Arcade controversy

Legend of the java

Bill Boreham didn’t expect —
problems over his. amusement
centre olan/NEWS AG |

Nass Valley students entertained
and educated here last
week/COMMUNITY BL

Nelp wanted

Special Olympics here faces
uncertain future without more
volunteer help/SPORTS C1

_ WEDNESDAY
JUNE 22, 1994

IWA seeks big raise

THE IWA Canada is looking for
a substantial wage increase for its
thousands of members working in
the forest industry across B.C.,
including the: more -than 800
living in this area,

Contract talks began last week
and the union will key on an in-
crease in profits now being re-
corded by forest companies, says
Terrace-based IWA Canada Lo-
cal 1-71 business agent Surinder
Malhotra.

“The companies are not starv-

ing. Even in the pulp industry,
prices are moving up,’’ he said.

The IWA represents nearly 170
workers at the Skeena Cellulose
mill here and more than 200 at
Skecna Sawmills site. It
represenis more Skeena Sawmills
people in its woods division.

Union members are coming off
a three-year contract which ex-
pired June 14.

It did provide for wage in-
creases, the last one being 25
cents an hour effective January 1.

Malhotra said the union doesn’t
have a monetary figure in mind
for the one-year contract it wants.

“We'll be looking for a sub-
slantial increase. In the last 10
years, we’ve had some years
where we took zero,’” he said.

That one year deal is wanted by
IWA members who are unsure of
what conditions will be like iu the
near future, the agent continued,

Main contract talks are taking
place in Vancouver between the
IWA and three industry bargain-

ing groups, including Forest In-
dustrial Relations (FIR). .~

Skeena Sawmills belongs to one
of the groups and the main con-
tract will automatically be
adopted at the mill.

But Skeena Cellulose does not
belong to any of the groups and
ihe main contract will be supple-
mented by a sub agreement
keying on local issues, said Mal-

’ hotra.

' “We'll be waiting for the main

Cont'd Page A2

THEY MAY BE only two and half years old, but twins Jef-
frey and Grace Straw already have the gardening knack

2 Twins hone gardening skills

down thanks to Grandma Nell Bealle. The pair have taken
a particular interest in Grandma's rose bushes.

Shames wants to trade
district debt for shares

By JEFF NAGEL

NEGOTIATIONS ARE un-
derway to converl Shames
Mountain Ski Corporation’s debt
to the region’s laxpayers inlo
company shares,

The debt-for-shares idea came
up more than a year ago, but the
Kitimat-Stikine regional district
didn’t get approval from Victoria
ta pursue. the deal until last
month,

Shames owes the regional dis-
trict $345,000 plus $69,000 in un-
paid interest for the old Kitsun-
kalum ski hill’ equipment — it
bought in 1986.

The loan has been renegotiated
four times since then, So far

Shames has made a $3,000 inter.

est payment but nothing on the’
principle.

Corporation spokesman Gerry
Martin says the ski. hill isn’t
breaking even ye... *

The share swap deal ‘would take

the debt off the company books.
and transform it into shareholder
equity.

That would help § Shanes in’ ris

dealings with other financial in-
stitutions, said Martin.

“Tt allows us to go back to the
bank and gives us a bit more

muscle in terms of negolaling a -

line of credit with the bank,’ he
said.

“We necd the help, quite frank-
ly,”? sai] Martin. “We're still
financing this thing, back-feeding
it and can't see not doing thal for
a while,’”’ .

“This thing is far from totally
secure financially.’

Initially, Shames wanted the
regional district to simply forgive
the debt. .

But the Municipal Act prohibits
that, says. Terrace director David
Hull.

He sald the goal of the debt-for-
shares swap would be to give
Shames a break while at the same
time protecting the - taxpayers’

“money.

The ‘ski hill would likely be
forced into recelvership if the
regional district was to call its
loan, he sald,

“Nobody, wants to sce Shames

fail,’ Hull said. ‘‘That wouldn't |

be productive for anyone.”’

He said most investors in
Shames viewed the project as a
charity — a way of giving some-
thing back to the community.

“There are a lot of very serious
players in the Shames project
who have put a lot of their per-
sonal money into it,’ he said.
“These guys are not just looking
fora freeble or a handout.”’

But Huil noted that the regional
district does. not. want voting
rights in. Shames or to be drawn
into a situation in which It Is run-
ning a ski hill again.

The old Kitsumkalum ski hill

— operated by the regional -dis- .

trict —- lost. huge amounis of
mohey until it was shut down In
1986.

Taxpayers are still paying off
the more than $400,000 original
debt ming up at Kitsumkalum,

Most of the debt will be paid.

off next year, bul further debt in-

curred improving | the defunct _
‘hill's ‘T-bar won't be repaid until -

the year 2000.

**We definitely don’t want to be
in the ski hill business again,’
Hull said.

The deal wili likely be for
preferred shares, he said, with
conditions thal the regional dis-
trict won't be Hable for any fur-
ther expenses if Shames was to
go under.

Martin said the deal will also
ensure the regional district. gets
its money. ahead of any other
shareholders in the mountain
should it ever close down.

In. the event of windup, a
federal-provincial tourism-
development loan and any other
bank ldans would be repaid ahead
of any shareholders,

The regional district gave up
first positlon in the line of
secured creditors to enable
Shames to get the $502,000
tourism development loan. :

Martin said Shames hopes to
have its proposal before regional
disttict directors at their board

“meeting this weekend,

RD

75¢ PLUS 5¢ ast |
VOL. 7 NO. 208:

HE CAME UP dry in the
spil spat and mayor Jack
Talstra is laying the blame
on training program errors,
His comments came in the
wake of his second place
finish — second of two, that
is — in an olive pit spitting
contest held as part of.
Prince Rupert’s Seafest.
Confessing he had
received a drubbing at the
hands (or is that lips) of
coast city mayor John Kuz,
Talstra added, “'I was prac-

Talstra the pits

lising with cherries, Perhaps
(hat was my downfall.””

However, he is now look-
ing to even the score.

Talstra said he is consider-
ing inviling Kuz to come
here for Riverboat Days and
lake part in a hair-growing .
competition.

Given Kuz’s dome strong-
ly resembles that of provin-
cial premier Mike Harcourt,
Talstra obviosuly feels he
can edge out the challenger.
by a hair, or two.

Claims vote
| interest

runs high ©

THE FEDERAL government’s
chief negotiator on the Nisga'a
land claim says he’s hearing more
anid more demands for some kind
of public vote before any deal is
finalized.

David Osborn, who is personal
ly against a referendum, said ihe

federal government has no plans:

yet for anything like thal.

“T don’t think there should bea
referendum, But those who advo-
cate that have to realize, if they're
true to the spirit of the sugges-
tion, there’d be a lot of people in-
volved,’ said Osborn.

“The suggestions we are hear-
ing is that people in a-land claim
area should vote,”’ said Osborn.
“People from well beyond the
area are going to be affected and
they are also putting up the
money and resources to settle.
Should all the people of Canada
vote? At $60 to $70 million per
referendum, it gets expensive,’
he seid.

What is scheduled to happen,
said Osborn, is a release of the
Nisga’a land claim agreement in
principle for public comment.

Ill form the base for federal
and provincial legislation to bring
the settlement into effect.

Osborn said the legislation will

then be debated in the House of

Commons on the federal side and —

be reviewed by a committee of

Members of Parliament.

Any changes in the way a: ‘aime
claims agreement in principle. wills:

be ratified won't be. -introducéd

solely for the Nisge’ a: claim, - he. ‘

said.

Osbom ; did say
government ‘will “insist: that" the! *
Nisga’a hold a vote to they: ap-.
prove of the agreement in princi-
ple.

The percentage figure of what

constitutes a majority has yet to .

be decided but the voting format
will be in two paris, be added.”
The first is that there must be a
minimum voter tumout and of.
those that-do vote, the number
that do say ‘yes’ must at least
equal the majority of all Nisga’a,
Osborn and other federal nego-
tiators were in the Nass Valley:

last week for one of the regular -

monthly negotiating sessions,

He also said:
* The federal team is expecting

instructions soon from the federal
government on the exact specifics

and levels of what it can negotia-
te. ,

* The federal government has

agreed to provide, for each treaty

signed, $3 million to the provin- —

cial government for compensa-
tion should individuals and
municipalities be adversely . al.
fected.

THE HIGHWAYS ministry
and city are still trying to
agree on the route Hwyl6
should take through Terrace.

Following a June 9 plan-
ning committee mesting,
cily administrator Bob
Hallsor said the ministry
still wants Pohle Ave. as its
preferred route. :

That’s the line department
regional. planner Dave
Fisher took at last month’s
with the Full council.

At that time, he had ex-
plained the Pohle . option
would be a ‘closed: access
road”, meaning Imited
entry points along the route.

That would mean some
smaller streets ‘south © of
Keith would be cut in two
with no direct access be-

~ tween the two halves, -

However, Hallsor sald, the
city remains unconvinced,

traffic problems occur. on -
Keith between Sande Over-
- pass and the Dudley Little -

Highway route
still up in air

‘Emphasizing the ‘serious -

Bridge, the committecfelt
the ministry should solving
that first. -

Hallsor said city represen-
tatives had suggested the
purchase of a strip of land
from CN and putting in a
service: road behind the .
businesses now located
along that stretch of Keith.

Having made’ that access
available, most of the exist-
ing ones on to Keith could
be closed off.

That would reduce the |
congestion caused by traffic
trying to’ tum left off Keith
to get to those businesses. ©

Another possibility,. as-
suming there was sufficient
width, was putting Ing fifth,
left turnlanc, ©

The city bad no problem
with traffic flows along the
rest of Keith, west of the
overpass, Hallsor added.

He said Fisher’ and oiher
highways- officials “agreed”
they had more legwork to”

~ the. federal, .

do on nthe Pole route,

oo

ce cemene ern e o