| Shriner bus

“THE SHRINERS of B.C.
“and Yukon are coming soon
.to the northwest with a spe-
;cialized bus service.

: Just when ‘exactly de-
_tpends on whether a deal can
*be struck with the Northern
‘Health Authority to pay for

-a new bus, says a Shriners .

: spokesman.

> “We're looking for a fall
“jstart,” said Jim Harrison,
srecording officer for B.C.-
+ Yukon Shrine head office in
‘Burnaby.

* Shriners representatives
>met., with ,health authorities
» Thursday, April 21 -to dis-

> CUSS buying a new bus that
scosts an estimated $500,

“000.

‘The B.C.-Yukon division
;now operates | five. buses,
‘dubbed care cruisers, in the
‘province. .

» The cruisers ‘look like

‘normal passenger buses on
‘the outside, but are outfit-

ited on the inside.for up to 20

*people at a time.
> Operating seven days-a-
‘week, the buses pick up sick
:children and their escorts for

*trips to Children’s and Sunny

:Hill hospitals in Vancouver. -

>. The. cruisers’ will also
‘take . children that go to
“Shrine hospitals in Portland,
_ Oregon and to Spokane in
: Washington state. —

With expenses last year
‘of about $1 million, the self-
‘financed group is looking

- for help to expand its service

eads this way

CHILDREN NEEDING specialized care in Shrine hospitals may have problems travelling to them. That’s why the
- organization now provides custom-made buses containing comfortable seating. One of those buses will soon
be making trips to the northwest. That’s former Terrace resident Jake Terpstra, on.the left, who is the Shriners’

assistant director of transportation and Potentate Illustrious Sir Danny Dyke.

BERT HUSBAND PHOTO _

to the northwest.
Currently, the care cruis-

ers go as far north as Prince.

George.

The hope of the Shriners
is to have a bus permanently
stationed: in Prince George °
‘that would do pickups all the .

way to Prince Rupert.

’ Harrison said the Shriners » in B.C, benefitted from the ;

are also aiming to have a bus

serve the northeast Peace re-

gion of the province, .”
The: transportation of
children needing specialized

treatment is provided free of .

charge.
Last year, 700 children

service that also flies pa-
tient kids to Shrine hospitals
in Washington and Oregon
states.

’ Long a fixture of commu-
nity service in the northwest,

‘the Shrine. organization is

best known for its clowns

which make regular appear-
ances at community events..

The Shrine clown tradi-

tion is so entrenched that.

there’ are regular annual

gatherings of the clowns
and competitions. Shriners
recently gathered for a con-
vention in Kitimat.

School board chair slams government

“DON’T COUNT ON
=Mointains school district chair to
~vote Liberal on May 17.
= “I guess I’m not mincing words,”
Lorrie Gowen said-last week. “I’m
_ getting political because the school

2 district has been hit by: this govern-
. ~ment for four years.”
‘Gowen has. taken aim at a recent

“education ministry release in a let-

“ter to the editor, which appears on
~Page AS of this newspaper, and has
~compared it with other government
~actions.

- The ministry announced April 13
=the approval of a three-year capital

a es |

ee ed

the Coast:

plan that Gowen says will leave the’

local school district with no new |
capital monies for the next three-

years. “
That punishes ‘students in the re-

gion, she says, adding that the plac-

es of learning are old and running
down.

Gowen’s stand follows that. of
another school trustee, Peter King,

’ from Kitimat,’ who has also ‘been.

critical of the province.

Gowen, who ran her letter by the
rest of the board before sending it,
says other trustees share her views.

“I think, our board is s probably

leaning toward one side,” she said.

“If we'd been treated fairly by the
current government, I don’t think

we would’ve been politically moti-

vated.” 7
The four-year record should speak .

for itself when it comes to education
-financing, Gowen said.

“Its an important time for people
to remember education and the com-
munity has suffered,” she said in ref-
erence to the impending vote.

“We've seen five schools close,
one school not open, we've gone to

the, four-day week and we’re not re-

ceiving any money for maintenance.”

Gowen denied trustees have de-

cided to vote as a block for or against ~

_ one party.

«She also said opinions differ be-
tween different districts with the BC

° Liberals’ performance in education.

~The Lower: Mainland, for in-
stance, has not been as hard hit be-
"cause population isn’t declining,
Gowen said.

While she says the district here
isn’t getting. enough money, areas
with growing populations are get-
ting new schools, renovations on ex-

isting schools, new, wings and fewer .

teacher layoffs.

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - A3

News In Brief

Pot charges expected
LISIMS NASS VALLEY RCMP seized over 40 grams
of what they say is loose marijuana when they stopped |
a Kincolith motorist on April:3.

Acting on information, police pulled over a 26- -year-
old woman driving northbound from Terrace on the

yansh, and found the substance.
Police plan to forward one charge of possession of
“a controlled substance for the purpose of ‘trafficking to
federal Crown counsel. ;

6

~ Politicos. gather. here me

HUNDREDS. OF northem municipal politicians, ad-
ministrators and others are coming to Terrace next
month for the annual Northern Central. Municipalities
- Convention. ”

‘Hotels and motels. are booked to handle the influx
between May 4 and 7.

Those assembled: will discuss issues of common
concern to northern municiapalities, concentrating on
‘municipal services, economic.development, ‘transporta- °
tion connections and other items.

The chair of this year’s event is. city councillor .
Marylin Davies. Volunteers are meeting this Friday to"
assemble delegate information packages. ,

Also meeting in Terrace on May 5 is the Northern -
Medical Trust, the regional. body, raising money to sup-
port medical and nursing student expenses...

. It wants to assemble $6 million and use the- interest. .
for bursaries and other financial aid. Davies i is also chair.
of this body. a

- Wood group forms:

THE EFFORT: to ‘expand : and solidify the region’s small.
wood user industry continues tomorrow with an inau-
gural meeting of the Kalum Sawmilling Association. -
It'll build on a recent report suggesting growth of
small sawmills and wood processing facilities is pos-
- sible i in.the area through more co-operative ventures.
‘ At the same time, the, Terrace Economic Develop- -

Nisga’a Hwy, about five kilometres south of New Ai |

ment ‘Authority wants to commission a study to evalii-
ate the northwest’s available wood resources. .

_ ,Tomorrow’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the meeting |
room.of the Terrace Public Library.

Gill net fisher fined

A MAN received a: hefty fine in Terrace provitcial
court for retaining prohibited fish while fishing i in the’
Douglas Channel'near Kitimat last year. oe

George Green was fined $5,000 and ordered to for. :
-feit all salmon for failing to comply. with the terms: and:
conditions of a commercial fishing’ licence. and. for
taining prohibited species.

On August 17, 2004, fishery officers boarded the
Brittany Bay CFV 29912 during a vessel inspection.
They found 87 fresh and frozen coho salmon on the
boat despite a prohibition on coho retention.

Stop , in and see e our great S pring stock and.

during ¢ OUr anniversary

4525 Keit 3 Avenue, Terrace * 7 .

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