Looking back — | Continued from page A14

The CounterAttack program was
possibly a little more effective.
Fewer road blocks nabbed more
drunk drivers, we were told in
1988. The message was the same
in 1989 and in 1990 RCMP were
able to report no fatalities. There
were, however, 18 people injured
in 13 collisions.

In January, 1990, another safety
campaign began. Clunkers, junkers,
rust-buckets, beaters and heaps
were faced with extinction. Road-
side vehicle safety checks had
- begun and it could cost as much as
$500 if owners didn’t repair iden-
tified defects within 30 days.

Around the region, it was in
1988 that government agent Randy
Trombley and Elmer Derrick,
chairman and CEO of Gitsen In-
dustries were named liaison
officers for the North Coast eco-
nomic development region by _
Minster of State Dave Parker.
Main concems of the development
region council at this time’ were
the GATT fisheries ruling, CBC's
redistribution of staff, forestry and
health care.

In 1989, the North Coast
Regional Advisory Group of
around 70 individuals was reduced
as an efficiency measure to only
10 members by our new minister
of state, Terry Huberts. By 1991
there was little change in the direc-
tion of this group, though. Fores-
try, fisheries and aquaculture,
native affairs, tourism, transporta-
tion and education were still the
main topics of discussion. - ~

Still, some. members or the native

community were not impressed by . cording ‘to’ Brophy, the charges:

any forward movement by the
North ‘Coast advisory group... or
anyone else for that matter.

Hairy Nyce and Gordon Sebas-
tian were a part of this group. .
During the January 1991 Kitimat-
Stikine Regional District board
meeting, Sebastian asked if anyone”
actually believed that the native
population was an important part
of the economic and cultural fabric
of the northwest in the eyes of

" government and some parts of the
business community.

Every one of dozens of brochures
printed annually, said Sebastian,
flaunt the virtues of big business,
but fail to recognized the value of
the native community. As an
example, he held up a copy of the
regional district’s "Outlook 1990"
and pointed out that while there
were numerous references to fores-
try, fisheries and tourism — more
specifically Alcan and the Kemano
Completion Project, Eurocan,
Repap, Westar and Westmin —
but only a vague hint the native
population even exists. Ksan Vil-
lage. was named as being included
in the region’s "varied inventory of
tourism attractions".

On the local political scene,
"choice" was the buzzword for
NDP faithful a year ago this week.
Mike Corbeil tossed his hat in the
ring; he would challenge Helmut
Geisbrecht as the NDP candidate
to take Dave Parker to task in the
next provincial election. A nomi-
nating convention was set for

March 31.
F community, Sunday shop-
ping was the latest topic

of discussion in 1989. It was

or the local business

- vice was announced. A 34 million §
Bell IFR 212 twin-engine helicop- J

December, 1988, that the B.C,
Court of Appeal opened the gates
to legal Sunday business opera- .
tions and even though the decision
was under review by the Attorney
General several stores were open
Sundays in the Terrace area.
Pacific Northern Gas and the
Kitsumkalum reserve launched the
1990’s with business agreement.
After a few delays and a lot of red
tape, Pacific. Northem Gas
announced a year ago this weck
that a natural gas connection would
be made to Kitsumkalum Village.

A completion date for the project, |

though, wasn’t named.

In 1988, Mills Memorial Hospital
received a grant of $180,000 to
cover extraordinary operating
expenses due to the scrapping of
emergency care user fees. In 1989,
new services were introduced at
MMH. The hospital was named as
ore of 32 in the province that
would begin a self-help diabetic
program and a new medevac ser-

ter would be stationed at Prince
Rupert and would offer a 24-hour
medical evacuation service.
Something a little more contro-
versial also made the health care
news a year ago this week,: This
was the citation issued to; MMH

nurse Isobel Brophy by the Regis- J

tered Nurses’ Association of B.C.
The citation advised Brophy that
an inquire would be held in
Vancouver on Feb. 12 to determine
if she was guilty of” conduct con-
trary to the ethical standards. Ac-
“were related to advice on abortion
she - allegedly offered MMH
patients ‘during a 32-month period.

= .dyeqtion, was . running
E ampothly in 1988. NWCC

was beginning an internal
‘review that promised a brighter.
- future. Caledonia Senior Secondary |
School was gathering material;
related to the history of the school. :
A book was to be published in
1990, And the Skeena Junior
Secondary library went high tech.
Included in their array of new

equipment were four new com- '
puters, three printers, a modem, a

micro fiche projector, a micro
fiche projector/printer, and a CD-
ROM reader with the complete

22-volume American Academic —

Encyclopedia.

In 1989, though, the skies
darkened. This was the year of the
teachers’ strike and there was
concem for the effect it might
have on students. Particularly
Grade 12 students who were to
write government exams. Review
work was difficult, if not impos-
sible. And if the strike continued
there was the question of where
and when the exams would be
written and who would supervise
them.

The focus shifted to post-
secondary education in 1990. By
this time a year ago, the northem
university Implementation Planning
Group had filed their recommenda-
tions with Minister of Advanced
Education Bruce Strachan a north-
em university looked like a go.
According to Strachan, a main
university and satellite campuses
could be in operation by Septem-
ber, 1991.

ly

Some time ago, Terrace city
council asked the province if they
could be included in the tripartite
land claims negotiations involving
the governments of B.C. and
Canada and the Nisga’a Tribal
Council. City council didn’t want
an independent fourth party status,

only a seat with the province to sit .

in on the negotiations and to
observe how a settlement might
affect the city.

Premier Bill Vander Zalm has
now responded to that request, but
city aldermen aren’t really sure if
they're to be included in the talks
or not.

"We're next door and the out-
come of those negotiations might
affect Terrace and the surrounding
area,” says mayor Jack Tulstra.
"We felt we shoud have some

here with one of two bears ahd a salmon he carved
home on Nelson Rd. in New Remo. He began the first
| and subsequent roadclearing with a backhoe formed huge
for carving. Frank says he began carving figures into the packed snow windrows on the Copper
Mountain road about two years ago. He uses a hand
his animal figures, modelled after stuffed animals collected by his mother. When he's not

carving figures, Frank spends his recreational time building model ships.

City’s position in Nisga’a
land talks still uncertain

Twenty-seven year old Bell Pole peeler and part-time ice carver Frank Freiburg Is seen.
over the Christmas holidays at his parents
carving Dec. 17 after a heavy snowfall
blocks of compacted snow perfect

input."

The premier’s answer: "I recog-
nize that these negotiations involve
the northwest of British Columbia
and understand your particular
interest and concem. The land
claims question is a complex one
which has remained unresolved,
resulting in economic and social
uncertainty for both Natives and
non-Natives."

vander Zaim then assures coun-
ci] that as the province defines
their negotiating role, Minister of
Native Affairs Jack Weisgerber
will be consulling with "represen-
tatives from the Native community,
local government, industry, labour
and many other groups”.

The premier’s response is incon-
clusive, says council. And there is
a considerable difference between

saw, a hammer and a spade to create - |

being @ part of the team and being
consulted during the process.

But there is one more paragraph.
"The composition of a land claims
negotiating team will be con-
sidered as the Government of
British Columbia continues its
consultation process," Vander
Zalm writes, "and I appreciate the
constructive suggestions you have
offered in a spirit of openness and
cooperation."

"We're not sure what this letter
says," concludes Talstra. "The
composition of the team will be
considered as the province con-
tinues it’s consultation process’... I
think this means perhaps their

negotiating team in not yet in-

place."

Council simply received and filed
Vander Zalm’s letter for informa-
tion. |

h.
“a