July THE FEDERAL and provincial governments have kicked in $2 million for the eventual con- ee struction of a multiplex here. It has to be used within three years and has given renewed emphasis to the long-standing de- Sire of the city to provide a second sheet of ice, expanded recreational facilities and to provide a space for conventions and other gatherings. City officials have now turned their efforts to determining whether or not a 1999 referendum, in which city voters approved borrowing money for a multiplex still carries any weight. Although city voters said ‘yes’ Thornhill vo- ters, in the same referendum, turned down the idea of borrowing money for a joint city-rural multiplex project. tobtotcink Skeena Cellulose’s new owners are tangling with their unions over the need for new labour contracts which would cut wages and benefits in return for profit sharing. ‘Unionized pulp workers in Prince Rupert and sawmill workers here have tured down proposals from NWBC Timber and Pulp for cuts that could add up to 20 per cent. NWBC president Dan Veniez said the current wage and benefit structure is among the most ex- pensive in the forest industry sector. “We are preparing to re-open a business that has been bankrupt under new ownership,” he said. “We are offering hope and opportunity to start fresh and build a future for ourselves in this community.” totctotick The pending closure of a local mothers’ sup- port program that has been in operation for 27 years is being protested, Supporters of Mothers’ Time Off say govern- ment cuts to social programs such as theirs will hurt mothers and their children. . The program runs on a budget of approximate- ly $40,000 a year. tktctick : The City of Terrace has been ordered ta de- clare a gay pride day, a provincial human rights tribunal has ruled. The ruling came after a hearing here over city’s council decision in 2000 to refuse to de- clare a gay pride day. - The tribunal found there was “no plausible ex- other, than, -that, councillors found it, socially. and: Le morally unacceptable, said tribunal chair Ana» Mohammed. . took Kitimat municipal officials have sounded the alarm over what they fear is a plan by Alcan to sell power instead of using it to make aluminum. They say the company will medernize its cur- rent smelter to produce slightly more aluminum than it now makes in Kitimat. A new smelter will employ fewer people and create a surplus of power for resale. Kitmat officials say close to 1,000 direct jobs are at risk and many more indirect ones through- out the region. They want the province to ensure that the power Alcan does generate stays in the northwest to create employment. tock tick The family of a four-year-old girl who died in Mills Memarial Hospital says it needs answers. Vicki McLean died in the early morning hours of July 1 after several days of visits to the hospi- ‘tal’s emergency room, An investigation found that the young girl died of viral encephalitis, causing a swelling of brain tissue. ‘McLean. had complained of flu-like systems, including a high fever, lack of appetite, lethargy, sore back and hallucinations. ’ The girl’s mother, Marlene McLean, said _ Vicki was turned away several times from June 2 onward before being admitted early on July 1. : ; teivicttk A thumbs up by residents who responded to a government mail-in provincial referendum on land claims treaty princples means they'll now form a starting point for negotiations, says attor- MAYOR JACK Talstra is flanked by McConnell Estate residents at ‘the official opening of the new supportive housing facility Aug. 14. The $3 million facility, named after longtime resi- dent Walter McConnell, has 21 housing units and provides a meal per day for residents in addition to light housekeeping and other services, THE GLIDE path antenna at the Terrace-Ki- timat Airport was installed and is a key part of the naw Instrument Landing System that was activated Nov.. 28. It heralds a new era of mare reliable air travel in Terrace. ney-general Geoff Plant. But Plant also said the province could very well sign treaties that go against the eight princi- ples approved by voters. “Treaty negotiations are negotiations and there is give and take,” said Plant. “We cannot ask the people of British Columbia to attempt to bind us as to the result of those negotations.” In the Skeena riding, 38 per cent of voters mailed in their referendum ballots. More peaple in the rural and remote locations of the province voted than in more urban locations. took tok A proposed massive expansion of the federal Skeena riding all the way south to include Wil- liams Lake and Lillocet has drawn harsh criti- cism. It’s part of a planned redistribution of federal tidings that happens each time there is a 10-year census. * Using population growth stats, a federal’ com- mission’ has recommended adding two seats ‘to B.C. But because of the’ popilation breakdown, three seats would be added in the urban lower mainland. And that-would mean one less for the tural area, resulting in having to make the Skee- na riding much bigger. tot SKEENA LIBERAL MLA Roger Harris says the 2010 Winter Olympics would be good for the " entire province. “I think that the people are not recognizing the job potential that the Olympics would provide,” said Harris. “It becomes a tremendous economic generatror in the province.” He said that some of the southern infrastruc- ture needed to host the games, such as the Sea- to-Sky Highway upgrade to Whistler, would be required eventually. August PROVINCIAL CABINET minister Rick Thorpe has weighed in on the Skeena Cellulose debate, urging workers and the company’s new owners.to be more creative in finding labour con- tract solutions. “The days of the old approaches are not going to work,” said Thorpe in noting that the compa- ny’s old cost structure was simply too high. “Job security and jobs only come from viable businesses,” he said, thk kkk A TERRACE-BASED Anglican bishop does not support a decision made by clergy in the Vancouver area to formally bless same-sex un- ions, The Right Rev. Bill Anderson, the Bishop of Caledonia, is one of 13 bishops who issued a sta- tement of regret over the decision, He is the only bishop from B.C. to sign the statement. Anderson and the other bishops say offering blessings to same-sex unions is against the moral teachings of scripture and of the Anglican church. totokivk PEDESTRIANS USING the Sande Overpass ‘will have a brand new sidewalk to use once a $200,000 contract is completed. The contract will feature a sidewalk being put in on the east side of the overpass, essentially matching the width of the sidwalk on the west side. It was improve pedestrian access and is inten- ded to further dissuade people from crossing the CN tracks that run below the overpass. teictooick THE PROVINCIAL government and Skeena Cellulose are poised to put upward of $45 million into cleaning up long-standing environmental problems at the company’s pulp mill in Prince Rupert. The taxpayer's tab will be $30 million and the company will pay $15 million with the provincial contribution to be used first. » Observers say the deal is cheaper for the tax- payer compared to the company not having a new owner, forcing the province to pay the whole shot. tooth ok Hawkair has taken delivery of its third Dash 8- 100 aircraft, just shy of its second anniversary, - The company began with one plan for one route between Terrace and Vancouver. Since then it as added Prince Rupert and Smithers and, in the fali, will starting flying to Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C. . titkbkk .THE PROVINCIAL government is putting money on the table when it-comes to the long- standing request for a renal dialysis service here. The Northern Health Authority has asked for bids on the engineering that would be needed to install dialysis machines at Mills Memorial Hos- pital. And that was followed by up a very quiet an- nouncement that the service is going head on the main floor of the hospital and that the service should be up and running by spring 2003. Six dialysis stations are planned so that people with kidney ailments can have dialysis here instead of having to move closer to a ser- vice. : ‘ Jota tote Boosbreste A new $2.2 million supportive housing project ‘attached to Terraceview Lodge has been’ called a taste of things to come. The project, called McConnell Estate, con- tains 21 units for seniors or for other citizens who need a few services but who don’t need to live in a more advanced health care facility. Residents receive one meal a day, get house- cleaning every month, go on tours outside the home and have two house-keeping visits a. month. toictot tek The FWA and Skeena Cellulose continue to have difficulty meeting to discuss a new contract the latter wants. Representatives from both parties say mes- sages they’ve left for each other were never re- turned. The union is objecting ta the company’s posi- tion that workers should take a pay and benefit cut in order to put Skeena Cellulose back on its feet. September THE AIRPORT could face a hefty new expense by bringing back firefighters and equipment. Although done way with in 1998, the require- ment has been brought back. The tricky part is the airport is now run by a stand alone authority, meaning that it might have to come up with several hundred thousand dol- lars. kh kkk City councillors like the idea of moving the former home of George Little, city founder, from its Hall St. location to near the railway tracks downtown. The idea is that it will service as both 4 pas- senger railway station and as a linch-pin for si- milar style development centered around the turn of the 20th century. Local politicians and business people see a fe- vitalized railway station stop as vital in order to attract passenger trains full of tourists who have gotten off cruise ships in Prince Rupert. tkhitk Skeena Cellulose could lose much of its log- ging rights because it did not cut enough timber over the past sereral years. The penalty could come from the 1997-2001 period when the company and a subsidiary, Or- enda Forest Products, got into financial trouble and, as a result, did not log to their licence com- mitments. Companies cut ‘according to five-year plans and while they can deviate year to year, they must have ironed out any discrepancies by the end of the five years. Fook Officials say more than 400 students have dis- appeared from the rolls of the Coast Mountains School district. over the last year. : The enrolment drop will also mean less money from the province, as much as $2 million. The head count shows 6,607 students enrolled as of Sept. . And that figure is down 113 students from June 30 itself. toloctok The new Mountainview Elementary School on -. “the bench may not open for the forseeable future, but work continues there regardless. . cyporth. 1: qe 7 tye idee Te School trustees have told the provincial gov- ernment they don’t believe it has the ability to’ That's because construction contracts were signed before the decision not to open the school as a cost cutting measure was made in June. The $3.2 million Baily Ave. school was built to hold 240 children. . Even landscaping and and shrubbery has gone in at-the facility. The Northern Health Authority is- looking for two internal medicine specialists to work in Ter- race. One is to replace Dr. Michael Kenyon who left to go to Nanaimo. The other is:a brand new position which will make for three internists here. Health officials are looking for a person inter- ested in kidney ailments to fill the third position. That’s based on the opneing spring 2003 of a re- gional dialysis unit at Mills Memorial Hospital. October I'WA MEMBERS who became unemployed after Skeena Cellulose closed its sawmill here in 2001 are now getting strike pay. The decision from the union follows failed at- ‘tempts by the workers and the company to agree on a new labour contract and comes as Employ- ment Insurance benefits run out. Strike pay is $225 a week, plus $30 for every dependent. It is non-taxable and amounts to approximate- ly one-third of a worker’s take home pay when ’, the mill was open. toch tok Mayor Jack Taistra, once skeptical of the benefits of the 2010 Winter Olympics, says he’s prepared to support the bid provided the provin- cial government comes up with more money for the northwest. In particular, Talstra wants the federal and provincial governments to beef up their $2 mil- lion commitment to help finance a multiplex. He also wants improvements to Highway 16. tolcttiokk The provincial government has announced its latest budget cutting measure - moving 425 em- ployees from the children and family develop- ment ministry in the north to two new northern agency. One will be for native people and the other for everybody else. With the move would come approximately $120 million the ministry now spends i in 1 the poke PO manage public education. A statement of non-confidence came as trustees said the province has ignored complaints rural schoo!s aren’t getting enough money. The district faces a deficit of at least $4 mil- lion and it is a figure that has trustees worried. “It's impossible to come up with that money - absolutely impossible,” said trustee Hal ‘Sted- ham. As it is, the district has already closed schools and laid of teachers and other workers to cut costs. tickhhk Skeena MP Andy Burton says there’s lots to learn about how Scotland coped with oil and gas exploration and development. He said the industry has flourished for more than 30 years offshore of Scotland, providing work for people and investment income for the region. Burton is advocating for drilling off the northe coast shore to determine the commercial viabili- ty of oil and gas deposits said to be under the ocean floor. - tetctotctoh SC] has postponed any logging plans here until the spring, ending the hopes of many for some work in the fall, It says winter-grade roads weren’t built over the summer. Company officials also say a good portion of the company’s wood is up behind a landslide in the Copper River area. As well, the company and its unionized saw- mill workers here still don’t have a labour agree- ment, kibkik An cight-member jury has awarded $100,000 to. the family of a teenager killed in a tragic June 2000 car accident. The award is believed to be the largest of its kind in Canadian history. Laura Lee, the daughter of Gordon and Nancy Lee, was killed along with her Belgian exchange student boyfriend Renaud Fontaine June 12, 1999 when their vehicle was struck by a stolen speed- ing car driven by Aron Douglas. The family first filed against Douglas under the provincial Family Compensation Act, but he did not respond ICBC became the defendant. tolokktk Students may have left the school district and schools may have been closed, but those that are left are being jammed into classrooms. A teachers’ union survey has found 80 class- rooms exeeded previous class size limits. Those limits have now been done away with ynder new provincial legislation. Mote than half, 47, of those classrooms are junior or senior secondary ones in Terrace and in Thomhill. tickh kk Motorists are pleased with work to widen the intersection of Hwyl6 and Kalum Lake Drive. New lanes are being put in for motorists turn- ing right from Kalum Lake Drive onto Hwy16 and for: those turning left off of Hwyl6 onto : Kalum Lake Drive.