New bosses expected soon

A10 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 25, 1998

Airport to post surplus

ONE OF the biggest hurdles in having a local body lake
over the airport —- a large operating debt — has been
removed,

Al the beginning of the decade the airport was operating
in the red to the tune of nearly $900,000 a ycar.

But cost controls and culs in staffing are now matching
what comes in with what goes out, says airport manager
Darryl Laurent,

“‘We're even forecasting a small surplus,’’ said Laurent
for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1998,

A warmer than usual winter which decreased de-icing
and runway clearing costs have helped but overall, the air-
port is running leaner than in the past.

The annual budget is $1.1 million, including wages for
six full time employees and for two people during the
winter to clear the runways.

A big money saver was the elimination of the airport’s
firefighters, the last of whom left in January.

The airport has also been able to raise more money by
charging businesses for advertising display space.

And, the airport can adjust other fees — such as those
charged to airlines for landing privileges — according to
its financial health.

That means fees can be lowered or raised depending
upon what's needed to balance the facility’s books, said
Laurent.

The balanced budget is good news for the new airport
authority being formed to take over operations from the
federal government because it eliminates what might have
been tough bargaining had costs outweighed revenues,

Just as welcome is the physical state of the airport which
has been much improved since the tum of the decade.

Renovations and expansions to the terminal building and
anew combined services building mean the new authority
wan't be faced with immediate capital costs,

*'We're in fairly good shape,’’ said Laurent.

In the meantime, the names of the board members of the
new authority should be released later this week.

City of Terrace economic development officer Ken Veld-
man said final selections are now taking place.

The new authority is made up of the city, the regional

district and the Terrace and Kitimat chambers of com,

merce.

Although the airport is in good financial shape, the new
authority will have to make provisions for capital spending
as repairs and renovations are needed in the years ahead,
said Veldman.

Some of that will come from the authority setting aside
profits for capital expenses but also from negotiations with
the federal government, he added,

‘We'll need to build a nest egg,” Veldman said.

ss es
THOSE ARRIVING at the Terrace airport are often
met by Jim Oliver, a member of the B.C. Corps of
Commissionaires. What passengers may not know is
that the airport has wiped out an operating loss.

One challenge facing the new anthorily is the possibility
of providing for some kind of firefighting and emergency
service.

Just weeks after the service was eliminated, the federal
government announced a review of emergency services at
Canadian airports. That's to be finished this spring.

Depending upon what the review says, the new authority
may contract out with the city to have its firefighters on
hand during commercial takeoffs and Jandings.

Shuffle puts focus on north

Miller is made |
new minister —
of northern

development

PREMIER Glen Clark’s
cabinet shuffle -puts -the
azorthwest in better position
to get its issues heard on
several fronts.

Dan Miller remains as
deputy premier, but trades
his employment and invest-
ment portfolio for energy
and mines, plus a newly cre-

ated ministry of northern de-
velopment.
That’s being interpreted as Dale Lovick
a signal that Clark continues ”
to take seriously his promise "orth. ;
of a sympathetic ear for the There are no new cabinet
ministers named in the

north and its resource indus-
try concerns.

Miller says be plans to
make northern economic de-
velopment the focus of his
new ministry.

“Vm delighted,” Miller
said of the new job. ‘‘And
being minister in energy,
mines and petroleum
resources fits quite nicely in
with this role of northern
development.”

He said the challenge now
is to define what the north-
em development role can
and can’t do,

Miller said the move-
doesn’t replace the idea of a
separate northem com-
missioner — the favoured
option of government — ad-
ding that person would like-
ly end up reporting to his
new ralnistry.

In addition to the ex-
panded 19-member cabinet,
there are also seven MLAs
who hold parliamentary sec-
retary roles backing up
major ministers.

Skeena MLA Helmut
Giesbrecht is one of them,
and takes a more prominent
tole as parliamentary secre-
tary to the new minister of
health, Penny Priddy.

He had been the small
business, tourism and cul-
ture parliamentary secretary.

Giesbrecht is hoping his
close proximity to the health
minister will allow for a
chance to encourage a re-
thinking of how the govem-
ment finances hospitals and
health care in the north.

“Issues in the north are
somewhat different and re-
quire a different approach
some times from the old
cookie cutter madel,’’ Gies-
brecht said. “Maybe there’s
om avenue there to work
foward some changes in
health care funding for the

north, but all the existing
ones stay inside cabinet.

Lois Boone takes over as
minister of children and
families from Penny Priddy.

Boone’s old post as high-
ways minister goes to cabi-
net newcomer Harry Lali.

Other northem. cabinet
ministers —- Williams Lake-
based forests minister Dave
Zimhelt, Prince George edu-
cation minister Paul Ramsey
— remain in place.

Another significant
change for the north is that
former speaker and
Nanaimo MLA Dale Lovick
is replacing John Cashore as
aboriginal affairs and labour
tinister. What (hat means
for the province's direction
in treaty talks is as yet un-
known. Cashore has said he

Helmut Giesbrecht Mike Corbeil
will not run again.

Faces familliar to north-
westerners have also sur-
faced in the top layer of the
provincial bureaucracy.

Mike Corbeil — who was
ance execulive director of
the Skeena Health Unit here
and) ran unsuccessfully
against Giesbrecht for the
Skeena NDP nomination —
takes over as deputy minis-
ter at the ministry of chil-
dren and families. He pre-
viously was heading the
province’s Pharmacare pro-
gram.

And Bill Lefeaux-
Valentine, a one-time Miller
execulive assistant and then
provincial land claim nego-
tiaior, has tumed up as te
deputy minister of the new
stand alone fisheries minis-
try, under minister Dennis
Streifel.

“We've got two very

Dan Miller

senior deputy ministers,
three cabinet ministers and a
minister with explicit re-
sponsibility for northern de-
velopment,’’ Miller noted,
‘T’m delighted, It’s atten-
tion to the north.”’

ee fed Plat AP adie 9

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Choosing A Mutual Fund

With more than 600 mutual
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While there are no
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Past performance is one of
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You might be wondering:
Whal is more important, short-
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professionals consider mutual
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should also examine the fund’s

~ Peter Arcadi_
Personal Financial Analyst

Primerica Financial
Services In Terrace

current performance as jt may
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conceivably cause an investor ta
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For example, a_ well-
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tt may be difficult for the
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research tools at your disposal.
The answer might lie in the
fund’s quarterly report or with
an independent mutual fund
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performance of that particular
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While measuring the
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Consult with a personal
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Please feel free to contact

me with any questions or
comments at:

635-7800

or 1-800-295-7676
arcadipfs@kermode.net

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