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Jean Black is the mining com-
panies’ presence in Terrace. She
gathers commissary supplies,
groceries, equipment and parts,
prescriptions, and other mining
supplies for a group of mining

exploration companies and

operating mines in the ‘‘Golden
Triangle area”. She even does
the mid-month payroll advances
for employees of Skyline Gold.

. by Betty Barton

Jean’s busiest season is from
May to mid-November, when

most mining exploration nor-—

mally takes place. Even the
usually slow months, from

- December to April, are starting

to speed up, with mining opera-
tions running year-round.
Skyline Gold and Newhawk,
two of the most active claims,
are now year-round operations.

Last year, Jean Black co-
ordinated supplies and services
for 10 mining companies. She
notes that several million
dollars, including air transport
cost, was spent in this area last
year. Supplies and materials not
available from the Terrace

_ Market are ordered by Jean and

her crew from manufacturers in
eastern Canada and also from

the U.S.
' Jean Black feels that Terrace -

has a lot to offer as a service and
supply center, with the addi-
tional bonus of efficient air
travel with Okanagan Helicop-
ters, Vancouver Island Heli-
copters, Trans-Provincial Ajir-
lines and the numerous jets that
fly into the Terrace/Kitimat Air-
port every day. ‘‘The only prob-

' -lem-is the weather, and we can’t

change that,”’ she adds.
Jean Black has been involved

with mining for more than 20.
years. She was a Public Health

nurse in Eddontenajon south of
Dease Lake and helped her
brother-iniaw run a general store
there. ‘‘It followed me here,’’
she adds. Four years ago, Jean
commenced her mining expedit-
ing career when Skyline Gold
‘decided to go in’’. She recalls
that it was a very technical sum-
mer, and “hectic, hectic, it
was!’’ That was also the year
that the Ministry of Highways
decided to shut down the airstrip
at Bob Quinn Lake. Jean added
lobbying to her long list of
responsibilities, and ‘‘got it back
on track’’.

- The biggest snag in her ex-
pediting took place that year as
well. When a mine is going into
production, she explains, big
machinery needs to be moved in,

She went through it all off-

loading at both Bob Quinn and
Wrangall, Alaska. Jean sals
that a lot of groceries are flown
to. the ‘“‘Golden Triangle’’ from
Wrangall, Alaska because of the
shorter air travel time required,
From here; the landing strip
could be fogged in by the time
the plane arrived there, From
‘Wrangall, it takes only 25 to 30
minutes. An Alaskan expediter
handles that part of the opera-
tion.

Jean’s day starts at 6:30 a.m.
and ‘‘the phones are clattering
by eight’’. She adds that. week-
ends and holidays. are non-

high school students,

Nan Duncan, and, during the
summer holidays, one or two
Jean
herself does most of the grocery
and equipment ‘shopping’, but
uses her staff, particularly the

students, to box the goods, tie

them down, label and deliver
them to the airport or trucking

firm who will transport the

goods to the appropriate camp
or mining operation. According
to Jean, she runs a management

’ and dispatch-type business.

They do a_ tremendous
amount of work on. the
telephone and fax. It’s a lot
easier now that they all have
satellite phones, rather than the
rather unreliable radio-phones.
Jean’s husband Jock is an
automotive engineer who often
filled in the blanks when a radio
transmission was interrupted. If

‘Jean received only bits of the

message, Jock would provide

the missing information. Jock §

and Jean also run Jock’s Ex-
cavating and build logging
roads.

Jean communicates generally
with one contact person, often
the operations manager, from
each mining company. That is
the person who zeroes in on the
needs of the camp or production
operation and relays the infor-
mation to Jean.

How do companies know
about her? She’s never really
thought about it. But, she does
advertise in Mining magazine,
the Smithers mining directory,
the City of Terrace’s new ser-
vices catalogue, and a lot of rec-
ommendations
mouth. Out-of-province com-

- panies will often ask the pilots or

airport staff if there are any ex-
peditors in Terrace.

The major mining companies,
as a matter of course, enter into
a service contract with Jean.
With the smaller ones, a hand-:
shake will often do. Jean ex-
plains that there are ‘‘a lot of
fly-by-nighters”’, so many of the
interested companies have to be
researched before she will agree
to work for them. She says it's
quite a tight group in the mining
industry and she had contacts
who give her their opinion on
the company in question, Once

a

are word-of- .

Terrace Review — Wednesday, February 28, 1990 A9

reflects minin

g activity

mrt

JEAN BLACK: The only problem is the weather, and we can't change that.

Jean agrees to a working ar-
rangement, the companies will
arrange a payment schedule and
ask her to set up accounts at cer-
tain stores, Jean provides them
with a list of suppliers of their
various needs, from which they
can choose,

Jean especially enjoys all the

new people she gets to meet. She
has meetings with the engineers,
geologists, and operations
managers when they come to
town. She and her staff keep
clipboards and files on each
company and their various
needs. When she goes ‘shop-
ping’, she’s often buying for 10
companies at the same time,

Jean says “expediting is ex-
citing, but it’s not for every-
body. It requires a lot of
Organization, long hours and
you have to get used to the inter-
ruptions.’’

Jean predicts that the mining
traffic and business will be very
similar this year to last.

Canada

-Dropbyforthe —

Canada

Besoin de tuyaux pour votre
impot? Passez nous voir!

facts on your tax.

Revenue Canada Taxation operates Seasonal Tax Assistance
Centres that can help clear up any questions you may have
on your 1989 Retum. Our people have set up an office in
your neighbourhood, providing the information you need
free of charge, as well as a selection of extra tax returns,
schedules, forms, booklets and bulletins. Come in with your
questions, afong with all relevant slips and receipts, and get
the answers you need to fill In your return correctly.

SEASONAL TAX ASSISTANCE CENTRES
Open March 6 - March 10, 1990.

Skeena Mall
Terrace
fe Revenue Canada Revenu Canada
Taxation impdt

. Revenu Canada, Impot met sur pied des centres saisonniers d'aide

fiscale qui regroupent des employés pouvant vous aider a résoudre
las questions que vous vous posez concernant votre déclaration de
revenus de 1989. Un centre est exploité dans votre voisinage. Vous
pourrez y obtenir, gratuitement, les renseignements dont vous
besoin, ainsi que des exemplaires de déclarations de revenus,
d'annexes, de formulaires, de livrets et de bulletins.
Présentez-vous a votre centre avec tous les feulllets et recus
appropriés, et vous obtiendrez les renseignements qui vous
permettront de remplir votre déclaration de fagon adéquate.. -

CENTRES SAISONNIERS D'AIDE FISCALE

_ Guvert du 6 mars au 10 mars 1990.

Skeena Mall

Terrace

Ew | Revenu Canada Revenue Canada
Impét Taxation

_.. Nolis:assurons ¢galenient un service supplémentaire, soit S.E.R.T. -
7. (Systéme électronique de,renseignements par téléphone). Veuillez.
..  Gonsulter votre guide d'impot pour plus.de précisions ace sujet.

‘An additional service we'provide is T.I.PS,-(Tax Information Phone 7
Service). Please refer to your income tax guide.fot mote details...

existent in the summer months.
Jean's expediting crew in- . . cia
‘cludes daughter Lorna, friend | © CUxaREEE a