Hurry hard

Provincial champion
crowned as Terrace hosts
B.C. Senior Ladies curling
champs\SPORTS B4.

Power play

Paying bills in person at
B.C, Hydro will

become a thing of the
past\NEWS A10

Family fun?

A new play wanders
, through the minefield of
dysfunctional family
ties\COMMUNITY B1

$1.00 pLus 7¢ GST
(51.10 plus 8¢ GST
outside of the Terrace area)

‘VOL.14.N0.41

Towns may vote down SCI deal

Mayor mulls high-risk

tactic to stop Mercer

By JEFF NAGEL
NORTHWEST towns may try to vote
down the deal to sell Skeena Cellulose
to Mercer if they aren’t happy with it,
Terrace mayor Jack TFalstra says.

He said he wants to invite the three
bidders — Mercer, NWBC Timber and
Pulp Ltd., and Forest Capital Resources
— to come to Terrace later this month
and jay out their plans.

Talstra said council, with the aid of
its forestry panel, could then make a de-
cision on which one to support.

If Mercer wasn’t chosen, he said, the

Casino
debate
returns

A new $8m proposal
may tempt council

By JEFF NAGEL

A PROPOSAL for an $8 million destina-
tion casino and convention centre down-
town has plunged Terrace back into de-
bale on whether to support expanded
gambling.

Terrace Inn owner John Georgilas has
asked city council to back his proposal
to build a more than 35,000 sqnare foot

expansion to the hotel for a convention —

centre and casino.
The plan could put up to 300 slot ma-
chines and 20 gaming tables in Terrace,

and is sure to reignite local concerns -

about the social costs of gambling.
aE: Georgilas faces an up-
hill political battle.

a city council consid-
ered allowing a casino
here, it voted 5-2
S against the idea.

And since then the
B.C. Liberals have
taken power and
vowed there will be
no further casinos ap-
proved other than ones in advanced nego-
tiations from the previous NDP-led pro-
cess.

But Georgilas, who was one of two
proponents to build a charity casino here
four years ago, says his new proposal is
entirely different — in concept, timing and
in its value to Terrace.

“The benefits are going to be tremen-
dous for ihe city,” Georgilas says.

The biggest one is the cut of gambling
profits the cily. would receive.

Continued Pg. A5

Georgilas

, In 1997, the last time

city could then work with other north-
west lowns and vote against the sale at
a restructuring meeting.

The dea] would need to get the sup-
port of all categories of creditors, or else
SCI might be pushed into bankruptcy.

Talstra conceded Mercer’s secrecy to
date might mean it would not show up.

’ “We'll see who comes,” he said,
adding that in itself would be a factor in
the decision. “It will tell us at least that
some proups are more sensitive to the
needs of the communities than others.”

He said Prince Rupert and Port Ed-
ward would be greatly concerned about
the bidders’ plans to pay property taxes.

Bui he said Terrace, which is owed

mi Knocked out

EMMA RFIGSBY, 6, is ane tough cookie, Rigsby
lost her front tooth during soccer school last
' weekend. “I bounced the ball and It hit my face,”

less, would focus more on pledges to pay

unpaid contractors and the ability to run

a viable operation for the long term.
Talstra said the municipal ability to

_. More inside

m Skeena Cel terminates
more than 250 workers, A3
m@ Cabinet to approve Mer-
cer deal next week, A2.

veto the SCI sale would likely depend
on unity among the towns. And even
then, he said, it appears Victoria may be
moving to try to thwart such an option.

Court affidavits filed by government
lawyers last week indicate they will seek
to create three classes of creditors.

The first is secured creditors, covering
the provincial government and TD bank.

The second would be unsecured credi-
tors, including businesses and contractors
owed money and terminated workers
owed severance.

The third class would pair towns owed
property taxes and “Crown creditors.”

Talstra said he’s concerned other
money owed by Skeena to government
ministries — such as the unpaid stumpage
SCI owes — might be used by Victoria to

outvote the towns and ensure the deal

Continued Pg. A12

she said grinning. And losing the pearly white °
tooth didn’t stop her from getting right back in
the game. SARAH A, ZIMMERMAN PHOTO.

Mammography on
track despite delay.

PLANS TO order a new mammography unit for
Mills Memorial Hospital are still in the works, al-
though there is a delay caused when the new

in

Science fair, concert newest
casualties of teacher dispute

Jack Talstra_

Massive
gov't cuts
set to hit

By ROD LINK
PROVINCIAL EMPLOYEES here are
soon to hear details of how they7ll be af-
‘ fected by the government’s overall plan
to cut thousands of jobs over the next
three years. Moly?

Meetings between, managers and, em-,
vee

tomorrow at worksites ‘throughout Terrace,
and the northwest.

With the government’s plan to cut up,
‘to 30 per cent of its workforce, as. many
as 450 positions ia the northwest could
disappear.

Given the an average salary and bene-
fit package of $55,000 per person, the.
loss to the regional economy could ‘be in.
the order of $24 million, estimate offi-
_cials of the B.C. Government Employees’
‘Union.

Some jobs will be cut by eliminating,
vacant positions, by buy-outs and by early
Tetitements but as many as 4,800 people _

- could be affected province wide, govern: °

ment officials estimate.
Workers will get the news in ‘meetings ,
», With their managers in what has become |

a massive operation to let them know’

what is going on, says the person in
charge of personnel for the provincial '
government. :

“As far as specificity, in some cases’
individuals may know right away because
they may be the only person doing. that:
‘function. in a particular office but more
than likely it may take weeks to be deter-
mined as the government. announces its
intentions of changes at a later time,”
said Vince Collins, a deputy minister who
is in charge of the, Public Service’ Em-
ployee Relations Commission. ; ;

Once the number of job‘cuts for each.
ministry are announced and people know
how they'll be affected, union contracts
will start a complex series of manoeuvres
_ based on seniority and bumping rights.

Continued Pg. A11

Northern Health Authority was formed in late De-
cember.

Cholly Boland, now responsible for health care
in Kitimat, Terrace, Dease Lake and Stewart, said
the final monetary approvals from the provincial
government: have been received.

“And we should be getting the final sign off
from the authority very soon,” said Boland tast
week of the new Northern Health Authority.
“There's absolutely no question this is going
ahead.” ;

He said a supplier has already been identified
and that a price has been set for the new portable
nil that can serve remote communities.

The hospital's aging mammography. unit was or-

Approval for.a new unit was also temporarily -
held up tast fall because of o spending freeze:

dered shut down late last fall after it was found to.’
be too old to be reliable. Women needing screen="_
ing for breast cancer have gone to other hospitals,

4

By JENNIFER LANG

A FRESH escalation of the tea- .
chers job action now affects’

everything from homework clubs
and sports teams to school con-
certs and dances — even the up-
coming Terrace Science Festival.

Students returning to school
after the holidays began to feel
the impacts immediately. as tea-
chers province-wide withdrew
from extracurricular duties as
planned Jan. 7.

“What kids do during instruc-
tional time is fair enough,” Ter-
race District Teachers’ Union pre-

- sident Frank RoWe said. “But the
“science feslival ‘takes place after
“hoursoh' the weekends and it is
run by teachers,” :

ma

The long-standing celebration
of science normally. attracts hun-
dreds of local students; who ga-
ther with teachers and parents to

view displays, perform experi- .

ments, compete in contests, and
take -part in science activities. —

Unless the job action is called
off and a negotiated contract is
teached, the annual science festi-
val won't take place, Rowe con-
firmed. “It will be affected by this
job action,” he said. -

Early last. week, the Terrace -

Community Band cancelled its
upcoming concert with Caledonia
Senior Secondary . school band

‘Studénts as guests. ..-.
.Conimunity band ‘spokesperson a
Carol Lomas said the high school. .

.for a concett on. its

-cert, at least for now. |

withdrew from the
planned joint perfor-
mance because of the
job action.

Since the commun-
ity band hadn’t pre-
pared’ enough material

own, it was forced to
cancel the joint con-

' “We will do some-
thing with Cal in the
future,” Lomas said,
adding working with

“high school bands is part of the

community band’s. focus on
promoting: music’in Terrace:

“We. were all. fooking forward
to 014” Lomas said. “We? Te ‘out

\

Frank Rowe

| there to ‘suppott the
sludents.”
As of last Wednes-
day, all TDTU mem-
bers had stopped par-_
ticipating in a range
of after school activi-
ties.
The decision came
several weeks after
the Labour Relations
Board ruling that tea-
chers may .cease
extracurricular activi-
ties, even though
education falls. under essential
services legislation.
“Teachers . are. only. invelved
with their students duiing the’... ” -
: Continued Poa A2 a