Warning issued

Record intact.

Moving in

Ensuring pleasant views fron.)
highways couid hurt the foresty ive
industry./NEWS AG a

| Skeena girl basketballers
| returned triumphant from an
Alaskan foray./SPORTS A11

The first tenants take up
| residence at a local housing
| project.CcD/COMMUNITY BL

WEDNESDAY
JANUARY 4, 1995

ee ee ee _

STAYING ALERT at all times is one of the four rules of the
road veteran driving instructor Al Tomas (above) says

Tomas drives message home

SLOW DOWN. Drive to the
conditions. Be alert. Make sure
your vehicle is roadworthy.

Drivers on the north’s winter
roads have heard all this before
— probably to the point where
the message fails to sink in.

But for veteran driving in-
structor Al Tomas, it’s a way
of lile.

“Check over your left
shoulder. Drive with the door
locked and the headlights on,”
says ‘Tomas as he prepares to
pull out {rom the curb on a tour
of area streets andhighways.

“*¥You can’t afford to be lazy.
You have to be alert with all of
the conditions no matter the
time of year.”’

That advice is even more im-
portant in the winler when road
conditions make driving
slower a must.

It takes longer for vchicics to
slop on snow and ice and ex-
cessive speed can lead to skid-
ding and loss of control.

“If you just touch the brakes,
you can lock your wheels, It’s
neatly impossible to prevent
that kind of skid,” says
Tomas.

There’s nothing wrong with

driving slower, even if it
means afriving at a destination
a couple of minutes later than
normal, he adds, ‘‘Be patient.
Give yourself plenty of time.”
Tomas advises drivers going
on longer winter trips to make
sure they have plenty of rest
and to stop every ance in
awhile to take a walk and to
getsome fresh air,
Although not a regular coffce
drinker, Tomas takes a thermos
full of the liquid on long trips

should be every driver's watchwords, They apply all year
round but are especially important in winter conditions.

obscured by high snowbanks
as it does to stopping and look-
ing at intersections.

“Always take a look around,

If youre not looking, you
could be at St. Peter’s feet the
next minute,’’ Tomas says.
' Tomas advocates following
the ‘two second”? rule when
travelling behind another
vehicle.

“Fix your eye on a landmark
and when the other vehicle
passes it, count ‘onc thousand

If you’re not looking, you could be at St.
Peter's feat the next MINULE.s.cereseerree TOMAS.

to help him stay alert,

That word ‘‘alert’’ is a con-
stant refrain and forms the first
rule of four that Tomas has.

The others are recognizing
hazards, being prepared and
acting on time.:

“Good observation is more
than 80 per cent of the safety
that's required,” notes Tomas.
“You have to watch the other
driver and anticipate.’’

That applics as much to
slowing down on comers

that other vehicle poses a

and onc,’ ‘one thousand and
two.’ a]

This applies for any speed
and will give you time to act if

hazard.
‘And should another vehicle
be following you toc closely,

Tomas has a solution.

‘Just touch your brake very
lightly. Your brake lights will
go on even though you aren’t
pulting pressure on the brakes.
Sure, the other driver may

swear at you. No question
about it, but they'll know not
ta drive too close,”’ he says.

There’s also nothing wrong
with slowing down and letting
following vehicles overtake
you when on winter highways,
Tomas adds,

Instead of relying on brakes
when going down hills in the
winter, Tomas advocates put-
ting the vehicle into a lower
gear.

His caution here is to be
careful because too low a gear
can ruin the transmission.

When parked on a hill and to
move forward, Tomas says
drivers should choose a low
gear and be ever so gentle
when accelerating.

His advice even extends to
the little things — such. as
making sure there’s no snow
stuck to the bottom of your
footwear when you climb into.
a vehicle.

That snow is slippery and
your foot can easily slip off of
the brake or gas pedal.

Tomas adds that good brakes
and good winter tires are es-
sential for driving during the
winter months.

City to go to rural tax well

IT’S A CASH GRAB and there’s
probably not much Thomhill tax-
payers can do about it

Terrace city council is planning
to ask Thornhill, Lakelse Lake
and other rural taxpayers to start
sharing in the costs of supporting
local community organizations,

Councillor David Hull last
week presented council witha list
of grants the city made to various
organizations in 1994,

Regional district taxpayets al-

ready pay part of the cost of oper-

‘
_

ating the library — which ac-
counts for more than half of the
$600,000 in grants on the list,

But the Chamber of Commerce,
the Terrace Beautification
Society, Terrace Victims As-
sistance Program, and olhers, are
supported by the cily but not by
the rural area,

Those city grants total more
than $130,000 and Hull plans to
demand: regional district tax-
payers help by kicking in some of
that money, ©

And the city has a good chance
of succeeding in the moncy grab.

That’s because regional district
directors from places like the
Hazelions, Stewart and Telegraph
Creek will also get to vote on the
issue.

Many of them resent the
amount of the regional district’s
time and resources that Thornhill
consumes,

And how | betier. to pressure
Thornhill taxpayers. to either
amaigamate or incorporate than

Geo

by giving away their money?

“Thornhill may want to keep
the status quo,” Hull said. ‘‘But
you can’t have your cake and eat
it too.’

The tople will likely be raised
by Terrace’s representatives —
David Hull and mayor Jack Tal-
stra — at the regional district's
Jan, 28 board meeting.

Some city councillors have also
suggested approaching — neigh-

bouring native banda for tiller,

contributions.

KCP report to
go to cabinet

A 300-PLUS PAGE report on Al-
can’s $1.3 billion Kemano Com-
pletion Project could come before
cabinel next Wednesday.

Health minister Paul Ramsey —
the province’s designated repre-
sentative on the controversial
hydroclectric project — said last
week that’s the first day cabinet
mets in the new year.

“Tt will take some time to ana-
lyze the report and its recom-
mendations,’ Ramsey told the
Standard, adding, he hopes to
telease it to the public and inter-
venors as soon as possible after
it’s reviewed by cabinet.

“The goal here is to get it to
cabinet and to the public as
quickly as possible."’

The report and its recommenda-

. tons are the product of more than

a year of work by a B.C. Utilities
Commission panel that toured the
north probing the project’s im-
pact. °

The project consists of drilling
a second tunnel through Mount
Dubosc, allowing more water
from the Nechako reservoir to
tum turbines at Kemaneo, Alcan
will add nearly 300 megawatts of

capacity to ils Kemano generating
station,

The central issue to be ad-
dressed by the report is whether
or not fish stocks can survive the
dramatic reduction of water levels
that will occur. in the upper
Nechako River.

Economically, the — project’
means business for Terrace. and
Kitimat during the construction
phase.

About 800 workers were on the
construction site until. the half-
built project was mothballed in
1991. a,

Beyond construction, however,

there would be few if any new
jobs added at the generating sia-
tion.
- When the province announced
the revicw in 1993, Premier Mike
Harcourt said scrapping the pro-
ject altogether was not a consid-
eration because taxpayers would
likely have to pay hundreds. of
millions of dollars in compensa-
tion to Alcan.

Liberal leader Gordon. Camp-
bell in October pledged to scrap
the hydroelectric “Project
altogether ifhe is clected premier.

Boom continues —

THREE OFF the reel.

For the third consecutive year,
the value of construction in the
city has topped $20 million.

Permits director Bob Lafleur
said ths final tally for 1994 was
just a fraction below $22 million,

That's nearly $1.5 million less

than 1993, but it’s still shows:
construction running at double -

the rate of three years ago. ©

The residential sector led the
way again, accounting for two of
every three dollars spent in the
continuing building boom,

Single family home starts hit _

&5, three more than last year, 20
multi-family developments took
place and even something as
seemingly unimportant as garages
accounted for close to one quarter
ofa million dollars.

How long can this go on?

Minister says
fears unfoundet

SLAPPING preservation status

. on large areas of the northwest

does not necessarily mean smaller
eco-systems jn the region will go
unprotected.

‘That was the response last weck
from provincial Forests minister

. Andrew Petter to concerns raised

by the Gerry Bloomer, chairman
of the Kalum. South Community
Resources board.

In an article in the Dec, 14 Ter-
race Standard, Bloomer. criti-
cized the province for setting
aside “immense protected areas”
such as the Kitlope . and
Tatshenshini-Alsek.

Those decisions pushed the area
of preserved land in the northwest
above the govemment’s target of
12 per cent.

Bloomer therefore feared it
would now be impossible to get
meaningful conservation
measures taken on the numerous
amall eco-systems identified by a
board sub-committee,

However, Petter pointed out the
12 per cent figure is a province-
wide target, not. a Tegion-by-
region one. :

On Vancouver Island, for ex-
ample, the area” set aside had
slightly exceeded 12 per.cent.

, And in other parts: of. the ‘pro-
Vince, It would be ‘difticult’” to

- tion .to, ‘satlsty’ ‘thos
agreed | with a decisio 7

Lafleur says rising interest rates
are the only thing that can. n stop
the boom.
There are some 1995 bankers:
the planned Saan store; a 32 unit.
motel; the Skeena-Kalum Hous-

_ ing Socicty’s 18 unit addition,: .

‘And a-significant number of .
sub-division: lots’ had been sold
last year with the owners plan-
ning to build this year.

However, housing will. ‘still be
the driving force and higher Inter-
est rates ate ‘'the only ‘thing: that
can slow things down?) nce |

If they get .too high, he. “x-
plained, potential home. builders -
could find themselves.” dis-.
qualified Grom getting financing,

That aside, Lafleur says: he. .
would be pessimistic if:he didn’t : .
forecast this year will be as busy : |
as last in terms of construction. oy

achieve the fi igure because. of de- |
velopment that had already taken ;
place, le pointed out’. yo

“Some balancing will have: fo.
be done,” Petter said, repeating. .
conservation decisions. would be -
taken based on ‘‘how it Fits, into
provincial goals.’? ..- .

- Therefore, any decisions taken
to date did not preclude prestrva-
tion of conservation: of smaller
areas in the northwest. or else
where. : _

Petter also defended the Kitope
and Tatshenshini decisions which —
Bloomer . had. suggested were -
driven by ! ‘political agendas’,

The . Kitlope had. . involved
“extensive. . public consultation’?
and ¢ven the forest company i ‘n- ©
volved — West Fraser, —- had.
agreed the area was. worthy: of”
preservation, =.) &

The. decision to. pieserve- shad :
responded to: the views of people. .,
living in thearen, he maintained.

And..in: the case of, ‘the |

“Tashenshini, he pointed out. in-

dustry had argued a decision was |

necessary to, end the, uncertainty:

surrouriding the future of the area. °
“Decision making «is~ never".

easy,” Petter ;noted,. adding ‘you |

could neverdo: enough consulta:
wh ‘diss ae