a Mt a 4 PRINCE RUPERT grocery store cashier Thom Le Tang got his first | taste of. acting last week, olaying the Sasquatch for an episode c of Global’ . television’ 's Northern Mysteries. Planete Bleue, ‘the Production, company filming the Series hired 30 actors from the area for the shoot. SARAH A, ZIMMERMAN PHOTO Sasquatch, other mysteries explored in television series Heritage Park sets the scene for. new episodes of Northern Mysteries. By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN HERITAGE PARK Museum set the scene last week foratelevision production company shooting segments of an upcoming Global television series airing later this winter. . Quebec-based production company Planete Bleue.used the historical pioneer ¢ cabins as set- tings for the 13-episode series called “Northern. Mysteries” which chronicles some of Canada’s most intriguing unsolved mysteries. .The segments being shot in Terrace focus ona. story in-which people claim to have seen the elu- sive’ Sasquatch and another where a man claims to _have.been kidnapped by a Sasquatch. The production team ended up in Terrace somewhat by coincidence, says the series’ cre- ator, Christian Page. odtt . Originally. the, company was looking foran old ishing village. to. shoot a segment about’a: large. . sea snake found in the belly of a sperm whale off the coast of Vancouver Island in the early 1900s. An internet search led them to the North Pa- cific Cannery in Port Edward. , “Tt was clear that it was what we were looking Promo photos to lure people here | . for,” Page says. Recognizing the region had potential for other segments of the series, the company shot scenes at the recently opened Kasiks Wilderness Resort 50 — km west of Terrace in addition to the segments at , the Heritage Park Museum here. The production company hired’ 30 people from Prince Rupert and Terrace to fill acting and extra positions. - Among the people, hired was Prince Rupert “actor, director and playwright for that city’s Har- . bour Theatre, Rudy Kelly. His experience helped — ~ land the role of Mr, Chapman — an aboriginal man - whose family i is believed to have been visited by a ~ Sasquatch in 1941. His First Nations descent also played a major factor in getting the job. “There’s not a whole lot of aboriginal actors around,” Kelly said. ,,... 0 is-s, : “There’s‘lots of waiting. around,” he says. “But for $200 plus a day — it beats a kick in the head.” Each of the actors and extras were paid for their work — actors with speaking roles earning in ‘the range of $200 a day, he says. Kelly wasn’t the only northern actor chosen to fill a very specific role. Prince Rupert grocery store cashier Thom Le | Tang also fit the bill ~ standing 65” tall and built ‘like a linebacker, Le Tang had the dubious dis- tinction of playing the'Sasquatch. ~ Ona day when temperatures topped 25 degrees Celsius, Le Tang had the unfortunate duty of don- ning a heavy faux-fur covered body suit couriered to Terrace from Hollywood for the shoot. . “I’m not too bad right now, but: T got heat _ stroke yesterday,” he said, adding the experience has been worth every second. “This is my first _ time acting and I’m loving it.” - Previous segments of Northern Mysteries -have already aired on Global television stations, Quebec’s Canal D and on the Mystery Channel. The episodes shot in Terrace and Prince Rupert “with its viewers and the man. ‘behind the series fig- ures. there. j is. plenty, ‘of. Canadian, ore. to keep. the series going for a few years to come. _ “A lot of people believe these strange phenom- ena occur-only in foreign countries,” Christian Page says. “In fact, Canadian history is full of mystery.” ‘By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN A PROFESSIONAL tourism photographer hired by Tourism B.C. visited the Terrace area recently and will *supply: the’ local tourism society with pictures to use for 7 marketing and promotion. Jennifer Lewis, executive director of the Terrace Tourism Society facilitated much of Jean-Francois Bergeron’s stops in the Ter- race area including Stewart, Kispiox, the Nass Valley and the Hazeltons. Bergeron’s trips included shoting aerial | ‘photos: while on a helicopter tour, capturing images of area rivers and making a stop in the Nass Valley including 4 photo opportu- nity with each of the four chiefs of the Nass Valley.and ceremonial Nisga’a dancers. Bergeron’s stunning photos have ap- peared i in numerous tourism publications in “nine of Canada’s 10 provinces and all three ; ‘territories. Copies of his mages. will go to the pro- ‘vincial tourism body, Northern B.C. Tour- ‘ism in addition to the Terrace Tourism So- ‘ciety for promotional use in tourism guides, advertising and other marketing areas. _ sites and in tourism magazines is _ paying : off. Just last week a 1 film crew filming a13- episode series called Northern Mysteries ~ Spent more.than a week in the area filming -~ segments for this-winter’s series. Quebec-based production’ company Planete Bleue needed an old fishing village to film a segment and stumbled across photos of the Port Edward cannery on the internet. Further investigation revealed Terrace also had a location they needed — ~ Heritage Park Museum. ~ The spin-offs of the production compa- ny’s time here are immediately evident. ~The film crew stayed in area hotels, rented, vehicles, ate at restaurants and hired roughly 30 locals as actors and extras for the segments. . Lewis is hoping the benefits of Bergeron’s’ photos will ultimately result in the same type of spin-offs stemming from increased tourist traffic. “A picture speaks a thousand words,” says Lewis. “The idea is to sell the region. I want people to open a guide up, look at our + The. benefits of posting images on, web " valley and say, ‘how do I go there?*” Seismic testing records quakes ‘BOATERS on. the Douglas Channel and Hwy. _37 South drivers will notice an addition to the’ landscape — blue solar panels. They have been installed as part of the Batho-. ‘liths Project, an earth science project that will .'study the geology and origin of the Coast Moun- tains between the Douglas Channel and the Burke/ ‘Dean Channel. A pair of American scientist . came to Kitimat “recently to begin the deployment of 45 seismom- eters along two lines. .Starting at the Douglas Channel from Hartley . Bay, along Hwy. 37S to Terrace, then along Hwy _ 16E to Hazelton. : The second runs from Bella Bella to Bella Coo- la and then follows Hwy. 20 to Anahim Lake. Ken Dueker is from the department of geology - “and geophysics at the University of Wyoming and “ George Zandt works in department of geoscienc- “es at the University of Arizona. They pointed out ‘seismic waves are similar to the rippling effect of ‘water after a stone is thrown into a lake. i “These earthquakes set off seismic waves that propagate in al] directions,” said Zandt. “So a ow areas ce ge ge The first line runs north wherever we put a seismic station. we can sense . the motion of those waves that are coming from that earthquake.” He explained some of the waves radiating from the earthquake source go down into the Earth, then rebound back up to the sensors, allowing them to “see” what’s beneath the stations. Simply put, the two scientists said they will be listening to the motions beneath the earth’s surface. Zandt noted earthquakes are literally an . everyday event. “Every day on the planet there’s about four earthquakes above magnitude five on the Rich- ter scale,” Dueker added. “We can generally see the waves from those earthquakes show up from around the planet.” For example, the seismic equipment here can record movement from an earthquake in Japan. “If you want to put a scale on that,” he said “we're looking at motions much less that the width of your hair.” Dueker emphasized the testing uses only natu- rally occuring tremors to image the Earth - no ex- plosives are used. HIKERS take in the spectacular Salmon Glacier near Stewart. Photos from the glacier and the Terrace area will be used to market the region to tourists. : JENNIFER LEWIS PHOTO Currently they are awaiting delivery of about 11,000 Ibs. of high-tech, specialized seismic test- ing equipment and expect it to arrive within the - month. Each station is entirely self-contained and . records information on to a disc. Someone from the project will be returning to retrieve data every three.or four months. Testing units leave a footprint about the size of a pickup truck and will have no detrimental effect on.the environment. The project had its begin- nings four years ago when a group. of 12 people, including Dueker, wrote a series of\ proposals to the US National Science Foundation to study the _formation of batholith, a term used to describe the’ large bodies of rock that have intruded into the earth’s crust. __ The scientific findings of the Batholiths Project will be published in peer-reViewed literature with- in about three years of completion of the project. “The first two or three years is collecting the data and the last two years will be analysing it and interpreting it,” said Dueker. Dueker said the total cost of setting up the 45 sites is about $1.35 million. - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - A5_ CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD a The Mail Bag _ Sportsplex frustration Dear Sir: - As a taxpayer and an avid user of the current arena in Terrace, I have to say something about the delay ‘in the sportsplex that was just been announced in qT he: Terrace Standard. ; In 1996 when the first arena expansion - was brought forward the design was the same as the proposed one we have now and it cost $2.2 million. But the politicians at the time decided to get ‘involved and make it'a $14 million dollar multiplex. This caused all sorts of uproar because the taxes would surely go up; we've been around this mulberry bush before. People didn’t want to pay“extra taxes because they, don’t use the arena. I pay.school taxes but don’t have any kids in school. That’s life. I deal with it. Other people are - going to have to suck it up and deal with it, too. The economic benefit of having. the second sheet: of ice will be well worth it. With.two sheets of ice we can host bigger tournaments, apply to host regional tourna- ments, like the BC Cup Best-Ever Tournament that Kiti- mat hosted in the past. It featured six to eight teams and . their parents from all over the province coming | to Play” stay and spend in our community. . The.Coy Cup being hosted in Kitimat-next year is a. - good example that will bring four men’s teams and their ‘supporters into Kitimat for four to five days.” This past spring break when we hosted the Bantam f “AA” provincials, we had eight teams and their families - come into town for a week, spending money on accom- modations, food and souvenirs: © ‘All of the folks 1. spoke to from Vancouver Island, ‘the - _Kootenays and Vancouver area thought this part of the + province was spectacular and they said they’d come back in the summer to try out the fishing. We also have a chance to host men ’s hockey,” figure skating competitions and now possibly lacrosse competi- tions. This could have a big economic impact o on our com-. +. munity. In Salmon Arm: they had three referenda to build the Sunwave Centre — two sheets of ice, restaurant, bar and meeting rooms for $9 million. Since the arena was built five years ago 6 they have ob tained a BCJHL franchise, hosted three provincial hockey ~ championships, hosted the B.C. Best Ever (Under: 16 and ~ under 17) tournaments for the past three years, a regional — woman's hockey championship and both Best Ever Tour- ~ naments again in 2006. These. tournaments have brought, millions of dollars into their economy.. Now we have.$6 million and we need $8.5 million, ‘SO “there is a delay so the city can find other funding. sources so people don’t have to pay extra taxes. By the time they. : find the extra money it’s going to cost $10 million. °°. At this pace we are going to lose the grant money. that ~ Roger Harris helped secure and the monies raised by the — community will be in,vain yet again (Rick &: Paul: King’. Foundation sound familiar?) ‘Mayor and council, just get it done or stop talking | about it. This has gone on far too long and it’s frustrating for everyone watching. John Amos, Head Coach, _ Terrace Bantam “AA? Reps, _,Perracey] B. Cc. aes wo ‘Park i is now safer Dear Sir: The unknown person who cut back the huge mass of trees and bushes in George Little Park did every parent a big favour. The huge mass of trees offered seclusion to the winos and would-be lurkers, making this a very dangerous park for children. ‘I feel more confident now when I walk through the park. Thanks to this unknown person, | don’ t have this fear of: something evil lurking behind those bushes. | ee ogdg . eee hess pty gd ris ee Mannie Wesley, . Terrace, B. Cc. “Tree trimming hooray _ Dear Sir: Regarding the recent article titled “Tree Trimming Vandal Strikes Park” in the July 10, 2005 edition of The _ Terrace Standard, | have a strong suspicion as to who the tree trimmer is and J say hooray. I also have noticed the activities that have taken place in the shelter of the tight, lower branches’ of those trees and feel the same way as the so-called vandal. Yes, those’ activities are a symptom of an underlying» social problem in this community, but that doesn’t mean that we should all look the other way and ignore it. Just ask the city worker who had to reach between the branches of the cultivated bushes with rubber gloves to: pick up the used condoms and you'll understand that it is not simply a - — homelessness “It should not be = or substance ° nr z _ .abuse issue. | a place _ for public Lower Little drunkenness or sexual - pay is one of encounters.” the jewels of our communi- _ ty. dt is where , we all gather to celebrate our community and its past which includes na- tive and non native culture, Riverboat Days, music in the _ park, National Aboriginal Day and Canada Day to name a few. It is a place where friends and families can gather and picnic, throw a Frisbee, or just pass some time. It should not be a place for public drunkenness or sexual encounters. Especially within a hundred feet of a great playground, our library, and across the street from our recreation facilities. : These are areas that parents should feel comfortable having their children spend time, not fearful of who may be hidden in the bushes a few feet away and what they may. be doing. That is far more impértant toa community than culti- vating bushes. Rick McDaniel Jr., Terrace, B.C, . - About the Mail Bag The Terrace Standard welcomes letters. address is 3210 Clinton St., You can fax us at 250-638-8432 or e-mail us at newsroom @ terracestandard.com. No attachments, please. Name, address andphone number required for verification. Our Terrace, B.C. V8G 5R2, ca Bo