Tragedy of war Fifteen lives were lost when the ~ HMCS Skeena was blownto shore 50 yeats ago/NEWS AS | Back to basics Meltdown The Miss Terrace Pageant is coming back after a two-year absence/COMMUNITY B1 cA lack of volunteers has forced” cancellation of Terrace’s annual ice carnval/SPORTS C1 a WEDNESDAY OCTOBER, 19, 1994 75¢ PLUS 5¢ GST. VOL. 7.NOL27 2 Band close to land claims deal _ THE KITSUMKALUM band is considcring an offer from the fed- eral government to settle a land claim dating back more than 80 years. Tavolved is cash, land and pub- lic works projects as compensa- tion for band property taken in 1908 that is now the CN rail line and in 1941 for a road to Prince Rupert. What's wanted is a redress of past wrongs, says band negotiator Alex Bolton. Approximately 100 acres of land was either taken without band approval and without ade- quate compensation or was made unusable because of the rail line and road, said Bolton. No cash figures were released although there are suggestions it is in the $1.5 million range. Bolton estimates the cash pay- ments could equal the amount. being spent on public works projects. The main issue is the construc- tion of the rail line through the band’s original graveyard in 1910 and a repeat of that in 1941 when the road was built through the gtaveyard’s new location, Bolton . continued. “The graveyards were desecrated. People were mad. The railway also destroyed an existing village. There used to be long- houses there and totem poles,’’ he said. That location, across the tracks from the present day village of Kitsumkalum, has since eroded, Bolton continued, because the band doesn’t have access to stop the land from being washed away. A resolution to that will come in the form of a level crossing to be built by CN and by a second one at the western edge of the tescrve, if the band accepts the package. As well, CN has said it will return portions of its right of way back to the band. That will help in solidifying the band’s RV parking area at ils boat launch on the west side of the Kalum River, said Bolton. The provincial highways minis- try has also agreed to provide rip- rap (boulder material). to help stop the Kalum River from erod- ing more of the band’s land. The highways ministry is in- volved because control of and re- sponsibility for the highway was passed to the provincial govern- ment. This kind of claim is called a specific one, the term for situa- tions such as this when Jand was taken from reserves allocaied to native bands, These are different than the larger, comprehensive claims such as the Nisga’a one to the Nass Valley, Bolton said the federal govern- ment had no right to transfer land to the provincial government without the involvement of Kit- sumkalum. A setilement of that as part of the total package under consider- ation will ensure the highway route has proper, legal tenure, he said. Bolton acknowledged the work: of the highways ministry this summer in fixing up and repair- ing the second graveyard — the one disturbed when the 1941 road was built. Use of that section atsjged in the carly 1970s when the present day route running. parallel to. the CN tracks was constructed.” It’s located above the’ current day route. The ministry first brought an ullrasound-like device to cxamine the subsurface of the roadbed-that ran through the graveyard to determine if there were still graves underneath. None were found. The ministry thea built a new fence around the section’ of graveyard to take in the roadbed and portion that was Icft alonc, Cont'd Page A3 RCMP won’t be ‘cannon _ fodder’ in mushroom war TERRACE RCMP say they won't let themselves be dragged into a political confrontation over nalive attempts to control the lucrative pine mushroom trade. Staff Sgt. John Veldman said Friday police will not seck charges against Gitksan natives who moved the boats of non- native pickers who had been picking 60km upstream on the Skeena River, near Ritchie, One non-native mushroom picker may be charged with pos- session of a loaded firearm in a boat, he added. Gilksan leaders want people picking in the area they claim as their traditional territory to regis. ter with the Gitksan- Wet’suwet’en Watershed Authority. To make the point they went downriver last Wednesday and at one location moved ‘‘two or three’? boats across the river from where pickers had left them. Veldman said the natives left one boat on the far side so pickers there wouldn’t be stranded. The incident infuriated some non-native pickers, who want theft charges laid against the na- tives involved. But Veldman said that would likely accomplish little in court other than play into the hands of the Gitksan. “We're not about to be used as cannon fodder here,’”’ he said, “That's what they're trying to do and we're not going to bite.’ He said the dispute is all about politics and land claims, and said the RCMP want no part of it. “Our concern is to make sure nobody gets hurt out there,” Veldman said, “People are getting ‘ticked off and I can't blame them,’’ he said. “But we're not prepared to do anylbing further at this time. It's simply not a police issue and it would be a waste of court time.”* Meanwhile, he said, RCMP are carefully moniloring the situation and hope to head off any further incidents. ‘Things are healing up,”' Veld- man said, ‘‘There’s' been some confrontations, although nothing _ physical, But you push the wrong Staff Sgt. John Veldman person or you threaten the wrong person and you're going to get results, And that’s what I’m afrald of.” People on both sides of the is- sue should exercise restraint and avoid confrontation, he sald. . He noted that- gunshots cin ‘ tushroom picking areas are very common due to bears, But he said some non-native pickers have been known to fire off a few rounds to intimidate other nearby pickers and scare them away from their patches. ‘We have some people on both sides who should be thinking a little bit more,’”” Veldman said, Art Loring, the Gitksan eagle clan chief behind last week's river action, said a high con- centration of pickers and careless picking habits are damaging the mushroom patches, “You'll see 30 or 40 people in ane small area,’’ he said. ‘Every two or three minutes you'll see four or five people,” ; Loring saya he can understand people who pick for a living, sea- sonally, But he says many piock- ers are business people from Ter- race Who “‘hear it’s hot and come out.” “We continue to say there has to be a way to mit the numbers and to teach people about the habitat,” he said. Gitksan Wet'suwet’en Ranger Ed Green suid the Gitksan have issued 47 permits. _ THE OPENING OF Sleep- m Homey place to stay ing Beauty Lodge on the grounds of Mills Memorial Hospital means out-of- towners will find it less ex- pensive when travelling here for medical needs. It's a project of the Elks and Order of the Royal Purple. Picture here are some of those involved. From the left are Sue - Dika, Lawrence Baker, Gordan Hamilton, Bob Cammidge, Marion Cammidgs, caratakers Betty and Ed Bellamy, Sue Ridley (and family), Al McGowan and Jean Baker. The lodge Is located in'the former nurs- ing residence which was renovated for its new role. Helping with the renova-: tions was a grant from the provincial government, By DANA HUBLER LOCAL RESIDENTS may be paying a tax to help with paint recycling but they aren’t yet getting anything in return, The tax — 50 cents a galion ~~ went into effect Oct. 1 with the revenue going to paint manufacturers who are then expected to set up collec- tion depots for waste paint. Those depots are to be permanent sites and in the in- terim manvfacturers arc send- ing mobile depots around the province. But the closest such stop- ping place for the mobile depot to.date is Prince George — a six hour drive from Ter- race. And the next closest stop- ping ‘placea are Quesnel and Willlams Lake. : When asked why no date was sct for a northwest com- munity, paint manufacturer spokesman Jim Matkin said ' there was a northwest collec- tion date - in Quesnel, . We're painted into a corner __, “We-are taking care of the norihwest - we'll be in Ques- nel in the coming weeks,” he said. After learning that Quesnel was more than 700 km away . from Terrace, Matkin said that Terrace would receive a more. comprehensive. recy- - cling program in the ‘‘second phase of the system.’' ‘People have to be: paticnt about this because those com- munities that aren’t served now will eventually get better | service,’’ said Matkin, adding that Terrace paint consumers are paying the extra 50 cents for the service. they will eventually reccive within the .. year, He said the B, C. Paint Care’ Association, organized by the paint industry to run the recy- cling programs, will be con- sulting with the local municipality. to set “up permanent depots in the northwest Cont'd Page A2.