Nayar 3s

Turning down a rezoning bid may
not be the best for greenbelt
preservation/NEWS A10

ak,

nga pound

Local aI lawyer being sent to
observe historic step toward
democracy/COMMUNITY B1

Winter winners

Lugers take slippery slope to tri-
colour medal haul at B.C. Winter
Games/SPORTS C1

_ WEDNESDAY -
“MARCH 23,1994

City closes

DISCOVERY DAYCARE has
been closed down by the cily.

Cily officials visited the Hamer
Ave. facility Friday afternoon in
tesponse {to complaints from
neighbours.

Finding 11 children there, three
more than is allowed under the
zoning by-law, they handed oper-
ator Mickey Bromley a letter ad-
vising him his business licence

was suspended effective 6 p.m,
thal evening,

Bromley was also warned that
if he ignored the suspension, he
would be liable to fines of $200
for cach day he operated illegally.

Cily administralor Bob Hallsor
pointed out Bromley had been
formally warned a week earlier
(hat if he continued to ignore the
by-law, this action would be

taken.

The closure is the latest in a
series of events which began
when Mickey and Sharon Brom-
ley constructed a new home and
daycare centre on Hamer.

They then asked for a rezoning
to allow them to take care of up
to 20 children at any one time.

Last month council rejected a
proposal to increase lo 20° the

a Stagecraft

GAGGED AND BOUND: An orphan named Treat (Jchn McGowan) checks the trusses on
gangster Harold (Alan Weston) in Terrace Little Theatre's latest performance Orphans. The
gritty, gut-wrenching drama comes to audiences at the McColl Playhouse on Kalum St. Thurs-
day, Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $10 on sale at Carter's Jewellers,

Blockaders want res

THE GROUP that blockaded a
logging company in the Nass
Valley says it has agreed not to
do it again.

Brad Tail of the Gitiakdamix
Land Preservation Organization
said it reached the agreement
after a March 18 meeting with the

Gillakdamix (New Alyansit) band ;

council.

Forest Producis,.
owned by: the =:

tion 10 days ago,
The blockade was lifted March
15 ‘after mectings. between the

_ New Alyansh and Gitwinksihlkw

band councils. -
That injunction named the New
Ajyansh ‘band .council but Tait

.. Sald the blockade was ihe work of
those belonging to. the preserva.
, tion organization. ©

The blockade of ‘sim. ‘Gan oe
a. company _
village © of:
Gitwinksihikw, lead to the grant:
ing of a Supreme Court Injunc-

“What we have’ now. agreed. to
do ‘is awareness situations. We

> want the. companies and the log. -
Fe Org, lo know | we are there,”” said -
~ Tait. po ae

But Talt did warn that things
could change if loggers and log-
ging companics don’t respect tra-
ditional uses of the land.

“Things can happen quickly. if
they don’t recognize: and respect
the peoplc,”’ he said.

“The RCMP were ready to ar-

rest all of us. and we were

prepared lo go to jail,”’ sald Tait .
of the blockade which ended
March 15,
“Tait ~ added ~ that

‘te New:
Alyansh council asked (he orgatil-.
zation to lift the: blockade and it.

number of children allowed in
daycares in R1 zones.

It meant the current by-lay
restricting a daycare to having
eight children at any one time
was still in effect.

Hallsor said Bromley has 30
days in which to lodge a written
appeal of the suspension.

Council must hear the appeal
within 30 days of receipt of that

ANDARD

Discovery daycare

request.

However, Hailsor noted, the
Suspension remains in effect
throughout that period.

Asked why this action was
taken when it appeared the major-
ity of council at its March 14
mecting felt Bromley should be
given until March 31 to comply
with the by-law, he replied, “I
don’t go on the feelings of coun-

75¢ PLUS 5¢ GST...

cil, I go on resolutions, from

council,’’

Permits direccor Bob ‘Lafleur
said he had fielded a ‘Steady
Stream of complaints from resi-
dents,

A member of council had also
contacted him secking
“assurances of action,’ - bul

Cont’d Page A2

Library grant no go,
but project still alive

THE LIBRARY expansion pro-
ject will go-ahead this year, says
mayor Jack Talstra.

But just what form it will take
is anyone’s guess at the moment.

Talsira and library board
chairman Dan Gilgan called a
press conference Friday to an-
nounce the province will not. be
providing money for the project.

The city had applied for a
$583,000 grant under the BC 21

‘program, almost one third of the

estimated total cost.

Talstra said it was told March
16 the application had been re-
jected because BC 21 “lacked
available funding’.

However, he would be trying to
get that decision overturned dur-
ing a three-day trip to Victoria
slaicd to begin yesterday.

Talsira said he would seek
meetings with the four members
of the BC 21 grant committee and
Bill Barlee, minister responsible
for the grants program.

While persuading them to
reverse the decision would be
“very tough sledding’’, he would
also suggest alternatives.

Those included approval of a
partial grant or agreement the city
could resubmit for consideration

Sewer

By JEFF NAGEL

THE GOOD NEWS is that
Thornhill-area residents have
piven the green light to plans to
soup up the Queensway sewer
system (to allow future expansion
to the rest of Thornhill.

The bad news is the bids for the
whole project have come in
marginally over-budget.

The latest setback means
regional district officials will
have lo spend some time dissect-
ing the bids and locking for recom
10 trim costs.

The bids ranged from $2.0 mil-
lion to $2.4 million to carry out
construclion of an oversized
Queensway sewer line and en-
larged treatment plant that can
handle additional hook-up to the

pect for

did so out of respect.

“It was hard. Some did not
want to do it. Yet there were
people out there who found them-
selves, They found their grassroot

and don't want their culture to-

* disappear,” Tait continued.
He said the land preservation
organization has no ties with the

New Aijyansh band council or the -

Nisga’a Tribal Council. -

‘"These are usually quiet people
in the - “community, They don’t
speak-much, They are the doers,
_, They just go out and do it,”’ said

while it got on with the project.

Whatever the outcome of that
lobbying effort, Talstra said a
start would be made on the pro-
ject this year ‘in some fashion’.

Architect Alan Soutar was now
working with successful contract
bidder Wayne Watson on several
opilons, including dropping plans
to extend the basement.

Talstra said costs of these vari-
ous options were expected to be
ready some time this week.

He anticipated ihe results of his
Victoria” meetings and the cost
estimates would be considered
next Monday, likely at a com-
mittee of the whole following the
council meeting. ,

He also suggested that discus-
sion might be in camera.

Doubting a final decision would
be made then, Talsira pointed out
council would also have to talk
with both the library board and
regional district directors. for
Thornhill and Lakelse Lake.

Asked if that meant a decision
could be as much as six weeks
away yet, he replied it might.

He alsv conceded that delay
might create difficulties as far as
Watson being able io hold his
price.

Watson's original bid was made
Sept. 28 last year and was good
for 60 days. He has subsequently
twice agreed to exlensions,

The cost was also renegotiated
by removing some features of the
expansion, the revised price now

being $1.75 million.

Without provincial — grant

money, the city has approximate- .

ly $1.4 million available.

In June 1992 city and Kilimat-
- Stikine regional district residents ~ .
voted 76 per cent in -favour. of |

borrowing. up to $1. 235 - million
for the expansion.

And at a Jan. 11, 1994 with
tepional district representatives, it
was agreed the city, regional dis-
trict and library would between
them come up with an additional
$150,000.

Talsira confirmed Friday that
deal still stood as.far as the city
‘was concerned, :

However, referendum costs and
professional fees have already
eaten up close to $300,000 of that
money.

The library board has on several -

occasions made it clear it is
prepared to drop (he basement ex-
pansion if thal’s what it takes to
make the project affordable.

bids need trim

Thornhill commercial core. Also
included is the cost of laying an
extra 12-inch pipe in’ the same
ditch that will someday service
much of Thornhill.

Voters approved the spending
of up to $2.0 million on “the
Queensway-Churchill Drive
sewer in last year’s referendum.

Regional district directors have
passed addilional bylaws author-
izing them to spend an additional

~ $450,000 to lay an extra 12-inch
line to someday expand to tho rest
of Thornhill, and to make the en-
largements to allow expansion to
the Thornhill commercial core.

But the bids don’t include other
cosis that have to be added in —
for engineering, administration,
permits, and fast year’s

native way

Tait. °

He described the arganization
as one which takes a stand on be-
half of hereditary chiefs: who are
too elderly to man blockades.

Those in’ the organization feel
logging companies: and loggers
don’t respect. thé. Nisga’a or
Nisga’a laws, continued Tait,

““They never: did ‘ask. for

. permission from those. who have

traplines on the iand they want to
log,’? he said.

When: asked why the organiza-

tion blocksded: a logging compa-

referendum.

“*There’s been a whole exercise
from the start of this project to
now that’s cost a lot of money,”
says regional district administra-
tor Bob Marcellin.

“It looks really, really tight,”
he added. ‘‘We’re golng to look
for some savings. But until we go
through thal process. we don’t
really know where we stand.”’

Low: bidder was Rossco- ‘Ven-
tures.

The contract probebly won't bo
awarded - until sometime” “next
month.

Only 17 people signed - a
counter petition opposing the plan

‘to add the 12-inch line:for:fulure
expansion. About 100. opposed a!

were required tc to block. t
ject... eee

ny owned. ty. a Nisga’a: village,
Tait said Sim Gan!s partner ac-

tually manages logging activities,

And. he said. the organization
wanis logging companies. to do
more to hire Nisga’a..._..,

“We hear them: on. the. radlo
making fun of Nisga'a, They say
Nisga’a:are too lazy, .a bunch of
drunks and that they can 't handle
it out there,’’ said Tait,’ -

“They say.some of the ‘equip-

_ment they use {8 too high tech for -
_Nisga'a. ‘That's: a pile of: gib-
berish,” he bald: aes

VOL.6NO.49