A2 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 5, 1997

FROM FRONT

Unions oppose gutting
of college programs

complete the program and plans to do something
about that.

And finally, the trades program will get a small
cut, and administration will look at decentralizing
course offerings.

By the end of the plan, in the year 2000, the col-
lege hopes to have eliminated its debt and be work-
ing with a small surplus. In order to realize that
plan, the administration dssumes that student enroll-
ment will increase over: that time, despite cuts to
programs.

Unions which represent teachers . and support
staff have criticized the cuts.

“These cuts will be the beginning of the down-
ward spiral of post secondary education in the
northwest,” said Rocque Berthiaume of: the
Academic Workers Union.

He fears that the cuts are going.to significantly.

hurt access to post- secondary ¢ education across the
northwest.

This directly contradicts promises the provincial
government made to protect . education, said
Berthiaume.

He puts the rapid accumulation of debt down to,

two reasons - “bad decisions taken by manage-
ment,” and the inequitable way the provincial gov-
ernment hands out money to colleges.

The provincial government assumes there will be
36 students in each class on average. Those students

pay part of the cost of putting on the course through —

their tuition money, and the provincial government
picks up most of the rest of the tab.

But many classes at NWCC average about half
that, says Berthiaume. That means the college is

FEEDBACK VARIED

Snow clearing change

struggling to get by on Jess money than it’s southern
counterparts.

Bill Mikaloff, who heads up the support statf
union at the college, blames the budget woes on “a
lack of foresight from the board and the
administration,”

He said his union wanted to deal with the deficit a
long time ago, but their request was ignored, © --

“Now it’s too late,” said Mikalotf.

Too many resources were put into programs they

shouldn't have been, added Berthiaume. ;
He thinks the college's top administrator’ § aren't
qualitied to oversee this cost-cutting plan.

“if you can’t make the place a
viable operation, you should step
down and Jet someone else do it.”

“If you can't make the place a viabie operation,
you should step down and let someone else do it,”
said Mikaloff,

Both he and Berthiaume ‘said the u unions, staff,
students and community have been denied. any
meaningful say: in the whirlwind - discussions on
cost-cutting.

And that’s patticularly grating for both men since
the college just hired a consultant this summer to
help find ways for everyone to get along better, and
drafted a strategic plan.”

“Everything the employer is doing now is an out
and out contradiction to the values agreed upon in
the strategic plan,” said Berthiaume. “And they paid

getting mixed reviews

REVIEWS are mixed about a new tactic
city snow clearing crews are using to keep
streets safe.

Drivers have long complained about
being unable to see over large ridges of
snow when trying to make theit way
through intersections,

Those ridges of snow between lanes - or
windrows — are particularly big nearest to
the intersection, because equipment pushes
the snow back, forming a bulb at the end
of the windrow. -

On the Jan, 18-19 weekend, crews used .

loaders and trucks to take the big bulb of
snow off the ends of those ridges, giving
drivers a clearer field of vision at
intersections,

“We've had a variety of feedback,” said
city director of -engineering Stew
Christensen. “Some people didn’t even
notice a difference. Some people thought we
did less. And some people were absolutely
thrilled.””

Chamber of commerce officials, who had -

loudly criticized the city in December for
poor snow removal in the Christmas shop-
ping season, were among those who liked the
change.

So far city council hasn't made a decision
as to whether it will have crews do that on a
continuing basis.

Christensen said it would cost about

The one major change to city snowclearing
that is permanent is a shift as of Jan. | to

$15,000 more each year if done regularly. -
_ kinds of things. We have: to make do with

snow clearing coverage 24-hours a day five
days a week.

Christensen said they’ve spread their exist-
ing crews oul over more time, and clearing
late at night when traffic is less has made
their efforts more efficient,

It’s also meant they’re now better equipped
to deal with overnight snowfalls and have
streets driveable by morning.

Weekend coverage has also improved, he
said, as there’s now a shift on Saturday and
Sunday. In the past snow on the weekend
was sometimes left until Monday unless it
was a major snowfall forcing overtime crews
into action.

“The new system is proving to be-about the
same cost,” Christensen said. “We're nat
using any more manpower, ‘it’s just spread
out at different times and it’s provell to be
quite effective.” ~

He said the city has had compliments about
the better clearing from some, but complaints
fron others who object to being disturbed by
the noise of snow-clearing machinery late at
night.

Christensen said Kitimat devotes more
Tesources to snow-clearing than Terrace.
‘Terrace will again budget $317,000 for
snow-clearing in 1997 - the same figure as
last year, Kitimat spends around $1.2 million
on snow-clearing,

“Kitimat does their snowclearing to a total-
ly different level,” Christensen said. “And
they have a tax base that can support those

what we have.”

GREAVES Ua

Wrong
house

A STORY in The Terrace

~The Terrace Little Theatre

SIOPPIERS

Terrace Crime Stoppers are asking for your
assistance in solving the ‘thet from a motor
vehicle’ from a truck parked along Highway 16,
approximately 40 kilometers east of Terrace,
B.C. On the night of December 24, 1996, bet-
ween 11:00 pm and 9:30 am the following morn-
ing, Christmas day, all four tires and rims were
removed from the vehicle - a 1993 Toyota 4x4
pickup from where it sat following an accident,

Noted as well, is ihat the damage to the truck
was much more severe the following morning,
indicating that the culprit(s) also toak time to
vandalize the vehicle while at ihe scene,

The items stolen from the vehicle are:

Four 4x4 truck tires - ‘American Wheel “Des-
sert Duellers” with four aluminum rims. All of
which products of the U.S.A. Approximate value
estimated to be between $400,00 tc $500.00 per
rim and tire set (x4).

if you know anything about this incident, or if
you know the identity of the person or persons
responsible for this theft from a motor vehicle,
Crima Stoppers would like to hear form you,

Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of
up to $1,000.00 for information leading to
an arrest and charges being laid against an
individuai in this or other unsolved crime. If
you have any Information cali Crime
Stoppers at 635-Tlps that’s 635-8477.
Callers will not be required to reveal their
identity nor testify in court.

Call 635-TIPS

Standard of Jan, 22. in-

correclly indicated that the

rapt and imprisonment of a
person took: place in her
honie.

In fact, the woman was as-

' saulled in the home of a per-

son who has since been
charged in connection with
the incident..

this guy how many thousands to do this? That’s
now partof the deficil.”

Berihiaume thinks the college board is making a
Mistake in cutting so many programs now, when no
one can predict how much the federal- and pravin-
cial. governments. will spend on education in the
future,

- And he wants the college lo look more closely at
finding’ money from different sources. Cutting pro-
grams now could increase deficits in the future, he

Says, since fewer programs and teachers mean few-

er sludents.

However, the. college is predicting that student

numbers will increase.

There's one last chance for teaching staff to
oppose the cuts, The college and the teachers union
have an agreement in which the union gets to have a
say if ‘the: college cuts programs and jobs, said
Berthiaume, -.

He said that hasn't: happened, sa he’ s taking his
union's complaints up with a.board that’ oversees
the employment agreeinent between the college and
the union...

* ‘That board will reach a decision tomorrow on

~ whether or not the college will have to start its cost-

cutting plan from ‘serateh, this time doing more con-
sultation with the union.”
If the board'doesn’t find in the union’s favour, the

_; Union might consider study sessions, of some other

form of protest.

Even though the board has passed the cost-cut-
ting plan, it won't come into effeet until April, so
Berthiaume suys there's stifi time to rescind the
plan.

eall

ber

forests”

excellence ,

Presents the Canadian Premiere of

Sam Shepard’s

Pulitzer Prize Winning Play

buried child

Feb. 6, 7, 8, 13,

4, 1 20, 21, 22

Showtime 8:00pm
At the McColl Playhouse

Call 1-888-535-9811

"The Terrace little Theatre.

Director Daniel Barnswell

The Terrace Little Theatre

vr PLE TON
PERSIAN & ORIENTAL CARPETS |

To satisfy court
demands for
payments,
m Assets of Lang
f Established Persian
s §6& Oriental Carpet
Company Will Be
Dissolved hy

PUBLIC
AUCTION

HAND MADE PERSIAN
& ORIENTAL CARPETS

PARTIAL LIST: Gabeh, Double Wool Bokharas,
Chinese Silk, Masterweaves, Kashan, Tribal
Shiraz, Dhurry, Authentic Persian Mashad,
Aubusson and many more. Runners and other
sizes range from 1' x 1’s to 12’x 18.

Location:

TERRACE INN.

4551: Greig Avenue.
‘TERRACE -

Public Viewing 12 Nao

Terms: 10% Buyers premium charge to be added.
Bank Certified Cheques, Visa, Master Card and Amex Accepted,
Some items subject to a reserve.

nominations

Forest Renewal BC will honour individuals
and groups from around the province who
have made valuable contributions to
forestry in British Columbia, with the
second annual Forests Excellence Awards to
be announced in June of 1997.

Awards will be given in each of the
following categories: « Forest Management
+ Environment « Value Added « Labour
» Community » Education » Forest Service
+ Communications/Media = Youth.

Entry deadline ia March 21, 1997.

FOREST 4
_———
RENEWAL BC

for information and
nominations forms.

- BOSUL ony] ar0NeL ay Le

$]2

Tickets available at
Uniglobe Courtesy Travel,

van
17
18
19
20
21
ae
23

“New Racord

1 ROAD CONDITIONS

Winter Is here. Our crews are on winter shift, patrolling all the highways 24
hours a day, Be on the lookout for black ice, especially in the shaded areas
B and on bridge decks. Please stay back a safe distance from our sanding &

units, TO REPORT ROAD HAZARDS, CALL 1-800-665-5051.

NORTHCOAST

USTION SERVICES

aka mn EERE TS