TENACIOUS STEWART»
KEEPS HANGING ON _

Province commissions consultant
to draft rescue plan

Living under the threat of becoming the next
ghost town in the province is nothing new for
Stewart residents. They’ve done it through years of
boom and bust mining activity, and they continue to
survive, if not thrive. But once again the threat of a
slow death looms over the community. And this time,
both barrels are loaded.

The Cassiar asbestos mine has closed, taking
with it about 32
transportation
sector jobs in
Stewart. And
‘Westmin Mines is
sticking to a fall
1992 closure pre-
diction, although
there is some hope
the company’s gold
mill may continue
to operate by con-
tract processing of

ore from small - cont
mines in the Val George: very
region. preliminary.

Still, a bright
light of optimism shines over the community. The
forest industry helps, says Stewart mayor Darlene
Cornell. The forest industry provides somewhere
between 300 and 400 jobs in Stewart, making it the
biggest single employer in the area. But even with
the forest industry, she adds, there is a nagging fear.

Buffalo Head and Orenda have timber licences in
the Meziadin area and are the two primary
employers. The timber they cut, however, doesn't

8 Terrace Review — February 28, 1992

offer anything more than employment in falling and
hauling. This is because the timber isn’t precessed
there. It simply passes through the port of Stewart
and provides processing jobs overseas or down the
coast.

Still, there is optimism. The Ministry of Eco-
nomic Development, Small Business and Trade has
had a facilitator in the community since last October.
According to ministry liaison officer Harold Demet-
zer, facilitator Peter Walton was sent to Stewart last
October when Westmin first announced the ultimate
demise of the mine. His job, explains Demetzer, is to
assist the community in seeking out alternate eco-
nomic development opportunities.

It’s a tough job in Stewart. They have lobbied for
things like sawmills and pulp mills for years, and
even believed the proposed Orenda pulp mill would
locate near their community at one point. They have
achieved nothing.

And the search for alternatives became even
more difficult a few weeks ago when the Cassiar
mine closure became a reality. Cassiar residents
received a lot of attention from the province, but not
the residents of Stewart. At least that wasn’t their
perception.

After a few attention-getting remarks that
changed. A federal/provincial Industrial Adjustment
Program is now in place in Stewart. This program
doesn’t offer great promise, of course, but at least a
renewed glimmer of hope.

Still, as Ministry of Advanced Education human
resource consultant Dr. Val George explains, every-
thing is in a very preliminary stage at the moment.
His first visit to Stewart took place last week. And at