Gripping tale

The sight of a boa constrictor in a local park has residents © concerned./NEWS A3

Winners

| Terrace Little Theatre get 2 | standing ovation and four — awards./COMMUNITY B1

Golden gloves

Brian Gervais makes his first trip

‘to the nationals a one. /SPORTS C1

memorable

WEDNESDAY JULY 20, 994

Reaction mixed as feds dump airport |

THE CITY is going to end up owning a chunk of the Terrace- Kitimat airport, predicts mayor Jack Falstra, ‘like it or not’’.

He was reacting to a federal government announcement it in- tends to sell off the facility.

And as a first step Ottawa will reduce the amount by which it subsidizes the airport over a five year period beginning in April of next year.

In 1992, the last year for which figures are available, that subsidy amounted to $808,000.

Talsira said the city’s economic development officer was now looking into the implications of the National Airports Policy (NAP) and would report his find-

Men banned |

MEN’S SOCCER will be banned from using the Cutisly Park fields. However, the prohibition won't take effect until next year. Councillor Ruth Hallock fast

"week called “for Teériace Youth” |

Saccer (TYSA) to have exclusive use of the playing fields.

TYSA had argued the condition of the ficlds would suffer if the men’s league used them.

Asked by council to assess the validity of that claim, the recrea- tion depariment.said the one game a week played by the men represented no threal.

While she had no reservations aboul the department’s judgment, Hallock noted councillors had been “‘barraged’’ by representa- tions fromTYSA,

She proposed granting TYSA exclusive use and encouraging the senior players to develop their own playing area.

Agreeing the issue had been pushed back into the “political arena’’, Val George said if extra use of the fields was possible, it should go to TYSA.

David Huil, however, was con- cemed granting exclusive rights to one organization might be con- trary to the Municipal Act.

He was the lone vote against the motion.

Administrator Bob Halisor later confirmed the motion was quile legal.

However, he added, the cily would honour its contract with men’s soccer which allows them to play five more games this sea- son.

ings to council.

‘However, it seemed clear the intent was the local airport would end up being operated by a provincial or local government authority.

Talstta suspected that would ultimately translate to establish- ing a local airport authority under the umbrella of the Kitimat- Stikine regional district.

While the prospect of assuming an operating deficit of more than three quarter of a million dollars was not an atiraclive one, he pointed out, ‘‘It’s an essential ser- vice, we can’t let il go.”

And if the cost of running the

airport was spread over the entire -

region, ‘‘it may not be as scary as

it looks.”

Regional district chair Joanne Monaghan agreed the prospect of taking over a huge operating deficit was a daunting one.

It also made it all the more like- ly local government would have to step in since “‘no entrepreneur in his right mind would want to do that.’”

Monaghan also slammed the report as another case of Ottawa’s lack of understanding of northern communities.

Emphasizing the airport was an economic life-line for this area, she added, ‘‘They seem to like to take things away from us.”’

Confirming she would be -put- ting discussion of the policy on

the agenda ai the next regional district board meeting (Saturday Aug. 6), Monaghan said she would be sugpestiny lobbying Ot- tawa to back off ‘its plan

altogether or at least extend the

timeline,

Any decision to take over the airport could only come after an intensive study of the implica- tions, she added.

While the proposed policy was another case of the federal government shifting the burden on to local taxpayers, Talstra said it could also be an opportunity.

For example, there was a lot of potential industrial land around the airport.

And, with the Kitimat rail line

E The lone racer

iT WAS SUN and sweat for the 67 athietes who swan, cycled, ran and wheeled their way through the 8th Annual Skeena Valley Triathlon held at Lakelse Lake July. 10. Just metres away from the finish line is Anita Bush, the fastest and only athlete in the individual female category with a time of 2:45:26. Sea page C1 for more details.

running nearby, he did not think it would cost too much to run a spur into the airport,

“There is some potential there,’’ he pointed aut, ‘‘but the problem is it will take a long time to develop.

On the other side of the equa- tion, there might also be some room for cost-cutting measures.

The NAP indicates the federal government will be tackling both revenue and expenditures in an effort to make airports more cost efficient and ‘‘make local opera- tion and ownership more attrac- tive,”’

Although the report is careful to

- avoid use of the word “layoff”,

it promises ‘‘current levels of ser-

vice will be adjusted to ‘meet demand.’’

Also as part of Ottawa’ 8 plan to “Help these airports move towards self sufficiency”, the report suggests new users fees could be introduced.

The 1952 operating budget fig- ures included in the report show the Terrace-Kitimat —_ airport brought in $576,000 while spend- ing $1.385 million,

There were 117 people working at the airport including 29 Trans- port Canada employees and three others from other federa] depart- ments,

Cont'd on page A2

Chamber offers parking advice

THE CITY should take immedi- ale action 10 solve parking prob- lems and start work on a long term plan.

Those are“ two of” the “recom=~~pensive property’. -

mendations contained in a report from the chamber of commerce fask force on parking in the downtown core. .

In the short term, the report suggests the city lease a couple of empty lots from private land- holders, one on cither side of the core.

Ti would also be responsible for gravelling and grading these lots to make them suitable for park- ing.

Talks with the owners of the two main malls are also sug- gested to see what other parking options arc available.

Long term, the chamber says the city should develop permanent parking lots, ons at the west end of the core, the other at the cast.

The idea would be to rent out the new parking spots created to businesses in that particular area.

The chamber argues moving employee parking to these new parking areas — preferably within five minutes walking dis- tance of their business — would open up existing customers.

It also urges the city to ‘‘move quickly” on the long term op- tions before potential parking lots are lost to further development.

While agreeing there is a park-

spots for

ing problem downtown, mayor Jack Falstra pointed-out the sug- gested solutions translated to the city buying “some very xe

And. there was. the question o of who ended up paying the bill: should the cost be spread acroas all city taxpayers or only those businesses that benefited?

Estimating the bill could rua as high as $500,000, Talstra pointed out that would translate to an across-the-board tax hike of two- three per cent or high user fees,

Sharon Taylor conceded the chaniber hada’t gone into that in its report. ‘‘We haven't costed out specifics.”

However, she added, it -was more than willing to work with the city on finding a solution.

Councillor David Hull noted the feport was suggesting the city pet into the parking tmsiness at a time many people wanted government lo stay out of such enterprises.

Jokn Evans countered that pri- vate enterprise was unlikely to get involved because it was not possible to make a living at it.

He also suggested the city. did not have to buy the lots for park- ing but could instead make an ar- rangement with the owner under which he got some form of tax break in exchange.

Whatever the solution, Taylor emphasized “‘We should take some action now.”

The matter has been referred to council's planning committee.

Gitksan to move on mushroom pickers

By JEFF NAGEL GITKSAN NATIVES want to be- gin reguialing mushroom picking in their traditional territories.

And they also hope to set up a mushroom co-op to cut out the middlemen and get better, more

stable prices for northwest pick- °

ers,

Spokesman Don Ryan said tons of valuable pine mushrooms come off the Gitksan territories cach year in the area around Kitwanga.

“We have to move now to sce if we can control what's going on,” Ryan said last week,

Gitksan ' fisheries rangers — who monitor the upriver native inland fishery — also responded to complaints last year about pickers damaging arcas,

“We had complaints about camps,”” he said. '‘‘We had com- plaints about people. shooting

animals and targel practising while they’re picking,’”

“We also had lo ask foreigners to leave a given area because they were coming in to pick on the ter- ritories. We were sccing people from across Canada, from Alaska. We. had Europeans here Pick- ing. >

Ryan said poor picking prac- tices -— primarily by in- experienced people from outside the northwest region — have permancntly damaged some mushroom patches,

The idea is to lIlcense both buyers and pickers who operate in Gitksan territory, said Ryan.

‘*Even if we do it just internally with ovr own people this year and not worry yet about the outsiders, it would give the house groups

experience and something to.

build on next year.’? : Gilanyow natives, who claim

mushroom-producing land near Cranberry Junction, have similar plans.

Art Collins, speaker for the Gilanyow heredilary chiefs, said the group plans to closcly

Monitor the mushroom business

in that area this year. ‘The majority of people who

operative.

A memo describing the verilure indicates Gitksan house groups would invest a total of $200,000 in the co-op.

The money would be used to operate one or two buying sta- tions in the territory.

‘Early calculations indicate a -

“The Industry is being manipulated on a grand

scale by brokers. . secieaeees

go into the forest have a greal deal of respect for il,”’ he said. ‘*But there are a small number of people who wreck it for every- one.”

Ryan said he is ‘continuing of.

Wet'suwet'en mushroom“ co-

very high profit return,” says the

memo. Profits would: be distrib- uted back to the house groups.

The industry is belng manipu- - - lated. ona. grand . scale. by _ . brokers,’? Ryad says. forts: to develop. a Gitksan-

Mushroom exporters -. are

blamed for F ereating paral :

“an vindependent " strategy of they. may Join forces

high prices when there are few mushrooms to generate interest and activity.

The resulting frenzy can damage mushroom paiches,

Pickers suspect companies con- Spire to bring prices below market value when mushrooms are plentiful.

Ryan says a cooperative might be able to stabilize prices some- what.

A Gitksan. mushroom co-op wouldn’t limit itself to just native pickers, Ryan added.

We'll take = anybody’s

mushrooms. It’s a benefil to all

the people in the northwest if we can control the industry.”

The Gitanyow are also consid- ering the idea of a co-op.

Collins said they may develop marketing

Don Ryan with the Gitksan co-op. “If i's compatible with our

way of thinking we'll consider ii,” he said.