Machines to replace humans

Weather people lose jobs

BIG FEDERAL budget cuts are
translating into job losses here in
Terrace,

Topping the list to date is the
weather office at the airport with
three full time employces to be
given their walking papers.

In all, 13 weather stations are to
be closed in B.C., leaving human
beings in place in only Van-
conver and Kelowna. There’ll
continue to be a weather station
-in Whitehorse: ~ -

Environment Canada regional
director general Earl Anthony
said 55 weather stations are being
closed across the country.

One of the 13 in B.C. is a one-
person office in Dease Lake.

The closure of the Terrace of-
fice, which provides forecasting,
temperature and precipilation‘ser-
vices to the northwest, is schedul-
ed to take hold April 1, 1997.

“We'll be going into each of
the communities to meet with our
clients and determine how to still
give the quality of service that we
now provide,’ said Anthony.

Much earlier visits are being
made to employees scheduled to
lose their jobs.

There is the possibility, said
Anthony, of some employces
transferring to whatever vacan-

cics there may be elsewhere.

He said automated systems will
replace human beings at Terrace
and did raise the possibility that
the flight services station may
have an increased role to play in
weather information.

He noted that 135 of the exist-
ing 540-member Environment
Canada workforce on the west
coast will be out of work within
three years, a

Not yet known is the impact of
the federal cuts at the Terrace air-
port.

Transport Canada spokesman
Rod Nelson said last week it was
sBtill too carly to say.

But he did say the budget cuts
won’t have an impact on the plan
last year to turn federal airports
over to local control,

Canada Employment Centre
manager Shirley Kimery is
predicting job losses this year as a
result of cuts, _

“What we’ve done is understaff
this office, We've asked our-
selves if it’s really necessary to

replace somebody if they leave,’ -

She said.

That understaffing has resulted
in vacant positions which can be
eliminated without any direct af-
fect on people.

Seniors get break

SENIORS AT Twin River Estates
will get free garbage collection
— for 1995 at least,

After that = it | appears
questionable whether seniors any-
where in town will get a break,

City council has agreed to take
up Riverside Disposal on its offer
to provide free pickup for the
senior citizens’ apartment com-
plex this year.

The city will give the firm a tax
receipt for the donation.

The issue came up following
council’s decision earlier this
year to end city-operated com-
mercial garbage pickup in town
effective Apr. 1.

Twin River Estates uses large
commercial dumpsters, which the
city will no longer be able to
handle, as it will have reduced ils

¢

can’t handle the big dumpsters.

The complex would have paid
more than $2,000 for pickup for a
year.

City councillors were appar-
ently swayed by the arguments of
residents Wilma Costain and Beth
Kennedy that seniors there should
be treated the same as seniors in
the rest of town, who enjoy free
garbage collection.

“Tt goes against the grain to be
isolated from the rest of the
seniors,’” said Kennedy.

But councillors David Hull} and
Val George stressed that the free
service is a lemporary measure
and suggested council in 1996
will look seriously at ending the
free ride for seniors all over town,

Administrator Bob Hallsor sald -

the city forgoes about $27,500 in
revenue cach year by picking up
seniors’ garbage for [rec.

: FRASERVIEW

HEARING

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tour of the inside of your ear.

Fraserview Hearing & Speech Clinic Ltd.

4731 Lazelle Ave., Terrace
Aegisterad under the Hearing Aid Act (B, Cj}

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Our new video otoscope system will give you a live
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Expires March 31/8

_< Sothe conditians. apply. Taxes not included, Based on double eceupuncy, Canadian is a repistered (radeinark of Can:

Kimery did say that some em-
ployees on term contracts may
not be renewed in the next fiscal
year,

She said it is still too early to
indicate if there’ll have to be staff
culs in succeeding years.

That's because it’s not known
how early retirement packages
and other. incentives to leave the
public service will be accepted,

And cuts within the employ-

ment centre’s parent Human

Resources Canada Department
will be determined once it’s
known how many programs will
be chopped, said Kimery.

“If, for instance, the Challenge
program goes, there'll be a whole
group of people there that'll be
surplus,’’ she added,

As it is, the employment centre
here and the office in Kitimat is
running with fewer people than
three years apo,

Sta

What will have a broad impact
across the northwest is the
planned sale of Canadian Nation-
al,

That's expected to have an in-
fluence over CN employee num-'
bers but again, officials are
saying it’s still to carly to say
what will happen.

One local federally-financed or-
ganization expects to take a cutin
its operating subsidy. |. :

16-37 Community Futures and
its accompanying business devel-
opment centre works with and
loans money to small and me-
dium size businesses in the north-
west,

16-37 official Joe Whitney said
it took a 10 per cent cut in what
was a $200,000 annual subsidy to
cover operating costs last year
and will undergo the same kind of
cut this year,

NUD

. Your Dealer For...

(
i

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 8, 1995 - A7

into this proposal.

INTERESTED IN CHILD CARE _
INFORMATION AND SERVICES?

DATE:
PLACE:

TIME:

The Terrace Women's Resource Centre is
developing a proposal for an innovative pilot
project offering new ways for parents and
Caregivers toaccess childcare related information

_andservices, ae
~The Ministry of Women's Equality, Child Care
Branch, has selected Terrace as ane of five Provincial pilot sites.

The Terrace Women's Resource Centre is seeking community input

Monday March 13, 1995
Clarence Michiel Elementary

School Library
7:30 pm.

For more information contact Ann Peltier at638-0228

Join Us

B90
——_—,:

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