Seeking control Fight for life Golden Age Church-run schools here join the debate over teaching gay tolerance\NEWS A8 A three-year-old boy takes to the’ — airwaves for Children’s Hospital\COMMUNITY B1 Local seniors sparkle at an international athletic competition in Arizona\SPORTS BS WEDNESDAY JUNE 4,.1997 MIKE SCOTT is returning to Ottawa as Skeena MP with more voles than he gathered in 1993. The Reformer finished with 13,399 votes, or 42.4 per cent of the vote, com- pared to NDP candidate Isaac Sobol’s 9,859, or 31.2 per cent. Liberal Rhoda Witherly was third with 6,397 votes or 20.2 per cenh Progressive Conservative Kent Glowinski polled 1,105 votes and Rod Freeman of the Christian Heritage Party got 865 votes. Scott dominated Terrace-Thornhill with 54 per cent of the vote or 4,586 ballots, a repeat of his standings there in 1993. Scott's increased his margin of victory across Skeena by 1,400 votes from 1993, when he received less than 38 per cent of votes cast. 93¢ PLUS 7¢ GST VOL. 10 NO. 8 Reformer cruises to second term He outpolled his opponents by huge mar- gins in Terrace, Thornhill, Kitimat, Smithers and Stewart, losing to Sobol only in Prince Rupert and most native villages. Witherly could not even win her home town of Prince Rupert, finishing third behind Sobol and Scott. “It feels good,” the triumphant Reformer told a crowd of supporters at the Terrace Inn Monday night. In particular, Scott viewed his renewed mandate as vindication in the face of opponents who have demonized him for his criticism of native land claim negotiations. “Our opponents had some very nasty things to say about us over the last three years and we’ve just proved them wrong tonight,” Scott said. “The truth is hard to suppress and it hasn’t been suppressed in Skeena, [ can tell you that,” Scott said, vowing not to change his stance on the issue. He said the result is a clear signal that the “silent majority” of voles in the riding agree both with what the Reform Party stands for and what he’s done on the issue of land claims in particular. “The fact that we have dared to question what both governments are doing was the source of a great deal of mud-slinging,” he said. “I think the results of this election speak for themselves.” Other top priorities for Scott include the fisheries dispute between the U.S. and Canada, reform of the criminal justice sys- tem, and fighting the Liberal gun control legislation. He returns to Ottawa as part of a larger, 59 MP Reform caucus that replaces the Bloc Quebecois as the Official Opposition. Some 31,625 people across the riding turned out to cast ballots. That’s 66 per cent of the registered volers, a slight increase in numbers and in percentage from 1993. Sobol was a distant second in Terrace and Thornhill, with only 22 per cent and 1,854 votes. He won only three polls in the Terrace area, one in Terrace, the Rosswaod poll and the Kilsumkalum Reserve — which he easily took with 105 votes com- pared to one for Scott. Rhoda Witherly finished third in Terrace at 1,551. Kent Glowinski and: Rod Freeman rounded out the field, with 250 and 233 votes respectively. * Scott also took a decisive victory in the Kitimat area, just as he did in 1993. Some 2,058 people took up the Reform call there, compared to just 1,329 voles for Sobol and the NDP. The only poll Scott didn’t win in the south was Kitamaat village, which went to Sobol 178-7. The Kitimat area win gave Scott 44 per cent of the vote. Liberal Rhoda Witherly was third with 973, Glowinski and the PC were fourth at 167, while Rod Freeman and the CHP managed jusf 64 votes. Smithers and the Hazeltons followed. There, Scott took 2,972 votes for 45 per cent. He was followed by Sobol at 26 per cent with 1,741 votes and Whitherly with 1,177, The Christian Heritage Party earned some of their strongest support from the Bulkley Valley, picking up some 383 votes for 6 per cent of the ballots. Kent Glowinski also managed 243 votes. City to ponder sex offender program spot A PROPOSAL for a northern B.C. program to treat adult sex offenders will be debated by city counciflors. The proposal comes from the northemm B.C. chapter of the John Howard Society, based in Prince George. But there’s no indication where the program would be based and Terrace RCMP inspector Steve Leach, one of @ A defensive battle TERRACE MINOR Soccer is in full swing with the largest number up which pitted a tough Sight,and Sound squad in blue against of players ever registered. This game was a 12-and-under match- Cedarland Tire in green. Big stink over city sewage treatment By DAVE TAYLOR TERRACE’S SEWAGE treatment plant stinks and it's causing headaches at city hall. The city’s engineering de- partment bas until June 30 to come up with a plan to the plant that have drawn the attentio of the environ- ment ministry. The first is that pollution levels around Terrace’s sewage outfall . are dangerously high during low water ‘The biggest concern is the potential healih risk to people,’’’ = says)“ Joha Colinson-Baker, po!lution prevention officer for the environment ministry's Skeena regional office, “There is the possibility of viral or bacterial contamina- Gon from contact with the water.”? Colinson-Baker conducted test-sampling of river water around the sewage outfall in April. The results show that dur- ing low water, a plume of sewage from the outfall flows downstream along the Terrace side of the river- bauk before it dissipates into “the current. The problem, Colinson- ‘Baker says, is that the Ter- fix two puzzling problems at | race outfall does not extend far enough out into the fast- moving waters of the Skeena. So during low water, sewage flowing out of the pipe gets caught in a back eddy about 50 metres from the outfall. There, it swirls around until eventually being sucked downstream. Water-testing bas shown the back eddy 1o have a fe- cal coliform count of up to 1,000 parts per 100 ml — that’s five times the en- vironment ministry’s limit for safe swimming or wading. Colinson-Baker says the effivent won't hurt fish, al- thongh he doesn’t advise catching anything in the im- mediate area around the back eddy. Once the sewage hits fast- moving water, however, it quickly dissipates to accept- able levels of 92 parts per 100 ml along the shores of Brauns Island, 300 metres from the outfall pipe. “The outfall used to be in — the main stream,’’ explains city engineer stew Christensen, ‘‘But the river has changed over the years and now it’s almost in a back-water,” Christensen says the city has hired the engineering ‘firm of Dayton and Knight to study the problem, al- though he doesn’t think much work caa be done un- til the water levels go down. The city’s options will likely include cither extend- ing ihe outfall pipe into the main stream or disinfecting the effluent. ‘Disinfecting is quite ex- pensive,’’ Christensen says, “But extending the pipe won't be cheap cither. We'll have to wait for results: of study and pick the best thing to do.” INNOCENT LOOKING sign gives no hint as to troubles facing the city down at its sewage teatment plant. Smell and high pollution levels during low water times are causing a problem. The other problem is the stench. “When there’s a change in temperature we usually get a smell for a couple of days,” Christensen says. *'But this has gone on much longer than normal.”' Right now, the smell com- ing from the treatment ponds is intense, especially on hot days. But the stink is not related to the outfall probiem. “There's no odour from the effluent.’? Christensen says... ‘‘We really ‘don’t know what's causing the smell but we do know the two problems aren’! re- lated.” Dayton and Knight will do test sampling of the sludge at the bottom of the treat- ment ponds and follow sewage as it passes through the plant in order to assess the system, the local officials asked to comment on the proposal, said it’s possible organizers would want part of the program run in Terrace serving the northwest region. Council decided to invite the group to make a presenta- tion to council and explain the program further. *T think the more treatment they can get the better off we all are,’’ said mayor Jack Talstra. Other counciliors agreed but expressed some reserva- tions, particularly if paroled sex offenders from elsewhere are brought here for treatment. Val George said he wouldn’t support the program unless there was ‘‘strong community support’’ for it, Leach’s written response to the proposal, predicts such a ‘program would face opposition from locals. “The number one priority is community safety. Based on the high profile nature of sex crimes in the country there is no doubt that there will be resistance by a percentage of the community for this type of program locally,”’ Leach said. ‘‘f am aware of high profile cases in this community that if the offender were brought back after a term of in- carccration, the victims would fear for their lives.’ The proposal from society executive director George Harding says the group expects concern from residents, particularly if it “appeared that sex offenders from other, arcas were ‘being imported’ in order to access treatment.”’ That appearance would be avoided, Harding saya, by having most of the treatment done either individually or in smal! groups of three to four offenders in their home com- munities. There would also be occasional weekend ses-. sions held in each region, “Ht is not anticipated that there would be any more than 12 to 15 participants for the weekend sessions, and they would only be held in a location about which there were no- expressed concerns,’’ the proposal says. Leach recommended the number of offenders imported: into the community for treatment be ‘‘kept to a minimum’”’ and that the society consult with the community extensive- ly. "The topic will also be addressed by the RCMP’s com- munity consultative committee. Harding says the earliest the program could start is in the fall. ‘It’s very tentative,” Harding said. ‘We have no idea whether monies are going to be forthcoming,” Vic gets his sign FORMER MAYOR Vic Joliffe wants the city to puta sign up on the street that bears his name, Joliffe St, was named some years aga, and runs a short distance on the bench between Cory Dr, and Bailey St. Joliffie, who now lives in England, returned on a visit and appeared before council fast week and tangled wilh Mayor Jack Talstra by demanding something be done. “Please either wipe it off the map or put a sign on it,” Joliffe said. He said city councillor Ruth Hallock ‘‘had to die first” to get her street sign put up, adding he doesn’t want to suffer the same fate. Joliffe also suggested the street named after bim isn't a very prominent one. Talstra said the area is still being developed, and noted one family does live there. “That person knows where he lives and he knows how to get there,” Talstra said. “That's nota very good answer, Mr. Mayor,’’ Joliffe shot back. A resolution by councillors David Hull and Rich McDaniel to put up a sign for the street passed unani mously.