A12- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 22, 2002

TERRACE STANDARD

Clean-as-you-go deal to help

Out & contaminated station reopen

About

West Fraser

eyes mill
WEST FRASER officials
confirm they continue lo
talk lo the new owners of
Skeena Cellulose about
the possibility of buying
SCI’s Smithers operation.

“The parties have had
some discussions,” said
West Fraser chief finan-
cial officer Martti Solin,
who added those talks are
continuing,

West Fraser already
owns a sawmill in Smi-
thers.

Officials with NWBC
Timber and Pulp, which
completed its purchase of
SCI April 30, say they
continue to look al various
options for the Smithers
mill.

NWEC president Dan
Veniez said any talk of
selling the mill is prema-
ture.

“We have not made
any decisions, and we are
in no rush to do so,” Ve-
niez said. “We have had
preliminary discussions re-
garding Smithers, We will
do what's right for NWBC
and what's right for
Smithers.”

Back tariffs
won't apply

WEST FRASER and other
B.c. forest companies
won't have to pay the U.S.
as much money for soft-
wood tariffs and penalties
as they'd feared.

if Suling last Thutsday

by the Washington-based ~

International Trade Com-
mission ruled Canadian
producers won’t have to
pay 22 per cent retroactive
penalties for lumber ship-
ped dating back to last
fall.

West Fraser chief fi-
nancial officer Martti
Solin said it means the
company won't have to
pay $26.7 million,

The countervail duties
and anti-dumping charges
are supposed to be applied
to Canadian lumber going
to the U.S. starting May
23,

Pulp prices

firming up
AN UPTICK in pulp prices
and shrinking inventories
may be a sign the long
price slump is nearly over.

Chinese purchases of
pulp are up sharply and
analysts say that’s a lead-
ing indicator of a strength-
ening market.

Prices climbed in the
past few weeks from US
$435 per tonne to around
$465 per tonne.

Continued improvement
would be good news for
NWBC Timber and Pulp,
mew owners of Skeena
Cellulose. It hopes to have
the Prince Rupert pulp
mill running again by fall
~ provided company offi-
cials can reach a new deal
with unionized pulp work-
ers.

Interest

rates on rise.

EXPECT short-term inter-
est rales to rise over the
next two years, says the
Credit Union Central of
B.C.

The prime lending rate
is forecast to rise to 5.25
per cent from 3.75, with
most of the increase hap-
pening this year.

The tightening is ta re-
verse the emergency cas-
ing of interest rates last
fall and avoid inflation,

Long-term interest rates
are likely to remain fairly
sleady, says the credit
union central’s chief eco-
nomist.

A DEAL struck with pro-
vincial environment offi-
cials may soon put a local
service station owner back
in business.

Giannino Pretto, the
owner of Terrace’s Kalum
St. Shell station, was for-
ced to stop selling gas
after contaminated soil
was found on his property
last November.

Jn the course of prepar-
ing to install new tanks,
pumps and spruce up the
station's appearance, spots
of contaminated soil were
found.

The discovery put what
was supposed to be a 10-
day project on hold for
more than six months.
With the older tanks al-
ready out of the ground, he
could not sell gas.

The bill to remove all
the soil was poised to cost
in excess of $700,000 —

GIANNINO PRETTO has relied on grocery sales
since soil contamination shut his gas station.

money Pretto simply did
not have.

But a deal struck with
provincial environment of-
ficials will let him install
new tanks on the property
and start selling gas again.

“The idea is getting
him back in business so he
can afford to do further
testing,” said environment

official Mike Drumm.

Pretto’s been given per-
mission to install the new
tanks and start selling gas
so long as he. agrees to
certain conditions, Drumm
said.

Pretto must dig out any
contaminated soil from
where the proposed tank
farm will be.

He must isolate the
hole from the rest of the
site by installing a liner
and put clean fill around
the tanks, Drumm said.

Once that is done Pretto
will be able ta sell gas and
be in better position to af-
ford further environmental
tests.

Those tests must be
done to ensure there is no
off-site contamination,
said Drumm.

Once a contractor is
available to install the
tanks, the work will begin,
McMynn said.

Pretto had to lay off
seven employees as a re-
sult of the situation.

He’s been trying to
make ends meet off groc-
ery sales and the operation
of his car wash.

“Is been tough times
for me and for the staff
too,” Pretto said.

Excellen

cd rs

Russ Shauer, left, receives an award trent Kevin MacDuif,
Canadian Sales Manager for Nelson Homes

Russ and Elaine Shauer of Bench Developments,
Authorized Dealers for Nelson Homes,
were recently honored by Nelson Homes
in Lioydminster, Alberta
for excellence in sales and service
in the Prince Rupert/Terrace region.
The Shauers were one of four
award winners for Western Canada

—We/so/7
HOWES

1-800-225-0411

www. nelsan-homes.can

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ce in Home Sales

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