A2 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - -By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN LOGGERS here say they can’t wait three or four years to start working again. “We're dying,” Ian Munson, co- owner of Bear Creek Contracting, told provincial forests minister Mike de Jong at-a Feb. 17 breakfast meeting. “We just want to go to work,” he says, adding more than 150 of his loggers and “subcontractors are now out of work as a result of the province's timber takeback When Victoria made major licensees give up 20 per cent_of their holdings, - West Fraser and {nterfor gave up most ‘of _their timber here — much more than from their holdings elsewhere in B.C. Bear Creek, which logged for Inter- for, effectively had all its business elimi- ‘nated. ’ The takeback took effect Jan. I, Mun- son said, adding the last of his crews ~ were pulled out of: the Work Channel _area in December. He figures more than 200 jobs have » been eliminated here once the impact on other local logging contractors — like West Fraser contractors Alm-Wood and ‘Main Logging — are included. “There's 200 employees directly af- fected, and for every employee in the forest business, there are five indirect _ jobs. That’s 1,000 people.” But de Jong responded the trees are still there for the taking. “We're talking like those trees are disappearing,” he said. “Those trees aren’t going anywhere.” Liberal initiatives for the mining in- ‘dustry in the north and to build a cona- tainer port in Prince Rupert may create jobs several years down the line, but “Munson said that: doesn’t get people working here in the interim. “We need jobs tomorrow ~ not three years from now.” And despite promises to reallocate wood through the BC Timber Sales pro- gram, business leaders say it's taking too long. De Jong defended the work he. and . MLA Roger Harris have been doing to get the wood back on the market, “Roger has been busting his ass to make sure those numbers go up,” De Jong said. ' Now that the province has introduced a competitive bid system under the-B.C. Timber Sales program some small con- ‘We’re dying,’ minister told | tractors here say they are losing out to bigger firms from outside of the region. That’s because many of the licences up for grabs under under the timber sales program require a proven successful track record on previous contracts. For upstart businesses made up of former Interfor or West Fraser employ- ° ees. for example. that. criteria makes it impossible for them to bid because those new companies doesn’t have the expe- rience, though they have access to local people with the expertise. “We're still willing to compete we just need the market to be more favorable.for us so that we can at least try." said Peter Scharf, a one-time Interfor manager who is NOW a co-owner of forestry manage-, - ment firm TBP Enterprises. “It's a Catch 22 - you need the ex- perience to get the Job but you need a job to get the experience.” Scharf told de Jong. “This is the first time Pve -heard anyone here say that Terrace lacks the diversity or-the type of firms that can bid on these contracts,” de Jong said. ’ He promised he would look into the situation here. “It'a a atte to remember” = . : : : , ° . ) % FeYour window on our community’ www.terracestandard.com Ask about our on-line advertising rates « call 638-7283 °24 houra +7 days a week - 385 days a yeart ‘ ’ Terrace 635-2281 . 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Temp Precip |.| A Temp Temp Precip Latest sportsp ex cost secret ye nm [PY nm . ‘May 17 provincial election. — mer of $5 million for the sportsplex was __ with the city, on the basis of the. geother- ; 0 ae : 03 ze ca Fe 5 : _” “We think it’s'a promising avenue,” already 20 percent over the earlier figure = mal: heating reducing existing operating , ’ ce bel. , ° : -Talstra said. of $4 million. , costs that are shared by Thornhill area 13 2.1. “2.8 12 fy] 13. 6.0 1.8 T - City officials had previously said it And that didn’t take into account the taxpayers. . | 14° 0.8 -4.8 0.0 14° 3.9 1.2 2.8 appeared the province might provide. geothermal. component — which the city . _ The mayor and city officials have al- 15 1.0: 5.2. 0.0: . 0.8 2.1 more money to ‘various infrastructure counts separately — and pushes the total ways maintained they want to build the - 16 2.5 74 - 0.0 -1.0 2.0 projects Struggling with rising supply project cost to $6. | million by last year’s — sportsplex, which consists primarily of 17 n/a and labour prices. estimate. = a second sheet of ice and some meeting ian ee _ The mayor also confirmed the lat- “It’s'really hard to say if it’s increased rooms between the arena and pool, with- SIS SSA SIO SSS SII SSSI SII SISTA est estimate, of the costs of building the to the point where we have to rethink out raising taxes. AS: want WINTER MAINTENANCE. int sportsplex has risen significantly again. . . things,” Talstra said. Money: in place or committed in- ] driving conditions. During snowfall, sanding But he won’t reveal the latest esti- He said the city so far isn’t consider- . cludes a $2 million federal-provincial J& une powing operations wil he underway. Motorists mate, provided by PBK Architects to ing whether to eliminate the geothermal infrastructure grant, a $450,000 pledge will be traveling slowly and spraying sand and snow. city officials earlier this month. heating component of the sportsplex. from Alcan and several hundred thou- Please travel a good distance hack from mi aintenance _ If the city’s estimates are known by: “We want that because it saves oper- sand in money or services donated or [Nise a snow plow on the right a always teduce Construction, Terrace - Your Local Highway & Bridge Maintenance Contractor 2 Ph: (250) 638-1881 10 - 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Coupe www. erraceantimabaon DER: 5958