Up inthe air

Round up_

The city’ S pursuit c of the etal
airport has a ‘councillor |
concerned\NEWS Aii

a local primary school a pat on
7 ‘the back\COMMUNITY B1

A look at the results as soccer
7 teams of alll ages wind up their
‘95, seasons\SPORTS B7.

“WEDNESDAY
~ SEPTEMBE! 27, (1995

SEA OF WEED. Forest Worker Develo
metre high firewaed on a second
tha coming of winter snows, tho:
young conifers growing undeme

pment program graduate Wayne Legg mows down twa
growth site near Humphrey Creek in the Kitimat Valley. With
se weeds would fold over under the welght, damaging the
ath. And when spring comes the shade-intolerant species will
get a start on their growing season before the Weeds close | in again. a ;

A work program works

OR THIRTY
years he tended
bar. Now
Wayne Legg
. tends tomorrow’s forests.

' Lege, Ron Haynes and
Bernie Hubbard are R & W
Contracting, a new © sil-
vicultural outfit on the local
scene that takes on pruning,
spacing and brushing and
weeding contracts for the
_ Forest Service.

The trio are also the first
graduates of the Forest Worker
. Development Program
(FWDP) to have used the skills
they have learned to form their
own company.

FWDP has been in place here

for the past three years, It ig.

designed to offer people on so-
cial assistance an opportunity
to find steady employment in
the forest sector, working ei-
ther for established companies
or forming their own,
Kalum district forest officer
’ Richard Kean explains the pro-
gram has three stages: entry,
| bridging and contracting (self-
. employment).
Although 200 “individuals

"have gone through the pro- a
gram, this is the first time any -

have successfully made: dt. fo
that final stage, | he says. 7

That, says Legg, is because -

the step to self-employment is
easier said than done,

“Unfortunately, there’s no
financial bridge available to go
from worket to employer,’’ he
points out,

Because silviculture is still
seen as a risky business, he
says financial institutions are
reluctant to lend the money
needed to start a business,

“A young person
could make a.good
career and living if
willing to put in the
time to learn.”

. And it takes more than a few

dollars to: equip even a small
contractor. Apart from the ob-
vious such as chain saws and
weed cutters, potential con-
tractors also have to shell out

- for safety gear and first ald

supplies required by Workers
Compensation Board regula-
tions and water tanks and hand

tools: to meet Forest Service .

fire prevention regulations.\."

Legg says it cost. R & W
about $25, 000° ‘to ‘pet up. and &
-, Funning.-.- a
ols the € thotght of tla o on

_ nalled down this year,

learning’ process;’’ Me polrite:
1 out, inst itke life.” m

‘that kind of debt load that

‘scares some people off. Not
unlike some of the banks, “‘the ,

average guy doesn’t want to
take that risk’? an
And there are those who
simply don’t see that silvicul-
ture is the fulure of forestry.
Legg is convinced they are
wrong. “‘A young person could
make-a good career and living

if willing to pul in the time to

learn,”

Kean agrees. Pointing out
Forest Renewal B.C. has
targetted ‘silvicultural pro-

* grams, he adds, ‘“We can find

a lot of work for them.”!

R & W started out in June .

with a pruning contract and

will return.to that type of work

once the brushing and ‘weeding

this. 7.5-.hectare : plot. in the

Kitimat Valley is completed, -

From there, it'll depend on mI
and the |

what’s available
weather,
Although ‘the contracts are.

coming, Legg docsn’t pretend ;

he and his cohoris are getting:
tich off the contracts they’ve

However, he adds, “we're

_ making wages"? and. ‘that’ IL be.
~ the ‘bottom ‘line for the. first

couple of. years, “It’s all a

THE QUIET phase of the Tsim-
Shian land claims negotiations is
about to end.

Negotiators for the Tsimshian
Tribal Council, which claims the
area from Terrace to Prince
Rupert and portions of the north
coast, have met their federal and -
provincial counterparts for the
first time,

At the same time, federal and
provincial officials also met here
with people and organizations
that could form the area's third
party advisory group for the talks.

Chief Tsimshian negotiator
Gerald Wesley said the tribal
council has spent the last year
preparing and has been declared
teady by the B.C, Treaty Com-
mission, which acts as an impar-
tial overscer of land claim talks.

ing for the federal and provincial
govemments to be. declared
ready. When that happens, the
three parties -will eStablish the
mules, procedures and- tepies for
negotiations,

fa standing the ‘steps, we have,” said
Wesley. .. .

* “One” uitkhown i area ow the’

third party advisory group — to

by the federal and provincial ne-
gotiators on specific claims issues

but won't have a seat at the main

negotiating table,

The group’s meetings will be
open to the public and could, as is
the case in other areas, be the
channel through which informa-
tion is released.

The group will carry with it
some land claims experience as
most of its members already sit
on one formed for the Nisga’a
talks.

The tribal council is now wail-

The Tsimshian want to
be as open as possible
but there will be detalls
not released.

“We have no doubt that ihe :
governments are moving’ toward _
us and are in line with under- -

be made up of local governments,
businesses, outdoor groups “and
others —~- will operate, he con-
tinued, It'll be asked for advice

CUTS IN SERVICES are likely
at Mills Memorial Hospital unless
Victoria agrees the hospital
deserves more money.

That was the message sent out
by the Terrace’ Regional Health
Care Society board last week aa
the cash crunch on the hospital
increased,

Reduced surgery and cuts to
some specialized services are
possible, forcing some patients to
travel at their own cost to Van-
couver, _ Said board halt Olga
Power, |

“At this point ‘in time I’m not
prepared to say ‘This is what
we're going to cut,”’ she said.

Mills Memorial’s budget deficit
is presently $290,000 and
projected to reach $650, 000 by
year’s end,

So far the provincial. health
ministry has refused the hospi-
_-tal’s' request for a peer review,

and has told the board to find

more places to cut.

’ The board had hoped a peer

review might result in - Victoria

agreeing the hospital provides a

regional service in the northwest,
_and increasing its budget.

If the board refuses to make

THE COST overrun on the
projected t to hit $95,000.
per. cent: ‘of the total original
budgeted cost of $1.83 million,’

‘But. because. a provincial BC
2] grant and the Kitimal-Stikine

cost was to be $262,000, with the

» borrowed and: repaid : over! 20

Wesley s said the "Tsimshian w want
to be’ as. open as. possible: but
noted. there will be, details «not
released.

“We. amay not be able to share

everything i in the coniext that any.
government has issues to be pro-
tected until finality,’* he added.
Also important to the Tsimshian.
is determining how- the: advisory -

oom

mmitiee will’ work given that

the federal and provincial govern-

ment want the same group to give |

advice on the Haisla claim.»
Equally important: to the’ Tsim-

shian is fi ixing its boundaries with

library expansion project is now |

~ That ‘figure is still only. five .

a Regional District's, ‘share ofthe ~:
» project, cosls are : ‘fixed, Terrace...
taxpayers ore paying a dispropor-

" tionate sharé of the overrtin::. <.-

"The ‘city’s ‘original up-front --

~,, balance. of $1.212 million to:be

Olga Power °

cuts it could face being fired and
replaced by appointees from Vic-
toria.

Power said eliminating — the

deficit at this point in the. year is
unlikely.

~ “It doesn’t look’ like we're
going to have a ‘balanced: budget
at all,’” Power sald, “We know.
that’s not good. business’ as -a
board. But at this point in time,
that’s our position,”’ J

‘Power is calling for widespread

identifies: as library expansion
overrun.doesn't include all the
extra costs of the project.

~The city also paid $25,000 -
~ this year for shelving that it ini-

‘tlally chopped from the: plans i in

; an effort to cut costs: a
Another $13; 000. was ‘taken ©
out of surplus this year to pay for -
a the front counter area... =":
And then diére’s $11, 0 paid a
to: ‘repair ‘the Lowér, Little Park !
-itrigation system and re-landscape.
the library. prounds. That: money.
was: charged. ‘to the. parks and.
i dg

neighbouring native groups in-
cluding the Haisla to the south
and the Nisga’a to the north.

It’s standard policy of the feder-
al and provincial governments not
to conclude - negotiations “until
boundaries are settled. .

‘We look at this as very ‘Tuck
an internal _Process,”’ said Wes:
ley,

Northwest native groups set up.
an agreement‘in 1991 on how to
define boundaries and the Tsim-:
shian and the Nisga’ a have met
several times, > - oe

Meanwhile; “a! ‘provincial
aboriginal affairs official says lo-
cal residents can “look forward:
soon to the. first in a series of:
meetings ‘to explain the ins. and
outs of the Tsimshian claim talks.

Shelagh’ Stanley said ‘a dite:
hasn't been set but anticipates the

first meeting will be held before’

the end of October,

She made the-comment: follow-
ing 2 first meeting, held 'Sept.14
at Kitamaat Village, - ‘to. exphia,
the Haisla claim talks.

At the same time, provincial of
ficials are considering opening ‘a
land claims. information office in’
Terrace. That's been a long stand-
ing: request, . started.- whe, sthe
Nisgi’ 'a talks began. a

* But. provincial. officials:..now
warn that government budgets
getting. ‘tight and that’ they’ ma

é

wantta do.

not be able'to’ afford all. that they’ a

Mills cash crunch tightens.

st “community Support ‘to-dack the

hospital up>:, in: its fight, ‘for
regional hospital. status. — :
Mills:.. Memorial: "Hospital's
budget : has been: frozen for the
last four years;-and the number of

- beds has. been chopped from 89 to

52 during that ume, .-

Despite. that, ‘the. itumber ‘of .

specialists based’ in Terrace. has
growa to the point that the city is>
the envy of the northwest,

Mills’ Memorial points to stats
that show many of ' its’ patients:
come here from: around the north-

west

Mills’ regional hospital argument,
and instead says the ‘hospital Is
overfunded for the population of
Terrace proper...

Local health. officials. fear. an
“exodus of the. ‘specialists | who

have come here if. the province —

refuses to. acknowledge. Mills’
regional service, and. further, ‘cuts
are imposed.

Weve | "been cost-efficient in

‘the past and we are continuing to

be : cost-efficient,” Power’ said,
“But we! can’t continue, to: work
‘with a Zero “increase ‘under the
present situation, ”

Overrun hits $95, 000

added, city taxpayers have had to
kick in an extra $144,000. this
year for the library expansion. .
| fo: That's up’ 54 percent over the
“ drighnal $262,000 they, Were sup-
* posed to pay up.front.. oo |
jos “What could have bedn areal
fiscal. disaster éaine: out not too
“bad lin. the: end,” ‘city. finance
i. chaimnan David Hull said,
the city. got-a ‘smaller than
expected i Zovernment. grant, lead-

‘ping the basement meeting room
avid alr edition pan
Sos The'elly | theri he to fir the

Victoria has refused to listen to

ng {'to make cits, such'as'chop- -