Cats missing

Get tested

‘Ball begins

A number of: cats have |
mysteriously disappeared from the
Horseshoe area\NEWS A3

Local residents are urged to get
‘their blood tested for the hepatitis
C virus\COMMUNITY B1 |

More than 40
Smithers and

for a fastball clinic\SPORTS B6

youth from Terrace,
Kitimat turned out

WEDNESDAY.
April 12, 2000 _

ANDARD =

$1.00 PLUS 7¢ GST .
(81.10 plus 8¢ GST outside of the
.. Terrace ares} .

VOL. 13 NO. 1:

Unsolved rapes raise safety fears

By CHRISTIANA WIENS
TERRACE RCMP are question-
ing a number of suspects after two
extremely violent sexual attacks
on women in the past three weeks.

But as of Apr. 7 they had made no
arrests and had no evidence that the
two attacks are connected.

“We're conscious of the possibili-
ties,” said Sgt. Anders Udsen, head of
the Terrace Serious Crime Unit Friday.
“But we don’t have a link.”

The attacks were so violent both
victims were hospitalized with exten-
sive injuries.

The first, a home invasion-style at-
tack at a residence in the 3600 block

of Kalum Street, happened around 8
a.m., Wednesday, March 22.

The suspect — believed to be a na-
tive male wearing a blue bandana to
mask his face — is described as having
a thin to medium build.

He was approximately five-foot-
nine and wore a blue hooded sweat
jacket and blue ‘jeans.

The second attack happened Fri-
day, March 31 near the Kalum St.
Copperside Foods store where a lone
woman was attacked by two men who
sexually assaulted and deserted her
after 11:30 p.m. in the 4600 block of
Davis Avenue. .

She too, was brought to hospital
with severe injuries.

RCMP say her attackers are be-
tween 18 and 23 years old. One of the
men is believed to be native, while
the other’s ethnicity isn’t known,

Udsen said the attacks do not ap-
pear to be related to earlier stalking
incidents, where a number of women
were followed by a man ina vehicle. -

The recent rapes don’t fit the same
profile because there was no vehicle
involved, he said.

Udsen added the unit here is feed-
ing basic descriptions of the assaults
into a database in hopes of finding a
match or profile of the offender.

The detachment also assigned a
general duty officer to assist the unit
with the cases.

Udsen said regional investigators
based in Prince Rupert, in town fast
Tuesday to help Terrace’s drug section
execute two warrants, were tied up
and unable to help this case.

Meanwhile, he said, local women
need to take normal care when walk-
ing alone at night.

“They need to be thoughtful of
where and when and what area of town
they’re in,” Udsen said.

The Terrace Women’s Contre has
also fielded a number of calls from
worried Terrace residents.

“We're extremely concerned about
the last few assaults,” said Caral
Sabo, a coordinator at the centre.

“There’s a level of violence you do

nol normally hear about.”

OF particular concern, she said, is
the March 31 attack on Davis Street.

“Two (attackers) is not a random
act,” she said. “They have to discuss
and they have to debrief.”

She added many people dan’t be-
lieve such assaults can happen here
and plans to raise the subject with the
City of Terrace’s social planning com-
mission.

She stressed the importance of get-
ting the cases solved quickly.

“If they don’t get caught they will
continue to do it again,” she said.

For more on safety precautions
women Should consider, see story
page Ad,

Tsimshian
antsy about

m Overturned

SUNDAY was not a day of rest or thanks for Rain Coast
Cranes and Equipment after this rig overturned and ended
up in the ditch April 2nd. The incident happened just past the

airport on Highway 37 South, Fortunately there were no injur-
ies as a result of the accident. Damages to the big machine,
however, are considered extensive.

Oversupply of chips prompts two-week shutdown.

- industry reps - clearly for-

SOME WORKERS at West Fra-
ser’s Skeena Sawmills operation
are getting a long and early Easter
break.

The 24 workers on the miill’s
chipping shift — which custom
chips for Skeena Cellulose — have
been told up to half of them will
likely be laid off for two weeks

startling Friday.

West Fraser general manager
Lou Poulin said he hopes to find
more work in the planer mill to
employ 12 to 14 of the affected
workers for the two weeks.

He said the chipping shutdown
is because downtime with SCI’s
Prince Rupert pulp mil! has left it

pulp mill.

with more chips than it needs.
“The pulp mill in Rupert has
had some problems with the re-
covery boiler,” Poulin explained.
Skeena Cellulose spokesman
Don McDonald denied there have
been major problems with the

“We have an oversupply of

chips,” he said. “If we have an
oversupply of chips we turn off the
tap for a bit.”

He added pulp prices are high —
and SCI is producing at its full
1,250 tonne per day capacity.

“We're putting out as much
pulp as we possibly can,” he
added.

truce talks

By JEFF NAGEL
TSIMSHIAN leaders fear a
deal between environ-
mental groups and forest
companies to pause log-
ging on the coast may cost
their own people jobs and
control over their tradition-
al territory.

“We're afraid it’s going
to lack our people aut,”
said Gerald Wesley, the
Tsimshian Tribal Council's
Terrace-based chief treaty
negotiator.

Greenpeace, the Sierra
Club and other groups
have been in secret talks
for months with several big
logging companies to
reach a truce,

It would halt logging for.
18 months in up to 118°
walersheds while further:

talks continue. During that,
time the eco-boycott in
global markets against
lumber cul in the contes-
ted coastal areas would be
cased,

Wesley said the Tsim-
shian were irritated to’

» learn last month that talks

were underway with no ef-
fort to involve aboriginal
proups that claim the area,

“It’s perturbing that
we've got two major play-
ers — the environmental
movement and some niajor

getting or not wanting to
recognize that First Na-
tions have clear interests
in the land and resources
that they're negotiating
over behind closed doors,”
he said.

An 18-month logging

Gerald Wesley

pause wouldn't be bad
strictly for Tsimshian trea-

ty talks, Wesley admits,
because it would ensure
ithere*s more of the re-
source left for when the
Tsimshian sign the treaty
and take control of their
claimed lands,

But he says southern
Tsimshian villages like
Hartley Bay and Kitasoo:
that have reached agree-
‘ments to work for the com-:
‘panies stand to lose jobs,

Art Stersitt, the Tsim-
shian treaty negotiator for
Hartley Bay, said his vil--
lage has a contract with
Interfor under which Tsim-
shian workers conduct’
land-use research and ar-
chaelogical assessments in
areas proposed for logging.

Environmental groups’
say they would spend an
18-month pause research-
ing how and where logging
should be allowed to con-
tinue,

Continued Pg. A2

Homegrown airline to slash air fares

Hawkair seeks partners

to crack air monopoly

By JEFF NAGEL
A TERRACE company is vowing to break the
new airline monopoly and bring prices back
down to earth by flying a competing passenger
service to Vancouver,

Hawkair Aviation is raising money through
local investors and the sale of one of its big
cargo planes to buy a Dash 8-102 37-passenger
aircraft for around $5.5 million.

They hope to launch a twice daily round trip
service between Terrace and Vancouver some-
time in June, going head to head with Canadian
Regional Airlines, now owned by. Air Canada.

Hawkair - owned by local aviators Paul Haw-
kins, Rod Hayward and Dave Menzies ~ plans to
offer full fare tickets for less than half the more
than $1,000 last-minute passengers now pay, and

two-week-advance tickets for much less than the
cheapest tickets currently available out of Ter-
race.

“We know we can offer ticket prices that will
be extremely attractive to the people of
Terrace,” Menzies said last week.

“There’s no point in doing this if our prices
are going to be close to the Air Canada monopo-
ly’s,” he added. “We want to be able to offer a
dramatically lower ticket price.”

Menzies said the new Terrace airline’s prices
would also incorporate all taxes and airport fees
-- including ones now charged separately at Van-
couver and Terrace.

The Hawkair owners say they’re making the
bold move because of their commitment to Ter-
race and the: deteriorating service and high prices
in the wake of the merger of Air Canada and Ca-
nadian Airlines.

“This is-going to be 2 a ‘Terrace-based airline

dedicated to serving Terrace, based in Terrace,
with jobs in Terrace, designed for the cunve-
nience of people in Terrace,” Menzies empha-
sized,

The new airline will employ 14 people - a
major expansion of Hawkair's existing four-per-
son operation,

Hawkair has extra pilots ready to come here
to work as soon as they give the green light.

They’re also about to seek applicants to be-
come flight attendants, who will have to undergo
a rigorous training program. They’ll also hire
more maintenance staff, administrative staff and
counter staff.

Going forward depends on raising enough
money to buy the plane.

“We're actively raising capital, 4 said Men-
zies, adding Hawkalr is meeting this week with
potential local investors.

‘The company through its own resources and

the planned sale of its Carvair plane, has more
than half of the money needed to finance the
new airline’s startup, Menzies said.

The venture poses major risks, notably the
huge custs to buy the plane and to certify and
train employees.

If Air Canada or its new acquisition Canadian
chops licket prices and engages in a war of attri-

“tion, Hawkair will lose,

But the company is counting on the loyalty of

‘local passengers even if the major airlingll

prices to what Hawkair will charge.

“We hope they'll realize they will have to
support the allernative service,” Menzies said.
“If we don’t survive ticket prices will go right

_ back to where the monopoly wants it.”

They also hope new federal legisiation that
bans the monopoly carrier from using predatory
pricing to kill competitors will protect them.

Continued Page Al4 -