Shroom petition pops up A PETITION calling on the government to postpone plans to regulalc the pine mushroom in- dustry has “gathered more than 320 signatures. ~And Northwest Mushroom Pickers Coalition spokesman Al Grier says the group will have an information booth in the Skeena - Mall on Friday night and all day Saturday. “We want the government to slow down @ hit and listen to what we have tu say,”? he said. Meanwhile, the Pine Mushroom _ Task Force has prepared.a list of options it will consider in devel- oping | a recommendations - for _ cabinet. “T don’t know yet how the pub- lic involvement will take shape,’’ said task force spokesman Nelly de. Geus: ‘“We have to develop the mechanism to take it out ta the public for their input and feedback.” Interested pickers can examine minules of recent task force meel- ings at the coalition’s information booth this weekend. The iask force’s final recom- mendations could call for any- Ihing from. simply education of pickers to regulation of picking and taxation of the proceeds, -Kitimat-Stikine Regional Dis- trict directors. last November called for government interven- tion in the industry. They suggested licensing fees could help tecoup the costs of cleaning up garbage and rescuing lost pickers. _ This past year saw some of the highest prices ever in the pine mushroom business, Buyers paid the pickers more than $75 per pound for No. 1 pine mushrooms for much of the sea- son. The price soared well into three figures, peaking briefly at around $225 per pound, Some estimates pul the value of pine mushrooms to the northwest economy as high as $20 million. ' a@ Space aliens land at fire hall THE INVASION hasn't begun. The people walking around the fire hall in funny suits last Thurs- day were really firefighters undergaing their Dangerous Goads Technician training. Outgoing fire chief Bab Beckett said 20 firefighters from Terrace, Kitimat, Smithers, Prince Rupert and Prince | Georga participated in the exercise. Officers of the Alberta. Fire Training School.were giving the . instruction: The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 2, 1994 - A News In Brief Plane skid probed IT’LL BE some time yet before a federal report into why an Air B.C, passenger jet slid off the airport ranway here is ready. Investigalor Rawleigh Brickford of the Transportation Safety Board said he is about two weeks from finishing his report. It is then sent to his head office and forwarded to the affected parties for comment, Those comments and the report are then seit to the mem- bers of the safety board before genera! public release. The Air B.C, Bak 146 passenger jet landed without incident in freezing rain the morning of Jan. 21 but skidded off and stopped 90 metres past the end of the runway. Aircrafl- were diverted to Prince Rupert until the aircraft was lowed back onto the rnway and to the main terminal building later that afternoon. “Tt docsn’t happen very often,”? said Brickford of the incident. “Tt happens very infrequently, especially for a large passenger alr- eraft,”” Land claims talks start NEGOTIATORS WORKING on two northwest aative claims held their first meetings here the beginning of the week. The talks are being held under the umbrella of the B.C. Treaty. Commission, an organization made up of the federal-and provincial governments and of native groups. — First up were the Gitanyow who live north of Kitwanga and who have claimed an area in that region. A large part of the Gitanyow claim also takes in that of the Nisga’a Tribal Council. The Gitksan and Wet’suwet’en claim the area around the Hazeltons and were the second group to meet with negotiators. This group has already been through two rounds of judicial proceedings in the attempt to prove their claim. Virus found in B.C. A VIRUS that could result in neurological disorders or leukemia has been found in eight native B.C. residents. | The virus is called human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLY-I) and was found by a neurologist Studying B.C. natives. There is no evidence the disease is limited only to natives, says a provincial government press release. “The number of cases of HTLV-I infection appears to be. very low and the chance of developing disease is remote,’’ said Health Canada official Dr. David Martin last week, International evidence suggests that less than four per cent of people who get the virus develop a neurological disorder or leukemia. The vitus is spread through sexual contact, from infected mother to child or through needle and syringe sharing. Panel backs our wood THE UNITED STATES has failed to make its case that Canadian softwood lumber exports hurt American producers of sofiwood lumber. The panel’s decision is the second piece of good news to come to Canadian lumber manufactures recently. Another panei has found that Canadian softwood isn’t being subsidized. Opposition by American manufacturers to Canadian exports have lead to various taxation and other means that Taise the price of the product. Although the provincial government welcomed the news, it noted that the U.S. International Trade Commission‘has been-given anoth- “hove er 45 days to promote its case... whee RBC Retire Substantially Richer... Start With An RBC Dominion Securities RSP! Because Maximizing Your RSP Returns Can — Make A Substantial Difference To Your Retirement Lifestyle EARN UP TO AN GOV'T GUARANTEED INVESTMENTS) ( DOMINION SECURITIES Member of Royal Bank Group *Rate Subject To Change The Best Just Got Better At — Your Decor 8.3%" Doug Clark, Vice-President Lisa Saccaro, Associate 635-9030 . 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