Hey you. You’re fired You want results? Massive Prince George rally and NDP\NEWS A12 cranks up the heat against Clark year’s Skeena Valley Fall Fair\COMMUNITY B1 Check out the winners of this Chainsaw heaven Sure it rained but the loggers carried on regardless and we have the winners \SPORTS | B4 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16,1998 Market, ci By JEFF NAGEL FARMERS’ MARKET organizers agreed Friday to con- sider four downtown sites the city is proposing for the market’s permanent new home. But while market reps agreed to mayor Jack Talstra’s pleas to enter into the discussions with an open mind, they also said they can’t imagine finding a better site than the one they now have. While talks are to continue, no dates are set and the two Sides agreed they're basically deadlocked. “We feel that we are in the ideal spot,’’ market president Lynne Christiansen said. City officials say the Davis Ave. lot is worth nearly $200,000, is prime land, and for long-tenm planning pur- poses makes more sense earmarked for future retail com- mercial development than having it used only once or twice a week by the market. Talstra said the market was allowed to set up on the city- owned land in 1989 on the understanding it was temporary ‘and they could be moved with sufficient notice, The four options city staff outlined are: ’ i The south end of Kalum St. that’s being redeveloped next to the Best Western Terrace inn, Mi The 4600-block of Lakelse Ave. downtown, Mi The Emerson Ave, parking lot adjacent to Lower Little Park. Now used for parking by marketgoers. Wi And Ottawa St between Safeway and 7-Eleven. In each of those cases, the street would be blocked off during market times. Under no circumstances are locations outside of downtown or out on the highway being considered, city economic development officer Ken Veldman said. If no altcrnative site proves feasible, Talstra gaid, the city would reconsider making the current site permanent, “The city wants to invest in the market,’ Veldman stressed. ‘‘We believe in the market. We think it’s one of the crown jewels in this town and we want to invest in it.”’ Veldman said the city vision for a future market site is one that would be very attractive and act as a civic centrepiece for the downtown. Besides spending money on services, lighting, plants and trees, he said, architecture might be explored. An example might be an archway or gateway at the entrance to the market area. If a goad site is located, Talstea added, it may be easier to develop now than three or four years down the road, Agreement to continue talking came after several heated exchanges. At one point councillor David Hull condemned Chris- tiansen for what he called a campaign of “‘fearmongering”” and “misinformation,” “You’ve been very irresponsible, ” Hull told her, “We've tried and tried. And you've gone behind our backs,”’ Huli’s outburst led to demands for his apology from market supporter Yvonne Moen. “T probably should have cut him off, but he talks too fast,”’ Talstra. responded. Christiansen then accused councillor Rich McDaniel of telling people the market did ‘‘beans all” for the com- munity. ’ McDaniel initially denied that, which led to Moen saying he'd said it to her. “T said it’s a valuable property that is not contributing any tax dollars to the community,’” McDaniel said. Cont'd Page A8 93¢ PLUS 7¢ GST VOL. 11 NO. 23. ty ciash over location David Hull By JEFF NAGEL ; LAW-ABIDING gun owners are head- ing underground. Large numbers of gun owners in the northwest plan to defy new federal legisla- tion forcing them to eventually register all their firearms. Some don’t plan to change their routine — ‘and say they expect to be made criminals by the - new rules being enacted under Bill C-68. « Others pin their hopes on an election defeat of the Liberal government or a complete political retreat in the coming monihs. - And still others are making elaborate plans and preparations to couceal their weapons from ‘the authorities in sectet rooms of underground "bunkers. - The push to begin the registration process be- gins October Ist when gun stores are supposed to register all weapons for sale. From that moment on, any firearm purchased from a retail ouilet will be registered and the registration on that gun will extend to each sub- -Sequent private buyer, HUNTER and gun 1 safety instructor Gil Payne says s registration of his singte-shot Remington hunting rifle and the other million rifles Gun owners to defy rules Registration starts Oct. 1 and will drive law-abiding shooters underground More on gun control: g@ Registration could bring security, AS Store owners bracing for change, A5 gi Net sites show how to bury guns, A5 People who already own guns won’t have to register them right away. They can wait as long as Dec, 31, 2002, But come 2003, it will be the law that all guns must be registered. Possession of an un- registered gun will then be a criminal offence. “This is the first time in our nation’s history you can become a criminal by doing nothing,” says Skeena MP Mike Scott. That more than anything else is what rankles legitimate gun owners who see themselves as persecuted and tured into potential criminals, while the real bad guys roam the strecis. “'There’s nothing more ludicrous than the idea of your local hoods and thugs lining up down at the RCMP detachment to register their guns,” Scott says. ‘‘It’s not cven in the realm of ra- tional.”’ and shotguns i in B.C, slated to start Oct. 1 will be = tremendously expensive and will do nothing to stop criminal use of firearms. Many people see the increased gun restric- tions contained in Bill C-68 as leading to eventual confiscation —- to them the logical end to years of iatensifying regulation. Ata minimum it’s seen as yet another govern- ment fee grab or tax grab, with owners forced to pay money everylime a gun legally changes hands. “It’s a tax grab in my estimation,’’ says Gil Payne, a local gun owner, firearm safety in- structor and local rep for the B.C. Wildlife Fed- eration. “It’s not going to prevent any crime,” he says. “It’s not going to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms. They’re after the legal gun owner to get money.”’ The rules aren’t a major change for handgun owners. Those weapons have been subject to registration and strict storage and and trans- portation regulations for years. The real effect is on owners of the much more common long guns — rifles and shotguns. Owners of those guns include target shooters, hunters, collectors and people in remote rural Continued Page A2 Bears suffer from ministry budget cuts ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY budget cuts are adding to the number of beats being killed in the area this summer, Say conservation officers. In previous years conservation officers could evaluate the chances of successfully relocating a bear back into the bush by considering the animal’s age, health and contact ‘with people. But that’s not possible this year because there is no money to pay for conservation officers’ time, transportion or for helicopters if they are needed. “The relocation: of bears is affected by the budget,’’ said Adrian Juch last week, in adding that field officers here were directed not to relocate any bears this year. “Even good candidates will be destroyed this year,’’ Juch said. And in the last 10 years, 54 bears from Terrace were relocated while 136 bears were destroyed. The cost of relocating black bears is about $400 to $500 per bear, said Smithers-based regional enforcement officer Wayne Campbell. Based on the average over the past 10 years, the environment ministry spent about $3,000 a year . on bear relocations, The cost includes flying or driving bears up to remote locations, paying field officers for their transportation, trap setting and monitoring time. complaints so far. Tt takes three to four Forty-six have days for the tranquilizerto peen killed by con- set and wear off and then = gapyazion officers, time there’s the time to make sure the bear wakes RCMP and Terrace residents, up and is fine before of- ficers leave, said Juch. And he said Terrace relocations are traditional- ly ineffective because of its valley location. "Bears are funneled back because they travel along val- leys,”’ he said. Terrace officers received 238 bear complaints so far. Forty-six bears were killed by conservation officers, RCMP and Terrace residents. But more than half of the annual bear complaints arrive in September and October. Aad while complaints here are average, bear sightings in Smithers and Dawson Creck are growing. Sa much so that Nancy Bircher, the Director of Wildlife at the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, distrib- uted an urgent plea to reduce bear conflicts on Sept. 9. “The majority of bears are killed by irresponsible people,’’ said Campbell. Bircher then urged people to be extremely carcful. Some of the safety tips she asked northern residenls to follow were to secure their garbage inside until garbage day, keep pet food inside, and wash barbecue grills carefully after each use. Terrace officers recelved 238 bear Assembly to test Nisga’a treaty deal ‘THE FIRST major test of whether the Nisga’a people will accept the treaty ‘their leaders have Negotiated comes next month. - A special assembly takes place Oct. 5- 9 in Greenville (Lakalzap), where those present will vote on whether to send the treaty toareferendum. - : “Because we can’t predict a yes vote, the referendum is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 6-7," said Eva Clayton, CO chair of the Nisga’a ratification com- mittee. It’s expected the deal will advance to a referendum, but if the question is re- jected by a relatively close margin, ihere’s provision for a second special as- sembly to be held for a sccond attempt to send it to referendum, Clayton said. Assuming the treaty does pass the spe- cial assembly and makes it to a referendum, it’s in for an even bigger “To be ratified by the Nisga’a, 50 per cent plus one of ali Nisga'a eligible to vote — aot just those who cast ballots. In order to vote, Nisga’a people must be 18 years or older, Canadian residents atd not enrolled in any other land claim, Clayton said, October's special assembly will also see those present vote oti approval of the final text of the Nisga’a constitution. an Meanwhile the process of finding eligible Nisga’a people continues. “We've had one inquiry from a Nisga’a individual in Florida contacting us to get a package,”’ Clayton said. And she said people registering in the urban . locals are often picking up. - registration packages for relatives living elsewhere. A second round of community mect- ings to explain the treaty to Nisga'a people began last week with a three-day session in Kincolith. Those consultations are moving to each village and urban local. A session in Terrace is scheduled for Sept. 23-25, Clayton said questions about the treaty often focus on the climination of tax ex- emptions. ‘People are interested in how that’s going to work and how It’s going to af- fect them,’’ she said.