Page AG — Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 7.1991 -

| “TOTHE TERRACE STANDARD |

Dear Sir:

- As we head into the initial
Stage of. the Major Project
Review Process (MPRP) on

: Orenda Forest Products’ ap-

: plication to-build a pulp and
paper mill at Lakelse Lake, it
might prove useful -to-have a
few-facts on the.table..

Unfortunately, the process
offers little hope.of a full air-
ing -of-.the merits . and

demerits of the proposal.

\ ‘A-similar proposal for an

identical mill near Meziadin
was rejected by the -Major
Project Steering Committee
— the select group of Vic-
toria bureaucrats.empowered
to make decisions on MPRP
proposals. At least we think
they rejected it.
- Decisions of the steering
committee are (under MPRP
guidelines) supposed to be
made public along with the
reports submitted. by the
various provincial govern-
ment agencies under whose
‘jurisdiction the project will
operate.

But in the case of the
Meziadin proposal neither
the decision nor the agency
reports have been published,
though Orenda has been ad-
vised that the project as pro-
posed for Meziadin was not
acceptable. The public does
not know what deficiencies
were detected in the
Meziadin proposal that
might be duplicated in the
Lakelse prospectus.

And unless the complete
documentation on Meziadin
is published, the only public
source or information on the
new mill will remain the
Company’s prospectus —
hardly what you could call an
‘independent | and -
source of hard facts.”

The notion that Orenda’s
new process involves stuffing
a few logs in the front door
of its mili and extracting
quality paper and about $193
million in local benefits out
the back door is a fairy tale
simply too good to be true.

If it were true,’ there’d be
Orenda-style mills popping
up liké: mushrooms all over
the province. Vancouver
would have one on every se-
cond street corner.. And Ter-
race and Kitimat would as
usual be well down on the
waiting list. —

There are bound to be
costs as well as benefits from
such a major project:
Wishful thinking won’! aller
that fact; neither will willful
ignorance. Orenda claims its
new mill will be odourless,

silent and invisible; so were
the Emperor’s new clothes.
The public interest will be

_ from As
Review
wanted

Mn suggest, however, as
‘How has .done, that
Orenda ‘Forest Products
Limited is attempting to cir-
cumvent:this public pracess
by holding independent
open-house events or
meeting with: members of
Terrace city. council is
misleading and unfair,
Frank Foster,
’ Vice President,
- Orenda Forest .
—

unbiased (

| CORRECTION

4 this week's ¢° ‘Unbeatable Values’ Flyer
the following efrors have occurred:

» The ‘Portafile’ Box illustrated on page 2
is shown In fuchsla. This colour is not
available, it (s available in red, blue &
hack as advertised. : i

® On paga.4 the itustrations of the Men's
Work Shirts & Panis at §14.97 (0) and
the Men's Coveralls at $16.87 (A) have
been transposed. (A) should be the Work

should be tho Coveratis at $14. D7...

Pants .& Shirts:at’ $16.97, aach-and (0)

“poorly " safeguarded if we

‘blindly accept public rela-

“tions fairy tales as facts,
The MPRP — which is

“Supposed to provide “‘an op- .
“portunity for public involve-
““Iment-in identifying and ad-
: ‘dressing - ‘community con-
‘Seerns about major projects’’
A does. nothing to. redress
“this problem.

The information submit-
.ted .for public discussion
‘under MPRP auspices (the
- prospectus, for, example), is
‘produced by the company

a

ill review found lacking

seeking “approval. The
publie’s writien submissions
to the steering committee
(along with the reports and
comments of the various

government agencies involv-.

ed) are only published by the’
MPRP after. Victoria's ‘deci-..
sion: ‘on “ the’. ‘project has"

~ already been. ‘made. -
As there is apparently no -

appeal of an MPRP decision, °

getting the facts: ‘‘after the, -

fact’? would appear to be a
litele too late.
The only prospect for a

ae _ TERRACE FURNITURE MART | wee
THURSDAY, ‘AUGUST 8, 1991

2:00 p.

i ‘Summer Sale y
| CONTINUES...

fair and balanced assessment ~":}-
of all the costs and benefits.
“of Orenda’s proposal. would |
appear. to be’ a. full ‘publi¢.
hearing, . with _ information
from credible “independent: '
authorities. being: ‘Subjected: to a
~ public scrutiny. before: ey
~o sion ts mader). 7:
As" ipresently.. organized; .
the.. Major’ Project: Review.’ ~
_ Process: is“an impediment Hie
- “public: involvement”? ..
protecting thepublic interest, : .
“Mary De Leeuw. ;
«Terrace, B. Cc."

| 46200
Lakelse Ave..

635-4550

m. until ¢ 8: 00 ) pt m.

No Cake! No Candles to Blow- out!

JUST

BLOW-OUT PRICES

You Cut Your Own Deal |

ITHAT’S RIGHT!

Pick your own sofa set,
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electronics, kitchen suite
& much more. Look |
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