Speed skiers | Local alpine racers gear up for provincials championships at Shames\SPORTS B4 Northern docs Student doctors to be. — trained here as medical schoo! expands to UNBCINNEWS A13— nh e of a, 7 Gone but not forgotten A new exhibit showcases the works of the late Wally Humphrey COMMUNITY B1 $1.00-pLus 7¢ GST ($1.10 plus B¢ GST. outside of the Terrace area) Gambling plan worries charities THE POSSIBLE development of a ca- . sino here has local charities concerned theyll end up the losers. The Terrace Bingo Association has yet to vote on the casino proposed by Terrace Inn owner John Georgilas. But association president Peggy Petle says she worries the 46 local charities that took in more than $1.6 million from bingo in 2001 could see some of that money evaporate if a ca- sino is approved here. “I think it takes away from what the charities will get,” Pelle said. “Here in Terrace right now I think a casino would hurt the bingo.” Softwood deadline tomorrow LAST MINUTE talks to solve the Canada-U.5. softwood lumber dispute are underway up against a March 21 deadline to avoid imposition of perma- nent tariffs. Skeena MLA Roger Harris returned from Otta- wa last week with a B.C. delegation that reinforced & the province’s position that a good deal — but not ne- cessarily any deal - is needed. “We support a negotia- ted settlement bul we re- serve the right to evaluate any deal, because a bad deal is not acceptable either,” he said. If there’s no agreement by Thursday, Canada faces a long legal battle to over- turn the U.S. tariffs at the World Trade Organization. A framework for a pos- sible settlement is said to involve the imposition by Canada of an export tax on lumber. That would in- crease the price in the U.S. of Canadian lumber, but keep the tax money in Ca- nada. The amount of the tax could vary depending on lumber prices. “We wouldn’t accept that unless there’s a clear- ly defined exit strategy,” said Harris, “We have to secure un- fettered access to the American market. Without that we wil! be revisiting this again in four or five years.” A key to the deal would be provisions that would exempt provinces from the tax once they reform forest policies to address U.S. claims Canadian lumber is unfairly subsidized. home. A casino would only come here if city council decides to allow slot ma- chines in Terrace following a public hearing taking place today. And then the B.C, Lotteries Corporation would have to decide to relocate an existing casino to Terrace from a city where slots aren’t allowed. A group called Citizens Against Gambling Expansion says the new pro- vincial budget reveals the Liberals plan to raise more money from gam- bling. “This is so cynical of them to target expanded gambling as a source of re- venue,” said group spokesman Isabel Minty. “Gambling unfortunately emp- ties the pockels of the least advan- taged more than the more comfortable in our society.” She said a casino will also hurt small businesses. “It cannibalizes other business ac- tivity,” Minty said, “There’s only one dollar the customer has. If he spends it at the local casino, he’s not coming into your restaurant or sporting goods shop.” The casino debate comes at the same lime as major changes to bingo operations here. Starship Kermode, a new touch- screen electronic bingo system, has just been launched at the Lucky Dollar Bingo Palace here. The B.C. Lotteries Commission ex- pects electronic bingo will pull in younger patrons and increase bingo re- venues. But critics fear it could come at the cost of regular paper bingo, which is the main source of money for charities. The government maintains it doesn’t profit from bingo, rather it tops up payments to charities by $30 mil- lion a year. But any increase in bingo profits will reduce how much Victoria has to put back in, effectively freeing up money. Management of bingo has also changed since Jan. 1. Games are now run by hall staff, rather than using vo- lunteers from local charities. Instead of actually running games, selling cards or counting proceeds, the volunteers will be expected to spend the same number of hours promoting their charity either at the hall or around the community. Lottery corporation officials say the change was aimed at making bingo management more professional and the system more efficient. poses with some of the larger items found at a Daver Road home. Police believe they've reco- Couple sought by RCMP By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN A TERRACE couple is being sought after police say they found drugs, a firearm, cash and about $80,000 worth of stolen property at their home. Police have issued warrants for the arrest of Neil Lenard Strain, 31, and his wife, Jenny Strain, 27. A search warrant was executed at the couple’s Dover Rd. home March 5. The Strains were not at “We’re looking for them,” says RCMP Cnst. Bren- dan McKenna. “They're not making themselves read- ily available.” Police recovered four ounces of cocaine with an estimated street value of $6,000-$8,000. McKenna says police also discovered what they describe as a sophisticated marijuana prow operation. They say they seized lights, timers, fans and wa- tering devices along with 28 small marijuana plants thal had not yet reached maturity. $100 bills, McKenna said. they believe is stolen property. Snowmobiles, a cultivator, a snowblower, riding lawn mowers, chainsaws and a hot tub mounted on a trailer were among the property seized. Now police are trying to find out who the rightful owners of the property are so the items can be re- turned, TERRACE RCMP Constable Brendan McKenna vered approximately $80,000 in stolen merchan- ‘dise. Also found was a gun, cash and drugs at the Dover Road residence, police say. Police also say they recovered $17,000 in cash. The money was bundled into $1,000 lots of mostly Also recovered was a loaded 22 calibre Ruger handgun which was found beneath a bed, police said. Police also seized roughly $80,000 worth of what Police are asking anyone who may have had these types of items stolen to come forward to identify their property. Several drug and firearms charges have been laid and the investigation continues. : plan to PARENTS IN Terrace’s Horseshoe neighbourhood are anxiously waiting to see if the school board considers any of their al- ternalives to closing ET. Kenney. A committee of school trustees looking into the district’s proposal. ta. turn ihe primary school into an alternate high school heard massive opposition to the plan last week. Parents and staff from E.T, Kenney and Clarence Michiel Elementary, the school that would take in the displaced primary stu- dents, urged the commit- tee to consider a range af other options instead. Many criticised the dis- trict’s feasibility study, which estimates about $200,000 would be needed to renovate E.T, Kenney and Clarence Michiel. “You've only got one choice -— one choice,” charged Juliana White, an E.T. Kenney parent. “That’s not a study and that’s not a proposal.” She blamed the lack of a proper feasibility study with creating divisions among area residents, Suggestions from E.T. Kenney’s Parent Advisory Council include turning an old school building beside the school district office ar a wing in Skeena Junior or its replacement into an alternate school. It says the current pro- posal may not be cost ef- fective and will lead to overcrowding at Clarence Michiel. Others raised the poss- ‘ibility of closing Parkside Critics assail close E.T. Kenney Nicole Bingham Elementary instead be- cause it’s smaller and could be less costly to convert into an alternate school, “Why renovate two buildings when renovating one building will suffice?” wondered E.T. Kenney principal Sue Springer, who pointed out E.T. Kenny is big enough to ac- commodate 260 students. Springer said that’s the combined projected enrol- ment for primary students ._in the Horseshoe once Mountainview Elementary apens up on the Bench in September. ; The threat of closing E.T, Kenney, a school with an estimated 65 per cent First Nations population, has clearly, touched a nerve, “The message you are giving by closing a predo- minately First Nations school is not a positive one,” Nicole Bingham said, adding she was Cont'd Page A2 Area population on the decline i}TERRACE’s population dropped more than five per cent since 1996, accord- ing to 2001 census results released last week by Statistics Canada. The numbers paint a similar bleak picture across most of the north, re- flecting the economic downturn that has prompted many people to leave ind seek work elsewhere. As of May 2001, 12,109 people live within city limits, down 5,3 per cent from 12,783 in the last census in 1996. The greater Terrace population — including Thornhill and other outlying areas ~dropped 4.6 per cent from 20,941 to 19,980. But the population drop was even more severe in neighbouring northwest towns. ; - Prince Rupert declined 12.4 per -cent, losing 2,071: people ~ the single largest population drop in B.C. after Prince George, which lost 2,744 or 3.7 per cent of its population. The port city’s population is now 14,643, down from 16,714. The greater Prince Rupert population is now 15,302. Kitimat lost 851 people, or 7.6 per cent to come in at 10,285. Although the greater Terrace popu- lation is now slightly under 20,000, it is still higher than the 18,908 people recorded here in 1991. By contrast, the decline in Prince Rupert and Kitimat takes those towns down to population levels not seen since the late 1960s. , Stewart lost 23 per cent of its resi- _dents to fall to 661, while New Hazel-: ton declined 8.8 per cent to;750. - “> Despite the passage of the Nisga’a . a Treaty, which was expected to prompt many off-reserve Nisga’a to return to the Nass valley, most villages there actually saw declines as well. A number of economic woes have converted on the region since 1996, including the broad forest industry downturn, the Skeena Celluloge crisis, plus reduced commercial fishing and mining. Since the census counted people where they were living as of May 13, 2001, the numbers do not reflect what has happened since then. Skeena Cellulose shut down all operations late last summer and has now been down more than six months. Provincial government job cuts have only just been announced and most won't take effect for some time. Cont'd Page A2.. | Census 2001: Northwest towns | SoS Terrace & area Kitimat Prince Rupert & area safe he eatery hal ental TA EN Lb dag far ' 1 Jeik deem ttiardad race nla