“Papin. Ris

wm eee Tt

The Regional District of Kiti-

mat-Stikine has asked the pro-
vincial goverment to place a

moratorium on any further de-

velopment in the area surround-
ing Meziadin Lake until an en-

vironmental study can deter-:

mine the impact of private and

commercial development in. the.

area. .
The move suggests a harden-

ing of regional district policy on .

the Meziadin Lake area since a
request last spring that the prov-
ince restrict any further develop-

ment to conform with the land |

use plan already in effect for the
area. Events of the past few

months, however, suggest that -

conforming to land use plans
may not be enough to save what
director Harry Nyce. describes as

the principle spawning area for

Nass River sockeye and chinook
salmon.

Prior to the call for a mora-—

torium, the regional district ta-

bled one item and refused sup-.

port for all current land use

referrals from the Ministry of

Crown Lands which affect the
Meziadin area. All of these
items, according to regional
district administration, indicate
increasing activity in a sensitive
ecological: area . which could
adversely affect” the balance of
nature.

VIA cuts, Ul changes, new tax -
agenda for fall. Commons session

“Cuts in VIA ‘Rail service, ‘the
federal Goods. and Services Tax

and revisions to qualifications .

for Unemployment. Insurance
benefits are items on the Fall
session agenda of the House of

Commons that Skeena MP Jim °

Fulton has set his sights on. —
In an interview at the end of

September Fulton said he ex-

pected the Skeena run of VIA’s

passenger service.to be cut from

three times to twice a week.
Although that cut. hasn’t yet
materialized, federal Transport
Minister Benoit. Bouchard ‘has
not ruled out further cuts pend-
ing studies. In a previous round
of cuts the Skeena was spared
because it is the sole transporta-
tion services for.a number of
small communities between

Prince Rupert and Jasper.

The feds have expressed the
intention to examine the cost of
establishing alternative trans-
portation for :those communi-
ties. Fulton says he will try to
forestall any further cuts in the

Reasons for increased activity
in the Meziadin area cited by
regional district administration
include Hwy. 37 improvements

and advertising which have at--

tracted, a.growing- number. of

American. tourists, va recreation-

al subdivision on the lakeshore,
the North Coast-Nechako high-

way: maintenance. complex, . in-
creased mining activity and an

increase in the Ministry of For-
ests annual allowable cut in the
Meziadin area.

The annual allowable cut in
the Meziadin area is presently
estimated at over 1.2 million
cubic meters per year. This fac-
tor alone, according to adminis-
tration, accounts for the estab-
lishment of three large log
camps over the past five years,
all within a 25-kilometer radius
of Meziadin Junction. These in-
clude the Elsworth Brothers Or-
enda Camp 10 kilometers south

‘of Meziadin Junction which
houses 150 people year round in

a bunkhouse and approximately
60 trailers. This camp has oper-
ated for the past: five years
without a site permit and is
expected to be-in operation for

‘another 10 years.

The second is a camp 25
kilometers north of the junction
operated by Buffalo Head For-
_ est Products of ‘Stewart, This

passenger rail service by. arguing
that it is an essential. service for

the region. . .

‘The federal. Goods and Ser-

vices Tax is slotted to take effect
at the beginning of 1991, leaving

a lot of time for modifications to —

the current proposal... Fulton
said he believes the rate, initially
announced at nine percent, was.
pegged at an unreasonably high
rate by the Tories to allow room
for reduction, making a tax at a
lower rate easier to sell to the
public, “I think they'll broaden
the base of the tax and reduce
the rate,” Fulton said, and then
added that the government has
set aside $7 million for a public
relations campaign. to make the
tax easier to swallow. “It’s
propaganda, and it’s not. ap-
propriate,’’ he remarked.

Proposed changes to the Un- ©

employment Insurance regula-
tions, if passed, are going to
have a drastic effect on the
Northwest, he ' predicted.
“There are substantial ramifica-

smaller cheques. for many sea-.

year-round camp houses: 70.
workers in a bunkhouse ‘and.
trailers and is also the site of a

maintenance ‘shop. This: camp

has beén in the area for about.
‘tion in the area is: ‘operated by
- Nechako-North Coast Road,
Maintenace of Smithers:. ‘Nécha--
ko-North Coast is an ‘employee- ©. supplied.” ‘The’ expansion pro-:
owned.company which contracts. .
toad maintenace work with the

Ministry of Highways and oper--

two years is expected ‘to be in
operation — for at least another

five. .

‘The third, | a seasonal cantip

operated . by Tay-M Logging of.
Terrace, is‘located nine kilom-:
eters south of the junction and
houses about 30 workers for six.-
"eters west of the junction. —__
At. this site, Nechako-North .
Coast operates.a restaurant and
dining room, convenience store,
post office, a: 28-room inn with |
. eight-of the rooms rented to:
- full-time employees, a 16-site
‘serviced trailer. park of which 90 -
percent is rented to employees,

to seven months of the -year.

-This.camp as well was estab-

lished without the appropriate
permit about two years ago and
is expected to be in operation for
at least another 10 years. Also,
the Tay-M camp is expected to
grow to about 75 to 100 workers
by 1991.

Other concentrations of pop-
ulation in the area include a
private enterprise located at the
junction itself. Operated by Ar-
mand = Leblanc, —

unit motel and 36 bunkhouse
units, 20 serviced mobile home

and RV sites which serve both .

overnight and permanent: users,

and an automotive service center.

which offers. fuel and. repairs.

Approximately. five kilometers -

south of the junction is a 40-lot

residential recreational, | develon-.

tions, - especially;. for. ‘those. in.
‘seasonal, occupations,” “he-said.
“Many people will be ‘harmed. m

The changes to ‘UI would in-

crease the number of weeks of |
work required. to file a claim in.
many instances, and the benefits’
‘for those who qualify will be

calculated on. an amended: for-
mula which. would result in

sonal workers. Seasonal occupa-

tions in the region include log- |
ging, mining and fishing. .
These are historic industries of.

enormous value,’ Fulton said. -

The government has projected .

that the new rules would: dis-
entitle 30,000 Canadians from

“UL benefits, Fulton said, but |.

Statistics Canada calculates
130, 000.

The Commons committee
charged with examining the pro-
posed changes finished its hear-
ings on September 28, Fulton

said. Their report was released _ \}
vyesterday.

1

7

_ Jezebel’s Cabaret. &

want you to see the

in Vancouver
Draws will be made:

SALLING STANES

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12th _ me
, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19th io a
at Jezebels Cabaret | ee =

Ge

TR AVE

the facility
boasts a restaurant and dining i
‘yoom, a small retail store,. six-

ea: Alrfare, accommodations, pre-concert party. and teeta

"ment. About 30 of these one-

acre lots are developed and sev-
‘eral. are used as permanent. resi-

‘dences for workers in the area. .
Another commercial’ opera-:.

‘ates.a 37-man-camp seven kilom-

and a 50-plus unserviced RY site
which is slated for expansion.

Current estimates made by.

regional district administration

place the total workforce in the.

immediate Meziadin area at 300
to 375. There are.no readily

available estimates on-the num-

ber of children and non-working
adults in the area but new appli- -

cations before the Ministry of.

‘Crown. ‘Jands threaten to in-

- crease the. permanent and sea-

sonal population in the area
surrounding. Meziadin Lake sig-

| “Interiors Ltd. a :

"nificantly.

‘The first is an application —
from Elsworth ‘to increase the
size of their: Orenda’ ‘camp. This ©
-item_was’ tabled by. the regional
~ district, last ‘May for'more infor-

mation and: again last month for
clarification of the.information

posal; however, is not being
viewed favorably.

‘Another application ‘gomes -

from Kenneth Patrick Drey of

‘Stewart, who wants to build a

40-site tourist campground and

RV park 10 kilometers south of —
Orenda. The regional district —

objects. to this proposal since it

is contrary to the Hwy..37 corri- ~

dor development plan and com: .

pounds the ‘growing problem of . -

scattered,. uncontrolled develop-
_ment in the area.

Another proposal the ‘regional
district is taking a dim view of

comes from Nechako-North

Coast, who want to develop 10.5

hectares of Crown land adjacent -

to their present site for addition-
al industrial storage space and

another RV. park and campsite. —

_Adding to the concern of the

regional district is a new Buffalo

Head logging’ operation on the
west side of Meziadin Lake
which is already being developed, —
according to Nyce.

on as soot

‘Exterior and. interior paints::  - 7

Armstrong flooring ® Harding carpets - tT
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