A2 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 01, 2003 New year to dawn with you paying a lot more for gas Residential and commercial natural gas users are about to be hit with a double whammy. The B.C. Utilities Commission has given Pacific Northern Gas the go-ahead to hike not just the gas com- modity price - the amount paid for the gas used -but also what PNG charges to deliver that gas to customers. The new rates, which come into effect Jan. 1, mean residential and commercial customers see gas costs leap 20 per cent and delivery charges almost match that at 17 per cent. However,-it could have been worse - PNG had been secking a 25 per cent gas price hike and delivery charge increases of 21 and 20 per cent for residential and com- mercial customers respectively. PNG is not allowed to make a profit on the gas used, instead being allowed only to recover from consumers what it has to pay. PNG based its requested hike on forecasts that natural gas prices will peak at a fraction under $6/gigajoule in January, ease down to $5.04/pj in May and June, and be back at $5.86/gj by year’s end. PNG said that without the price hike it would end up $4 million shy of what it needs. It was the same story on the cost of service side, the company predicting a near $5 million shortfall unless the delivery charge was hiked. One factor in that was plans to spend half a million dollars more on its pipelines, specifically carrying out in-line inspections. PNG explained that, because of its financial woes, it had not carried out such inspections.on any of its lines since 1998. ~The Terrace-Methanex 10-inch line is one stated for an inspection - it hasn't been internally checked since it was built 20 years ago. The new rates are interim only — a final decision is expected by the end of February with customers receiv- ing refunds if it is decided they are too high. Vacation pay hopes raised for Skeena Cellulose workers NEW SKEENA workers at the company’s Terrace saw- mill should receive special one-time payouts in the weeks ahead. The money - $309,000 in accrued vacation pay that was owed to the employees — is to be distributed as of -~Jan, 15. New Skeena human resources vice-president Doug Quinn said it will work out to between zero and $7,000, under government ownership. It would have been paid out when employees went on vacation, but it became part of the company assets under control of the courts when Skeena Cellulose fell into bankruptcy protection in September, 2001. The restructuring and purchase of SCI by NWBC Timber and Pulp did not extinguish SCI’s obligation to its workers and new company CEO Dan Veniez has depending on how much each worker is owed. But the company has not yet got its financing in place, he said, and can’t make the payments until that happens. That could mean a brief delay in the delivery of the money, Quinn said. The vacation pay is money that was set aside by the company while workers were on the job when it was Collective is very committed to First Nations theatre here Dear Sir: We are writing in re- sponse te the publication of Janice Robinson's letter regarding Skeena River Players in the Dec.18, 2002 edition of The Ter- race Standard. We are sorry to see that the journalistic standards of The Terrace Standard have fallen to so low a level as to reprint the mal- icious falsehoods regarding . uS Contained in Ms. Robin- son’s letter. This type of letier has no place in a community newspaper like The Terrace Standard. As the founders of Skeena River Players, we take great pride in the fact that the theatre company was created by us with a vision of facilitating First Nations amateur theatre. In the two years that we were associated with SRP, the company received te- cognition and grants to fa- cilitate its theatrical acti- vities, including a grant for the promotion of youth healing through invalve- ment with theatre. These grants were based in large part on our involvement with SRP, and reflect our commitment to the com- munily and youth of Ter- race. We want to make a If pledged the vacation pay would be honoured. But the IWA, dissatisfied with delays, went io the Labour Relations Board in December to force payment. The agreement to pay in January came as a result of an arbitrated settlement of that action. The anticipated pay out is separate from any bargain- ing between the company and the [WA in the attempts to reach a new contract. CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag difference. Much ‘ink’ has ‘ been spilled regarding Skeena River. Players since Ms. Robinson took over as se- cretary. Unfortunately, the effect of this was that SRP was deprived of our exper- ience and leadership, and the terms of a significant grant to SRP for youth healing have not been met. Day to day activities at SRP appear to be non-ex- istent since Aug. 15, 2002, and notwithstanding Ms. Robinson’s comments, we worry that SRP will cease to exist in any meaningful form. To our knowledge, and as current members of SRP, we are unaware of any administrative, board or theatre-related activi- ties, including meetings and notice of elections to fill the numerous vacan- cies on the board. Many other SRP mem- bers have also confirmed “that ‘they ‘have ‘not re-° ~ “ceived Hotice of any meet- ’” “lings; elections ‘or’ activi-' ties. This is a shame after all of the work that went into making SRP the suc- cess it was. Having said this, we do not intend to allow our vi- sion for aboriginal and cross-cultural theatre, and the youth of Terrace, to be destroyed by arguing and conflict. We have actively taken steps to recreate a new company with the most of the previous participants. Mr. Guno’s play has been selected by Native Earth Performing Arts to be work-shopped and show- cased at the prestigious 15th Annual “Weesageechak Begins To Dance” Festival, which teflects the level of re- spect for our work with First Nations theatre over you live in the north, watch how you drive Dear Sir: I travel the northwest corridor from Burns lake to Prince Rupert and Kitimat on a weekly basis, approx- imately 1200km a week. ] read your paper and I listen to some of these people who call into the radio shows and ] pet quite a chuckle. ] will tet] you what I see out there and I am out there experiencing it — it’s northwestern British Co- lumbia in the winter. Has everyone forgotten that we are not in the lower mainland, we are in northern B.C, - Weather changes fast up here.It is truly tragic when someone dies out there but it does happen and not just here. I see on a daily basis people jump into their 6000Ib SUVs, set the cruise control and tune out. They have no idea what is going on around them. When you are travel- ling the northwest in the winter you have to be pay- ing attention. I recently heard a fel- low crying away on a local radio program about the road conditions. What he failed to tell everyone is that he is a very nervous driver, or at least it seems that way when you are following him. And yes, J have fol- lowed him. Or maybe his lady friend that rides along everywhere is not comfort- able. I’m really not sure. All I> know is that the roads are just plain old winter roads in the Pacific northwest and if they make you nervous, stay home. To all the guys and gals that look after the roads up here I say thank you for doing the best you can in some of the most adverse conditions anywhere. Dennis Moore, Terrace, B.C. the past two years. ‘We expect to be’ able to ‘shortly announce. news of funding so that we can stage another First Nations play in the northwest in 2003, We are excited to have in our collective many ta- lented First Nations actors, artists, Writers and crew, who look forward to taking part in our projects, in- cluding Tomson Highway, Drew Hayden Taylor, Penny Gummerson and Yvette Nolan, Marianne Brorup Weston, Alan Weston, Larry Guno, Terrace, B.C. Mike Tarr Help offered THE TOUGH times in this region has prompted one credit union to offer spe- cial aid allowing homeow- ners to defer mortgage payments. Northern Savings Credit Union CEO Michael Tarr says its new Northern Ex- tender program will pro- vide assistance to mem- bers who are “struggling through this unprecedented period of economic stag- nation in our region.” The program allows mortgage terms to be ex- tended, reducing or elimi- nating payments for up to six months. “That will allow them to use their diminished fi- nancial resources for other essential family expenses,” Tarr said, The mortgage payment “holiday” isn’t a give- away, he said, adding it must be repaid ~ hopefully in more prosperous times. “The credit union will benefit by increasing. the likelihood that our mem- bers will weather the cur- rent financial storm and be able to continue, over the long tun, to meet their ob- ligations to us,” he said. Tarr said the credit union has been providing similar aid informally to members on a one-on-one basis,:but hopes a formai “program ‘will’ensure: more: of those needing ‘help find out about term-extension options. a ee For many children and seniors... epilepsy isa reality EPILEPSY CANADA 1077 SERURE Aatvance Tickets Sold Hotel Lobby & D.1Booth $10 INCLUDES MIDNIGHT BUFFET & GLASS CHAMPAGNE _PERFORMS THOURGH 28TH DECEMBER 3-SOME WEDNESDAY $3 $3 $3 $3 $3 $3 §3 $3 $3 $3 $3 $3 Thursday-LadiesEve-DiamondRing Frid/Sat>TECHNO BOXING DAY SELL: OFF ONE WAY INCLUDING TAXES AND FEES Book December 26, 2002 through January 10, 2003 for selected flig ohts January 7 through February 12, 3003 New bookings only, limited seating, 3 day advance required, restrictions apply. 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