A14 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 26, 1997 = Bagged VOLUNTEERS AT the Food Bank of the Churches handed out 495 bags of food last week. Naomi Bracken, Erna Motschilnig, Glen Woods, Sharon Lamke and Jake Drooger helped divide up food donations into bags. The Salvation Army also distributed coats to needy children and adults during the food bank. Not all the coats have been distributed and more will be handed out during Salvation Army Christmas hamper applications, which continue today and tomorrow between 1-3 pal m, at the food bank. Offshore oil a possibility WITH THE forest industry in trouble, fishing on the decline and tourism down, a group of Prince Rupert resi- dents have a new way to build an industrial base — off- shore oil and gas. The North Coast Oil and Gas Task Force has dusted off a report indicating there could be billions of barrels of oil and trillions of feet of natural gas in the waters between the Queen Charlotte Islands and the mainland. And they’ve asked the federal and provincial govern- ments to lift a moratorium on exploratory arilling imposed in the 1980s. * “We're saying let’s drill first to find out what’s there be- fore going to the next step of criteria for development,’ said Prince Rupert banker Dave McGuigan. He’s chair of the task force. ‘We need other infrastructure in place to take us into the 2ist century. The opportunities are enormous for markets in Japan and Korea and the rest of Asia.” _ The task force is keying on a Geological Survey of Cana- da report which says the waters in the Queen Charlotte Basin could contain up to 2.7 billion barrels of oil and up to 20 trillion feet of natural gas. Letters requesting the moratorium be lified have been sent to Prime Minister Jean Chretien, to Premier Glen Clark and to deputy premier and North Coast MLA Dan Miller. McGuigan hand delivered a letter to federal fisheries minister David Anderson when he was in Prince Rupert recently. “He's a key player, not only because he’s the fisheries minister but because he’s the senior (federal Liberal cabi- net) minister for B.C.,”’ said McGuigan of Anderson. On the task force are prominent members of the Prince Rupert business community, including former Prince Rupert Port Corporation chair Al Shepherd and hotelier Steve Smith. The 1980s moratorium was put in place partly in response to environmental factors. McGuigan said the group is convinced the technological and environmental advances in off shore oil and gas drilling and delivery make the project sound and feasible. “The waters are shallow and we don’t have the kind of weather there is off the east coast,’’ said McGuigan of the challenges which face the Hiberia project. A report prepared prior to the moratorium listed more than 90 recommendations which, if followed, could lead to development, McGuigan added. McGuigan said the task force already has the support of various northwest municipal governments. Band ponders hotel complex THE GITWANGAK band is thinking of developing 90 acres of its reserve land just off of Hwy16 into a multi- million hotel complex with shopping facilities and a1 RV park. It hopes to have a land designation vote before this Christmas. The land would be designated for commercial use only. The projected cost for the first phase of the development is $15 million and would include a 120-room, five-star hotel, a cultural centre for tourists, 2500 square feet of shopping and an 80 unit RV park. A corporation was formed by the band to look after the development which would be named Inn of the Clan, ex- plained band administrator Guy Morgan. The band hired consultant Lonnie Hindle this past Janu- ary to oversee the project. He says demographics of the area and increasing volume of traffic make the area a feasi- ble one. ‘‘Highway 37 is quickly becoming the preferred route, It’s the last major intersection available in B.C, — every other intersection has been gobbied up,” said Hindle about developing the area, He says the area is frequented by tourists coming to tour the totem poles —- K’san, Kispiox, Kitwankool, Kitwanga — adding that on average 10 tour buses a day converge on the area. Each bus stopping could translate into 25 rooms being booked at the hotel, While it is still too soon to determine the lease details, Hindie says the band will benefit from equity as well as employment for its members. First the band bas to agree to designate the land and then work through details of a lease. It would be similar to the process used to develop Park Royal, a large shopping centre in North Vancouver. Three-quarters of that complex is on reserve land. BC’ EST BUY BC's Best Buy | BC Region Total PeMon, 25. 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