Skeena fish atrisk  /

Milky runaway

Northern salmon will be victims if
there's a fish war between
Canada and the U.S./NEWS A7

Three local schools are among
the top 1994 Milk Run money
collectors/COMMUNITY B1

a. Paes
fia” Ga os Pe
Pa a "he oe

ris tumible

Elementary athletes ran faster.
and jumped farther then ever
| before/SPORTS C1

WEDNESDAY
JUNE: 15, 1994

i EA

STANDARD ~

ow a

75¢ PLUS 5¢ cst
VOL. 7. NO. a

Protest made over wood sale

ALOCAL wood remanufacturing
company is protesting a forest
service decision to award a tim-
ber sale to,a Victoria company.
Terrace Pre-Cut says awarding
the sale to Victoria Plywaod Co-
operative Association sets a bad

precedent and will take jobs and

wood out of the area.

Victoria wanls to use 77,500
cubic metres of wood to be cut
over three years near Kitimat and
rade it for other wood from
which to make plywood,

Tt now has to buy suitable wood
from the United States, a situation
Victoria Plywood says is ex-
pensive,

The wood was sold under a pro-
vision of the Forest Act which en-
courages valuc added products.

Terrace Pre-Cut, in a letter to
forest minister Andrew Petter,
said it is running out of wood
from a similar sale obtained two
years ago and that at least cight
jobs wili be in jeopardy by Sep-
tember,

‘*This decision is likely to make
sustained operation of my small
value added plant at Terrace un-
certain at best and as a result has
the potential of causing a loss of
jobs,”’ said Pre-Cut president Mo
Takhar in the letter.

“From 4 general policy point of
view this decision has the poten-
tial of settling a dangerous prece-
dent ... of exporting jobs away
from communities which rely on
nearby forest resources ....’?

Terrace Pre-Cut wanted to trade
the wood from the new sale to
Skeena Cellulose in return for
wood it could remanufacture.

In the letter to Petter, Takhar
said his company had made the
highest bid.

Tis proposal for the new sale in-
dicated the creation of at least an-
other eight mill jobs and an in-
vesiment of $410,000 in new
equipment.

Bids from Victoria Plywood,

# Colour splash

CALEDONIA'S 1994 GRAD class took thelr pent-up energies
out on paper last week. They had the chance to leave thelr
marks by painting on wood and paper. Project organizars

hope this will reduce the amount of graffiti left on Terrace
buildings. Shown leaving Grad '94 graffiti are Caledonia
grads Jennifer McMynn, Lana Geler and Lori Buteau.

Scott to hold his
own claims meets

FRUSTRATED BY what he says
is a lack of information about
land claims, Skeena Reform MP
Mike Scott is going to hold his
own public meetings.

They'll take place around the
constituency and culminate in a
large affair here in early fall.

"My responsibility is to give
information to my constituents.
These won't necessarily be to
give my point of view but to hear
the points of view of the people
of Skeena on this issue,’? Scott
said last week.

Scott said he’s worrled that
secrecy and confidentiality sur-
rounding land claims, particularly
with the Nisga’a talks, is leading
to fear and suspicion.

“Certainly if we are talking
about people buying into the pro-
cess, we have to do something. I
think we all recognize the poten-
tial for conflict and serious prob-
lems down the road if people
arcn’t made more aware,’ he
sald. ;

“There’s a lot of frustration and
hostility toward the (negotiations)

process. We’re a long ways from...

having people buylug in that this
is a healihy process.”

Scott added he wants to hear
from individuals more so than
from specific interest groups.

"In this area forestry workers -

have to have a say, On the coast,
fishermen,’’ said Scott..

“Industry can always pack up ~

and move to another place.

“TI think we all recognize
the potential for conflict
and serious problems down
the road if people aren't
made more aware.”?

Workers can’t easily do that, It'll
be way more difficult for them to
pack up and move,*’ he con-
tinued,

Scott said he wants to give in
formation: on possible’ implica-
tions to the annual allowable log-

ging amounts once land: claims:

ate factored. in,- the relationship
between logging and jobs, the res

jation between” fish: catch: limits

and jobs, how the tax base might

be affected by land claims deals
and impacts of land claims settle-
ments in the Yukon and North-
west Terrilori¢s,

‘*We simply don’t have any In- _

formation to look at. There’s
simply an absence of informa-
tion,” the MP continued.

‘I'm deeply concerned as a
representative. to the people of
Skeena that to have land claims
resolved we have to a) inform the
people as much as possible and b)
take steps to sell the negotialions
as a workable sotution,’’ he said.

The MP made his comments
following a June 9 meeting with
federal negotiators working on
the Nisga’a clam. Among the
group. was David Osborn, the
chief federal negotiator.

Scott said he wasn’t entirely
satisfied with the results of the
mecting.

‘Basically, David Osborn sald -
_ there’ some. things he could: tell
and and other-things he couldn’t .
-tell me,'* said Scott © °

“"Whal Mr. Osborn did say is

tbat 97. per cent of # everything

Terrace Pre-Cut, Ed Dobler Con-
tracting Lid. and Tom Goyert in
Kitimat were first examined for
their value added potential, said
Kaium forest district manager
Brian Downie last week.

That resulted .in a tie between
Goyert and Victoria Plywood,
leading to a further examination
of the bids based on four poinis
— existing timber processing
facilities, local timber processing
facilities, employment and new

By-law aims

producis resulting from the wood.

When those were. taken into
consideration, Victoria
Plywood’s bid was judged supe-
rior, said Downie,

“There was a recommendation
made and the process was fol-
lowed,” he said.

Downie acknowledged that
wood leaving the area from
which it was cut is a concem
among those who bid for sales.

‘Cont'd Page A2

at business _

THE CITY is bringing in a new
by-law to regulate home
businesses in residential areas.

It’s an amendment to the 1966
zoning by-law, and defines a
home occupation as one that. is
carried out ‘‘entirely within the
dwelling -unit’” and employing
only those people living there. . -

That last regulation “also ex-
cludes unpaid volunteers unless
they are‘members of the‘immedi:~
ate family.

It breaks down residential areas
into three categories,

Category I covers singie-family
homes in R1, R8 (mobile homes)
and Rural Suburban areas plus
two/multi-family dwellings’ in
zones R2 through R7,

Category TI includes single fam-
ily homes in zones R2 through R7
and category III deals with single
family homes in the Rural Ai
zone only.

In category I dwellings, no
more than 150 sq.ft. can be used
for the home occupation plus an-
other 150 ft. for storage related to
the business.

For the other two calegories, the
linits are 200 3q.ft. in each case,

Only one home occupation
vehicle no larger than one ton is
allowed in all three categories ex-
cept for contractors operating out
of an Al zone, They are allowed
up to four vehicles.

Those contractors will also be
required to have minimum set-
backs of 200 ft. at the fronl and
50 ft. at the side if it abuts on to a

street,

The property will have to be at
least five acres in size (the mini-:
mum under the Al zone) and ac-
cessory buildings must be located
behind the house.

Other regulations prohibit alter--
ing the residential appearance of
the dwelling, setting up a busi-
ness that tries to attract “‘off-the-
sirect’” customers and creating

“ally” TOE, nuisance OF Of-Stréet

patking other than what’s normals.
ly experienced in that residential
zone, ~

Despite. all that, the amendment
does not significantly restrict
where home businesses can oper-
ate.

Of the 172 occupations listed in

an attached schedule, the over-.

whelming majority are allowed in
all three categories.
They include accountants and

_ architects, carpenters and collec-

tion agencies, medical profes-
sionals providing they have no
More than one chair, various
‘Tepair ‘services and pet washing
and grooming,

However, where breeders, ken-
nels’ owners, trainess and
velerinarians are concerned,

animals arc: restricted to the.

category IT] zone.

The same goes for boat
builders, enclosed parking or
slorage facilities and assayers.

Bed and breakfast establish-
ments of no more than 538 sq.ft.
and saw sharpening services are
banned only in category I areas,

Mike Scott

they are dealing with is general,
public knowledge.”

“What I'd say is that the
temaining three per cent is caus-

ing 90 per cent of the concem out

there,”’ said Scott.

He said he has ihe feeling the
federal government hasn’t done
an analysis on the economic im-
pact ta this area of land claims
settlements or measured the pos-

sible combined impact of all land
claims setilements in the pro- .
_ Vinee,

Meanwhile, Skeena NDP MLA

- Helmut Gleshrecht is opposed to

what Scott has to say about land
claims.

You'll find Giesbrecht's com-
ments on Page AG

THE PROVINCIAL govern-
ment is appealing to the con-
science of individuals and
businesses who owe it sales
tax money.

Up until June 30 it’s mun-
ning an ammesty program
whereby monies owed can be
paid with no penalty.-

The tax can be for a per-
sonal item bought oulside the
province or from -businesses
who efther haven’t collected
tax or who have collected but
have not paid it to the pro-
vince, .says finance: ministry
spokesnian Dave Longman.
~ The taxes range from sales
to hotel room to motor fuel to
tobacco levies.

After June 30 penalties will

Tange from 25 to 100 per cent
depending upon. .the. infrac-
tion, said Longman. -
- “Here’s an opportunity for
individuals or . businesses to
make a disclosure | without
belng penallzed,”’ he sald,

- Those who do come forward

Tax amnesty
nearly at end

_slaff of nearly 90 people.

: considerable amount,” Long-

‘fidential ‘and there’s ‘no te-
"quirement on the part of the -

before. June 30 will stil! have
; soller to report,”” he anid, _

10 pay interest on unpaid taxes — -

at a rate of 8.5 per cent.
The province will
for payments if the amount is
large, Longman added,
Backing up the new system
of penalties are 25 new
auditors now being hired.
“We now have an audit

When you consider the new
people being hired, that’s a

man said.

The provincial government
last held an amnesty pro
in 1985 and collected. $1.5
million.

There's no target this time
but Longman sald the pro-
vince will be ecstatic if the —
amount reaches $5 million

Longman did concede that
the province does not now
have a system af collecting
sales taxes on goods ‘bought
from outside the province,

“Tf the good comes by mail,
the. mails arc considered con-

hae