses highlighted by the Tripp report. For example, Downic said un- der the earlier version of the guidelines, affects on what's called a Class IV stream had not been considered important, Audit results on which the report is based were in the hands of the Forest Service and local com- panies 1I months ago. Thal’s a water flow where there are no. fish present and no likelihood of there being any in the Future. The previous CFFG. allowed” falling and yarding of trees across such streams, However, they also required clean-up be done once logging was complete. Tripp found such clean-up was ‘‘clean-up Is rarely comipleted or even attempted,”’ . Downie conceded there'd been . a fallure to adequately apprectate - ‘the * potential damage downstream « from the Class IVs, As Tripp noted, these streams tended to be in gullies on sleep slopes. A build up of logging debris there can cause a damming effect. . Add heavy run-off, especially when rain falls on snow, and what’s known as ‘‘torrenting”’ resulis, said Downie. That's when the dam breaks un- der the pressure and water sluices down the gully taking debris and -erosion sediment with it, It’s when all that is carried into fish bearing streams below the damage occurs. In the Kalum district, Tripp found 92 per cent of Class IV reaches were impacted, In three others every such stream was af- fected. Downie said the district is tack- ling the problem and also taking into account this region is subject to more extreme torrenting than others. ‘We have to set the stan- dards accordingly,”’ he added. The district and companies also fared badly when it came to road assessments. Kalum was rated at 0.9 failures per kilometre of road, triple any other district, ‘*Few aspects of the road assessments did not need improvement,’? the report noted. On the five West Fraser cut- blocks audited by Tripp, com- pliance with CFFG was assessed at just 40 per cent. ‘ ~The teport points © out that dragged down the - company” r) each ap cert Brian Downie overall compliance figure, Agrecing roads were a problem in the district, Downie said work on avoiding potential washouts and associated problems had begun here even before the audit results came out last February. “The companies have deen doing more in the past year,’’ he said, pointing out both had hired consultants to help. tackle road problems, In an attempt to clarify poinis highlighted by the audit, Downie said Tripp had conducted a work- shop In Terrace last September, attcaded by Forest Service and licencee staff. That included Geld tips to cut- blocks to ‘‘get a feel’? for the non-compliance issues targetted by the audit, “I got the impression Tripp was - optomistic - we're on the © right 7 road,” Downle s sald of the s ses- ‘salon. - t beds once again veloping our day surgery unit so there could be a few minor changes yet,” said Leisinger. He noted that hospital employ- ecs and the Tenace Regional Health Care Society board should take credit for cost savings. Mills has been operating on a budget of approximately $12.5 million a year since 1992, That was the year spending for northern hospitals was frozen and the first job cuts took hold. The number of beds was reduced from 89 to 67 in 1992, Possible deficit buffering for the next budget year includes not having to absorb any financial shortfali from this year. Health furor LAST WEER’S decision by health minister Paul Ramsey to move the orthopedic surgical service from Kitimat to Prince Rupert wasn’t universally accepted. One of those upset with the result is Skeena MLA Helmut Giesbrecht. Sec Page A2 for their comments. Sewer plans turn tricky KITIMAT-STIKINE regional district directors cast their eyes foward Thorhili’s sewer future Saturday. _ , Now that the Queensway sewer _ project is going ahead, directors | began to look at ways fo save money on future projects: © It left them considering two op- tions, both of which involve the Queensway project. One option is to lay a 12-inch pipe — it'll be large enough to one day handle all of Thomhill — alongside the Queensway 6-inch line. That could save as much as $1 million one day because itll can- ce] the need to dig up Queensway all over’ again for the Thornhill expansion line, says regional dis- trict administrator Bob Marceliin. But Thornhill commercial core property owners have come up with another option for the direc- tors to consider, They’re worried that Thornhill ’ residents won’t agree to the costs associated with a sewer linc. So their plan is to lay down a 8- inch linc instead of a 6-inch line forthe Queensway project, ‘That extra size will be enough _ “to hdndle “the Queensway‘ area" and "the Thornhill sommercial core. a ‘ And, say. some’ cor property owners, they” te willing to cover the cost increases. connected with going to a 8-lnoch Line. All ihis caused the regional dis- trict Saturday to introduce by- laws handling both possibilities. One authorizes the borrowing of $150,000 for the 12-inch line. Two others set up the commer- clal core area to benefit from the 8-inch line and authorize the bor- rowing of $300,000 to cover the increased costs, which would also include expansion of the treat- ment plant. The one tricky part here is that five per cent of Thornhill resi- Cont'd Page A2 A RASH of sicelhead kills on the Copper River has the provincial fisheries branch contemplating a complete closure on that system. District conservation of- ficer Ken Fujino said some anglers are following nei- ther the bait ban nor the caich-and-release = regula- tions, As many as 80 per cent of fishermen on the Copper are deliberately breaking the tules, he said, | The remaining 20 per cent are committing fractions out of ignorance, Fujino added. : A closure may be neces- sary to save ihe summer steelhead run, he continued. The Copper. (Zymoctz) above Limonite Creek fs al- ready closed under ,current regulations until June 15. Below the creck It’s catch- and-release untli thro. Comments on -he -pro- posed closure canbe made to the branch at 847-7303, up apparent confusion over steclhead restrictions © on ~ otter rivers in the region, A local sporting goods store. had apparently been giving out incorrect - in- formatiot, bi he explatned. Steelhead kill bothers gov't until May 31. Fujino also wants to clear Fujino encouraged anglers in doubt to phone the Ter- Tace conservation office at 638-3279, Anglers are allowed to take one steelhead per year from the Skeena. River be- low Cedarvale between now and June 30, But there’s a closure on. . the mainstem above Cedar- vale watt] June 30.and on all tributarles above that point ~ The one fish limit’also ap- plied to the Jower reaches of.” the Kalum and Lakelse. Rivers. : ~ But it’s catch-an and-release only above the lower can- yon on thé Kalum. re . Thbte is a bait ban on the. entire Lakelse and those fishing ‘above the CNR bridge must use a single barbless hook and Telease any steclhead. - -Anglers should also note that between March 1 and May 31, only fly fishing is permitted between Lakelse Lake and the CNR bridge. On the Nass, angle can lake one steelhead between now and June 30 from the river’ and ‘any of ‘its — tributaries below the. Rit - Sault bridge.