Orenda would let gov't buy In TERRACE — The chairman of Orenda Forest Products says he would consider the possibility of the provincial government buying a piece of his company. That would replace a request Orenda has made for a $100 mil- lion loan guarantee to. help fi nance its planned $500. million pulp and paper mill. “Tf it was to be in equity — yes, J could buy that,’’ said Hugh Cooper last week, - “T am not set in my mind as to the eventual disposition of the equity for this project,’’ he added. Cooper predicted that a collec- tion of Canadian, American, European and Asian banks al- ready lined up as potential in- Fishy outing — vestors would favour direct provincial investment. “They would say ‘wow’. Now we have it and it’s OK,” Cooper said. Cooer’s comments. come as provincial officials are gctting ready to present the Orenda loan guarantee request to the ‘Provin- cial cabinet. The $100 million loan gliaran- tee is viewed as the comerstone of the: financing ‘package needed by Orenda. : “The financing looks very credible. There are some things now that require stroking here and there. We stilf need the government to do something ta give credibility to -the whole * Orenda’s search for $500 million takes it to nine banks and across the ocean, That story on Page A2. * Terrace mayor Jack Talstra and Skeena MLA Helmut Gies- brecht have different ideas about government loan guarantees, That’s also on Page A2. idea,’’ said Cooper. He said. the guarantee would provide proof to the banks that the province backs the project. “It would say the province is hot going to take away the wood and would not subject it to regulations that could shut it down,”’ added Cooper. “The best evidence of that credibility would’ be for the government to guarantee, part of the senior debt,’ he said. “We have investors beating down the door but they need to know the project cannot be destroyed by the actions of government,’? Cooper continued, “The security of property rights is less sacrosanct in Canada than in the United States,” he said. City on mine list TERRACE — The City of Terrace has been nominated to receive the Mining’ Association of B.C.’s ‘‘Mining. Community of the Year” award. ; This is the first year for.thi award which. is designed ‘to recognize a community: for its contribution: to the mining in- dustry. 1 Three other. - communities, Princeton, Kimberley and Sandon, located -in the Kootenays, have also ‘been nominated, . A winner will be announced March 12 during ‘‘Mining Week” activities in “Van- couver. ‘Terrace has done a lot in promoling mining awareness,’ said mining association public relations spokesman ZIda Makaro of the nomination. THORNHILL ELEMENTARY Year 4 students {above} get a guided tour of the Deep Creek hatchery from manager Jorma Jyrkkanen. Like myriad school groups before them, they got to see the thousands of young alevin kept inside the hatchery and feed the chinook and coho fry in the ponds outside. Hatchery proponents trying to save the facility have pointed out it's a -val- ~ uable educational tool:as well’ as helping maintain Jocal fish stocks. For the latest develop- ments in the Deep Creek. battle for ‘survival, turn to page A5. Cooper added that the dittitude of the banks does not have any- thing to do with the NDP being the governing party in Canada. Cooper also said the province would earn perhaps .8 per cent in interest payments from Orenda in return for the loan guarantee, And he noted the provincial economy would benefit by mil- lions of dollars a year in taxation and cconomic spinoffs from the Orenda project. Provincial economic develop- ment minister Dave Zirmbelt has already said the province no mnger has a loan guarantee pro- gram of the type and size to fit the Orenda project. But he added that the new B.C.