Native nets vandalized Tsimshian fish food nets have been slashed and stolen on the Skeena\NEWS A11 Putting for the fun of It Singing out loud Local teen Rene Geronimo wins Prince Rupert PNE talent contest\COMMUNITY B1 A new generation of golfers is flocking to the greens\SPORTS B4 | ce Psychology worse than warranted There’s still activity here By JEFF NAGEL BUSINESS is slow. Real estate signs dot each street. And loggers and mill workers have seen less action this year. . Yes, Terrace is seeing an economic downturn, along with much of the province. However, contrary to some local opinion, things have not yet ground to a complete halt. There is still substantial activity in local stores and Terrace still draws much of its economic lifeblood -from neighbours in places like Kitimat — who are rela- tively unaffected by forest industry troubles. But try telling that to local people, says federal labour market analyst James Gilham. “The negativity is running wild,” Gilham said last week. “Everybody seems to think the world is going to hell in a handbasket. And once. people start to think that way watch out, because it starts to become a self- fulfilling prophecy.” | He got a dose of the doomsayers’ attitude when he held a recent garage sale because he's moving to Vancouver. , Visitors were quick to assume job cuts were respon- sible and that his destination : wa Alberta. In fact, Gilham is trans- ferring at’ his own request and his position here will be replaced, “People are also moving into - town,” he said. “Thete's always movement at this time of year. This is the time things like that occur” But he has taken a step back from his more optimis- tic comments last month, when unemployment seemed on the way down, A dip to 9.6 per cent in this region in May now appears to have been a blip as June figures have put the jobless rate back at 10.2 per cent, And Gilham says a dizzying array of factors are con- spiring against B.C.’s resource-based economy right now. They range from the Asian financial crisis that’s killing demand for lumber and pulp, to the quota sys- tem constricting producers’ access to the U.S, market, to environmental groups’ efforts to keep B.C. wood out of Europe. Added to that are concerns about high levels of gov- ernment regulation and taxation, decreased tourism b ecause of fishing restrictions to save coho, and greater land claims uncertainty stemming from the Supreme Court's Delgamuukw decision. That said, Terrace is in its best position ever to weather an economic storm like this, The city’s job base is less concentrated on forestry, it's been bol- stered by recession-proof government jobs and the city has become a commercial hub, drawing in spenders from around the region. “There’s still a relatively good level of traffic down- town on weekends,” notes city economic development officer Ken Veldman. Even in logging and construction, adds Gilham, some firms are finding work outside of this area that continues to keep their workers employed and support families here. A SPECIAL REPORT | ON OUR ECONOMY MOVING COMPANIES are reporting an in- crease in customers and most of them are head- ing out of town. —_ “T feel like I’m gonna be the last one here,” says Shawn Kuss, of Williams Moving. For every one customer moving to Tertace, he said, there have been about four moving out so far this year, : Most people seem to be moving south in B.C. or to Alberta, the movers say. “T'd say 70 per cent are going to a job,” says Kluss, He says the increase in the number of people moving out started last year, “People would be moving out a lot more if their houses would sell,’ says Klugs. Philip Ridsdale of U-Haul says they have been @ For more on our local economy, turn to Page A5, Next week we look at the state of the local forest Industry. And, meanwhile, tell us what you think. How do you measure. the iocal economy? We'll print a selection of responses. Drop them off at our Clinton St. office, fax to 638-8432 or email them to standard@ kermode.net they don’t have the trucks and equipment avail- able. PACKING UP: Bandstra worker Howard McBoyle labels a box for the latest family the company is moving out of town, They wera headed to Kamloops. Trend is moving away Many more leaving than coming, receiving as many as ten calls a day but that pro movers say U-Haul only has trucks available if they’ve been driven here by people moving into the area, Although Ridsdate says people have been moving to Terrace, U-Haul isn’t getting the number of trucks they used to. Lioyd McGovem, of Bandstra Transportation, agrecs with the four to one ratio and says he too would see more people moving if the real estate market picked up, Many people, he says, are leaving without having been able to sell their homes and are “leaving them behind on the market or renting them out. McGovern says his company will likely dou- bie last years numbers in freight. He says many of the people that are leaving have been transferred out of Terrace. , *'They’re definitely getting a bitter taste that they have to Icave. They’re not chosing ‘to leave,’* he says. Construction sag signals time of caution Building permits Issued to June 30 _CONSTRUCTION stats ing up of the construction Gipps says spec houses . the Supreme Court of Canada’s Delgamuukw decision. 93¢ PLUS 76 GST VOL. 11.NO. 14 Tsimshian seek control over fishery Position laid out in treaty talks THE TSIMSHIAN want a chunk of the recreational ‘Sport fish- ing industry as part of their eventual treaty settlement. ; And their initial bargaining position is to ask for at least shared jurisdiction over virtually all aspects of the Skeena River fishery in their territory. Tsimshian negotiator Gerald Wesley laid out their demands in an open land claim negotiation session here Thursday, “Sport fishing is just another example of an industry where we eventually want to become participants,” Wesley said. “We want a share of that.” : He suggested the Tsimshian will want some areas set aside for _ &xclusive guiding by them, and that they be allocated either a minimum number or percentage of total angling guide rod days, That’s just one facet of the Tsimshian fisheries proposal, which calls for if not exclusive Tsimshian management, then at least comanagement with the feds and province over the entite lower Skeena River fishery, That jurisdiction would cover Not just the setting of fishing” plans, but areas such as control over enhancement: and hatch- eries on the river. Any hatcheries operated by the Tsimshian would conter 100 per cent ownership and harvest rights of those fish to .. them, he said. "As for the traditional native, - née fishery, which is constitu- . tionally. protected: for food, "social and ceremonial reasons, * Wesley said they'd be seeking exclusive areas of operation. Closer to salt water, the . Tsimshian also staked out - demands for rights to aquacul- ture, salmon farming, and ocean ranching of species like geoduck and sea cucumber. Wesley said they also want to have future rights to harvest any other species found in the area if new markets open up for them. The Tsimshian also said they want compensation for and a revenue-sharing agreement for a cut of-fees from commercial and recreational -_ fishing licences and lodges. . “We're trying to find means to provide economic benefit to our communities,” Wesley explained, It was met by non-committal comments from federal negotiator Pauline LeMothe, who said Ottawa would respond fully when it's discussed at a working group level. Provincial negotiator Mark Stevenson was more blunt, charac- we eventually want to become Participants.” “Sport fishing: is. just another example of an. industry where ' 1 1 terizing the scope of the Tsimshian fisheries proposals as “sone ewhat problematic.” In particular, he pointed to Tsimshian demands for exclusive areas of harvest and the Tsimshian assumption of aboriginal rights to 100 per cent of the resources within their traditional terrilory, \ ; An agreement-in-principle on the Tsimshian land claim is still some distance off, and the Tsimshian are stressing their demands for interim measures restricting resource extraction in light of James Bryant attacked Canada for refusing ta participate in negotiating an interim measures package covering the territory Prior to the agreement-in-principle, “It is impeding on our process,” Bryant said, “Our table is start- ing to list,” 16 i” ‘86 ‘97 ‘88 Boures: City of Terrace ‘have taken a nost-dive in S¢clor stems primarily from 1998 — a prime indicator of potential builders’ fears the city's economic bout the economic downturn. downturn and how long it Just under $4 million;, Will last. worth of building permits: ‘People are very con- had been issued by the City cemed,”’ Gipps said, “They of Terrace to the end of don’t want to spend money June, compared to more Tight now.” than $14 million for the Even those people who are same period in the last few the city’s risk takers — the years, aa . Spec house builldess — for ‘Senior building inspector the moat past are not pour- Paul Gipps says the tighten. ing foundations this year, make up just three or four of the 12 homes started this year, with the rest being custom-builds, “Those people are not taking any chances,’’ Gipps said, ‘If the confidence is gone at that end of things there’s something to be con- cemed about,’”” There’s been virtually no new commercial constnic- Cont'd'Page AS Skeena Cel trims work week here SKEENA CELLULOSE is cutting production at its Terrace sawmill to four days a week for the next four weeks, The company also announced it will shut the Carnaby sawmill for four weeks from July 20 to Aug. 17. And the Smithers sawmill will go down for even longer — from July 20 to Sept. 8. While workers in Terrace get away without a com- plete shutdown, they will be bringing home payche- ques 20 per cent smaller during the production scale Company officials continue to blame disastrous lum- ber markets, which were pushed down further this year by a collapse in demand from Asia. “Global jumber prices are. still very weak,’’ said solid woods group general manager Dan Tuoml, “Poor prices combined with the U.S. quotas on softwood lumber have made the market very difficult.’* “We can only ride out this continued poor market, but U.S. quotas hamper our ability to sell more lumber into the United States.”