Small blessings.

Honourable trip

‘Off to Germany

thing\NEWS A14

After a five-year absence, small
logging operators can do their

Willie Abrahams gets closer to his
journey to support abuse
victims\COMMUNITY B1

College grad

heading overseas to play
hockey\SPORTS B6

Jason Krug is

_ WEDNESDAY
JUNE 10, 1998

STANDA

RD

93¢ PLUS 7¢ GST
VOL..11.N0.9...

Good news found in job stats |

By JEFF NAGEL
THE NORTHWEST unemployment mate
is down by more than three-quarters of a
point, leading a federal analyst to sug-
gest the worst may now be over for the
region's battered economy.

The unemployment rate fell from 10.4
per cent in April to 9.6 per cent in May,
labour market analyst James Gilham said
Friday.

He said the numbers show there were
1,000 more people with jobs in May than
the month before in the region.

An early start to the tourism business
thanks to El Nino may account for much
of the improvement in the employment
picture, he said.

“The unemployment rate bas peaked
lower than I expected,’ Gilham said, ad-
ding he had feared the jobless rate was
going to rise to 11 per cent or beyond.

That gives him hope that the region’s
economy now has nowhere to go but up.

“We've taken the biggest hits al-
ready,’’ Gilham said,

Unsecured creditors have already eaten
their losses from Skeena Cellulose’s un-
paid debts, Gilham noted.

Forest product prices can’t go much

lower and in the case of pulp may now
be on the upswing.

And the cost of doing business in the
forest industry hasn’t gotten any worse
in recent months and may now be im-

proving with government realization that
the industry faces a serious problem.

He also noted that while B.C. is now
feeling the full brunt of the Asian finan-
cial crisis, the effects of it will not last
forever.

Gilham said the coho fishery crisis and
restrictions and perceptions that spring
from it could yet seriously wound the
tourism industry. ,

“We still so far have a tourist season
in our part of the world,” Gilham said.
‘'There are businesses and organizations
that aren’t tied to forestry and fishing
that are hiring. Business is proceeding.’

The startup this year of the Huck-
leberry and Kemess mines near Smithers

are a boost to the region’s job basc, be
said,

And even the forest industry is not at a
complete standstill.

‘Workers are getling employment, but
it’s not long term and it is sporadic and
as such it’s nol feading to anything like
stability.’”

He noted that the Terrace business
cconomy is helped a great deal because
of the stability of the industrial job base
in Kitimat, which has been immune to
the layoffs and volalility of the forest
sector.

"The numbers that we have show that
both Smithers and the Terrace-Kitimat

corridor are still doing quite well: real-
ly,’’ he added. '‘The battered end of the
spectrum is Prince Rupert.”’

While the evidence suggests improve-
ment in the economic picture is coming,
he said, the biggest arca of uncertainty
now may be the clouded outlook in Ue
minds of northwesterucrs.

“The perception is that things are a
whole lot worse,’’ he said. “How long
thal negative psychology affects the
market is another question.””

Those perceptions can casily translate
into real job losses and a real deteriora-
tion in the economy, he said.

ta look at this summer as he and other business
awners who depend upon fishing tourists fear un-

TOURIST-BASED businesses say uncertainty over the
elimination of coho fishing has already meant the
elimination of tourist dollars as well.

“People are already cancelling for August,’” says Gil
McKean, a local angling guide.

“‘Tt's already having a negative effect,’’ says eco-
nomic development officer Ken Veldman. ‘‘Here we
are a few weeks before the season and guides and
lodges, and so on, haven’! been able to tell customers
what is going on and what it means,”’

‘He says tourists have already been deciding to book
elsewhere because of the unceslainty of the fishing sca-
son in the Terrace area.

Northcoast Anglers co-owner Leona Murray, says the
local economy is not strong enough to support local
tourism businesses without the tourists.
~ Motels, restaurants, souvenir shops, guiders, fish and
tackle shops, and even the mechanics that work on the
boats, would all be hit, says Brian Patrick, owner of
Misty River Tackle & Hunting,

SHINY LURES may be all that Brian Patrick has.
‘their money away from Terrace.

certainty over the coho catch will keep them and
Some are

predicting the impact in the millions of dollars.

Tourism dollar loss feared

“Tourism in Terrace has two pillars,’ says Veldman.

"The first is the sport fishing industry and the second
is the drive through to Alaska. Sport fishing is by far
the biggest because it is what we call destination-
oriented tourism.’

That means that fishing tourists spend the bulk of
their tourist dollar here in Terrace,

Veldman estimates that a loss to the sport fishing in-
dustry could mean a loss of millions of dollars to the
Terrace economy.

‘ As for Brion Patrick, he is already making plans to

deal with his loss this season.

Not only will his shop not be hiring summer staff, but
Patrick says he will have to look al cutting permanent
staff as well.

Misty River cut five employees last year and, says
Patrick, he may have to let another six go this year.

Tackle shops already ordered their stock for this sea-
son fast fall and Patrick says he doesn’t know what he
will be able to do with it now.

Students are first,
parents and others
tell school probe

By ALEX HAMILTON
CUT ADMINISTRATORS and not pro-
grams for students was the main theme of
parents, teachers, union members and
others who met last week with three people
probing the school district’s spending.

The three — from Surrey and: ¥ancouver
Island — were appointed last month by ed-
ucalion minister Paul Ramsey alter the
school board said it couldn't balance its
budget wilboul cutting deep into student
programs.

Marilyn Kerr and Marilyn Davies told the
three-member team that past decisions
made by the school board don’t fit with
current circumstances.

“7 don’t think boards should be allowed
to enter into agrecments or contracts that
extend beyond their mandate. Otherwise,
they hamstring future boards who will then
be operating under circumstances that are
probably very different from when those
contracts were instituted,” Marilyn Davies
said.

She and Kerr said there are too many ad-
ministrative positions -— 16 —- considering
Prince George has four times as many stu-
dents as Terrace, aud half the amount of ad-
ministrators.

‘There has got to be a more efficient way
to run the school district’? Davies said.
“They keep paying high salaries to these
people at the expense of the kids. It’s our
money (laxpayers’ money), our schools and
our kids,”’

“Our basic point was that they may not
cut services to kids,’’ she said. They better
find other ways to find the money. Whether
that means they find less expensive
employers or Jess of them, } don’t care,
They have to do it”

A list compiled by parents and presented
by the two women said administrative
duplication could be eliminated by closing
down the school district's Kitimat office.

They said an energy study done on dis-
trict buildings suggests there would be a
$100,000 savings by lowering the heat 1
degree and shulling it down at 4 p.m. and
turning it on at 8 p.m, Lights should also be
turned off at night.

They called for-a parking fee for staff and

for students which, at $20 a month, would
taise $400,000 a year.

Also proposed was the capping of cx-
penses for individuals, cutting the carcer
and personal planning program and
climinating ‘‘soft” or non-essential
courses,

The parents’ list included a rollback of
administration wage increases paid this
year to administrators. It suggested airline
bonus points be used by assigning the
points to the district and not to the employ-
ce who collected them.

Parents also felt the number of school
trustees could be reduced to onc in Kitimat,
onc in Hazelton, one in Stewart and two in
Terrace to save moncy.

The list called for teleconferencing rather

than travelling to meetings where possible
and for the charging of realistic rent for
community use of school facilities.
' Teachers’ union president Frank Rowe
didn't have a list of specific cuts, but did
say that dircct services to students mus| be
kept at current levels,

He also suggested there are loo many ad-
ministrators.

Rowe said that any spending cuts con-
templated can’t affect services for special
necds students and thal curricular activilies
have a priority over extra-curricular ac-
tivitics.

Karen Birkedal and four other members
from MAGIC (Music Advocacy Group In
your Community) told the team that music
programs can’t be cut,

Cont'd Page A14

Skeena on hit list |

IT MAY BE four times larger than the pro-
vince of Prince Edward Island, but the pap-
ulation of the Skeena riding is so far below
B.C.’s provinicial average that radical
surgery lo its boundaries may be needed.

And that could mean changes up to and
including the elimination of the riding.

The B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commis-
sion is holding hearings across B.C. and
comes here next Monday in an cffort to
gauge what to do.

The commission reviews the province’s
electoral boundaries every second election
and wants to hear from Jocal residents,
leaders and politicians —- particularly in
constituencies where the population is well
above or below the proviticial average.

In Skeena’s case, the constituency covers

25,000 square kilometres. But when it com-
es to population, Skecna is about 32 per
cent below the provincial average of 49,600
people. ,
— While Skeena is below average, areas
‘such as Surrey, Pori Coquitlam, Kelowna,
Comox and Parksville are ali more than 30
per cent above the average.

That means that in terms of electoral rep-

resentation, a citizen’s vote in Skeena has
more weight than another cilizen’s vote in a
highly populated riding. And that’s what
{he commission is out to fix.

Gencrally an clectoral riding is mot sup-
posed lo be more than 25 per cent above or
below the provincial average once the com-
mission is finished with the map.

The commission {s only to exceed that
range in exceptional circumstances. .

“We know that our review is about more
than numbers,’ explained commission
chair and retired Appeal Court Justice:
Josiah Wood. ‘‘However, Skeena’s popula-
tion is so far below the provincial average
that we need to hear from the people who
live ihere.”’

“One possible change could be the
elimination of the riding, If we don’t hear
from the people of the area, we'll bave to
assume that the community expects
changes to be made.’”

You cart attend the commission hearings
in Terrace from I1 aun. to 1 pan. Monday,
June 15 at the Coast Inn of the West. To
reserve a presentation time, call toll-free
1-888-657-1188, For more, see Page AS.

*