Crowded classe Skiers dig o out their boards as. o ‘Shames. Mountain gears up. for a ne new season\SPORTS: B9 A group of parents IS. calling. for new elementary school ont bench\NEWS ALO io mark the end of the Second ‘World War\COMMUNITY B4- - WEDNESDAY. - ‘78¢ PLUS 5¢.GST.._ Donations hinge on ‘yes’ vote By JEEF NAGEL SECOND SHEET organizers say they will raise $750,000 over the next two years, But how can they demonstrate that before Sat-. : urday’s vote and calm skeptics? Organizer Brian Downie admits it would go along way towards easing fears, but says it’s not possible. . A umber of sizable corporate donations are said to be waiting in the wings — including one of at ieast $100,000. But Downie says the political nature of the debate prevents those cards from being placed - on the table prior to the Nov. 18 referendum. “They may not want to become involved in a: political campaign,’’ he said of the businesses and corporations. ““They may not want to be perceived as trying to influence public opinion.” : You either love it or hate it, A full page | of (letters, plus the * mayor’s opinion, on Page A5. Advance voting was heavy. That story o on n Page Alz. He also. noted that potential major backers also want to know whether the community sup- ports the project before they'H go public. “You can’t answer that until there’s a teferendum,”’ Downie said. “We: strongly believe there is at least one donor if not more that will be contributing in the $100,000 range,’’ said Warren Garten, a Rick and Paul King Foundation organizer. Garten says corporate fundraising is being broken up into major corporations, transporta- tionfheavy equipment, construction and sub- trades, retail, and professional. Donations will include supplies and labour, in addition to straight cash. Public fund-raising and service club fund- ‘Talsing are in addition to the corporate side. So far. the one-night Skate ’97 auction that raised. $28,000 is the best example of the orga- _nization’s ability to raise money. “The Rick and Paul King Foundation had fairly intensive deliberations of just esactly what they could raise for that project,”’ Downie said. “The foundation is committed to raising $750,000 and we think we'll raise more than that.” City councillor Rich McDaniel said debate over operating costs of the new arena have nothing to do with whether to build it or not. Cont'd Page A12 THE PROJECT | BW $2.82 million for a 34,000 square foot struc- ture that houses a regulation size 200 x &5-foot ice surface plus a 50 x 85-foot leisure sheet. It would be built adjacent to the existing arena, Seating for 200, and four dressing roome of 360 square fect each located between the two bulldings. m@ Project backers point to non-ice uses such as the abllity to seat large banquet audiences, to stage concarts and to stage other events | such as trade shows as other benefits. mw Cost Is tagged at $2.87 million. Taxpayers are baling asked to borrow up to $2.12 million. That figure could be cut should a provincial grant be recelved. The Rick and Paul King Foundation is committed to raising 6750, 000 over the next two years, Mi The clock ticks down IT WILL BE like watching the final minutes of game 7 in a crucial playoff saries for local skaters and second sheet organizers when voters go to the polls to cast thelr ballots either for or against a second sheet of ice on Saturday, Our coverage on Page A12 Includes details of who can vote, and where and when to do that. Mills to cut jobs - THREE JOBS will be cut and there'll be fewer hours for casual workers as part of Mills Memorial Hospital's: plan to cut its deficit, ee Et eer es iddpuéd’ last week by the Terrace Regional Heatth Care | Society, . Which ruas the ‘hospital, in response to a ~ with a solution to a deficit of approximately $500, 000." These sléps, and otiers, should be suffi- cient to reduce the hospital’s deficit to the $130,000 range over the next 12 months, ‘society chief executive officer Michael _Leisinger said last week. “If we can keep the occupancy rate to the 10 per cent level, if all the elements are put -in place and if the ministry accepts our pln, that’s where we want to be,’” he said. ‘Leisinger’ added ‘that the projected $130; 00) deficit amounts to plus or minus 1 per cent of the hospital’s budget, Also part of the plan are renovations to medical-surgical wards, pediatrics and ICU services closer together. more cost savings, said Leisinger, All of this can’t be accomplished without the health ministry’s help. The hospital will ask the ministry for money to pay for the. top floor renovations. | And a key part of the hospital? 8 deficit reduction plan is receiving up to $200, 000... year from the ministry. That’s money to replace other monies lost when the provincial medical services plan cut back on procedures it would pay for... “Whether we’ll receive all of that for this’ year ot whether itll be pro-rated we don’t know, but it will definitely help,” ‘said Leisinger. He expects this money will be added to the hospital's base operating budget. But Leisinger warned thatthe hospital - still faces considerable financial challenges. It’s already been told, as have other hos- pitals, that there won't be budget increases . for {ts next fiscal ycar. “That means our best case scenario is zero. It’s at least something. we know,” said Leisinger. © One big unknown are labour contracts which come up for renewal next spring. health. ministry deadline that it come: up. - the hospital’s top floor to bring the . That’! result in more efficiencies and to cure its deficit The last round of contracts resulted in an agreement between the provincial govern- ment ‘and health: unions that reduced. the work week but didn’t affect wages. There were~also expensive: "job" éecurity: yt . provisions to protect workers. who ‘ved layofis,:- : Those three workers who will be cut a as a. result of the deficit reduction’ plan can, if they want, bump. other workers, They will: also be able to take: advantage of retraining. provisions under current labour contracts, © Dr. James Dunfield, the chief of medical. staff at Mills, said the plans’ to centralize’ services on the top floor will make nursing’ duties more efficient Jot Settlement _ expensive | A’CASH SETTLEMENT paid to a former registered nurse at Mills Memorial Hospital ; is partlally responsible for its budget waes. | The . settlement, amounting to. nearly $60,000, was paid to David’ Smith after he was dismissed earlier this year. That works out to approximately. 10 per cent of the budget deficit now handcuffing. the facility, The: settlement was worked out after the B.C, Nurses’ Union filed. a grievance: but ‘before the matter went to arbitration: PEs In itself, ‘not going to a full arbitration. saved the hospital from, paying: thousands: of dollars in legal and-other fees, (6 “The case involving | Suiith, who worked in’ ; the hospital’s ‘psychiatric unit, dates back to: 1992.when the Registered Nurses Associa. _tlon of B.C. suspended his licence for. 18 " months after fi inding him. guilty of unethical conduct. ‘Smith, who- was’ also ‘required: to lake a a medical ethics course, was scheduled to. return to his job last years But that: caused a protest, resulting ina letter . writing campaign ‘to ‘the Terrace. Regional Health Care Society,:which man- ages Mills, and ‘other - public: and: 1 medical officials, |... Smith did retum to work, was put, on: leave and eventually terminated by Mills, ms _ resulting in the’ grievance by his union, a Going green could have high price tag IF WE ASK what parts of the city are environmentally sensitive we may not like the answer we get Councillor Gordon Hull tears hiring a — consultant to identify - environmentally sensilive areas will lead to tighter restric- tions on development in- towa and great expenses to the city. Council is budgeting $12,000 in 1996 to hire a consultant to define high, me- dium,. and ; low-sensitivity arcas, | and . draw up a plan for protecting them. ‘What if he comes back and ‘says ‘Lanfear Hill — you shouldn’t. touch vo it'?'? Hult demanded, ' The city expecis to have to rebuild the ‘road up Lanfear Hill at a cost of at least $2 million, Erosion of the bank there may threaten parts of Howe Creck. “We don’t have to accept the recom- mendations,” replied councilior Val ‘George. ‘But I still think it’s pretty dam guod information to have,”’ He admitted to sharing some of Hull’s concems, however. George suggested the city give the con-- sultant “a pretty clear directive” on '. council’s idea of what areas to. _ Protect and what arcas to develop. He said he was initially ‘alarmed by. the S idea from city. planner. David Trawin, ex. - pecting a consultant's bill for such work " to be at least $50, 000, - “This whole environmental consulting industry has gotten: totally out of con- trol,’* he said, But he and other councillors said they were relieved fo see ant estimated cost of around $11,000,. “Council has. to. make a ‘decision whetlier it wants’ to know: whether there are environmentally. sensilive areas in town, and if so, how to protect them,’* . ‘Trwin noted. “That's, ‘what .s comes . down to," But. Gordon Hull wasn't ‘appeased, Qf Predicting trouble from the - consultant's Bak study. “{’m conceried about the longer-term effect of all these so-called environmen- tally sensitive areas,’” he added, * “*Pretty soon there’ 8 going to be a list twice as long as your arm, I’d hate to be creating a problem that could some day come up and shoot us in the foot,?’ ; -City _ engineering director Stew Christensen Said troublesome: reconi- mendations from such a study are’ quite possible, oy You, could get told jst what Gor- don’ ‘a suggesting, ” he said, : area residents who want to control’ what! happens beyond their own property. lines. “This council wouldn’t say ‘You. have no say over it.” he said, | He | said. defining ‘environmentally sensitive areas’ won't mean ; anything anyway. if council: is’ easily swayed by pressure groups, )° 3°: “This .is- exactly ‘the: kind of heated - argument we're going to be facing some day-in-a courtroomi,’! added Ruth Hal- lock, who along with David- Hull and Ed. Graydon supported f the move,» “ Hull aid the’ city’s idea ‘of