The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 31, 2001 - A3 i a 0

News In Brief

Liberal leader Campbell

to pay a visit here PROVINCIAL LIBERAL leader Gordon Campbell is due in Terrace Feb. 6 to officially open the campaign office of local Liberal candi- date Roger Harris.

He'll also be at aj wine and cheese fol- lowing the opening,

Campbell’s visit and the office opening is yet another sign that while a provincial election date has yet | to be set, the cam- paign has already begun.

The office is located in the old Keenleyside & 5 fa Insurance space at the old Co-op building on Gordon Campbell Greig.

Harris is also opening a campaign office at the City Centre Mall in Kitimat.

Enviros set up shop

in Prince Rupert

THE CANADIAN arm of the World Wildlife a Fund is setting up its west coast marine headquar- zy ters in Prince Rupert.

“The point of opening up an office on the coast was to decentralize, to make sure we were integra- ting regional priorities and regional poin’s of view into our work,” said World Wildlife Fund official Josh Laughren last week.

Michele Paterson, who used to work in fisheries Management here and in Prince Rupert, has been hired to run the fund’s coast marine program.

Laughren said the fund isn’t anti-development, but wants to make sure environmental considera- tions are included in resource use decisions,

Petition starts for overpass over CN yard

By JEFF NAGEL A PETITION circulating in town is putting more pressure on the city and CN Rail to create a pedestrian overpass crossing the railway tracks,

' Judith Haydock, one of the organizers of the petition, says support fot an overpass or some legal means of crossing the tracks is overwhelming.

“We've probably got about a thousand signatures to date,” she said Friday, adding hundreds more people will likely sign before she appears with the petition be- fore city council sometime in February,

That support comes from not just southside residents and pedestrians, she said, but also drivers and a broad ‘pectrum of local citizens who think it’s the right thing to do.

“We are asking for a pedestrian crossing over the

: tailway yard and potentially over Keith Ave. as well be- . - cause it’s very dangerous to cross that road,” she said.

: Haydock said she personally decided to do something : after she and a friend were fined by CN Rail police for ; walking towards the Sande Overpass on the CN Rail ac- cess road behind Keith Ave.

“While we were doing that a woman was crossing ry under a train on the tracks with a baby buggy,” Haydock said.

Dozens of school children can be seen crossing the tracks by going under and between trains each day after school lets out, she said,

“There’s hundreds of people thal cross under those : trains,” she said.

‘. Haydock said it’s time for the city to take action be- \ fore someone is killed on the tracks.

i _ “We're also checking with CN to see to what degree they'd be interested in putting ih money,” she said.

Haydock said the Chamber of Commerce has also in-

dicated it may support the campaign.

A new pedestrian crossing of the tracks would in- crease business for downtown merchants, she said, be- ; cause it would become much easier for both southside ss i residents and Ferry Island campers to walk downtown. = ~ e City vouncilloy David Hull cays a pedestrian overpass JUDITH HAYDOCK is one of the organizers of a petition asking the city and CN crossing the tracks is considered far too expensive. Ral to put move then 4 FO ae ciossitg Over the “anars railyard. As of late Hands-free too risky

, * H H week, ' , That’s because it would have to be built as a single '@5 g PEOPLE WHO use a hands-free cellular phone at

ran went prohibitively oveily middle, and Hull says the same time they are behind the wheel of a vehi-

Z an . a: le can’t do both, says ICBC. Instead, he said, city staff are looking at the possibil- Mi | | | ( | OS|l } re exte [ ) qd eg ne ° suf ity of getting CN to re-open a level crassing of Kalum The more complex the driving task, the more

hs : i i wi St. from Greig Ave. to Keith Ave. the conversation on a cell phone interferes with

: . . SKEENA CELLULOSE is extending its conditions allow,” Tuomi said. driving performance,” said Dr. John Varik, a re- That would also provide pedestrians with a legal and ys ined shutdown of its Terrace sawmill | That shutdown also affects SCI’s | search psychologist with ICBC. safe route across the tracks, he noted. ded to three weeks. whole log chipper in Hazelton and its as- He made the comment following a study of 41 A highways ane report conclude nearly @ eet The mill, which halted all operations sociated woodlands operations, drivers who were put through three hours of road ago X pe nN likely’. —“ ns. crosswalk fo Be except its planer shift Jan. 22, will now The Kitwanga sawmill is also down for tests in which they stopped at a traffic light, did a across Keith Ave., likely at Hall St remain closed until Feb, 9, said SCI solid two weeks until Feb. 9. left turn and avoided obstacles in their path. But the city and highways ministry have yet to act On wood group gengral, manager Dan, Tuomi. Demand for wood chips is reduced While driving, the motorists were asked ques- S that because they disagreed ‘over the type ‘of cfosswalk He said log deliveries are, also being right now because-SCT tias‘also-Shut thé } iors deésipned to require their’attention, " ‘needed. <2) ye Ly detie eos “rediiced so logs ‘arrive at the mill -just in B line‘of ils Prince ‘Ropeet, pulp: mill until “It appears that when, a.driver’s mind is taken off ' The ministry wanted orange flashing iignts over the — time,for use. The. company is also clasing at least the end of February: That's in an the task of making a left turn, the driver tends to i ‘crosswalk ‘to warn drivers when pedestrians are crossing, ts Carnaby and Smithers sawmills indefi- effort to reduce inventories at a time make decisions that could result in more close i while the city wanted a flashing green traffic light that nitely by the end of February. when prices are low and natural gas casts calls or a crash,” Varik said. 4 would actually stop traffic when a button is pressed. “Operations will resume when market are high. q

Your Invitation To Meet With

GORDON CAMPBELL

Leader of the BC Liberal Party — and

ROGER HARRIS

BC Liberal Candidate - Skeena Riding

: ar February 6th _—

; |

- | Dioner Theatre - Tickets

Available at Uniglobe Courtesy Travel

5:30 p.m. de oin us for the opening of the

BC Liberal Campaign Office

4617 Greig Avenue, Terrace

7:00 p.m. at the Best Western Terrace Inn

Hear Gordon Campbell’s vision

Join us for wine and cheese $15.00 | RSVP 6385-6565 by Sunday, Feb. 4th

- BC LIBERALS A New Era for British Columbiat