There’ sq cheaper way

Flying lawyers exr

TERRACE — Community law
centre officials here say it'll, be
cheaper to hire a second legal.
aid lawyer than. to continue giv-

- ing work to Vancouver lawyers.

Figures released last week: by’

- the Lax Ghels Community: ‘Law:

Centre indicate the ‘amount: of ©
money paid out to Vancouver:
legal aid. lawyers‘ta flyup, here
and handle cases Probably. tops
$40,000 a year.. tote :

Terry Brown '— Lax Ghiels?
only: staff lawyer — says’ a,
- beginning lawyer in family law

- Would cost the centre $30,000.

“Even if we got a third-yéar
lawyer, it} would only. cost.

$36,000," he said. “'There’s ab-

26th. annual Terrace Science Fair fast approaching: Veritas rade’
Wiebe (left) and Kate Hassett are seen above carefully selecting wiiat they néed
a display entitled: “Life and Survival Under the Sea.” The twelve- yeartolds
b as easy ees they both like sea-life, And having a large. num :

s sald the

_ legislation,”” - «

"TERRACE ™ —_ “Last week's
cabinet ‘shuffle may delay abit a
decision: on the Orenda Forest

Products. plan to build a $365
‘million pulp and. ‘paper ‘mill
south of Meziadin, says a Pros. :

vinglal official, or

: Frank Blasetti, one of two of
in; charge -of the -

‘ficials.
province's major. .project review
process, .,said -the ». shuffle

tesulled in’ two: ew ministers ‘tn.

iy dete mile, aie

and,

me iy algo” sit on: the:
hiltiee 7-for jauataitable

develognieai which has -overs

me Gh tidjor “ney

ficials - ‘and.: recothmendations
-submitted tothe cabinet “com-

; ment just, before the shuffle,

a project. be given: Approval ‘in
Principle ; or calls:for. more
“studies and. this is: passed: to the

"And -both, ‘those ministers’.
“whole cabinet for’a fi

a” (D: vid: Mescler in environment:

Me may ‘have some word in

_a week or two. It’ll take awhile
to have the new ministers get up
to: speed on their new tespon-

sibilities," said Blasetti:.

-Orenda shad been. ‘expecting :
_ some word on its project by last

“been =

week. arn
“its: plani- has. ‘already:
reviewed .by : goveranient.” of-

mnfitee-on ‘sustainable develop-

“That committee recommends

nal deci-

ion, -

cr icence in.

II with "wood ft Already’

don Orenda’ Ss mill

‘process | ‘featuring hydrogen
peroxide as the bleaching agent
and-not chlorine that's common
in traditional inilis,

solutely no question about it in
my mind — it would be cheaper
to get a second lawyer.”

The law centre has been
overloaded since it opened two
years ago, causing it to hire
Yancouver lawyers to handle
the backlog,

It’s been unsuccessful in per-
suading the -Legal Services
Society to hire a second lawyer.

That society. receives money
from the provincial government
and in turn parcels it out to
community law centres,

In the last six months, the
centre referred 43 of its 85 cases
to Vancouver lawyers, who col-
lected $16,000 in fees and incur-:

School head hits

ted more than $8,000 in eX:
penses — travel, accommoeda-
tions, meals and-court costs.

Brown. said a second lawyer
would also. mean the centre
would be able to handle its pre-
sent “crisis”? backlog that has
resulted from a legal aid boycott
by the provincial bar associa-
tion.

The centre has more than 7
applications for legal aid in
family law cases right now that
it can’t find Vancouver lawyers
to handle.

One woman — whose
children have been apprehended
by social workers — needs a
lawyer for a. court appearance

ensive

tomorrow, said Brown.
. Otherwise, «she will lose

. custady with: no. chance’ of

regaining custody until a hear-
ing that would be set for more.

than a month away, he added. « *

He: said local lawyers’ have;
been -helpful in accepting legat-
aid referrals for criminal cases *

despite the strike, but only a few.”
have been accepting family law *
cases, which don’t pay as much
under the fee structure.

Lawyers voted last month to’
stop accepting all:but the most:
serious legal aid cases in a bid to.
force the government . to’ 'in-.
crease the fees they get paid for:
legal aid work:

at wage restraint

TERRACE — School board
chairman Edna Cooper says she
opposes Bill 82 and would have
protested with local teachers
had their demonstration: been
held outside school hours.
“It’s unfortunate they went
about it the way they did,
because it’s an issue that would
have struck a real chord in a lot
of peaple,”’ Cooper said last
week after teachers walked out
of classes an hour early. ‘‘Their
bargaining rights have. been
taken away by this piece. of

ity)

She said. “ale. provincial

. government. ‘legisl tion —- which

requires new: public sectar‘con-
iracts signed after Jan. 29 be ap-.
proved by a.commissioner —
threatens to cause. further

labour unrest and leave local.

© Unions and guest speakers
backed teachers in their demand
for an end to wage restraint at a
raily last week. That story on
Page A2.

school trustees holding the bag.
The rollback legislation is
also unfair, she said, because
districts that settled before Jan,
29 aren't affected, while those
that sign contracts after that
deadline will be. . ;
‘That. means the teachers of °

“Kitimat “and” Terrace” have’ the

possibility’ ‘of. their wage. in-
creases:

of Prince Rupert don’t. That's
just not very acceptable.”*

Gov't loan review
won't hurt Iskuf
road build plan

TERRACE — A review of the
province's policy on loans and
subsidies to businesses won't af-
fect the commitment it made to
help finance a road into the
gold-rich Iskut Valley area, says
Skeena MLA Dave Parker.

He said an egreement in prin-
ciple between the province and
Prime Resources for the former
to provide up to §7 million was
made before the review was an-
nounced by Premier Rita
Johnston last week.

“The [skut Road is a fait ac-
compli. She (Johnston) was the
one who told me to get up to
Stewart to make the announce-
ment,”* said Parker i in reference
to his statement’ on the Iskut

Road at a mining coriference in.

that community: :

In announcing the review of
loans and subsidies, Jokuston
said the government will look at
why it should .be spending
money on aid to ) companies. ;

The province's money. will
help Prime Resources finance
the first portion of a 62km road
to its Eskay Creek property.

The money is to go to toward
costs of the first 38km of the
road. That portion will be the
common route for Prime and
other companies into the Iskut
area.

It will pay for the entire cost
of the second section as will
other companies who may want
roads to their properties.

And while the province will
have its investment repaid from
road toll fees — once
maintenance costs are covered
— ihe exact details have yet to
be worked out, said Parker.

He said it isn’t known yet if
there will interest charged on
the $7 million or how many
years it will take for the pro-
vince to recoup its investment,

Prime wants to build the first
portion of the road this year
and the second portion next
year,

That timetable leads up ‘to

-. what it expects will be a 1993

opening of its mine at Eskay
Creek,

It plans to submit detailed

cont’d A2

being rolled’ back,’
Cooper said, ‘and the teactiers

“[ don’t agree with it.—
they’ve got to get it together;

those people in Victoria,” she’

said. ''They’re: disrupting the
lives of the people of the pro-
vince and they're handicapping
the local people who have ‘to
deal with that type of legisla-
tion.”

Although she said some kind
of system of across-the-board
wage controls may be needed,.
Bill 82 doesn’t accomplish that:
because it doesn’t treat public
and private sector. “employees:

\ equally. - ;

Cooper sald:the: board has’
“not yer decided: "What action, if
any,,.' will be taken’ ‘against ° the:
teachers for the demonstration.

She said the trustees wilt pro:.

_ bably decide by the next school
board meeting — May 12 —

whether or not teachers will be
docked one hour pay for the
walkout.

Cooper said that might sot
happen because teachers in
Stewart and Hazelton, as well as
some Terrace teachers, didn’t
walk out to demonstrate.

But she . maintained

walkout is “serious’’ and said
the one-hour walkout is a strike
under the Industrial Relations
Act,

Everybody wants it to be
just nothing,’”’ she said. ‘But
It’s

i’s not just ‘nothing:
serious.”

the |

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