He's back!.

Dramatic debut

Event cancelled

The man who caused a stir in
1993 wants to run for the NDP
this time around\NEWS A9

production packs quite a
punch\COMMUNITY B1

Terrace Little Theatre’s newest

A strike in Kitimat means no-
female hockey at northern winter
games\SPORTS B6

WEDNESDAY
JANUARY-29, 1997

ov’t reprisal feared, says M

A LIBERAL MLA says he had secret meetings here last
week with people who are afraid of government retaliation
if they criticize land claims and forest use policies.

Ted Nebbeling, the Liberal forests critic, said those he
met with fear for their livelihood should their identities be
revealed.

‘Put it this way. Words like fear and intimidation came
up,” said Nebbeling of sessions he held over two days

‘ with individuals and groups.

“Many people want to share horrible scenarios over
small business (timber) sales. There are those who will be
hit by the Nisga’a settlement,”

“Because of the fear and intimidation they’re not willing

to speak openly so that is why I had to meet them in that’

way,’’ Nebbeling added.

‘'There are those who don’t want to be seen speaking on
their concerns in front of anybody else except me. These
people are really afraid to talk.”

Nebbeling said this is happening all over the province
but is strongest in the northwest and the northern part of

Meanwhile, Pramier Gien Clark Is giving

strong hints that his government won't
be taking money from FRBC to ineip buii-
er a budget crisis. That story, Page A2.

Vancouver Island,

Changes in logging practices, stumpage fees and un-
certainty over the effects of land claims settlements and
environmental regulations have made many people in the

forest industry uneasy.

The current closure of Skeena Sawmills in town and a
lengthy shutdown of logging in the Stewart-Meziadin area
have drawn provincial attention and calls for government
assistance.

A former mayor of Whistler, Nebbeling was elected in

last May's provincial election and represents the riding of
» West Vancouver-Garibaldi,

His trip is the second known one to the area since the
’ election. An earlier visit here featured an appearance at a
’ chamber of commerce luncheon.

Nebbeling also sits on the provincial legislative com-
mittee oversecing Forest Renewal B.C.

The difference between what he hears around the pro-

‘vince and what’s going on with Forest Renewal B.C. is ;

startling, Nebbeling added.

‘After three years Forest Renewal doesn’t have a clue as
to what to do to spend its money efficiently,’’ he said.

The best example of that is the attempt by Forest

- Renewal B,C, to define what a forest worker is, Nebbeling

' continued,
“To get that definition they say we have to study it and
they’re going to outsiders to do it.””
The MLA said Forest Renewal has been unsuccessful in
communicating between itself and to forest workers
around the province.

i

Ted Nebbeling

THE FROGMAN COMETH. Safety diver Fred Adair of Terrace

Water Rescue pops out from the icy waters of Onion Lake. Mem-
~ bers of the rescue team practice all winter to be ready in the event

someone should fall through thin ice and need to be saved.

Icy waters don’t deter them

MEMBERS OF Terrace Water Rescue regularly
brave our area's frigid winter waters, practising
to save lives in case of an emergency.

Last weekend, the team was out at M.K. Bay
near Kitimat, picking old batteries from the
ocean floor,

Two weekends ago the group was out at
Onion Lake, practising ice rescues and using
new underwater communications gear.

The gear allows divers to communicate with
each other and with someone on the surface,
That's a very useful tool for divers who often
face zero visibility under the thick ice.

The full-face masks also keep water away
from divers’ faces, preventing them from being
contaminated when diving in polluted waters.

The group purchased one set of the gear last
year, then recently added another mask to the
set — allowing two divers to talk to each other
while underwater.

‘'They’re very helpful,’ says Dave Jephson
of* Terrace Water Rescue. ‘The gear helps
make diving safer."

Jephson says at this time of the year, the

team’s biggest concern is for people, especially
children, playing on the Ice. Fortunately, no one

has slipped under the cold waters this year, but
Jephson says the team is ready just in case.

‘There have been cases where people were
successfully revived after being underwater for
more than an hour, and they didn’t suffer brain
damage,’’ Jephson says. ‘“We want to get to get
people out in that time.”

The new communications gear was made pos-
sible by donations from the area’s Telephone
Employees’ Community Fund. ‘‘We’re very
thankful to have their support,’’ says Jephson.

The fund also helped the group buy lift bags,
which are used to retrieve. sunken vehicles,
small planes and helicopters.

Where. >

Majority back
smoking ban

TERRACE COULD one ‘of respondents said they'd

day be looking at a ban on support a total ban on smok-

smoking similar to Van- | ing in indoor public places.

couver’s bylaw which is That compares closely to 53

butting out cigarettes every- "per cent in favour across the
: Jeena ie BEDE LE ZION: : we teed

City officials say they’re -
not planning one, but a
recent survey says a slight
majority would support such — trict. .

a move, Those who would support

The information comes a no-smoking bylaw say
from an Angus Reid survey they’d do so because second
on the views of northhem hand smoke is unhealthy.
B.C. residents on smoking. Other reasons include a dis-
The survey was just released gust for smoking in general,
by the Skeena Union Board | and worries about the health
of Health. of children and pregnant

More than 2,100 people | women.
were interviewed in the |About half of those who
Northern Interior, Peace Wwouldn’t support a ban say
River, Skeena and Cariboo that smokers have rights and
regions. In Terrace about there should be freedom of
150 people were inter- choice. Another 26 per cent
viewed. felt smoking should be al-

Of those adults inter- ‘lowed in certain places, like
viewed across the region, 41 bars and clubs.
per cent said they were Attitudes about smoking
smokers. This is considerab- in restaurants and the work-
ly higher than the number of place were also surveyed. In
adult smokers in the lower Skeena 62 per cent of
mainland, which surveys people request non-smoking
say are 28 per cent, sections in a restaurant,

In the Skeena region, While 17 per cent say it
which includes Terrace, makes no difference. That’s
Kitimat, Smithers, and higher than the regional
Prince Rupert, 55 per cent Cont'd Page A2

Merge word soon

THE PROVINCE'S latest package of financial incentives
for the city which could lead to a merger with Thornhill is
expected to be ready within 10 days. .

And Terrace mayor Jack Talstra expects it to be slightly
sweeter than the first one offered late last year.

The city is tooking for enough money from grants to offset
for the first years any increases in local taxation. .

“If it (the package) isn’t good enough to take to referendum,
we won't do it. Our posilion is that restructure has to be taxa-
tion neutral,” said Talstra Jast week following a meeting with
municipal affairs minister Mike Farnworth.

Talstra said Farnworth indicated grants offered last year ate
still in place despite subsequent announcements of cuts in
payments from the province to municipalities,

“We're being asked to take $500,000 in cuts,” said Talstra
of general provincial grant cuts which will affect the city.
“Since we don’t want to raise taxes, they may have to cough
up a bit more.”

majority wouldn't support a

Mill shutdown continues indefinitely

By JEFF NAGEL

Skeena Sawmills re-start linked to progress in talks with government

The only area in which the —
ban is the Peace River dis- |

THE SIX-WEEK shutdown at West
Fraser's Skeena Sawmills — which was
supposed to end next Monday - is being
extended indefinitely.

West Fraser northwest operations
manager Bruce MacNicol said he can't
justify restarting the mill, which was los-
ing $1 million a month up until it shut
down on Dec, 23.

“At this time we have no firm date on.

exactly when we would be going back to
work," MacNicol told 7he Standard on
Monday. “At this poirit there hasn't been

any change in our situation from what it
was in November.”

“We're unable to give any date at all.”

The announcement, which was made at
the mill office on Friday, came as a ham-
mer blow to the more than 150 Terrace
sawmill workers and nearly.200 more log-
gers, truckers arid associated workers who
had hoped to see a paycheque again soon.

And MacNicol hinted the order to go
back fo work could be linked to the com-

pany’s progress in talks with’ the provin-—

cial government to ease logging costs in
the north coast area.

“We're still trying to get something
going with the government that’s going to
solve some of our problems,”,MacNicol
said, “If we can achieve that we're prob-

‘ably going back to work earlier. If it takes

longer to resolve those issues, It could be
later, We don’t know at this point yel.”

He and other West Fraser officials met
Monday in Vancouver with forests minis-
‘try execullve director of operations. Bob’

Friesen and North Coast forest district
manager Jim Snetsinger in the latest of a

' series of meetings aimed at making north-

west logging operations more economical.
Although saw logs fetch good prices, the
problem for northwest operators is
extremely low prices for pulp logs.
The wet-coastal region means more rot,
and a higher proportion of pulp logs.
Mill officials here say the Forest

‘Practices Code requirements and "“super-
.stumpage” fees that bankroll Forest”

Renewal B.C. have driven their costs way
up in the last few years,

MacNicol said current prices mean West
Fraser would lose $50 to $60 per cubic
metre of pulp wood cut.

Both West Fraser and Repap have gone
to the government seeking changes. in
tiow the Forest Practices Code is applied,
ag well as changes to the stumpage system

that would reduce the levy for northwest

Continued on Page A2

ae ean nae