A10 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 7, 2001 Nisga’a buy a home for foster children AN ARM of the Nisga’ a Lisims Government has:- |} purchased a house here on Queensway Dr. “It’s going to be used as a foster home,” said Maur- ice Squires, the director of Nisga’a Child and Family Services. The foster home which is called a Nisga’a ~ Care Home — [s the first of a number of such houses aiming to provide more Nisga’a-friendly care for children apprehended by social workers, 5 “The idea is to have a Nisga’a Care Home in every Nisga’a community so we don’t have to rely on the Ministry of Children and Families to house any Nisga’a children,” Squires explained. Aboriginal people, the Nisga’a included, have long had conceras about ministry placement of aboriginal children. More customized child services run by the Nisga’a government are intended to keep Nisga’a children more connected ta their culture and extended fami- ly. For that reason, Squires said, the house on Queens- way is being renovated so it will have an in-law suite. Out-of-town family members: will be able to stay in the suite whea they want to visit their child in A HOUSE on Queensway has been purchased by an arm of the Nisga’a Lisims Government as a resi- dence for faster children, That's Harly Chisholm of S.W.H. Masonry and Construction working on some of the renovations. the foster home. “They can spend the “day with the child, stay in the in-law snite and visit ’ with the child instead of hoofing it. downtown and staying at a hotel or 'moatel,” he said. Foster parents will be selected to live in the home and take aon foster children as required. Squires said his depart- ment tracks about 200 files involving Nisga’a children, and about 40 Nisga’a children are in foster homes at any given time. Grant aids children © A GRANT increase for the Terrace Child Develop- ment Centre will mean more therapy time and shorter waiting lists for children, executive direc- tor Margot Van Kleeck said, The child development centre recently learned it’s getting an additional ~§$85,000 a year from the Ministry for Children and Families to expand its therapy programs. “Tt makes a big differ- ence “for ,our children,” Van Kleeck said. The centre is now te- cruiting a fall time physio- therapist. Speech therapy and oc- cupational therapy. ser- vices will also expand, be- | cause the money means more staff! ean be hired. Van Kleeck hopes the expanded positions can be. filled by local therapists because it’s difficult to re- eruit people from out of, town for part-time. posi- | tions. additional | “fs the first time our therapy complement of staff has gone up,” she said. “Right now we're really stretched.” For more than 25 years, the Terrace Child Deve- lopment Centre has been, providing children with de-- velopmental disabilities’ and their families with therapy, ‘preschool and-*: suppartive child care pro-. grams, and prevention education. The centre sees about 120 new referrals each year, or one-quarter of all the live births in Terrace. ‘As well, between 190: and 220 children under age. six attend the facility each. year for speech, develap-: mental therapy. . The injection of money from the ministry, part of a $6 million government ex- pansion of early childhood support programs in the province, is-good news for parents and children here in Terrace, ‘Van Kleeck said. “It means assessment. ‘won't take as long,” she said, adding there’s curr- ently a three-month wait-. ing list, Of that $6 million, $870,500 went to agencies in the north that offer the following -pragrams for. children under six and their families: infant deve- lopment. and supported child. care programs, occu- pational and physicther- apy, and speech language ‘ therapy. ~ Van Kleeck said the news coincides with a five . per-cent wage increase for non-unionized staff work- ing at the centre. “This just increases the benefits we have, plus about a five per cent wage increase,” she said, adding it’s been seven years since wages there have gone up. | “The unicns have been getting increases and we' haven’t.” The increase means the centre will be able to ex- tend medical services plan benefits to staff, Serre ee aeeat FIESTA INN 499 = sara ie Gee 0 ee RADI SSON HOTEL MAINGATE Honl Se iG RRSAVAILABLEL Hawai ‘° MAUI Trina FebiT seca 3509 KONA bar Bre NTP cece $$74 : i ‘e See Mexico | CANCUN Mar [ior | Weeks ee 3739 | PUERTO VALLARTA sgq9 Feb IT, for | Week South Pacific = 489 = «Nights, Feb 7=28 MonlWediFrt errr SYDNEY fa dirmMar iS. eae | 249 BRISBANE $1249 Ma dicen Mar 15 "| Britain weer nean 12 Nighes, Feb 13-27 Tandey departures RaRaces An a ise and rompers rlaed oes and race Wt " GANMABA DBA Vancouver denertures. EW BOOKINGS CHIL, Picea pe parton dub ie nly on chings, Canada on eer wrt and conditions apply. Ad axe, AIF nol Indlided. Gace H avaliable a deadline, [reve dale: Jan 3, 6G Ping #32846 idl * 638-8522 LONDON Fab diros fb Ma 3s ooo Call your UNIGLOBE cruise specialist today. UNIGLOBE Courtesy Tra Travel. AT1B8A Latelle Avenue, Terrac & 800-468-0828 waw.unigltbacourtasytravel.com 649 BIG BROTHERS & BIG SISTERS | OF TERRACE Annuat General Meeting Thursday, February 22, 2001 Big Brothers & Sisters Office 4711 Lazelie Avenue at 7. pm Elections to the Board will take place and nominations for these positions will be accepted from the floor. Open to the public. $5 membership to be paid prior to voting. \ For more information, please call 635-4232 (> THE CORNERSTONE OF COMMUNITY EDUCATION FCA 25 YEARS You are invited to participate in a community information session regarding a Five-Year Education Plan for Northwest Community College. Where: Northwest Community College | Terrace Campus, 5331 McConnell Ave Room 2001, Cafeteria Building When: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, at 7 pm 32 IMAGES BY KARLENE Hatnstyling & Day Spa Introduces The Esthetics & Spa Team SPECIAL GIFTS FUR HIM SPECIAL GIFTS FOR HER Now in addition to HAIRSTYLING - ELECTROLYSIS - TANNING and a full menu of ESTHETICS. images is. offering natural cleansing and rejuvenation through total body serubs, treatment wraps, massage and reflexology. “Good for both the body and the mind” Skeena SPECIAL Mall GIFTS FOR SPECIAL GIFTS FOR Open Every Weekday Evening Until 7:00 pm = 4718-B Lazelle Avenue, Terrace 635-4997 # 1-800-251-4997 -~ | Residential School Survivors Workshop N Tuesday, February 13,2001 3 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Kermode Friendship Centre - Terrace Are you a survivor of Residential School? Facilitator: ; Co-hosts: Northw and Kermode Friendship Society - Free but pre-registration would be : To Register: | Please call (250) 638-0744 or (25058864006 Lunch will be provided. We hope to see you there. Funded by: The Avorigina! Healing Foundation.