A2 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 16, 2002 Mercer has lock on SCI talks Gov't to okay sale next week , By JEFF NAGEL _FINAL APPROVAL of a ‘deal to sell Skeena Cellu- - lose to Mercer Internation- -al is expected to come ‘next week. Documents filed in . court indicate the deal will “come before treasury board - Jan, 22 and it is slated to s be before cabinet Jan. 23. Skeena MLA Roger ‘Harris sils on treasury ? board, which meets behind ‘Closed doors, and will be - in pasition to argue for or ‘against the deal. Details of the planned ‘sale so far remain shrou- ' ded in secrecy. Harris said he was - “unhappy” about a govern- ‘ ment decision last week to :once again give Mercer ‘exclusive negotiations, . barring rival bidders such ‘as NWBC Timber and ' Pulp Lid. Harris had ‘opposed ‘ NWBC’s request to get a : 90-day exclusive period to ‘raise money in financial , markets. He said he still believes - keeping the talks open to all bidders is the best way ; to conclude a sale. ‘ He said he was told ex- ‘clusivity for Mercer was ‘needed to demonstrate ‘progress to the court and ‘From front : Teachers’ ‘action hits ‘music more than sports ; Normal hours of instruc- : tion,” Rowe said. : Phase one of the job ‘ action began Nov. 8. Since ‘then, teachers have stop- { ped a.range of non-teach- ‘ing duties, including stu- : dent supervision, That’s being done by : school principals and dis- ‘ trict administratars, With the launch of ‘phase two, teachers who . Sponsor or coach sports ‘ teams have pulled out. ~. But a number of local -school athletic teams aren’t affected by the job ‘action because they are ‘coached by peaple who aren’t teachers. _ That's created a_per- ception that there’s an un- _ even playing field when it comes to non-athletic clubs and activities in Ter- _tace schools, Rowe said. “The perception is that : the sports teams are more important than the other - activities that the other ‘teachers and students are - invotved in,” Rowe said. “It just happened that way, ‘ because there were al- - ready community coaches - with teacher sponsors for the sports teams.” After school music acti- vities are being affected, ‘too. * By withdrawing extra- curricular duties, teachers hape to resolve the on- going impasse at the bar- : gaining table, Employers rejected the ’ teacher's latest wage offer, 4.22 per cent wage in- crease over three years. The bargaining unit re- " presenting school districts, ‘the B.C. Public Schools . Employers’ Association (BCPSEA), wants to pay . teachers a seven per cent - increase over three years. - The TDTU is holding - firm against contract de- ‘mands that would enable : School districts to increase class size restrictions, and remove support for special ' heeds students. Last week, the ‘ BCPSEA rejected the B.C. ‘Teachers’ Federation’s proposal to have a medi- ‘ator come up with non- ‘binding recommendations . on a number of relatively . minor issues. Rowe said teachers may not go back to extra- curricular duties if the. ‘government legistates a. - contract imposing its wil on them. resist the TD bank’s effort last week to overturn cre- ditor protection. “I’m nol a lawyer but I’m not entirely convinced it was needed at this time,” Harris said. Harris said it was too early to say whether he will oppose the sale ta Mercer, because he hasn’t yet seen the details. “I don’t have any inside information,” he said. The judge dismissed the effort last Tuesday by the TD to push SCI into bank- ruptcy after the province, pulp workers and reps for northwest towns opposed the application. Mercer now has until Feb. 15 — the current dead- line for a final sale — to negotiate with the govern- ment without Victoria con- sidering other bids. Pa y tradeforder may be necessary. NWBC, a Montreal- based group that includes some former Repap exec- utives, had refined and re- submitted its bid for Skee- na since Metcer’s previous atrangement of exclusivity ended Dec. 15. It says it. would raise $150 million to invest. in SCI in a business plan il says is far superior to Mer- cer’s. NWBC says it would keep all the operations to- gether, while Mercer -is expected .to' sell. of the sawmills and woodlands operations. Some northwest towns and numerous residents in the region had rallied be- hind NWBC’s bid. Government rep Lucy Stephenson said the deci- sion to give Mercer exclu- sivity again is in ltne with earlier decisions that Mer- cer’s proposal is the best option given the deadline handed down by the court. “It was determined that continuing with Mercer was the best option,” she said, “So the exclusivity agreement was entered back into.” NWEBC president Da- niel Veniez said the move defies common sense. “L can’t believe for a second that members of the government, who have been saying that B.C. is now upen for business, would sanction such an ut- terly irresponsible, unpro- fessional process,” Veniez said. “The people that are going to pay the price are going to be the people of the northwest.” Still, Veniez said NWBC is making prepara- tions in the event the Mer- m.Wheels +.Touring Suispensi Deep-Tint Sunscreen Glass + * 2.4L DOHC - 150 Horsepower engine * Next-Generation Dual Front Airbags * AM/FM CD Player with Changer Cantrols and 6 Speakers + Air Conditioning * Dual Inboard Armrests * Multiposition Rear Shelf Pane! « Undar-seat Storaga Drawer * 65/35 Split-alding/Ramovable Rear Seats * Sentry-Kays Engine Immobilizer Purchase Financing on most _ 2002 models. >“ Peccludes licence, insurance and registration, Financing subject to approval bi conditions a 2002 Chrysiar, Dodge, Joep vehicles up to 48-months. 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