White gold

African mind-blower

Okay, our town's mascot is. suddenly famous. Now how do we cash in?\NEWS A14 |

Eritrean trip puts country stars in ‘touch with hardships endured by Peacekeepers\COMMUNITY B3

King of the hill

Norm Hebert is riding high after scoring a snowmobile racing triumph\SPORTS B4

VOL. 14 NO. 2 WEDNESDAY

April 18, 2001

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Victoria puts more parks into land-use plan for this region

areas had to be preserved because most of the 20 protected areas in the plan are small scenic marine anchor- ages along the Douglas Channel, and add up to barely 7,600 hectares.

The two sides agreed to disagree in December and sent the plan out for public comment, -but local reaction was also divided. .

That sent the final decision on the unresolved areas to Victoria.

Not everything went as local envir-

onmental groups had wished, Some locals had also wanted the

Continued Pg. A11

By JEFF NAGEL

THE PROVINCE has sided with local environmentalists’ demands for more protected areas in giving final approval to the Kalum land-use plan.

The decision by cabinet preserves an extra 60,000 hectares, or close to three per cent of the 2.1 million hec- taré area around Terrace and Kitimat.

The extra protected areas are the Foch and Gilloyees watersheds, which connect the Douglas Channel to the upper reaches of the Gitnadoix River.

The increase means the total area protected in the Kalum Forest District

He has eyes only for Vincent

By SARAH A, ZIMMERMAN LIKE MOST two-year-olds, Hayden loves to play. With his beautiful black hair and big brown eyes, strangers are drawn to him.

But unlike other two-year-olds, Hayden has a very important job.

Hayden is a black lab and he is Vincent Cooke’s seeing eye dog. And when Hayden's wearing his harness he’s on duty and that means no pelling.

“People can stop and talk to me but don’t touch the dog,” says Cooke, “It’s the same as a two or three-year-old kid; he’ll get dis- tracted.”

Three years ago, at the age of 64, Cooke lost his sight due to diabetes, Going blind after a life- time of being able to see required some transition but the long-time Terrace resident has taken every- thing in stride.

“You just bear and grin it,” says Cooke nonchalantly. “If you have to go through it, you have to go through it.”

Almost immediately Cooke put his name on a waiting list for a seeing eye dog. ,

After two years of waiting Cooke finally got word that a dog was available to him through an organisation called Canine Vision Canada.

Cocke flew to Oakville, Ontar- io, where he spent-a month at a special training school with Hay- den.

It’s been almost two months HAYDEN is a seeing since Hayden and Cooke paired igyes tg play, it sometimes makes it difficult for the pooch to ca

STA

NDARD

“Terrace is B.C.'5 2001 Forestry Capital”

will be boosted from the present 18.6 per cent to just over 22 per cent.

That’s well above the goal of pre- serving 12 per cent of all of B.C.

Kalum Land and Resource Man- agement Plan participants were only able to agree on an increase of about 0.36 per cent, to around 19 per cent.

Industry reps said large areas al- teady preserved in parks such as the Kitlope and the Gitnadoix- made it dif- ficult to protect much more.

Local conservationists disagreed, arguing the Foch and Giltoyees water- sheds should also be protected.

They said more significant sized

eye dog for Terrace resident Vincent Cook

e. While the two-year-old black lab ncentrate on his job.

up and so far so good.

As Terrace’s oniy seeing eye can’t resist petting the black lab.

dog Hayden attracts a lot of atten-

tion. And the only problem Cooke _ the dog that’s just taking his mind has had has been with people who — off the job,” said Cooke.

Hayden is more than just a go for a walk I’m with

“If someone starts playing with guide for Cooke; he is also quick- somebody,” says Cooke, “He gets

ly becoming a friend. “He's good company. When | ing ina straight line.”

me there safe and keeps me walk-

Landing system looks good

ILS would slash number

of missed flights at airport glide path indicator,

NAV CANADA has indicated it's very close to approving an instrument landing

system (ILS) for the Terrace airport.

The word care in the form of a letter in which the not-for-profit.air navigation agency concludes a precision approach using instru-

ments is possible here.

“This is a major step forward and very good

Reed said Nav Canada still has . to ensure the Jocalizer will still have the same signal strength from

its new location.

news for us,” alrport manager Rick Reed said. —_ ished for next winter.

An instrument landing system: is expected to eliminate 75 per cent of missed approaches '-see the ‘cement: being poured," he

to this airport in inclement weather,’

The project involves moving the existing

added. mo

localizer beacon so it’s in line with the runway, and installation of a

After that, it depends on how quickly the project ~ which could cost from $500,000 to $1 million ~is put into Nav Canada's budget.

Reed’s hopeful it could be fin-

2. "We won't count onit until we

pe ted $350, “The airport has been lobbying strongly since

last summer for an ILS here,

Reed said Transport Canada and Nav Canada both called soon after Skeena MP Andy Burton raised the issue in the House of Commons and

q asked transport minister David Col-

-lenette to act: Pulting in the ILS ‘will also. mean some tree cutling on the west side

He said the airport will also be re-— quired to upgrade Its runway ap- proach lighting if it gets ari ILS.

That: will cost the airport an estima-

of the runway and on Punk Rock, a - f knob on Little Herman Mountain:

000, but 95: per cent of the bill will... ‘be covered by’a Transport Canada grant.

FOCH ESTUARY, down the Douglas Channel, is one of the marine parks created in the Kalum land-use plan. The larger watershed behind the anchoratge has also been added to the plan's protected areas.

Unions nix SCI export

Job commissioner backs plan

By JEFF NAGEL |

A DEAL to let Skeena Cellulose export raw logs is unra- velling because of opposition from its unionized workers.

Four unions representing workers at SCI’s Prince Ru- pert pulp mill and sawmills in Terrace, Carnaby and Smithers say, they oppose exporting raw logs. ;

“Export of unprocessed resources pravides no econo- mic benefit to our members or our communities,” said a letter last week tothe premier from the IWA, PPWG, and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers.

The economic plan crafted by job protection commis- sioner Eric van Soeren would let Skeena Cellulose ex- port 10 per cent of the wood it cuts this year, and up to

15 per cent over five years.

That would cut SCI’s logging costs and let it operate more than otherwise possible while markets are poor.

Van Soeren said the forests ministry is ready to sign and he has agreement-in-principle from Port Edward and Prince Rupert town councils, which would agree ta on-

going properly tax deferrals.

But he said those municipalities are now under pres- sure from the unions to withdraw support.

“Now they’re being lobbied to reconsider,” he said.

The jobs commissioner backs limited log exports as a way 'o keep people working although unions believe exporting logs equates to exporting jobs.

Logs exported overseas fetch much higher prices.

Continued Page A2

Return of school boss uncertain

THERE’S STILL no word on when Herb Fader will return to his superinten- dent’s post al the Coast Mountains School District.

Fader has been on sick leaye since February, and na one's saying how long he’ ll be off the job.

“All we know is, he’s away,” said acting super- intendent Randy Small- brugpe,

It's not even known if Fader will be able to re- turn before the end of the school year.

“We don't know,” Smallbrugge said. "We're prepared to move ahead, and we're prepared to do what we have to do in cuse he comes back here. We're all kind of in a holding pattern.”

Fader, hired just last year and who caine with a repulation as a person who could reconcile diverse groups of peapie, was liv-

-ing in a small trailer, It has

since been removed.

No. permanent plans have- been made to deal with Fader’s absence.

“We can’t because the guy’s away {ll and we have ‘to assume he'll be back,” Smallbrugge said.

. In the meantime, ad- ministrators have: had to shuffle into temporary po-

Herb Fader

sitions to ensure work gets done.

Hazelton Secondary School principal Vie Di- kaitis has been named temporary director of in- Struction, a position that involves some of Small- brugge's regular duties,

Dikaitis has taught all grades in both small and large schools, board chair Linda Campbell said.

He has extensive exper- ience as a principal and superintendent of schools in both B.C. and Alberta, she added,

Instructor Scott Stewart

_ has been named acting

Hazelton principal. An on- call teacher is filling in for him in the classroom,