Tha Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 22, 1997 - Housing registry loses grant TERRACE ANTI-Poverty Group Socicty bas lost a $50,000 grant from the provincial government, The grant, which was used to run the housing registry, Tuns out at the end of February. The grant paid the wages for advocate Roseanne Pearce and also part of the wages for secretarial support and ad- ministration. With the money the society ran a housing registry, which helped link up landlords and perspective tenants. The society also helped tenants who felt they were being treated unjustly by their landlords, In a recent case Pearce presided over a group complaint by a number of tenants at the Woodlands Apartments on Kalum. Tenanls wanted repairs donc to their units. Pearce was able to settle the case without going to arbitration, and now tenants are pleased that repairs are being made. **A lot more mediation was going on,”’ said Gerry King, an advocate for the anti-poverty society, aboul Pearce’s ad- vocacy work, “Communication was much mare posilive."’ Now Pearce will be gone at the end of February. Secre- tary Marlene Davis-Robinson will also see her hours cut back, and Helga Kenny, who helped run the housing registry program, will have her hours reduced. That means the society will be relying primarily on bingo money to keep running. King also plans to hold raffles oc- casionally, to help raise money. His job will get a lot more demanding with the loss of the grant, as will Kenny’s job. Kenny recently wrote a letter to the premier, complaining aboul the cut. ‘What this means to clients is a decrease in the level of services provided and a long wait in the office,’’ she wrate, Anti-poverty will continue to provide registration and tenancy advocacy services, but Kenny warns service will be minimal. She wonders about the government’s commitment to the homeless, and renters who are being unjustly trealed by landlords, In a rhetorical question to the premier, she asks, “‘What will we do? The same thing we have always done, We will do the best we can with what we have.”’ FOUR-YEAR-OLD Thomas Dennis was drafted to make a raffle draw for the Ter- race Anti-Poverty Group Society. The soclety raised over $1,000 for general oper- ations by raffiing off a $200 grocery certificate, a pair of muk-luks, a vest, a spice rack and native art plaques, Cindy Brown was the first place winner and Carol Clayton won second place. (Anti-poverty head Gerry King helped Dennis make the draw.) The society plans more raffles now that it's lost a major grant. Democracy growing at school board Aa THE SKELETON’S been put in place bul there’s no meat on the bones yet in the new, more demo- cratic structure for the amal- gamated school district. Coast Mountain school district trustees, along with teachers, stu- dents, administration, and union reps, spent Jan. 11 constructing a democratic model for the district. Each community — Terrace, Thomhill, Stewart, Hazelton and Kitimat — will have an advisory committee. Members will con- centrate-on giving input for local education matters. Then there will each community advisary com- mnittec, But board vice-chair Roger Leclerc said trustees haven't de- cided yel what the mandatc of these new commillees will be. And whether people will be appointed or elected lo them is still up in the air. During the Jan. meeting trustecs and representatives did a dry run of a possible advisory committee meeting and what type of issues might be dealt with there. Trustees are also discussing whether they should have outside personnel, The new democratic process brought a favourabe response from interest groups, said Leclerc. He said there’s no date yet for when the advisory committees should start up, saying the trustees have been busy wrangling out details of who was going to the run the district. Negotiations on the contracts of many of the top administrators are still on-going. However, those of the superintendent and assistant su- perintendents have been finalized. The school district is still looking sistant secretary-treasurers in Ter- race and Kitimat. It’s not sure whether there will be room for both of them in the new district. That’s because the school district has to save some money in the amalgamation of the two districts. Trustees are also looking at some clerical and mid-level administra- live jobs. The school district has until mid February to decide what jobs will stay and which will go in the new district. That’s when trustees should be able to turn their full at- tention to fleshing out the mandate be a district advisory committee, made up of representatives from committees, interests on school board standing such as finance and— “at the contracts of the existing as- of the advisory committces. News in Brief Fire damages trailer A FIRE in the Woodland Heights trailer court on Old Lakelse Lake Rd. on Jan. 11 left one trailer damaged but salvageable. Passersby might have wondered at the commotion over one lrailer, since at one point that aflernoon three trucks were atlending. However, the trailer court has no fire hydrant. The nearest one is across the road and down nearby Hem- lock St. That meant the Thombill Fire Dept. had to respond with two fire trucks and a tanker for the initial burst of water. Then police officers were called in to coordinate traffic, which had to travel very slowly over the fire bose lines. In the end, trailer owner Dan Hamel lost part of his addition and laundry room. But the remainder of the trailer suffercd only smake damage. Treaty talks get fishy THE FISHERIES provisions of the future Nisga’s treaty will be thrashed out in public view here on Fri- day. A working group that is part of the Nisga’a treaty ne- goliations will hold an open session working on fisheries operational guidelines. That’s supposed to be the nuts and bolts that determine how a Nisga’a commercial fishery would work under the final treaty. The session starts at 9:00 a.m. on Friday at the Ter- race Inn. Also coming up is a full meeting of the Kitimat Skeena Regional Advisory Committce on treaty- making issues. That’s scheduled for Jan, 29 and may be held by videoconference, according to federal treaty negotia- lion office spokesman Joseph Whiteside. Photo radar demo THE LOCAL RCMP detachment will be having its monthly community consultative meeting at the detachment on January 29 at 7:30 p.m.. The Photo Radar section from Prince George will be on hand to make a presentation and answer questions. The meeting is open to the public and citizens are wel- come to attend to discuss policing in their community. For more information, contact Inspector Steve Leach at 638-7415. Jackpine bridge squeeze TWO VEHICLES were damaged in Jackpine Flats last Wednesday when the two drivers tried to cross a one-lane bridge at the same time. Shortly after noon, January 15, the Terrace Fire De- partment received a call about an accident on the bridge over Williams Creek. Chief Randy Smith says damage to the vehicles was minor, as were the injuries, which were treated at the scene. Smith says road conditions leading up to the bridge were gaod, but the bridge itself may have been slip- pery, making it difficult to stop. It’s Our Annual Big Bob’s Away Sale Jan. 22 - Feb. 1 All Gam Figure Skates ¢ All T-Shirts ¢ Alf Aerobic Wear ¢ All Ski Gloves ¢ All Ski Pants ¢ All Ski Toques ¢ All Ski Jackets ¢ Mens/Ladies/Kids Tracksuits ¢ Figure Skating Dresses « Mens & Ladies Nylon Pants e All Winter Vests * ‘95 Snowboard/Boots/Bindings * All Turtlenecks ‘95 Adult Skis/Bindings/Boots _* All Bike Accessories * ExOficio Casual Mens & Ladies Wear All N.B.A. & N.H.L. Crested Jackets All Sierra Designs Gore-Tex Jackets ¢ AI N.B.A,, MLL.B. & N.H.L. 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