Bad news for bears

The power is up and even the
wiliest dump bears are now out of
| luck\NEWS PAGE A10.

A stroll in the park

Days of thunder

An unsightly stretch of road is
much improved with a face
lift\COMMUNITY B1

WEDNESDAY
JULY 3; 1996

A quadraplegic finds the freedom
to move at the Terrace

Speedway\SPORTS BE

93¢ PLUS 7¢ GST
VOL. 9 NO. 12

Loggers put screws to Repa

ly JEFF NAGEL
HAZELTON-AREA logpers are crank-
ing the heatup on Repap as the company
prepares for public hearings on its pro-
posed purchase of Orenda Forest Pro-
ducts.

Virtually every one of Repap’s con-
tractors in the Hazelton area lave signed
a pelition thal opposes the transfer of
Orenda’s forest licence until Repap
changes its policy of delaying payments
to ils contractors, ;

‘We feel that we should not have to
subsidize their expansions any longer
through these schedules,’ says the peti-
tion, signed by 29 contracting firms and
their owners.

Late payment policy linked to Orenda hearings

The move guarantees the payment
schedule will be a hot issue when the
Orenda hearings get underway — likely
later this month, |

The. meetings will happen on two or
three weekends in Terrace, Hazelton,
and possibly Stewart, according to
Skeena MLA Helmut Giesbrecht, who is
one of the rorthem MLAs who will sit
on the panel,

Repap wants to buy Orenda and its
Meziadin-area licence for up to $25 mil-
lion and further secure its northwest tim-
bersupply,

Rick Carle, one of the stump-to-dump
contraclors who signed the petition, says
Repap’s policy of waiting 40 to 45 days
to pay logging contractors is starting to
take its toll,

“T's impacting the community quile a
bit,” he said. ‘I should be buying new
tires and stulf like that, but I’ve got to
save my. money {o meet the payrall.”’

Road-building contractors are waiting
90 days, says. Dave Webster, of DJ
Trucking, and ako mayor of New
Hazellon.

“When you don’t get a cheque for

three montis down the road it can be a
real hardship,’? Webster said. ‘‘You
have to have a pretty friendly banker to
pack you for three or four payments.”

While workers and contractors struggle
(o meet their payments, Repap continues
to make more capital expenditures, Carle
said,

‘They bought aut Buffalo Head,
they’re in the process of buying out
Hobenshields’, Now they’re buying out
Orenda,’? he said, ‘‘They’re getting
more and more of a monopoly but
they’rc not changing their pay schedul-

es,””

“Is bad enough having a one-
industry town, let alane having just one
operator,’’ Webster added.

We feel as contractors in this area
that they’re putting alot of money out on
capilal expenditures without. looking
afler the day-to-day stuff”’

Carle sent the petition to forests minis-
ter Paul Ramsey on Friday.

He said word that the Northwest Log-
gers Association and Giesbrecht were
speaking out on the issue prompted the
petition targetting the Orenda hearings.

“When we heard Terrace was going
after them we figured it was a golden op-

Continued Page A2

soosa ponytmestivice nonatd!

CHECK UP: Local mini-blind retailer Joanne Link inspects mini-blinds at local elementa-
ry schools to determine whether they need to be replaced.

Schools check blinds

HUNDREDS OF people around
Terrace ripped plastic mini blinds off
their windows, follawing: @ report
from Health Canada that they pre-
sented a danger to children under the
age Of Six,

When school district officials
learned of the warning. they commis-
sioned Joanne ‘Link from Link
Windew Caverings io check each of
the 30 buildings In-the Terrace dis-
trict, including Hazelton and Stewart,

So far she’s found mini blinds: in

two Terrace elementary schools, but
they are the high gloss: variety, and ©
are probably safe. She’s waiting to’

hear back. from the? nlanufactuters,
and doesn't: expect “a response for
another week 0 Orso. 7

The blinds, which are made in
China, Taiwan, Indonesia. Hong
Kong and Mexico, present a danger
because they contain lead,

When the blinds are exposed to
sunlight, heat and cold they can
deteriorate, producing ‘a lead. dust
film. ,

Alfa child licks the blinds, or rung

a finger along them and then licks the~.

finger, he or she.is Investing the lead;
explains‘ Dr. Bowering of the Skeona
Health Unit.”

~ 1 young - children’ repeatedly

_ ingest this lead dust, it could cause
brain damage and learning disorders: . -

The health unit fielded hundreds

of calls last, week from people con-
cerned about what they should do...

Bowering said ihe blinds only
present a danger to children, since
adults aren't likely to ingest the dust.

However, pregnant women are
warned ta be careful, and avoid
activities like cleaning the blinds,

Stores around Terrace which sell
the inexpensive blinds stripped them
from their shelves‘ Inst week;

Some stores, such as-Kinart, are

_ giving refunds for the blinds, Other
. Stores, like Terrace Interiors, were
“still waiting ‘as of press time. lo hear

back from thelr manufacturers.

For people wondering how to dis-
pose of the blinds,-the environment
ministry recommends pulling them in

: plastic: bags and: waiting for. ‘further
instruction. aes

Accused man
to take stand

By DAVE TAYLOR

A LOCAL man accused in the drunken kill-
ing of a mentally handicapped woman in
Thornhill] is expected to testify in his own
defence this week.

Dwain Elliot Taylor, 28, is charged with
second-degree murder in the beating death of
Gale Annette Morrison on the morning of
April 11, 1993,

The jury heard police officers testify last
week that Taylor admitted ta them that: he
killed a girl.

But police tactics in gaining that evidence,
Taylor's degree of drunkenness that night,
and the state of the woman he’s alleged to
have killed are expected ta be critical ele-
ments of the case,

The killing took place in a recently-cleared
wooded area in Thornhill near the end of
Lavina Street.

Several hours after the discovery of the
body, Special Const. Tom Urbanowski was
guarding the scene. Urbanowski testified that
Taylor and his brother Michael Rhodes
approached him.

Urbanowski told the jury that Taylor asked
if an Indian girl had been found there, and if
she had been hit on the head, Urbanowski
says he then asked Taylor what he knew, and
Taylor replied, “I think I did it,” then broke
down into tears.

According to Urbanowski, Rhodes asked if
the girl was OK, and he replied that she was
in the hospital.

Crown prosecutor Mike Fulmer asked if
Urbanowski had noticed any signs of alcuhol
on Taylor and he said that he hadn't.

Under cross examination by defence lawyer
Terry Laliberte, Urbanowski admitted that he
had not been looking for signs of alcohol, and
may not have noticed if there had been any.

Cpl. Rob McKay, the lead police investiga-
tor in the case, testified that he took Taylor

from the scene to the detachment, where he
proceeded to interview him, McKay said that
he did not notice Taylor limp or have trouble
walking, nor did he notice any signs of
alcohol.

Mckay taped the interview, which was
Played to the jury., The. tape was flawed
because it was recorded from a stena’s dicta-
phone that was not meant for this purpose.
McKay said that no other recording device
was available,

During the interview, Taylor’ says that he
had been at a stag party the night before, and
that he had been drinking. He also suys that
they went to the bar Hanky Panky's und the
Terrace Inn. He explains that he got kicked
out of Hanky’s and laughs. Later, he says, he
went to a party in Thornhill, near. the
Thornhill Pub.

But Taylor says on the tape that he doesn’t
remember when he left thal party, or much
afterwards and that he’d been drinking. He
also says that he returned to where the girl
was killed because of “‘bad feelings”.

The day after the interview, McKay said
that he talked to Taylor again, this time in his
cell.

McKay said that when he spoke about
Taylor’s mother, Taylor broke down crying
and said, “I don’t know why I did il. Pve got
two kids for Crissake. I teok a Hfe.”

Later, McKay said, Taylor’s mother came in
and they bath cried. When she asked him
why, McKay says that Taylor said, “I don’t

_ know, it’s like a bad dream.” He also said that

he didn’t know the girl.or even how he met
her.

Laliberte attacked McKay's testimony dur-
ing cross examination. McKay admitted that
throughout his taped interview with Taylor,
the defendent repeatedly said that he wanted
to speak to a lawyer, yet McKay continued

Continued Page B2

Architect found guilty of

unprofessional conduct

THE ARCHITECT who caused a costly
delay in Terrace’s library expansion project
has been cited for unprofessional conduct.

Alan Soutur will be removed from the
register of the Architectural Institute of
British Columbia effective July 15.

The decision of lhe institute's disciplinary
committee stems from Soutar’s conduct on
three projects: the Terrace library expan-
sion, ‘construction of Gusto’s Restaurant,
and renovations to Roy Wilcox Elementary
School in Kitimat,

The committee found him guilty in each
case of signing engineer's drawings or doc-
uments, or giving assurances which he was

_ not qualified to give.

“He’s not an engineer,” explained
Michael Emest, the institute’s director of
professional services. ‘‘So what you've got
fs an issue that amounts to professional
misreprescutation,’’

The library project was thrown into chaos
when city officials discovered construction
had begun without the structural engineer-
ing being approved by an engineer.

Building. inspectors slapped a stop work
order on the project, and the city. had to
briig in another firm to examine the

engineering documents and ultimately take
over the job.

On the Kitimat elementary school and the
Gusto’s restaurant project, Soutar filed
what's called a schedule C, assuring that
the work is substantially finished and is in
accordance with the plans and permit,

“He submitted those schedules before
construction even began,” Ernest said.
“When you say thal construction is com-
plete and you've done all your inspections
and construction hasn’t even slarted,
you’ve gota pretty fundamental gap — and
one that this place did not take kindly to.”

The Institute sald Soutar may apply for
reinstatement afler one year,

But he can't work as an archifect in the
meantime, atid hell have to take extra
courses, write an exam and pay the costs of
ihe professional inquiry that found bim
guilty before his application would be con-
sidered,

‘You don’t automatically return,’’ Ernest
added.

Two provincial laws — the Architects
Act and the Engineers’ Act — require that
the two groups of professionals stay within
theirown areas of expertise,