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VICTURIA C CAN

TERRACE — Mills Memorial
Hospital will have a small
deficit when its financial year
end§March 31 and the news

“-isn’t,-encouraging after that,
--$ays a spokesman.

‘Michael Leisinger of the Ter-
ce Regional Health Care

: - Society; the. parent body of the
o hospital is predicting ' & $50,000
-. deficit! Gnd

next. year's. budget” might not

meet paaation

to three per cent next year,’” he
said,
“In real dollars, we're look-

Although the projected
$50,000.. deficit is small-com-
pared to the hospital’s $9

million budget, Leisinger said.
‘an operation can’t run. ‘on

deficits forever. FE
The hospital began late ast
year ¢o trim costs to make ‘the

deficit as small as possible.

. employment
- counsellor,

"That lead to the fay off of the”

: hospital’s only occupational
therapist and a reduction by 10
ing at not getting any more, ‘in
1991-92 than we. did ‘in’
. 1990-91,’? Leisinger added,

‘per ‘cent of the hours of the:
hospital’s social worker: -
assistance

‘In those deep dark. days ‘of

. December we were looking at a

$250,000 deficit, but we started
doing things such. as making

sure that every purchase was

essential, There’s been’ quite an
improvement,” said Leisinger.
: He acknowledged ; Fhat® ‘the.

ve

A ED OE eal

‘Loss ‘of: the occupational
‘therapist did affect the kind of
service the hospital can provide.

“Our view is that all the ser-
‘vices we provide -will benefit
people. Reducing a service is
Hat done with any amount of
“glee,” Leisinger said. °

‘He said the rehabilitation and -

physio-therapy department at
the hospital has more people on
staff than it receives money for
from the province,

“We -asked. (the provincial
-goyernment) for: ‘more and were

*

ato

_ Nisga’ a talks will change _

4

with the ‘Nisga’a to stele thier
‘and ‘claim will change now that
he B.C. Supreme” Court. has
“dismissed the idea of aboriginal
~ file, says. :provincial . native - cafe.
“fairs nilpister Jack Weisgerber; °
He made: ‘the comments. in

- “eehuiot ‘to’ Chief Justice’ Allan ©

‘McEachern’ ’s decision. last week,
ona land claims Suit filed’ by the’

7 Giant aid Wer'suwet'cn. ;

“Chie€. Justice ‘ruled’ that
“0 ginal,. ownership - “of, ‘lands |
anc of B.C. was.cllminated-

i B.C. Joined Confederation
in B71: af ae ,
“Questions of Nisga’ a
‘ aboriginal : ‘rights ‘and title: will
change: the dynamics: of”. the

vt i négotlations: V think’ that’s ‘in.

: ev table," said |Welsgerber,  °

elsgerber ‘didnot indicate

specifically ii. what way

“Megoliations .with the . Nisga'a
-would Change or If the province —
‘wuld, ‘nse'the Gliksan decision

hh cae
cl: he :did: say ‘outstanding

ty TERRACE - . Negotiations -

over: land ‘and

» While Chief Justice

; McEachern dismissed aboriginal

~ tile;‘he did say ‘that native rights: -
to hunt, gather food and fish on | -
unoccupied Crown ‘lands can.
continue until that land is needed.

for: ‘fogging, ‘tnining ‘or olher
resource development, .

-aboriginal::rights: do's ‘not ‘indlude
commercial practices.

’ The ‘Gltksan dedision is cons.

sidered important to:the Nisga" ao
talks bécause the: Nisga’a have

the only: claim‘ urlder. active |’ [RS
negotiation: by-the province and. as

by the federal: ‘government, ”

Nisgo’a’ for more than.’ ioo :

years have said’ they have never

_ felinquished: “Utls;” Want solf- ~ Foe
government and: want: ‘a. say! in... BB
ihe management: ‘and use of land - -
and resources centered on Ane.

Var,

Weisg rber added that the . :
provincial goverment has never .
accepted’ ‘the idea ‘OF saverelgnty 7

ES SS

. not a way 10 settle native gricv-
~. fatices by adding that solutions
‘can. ‘only come. from ‘‘governm-.

bass legislation and inegotalion,”

“Tie: Nisga’ a, federal gov-
Crhment: and provincial gov-
- erriment ‘are’ nearly ready to sign
afl agreement: that ‘will: outline
how. and what will be negoti-
Bed =:

A Gitksan aa War swe en
leader warns timber and mining
companies. from using last
week's Supreme Court decision

- as @ reason to begin wark on

‘claimed land. That. story on
Page Ad.

Also on Page’ A2, ‘another
Gitksan and ‘Wet: suwet’en
leader is suspicious, about the
timing of the. Nisgd‘a

framework’ agreement,

Jal pin

briefly told ‘no’,”’ Leisinger ad-
ded,

The loss of the occupational
therapist leaves the city without
such a service. There is an oc-
cupational therapist at the Ter-
race Child Development Centre
but her work there is only for
centre clients. She also works
under contract at the centre for
the school district.

And since the hospital might -
not know until May what its
new budget will be, Leisinger
said it’s impossible to predict

ateway
wanis fo ©
expand —

TERRACE — Canada Safeway
is expected to soon announce
expansion plans that will in-
volve moving Ottawa St. and
buying another piece of proper-
ty.

The plan is to purchase city
land on which Ottawa St. now
sits in return for dedicating land
for a new version of the street to
run beside the Peirocan station.

That will involve Canada
Safeway exercising an option. It
has to buy the piece of lard

: beginning at Ottawa and runn-
- ing to the Petrocan station from
: Okanagan-Skeena Group.

Providing these two ar-
rangements are successful,
Safeway can then expand west
of its existing building,

Safeway first took out an op-
tion to buy the Okanagan-
Skeena Group property — it’s
the vacant section bounded by

stewart
ore body
decision
expected

TERRACE — Westmin
Resources will make a decision
next week over a possible small
gold mining project near
Stewart, says a company
spokesman,

The SB property is owned by
Tenajohn Resources dut
Westmin can earn a 50 per cent
intzrest if it commits itself to
development expenditures by
March [5, said Bruce
McKnight.

“We have that option to go
into production. It looks good
going up to the decision point.
It’s promising so far,’’ he said.

The size of the project isn’t
large as there could be enough
underground work to employ 20
or-30 people for six to 12 mon-
ths, McKnight said.

One benefit to Westmin is
that the ore could be processed
through its Premier mill in
Stewart, he said.

what might happen.

While Mills will end its finan-
cial year with a deficit, . the
health care society’s other facili-
ty, Terraceview Lodge, might
have a small surplus on a total
budget of $2.5 million,

“Terraceview is in a.good
position. Overall, the health
care society may even show a
small surplus,”” said Leisinger.

But he said the society can't ©
use a Terraceview surplus -to

cover any deficit at the hospital.

Ottawa, Keith and Lakelse _
last fali. The option was renew-.
ed this January and runs out the
end of July.

There’s been no date set ‘yet
for an official presentation by
Safeway to city council about its
plans.

Building official Paul Gipps
said that any plan involving
moving Ottawa St. would have
to be accompanied by moving
city services that now run under
the street.

This would be the second
time in two years that Ottawa
St. has figured into plans to
-build retail space on the
Okanagan-Skeena Group pro-
perty.

That company reached a deal
with the city in 1988 to’buy half
of Ottawa St. so it could add to
retail space it owns immediately
behind the Petrocan station.

Okanagan-Skeena subse-
quently put the idea on hold,
saying it wanted to re-examine
its plans,

According to information fil-
ed with the provincial land titles
Office, Safeway could have
bought that piece of Okanagan-
Skeena Group land, if it exercis-
ed terms under its first option,
for $500,000.

Page
urners

Ae "Pago Ais. |
‘Welcome cover a

Up, oa
jroo Bt.

@istovery of a sixth dead

ticlals here think somebody -
: aerating eagles following -
athe

a aie ‘at

: Kempt. a
Speakin, tora: —

: deci ~e
od nen
for the future: or: others vi

 HAZELTON — The local t.
:.”. forest district wants $350,000
.. to study trees in the region.

autre bese
:- ~. Hon we're moving in,"” said

7 fi explaining the study plan.

x) “The issue of trying cut-
_ ding systems other than clear.
hts is topical, It's the direc-

district forester Dave Coates

“He said the district “Is
suitable for the study because

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