Lots in Thornhill

Cops on wheels

Much work has to be done before .
a planned 200-lot subdivision
takes root/NEWS A11

Mountie bikers were here raising”
| money for more bone marrow |
donors/COMMUNITY Bi

Attention, Charles Hays |

The Cal girls basketball team |
warns their Prince Rupert rivals =
about this year/SPORTS C4

"WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 12, 1994

THEY CAME, they saw but
nobody quite conquered at
Reform party MP Mike
Scoatt’s last regional land
claims meeting here Oct. 6 at
the R.E.M. Lee Theatre.

More than 250 people heard
questions raised about land
claims and criticisms. of
Scott’s purpose in holding the
meetings here, in Prince
Rupert, Kitimat and in
Smithers.

Scott billed the sessions as

“Let the People Speak,’
saying he wanted to give con-
stituents a chance to speak out
about land claims.
-*“T feel that as a Member of
Parliament ils my duty to
create the opportunity for
people to come to a forum
like this on an issue like this if
the government isn’t going to
do it,’ said Scott after the
mecting.

“What is at stake, is nothing
less than what our province
will look like in the future,
after land claims treates and
aboriginal —_ self-government
agreements are signed and
brought into effect,” he said.

Scott said he was worried
that claims deals won't bring
about what he called finality
— agreements to conclude
outstanding government obli-
gations to natives. ,

He said agreements in the
Northwest Territories and the
Yukon did setile claims. to
land but continued existing

government | support ‘ pro-
grams,
Lakelse Lake resident

Sandy Sandhals agreed with
Scott's theme, saying. sctile-
ments will cost millions of
dollars for an uncertain con-
clusion,

on land

“Once cash settlements 2 are
spent, i ll. be back to. Mey

MORE OPEN negotiations are possible and should involve all the stakeholders, fisherman
Paddy Greene told the audience at the Mike Scott land claims meeting here last week. He
represents the commercial fishing industry on a provincial and federal land claims negotiations
advisory group and was one of four panelists at the meeting. Greene also warned that people
shoula be examined for what they do, not for what they say.

Scott gets earful
question

Colin Peal
status quo,”’ he said,

But more than a few people
who spoke told Scott be failed
in giving out or making avail-
able information on land
claims,

“T feel very strongly you
are ignoring the fact that First
Nations people are aboriginal
people who live in. this
region,’ said Larissa Tar-
wick.

She said that while some

people might lose their jobs,

natives have an equal tight to
gain jobs.

Nisga’a Tribal Council ex-
ecutive .member and chief
councillor of Lakalzap
(Greenville) Nelson Leeson
said Terrace will benefit eco-
homically fom -Nisga’a in-
vestmeni after a claims settle-
ment is done, :

He added that it was wrong

to. think the Nisga’a’ will

freeze any timber supply

within their territory because |

Nisga’a depend upon ihe

woods industry for employ:
Ment *

Leeson noted that northwest

* from others parts of the pro-

‘an adminstration program at

’ injustices.

_ there wasn't enough time for

-_ Cont'd Page Az

jobs are now going to people

vince and country.

Colin Peal said the issue of
resources shouldn't be scen as
taking them away from people
but recognizing that natives
have hunted and fished dating
back before the birth of
Christ, ;

“You're far off some
place,”? Peal told Scott. *'To
understand us you must get
involved with us,”

Peal said he appreciated the
support from non-native
people at the meeting toward
natives.

Gil Payne, the local repre-
sentative from the B.C. Wild-
life Federation, said claims
should be settled by moncy so
that all. Canadians share
equally in the costs,

Tom Weegar, who tcaches

Kitsumkalum and is an in-

siruclor at Northwest Com-

munity College, questionned

Scott’s position that claims

agreements and native self
government will result in dis-
crimination and not in equali-

ty.

He read off a list of legisla-
tive acts once in force that
banned = potlatches, = from
voting and from taking legal
action to pursue claims.

‘We recognize there were
Do we correct
thase _ injustices by creating
further injustices now?”’
responded Scatt.

Four panelists gave their
opinions on land claims and,
when combined with a speech
from Scott, lead some to say

questions and answers during
the three-hour session,

Council

| fires

75¢ PLUS Be Gst
VOL. 7 NO, 26

library arch

By JEFF NAGEL
CITY COUNCILLORS have de-
cided to fire Alan Soutar as the
architect in charge of the library
expansion project,

Councillor Val George said last
Friday that nolice was given Sept.
30 and that the change was sched-
uled to be effective yesterday.

Colin Adam, of Adam
Engineering, who began acting
on an interim basis last week, is
to officially replace Soutar as the
project’s coordinator of record
this week, George said.

The decision came after the city
Icamed some of the project’s
structural engineering hadn’t
been approved or certified before
construction began.

When city officials tried to”

query the architect as to how that
could have happened, they dis-

covered he was out of the coun- >

try.

Soutar retumed to town last

week, but city officials weren't
appeased.

" "We got an explanation, but
I'm not sure that it was adequate
in our minds,” city administrator
Bob Hallsor said Friday.

Work resumed last week after
Adam Engincering inspected the
construction already completed.

City building inspector Bob
Lafleur said the stop-work order
that had been slapped on the pro-
ject was lifted last Tuesday.

Colin Adam said Friday both
the general contractor — Wayne
Watson Construction Ltd, —— and
the previous engineers, All North
Engineering of Prince George,
have cooperated to help get the
project back on track,

“There’s every reason to be
confident with the structure,’’
Adam said.

Hallsor said the pace of work at
the project has picked up and it
could soon be nearly back on
schedule.

Whether it will stay within
budget, however, looks less like-
ly.

The contingency fund for the
$1.74. million ~ project has
dwindled to - $19,000, George

. said,

“That's not very much in a
million-plus project;’” be said.
The contingency money is what

Val George

the city has left to pay for any ex-
tra costs resulting from the re-
placement of the  archilect,

. George said.

‘We're still keeping our fingers

~ crossed that we're not going to‘go--

over budget.”

Murder charges laid
after body dug up

TWO THORNHILL residents ap-
peared in Terrace provincial court
yesterday charged with the first
degree murders of Jean Gosselin,
66, and his son Yvon, 25,-both of
Thornhill,

George Bliss Hawthorne, 28,
and a 15-year-old male are al-
leged to have killed Yvon Gos-
selin first on Sept. 10 and then his
father, Jean, on Sept. 26.

The RCMP began their criminal
investigation when Jean Gos-
selin’s stabbed body was found in
the ashes of his Muller Ave.

’ home after the house was torched

Sept. 26.

Yvon Gosselin’s’ body was’
found in a shallow grave just off
of Beam Station Road, near the
Terrace alrport, Oct. 5 after an

‘unnamed witness lead police to
the site. The younger Gosselin
had been shot twice with a
crossbow, .

First degree murder charges im-
ply that there was a degree of
premeditation.

Speaking last week, Terrace

RCMP detachment commander
Inspector Steve Leach said police
suspect robbery was a motive in
at least the Jean Gosselin murder,
' While declining to give a lot of
details about the case, Leach said
police have seized a crossbow
and a number of bolts — the term
for the crossbow's arrows.

‘The body in the shallow grave ©

was transported to forensic
specialists, in‘Prince George over
the weekend and formal identi-
fication is expected today,
There’s no indication yet of
how long the body was buried in
the grave, ,

_ Hawthorne and the young male

(he can’t be identified under con-
ditions of the Young Offenders
Act) made a bricf appearance in
court Oct, 7 where they were
temanded over in custody until
yesterday’s court appearance.
Leach. declined to give more
details about the witness, but did

say the person could fi figure: in. any
subsequent trial.

Leach also declined to comment
when asked if an extensive door-
to-door canvas in the elder Gos-
sclin’s neighbourhood uncovered
the witness.

There’s also a likelihood a short
youth seen running away from
the Gossclin’s home after the fire
was set is also the same youth
charged, Leach added,

He said the youth was picked
up first on Oct. 5 by police apd
Hawthorne the next day.

The use of a crossbow in a kill-
ing is not common in Canada,
said Leach..

“Tt's very unusual I would sug-
gest,” said Leach in adding that
he has been involved in‘two pre-
vious crossbow killings in his po-
lice experience and knew of one
other,

Leach left open the possibility
other criminal charges will regult
from the investigation.

Claims session tomorrow

THERE ARE now two chances to
learn more about land claims.

Tomorrow night, Oct. 13,
provincial aboriginal affairs min-
ister John Cashore takes ques-
tions from the audience at the
R.E.M, Lee Theatre.

And next Tuesday evening, Oct.
18, David Osborn, the chief {ed-
eral negotiator for the Nisga’a
land claim does the same.

Both sessions are sponsored by
The Terrace Standard as a com-
munity service with the assistance
of the R.E.M. Lee Theatre.

Each is meant to be an informal
affair with plenty of time for

Cashore and Osborn to take ques- -2§

‘tions,
Each session begins at 7 p.m.
and ends at 9 p.m. and each is

- being moderated by Doug Smith.

There will be short opening
remarks followed by questions.

First elected as the Member of |
“ the Legislative Assembly for’ the
.* riding of Coquitlani-Maillardville:

John Cashore

in 1986, Cashore was named as
environment, lands and parks
minister following the NDP vic-

tory in the 1991 provincial elec- ,
tion. cs
- ‘He was. named “to his. ‘current

David Osborn

cabinet position in September
1993.
Osbom_ was named to the post

- 88 chick federal negotlator. for the

Nisga’a land’ claim in in February

1993,