Tan timber New book by veteran tree watcher Cyril Shelford challenges status quo/NEWS A8 Friends and relatives note Mary Worobec’s birthday milestone at - Terraceview/COMMUNITY B2 — Getting slope-happy Shames Mountain gears up for a | new season of downhill | | adventure/SPORTS B13 WEDNESDAY DECEMBER: 8, 1993 Take care when getting the tree IF YOU take a Christmas tree from the bush, just make sure it isn’t one froma plantation area or an area that’s been regenerated. That's because young trees will one day be eligible for cutting and tak- ing them now represents an investment and revenue loss, says the forest ser- vice’s Erle Holt. What is allowed is the tak- ing of trees from a highway right of way or a right of way fora hydro or gas line. ““As a message we prefer people get their Christmas trees from the Boy Scouts or aretail outlet,” said Holt. In the meantime, the en- vironment ministry wants people to buy live, polted trees or artificial ones, 75¢ PLUS 5¢ Gst a VOL. 6 NO.. 34 oe CT money on its way THE HEALTH ministry has come through with money to mn the new CT scan device at Mills Memorial for the next budget year. “It’s really exciting mews,” said Terrace Regional Health Care Society chairman Lael McKeown. The matter of money to con- tinue operations had been a ques- tion mark because of the need to plan hospital operations next year, she said, “Back in June, we received word that we would receive fund- ing just for this year and that il would be reviewed year to year,” McKeown added. The amount coming also represents an increase in percent- age terms. from what was’ given this year. The commitment for this month running to March 31, 1994 was for 75 per cent of the operating costs. But the new commitment is suf- » Poinsettia parade WINTER'S DARK days are turned brighter with the seasonal poinsettia. And they don't have te come from down south, Pictured here are Kim Haworth and Glenn Goodwill from Pa- dfic Regeneration Technologies. That's the company which runs the Thornhill trae nursery. Its poinsettia growing program Starts in the summer, after tree seedlings in the nursery's greenhouses are taken out for planting. The nursery is clos- ing next year, meaning that this year’s poinsettia’ crop is the last we'll see from the facllity. Sihota wants to beef up | on conservation officers — ENVIRONMENT MINISTER Mos Sihota wanls to put more conservation officers in the field up here to police the province’s new forest practices code. Speaking here last week, Sihota said he has a budget number in- mind that’ll be part of his minis- try’s spending pians leading into the 1994-1995 budget year, “I's a legitimate concern,” Sihota said when asked how con- servation officers could be ex- pected to police the new code and meet existing responsibilities. “There are arta’ like Prince | Rupert which haven’t had a con- servation officer since anyone can remember,” said Sihota. He said Kitimat also wants a conservation officer. to ‘deal with its bear problem at the dunip, Sillota came to Terrace to speak about the new code to environ- ment and forestry officials,. I'll be tho first pices of iegisia- dj t with, when the legislature meets next spring, he said, Introduced for discussion last month, the code — once it be- comes law — will increase to 31 miilion the possible fines for violations. It will set standards for logging, for treatment of water courses flowing through logging areas and how logging will affect other TeSOUrve Uses. “We have 413 new codes or tules replacing 27 different statutes and 3,000 different regulations,” said Sihota. He called the code a way to cor- réct.ertors of the past and to pro- vide a plan for the future. An important part of the plan is having envitonment.and forestry — officials working together, Sihota added: He. said environment officers ~ will more or less act a3-police of- °“ficers do in siving tickets. when a “Moe Sihota “*The conservation officers here are enthusiastic about the mandate of managing the forests,”” Sihota continued. = * The code should also have a benefit to Forest companies in that it will do much’ to ’ offset -mis- management accusations, he said. hew international customers, some of which are turning: into strong critics of B.C. forest prac- tices, view the industry, Sihota added. The code should further assure those who work in the forest in- dustry that there will be jobs for their children, he said. , “We want an environment for our children that ig as clean and safe and productive as the one we've now,”’ Sihola said. Still up for discussion is how the code will work on private lands now exempled from exist- ~ ing provinelal . torestry tegula- tions. ‘We're gauging the public responsc,”’ Sihota said, ‘ The proposed. legislation and accompanying 128-page code “mule book aré available al the [o- call forest district office... Those “who “have comments - year fo “have ‘until the end of the’ ficlent to handle the expected number of scans for 1994-1994, says health care society chief ex- ccutive officer Michael Leisinger. “What we're told we'll be recciving is $294,000 to be put into the hospital’s base budget for next year,”” he said. i?s enough to cover staff costs and to do 2,000 scans a year, the amount health care society offi- cials expect to do ina normal year. Schoo SCHOOL DISTRICT officials refused to let a puppet show about AIDS take place in local schools last month. The organizers of the show — entitled Not in Our Town — winted fo put it on at local high schools. But schools - superintendent Frank Hamilton said “‘he’ and trustes Stew Christensen reviewed the idea and tumed it down. “We felt very uncomforlable about it being shown to students without parenis being present,’’ Hamilton said. “T felt it was real- ly going overboard.”’ The show was performed in- stead at a public meeting Nov. 25 in the Skecna Health Unit auditorium. About 35 people showed up, in- cluding 10 icens, according to medical health officer Dr. David Bowering. “F thought it was excellent,’’ Bowering said. ‘It turned out to be very well done and sensitively handled.” He sald the show may have Taised some hackles because it was ‘‘fairly explicit?’ about wxuality and addressed the issue of homophobia, IS close d oor — O to AIDS show. “*]’m sure the ministry will be keeping a close on our volumes,”’ said Leisinger. More than 100 people have now received a scan since the device went into operation in early No- vember. Some of that volume, said Leisinger, was probably caused by pent up demand, The amount for this year’ 3 cr. operation is $98,000 to cover. 75 per cent of the cost. . The. play included =a homosexual character, who. was portrayed sympathetically, said Bowering. He said the character didn’t have HIV and promoted safe sex or abstinence. ““The message wasn’t- ‘simply that kids should he as sexually ac- live as thoy ‘want,’ Bowering added, “I can't imagine a more effec- tive, less threatening, useful show,”’ he said. ‘‘I think we missed an opportunily here.” But that opportunity may be back soon. Hospital intensive care unit nurse Carrie . Blake the organizer of the show — said a B.C. troupe called Puppets Against’ AIDS could be in’ the northwest next spring. Blake said school district. offi- cials probably didn’t. get enough lime to review the material be- cause there was very little ad- vance notice. She said she only found out the tour was coming here two weeks before the performance date, ad- ding that left little time to make arrangements with the schools. Blake expects to give the school board plenty of notice next time around, ; THE NORTHWEST can’t wait any longer for ONBC’s long-promised regional coordinator. Terrace University Access * Council chairman Gerry Martin says it’s critical that a coordinator for this area be hired immediately. High school students will soon be deciding which uni- versities to attend, he said. “They're talking about five full-time staff for next year but there’s nobody on the ground promoting it with the ‘schools or any- thing,?? he sald. ‘Children making . plans for next year in university are doing that now.’ - UNBC began its search : for regional coordinators for the three outlying - college regions more than a year and a half ago. This is the only region that docs not yet have a coor- dinator. The positions for the’ northeast and central _. filled. : io. Ta coordinator isn’t here UNBC vacancy causes fears for the position,” he sald, - ce college regions have ‘been a ‘0. help recruit -and supply. .¢lse,”. he said. information, Martin predicts UNEC will see low num- bers of students enrolled here next fall, and officials will conclude there’s little interest in the university's courses here, **They’ll use that as an ex- cuse to cancel it,”’ he said, “Tt becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.’. That's what scares me.”? Marlin said UNBC should hire someone on a short- term contract as an interim — coordinator. School board chairman John Pouseite concurs, and thinks they should try to hire locally. . “They’re canvassing ail over the country to find a - person who would be right “But 1 think “that person could be right here. ‘Martin says the university must give the northwest a. good chance at the Starting gate. “If they don’t get a retum:— from this region those dol- jars will. go - somewhere