2 Terrace Review — Wednesday, August 12, 1987

Board and faculty members at Northwest Community College were all.smiles recently at the signing of a two-year col- lective agreement between the college and its academic staff. The agreement, reached before the expiry of the old contract and after less than a month of negotiating, stipulates salary increases equal to 2.4 percent and 2.3 percent over the two years with an improved benefit package for instructors. Affixing signatures here are John Morgan, negotiator for the board, board president Judy Jephson, academic workers president Larisa Tarwick, and union negotiator Jim Stone.

FERRACE — The long-stand- ing argument between Alcan and the federal Department of Fish- eries and Oceans over who con-. trols water levels in the Nechako River will have to be resolved before the end of this month or the decision will be made by a judge. At the urging of represen- tatives from the Kitimat Cham- ber of Commerce and the Kiti- mat Economic Development Commission:a public meeting was called recently at the Inn of - the West by the Terrace and Dis- «trict Chamber of Commerce to discuss the issue. :

by Michael Kelly

The meeting, attended by over 100 local people, was moderated by Terrace Chamber president Bruce Graydon, and Kitimat Chamber president Ron Burnett was the lead speaker. st _ Burnett immediately raised

hackles around the room, which was populated with a number of faces rarely seen at regular _ Chamber meetings, by accusing “special interest groups oper- ating ‘under flags of conve- _hience”’ of sabotaging Alcan’s original Kemano Completion Project through prolonged pub- lic opposition to the develop- ment. Burnett claimed the alum- inum giant would have spent $3 - billion and created 3,000 perma- nent jobs.in the region if the pro- ject had gone ahead.

Burnett said the only way. for the region’s economy to recover

_ is through the introduction of new industry, -but he added that those industries will require ad- ‘ditional hydroelectric power, a commodity he speculated would become available if Alcan is per-

mitted to implement its propos- ed flow regime for the Kenney Dam,

With regard to concerns ex- pressed about damage to Necha- ko River salmon habitat and spawning grounds, Burnett con- tended, “It’s not a question of salmon or jobs =~ it’s:a question of salmon and jobs.’? He warn- ed the gathering that if the dispute goes to court the initial case and subsequent appeals will stall the situation for several years. ‘‘The only winners in a court. case would be the lawyers,’’ Burnett concluded.

Burnett’s arguments were echoed by Kitimat Economic Development Commission mem- ber Norm MacRitchie, who later, on Aug. 4, launched what he termed a ‘‘caravan’’ to tour the Northwest with three unem-

‘ployable high school graduates

from Kitimat. MacRitchie said at the meeting the intent of the tour is to gather support from

other communities for a negoti- .

ated: settlement between Alcan

and the DFO, and the grads will serve to illustrate the plight of.

jobless young people in the region. | When Graydon opened the

floor for questions and com- ments, local: Fisheries advisor

Jim Culp cautioned the gather- ing against concluding that a set- tlement favorable to Alcan will mean jobs and investment in the region. ‘‘These negotiations

concern the water flow from the - dam, not Kemano Completion [|

or jobs,”’ he said, ‘‘The water temperature is a critical issue. The original injunction was granted due to high water tem-

perature and inadequate water

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releases, but Alcan disagrees with the Fisheries data. No one wants to close down industry, but many people are concerned that the negotiations are taking place, behind closed doors and their interests may not be con- sidered.'’ .

The court date set to decide the issue is Aug. 31, an adjourn- ment from the original date last March that was granted to allow Alcan and the DFO to attempt to settle the issue through negotiation. The: legal issue is

- one of jurisdiction.

DEVELOPMENT NOT - ASSURED —

When the Kenney Dam. was

built in the 1950’s Alcan was

given accompanying water rights

by the B.C. government, rights

that apparently conflict with the

federal Fisheries Act that gives

control of fish-bearing waters to the DFO. In 1980 the DFO ob- tained a court injunction giving it control over the amount of water released from the dam in- to the Nechako River, with the court’s rationale being protec-

' commen.

oe,

| Rafting dee Surprise local -

s ' . / river gui Whitewater rafting has. be-

come a larger-than-life issue in B.C. recently as tragic accidents

this summer claimed 12 lives,

triggering _province-wide : con- cern over the popular sport. .

by “Philip Musselman

According: to Paul Sneed, owner/operator of Wilderland Explorations the accidents that have happened this year are un- .

‘‘Whitewater rafting is relatively safe compared to

‘Many other outdoor activities,

this year’s number of accidents has been unheard of in the past

20 years,’? Sneed commented.

- Chamber hosts debate on dam

tion of the river’s salmon popu- lation. The injunction has been renewed annually by mutual consent of both parties, but last year Alcan announced its intent to get its legal’ responsibilities settled once and for all, and the | impending court case is the result. _ _ Alcan has stated no. further

development in its Northwest _ ‘operations can take place with-

out the assurance of additional long-term power generation, but company spokesman have not made any specific development commitments. even if the re-

quired power becomes available.

In a letter to the Kitimat - Chamber of Commerce Alcan

-public affairs director Brain

Hemingway states Kemano = Completion was originally stall-

ed due to world -aluminum .

market conditions and those conditions have not changed © sufficiently to justify further in- vestment in the Northwest. - Alcan’s Kemano Completion

preliminary report, filed in 1984,

indicates the company would continued on page 6

F

des

This year’s unusually high waters have been a large factor

in the recent accidents, Sneed

said, and observed that the Elaho River accident was pro-

: bably an error in judgement by ‘the guide. = |

Sneed believes that the government will take action to

address the issue, but he hopes -

that they will not over-react to one bad year.

"Vd like to see the present regulations evenly distributed throughout the province, so that proper precautions have to be made,” Sneed said. The guide also expressed interest in seeing constructive regulations come

out of. this issue so:that all .

rafters. have a standard basis for safety,

Sneed said the accidents have had a direct influence on his business, ‘‘Canceliations are understandable,” Sneed com- mented, ‘‘but I don’t like seeing a perfectly safe sport ruined by the sudden acknowledgement of the potential danger.”

Sneed directs tours by raft through the Kalum Canyon, the Lower Bulkley and the upper Skeena, He said his licensed ser- vice offers the same safe, en- joyable experience that is prac- tical by thousands of . North

Americans each year. “‘For the ©

amount of people participating very few accidents occur,” Sneed said, ‘‘especially when compared to sports such as hang-gliding, mountain climb- ing, and sky diving.”’

Sneed’s business is now in

danger because of the possible changes in insurance policies and licensing procedures which could adversely affect many small operators. | -

‘Sneed said he finds it difficult

to be suffering because of fluke:

accidents and misuse of the sport. ‘““We hope to see better and responsible outlooks result

from the recent tragedies,’’ he

concluded.

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