A12 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 13, 1996 BC GOVERNMENT Employees Union president John Shields was in Terrace last week to open their new office. That's Shields cutting the ribbon with staff rep- resentative Shelley Anderson and support staff member Karen Frost. Union chief pledges fight to save jobs THE BC Goverment Em- ployees Union will fight back against government- imposed cut-backs and layoffs in the northwest. That was the message of union president John Shields last week when he was in Terrace to open the union’s -new- office at Lazelle Plaza. Shields spake out against the NDP government’s an- nounced $750 million cuts to the public service sector. The cuts put some 3,000 jobs at risk. About 111 of those jobs are in the north- west. ‘Government employees are not just a bunch of face- less people in Victoria,” Shiclds said. ‘‘We have people’ servicing com- Tounities all over the north- west.”’ Some Terrace employees in the highways ministry and with. the economic de- - velopment section of the small business, tourism and culture ministry have al- ready received notice that’ their posilions are being phased-out. Further job losses are ex- pected in the forest service and the environment minis- try. Shields said the 111 jobs lost in the northwest would | Weekend | Getaway $69 I | I 1 | | i | I I 1 | I Come on outta the coast | I and enjoy Northen BC's {| ] only Four Diamond | | Hotel. Overiooking Prince | r Rupert Harbour, the i i Crest Hotel offers many I amenities and services 1 for your enjoyment. Work | ] out in our well equipped | | exercise room, have a | | soak in the outdoor hot I 1 tub a relax in our i soothing steam bath. For I your dining pleasure, we I ] have three great choices | J from which to choose: | | The W aterfront | \ Restaurant, Charley's Lounge featuring nightly I I entertainment and I [ Rockwell's Coffee | ] Shop. Treat Yourselftoa | ! gelaway weekend! ] Crest Hotel | Prince Rupert L 1-800-663-8150 | Pacific Northem Gas tid. DIVIDEND NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that tha Board of Diractors of Pacific Northern Gas Ltd, has declared the following dividends on the Issued and outstanding shares of the Corperalion: - 6-3/4% PREFERRED SHARES: A semi-annual dividend of 44,375 cents per share payable. on January +, 1997 to share- holders of record al the close of business on _Decamber 13, 1996, and CLASS ‘A and CLASS B COMMON SHARES: . A quarterly dividend. of 24 cents per share payable on Décamber 23,°1996 ‘to shareholders of racord at the close: of business. “an December 9, 1996, . By Order of the Board ~ KL; Wharton Assistant Secretary Vancouver, B.C., October 33, mean that those families would lose an average of $34,539 in annual income. That translates to an im- mediate economic loss to the region of almost $5 mil- lion. “The BCGEU is people serving people and these culs put services at risk,’’ said Shields. ‘If the people disappear, the services dis- appear.” Shields encouraged union members and the public to fight back against the culs by writing to Glen Clark, phoning their MLAs and signing petitions, He said the union is trying to find ways to cut costs without laying people off and chal- lenged the government to do the same. “Is Victoria’s deficit more important than 111 people’s lives in the northwest?”’ he said, The NDP campaigned on a promise to put people first. We have to stand up and hold them to that promise.”’ Shields also officially opened his union’s new Ter- race office. The office is ful- ly wheeichair-accessible and includes. a children’s play room, member lounge, board room and labour [i- brary. Cuts continue PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT spending cuts con- tinued to be felt in the area last week as more bad news was released. Already, six local highways employees and up to six economic development employees here have been told they won’t have jobs. The cuts are part of the province’s plan to chop $750 million in spending over the next 18 months. Still to come are forest service cuts but these may take awhile to be decided upon, says Kalum district forest service manager Brian Downie. His fuil time equivalent employee level is 70 divided between the office here and a smaller office in Stewart. There are four vacancies within that total but Downie said it was too early to say if those could be used to buffer any job losses, ‘We have a lot of work to do yet and I don’t want to speculate on what could happen,’’ he said. Local environment ministry employees may escape the worst of the cuts judging from comments made by environment minister Paul Ramsey last week, That’s because his ministry is concentrating on shed- ding upper levels of management in Victoria, “T have given very clear instructions that there are to be no culs in the conservation officer complement,”’ said Ramsey. ‘I know how important this service is to people in rural arcas,”” The city stil] hasn’t heard how its provincial grants which this year amount to $700,000 will be affected. Word on that might come by the end of the month, after this weckend’s municipal elections. It will lose its $30,000 economic development grant. “We'll just have to take that out of the provisional budget,’ said cily administrator Bob Hallsor. The city’s econamic development budget now stands al $200,000 a year. Terrace and District Chamber of Commerce officials heard last week they'll Jose $8,500 for its business in- formation centre program, which provides information an business start up. Chamber president Skip Bates said that while the chamber is in favour of sound fiscal management its concerned the cut could affect small business growth, “Small business is the employment engine that’s driving the economy right now. The cut would seem to be counterproductive,”’ he said. Bates did add chamber employees will continue te provide what service they can to small businesses, City economic development officer Ken Veldman, who is also the secretary of a provincial association of economic development officers, said the decision to make cuts in this area works against the need to attract more businesses io the province. “It’s a signal this provincial government doesn’t sce economic development as being that important,’’ he said. stock your library? Vote for it. Te PEOPLE we elect make decisions that directly affect the quality of our daily lives — decisions on libraries and community centres, swimming pools and parks, roads, sidewalks, sewers, schools, care homes, city trees and on hundreds of other i important public services. The people we elect also decide who provides those services ~ public einployces or profit-making, private contractors." | ~ Before you vote on Saturday, Nov. 16, please take time to find. out where all the candidates stand. Then use your vote to support good-value public services provided by the public's employees. 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