’ Ad - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 26, 1994

TERRACE

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988

ADDRESS: 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C." V8G 188
TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432
MODEM: 638-7247.

Alcan blues

ALCAN MUST long for the old days of W.A.C.
Bennett, B.C.’s first Social Credit premier. Pick

a river, any river, throw up a dam, install a‘

couple of generators and fly at her.

Even into the early 1980s, Alcan blithely put
forward its 1950s plan io complete its Kemano
project by taking more water from the Nechako
River to generate more hydro-electric power to
produce more aluminum.

But a lot of things changed between the 1950s
and the 1980s and continue to change — all to
the company’s detriment. It’s had to deal with
fuzzy provincial and federal policy, scheming
politicians, depressed markets, insurgent natives
and well-trained environmentalists.

In effect, Alcan has been backed into a corner.
Company official Bill Rich, if he has to, will
hump salmon up and down the Nechako River in
plastic buckets to prove his point that the compa-
ny can both take water and safeguard fish popu-
lations. Heck, he’ll even raise fish fry in his
bathtub.

But Alcan also has a strong legal case for its
claim to the Nechako River. There is that
original agreement and even the NDP has found
it’s tied to the now-controversial a deal struck in
1987. Who else but Alcan could tell the provin-
cial government it'll face a massive lawsuit
should the project be axed?

If there is a soft point in the Alcan plan it’s
what to do with the power that'll be generated
once the Kemano Completion Project is finished.
In the old days, power to Alcan meant more
aluminum. And to the northwest it became a bit
of a trade off — development of a natural
resource meant jobs.

‘Nowadays, power to Alcan means something it ©
_can sell to earn money. No longer is Alcan tied ~

solely and exclusively to aluminum production.
The company has taken to the modern economic
world of diversify or die.

This puts into doubt the employment gain to the
northwest once Kemano is completed. You can
probably count on both hands the number of
permanent jobs that’ll be created.

While Alcan may be in a legal and contractual
position to complete its plan, the resources for
jobs trade off so long a part of the northwest fab-
ric becomes shaky. It is, as they say, a different
kettle of fish. :

Justice delayed

ROOKIE CITY councillors get their first taste of
a controversial issue tomorrow when the plan-
ning, parks and environment committee meets

with the two parties who have plans to develop

land along Howe Creek.

Both of the parties have waited a long time for
their cases to be decided. The previous council
managed to defer things until last fall’s election.
And now new councillors will want to take time
to consider matiers before making any final deci-
sions.

But that becomes unfair to the developers. The
phrase justice delayed is justice denied takes on
meaning here. New councillors must act quickly
to take care of that "and meet the public interest.
It'll be a challenging task.

caNnA

Gon PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link
ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L, Hamm vena
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur "esti
NEWS COMMUNITY: Jeff Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Malcolm Baxter
OFFICE MANAGER: Rose Fisher
COMPOSING: Pam Odell * TYPESETTER: Asiane Viasblom
DARKROOWN: Susan Credgeur
ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros
CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Charlene Matlhews
Serving the Terres area. Published on Wednesday of each weak by Cariboo Press (1668) Lid, at 4647
Lazotle Ave., Terrace, British Columbia,

Stories, photographs, llvelralions, designs and typestyles In the Terrace Standard aro the property of the
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Authorized as second-dans mail pending the Past Office Departinert, for payment of postage In cash.

Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents
for thelr time and talents

iv
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|

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THEN THERE 5 A SCI-FI
MOVIE ABODT A SOCIETY
STRUGGLING WITH AN
ALARMING LABOR SHORTAG

14;

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Misses

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Wue

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|

Achtung, Deutschland!

MONTABAUR — This beau-
tiful medieval town of same
6,000 residents is located about
40 kilometres from Koblenz in
the middle of the Westerwald,
a densely-forested region in
central Germany.

The forests here are
managed, There's no such
thing as old growth. And un-
like the vast and empty forests
in British Columbia, German
forests are dotted with villages
every two or three kilometres.

Yel, one is surprised to find
this abundance of forest in
such a highly-industrialized
country.

But not all is well in the
woods in Germany. In fact,
German forests are -slowly

dying. It is ironic’ that-this:...

should happen ‘in 4. country
which is so preoccupied with
British Columbfa’s allegedly
bad forest practices.

The reason for Germany’s
ailing forests is mostly acid
rain. The trees are being slow-
ly poisoned to death, despite
tough legislation requiring
catalytic converlers on
automobiles and effective filter
systems in factories,

The first alarm bells were
sounded back in 1983 when

-FR HE CAPITA

HUBERT BEYER

ecologists warned that the
‘Tannenbaum,’ a type of
Spruce traditionally used for’
Christmas trees, would be ex-
tinct in 10 years,

Paday,.51 per cent:of ‘all
spruce’ stands in Germany are
sick, The relatively rare white
spruce is on ihe list of
endangered species,

Even more alarming is the
recent discovery that not only
coniferous trees are in ‘peril.

_ Deciduous stands are in even

gieater danger of dying out. To
date, an average of 60 per cent
of all coniferous stands in
Germany are damaged. That
figure is 71 per cent with
deciduous stands,

In some areas of Germany,
the percentage of moderately
and severely-damaged trees is
as high as 87 per cent.

German authorities were at
first mystified by the fact that
hereto strong and resistant
trees such as the German oak
and beech, both indigenous
species, are suddenly dying in
large numbers.

The answer was found in ag-
riculture rather than industry.
Artificial fertilizer, containing
large amounts of ammonia,
finds its way into the almo-
sphere. A second contributor Is
non-organic feed far every-
thing from cattle to chickens.

It turns out that ihe animals

-. can only’ absorb -one-third: of

this type of feed. The rest -is
released into the atmosphere
by way of gas. It is estimated
that one cow releases twice the
amount of poisonous gases
than one car without calalytic
converter.

Another reason for the appar-
ent lack of natural immunity of
Germany’s foresis is the prac-
lice of mono-culture, the plant-
ing of one species of tree rath-
er than a natural variety.

What is the answer? There is

none. Politicians and
ccologisis scem to be resigned
to the fact that the forest may
not be salvageable. Now, brace
yourself for the only solution
authorities have, so far, come
up with —- gene banks.

Saplings of the country’s
threatened trees are being
cared for in giant greenhouses.
Cooling mechanisms keep the
trees from growing larger than
a few centimetres. The gene
pool of Germany’s forests is
slumbering to be awakened at
some future date when the air
is hopefully clean and forest
May, once again, grow.

If that sounds scary, it is. But
it also brings to mind that our

problems are small by’ com-~'
parison re

May I suggest that German
Greenpeace activists do
whatever they can to get their
own house in order. Trying to
undermine British Columbia's
export market for lumber in
Germany does nothing to solve
that country’s problems, which
are far greater (han ours,

In the meantime, we will do
whatever is necessary to devel-
op safe and sustainable forest
practices here at home.

Won't sign picker petition

A NEW called the Northwest
Mushreom Pickers’ Coalition
is circulating a petition aimed
against government regulating
the pine mushroom harvest, a
harvest estimated to be worth
$20 million annually to the lo-
cal economy.

The coalition seems un-
perturbed current Klondike
harvesting —- often by novices
using destructive techniques —
could eventually climinate the
prized fungus from our [orcats,
just as overharvesting ended
Maritime cod fishing.

We've heard horror stories of
piggish pickers using garden
rakes to locate pine
mushrooms, thus destroying
those areas for years.

A University of B.C
ecologist speaking on CBC
Radio said, ‘“We have no clear
idea of the symbiotic tela-
tionship that may exist be-
tween pine mushrooms and
hemlock.’’ Disturb the rela-
tionship and who knows? We
could wipe out not only pine
mushrooms but hemlock as
well.

FIRST YOU LET AN

60R 7 YEARS.:.

THROUGH. BIFOCALS

CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

According to Canadian
Forest Service pathologisis,
“The natural equilibrium be-
tween trees and fungus that ex-
ists in undisturbed forests has
been upset by forestry prac-
tices.”* The equilibrium ‘is
surcly being further upset by
over-zealous mushroom pick-
crs. *

Greenlom pickers from as
far away as the U.S., England,
and ‘Onlatio cost local tax-
payers for garbage pickup,
search rescue, and policing.

4

MEANWHILE YOU
OLD FRIDGE ANP GET PAILS WOOP
STOVE RUST IV ANP OTHER STOFF
YOUR YARD FOR You'll NEED.

Scems some pickers who hit it
rich celebrate unduly, breaking
ithe law.

During ideal harvest seasons ~

when prices can go as high as
$225 per pound, experienced
pickers make big bucks. None-
theless most declare no income
and pay no taxes, like drug

dealers and cigarette smug-

glers, expect mushroom pick-
ing is legal.

So what if all ihe money
pickers make goes back Into
the local economy. So do my
earnings. Yet I have to estab-
lish an address with a building,
buy a license, buy inventory,
tent a phone, pay workers
compensation, and collect GST
and PST, as well declare my
income and pay income tax.

As small business persons,
mushroom pickers have the
best of both worlds — big in-
comes from minimum Invest-
ments. That’s unfair.

Granted, mushroom picking
Is backbreaking work done un-
der adverse conditions. They
also deserve credit for labour-

| THEN PUT THE
' STOVE RACKS

ing when they could watch
Oprah and collect welfare.

I still resent those who cheat .

on income lax, yet expect
government to provide them
with welfare, as well as health
care when they break a leg
tripping over a hemlock root.
And when ninnies who pay

up to $1,000 to unscrupulous .

contractors find themselves
stranded in the Nass, we, the
generous taxpayers, give them
bus fare to go home.

In addition, golddiggers
frenzied to capitalize on some-
thing free for the picking in-
vade our hinterlands, trespass-

' Ing, littering, and polluting our

Streams. Floundering about in
our forests they beat tracks
which encourage others to fre-
quent our -forests fringes,
stressing wildlife and residents
to the limit.

A few pickers were fine.

Now — that greed = has
mushroomed their numbers,
they must be regulated,

Sorry. This petition I won't
sign.

es