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Making the grade

Caledonia scored well in’ province-
wide rankings of senior high
schools\NEWS A121.

The dream of expansion at the
golf course is getting close to
reality\SPORTS B8

‘Arun of alternative films proved
“more popular than the Hollywood
flicks\COMMUNITY B1

WEDNESDAY.
April 28, , 1999

$1.00 PLUS 7¢ GST.
(51.10 plus 3¢ GST outside of the
Terrace area), :
VOL. 12 NO..3-

B.C. pushes Nisga’a treaty through

THE NISGA’A Treaty is now law in B.C. after the

NDP government invoked closure Thursday to cut olf

the longest debate in the province's history.
More than 30) per cent of the treaty and [1 of its 22
chapters remained undebated when the government

moved the legislation be put to a vote over howls of

protest from the opposition.

All 39 New Democrats supported the bill, while 34
B.C. Liberals and Independent MLA Jack Weisgerber
voted against it, [t got royal assent.on Monday.

Liberal leader Gordon Campbell called closure a
“menacing assault on democracy” that he said was used
so Premier Glen Clark could arrive in Terrace yesterday
to hand over the completed treaty to the Nisga’a at the
beginning of the vibal council convention underway
this week,

debate spread over 29 days — the longest ever — should
have been sufficient if the Liberals were interested in
debate, not delay.

Liberal aboriginal affairs critic Mike de Jong said the
government cannot claim it kept its promises to allow a
full and complete debale instead of a referendum.

Even Nisga’a elder and former MLA Frank Calder
was uncomfortable with the use of closure and feared it
could strengthen opposition to the treaty in Ottawa.

- -He said it was wrong of the government to shut down
the debate for two months amid its political scandals
and then ram the treaty through.

Nisga’a Tribal Council president Joe Gosnell didn’t
share Calder's opinion,

“Our people have waited for over 100 years for this,”
he said. “As far as we're concerned, that's when the

Gosnell said he welcomes Clark’s support but would
not say if he felt the premier — or any other provincial
politician — acted with honour in the treaty debate.

“If Mr. Clark has used the Nisga’a Nation for his
advantage so has every other political party in Brilish
Columbia, federally as well,” he said.

The premier arrived in Terrace Tuesday morming
amid drumming and singing at the Terrace arena and
signed the treaty document for British Columbia.

Attention now shifts to the federal debate in Ottawa,
The treaty is expected to be introduced in the House of
Commons as early as next week.

“We've made the second step,” said Gosnell, who
will carry the treaty document to the capital this week-
end. “Now we move on to the third step.”

Federal Reformers are expected to fight the treaty

tee will be allowed to take the treaty ou the road for
public hearings in B.C,

The Liberals ave committed ta passing the treaty and
ave expected to use their majority to force it through,

But even once ratification is complete, a series of
court challenges await the treaty.

They include cases launched by the B.C. Liberals
and B.C. Fisheries Survival Coalition on constitutional
grounds. Nass Valley resident Lloyd Brinson is spear-

‘heading a cluss action suit seeking compensation for

non-native residents of the valley.

Also up in the air is legal action brought by neigh-
bouring Gitanyow natives who say Nisga's treaty pro-
visions alfect what they might get in their own trealy.

“lll probably go to my grave and stiil there will be
court cases pending against the Nisga’a nation,”

Clark and NDP members said the 115 hours of

Chip idea
hit as job
switching

CONTRACTORS that run a
chipper for Skeena Cellulose
aren't happy with ralk about
SCI trying to reach a custom-
chipping deal with West
Fraser.

That idea was held out last
week by Job Protection
Commissioner: Bric van
Soeren as one way of keeping
some of the West Fraser saw-
mill workers employed who
still face layoffs in June when
a federal-work sharing pro-
gram runs oul,

But Don Hull and Sons
Contracting Ltd.'s Lloyd Hull
says such a deal would really
amount to taking jobs from
his employees and giving
them to workers at Skeena
Sawmills,

“If Skeena Sawmills gets
the chipping job, we lay off
the same number of people
they'll hire,” Hull said, “This
is stealing jobs from one side
of the street and putting them
on the other, net creating
jobs.”

He said a long-term chip-
ping agreement would also
raise big questions about West
Fraser's future plans for its
sawmill here.

“They must have ao inten-
tion of ever being a two or
three shift sawmill operation
again,” Hull suid.

He said he thinks the chip-
ping talks were more about
marshalling union support for
the raw log export plan
approved two weeks ago.

“They must have no inten-
tion of ever putting those peo-
ple back to work,” he added.
“It sounds like they're shut-
ting down to me. If-they’re
going to shut down, shut
down and gei the hell out of
the area, don't screw us up
while they’re doing it”

West Fraser manager Lou
Poulin said the negotiations
with SCI are still up in the nir,
but suggested the dead could
mean work for 35 sawmill
employees.

He suid a. chipping deal
makes sense for West Fraser
because it only plans to run
one shift in the sawmill this
year and possibly next year,

"We've got a plant sluing
here doing nothing. We
should utilize it.”

debate began —

mNice putt!
THE GOLF LOOKS GREAT: Club manager Bruce

Carruthers attempts a shot at lhe Skeena Valley
Golf and Country Club April 20. Carruthers says

100 years ago.”

there and are hoping a Commons native affairs commit-

the greens are dry and primed. He's shitied a few
holes during construction of nine more holes that
will be ready to play by summer’s end.

Hospitals slices estimate of Y2K price tag

MILLS MEMORIAL. Hospital has
drastically cut back its estimate of
how much it'll cost so its various
computerized equipment doesn't
crash Jan, 1, 2000.

A firsl éstimate put together last

year tagged the cost at $1 millon, a

figure far in excess of the hospital s =.

ability to absorb,

But that’s now been cut to
$300,000, says Tom Novak from the
Terrace and Area Community Health
Council.

That's still pretty expensive but

the health council is asking for.

money from a special $100 million

Y2K account set up this spring. by
the provincial government.

‘“The area they are giving prior-
ity to is equipment necessary lor the
safety of human life,” said Novak.

“Anything else is administrative
and payroll and although that's

‘important, the first priority is patient
“care and safety.”

~ There’s a chance expenditures in
those area will be: fully covered

while a cost sharing splil between
hospitals and the province may be
used for computerized equipment not
deemed necessary for the sufety. of
people.

Novak said the first estimate of

$1 million was a first blush attempt ;

but was later refined when by a
closer examination,

Gosnell predicted.

Bank isn’t
chipping in
for Skeena

Gov’t is paying all extra costs

By JEFF NAGEL
THE PROVINCE’s minority partner in Skeena Cellulose ~
the Toronto Dominion Bank — has been refusing to pay its
agreed share of the cost of supporting the company.

Asa result, the provincial government has been stepping
in and paying the full amounts required to keep the company
openting for close ta a year now,

Under the restructuring agreement reached early in 1998,
the province holds 52.5 per cent of shares, while the bank has
27.5 per cent. The remaining 20 per cent flow over time to
pulp mill employees in exchange for wage reductions.

The deal called for the province to pay 70 per cent of
future costs of the company, with the TD Bank paying 30 per
cent.

The bank did pay its share of an immediate increase in
the company’s operating line of credit from $100 milfion to
$120 million.

But since then it has
rejected provincial requests
to contribute further, said

employment and investment
ministry spokesman Don m NW mayors send

Zadravec. letters, page A16

“At one point the bank Mf Still no board of
made it clear they weren't directors, page A16
guing to go beyond what
they originally approved,”
he said,

Last July, he said, the province went ahead without the
bank and paid the entire $15 million required to raise the
operating guarantee to $135 million.

And it did the same thing again last December to bring
the operating line ta $150 million,

“Clearly the needs were there in terms of the operating
line and the province carried through on the commitments it
had made previously,” Zadravec said.

Those amounts, however, are small compared to the
nearly $95 million the company now wants to finance its
capital improvements, including major work on the pulp mill.

That money would take capital expenditures from about
$15 million released to date to the final total of $110 million.

Zadravec noted cost cutting by SCI president Bill Steele
has trimmed the capital plans down by more than a third

Continued Page A2

$20,000 bail set
for ex-auxiliary

A FORMER Terrace resident and auxiliary RCMP offi-
cer charged with 40 crimes including sexual assault was
released on $20,000 bail here April 22.

The 64-year-old man, now living i in Burnaby, appeared
in Terrace provincial court. He is avcused of assaulting six
people sexually in Terrace, Kitimat, Karmloops and
Vancouver between 1966 and 1975. An assault involving a
seventh person was also filed,

Other charges’ involve assault causing budily harm and
weapons,

More than half of the alleged offences occurred in
Terrace and Kitimat, said Terrace RCMP Cast. Liz Douglas,
She suid the sexual assaults relaie to males and femutes of
various ages in different cities,» -

‘Douglas could not comment on whether any alleged
offences involved the acctised’s auxiltary RCMP gun. She

More on SCI:

said the ease has been looked at internally.

Continued Page A2-