ws ee ee ee AB - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 19, 2003 Veniez is sick of critics | DAN VENIEZ is tired ot | listening to people say the province should have sold Skeena Cellulose to buyers with deeper pock- ets. The president of New Skeena- Forest Products was reacting to complaints from the [WA and others second-guessing Victoria’s decision, “If anyone thinks we're silting here burning through a million and a. half dollars a month and liking it, without any at- tempts to do anything, they’re kidding themselves,” Veniez said. He said the only other serious contender, Mercer International, wanted huge government subsidies “for the privilege of destroying the company.” _have else of any deep pockets, we wouldn't have had -the opportunity to buy the bu- siness in the first place,” he said, “And if. there’s anyone with deep pockets now, have them give me a call. 604-688-2225,” He said he doesn't need to be told workers suffered enough or time is running out. “We're open to offers,” he said. “We will company whole. sell it in part.” “It's hot a matter of sit- ting on our hands and not making a decision.” It has now been more than 18 months since Ve- niez and partner George Dan Veniez sell the We will Petty bougit the opera-: tions, Veniez said he and Petty have now sunk $45 million of their own money into New Skeena. Many key re- forms are now in place, including lower-cost labour deals with pulp mill and sawmill unions and con- tracted out mar- keting divisions. Veniez also con- firmed that many of the company's 100 employees currently on the payroll have also helped cut costs. He said some voluntari- ly took unpaid leave for a month in the summer, add- ing they were repaid in September and will get a bonus once the firm is fi- - nanced, “If there was anyone From front + City feared for tax money There was no guarantee something si- milar might not happen again, Hull said. He says rough estimates suggest the seized items could fetch several hundred thousand dollars at auction. That would still leave most of the $1.85 million the ¢ity is owed in unpaid 2002 and 2003 taxes to y collect. The total unpaid taxes represent 20 per cent of the city’s an- nual tax income, he said. “This isn’t a number we can afford to have reduced to 10 cents on the dollar,” Hull said. He said the costs the city has incurred in moving the equipment, bailiffs fees and any extra security costs will be deducted from the proceeds of an auction. The seized items don’t threaten the viability or salability of the Terrace mill, Hull said. David Hull “This isn’t the nuts and bolts that keep a sawmill going,” he said, adding all of it could be reacquired swiftly. The city had no confidence that New Skeena had made substantial progress this fall to raise the money needed to start the operations, Hull said. Hull says he doesn’t like New Skeena — president Dan Veniez, but credits him for the “great strides” that have been achieved in the past 18 months. Interfor or Canfor could never have achieved the concessions from. unions that Veniez has, Hull said, He also succeeded in eliminating some evergreen contracts and struck cost- saving deals to farm out lumber and pulp marketing. “He made all those. gains, all those strides — some of which are remarkable,” Hull said. “He has pretty revolutionary and [ think good ideas.” “He's done most of the heavy lifting. But at the end of the day there seems to be no confidence in the coastal forest in- dustry in B.C.” EFFECTIVE FITNESS (Your Family Fitness Centre) Interested in the ultimate fitness program? Contact Virginia, Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition and Wellness Specialist call 635-4130 today PRI) a TERRACE SALHIONID ENHANCEMENT SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Wednesday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m. Best Western Terrace Inn, Skeena Room Guest Speaker Ivan Winther, Fisheries Biologist Fisheries and Oceans, Canada our FREE WEEKLY DRAW al the gallery. 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