Group gets $80,000 grant TERRACE'S = unemplay- Ment rate hovers around 8-9 per cenit. And how io decrease that number is the subject of a year-long study by the Termce Anti Poverty Group Society, The study will cost about $80,000. and comes from Human Resources Develop- ment Canada. Terrace Anti- Paverty plans to hire one full: time ‘and two part time “ emplayces to complete it What the. study will do, explains executive director Helga Kenny, is look at -What resources Terrace has that aren’t being used, and if those resources can be matched with the skills of the unemployed to create jfobs.-: “We want to try to get people to return to the work- force or get an education,” said Kenny. Called a capacitics/necds assessment, the study aims to help people who have a hard time getting off social assistance and becoming self-reliant. For example, Kenny asks if more computer training Is necessary, ot if Terrace has too many people trained as general office assistants, and not enough as legal secre- taries. “Maybe the market is oversaturated with office administrative help,’’ said Kenny. The study will help Anti Poverly get a realistic pic- ture of the employment situation in Terrace, she said, As for the capacity side of the study, Kenny wants to determine what resources aren’t being used — for ex- ample an empty warehouse might be used to help people to work if there’s a business that could be creat- ed in that location. The person who’s hired to coordinate the study will be contacting businesses, government agencies, talk- ing to clients and basically trying te figure out what's necded. “What skills do peaple have that they aren't using? What’s out there that we're not making use of??? Kenny thinks Terrace might be breaking new ground, by combining a capacilies and necds- assess- ment in one single study, She’s excited about the opportunity and thinks real progress cin come out of the study. And she hopes it will develop into lifelong careers for the unemployed, instead of six month or eight to study unemployment Helga Kenny week jobs, “ft’s all there. You just have lo tap Into it.’’ The study will likely start at the beginning of next month. Hunting closures don’t apply to northwesten grizzly bears GRIZZLY BEAR hunting closures in some parts of the province this spring won't affect the Skeena region. The environment ministry has closed the spring grizzly * hunt in'some areas of northeastern B.C., the Koolenays, the Taku River area and the Betla Coola area due to con- servation concems. But bear biologist Sean Sharpe of the environment min- istry in Smithers says the closures are a precaution and not _ indicative of overall declining grizzly numbers. **This isn’t like an urgent, ‘oh my god’ thing,”’ he says. “Tt’s just an early indication. We’re raising the flag to make sure people pay attention.”’ Sharpe says the problem is that there appear to have been too many concentrated kills, especially of female bears, in some ateas of the province. ‘*'We're really encouraging people to avoid shooting fe- male bears if they can,” he says. ‘‘Especially along the Taku River.” According to Sharpe, female grizzly bears are crucial | to healthy bear populations in a given area because, unlike males, they tend not to move around much. That means that if all the females are killed-off from an area, they will not likely be replaced by other females. Problems like these, and the fact that grizzlies are slow to reproduce, have led some conservation groups — and even biologists within the ministry — to suggest that grizzly bear bunting should cease until accurate population estimates have been done. The ministry currently relies on estimates based on avail- able habitat combined with the total number of recorded bear kills to judge bear populations. Sharpe admits that it’s not an especially reliable method of counting bears, but he says it’s the only onc available at this time. “In some cases we're using data back to 1989 and some- times even thal dala isn’! very good,” he says. ‘So we have to err on the side of caution,” Sharpe says the ministry only allows Four per cent of ihe estimated number of grizzly bears in an area to be killed annually. That includes bears that have been shot to protect life or property. In the Skeena region, that translates to an allowed kill of roughly 160 bears per year — out of an estimated popula- tion of 4,000 bears. Last year there were only 60 reported kills of the bears in ‘the region. Sharpe says that unless there are high levels of unreported kills out there, the grizzly population in this region should he healthy. Siill, Sharpe says he prefers to have more up-to-date data with which to work, The problem is the high cost of doing inventory on grizzlics because of their secrctive nalure. } In the future, new technology may solve that problem. Sharpe says DNA fingerprints of hair samples gathered in the field could help keep count of bears. But even those would take time to gather and right now they cost $100 cach to analyze. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 4, 1998 - A7 Ml For A Free Estimate Call Gur highly experienced body and paint specialists lake the wimost care with your vehicle, We offer reasonable rates and the best professional service available, Available For © Collision Repair & Paint Centre * 10.8.0, Repairs & Glass Replacement * Accessory Installations (Canopy, Box Covers, Visors ‘Running Boards) © Frame Repairs ® Polishing * Restorations * Spring Clean up Norm's 635-392: vide A Little T.L.C. For Your Vehicle ® Unitized Borly Repair Competitive Pricing For 2 All Collision Repairs! Auto Refinishing “It’s nearby... and it’s free!” Help with your taxes is probably closer than * you think. We're holding an income tax clinic in your area. If you have any questions about your income tax return or other tax papers, bring them along. If you're missing a form or a guide, we’ll have copies for you. Drop in and see us, we’ll be happy to help, Skeena Mall : March 5 1:00 pm - 5:30 pm March 6 9:30 pm - 9:00 pm March 7 9:30 pm - 2:30 pm Be Gitacs Garage Canada Hon. Penny Priddy, Minister of Health 1104-7360—137th St Surrey BC V3W 1A3 Ph: 604/591-1221 Fax: 604/591-5195 @ Are you aware that your hospital is underfunded for the services it provides to the Northwest region? Despite a 10%, population increase and growing regional demands, the Mills Hospital acute care budget has shrunk. @ Are you aware that the Hospital operating room is closing for one week against our advice and without adequate planning for emergencies? @ Are you aware that budget cuts are forcing closure of the Mills Memorial CAT Scanner for two weeks in hope of saving $6000? This is the CAT Scanner the citizens of the Northwest bought for themselves to treat head injuries, cancers, and strokes. The tax dollar savings will be wiped out if even one patient has to be transferred out for a single CAT scan. @ Are you aware there may be no Anaesthetists available to serve this Community in the months to come? No Anaesthetists means no surgery—elective or emergency— no epidurals for a difficult labour, & no emer- gency C-sections. Three specialists have resigned in the last two weeks. One is an anaesthetist. This leaves us with only one part-time anaesthetist. As far as we are aware there are no permanent replacements in the foreseeable future despite public statements to the contrary. Your Terrace doctors are trying to provide the quality of health care people of the north deserve—but bureaucratic decisions are making this difficult now and may make it impossible soon. How can you help to stop the “Further From Home” program? Demand adequate, basic funding for your hospital. Write/ Fax/ Phone: Helmut Giesbrecht 2-4623 Park Ave Terrace BC V8G 1V5 Ph: 250/635-4146 Fax: 638-2195 Hon, Dan Miller. Deputy Premier 818-B Third Ave West Prince Rupert BC V8J IM6 Ph: 250/624-6007 Fax: 250/ 624-7523. Hon. Glen Clark. Premier 3295 East 23rd Ave Vancouver BC V5R 1B6 Ph: 604/431-8119 Fax: 604 /660- 0297 For more information (before our next notice), speak to: your own doctor. Terrace & District Medical Association