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AIDS Testing

The Skeena Health Unit is now
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Faster than...

A Caledonia Secon

| powered car is a provincial os
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Championships

| Local PeeWees will host the. a
province’s best as they try to win :
it all/SPORTS C1.

WEDNESDAY
MARCH 16, 1994

A BLOCKADE involving two
Nass’ Valley villages and which
stopped a company from logging
for more than 30 days was to
come down noon yesterday.

‘The blockade was put up last
month by residents of New
Aiyansh to protest plans by Sim
Gan Forest Industries to log on
traditional New Aiyansh lands.

The agreement to end the
blockade followed extensive
negotiations between the village
of Gitwinksihlkw, which owns
Sim Gan, and New Aiyansh.

Those talks came after Sim
Gan got a Supreme Court injuc-
tion and an enforcment order
March 11 to end the blockage.
The injunction named nine indi-
viduals and the Gitiakdamix
(New Aiyansh} band council.

Speaking yesterday moming,
Gitwinksihlkw chief councillor
Perry Azak said an agreement
had been reached between the
two villages.

“The injunction is going 10
stop and the blockade is coming
down effective noon today,”

said Azak.

The blockade went up on a
logging road leading into an area
in which Sim Gan has a cutting
permit granted by the B.C.
Forest Service,

That area is on traditional
New Aiyansh lands. One comer:
also borders land known as In-
dian Reserve No, 1 and allocated
to New Aiyansh. ©

‘Tt's been a tough month
since this started,’* said Azak.
“It’s affected our logging for 35
days so far, Thirty five days is a

Deal ends logging

lot to lose,’”

He said there has been an ar-
rangement made to provide eco-
nomic benefits to New Aiyansh
elders whose land is affected,
Asak was reluctant to give
details.

Azak said the injuction ap-
plication and iis accompanying
enforcement order was a last
resort on the part of Sim Gan.

No other logging traffic was
affected by the New Ajyansh
blockade.

It first went up in mid-

ROLL UP, roll up and see the
year's ice show extravaganzal

THE GREATEST Show on
Ice glides out into the arena
spotlight this Friday and
Saturday.

That’s when the Terrace
Skating Club will be putting
on this year’s ice
extravaganza, the theme
being.A Trip to the Fair.

Marching bands, a ring
master and animals galore

amazing dancing bears at this
Above, that's Krystel, Erin and

will entertain the crowds at
three performances.

The first is Friday at 7
p.m., the others taking place
Saturday at 1 pm. and 7
p.m.

Special guest this year will -

be Kari-Lec Nustad, 16,
The Houston skater has
successfully completed her

Gold Dance, Freeskate and

Leah Kofoed who'll be among the Terrace Skating club mem-
bers entertaining crowds at the arena this weekend.

Enjoy all the fun of the fair

Artistic tests,

This month she will be
going for her 7th Figure and
Junior Competitive tests this
month

Nustad took the gold in
Senior Ladies at last year’s
B.C. Winter Games in
Kitimat and this year
finished seventh in the
provincial Novice Ladies.

seas

Red

kids

Tickets for the show are .
available at Flowers A La °
Carte,

Wayside Grocery and Agar

Adult
seniors and students $4,

anyone under the age of two
yeats get in free.

Jeans North, Al!

ons, Copperside III,

& White.
tickets cost $5,

to 12 years $3 and

Baraaining will hurt, say teachers

Larger classes predicted

PROVINCE-WIDE bargaining of
{eachers’ conlracis will mean
larger class sizcs in Terrace
schools, predicts Terrace District
Teachers’ Union president Cathy
Lambright.

“Teachers in Terrace have
given up things to gel lower class
sizes,’ she said. *"We now stand
to lose that.””

She also predicted. Terrace
jeachers will get.lostin the shuf-
fle and issies that are: unique to
the north will. be ignored at the -
provincial bargaining table.

“T've very angry. I’m very dis-
illusioned. I’m’ very concerned,”*
Lambright added, ‘i feel like
Ive been kicked from pillar to

post’? = |
The plan goes ‘against every-
thing « the: NDP. government

promised in: its ‘education: ‘Plate
form, she said, 2-2". :
She sald the government’ plan

4

is discriminalory because some
unionized school workers — like
School District 88's CUPE
maintenance and secretarial
workers — will continue ta have
the right to negotiate on a district-
by-district basis, but teachers

won't.
“T's alright for CUPE to .

bargain locally, however teachers

cannot,’’ she said, ‘‘They believe

in free collective: bargaining for
everybody but teachers.””

‘And T'don't think it’s going to -

produce any long term financial
benetits for either side.”

School board chairman John
Pousette -had some reservations

‘about the plan, but said that on ©
~ balance ‘he’ still supports provin-
- clal bargaining with lcachers. 7
. {Bargaining always occupied a
& great deal of ihe school ‘district’s |
“and the teachers’ lime and now I
think we cant focus more ‘on the

main issue, which is delivering
quality education.”’

He sald he was concerned about
the loss of local control over
some issues,

Pousctte sald the north will
have to be vigilant that its inter-
ests are served during provincial
bargaining. 7

You, can’t put. 75 school dis-
tricts together and assure equity
for cverybody,’’ -he said,
“There's going to bea steamrol-
ler effect: And our tocs may’ be
‘under the rolls some days.”

Skeena MLA Helmut Gies-
brecht, a former teacher and for-
mer teachers’ union president, ex-
pressed disappointment that the

" current system wasn't given more
time to work. 7
“There was a mood that was

prevailing ‘that people weie rea-~
‘sonable and there was°an awful
Jot of cooperation starting fo hap-

pen,’ he said.
He also expressed concern
about the loss of local control,
“What would happen if the

board wants to provide some in- |

centives to attract icachers to a
particular community,”’ he asked. -
**Would you be able to do that at
the provincial level?”’

Giesbrecht suggested making
the bargaining process more dis-
tant will breed apathy among
teachers because bargaining will
become too big a process’ for
them to have influence over,

If teachers are less politically
active, because they. don’t think

‘their actions can get results, (hen

there's. a. danger morale will
decline, he added.

“*T don’t know how reducing

morale in the workplace benefils
the educational institutlon.”’
For finance. minister Elizabeth

- Cull’s statement on the bargain-
ing change, see Page A2-

RD =

75¢ PLUS 56 ast 7
VOL. 6 NO. 48.

lockade

February and was moved last
week to be more visible to those
travelling the road between the
Cranberry Junction and New
Aiyansh,

The blockade’s first appear-
ance and subsequent relocation
both came when leaders of the
iwo villages were away at land
claims negotiations.

Residents of the two villages
had tried without success at the
end of February, to reach agree-
meat.

New Aiyansh council

members at the time of the first
blockade said they weren’t hap-
py with the lack of buffer zones
between the Sim Gan cutting
area and their land,

Insp, Gil Yard, of RCMP
Prince Rupert subdivision, said
police were prepared Lo act to
end the blockade but decided to
hold off while negotiations were
underway.

Late on Monday night, he
said, RCMP were called off and
on ee agreement had been

City taking look at
illegal businesses

HOME BUSINESSES operating
illegally in Ri residential zones
will find out this spring whether
they can continue to do so.

Home occupations are regulated
under the city’s business licens-
ing by-law,

Subject to certain conditions, it
allows home occupations only in
R2 to R7 zones,

While confirming such opera-
tions are prohibited in R1 neigh-
bourhoods, permits director Bob

_ Lafleur said the city. has not only

been allowing them to do so, but
also issuing them business
licences.

However, he added, the opera-
tors have been required to sign a
“waiver”,

In doing so, Lafleur explained,
they recognize they are operating
contrary to the by-law and agree
thal, if and-when the city decides
to enforce the by-law, ‘they will
move out.

Now the entire question of what
home occupations should ve al-
lowed in what zones is under
review.

Lafleur said the move comes in
response to unfair competition
complaints from businesses 1lo-
cated in the commercial core.

The home occupations concept
was supposed ta cover offices
and hand made goods, he ex-
plained, a way people could get
their business “up and running”’
until they had a strong enough
base to move up to commercial
premises. .

Tt was not intended to allow
people to bring in manufactured
goods and invite people to their

Bob Lafieur
home to purchase them,

But that was what has been hap-
pening, Lafleur said, citing pic-
ture framing, clothing and cléan-
ing product businesses as exam-
ples. -

I€ a home-based business oF
fered a product that could. be
bought off ihe shelf at'a local

store, that was unfair competition,

he maintained.

An example of the distinction ;

would be someone selling hand
made children’s clothing against
someone simply buying in
manufactured clothes from an
outside supplier.

Lafleur said his department was
now preparing amendments to the

by-law which would define.what
home occupations were allowed
where.

He anticipated a report on the
proposals would be ready to go to
council ina couple of weeks,

Rates protested

WATER RIGHTS officials ate
still wading through the letters
they’ve recelved protesting pro-
posed water rate increases in up-
per Thornhill.

Woodlands Utilities Ltd. wants
to increase the mte charged
domestic users from $10 a month
to$18,

Other fee changes requested in-
* clude increasing the turn-on fee
from $20 to $50, and adding a
new $25 customer administration
fee,

A petition of at least 50 signa-
tures and about 100 individual
letlers had been recelved by the
Feb, 28 deadline, sald Rick

Couraux, secrelary to the Com-
ptroller of Water Rights in Vic-
toria. ,

He said a recommendation
should be made within a couple
of weeks on whether to hold a
public hearlng or carry out a
review of the proposed increases
on the basis of submissions al-
ready received,

Woodlands’ says ‘the ‘increases
are needed because reyenues have
not been enough to pay Into a.re-
placement account which is sup-
posed to cover major expenses.

Under the new proposal, 15 per
cent of rates collected would be
setaside. —

THE FEDERAL Skeena nding
will grow to include Houston
_in the east and Bella Bella-
Shearwaler down the south
coast if recommended bound:
ary changes come into being,

_ The changes are proposed by
the Federal Electoral Bound-
aries Commission for B.C., an
independent body which will
hold a hearing this May in
Prince Rupert.

, Ridings - are © _Te-cxamined

- Skeena riding to grow .

after each 10-year census.
B.C.'s population grew enough
between 1981 and 1991 fo jus-
tify adding two ridings to the
32 now in the province.

All this - means ° shifting
boundaries to reflect ‘the tise in

population

If you do wish 1o make com-
ments before the commission -
at its Prince Rupert hearlng
May 31, you must notify it in
writing by May 5. 3