; Tough times Shallenge” About Small business aid body Paddling for dollars THE LATEST entry into Terrace’s growing adven- tute tourism industry _ is Black Fish Sea Kayaking, It consists of former local Terrace teacher Pau] Cor- coran, his four sea kayaks, and his master plan to bring inlandets to the coast lo ex- perience his love of pad- dling on salt water, “This is a central Loca-. tion,” he says. ‘“The ocean is not that far away. And I think there’s a lot of people here who want to spend time in the outdoors and would find it a lot of fun.” Trip options of one to five days include paints south of Kitimat along Douglas Channel, the lower Skeena River, and day trips or longer out of Prince Rupert. He even offers trips into the Kitlope, the Khor . zeymahteen and as far away as the ~=—- whale-watching mecca of Johnstone Strait off Vancouver Istand. Hiking plan still alive SEVEN SISTERS Ven- turés’ planned hut-to-hut hiking project in the mountains northeast of Ter- race is moving slowly, but it isn’t dead, Company founder Art Bates said the scheme is still in the financing stage. He’s attempting to arange a private placement for part of the estimated $50 million needed: to build a tramway | crossing the Skeena River near Dorreen, a main lodge, and a series of cabins linked. by hiking trails. The target market is high: end tourists, particularly wealthy Americans. The project has yet to see ground broken and while Bates had hoped to open the resort in 2000 he now says construction likely won?t begin until that year. New name LAST YEAR the North- west Real Estate Board name disappeared when it - merged wilh the ‘Cariboo ‘Real Estate Board. But this year, io better reflect the - geographical coverage of the new entity, anew name bas emerged — The B.C, Northern Real Estate‘Board. - *“We take in Valemount to the Queen Charlotte Islands, We’re the biggest real estate board in North American by area covered,’’ says local’ realtor Lisa Godlinksl, the board's northwest director, Director appointed THE TERRACE AND Dis- trict Chamber of Commerce has filled one of two vacant positions on its board and execulive, Newly appointed is Terri McPhee from the Bank of Nova Scotia. She’s. filling the board vacancy caused when Cameron Schulz: left town. The other vacancy, - this one as treasurer, took place when Sean Braid left town. Car group THE PROVINCIAL motor dealer industry and others: have joined to create a stan- dards association. The goal is to create a high degree of confidence in the motor dealer industry, says a press release from the brand new Motor Dealer Standards Association. All sellers of new and used niotor vehicles will be registered, there will be a code of ethics and.a core professional education cur- riculum will be developed. en you can't breathe, nothing else matters. BRITS COLUMBIA LUNG ASSOCIATION T31-LUNG oF 1-800-468-LUNG JUST AS the economy of .the region is changing, so has a lending and advice agency for businesses, Created nearly 10 ycars ago through a federal pro- gram, the 16-37 Community Futures Development Cor- poration now spends as much time working on com- munity development as it does on lending, says gener- al manager Joe Whitney. The reasoning is simple, says Whitney, in that strong businesses need a strong community in which to thrive. For 16-37, that's meant being involved in federal and provincial. assistance programs aimed at people who once depended upon the fishery and forestry for their livelihood, “To prevent economic downturns in resource-based communities, we have to be very pro-active,’’ said Whit- ney. He doesn’t pretend that the transition from resource industries to other forms of economic activity is casy, but points to 16-37 as one way of ensuring decisions are made lacally, “Tf we can get away from government — bureaucracy and red tape to community bodies, that is so much bet- ter,’? Whitney adds, _16-37 takes its name from Joe Whitney the region’s two main high- ways and stretches from the Hazeltons in the cast, north to the Nass Valley, Iskut and Stewart areas and south to Kitimat, It also serves the Nisga’a village of Kincolith on the mouth of the Nass River. The organization is guided . by a volunteer board and has nine employees at its Terrace headquarters. In its nearly 10 years, 16- 37 has ‘loaned directly $6.431 million and arranged for another $32,536 miilion in government and private loans and owner equity. “That's $38.967 million which may not have ever come to the area,”’ Whitney notes, Statistics to the end of February indicate it has taken part in 592 new businesses, maintaincd 259 and helped expand 24 more. Over the years 16-37 has lost just $75,543, "We're not .a. bank, We try to work very hard with the individual even when they go out of business,”’ said Whitney. “We work with them sa they still keep paying us on an agreed upon amount. We don’t do a lot of fore- closures, We try to work with clients to keep things going.” Still, Whitaey admits the last year has beem the most difficult one for 16-37’s loan portfolio since it opened up. “You have to be very creative. We've stretched payment terms or have ar- fanged to skip payments,’’ he said, “We're being challenged to maintain . existing port folios.” Whitney's confi dent the area will prosper as long as communities and businesses change to meet new condi- tions. “7 think we've hit as low as we're going to get,” he says. One bright feature is-de- veloping a tourism industry with the right kind of infra- structure. ue "Heats rapidly and evenly to a give you better cooking PADERN FACTORY SALE NEW: 4 It pasta insert. NEW: Pacarns stainless roasters ~ 3 sizes. TRY ONE: Be early for our Door Crasher Special, 11t sauts/cover, list price $82 tor just $24.50 /iimited to 20 daily per store & ane par customer). There are.over 40 different items on sale, mast priced under $75. * Looking forthe ngarast dealer? Can't make the salo but wauld like to buy? 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