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