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a 2003.

ear In Review

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 31, 2003 - AS

January

The first hint of looming School District 82
budget cuts arose when it announced a series of
meetings to decide what to do for the new school
year beginning in September.

Everything fram closing schools one day a

week, to increasing fees, to seeking to corporale

sponsorship are to be laid out over the next while.
School: district acting assistant superintendent,

Rob Greenwood said ideas and possible cost cutting

" measures will be gathered together for discussion as ©

the district prepares its next budget.
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Residential and commercial users of natural gas
face a double whammy.

The B.C. Utilities Commission has given Pacific
Northern Gas (PNG) approval to raise not only
the price for gas but the cost of delivering it to
customers,” _

Gas charges went up 20 per cent as of Jan. 1

_and delivery charges went up by almost the same
amount, 17 per cent.

PNG is not allowed to make a profit on what it

-pays for gas at the well head, meaning that it passes

through the cost to its customers, but it does make

money from delivering the commodity.

PNG had been looking for rate increases of 25
percent for gas and 21 and 20 per cent increases for
residential and commercial customers respectively.

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The Northern Health Authority is boosting wages
of ils senior and non-union employees by an average
five per cent. -

The total cost works out to $675,000 a year.

A breakdown of how the raises are applied wasn’t
made available, but there are 204 senior and pon-
contract employees on the authority payroll. That's
down from 226 before the authority began cutting
positions.

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For the fifth straight year, most property
assessments in the city fell. The average home
assessment for 2002 fell five per cent to $105,516
from the year before,

In total, assessments fell to $715.2 million for
2002 from nearly $740 million the year before and
continues a decline from a peak assessment value of
$831 million in 1998.

‘Assessments are based on the market value of
properties as of July 1.

B.C.” Assessment Authority officials say an
average horseshoe home which sold for $107,800
in 2001 ‘sold for $101,000 in 2002. A Thornheights
home worth'$ 122,500 in 2001’ was worth:$ 120,000."
year later. Vt cia aut ep HL dive Ga ae

In

Mills Memorial Hospital has hired one third of
the 25 graduates of Northwest Community College's
first-ever licensed practical nursing program.

The nurses finished their one-year course in
December 2002,

‘Mills nursing director Marg Petrick said the new
hires are taking the strain off the workload of the
hospital's registered nurses. As with many hospitals,
Mills has a shortage of registered nurses,

Money for the new nurses comes from that which
would have been spent on registered nurses.

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Police are looking for the individual or individuals
sending dozens of harassing letters to members of
Terrace's Punjabi community.

The letters contain. no threats or demands bue
have detail about.the every day lives of those who
receive them, says Staff Sergeant Tom Forster,

More than 40 letters in Punjabi have been
received so far and are addressed.in English ina
different handwriting style than the contents.

“It doesn't compel them to do something or not to
do something. It’s dispersal of information intended
to make people feel uneasy,” said Forster.

A felt narker was also used to deface a vehicle,
home as well as a commercial property frequented
by one of those who received the letters.

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Fierce winter winds blew off a portion of the roof
at Thornhill Elementary.

The wind first lifted a portion of the roofs
membrane, ‘creating enough force to roll up
insulation panels and roofing material, and spill it
over-the side like a sheaf of unfurled paper towels,

Repairs were estimated at $50,000 and will be
covered by insurance,

much as, $40.a° day.as of Apridil. 1

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ALICE CLAIROUX was one of the local motorists who felt they were being hosed when the pro-
vincial government announced a 3.5 cent per litre increase in gasoline taxes.

February

People in the recreational angling business here
are worried that planned fish fee increases for tourists
will hurt their business and the local economy,

Fees to. fish classified rivers will double.lo,as
eran eat

General licence fees are also rising as of that
date, _

“That’s a lot of money,” Northcoast Anglers
owner Leona Murray said of the classified watgers
daily prices. “That's really going to harm this area
for tourism.”

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The number of aboriginal people in the preater
Terrace area grew substantially between the 1996
census and the one conducted in 2001,

Aboriginal people now make up 15.5 per cent
of the population — 3,085 people at the 2001 census
time — compared to 10.8 per cent or 2,250 people in
1996.

The growth comes at a time when the rest of the
population is dropping in the area.

Aside from natural population growth, Alfie
McDames of the Kermode Friendship Cenire said
more aboriginal peaple from outside the region now
call Terrace home.

He and Elmer Derrick, a Gitxsan land claims
negotiator who lives in Terrace, said the city’s
medical services, shopping and educational access
act as a draw.

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Years of rumours became fact when the city
announced it was giving up its animal shelter land
and parkland as part of a deal that will result in a
Wal-Mart being built.

The other package of land consists of the Glen
Saunders property, beside the Skeena River, that
once housed River Industries.

In exchange for its land, the city will get nearly
$397,000 and a strip of parkland immediately beside
the river.

With the city land and the Saunders property,
Wal-Mart will end up with a 10.5 aere parcel.

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ROSS SLEZAK and others with the Save the "Northwest Committee launched a campaign backing
Kitimat counci!'s fight to halt power exports by Alcan.

New Skeena Forest Products owner Dan Veniez
is turning back as much as 2.7 million cubic metres
of timber it hasn’t cut.

The company, which hasn’t operated since mid-
2001, was supposed to cut the wood over the past
Jive years under licences granted by the province, -.
«. Because. it failed ta-meet eutting ‘teq irifelnents.

the province can penalize the company’ ati $ not:

yet known if that will happen.

Harris said placing the volume in the hands of .

other operators could stimulate a hard-pressed forest
industry in the area which has suffered since New
Skeena shut down operations.

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Local residents are taking part in peace vigils
every Friday on the sidewalk in front of the Skeena

Mall.

The vigils are to highlight opposition toa pending
invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led military forces.

U.S. President George W. Bush has said
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has a stockpile of
nuclear and biological material that pose a threat to
neigbouring countries,

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The city has pledged to raise $389,000 to assist

students attending a new medical school aot the -

University of Northern B.C. in Prince George.

It's part of $6 million the university wants to
invest and then use the resulting interest for bursaries
and other financial assistance.

The medical school is to open in the fall of 2004
with 24 students and operate in conjunction with the
existing medical school at UBC.

March

Alaskans who want a read connection between
the province and the Alaskan Panhandle no longer
say itll be a one-way strect to move resources out
of B.C.

They're now saying they need the toad to move
goods and materials from the Panhandle to B.C. as
the state ferry system can’t handle demand.

“We believe the road would do much to benefit
us as well as your people,” Cily of Wrangell official
Terry Otness told a chamber of commerce meeting
here.

Some B.C. residents oppose the road plan, saying
it would harm any attempt to make the. port at
Stewart an outlet for shipping resources.

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Last year the school district closed schools in an
altempt to balance its books, Now it’s going te close
schools on Fridays in hopes of saving money on
custodial, maintenance, clerical and bus services,

The one-day closure decision is expected to cut
costs by $1.4 million, but the district said that still
won't be enough to overcome an anticipated deficit.

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Skeena Liberal MLA Roger Harris is urging !aid
off IVA workers al New Skeena’s sawmill here jo
sign a new labour contract,

“I understand their concern, But it’s time for
them to come to a consensus that's going to work for
them,” said Harris,

Union members are on the verge of losing
seniority and recall rights. They disappear after 18
months of being laid off.

Bul workers would have to sign a deal that cuts
wages by an average 20 per cent, That could be

recouped if and when the mill makes a profit shoul :

it ever start up again.
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Experts hope that minute particles of oll found in
rock formations north of here could lead to bountiful
reserves of oil and gas.

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The discovery is enough for the provincial
government and the Geological Survey of Canada
to put $4 million over the next four years into more
research.

The area, called the Bowser Basin, by oil and
gas experts has largely been ignored since the 1960s

- when two test wells came up dry.

But new technology and research, focussed on the
minute oil particles, has spurred renewed interest.
Provincial officials are also off to Calgary to meet
with oil and gas companies in hopes of convincing
them to take another look at the Bowser.
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The city is splitting up its long sought after
multiplex in hopes of getting more-money from the
provincial and federal governments.

It is forging ahead on a plan for a second sheet of
ice, to go between the existing arena and the aquatic
centre, while placing plans for a conference centre
and arts complex on hold.

The slimmed down version will use a $2 million
provincial-federal: grant for a second sheet of ice
and renovating the existing banquet room in: the
current arena building for use as youth and mulli
purpose centre. A new. building committee will
concentrate on raising nearly $2 million to complete
the financing.

Mayor Jack Talstra said applications for more
grants will be made for the convention centre and
arts complex plans,

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The federal Skeena riding will expand east along
Hwy 16 instead of south as far as Williams Lake,
federal boundary officials have decided.

The new riding is to be called Skeena-Buikley
Valley and have its eastern edge. in the .Vanderhoof
area,

New ridings reflect population changes and give
the growing southern part of B.C. more ridings
while cutting back in the north where numbers of
people are shrinking.

Overall, B.C. is to have {wo more seats when
elections are held next year.

There had been great opposition to the first plans
to expand Skeena south as it would have made for
a huge riding and one that would be difficult to
represent,

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Northwest Community College is raising tuition
tates by as much as 40 per cent and is closing its
Masset campus on the Queen Charlotte Islands in
order to balance its budget.

But it is spending money on new programs in
hopes of increasing its student population to better
reflect the grant it gets from the province. .

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The city is holding the line on property taxes
at about $8 million in its new budget, but property
owners may still see their tax bills increase.

That's because the provincial government is
increasing school taxes and because of a hike to help
pay for the new hospital in Kitimat.

In total, the city will spend just over $13. I
million, Fees and sale of services will account for
$1.8 miilion, the second largest revenue source after
property taxes. ,

Policing costs at $2.5 million make up the largest
departmental expense.

On. tap this year are several road improvement
projects, including $474,000 lo rebuild Walsh from
Kenney to Munree

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The Thornhill animal shelter has stopped
adopting out dogs and cats unless them they've been
spayed or neutered.

The move is designed to clamp down on the large
number of unwanted pets roaming the streets.

Under the old system, new pel owners were given
vouchers valid at veterinary offices but people either
forgot — or refused — to use the youchers.

Animal control officer Angela Vanderboorn said
people fail to recognize thal not fixing their animals
can amount to a death sentence for their offspring.

_ The new policy will drive thal point home, she
hopes.
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The amount of fluoride added to city water is
going down by 30 per cent on the recammendation
of Northern Health Authority medical health officer
Dr. Isaac Sobol.

He said the cut to 0.7 parts million of fluoride is
to avoid dental fluorosis — a cosmetic problem of
while patches on teeth,

Fluoride from other sources, such as toothpaste,
means less is needed in the water supply to get the
job done, Sobol added.

The decision follows debate at council about
whether fluoride is needed at all and because of
worries from some quarters about the safety of ihe
substance,

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The city has completed rezoning of land for the
new Wal-Mart building so ils contractors can get
started as soon as possible with a view to completing
construction for a December opening.

Involved was a large piece owned by Glen
Saunders and city land on which.the animal shelter
now sits.

The Jocation is beside the Skeena River just
before one of the bridges which crosses the river to
Ferry Island. ,

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Plans by the Terrace-Kilimat Airport Society to
lengthen the airport runway aren't aimed at attracting
WestJet, says society president Fraser Mackie,

The society wants to add 1,500 feet to its main
6,000-foot runway at a cost of. $2.5. million to
position the airport for the future, he said.

The extension has been criticized by some people
who ‘say : attracting Westlel will harm existing
Hawkair.

‘But Mackie said a longer runway could lead to
direct international Rights from overseas and more
cargo aircraft coming in, «=