THORNHILL IS no place for a casino, according to the regional district board, On Friday, the board u ‘nanimously voted not to support expanded gambling in the Kitimat-Stikine regional district. brakes on a proposal to build a casino along High- way 16 in Thornhill. It also effectively cancels any plans for expanded gam- Ding in the northwest — at least for now. The regional district was the last chance for casino proponent Gary Jackson, who had already been denied support from both the city of Terrace and the Kitsumkalum band. At Friday’s board mect- ing, several representatives of anti-casine groups told the board why they thought the proposal should be denied, Ron Rooker of the Thom- hill Community Church pre- sented a petition with nearly 200 names of Thornhill resi- dents opposed to a casino. *] have thoroughly en- 7 joyed living in Terrace,” he ea told the board. ‘Tt is my conviction that this proposal threatens us all.’’ But Lou Hilford of the BC Charitable Gaming Com- mission — a group representing the charities that benefit from casino revenues insisted a casino would be good for the area. He argued against what he called “selective morality’’ by saying there was little Sewer fix costly FIXING Terrace’s polluting sewage treatment plant could end up costing cach city homeowner an extra $40 to $50 a year. The city has estimates ranging from $500,000 to $1.5 million to either use a different treatment system or extend the outfall pipe further into the river. The problem is that the main steam of the river has moved south and scwage from the pipe now swirls in backwaters along the shore in amounts that exceed en- vironmental limits. The result has been fecal colliform counts at least five times the safe limit for swimming or wading and pressure from the environ- ment ministry to fix the problem. The expensive solutions being considered are ex- pected to wipe out the once healthy surplus in the city sewer budget. if the city gets away with a cheap solution — in the $500,000 mnge — it may be possible to avoid cither bor- rowing money or raising fees, said director of enginecring Stew Christensen, But if it comes in at the higher end of the estimates, he said, sewer fees would likely have to go up. Homes now charged about $8 per month for the sewer service could be facing a monthly increase of $3 to $4, he guessed. That could translate into fee increases. approaching $50 a year per home. Christensen hopes to get a better fix on costs of the repairs by June. He said the feast ex- pensive treatment method — chlorinating and then dechlorinating sewage — is about to be banned by the provincial government, and has therefore been abandon- ed. Other more expensive op- tlons include higher-tech treatment through ultraviolet - ndiation of ozonation. Christensen told council he’s continuing to search for the best option. ‘'We would like to have a plan in place to do some- thing in the spring of 1999,”° he said. The decision puts the | difference between casinos and bingos or raffles — all are gambling, be said. And he reiterated the eco- nomic benefits of a casino, including the purchase of the land, the $1.8 million estimated cost of building a casino and its $1.5 miLlion payroll. Hilford even offered Thornhill an incentive -— saying that the province had agreed to put the three per cent profits that normally go I While sachs fast. ¢ I Conada § "| SAFEWAY COUPON VALID FROM 12/10/97 10 12/13/97, _ERTELCATES TERRIFIC : SAVINGS: Prices “e'fective,* Decem December 13, 197 arall right to: timit. sales lo retail: quantities: , Sonie’ tems” illustrations are serving only. Advertised prites d GST, “Food &. Drug’ Limit of one coupen per customer, - Coupon effective at all AG - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 10, 1997 Three strikes and out Thornhill won't be casino haven casino = improvements towards a community sewer you won’! benefit and nor system there. And he in- sisted that a casino in Ter- race would benefit charities all through the regional dis- trict, Hilford also warned that gambling will probably come to the northwest regardless of the board deci- sion. *‘Whether you allow it or not, the government abhors a vacuum,”’ he said. “There will be a casino bere and will your charities.” But regional district direc- tors were willing to take that chance. Kitimat director Jim Thom motioned that the board not support casino gambling in the regional district. New Hazelton mayor Pete Weeber supported the mo- tion, saying that Hazelton had enough problems with bingo and children becom- oer White Mushrooms Product of Canada. Stores. i FIRST PACKAGE WITH THIS COUPON PLU 708 i 3 ss ing ‘‘bingo orphans,”” ne Most of our population ends up in Terrace sooner or later and in the process they usually get a load of groceries,” Weeber said. “Given the propensity of our people to gamble wo much they may come home without those groceries.” Director Dave Brock- lebank and Andy Burton both said they would prefer the issue went to a referendum, but would vote according to the views of the Thombil] dircetor Les Watnough, But Hazelton director Alice Maitland said the is- sue was so important to her community that it didn’t matter what Watmough said. “Tf Les proposed a casino in Thormhill or Jack (Tal- stra) in Terrace [ would go to war,” she said. . The vote was a unanimous “‘no’’ to casinos. Assorted varieties. FIRST ONE. {is % A 1 Limit ‘of e one 19 coURON per customer, i While stocks last. 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