nash, crash Accidents and thefts are driving up ICBC claims and that's bad | news\NEWS AS Music marvel Board bonanza Thornhill Junior Secondary’ $ band is inline for international — recognitionN\COMMUNITY B1 WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 27, 1996 Sawmill By JEFF NAGEL SKEENA SAWMILLS will shut down all cpera- tions for at least six weeks starting on Dec. 23. throwing 155 mill employees out of work. West Fraser officials made the announcement to workers here Friday after months of Speculation about a possible temporary closure. The shutdown also means an immediate halt to all logeing by the company's contractors,’ who were - told the final timber. shipments would be this week. West Fraser northwest operations manager Bruce MacNicol said he’s hoping the mill can be re-start- : ed Feb. 3, bul said that will depend on circumstane- es at the time. “We have last 4 significant amount of dollars aver the last two. yeurs.and- it seems that it’s getting worse and worse,” MacNical said. workers @ 200 more out of work, Pg A2 @ Repap meets Zirnhelt, Pg A2 The mill is presently losing $1 million a month. But he denied suggestions the company might not reopen the mill. “West Fraser has a commitment to this area,” he said. “We're not about to throw in the towel.” The. closure also comes ‘at the same time both. . West Fraser and Repap B.C. are pushing for chang- es to the’ system of stumpage fees and other. reduc- ; tions in logging costs. .. Bath companies have a high proportion of pulp logs in their stands, and say the low prices for those . logs are not covering the hefty hikes in stumpage fees and logging costs over the lasi few years. ~ A growing sport will get big exposure at the Northern B. C. Winter Games\SPORTS BE ANDARD laid off Although Skeena Sawmills is losing money, West Fraser as a whole is not hurting. The firm reported the highest earnings in B.C. last quarter. “Hs all come to a head because of the econom- igs,” Skeena MLA Helmut Giesbrecht said Monday. “There was a time when mills kept fune- tioning ever in bad times. Things seem to be differ- ent now,” "Bob Friesen, executive director of operations for the. ministry of forests, said Munday West Fraser's requests amount to: “a: grab bag” of changes, that -would reduce delivered.wood costs. “We've got their’ ideas,” he said, “Our staff is evaluating them right now.” , He said the ministry will respond to Repap's slumpage proposal within a couple of weeks and a response to. West Fraser will come sooner, 93¢ PLUS 7¢ GST VOL. 9 NO. 33 Contest begins THERE’S GOING to be plaques and prizes for those who enter and win the various categories in the North- west Real Estate Board’s Christmas lights contest. It’s the eighth year for the contest and organizer Lisa Godlinski hopes lots of people will enter, The best theme category of the past has been dropped in favour of one for apartments and mobile homes. ‘We felt we needed a category in this area as well,” said Godlinski. There’s a calegory for best overall effort and ones for best home, best street and best commercial display. ‘*The response from our sponsors has been great and we hope for a large number of entries as a result,’’ said Godlinksi, The entry deadline is Dec, 18 with judging the next day. Entrics can be faxed to the real estate board’s of- fice at 638-1837 or dropped off at the various sponsors. You'll find those listed in an ad in this newspaper. EF r BY z % — A holiday message ‘Openness’ under wraps for now NEW DEALS on how open Nisga’a treaty talks will be and what can be done on Nisga’a land are being kept under wraps until next weck. Federal treaty negotialion spokesman Joseph Whiteside said the so-called “‘open- tess protocol’? and the interim protection measures agreement —- which governs resource extraction and development on Nisga’a land up until the final. treaty is signed —- wi: be made public at treaty talks here on V -orsday, Dec, 5. ‘""That"Will bé the first ever open negotiat- ing session in the Nisga’a treaty talks. The province, federal government and the Nisga’a arc now working toward a final treaty, which is expected to be finished in the spring. ‘ Nisga’a Tribal Council president Joe Gos- nell said not all the talks will be open in the days ahead. “That determination will be made by the three parties as to which negotiations will be made open to the general public,’’ Gos- nell said. More sensitive issues will be contained ta just representatives of the three sides, he said. The new interim protection measures agreement replaces an earlier one that was in effect up until the Nisga’a agreement-in- principle was reached fast February. The old one required that the Nisga’a be consulted about proposed logging, mining or development in their arca, But it was criticized as giving only empty consultation wilh na real control over resource activities. “Some of the measures in the new agree- ment mave a bil beyond what was in the former agreement,’’ Gosnell said, refusing to elaborate further. Gosnell said the Nisga’a have been promised the recent government cutbacks won't disrupt the negotiations in any way. But he said last spring's election outcome has already played a role in treaty talks. “The NDP doesn’t have that great of a majority,’’ he sald, adding he believes the narrowness of the party’s victory. Jed the government to create its select standing committec on aboriginal affairs. That committee is now winding up its tour of the province and is expected to give ils recommendations on how: the govern- ment should proceed with further land claim negotiations, Gosnell said the Nisga’a are confident the conimitice’s recommendations won't affect the Nisga’a talks, but admilled he is watch- ing the pracess carefully. He has stressed that the Nisga’a do not view their pending sctilement as some others do — as a model for treaty talks. “"We’ve always said we're in this process for ourselves — we’re not negotlating for anybody else,” Negotiators for the three sides explored forestry issues during talks here at the Ter- . race Inn all! fast week. Gosnell said those isuses include the an- nual allowable cut review thal’s to take place, and various transition measures, in- cluding bow to deal with current licence holders and employment stability, Baby ward back in action MILLS MEMORIAL Hospital has partially rolled back the centralization of services on its main medical services floor. It’s done so by moving matemity patients back to matemity rooms which had been closed in September and by re-opening the materily nursing station, Mills administrator Michael Leisinger said the plan to group all classes of patients into rooms surrounding the floor’s main nursing station didn’t work, particularly wilh new mothers and their infants. “Without physical renovations to make this possible, il didn’t work out as well as we planned,’’ he said. Particularly troublesome is the closure of *‘What we have is something built in the 1960s that was designed in the 1950s,”’ said Leisinger. What hasn’t changed is combining the various nursing services inlo teams as op- poscd to having separate departments for each kind of medical service, “We still have that team approach, it’s just the physical renovations haven't hap- pened yet,” said Leisinger. Mills had forecast at expenditure of more than $1 million to construct a new main nursing station, a new pediatrics station, renovate other facilities and construct new patient rooms. That plan stalled because of a government have even more meaning. EVERYONE KNOWS they're not supposed to drink and drive, but during ihe hectic whirl of Christmas and holiday parties, sometimes people have a few too many before they get behind the wheel. That's why grade five students at Clarence Michiel are giving adults a powerful reminder. Ouring Drug Awareness Week last week, students coloured messages on bags the liquor store will be handing out. Here Lane Goldsmith tells adults not to drink and drive, Coming from the mouths of children, the message seems to mothers, patient rooms, the well-baby nursery, meaning that new boms are kept in the same rooms as their Without renovations to create single- new mothers and their spending freeze and Mills has trimmed its plan down to a new nursing station and pediatrics section at a cost of $500,000. As of last week, Leisinger says health ministry officials seem close to giving ap- babies were crowded together. proval fer the project, Area enjoying growth in population WE HAVEN’T mun out of elbow room yet but Terrace and area has experienced a healthy increase in population over the past five years. There's at least 2,600 more people living here now than in 1991, indicate estimates provided by the provinciat government, Latest figures suggest the city’s popu- lation grew 2.7 per cent! over the past year alone to 13,372 people compared to 11,765 in 1991, Add in estimates for population growth around the city’s boundaries and the area population now is in the 21,500 range, says cily economic development officer Ken Veldman. Provincial estimates indicate the city’s population grew by 3.8 per cent in 1992, by 2 per cent in 1993 and by 3 per cent in 1994, Terrace and arca’s growth rate places it among the top performers in the north. Veldman’s predicting more of the same as the city nears the turn of the century, “Slow, steady growth is more manage- able than being in a boom-bust'silua- tlon,’’ he said. And it’s also less stressful on the fabric of cilics the size of Terrace, Veldman adds, ‘Tv’s not just traffic and the things you'd expect. It also applics to tradi- tional businesses and olhers who have conducted themsclves the same for years,’’ he said. Although there’s a hint of caution after nearly cight years of sustained growth here and signs of a struggling forest in- dustry, Veldman's: suggesting the city can Weather any changes. ‘The city’s economic: base has diver- sificd and small business growth has pro- vided and will continuc to fuci the econ- omy, he said. The slow and steady growth should also keep reai estate valucs at what they are, Veldman continued, That’s because there won'l be a huge markel for spec houses — those started or buill without first having a buyer — which can lower prices by putting out more supply than there is demand. Veldman will also be keeping his cye on the demand for commercial and office . space in the downtown area, saying ill he an indicator of business growth. One barometer of that is the arca around the corner of Emerson and Greig where two former doctors’ office loca- lions are being remodeled. They became vacant when doctors moved into the new Park Ave. medical complex, “That's a lot of space to put on the market at one time,’’ said Veldman of the renovated quarters. Add-in increased traffic coming from the recently opened Robin’s Donut outlet kitty corner to the office space and Veld- man says Greig and Emerson could be- come the cily’s newest, busiest spot.