Pump it up Terrace’s finest arm wrestlers muscle their way to provincial glory\SPORTS B4 Behaving badly A local RCMP constable found guilty of “disgraceful conduct” resiZnS\NEWS A12 Seeing faces Bark carver Harold Braam puts the final touches on his 1,000th work in | wood\COMMUNITY B1 $1.00 pLus.7¢ cst. (51.20 plus 8¢ GST outside of the Terrace area) MOL. 15 NO. 20 IWA change c By JEFF NAGEL SKEENA CELLULOSE sawmill work- ers here have voted in a new bargain- ing committee and given their union new marching orders on how to negoli- ate with their new owners, Some IWA members say it’s a sign grassroots members are pushing their union to be more flexible in an effort to strike a Veniez. Veniez last week announced a new deadline for a new labour agreement. The cld deadline was Aug. 15 and the new one is Sept. 1. He says further de- lays would mean the operations can’t restart until spring. SCI workers are being asked to ac- cept a 20 per cent pay cut in return for profit sharing to help reduce the com- pany’s costs. deal with SCI président Dan “There was a shakeup,” said WA member Allan McIntyre, who favours more cooperative talks with Veniez. “Some of the hardliners were unelec- ted. Those guys are out.” He said a motion passed Aug. 10 by the membership now directs the bar- gaining commitlee and union bosses to ‘negotiate on the basis of Veniez’s “Fresh Start” proposals. The election of a new bargaining committee did stall tentative plans by the company and the FWA last week to conduct exploratory talks Mclutyre:says the Aug. 10 motion ‘means {he union will seek to negotiate improvements to the company’s propo- sal rather than negotiating downwards from their old contract, the coast mas- ter agreement. “The membership indicated they wanted to move forward quickly to pet a resolution to the contract issue,” he said, adding he believes the new com- mittee will wark hard to pet a-deal by the end of August. Allan Chesterman, a log loader operator at the mill who sits on the IWA local 2171 execulive board, says the directive simply opens another way to approach the talks that had been blocked since May 23, when members first rejected Veniez’s origi- nal proposal, “It allows us to open all the doors by having that motion,” he said. “We're going to sit down and discuss the “Fresh Start” agreement with him.” “We don’t care what road we get there on just as long as we get to the destination.” he added. Veniez has accused top union offi- cials of sacrificing local workers be- cause they fear setting a cul-raie pre- cedent here that could be extended to other mills. Union members here have come under considerable local pressure to Teach a deal. Chesterman dispules MclIntyre’s characterization that the election has dramatically changed the bargaining committee’s makeup and direction. He said McIntyre was one of the former committee members who _wasn't re-elected this time. He also took issue with MeIntyre’s suggestions that the bargaining com- mittee wasn’t carrying out members’ wishes. “I find it a little strange,” Chester- man said. “Mr. Mcintyre was a mem- guieslay, August 24, 2002 ould spark SCI deal ber of the executive up until the last meeting. He was one of the people making all the decisions.” Chesterman says, much about the company proposal remains ambiguous. He said there's no clear definition of which jobs at the sawmill are ‘core jobs” ~ ones that wouldn’t be subject io potential contracting out at lower wages. - “He has moved slightly on some things,” Chesterman noted. Veniez has pledged to keep the prior benefits package, although Chesterman said it appears that’s only for one year. He has also said he'll pay skilled trades workers more than first pro- posed. Veniez won't change plans to bring in a maximum four-weck holiday meal a day as well as other services. A NEW HOUSING project was called a forelaste of things to come during its official opening here Aug. 14. Speakers said the idea of meals and other kinds of support services al McConnell Es- tate on the bench adjacent to Terraceview Lodge will help keep people from having to po into more expensive long-term care faci- lities. “This is meant to complement, not re- place independent living or residential care,” said Katherine Whittred, the provin- cial minister of state for intermediate, long term and home care. The provincial B.C. Housing Corporation paid for the majority of the cost - $2.2 mil- lion ~ and the federal government through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corpora- tion added $550,000. The land has a value of $303,000 and was provided by the Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation and the Terrace Seniors Supportive Society. B.C, Housing Corporation will also subsi- dize operating costs lo the tune of $201,000 a year. The land was donated by the Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital. Foundation and the ‘Ferrace Seniors Supportive Society and carries with ita price tag of $303,000. A variety of people, including Skeena Liberal MLA Roger Harris, noted that pro- jects such as McConnell Estate come none to soon in places such as Terrace where the population of seniors is growing far faster than the provincial average. “This is a great asset for the community,” said Harris. The MLA, as did other speakers, men- THAT'S MAYOR Jack Talstra flanked by McConnell Estate residents at the official opening of the new supportive housing facility Aug. 14. The $3 million facility, named after longtime resident Walter McConnell has 21 housing units and residents receive one Housing project officially opened tioned the role of the former NDP govern- ment and former Skeena NDP MLA Helmut Giesbrecht in starting construction of the project. Harris said that credit should also go to Dieter Kuntz, the former administrative head of the Terrace and Area Health Council (now merged with the Northern Health. Au- thority} and former council chair Bob Kelly as having key roles to play in the project de- velopment. Terrace mayor Jack Talstra said it was important to remember that Walter McCon- nell, after whom the project is named and who is now. deceased, was a long time com- munity volunteer. “He was involved with Lodge, right next door,” said Talstra. Cont'd Page A2 Terraceview -mentary school - Cont'd Page A2 Dialysis gets the green light . THE PROVINCIAL government is putting money on the ‘table when it comes to the long-standing request for a tenal dialysis service here. It’s now asking for engineering bids on what will ex- actly be needed to convert unused space on the second floor of Mills Memorial Hospital into a dialysis unit to serve the northwest. “““This is what we’ve been wailing for,” Skeena Lib- eral: MLA Roger Harris said over ihe weekend. “This Is going:to make a real difference in peoples’ lives.” Harris said he thinks of people such as Ruth Mangnus. ' She has had to live apart from her husband, Chuck, ever since he developed kidney problems one year ago. He’s had to move to Prince George where the closest dialysis service is located. The results of the engineering studies will determine the timeline for construction and then the opening of the service. So far, the estimated cost is $1.4 million, of which approximately $1 million is to construct the faci- lities with the remainder going for equipment. The service will have six patient stations, meaning up to 36 people a week can use its facilities. Harris said the dialysis service approval is a sign that coordination of health care is warking, “This and the [mobile] mammography service are ex- amples of how health care services in the region should work and what we are trying to achieve,” he said. The service has been wanted here for years. It came close to a reality under the former NDP government be- fore being shelved when the Liberals were elected until it was revived again late last year. School workers are still in limbo TEACHERS AND other school district workers are still waiting to hear if they'll have jobs this fall. And many could be waiting until school actually starts and officials have a better idea of enrolments, says assistant school superintendent Rob Greenwood. Layoff notices were issued to more than 200 teachers and 300 Canadian Union of Public Employees. members this spring in order to balance the budget, despite the _ district’s decision to close five elementary schools, Greenwood said some of those layoffs have been re- scinded as necessary, but other employees can’t be called back until the district knows how many students will return. “We will not be able to do anything much ‘further to mid to late September,” Greenwood said. Officials expect 6,550 full time students to return. That’s 315 fewer students — or the equivalent of an ele- than they had on the books last fall. In tecent years the district has lost about 150 students each year, a trend district officials believe could be gathering steam because of the sagging northwest economy, Missing carnival upsets local residents By JOANNA WONG RESIDENTS LOOKING for a summer fix of cotton candy and ferris wheels were upset last week when the carni- val failed to roll into town. Carnival sponsor Frank Pelle says. organizers pulled the plug on the Aug. 15-18 event when they realized it would cost $4,500 in rent and licen- sing fees to set up shop at the old Co- op building. “They weren't going to pay all that money to set up,” Pelle sald, - Pelle is a member of the Terrace: Lions Club, the group responsible for: sponsoring and bringing the carnival to Terrace. “(The carnival owners] should have booked earlier,” said Pelle. The carnival normally sets up at the Thornhill Community Grounds but this year a caravan club was already there. “If they had made reservations ear- lier we could have moved the ¢ara- vans to anather field,” Pelle said. Pelle says the cancellation means the: Lions: Club will lose’ the: small ‘commission -it normally, takes ‘from: carnival: profits, usually: about: $500." 2 $600 dollars. oe “About ninety to ninety-five per cent of that money goes back into the community,” he said. “We give it away to small requests for medical as- sistance, to little bables that need ta be rushed to Yancouver for operations, to bay scouts and girl guides.” Also lost was the $1,100 that would have been paid-to rent the Thornhill Community Grounds. While the grounds are owned by the regional dis- trict, the money would have been re- directed toward maintenance and Ups . Keep. “Chy of “Terrace 0 offical Gene Miller says city licensing fees are typical if not lower than the fees charged in most towns. , “We've done a look at other people’s bylaws and there’s some that charge more,” said Miller.. “It's noth- ing new. This policy has been in place since 1991.” The City of Terrace charges $20 to license a concession or ride for one day. For a carnival with 40° conces- sions. and rides, that’s at least $800 a day. The carnival would have also had to. pay.an $1,870 deposit to’ cover pos-. sible expenses such RCMP time and site damage. “We just want to [be covered] in case something goes askew,” Miller said. “Most of [the deposit] is usually .teturned, I don’t see how they can’t af- ford it,” he continued. “There's a lot more money going put of town than staying In.” Other expenses included bathroom rentals and a $1,500 bill to rent the Co-op parking lot. Pelle says Terrace carnivalgoers will have to wait until the spring car- nival, which is. much larger.and can afford the fees.: .