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we don’t mean. ~~
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=} working, says. Fh |

| Owen\NEWS AS

H cancer their own. Wey With:

dh a 250- km walk, ao

‘Sut 00 PLUS 7¢. @sT
; ($1.40 plus 8¢°GST.-:. ”
outside of the je Terrace area) .

By J ENNIFER LANG

THE FUTURE of Mountainview ‘Elementary and”
_ three other local-schools willbe ‘decided: in’ two
weeks at a special school board meeting in Terrace;

‘Trustees... will make: up: their’ minds - April. 6,
following a “30-day- public consultation period that».
culminates in afinal public’ meeting. the: night, before a

- at Skeena Junior. Secondary, -

proposals on the vacant new school,

: Kenney Primary and Kiti K' Shan Primary have-been
put on notice they could potentially: face closure
_ depending on: which. scenario trustees:choose.

.. Three different groupsareé vying fot Mountainview:
Elementary, a brand-new; $3.2: million school thal’s -

Wennace @

~ www.terracestand

| School closure clocks

Sago — a acasually of dedtining enclnnent and ditt
budget constraints...
The: -Tertace Chapter. of Canadian’ Patents for

the district's First*Nations Education Centre -have™

: «:vasked trustees to ‘turn’ the school :info a culturally-
Coast Mountains trustees: ‘and adihinisinators.a “are,
asking . parents. what. they. thiink:. of. four. Sifferent

sensitive, magnet. school for: First Nations students, °

“And proponents ofa new. ‘independent. Christian

- >" school. have offered: ‘to.. purchase:, Mountainview.
. Meanwhile, * “Uplands - Elementary, ‘and ET.

' School trustee-Hal Stedham is responsible for the

; fourth proposal before the board; ve oats

He suggests. letting | Bench parents. have first crack

Uplands Elementary.

and next or “head: to, ‘the: board, office. to. view the
proposals j in- ‘person.

“The onus is ‘on.the parent to get informed, Terrace :
trustée Diana ‘Penner said, adding:-the- proposals: are.
7 also. on View at the school board. office.

_ In the wake of-a recent’ lawsuit: that. found. ‘Coast. ‘:
* Mountains trustees. failed to" adequately ‘consult’
‘parents: over: the: four. day. week, trustees: now: ‘fear.
; elémentary, : an invitation the board has long resisted,
fearing it. -would:: draw “more * Coast Mountains °
“students ‘out of the public system.””

making any moves that: would: ‘possibly’ Prejudice: the

public consultation process, fe

Primary, ;

: a “Wer re 2 elected by the public to make’ a decision.
- Parents. who want. more e information’ are asked lo. :

“attend: one of -the meetings taking ‘place this ‘week
‘French want to turn it into the home of the elementary ;

French i immersion program, ;
~_A group, ‘of community - ‘members. acting ‘through

on: their. behalf.” Now; what we're ‘doing: because of |

“the way the public process is supposed to go, is we're my 2
’ seeking | opinions first and then making’ decisions. On .
‘the other hand, when we didn’t do that; -people-used.

to think we came ai them with a preconceived plan,’ -
she said:.“It certainily’ looks. aS if the ship’ is’ Tanning ue

© Wwithout'a captain, are

‘Mountainview: nieetings’ took place, yesterday

“at Clarénce: Michiel Elementary, and: Br Kenney «©
“Thornhill. . a
Eletientary, Kiti. K’Shan\in- Terrace and at Mouint Boas
». Blizabeth Secondary i in: Kitimat: ;
* . So, that’s. why the district. has” not prepared. its.

own cost.analysis of the proposals... :
““We:-would be: biasing: it, because we: would
“decide what to pick to pick and what to put on there, ”,

-and:"-continue' tonight”

-- Meetings resume Tuesday al Uplands Elementary . ~

-— for. Tuesday, and continue: ‘March 31. at Cassie Hall)
“Elementary. Parents who miss those ‘nights dreinvited .

remained empty since it was completed: two years at, . Mountainview, ¢ a plan, that would Involve closing :

HOME SINCE ate February, Mackenzie Agnew shows avery. sign of being | the. Aueyeneon fat she. is.
She had been in Vancouver since last August taking treatments. for ci gancer, a ° os

_Amessage for Terrace ©
from C Don and Lynda. Agnew.

LAS T AUG UST. Don. and Lynda Agnew discovered. thay
their daughter, Mackenzie, had, cancer. :
She was quickly taken to : Vancouver where she went
through. rounds of treatment and isolation. . rere
Mackenzie, who has just i ured. wo; was well enough
to return home in February... “
She “returns. ‘to ‘Vancouver. later. this. nigtth: fo
more treatiient ‘and fier Sarnily, reinains hopeful oF her -
recovery. .

Mackenzie’ will -bé trayelling” to, Vancouver “every” |
‘three months for tests and-scans. ‘When, we have results... ‘|
we will: tet you know,.
"_AS-our. story ‘progresses,’ we have leamed valuable .

to waste it.

‘everywhere, You dust: have: to. open. your eyes. ‘and ‘see
ts them:’ ane
LA ‘community is ‘more. ‘than buildings, businesses and ve
-people; Terrace is a living, breathing entity. “And y d you, the
” People, ‘are its heart and soul. -

. We wish: to thank all who have tielped u us,

Renouncing citizenship called

By DON AND LYNDA’ AGNEW. a
“It has: been: a: dong seven. months and the frst p t pan of
: our journey is ‘over, :

' Now. we have: the beginning of Part Two.

Penner: said, i pointing to the board's predicament:

: ‘Health workers vote.
| to take strike action |

A. STRIKE VOTE. to- be: released next’
~ week- will. reveal how. unionized health
_ care workers. feel. about attempts by their’
. employers to.reduce wages and benefits...

°“The “Northern Health Authority anid v
other. employers across B.C... want nursing’
assistants, laundry” ‘workers, ' cleaners. ‘and

take’ hold’ April: le ;
The rollback amounts to an average wage. :
sand: benefit cut: of 17 ‘per cent: and: would:
affect: 207 ‘Northern, Health’ employees. in oe
the: Terrace area. ‘
2 AML told, thé. ‘fallback’ “would, affect "
approximately’ “3,000: people. working for 7
‘the, Northern Health Authority... Saeeeae
- Health workers, the majority of: whom’:
“are ‘members of ‘the Hospital Employees’,
Union, have “responded” with’ a ‘Iwo-year’
‘proposal-calling: for cost of. living i increases a

. lessons. We, have. learned to take. What i is iven but. net ee

Times: is ‘a- precious: ‘as s gold. or: > silver: Friends ace" moe

$350 million: ‘over

dnd a boost'in some ‘benefits. .

othe’, employers’

a three-year contract e :

oincrease:-

offload onto-our members,”*

“Louise Simard of the’ Health Employers no
‘Association « of B.C, - ;
‘bargaining branch, said its wage and benefits”:
~ proposal: reflects: what other public. sector
- employers - and* private sector. entiployers -
_ pay their: people for.similar work. :
_,. “Wages and benefits here are among. the |
I. highest in the. couritry,”" said Simard. “What'

“we're trying to do:is have. those'y wages and .
|]. benefits reflect market rates,” .
|. She: said health: employers” ‘need ‘the.
concessions: td éase- their, own: ‘budgets:

which essentially have: been frozen by the,
~ provincial government.
We neéed. to- realize. savings,” ‘Simard a
a added, “As you ‘know, 70 per cent of health
a gare costs are in- wages and:benefits.”” --"
Information: from. the health. employers: . y 1
: -association indicates thata unionized health
_ tare laundry worker makes $18.68 an hour, . -
‘36 per cent more than the national average se
“of $13, 76 an, hour. ee

toa 1 general public meeting April 5 at Skeena Junior. oe :

Cont’ d Page Az”

A full: time: work week: is, 36 ‘hours, the

; shortest. in the’ country. Employers- want

to increase.a full time work week to 37. 3 tee
hours... mo

“Health. care workers” start ‘with: ‘four: :
weeks vacation and can ‘work: their: Way ups.
tol2. weeks: based'on seniority, “Six weeks. 0!
§ holiday vis * the. maximum: ‘elsewhere: and” a7
health employers. want a similar cap, es

- Mike. Old of- the Hospital : Employees" a

Union said its members" want to” bargain, bat’

“not with what, employers z are offering.

We. haven't included a Wage increase’

but “we ate: asking for. a Cost of: living So
_ Our. ; ‘proposals are” selatively
‘imoderate,” he Said. mss Z

7

“What ‘we see ‘here. is an, ater to

The strike vote and eniployer’ demands _

- for’ rollbacks: are. the: ‘latest"in' a series’ of... -
_attempts by’ both parties to Teach new. labour Ld
; “agreements, ; Ms
“Négotiators. for: both “the: émployers and a :
.... thé-unions-did reach a deal. one -year‘ago to:
ul: wages and. ‘benefits, ‘but. it Was. rejected: oe

by- Union -mémbers..°.5 5°"
That” caused?,

that’ when, ‘the: union’ members: who: hadn’ t.

‘agreed: to cuts: at. first; -accepled.a ‘package. |
~ vas resulted: i in: some: job I loss" earlier. this.

* Some health workers have Just accepted ; on

cuts fo wages. and: benefits ° © _
Par that sory, Please. see Paige Al2,, ot

HiT

‘the - ‘Narthern: : Health fot
Authority: ‘to ‘attempt: to carve oul.its own
“Wage and. beriefit reductiondeéal. with its’.
“own employees, but! this Was also ejected

. by amass vote. - tne _
=,» But wage ‘cuts. and: behefts were then. on

: voted: on. by individual ‘union’ ‘locals” and pe
“some of them accepted the’ proposals. ee
Thé.’ Northern: Health: Authority.: ‘then avs
began: moves.to contract out jobs biit halted ©. .

a ‘tactic,’ says. Liberal candidate

AN. OPINION POLL suite in ‘this riding

last week by an Ontario-based firm is targeting | zal

prospective Liberal candidate Miles Richardson,
saying, he- renounced. his: Canadian: citizenship |.
while a young: native tights leader ¢ on the Queen ;
Charlotte Islands...
* GPC ‘Research. | “asked Voters. “in. “Skeena:
Bulkley Valley ° “questions ‘about - who- they
would support in.the next federal, election - “and
whether the move by’: Richardson: nearly 20
years ago affects their opinion of him. *:
Richardson, who until earlier this: month has °
been working in‘Vancotiver as a commissioner
for the -: _-publicly:financed “ “BC. ., Trealy
Commission, “Says. he never: did ‘give. ‘up. -his
citizenship. But:he’ once. ‘said he would do ‘so. -

when the Haida were trying: t to block logging on the Queen’

Charlotte Islands i in -1985..

“It was. communications tactic?” ‘Richardson said’ ‘ast :
- week, “We.were blockading on Lyell Island,” he said. “The. -
Judge to told US as Ganiadian cilizens.» we. didn! t. have the right

ta do thal,”

position,”

stand up that wréng-act/"" *-.
me asa vigorous fighter.

Richardson © said.”.

Miles Richardson successful candidate I will got to the: wall for the

- people of this riding”.

Richardson, -was ‘then president of the:
Council. of the Haida Nation,: said he yowed
to renounce his citizenship i in protest’ because
Haida rights weren't being. recognized .
courts have-since exonerated and upheld our. |
he said. - “But at. that time he-was.. #
Oppressing us, and we needed. tovuse whatever
means at our disposal 10. communicate and

He said if anything i it underscores his record 4

“Eve gone to. ‘the wall for my people,"
“And should I ‘be: the

: Business Savvy

 AIDAN KLEIN, 9, and Brady Champoux, 11, were busy. cleaning windows i in the
 Lazelle Mini Mall last Wednesday along with 10- -year-old Justin. Klein. The thrae
~ Cousins got their start onthe Spring Break business from aunt Anna Beddie, who. wn mt
_ plit.them to work at Misty River Books. ‘With energy and soap and water to spare —
- ~and:a. realization they. could maké’ some money
“4 trade 2 doer to to, door. JEFF NAGEL PHOTO.

He said he had no idea who paid for the poll and decided

_ to target him,. but added he wasn’t surprised. mae
‘ “T expect a: lot. of ‘adversarial ‘tactics as* the. ‘campaign
“wnfalds;” he said, “Tf will. intensify’ should J be'the Successful
-oandidate.” See Page: Al 1 1 form more re liberi néWs. 5:

“The .

”

thet trio > began plying thelr. : | _