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Investigations underway —
into avalanche fatalities

Local men belonged to

elite group of experts

By ALEX HAMILTON
THE DEATHS of two local Ministry of Trans-
portation and Highways avalanche technicians
Jan,.8 were the first fatalities in 24 years of

avalanche control operations in B.C.

Allan Evenchick, 45, and Allan Munro, 35,
were hil by an avalanche while testing the

~ stability of the snowpack along Hwy 37 near

Bob Quinn Lake, about 350 kilometres north of

~ Terrace.

Both men were members of. the Canadian
Avalanche Association, an elite group of 200
avalanche ‘experts known worldwide for their
expertise.

The men died while examining one of B.C.’s
60 avalanche paths — areas where slides could
impact highways,

After spending a few days in the area and
dropping chargers (small bombs) from helicop-
lers to cause avalanches to fall out of the way of
the highway’s ‘path, the men began to ski down
the slope they were testing to do further re-
search, :

“They do this to gather as much information
as they can to make an educated call to keep the

highway safe to travel,’ said Stewart RCMP

Cnst. Jeff McArthur, who is working on the in-
vestigation.

“These are the guys that make it safe for other _

guys to make a living, like truck drivers.”?

When the men didn’t radio to the area roads
foreman by 4:30 p.m. Jan. 7, three hours after
their last check-in, ministry staff were alerted,

Al first light Friday, Jan. 8, searchers found
that a 60 metre slab at the top of the slope the
"men had been testing slid about 640 metres to
the valley below. The bodies of the two men,
which were buried, were found using avalanche
rescue beacons.

. The avalanche is classified as being a size
three out of a possible five. It had the destruc

tive ‘potential to destroy a small building or

break a few trees,

‘As far as | know, these guys didn’t do any-
thing wrong,’’ Cust, McArthur said,

_ “They work ina job with a bit of risk and that
day unfortunately, it caught up to them.”

Gord Bonwick, senior avalanche officer for
the ministry, said accidents like this are rare be- |
cause the job description for avalanche tech-

- Micians calls for at least seven years of experi-
~ ence, ,

“We only hire people who are seasoned ex-
perts,’”’ he said.

According to friend Rod Gee, a local avalan-

. che technician who worked with Evenchick and
Munro for years, this type of industry tragedy is
- Shocking, wes umes

‘Knowing those guys, they do not take risks
and operate to the high standards of the indus-
try,’’ Gee said,

But, regardless of how much effort avalanche

_ technicians take to be cautious, he said, acci-
‘dents happen.
Gee said he doesn’t think people should look

The following, written by Wendy Shymanski,
_ Was read af the Jan. 12 memorial for Ai Even-
chick and Al Munro.

For the Safety
of Others

A flake of suow hits the ground and
suddenly their lives are turned around,

' For six maybe eight months twenty four hours

a day, :
thoughts of snow and the safety of others do
nol ge away,

- While families relax and cat supper, warm in-
sire;
. they negotiate glare ice trying not to slide.
Nerves become frazzled but they must keep
their head:
. a8 the people they protect, tuck their children
intobed:

Wakened with a start at 3 am, as the tele-
phone rings; ‘
2 *'35. mile has slid!”’ they are scared, without

“.. you they cannot do a thing.

. Driving through white outs during 30 hour

days} :

_ their minds must function sharp through an
’ exhausted laze.

The concussion of the recoilless rifl¢ blast will
Surely take its toll.

‘Al dawn we'll try to heli bomb, through thick _

| Letter to the editor

AVALANCHE technician Al Evenchick
Shames Min. He was killed Jan. 8 in ana

co ce

pictured in 1991 examiniing layers: of snow on
valanche near Bob Quinn Lake. oO

at this particular accident and say experts aren’t
able to predict avalanches.

And he said industry standards don’t need ad-

justing because the slandards (hat experts use

are already high.
The deaths of his friends, however, has made
him think more about his job,
“Tt encourages me to do my very best — or to
try to do it even better,’’ he said.

| According to highways ministry official’ Jeff ;
 Kuight; itvestigators from the Workers Com-
“pensation Board, the coroner’s office and an in-

dependent avalanche expert appointed by the
ininistry are looking into the accident.

So far it has yet to be determined where the
two men were on the slope or how far apart they

were skiing.

Knight said the investigation by could take

. Mery active members. of the community. ,

several months.
Trust accounts for the families have been

opened up at the Royal Bank at 4640 Lakelse '

Avenuc. Anyone wanting to make a donation
can do so under the accounts of Tanis Purssell
for Allan Evenchick and under Lucy Munro for
Allan Munro,

Both men were married with children and
pies

Al Munro was itivolved with Terrace Beavers,
the rock climbing “coitmunity’ and ‘the cross
country ski club.

Al Evenchick was an avid paddler, climber
and instrumental in building crass country ski
trails,

‘‘Al had the energy and intensity to do any-
thing,’’ said friend Geoff Phillips of Al Even-
chick,

Al Evenchick
fog we'll find a hole;

to sneak through and fight the howling winds,
forcing the helicopter down;

we'll set a charge in the slaring zone and hape
we can turn around.

When the cycle is over it’s back to the old

routine,

Early mornings sifting through reports, data,
forécasts, all the work that is never seen.
Out to the field digging profiles in’ snow

sometimes dense as cement and five meters

Al Munro

deep.
While trying not to catch a.virus and fitting in
that needed sleep,

They devote their lives to others, may they do
not know.

Always on edge, always in ihought; al the ring.
of the phone they must go. :

Leaving behind the people so close, their
wives, children, fathers, and mothers;

because they are the amazing few who risk

“their lives for the safety of others. -

Mayor’s attack was wrong

difficult to deal with and

Dear Sir: still required to pay their
The September 1998 eco- property taxes and the pro-
nomic analysis of the vince does not get its share

Savings and Credit Union of
B.C, pointed out there’s a
mild recession due to falling
exports and commodity
prices: caused by the Asian
economic problem and that
_Tesoufce sectors have taken
the brunt as a resuli.
Tax: .. revenue for
muniicipalities éxists as long
as- property exists which in-
_-sulates municipalilics from
the ravages of a normal eco-
nomic ‘cycle in: the rest of
~. the province, Ié mill workers
_ are linemployed ‘they are

of income taxes.

If the provincial revenne is
down then spending must be
reduced and grants to
wunicipalities are part of
provincial expenditures.

So it is a Hitle hard to
listen 10 criticism from
municipal politicians who
insist that they must be im-
mune from any belt tighten-
ing even though in the head-

- fine of the artlele in the Dec,
30, 1998: isstie, “{Cuts hurt,

but won't. tigger tax in-
crease”? Mayor Talstra is

quoted as saying, “The lo-
cal taxpayer is subsidizing
the incompetence of the
provincial financing  pro-
grams’? because the pro-
vince needs to cut $40 mil-
lion.

Last year Terrace received
aboul $350,000 from the
province just for its share of
the Kalum Street rebuild
and a similar amount came
from the federal government

as part of the Canada/BC In-.

frastructure Program,

If you go back to all the
extra’ money: froti just this
program: over the last six

‘years; Terrace ‘has more
ae . a :

than made up for any money
los, We’ve come out way
ahead.

The $121,000 reduction
can be offset by

fines and another infrastruc
lure program grant approval
which receives a brush off
by the inayor.

We can only speculate
where Terrace would be if
Skeena Cellulose had been
allowed to crash in January
1998, as the opposition Lib-
crals demanded, -

This, along -with — the-
_ Asiat-economic .

erlsis,

might have been much tiore:

new -
revenue from shared traffic |

might have been considered
before launching another
shot at the province,

When we hear the cries
from municipel politicians
to cut spending, why would
they expect to be protected
from any effects.

When the federal govern-
incnt got its spending under
control by offloading heaith
and education costs to the
provinces, provincial
governments, tot municipal
goveriuments or even the op-
position, complained.

Helmut. Giesbrecht,

MLA, Skeena

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 20, 1999 - AS

”

~~

br]

CORRESPONDEMCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

The Mail Bag

Wasn’t to teach a lesson

Dear Sir:

] was absolutely shocked when I read ‘Drug Raid
draws Complaint,” (fhe Terrace Standard, Jan. 13,
1999), I spoke to The Standard to fet them know
charges against me as reported October 1997 in the
paper had been stayed Dec. 3, 1998, Also that com-
plaints bad been filed with the RCMP Public Com-
plaints. Commission against. members of Terrace
RCMP for the way firearms were handled during the
raid,

The reporter asked why the charges were stayed, My

~Tesponse was that] didn't know why-but I had views of

my own as to possible reasons,
I stated these reasons were pure Speculation on my
part. I suggested to the reporter to contact my lawyer if

“she wanted a legal opinion,

My reason for speaking to the reporter wasn’t so 1
could teach the police a lesson. [ never said that or int-
tended to leave anybody with thal impression. ,

I did not and do not allege anything was done illegal-
ly by Crown prosecutors or the RCMP concerning this
matter. No where in the complaint Gled do I accuse the
police of lying and do nol now. aan

I spoke to the paper about this incident so informa-'
tion about RCMP Public Complaints Commission’

"would be in the paper.

‘T expected a small write up about complaint tegard-

“ing firearms, Not a front page picture depicting me as
_Maunting the police and legal system, ?
_ Sure ] was pleased in having items returned to me.

I have the utmost respect for our legal system and the’
people employed by it. Even though there is ane partic-

_ ular law T feel needs to be changed, J believe the harm

of marijuana prohibition far outweighs any benefits.
Bob Erb, Terrace, B.C.

A new soup recipe

Dear Sir:

I see Bob Erb on the front page of Jan, 13, 1999 the.
Terrace Standard wauts to legalize marijuana to fix
the deficit. Reminds me of one of those Kentucky fried
US Senators who was complaining a few years back
about the ‘daffy set.”’

Just who is this ‘daffy set’”? Well, according to this
Senator who hasn't inhaled in a long time, it must be
the same people who were responsible for the skyrock-

. ¢ting personal debt in the US, due largely to a surfeit of

credit cards,

“There’s too much consumin’ going on out there,’’
lie ranted in the senate. This may be the first time in
political science that actual consumption bas been asso-
ciated more with tuberculosis than with monclary ac-
tivity,

Now, if they do legalize pot it could prove interesting
if anti-poverty groups start serving hemp soup to the
down and oul. It would beat getting salmonella from
alfalfa sprouts, eh?

I also enjayed Jeff Nagel’s page on Canadians who
are slecpless in Seattle, Seeing the picture of Cindy

: Taylor-Blakely made me wonder if he planus to write:

any scripts for Due South!

Brian Gregg, Terrace, B.C.

Story in bad taste

Dear Sir:

Upon retuming from Christmas holidays we were
quite shocked to read your front page Dec. 23, 1998
headline, ‘‘Red tape, taxes choke Santa,”

The Terrace Standard demonstrated a severe lack of
professional journalism by creating a front page news
Story out of a one-sided political opinion held by the
paper that is supposed to be unbiased and objective,

Not only was it alarming to read this meager attempt
at political satire outside of your editorial column, it
was upselling to see a Chrisimas symbol desecrated to
conjure up feelings of hostility in the communily for
the support ofa particular political agenda,

Eamon O'Donoghue, Jennifer Hegan, Terrace

Larger families praised

Dear Sir:

I would like to comment on Claudette Sandecki’s
dan. 6, 1999 column entitled, ‘‘A womb’s work is over-
done,” especially her assumption that smaller families
are belter.

Always God has told his chosen people that large
families are a blessing from God. Previously Catholics
were known for their courage and perseverance in deal-
ing with the challenges of large familics. Mothers of
large families were given the highest order of honour

. and respect by not only their extended family but by

others in the community.

Bachelor uncles and maiden aunts often allached
themsclves to families of their siblings to everyone’s
mutual benefit, Our nearest farm neighbour on the
Prairies was a large Irish family who bad two single
aunts living with them,

There were children who were so unfortunate as to
come from families which were dysfunctional due to
problems such as drunkenness arid laziness.

Others were in situations of poverty which was right-
ly defined as not having cnough lo eal. Often these
children had to take refuge among neighbours and rela-
tives, In the worst of situations, there were always con-
solations that came from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

_and prayers before the Blessed Sacrament,

Life at its best in those days was properly seen as a
happy warfare against the forces of the World, the
Flesh, and the Devil,

Tom Brophy, Terrace, B.C.

Tape tax a cash grab

Dear Sir:

Re: '‘Mystery levy on tapes and CDs”", (The Terrace
Standard, Jan. 6, 1999). 1 can see paying a user tax if
you are using those tapes for recording somebody
else’s music.

What about if you record your own songs? Your own
book? Your own outdoor movies? That list can go on
and on without infringing on anybody’s copyright,

The way thal tax is being applied is Holbing but an-
other federal money grab. I have noticed during the
past five years that most user fees went straight through
the roof. And rightly so, if the public keeps voting

‘them into office.

- Manfred Bader, Thornhill, B.C,