Natives seek seal hunt approval By JEFF NAGEL TSIMSHIAN NATIVES arc planning to go into the seal- hunting business. The move comes in response to cries from commercial fishermen for some control of the Skeena River seal population, which has ballooned (en-fold since 1970, Seals raid commercial nets, eating salmon and destroying the expensive equipment. But Tsimshian’ Tribal Council president Bob Hill says the main goal would be to provide jobs for native commercial fishermen wha will lake the brunt of planned cuts to the sockeye fishery. “There's definitely a marketable product,’’ Hill says. “It’s a very lucrative business to get into,” In addition fo seal meat, the skins can be made into goods like purses, wallets and bookbinders, he said. the idea of a commercial hunt was likely bom out of the realiza- tion that a simple kilt to reduce the numbers would face strong opposition. “It may be easier to sell to the = Seal herds bite into fish stocks, Page A3 mg Gov't to decide on hunt proposal, Page A3 The scal hunt would be con- ‘ducted’ jointly “with the Native Brotherhood of B.C., Hill said. There are plenty of hoops to be jumped through — not least of ‘which is gaining the approval of the ~ federal Depariment of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). DFO biologist Les Jantz said government than just killing them atid leaving them to rot,’ he said, Nisga’a Tribal Council spokes- man Harry Nyce said the Nisga’a last week endorsed the Tsimshian plan and are also considering the possibility of their own commer- cial seal hunt on the Nass River. “We're at an early stage in determining feasability,” Nyces said, He said the populations have- also risen dramatically on the Nass. “‘They’re becoming a prob- lem,’’ he said. Seal meat could be smoked, he said, and skins for various goods could be exported. Hats and a kind of overshoe — similar to moccasin covers once made by the Nisga’a — are other products that could be made from the warm and waterproof sealskin, Nyce added. And Hill admits there may be some political opposition. “We've got to be concerned about the environmental groups,’’ Market he said. ‘‘I’m sure there’s going to be an outcry on it.” Hill said they need more in- formation about the rate of reproduction to help determine how many seals can be hunted, They also need to carry out more market research and they need to test Skeena estuary seal meat for possible dioxin con- tamination from Prince Rupert- area industry. *"We're conducting some studics right now,’’ said Hill. “We've had mectings with the Canadian Sealers Association in Newfoundland over on {he east coast.” Hill said the plan is about eco- nomic development — not simply a way to restrain seal populations. ‘We're looking at a marketable product,’ he said. ‘‘We’re not out simply to destroy the seals,*’ If the plan works on the Skecna, Hill said, it may be expanded to other parts of the B.C. coast un- der the auspices of ihe. Native Brotherhood of B.C. ‘“What’s good for one estuary up here should be good for other estuaries like the Fraser,” he said. North coast natives have always had the right to take seals and sea lions for food, social and ceremonial purposes. But there has been no commer- cial seal hunt on the west coast since the 1960s, Job has ups and downs City workers have spent the last 26 years recording temperature highs and lows/NEWS A9 Off to Africa Local Lana Geier is off to Burkina Faso for a three-month experience/COMMUNITY Bi Field furor Terrace Youth Soccer is up in arms over another group using Christy Park/SPORTS C1 WEDNESDAY JUNE: a 1994 : m Tree trial EVERY SUMMER, thousands of students find jobs treeptanting. For planters like lan, above, it's the big money and outdoor lifestyle that draws him back to planting summer after summer.” One of his summer contracts is planting on a forest service trial site south of Terrace near Humphery Creek. For more on treeplanting, see Page AS, Housing shortage drives up A TIGHT housing miarket is causing rents to increase beyond . normal, says a Central Mortgage and Housing © Cormoration (CMHC) analyst. Joel Balizer said rents have gone from $485 a month for a two bedroom apartment in April 1993 to $520 in April 1994. “That's a seven per cent in- crease and that’s a fairly hefty rise, given the rate of inflation is one or two per cent for the same period,” he sald, - He attributed the’ increase 10 a vacancy rate of only 1.4 per cent in April. “In a balanced market situa- tion, you'll generally see rent in- creases at the rate of inflation. When there’s an under supply, anything under three per cent, thé increases will be preater,’’ Balt- zer said, As an example of rates when there are a lot of vacancies, Balt- ger said rent. for a twé-bedroom unit in Kitlmat is $410 a month. The vacancy rate there is 16.5 per: cent on 842 units. Terrace’s rate of 1.4 per cent worked out to 12 units being available in April. The rates are based on the availability of apartment units and row house structures which contain three or more units, Duplexes, basement sultes and single rental homes aren’t counted, : This is the sixth year in a row. ‘Terrace has experlenced very low vacancy rates, it ranked first int lowest vacancy qo wate RD- 786. PLUS S¢ GST. Pre-Cut rezoné bid dies in split decision TERRACE PRECUT’S attempt to have a Braun St. property rezoned light industrial has been rejected by council. However, councillor Val _ George argued killing the request without even going to a public hearing could discourage exactly the kind of industry: the city needs. Mo Takhar, owner of the small remannfacturing mill, had sought the rezone on 2811 Braun, prop- erty he recently purchased. It is currently designated as R? residential and a house stands on the Braun street end of the long lot. Takhar said the house would remain but he would use the west end of the property to store lum- ber. The application immediately came under fire from neighbour- ing property owners who objected to extending the light industrial zone into a residential area. Afler presentations by Takhar and neighbourhood residents, the planning committee unanimously recommended rejection of the ap- plication. However, in a letter to council signed by William McRae on his behalf, Takhar pointed out Ter- race Pre-Cut’s present wood supply would run out at the end of the year. He also indicated expansion of the mi was needed to allow if it to bid on replacement timber. That expansion would also in- erease the number of full-time employees to 16 from 12. However, Takhar’s suggestion the rezone go to a public hearing . was rejected as unnecessary by councillors David Hull and Gor- don Hull, They maintained the planning committee had already heard arguments from all sides ins volved, David Hull said a public hear- ing would simply hear the same Tates among eight northern cities in April 1991 with .3 per cent, tied for first in April 1992, was first all by itself again in April 1993 and second this April. Only Fort St. John with a va- cancy rate of .3 per cent fell be- low Terrace, “Unlike “many other Canadian’ communities, strong . economic growth in many centres through- out northem British Columbia has attracted new ‘residents’. to ; the "area," said’ Balizer: ‘In - many: points taised by the same people from the neighbourhood, ‘Takhar and ‘fa few well-placed lob- byists.” .. George . disapreed, -however. Pointing out he had worked with the value-added forest product in- dustry, he said the Skeena region lagged far behind the rest of the province in that sector. Warming the value-added side had to be developed to off-set fu- ture problems in the forest indus- try, he said expansion would al- low Terrace Pre-Cut to be more successful and employ more ‘people, “J think he (Takhar) has valid arguments...and I do know what Pm. talking about,” George added, ; “TE wasn’t an econoraic’ devel” _ opment issue," David > Hull countered. ‘*It was a planning and housing issue. We're talking about people’s homes, ‘People’s lives.” And with. the light industrial zone extending cast and-west ha Braun along: Kenney, maintained it was simply ied planning to allow this encrosch- ment on a residential area, ° District flushes sewer committee INFIGHTING BETWEEN mem- -bers of a = Thomhili sewer watchdog committee ended Sat- urday when the regional district board finally pulled their plug, Kitimat Stikine regional district directors voted to disband the Queensway Churchill Drive sewer advisory committee, They also awarded the $1.218 million contract to build the low- pressure sewer system to low bid- der Rossco Ventures.. *'It upsets me that the regional district would try to pull a bunch of bullshit like this,’’ committee Chairman Rick Hawke said. “This project Is far, far from completed. The first shovel full of dirt has not been turned yet. How can we have finished our job?”’ . But committee member Susan Broughton said she understood the committee was finished once the coniract was awarded. Broughton and two other mem- bers voted to disband at the com- mittee’s meeting Friday night. But the idea was voted down by cases, the population growth has added strains to the existing rent- al supply.’?. And when community popula- tions do grow, developers may be slow to respond, he added, That’s because they may have had bad experiences in northern towns dependent upon one indus- try. During economic down cycles affecting. single: ‘industry towns . developers were deft with empty “Bye. though there is now an- ata four other members, originally opponenis of the project. Broughton says some of them remain opposed — despite a referendum vote in favour a year ago — and have used the com- mittee to undermine the work... “They weren’t willing to accept the fact that (the referendum) was a democratic vote,”” she said. -:. Information was being leaked from the committee to residents who are still sesking an injunc- tion to stop the project, Broughton added, Hawke agreed the committee has been ‘‘a thom in the side”’ of the board at times but maintained the addition of people from: the ‘No’ side gave them a different perspective, “That was a real plus,’” he said. “I don’t understand how in law they could just go and disband us,”? he said, adding the bylaw that created the committee says, it ‘terminates upon commencement of operations of a Queensway community sewerage system.”’ ” - rental rates — Other growth cycle, there’s' 6. lot of cautiousness in terms of: react- ing to growth,’ he said, Rising rental rates because of low vacancies also put a strain on low or fixed income people, 1 Balt- zercontinued. — Although CNHC has no new money for housing projects, ‘{t docs" try to have community groups, local governments ’ and others co-operate for: 8. somumion goal, Baltzer sald,” For tare rental sori per Page A2. ao