aye them alone

People taking baby moose are doing more harm than ~

r jn seme ae wn ems

Victoria victory

Cal students find there's lots of

stress as school year comes to an : end\COMMUNITY B1

good\NEWS PAGE A8

WEDNESDAY JUNE. 19, 1996

Local gymnasts did well at last ‘meet of season held in the provincial capital\SPORTS B5

93¢ PLUS 7 GST VOL. 9 NO. 10

Schools escape budget burden

By CRIS LEYKAUF PARENTS SHOULDN'T notice much of difference in the schools next year, despite an overall decrease in the amount of maney available per student.

That’s the prediction from Barry Piersdorff, secretary-lreasurer for the Terrace school district.

If the entire budget was divided among the student population, it would -break down to $6,650 per student, a drop of $38 per child from last year.

However the school ‘board’s overall budget bas increased from $39.8 million last year to $49.4 million this year.

Most of the increase can be accounted for by an increase in the number of stv- dents - 85 more than projected. The dis- trict also has about $575,000 which was

left over from this year’s budget. That's money that was supposed to be spent on aboriginal education. According to min- istry guidelines it had lo be carried over, nol spent elsewhere.

Overall, explained Piersdorff, the pro- vince increased the operating budget of the school district by one per cent, while expenditures also increased by the same amouit

Elsewhere in the northwest, other

school districts didn’t fare as well. In

Kitimat, a $430,000 «cut reduced the budget to $15.1 million.

‘To make up the shortfall cuts were -

made in half-time clerks and in the maintenance department, and less money was allocated for equipment and sup- plies.

=» Soccer shenanigans

THE TERRACE YOUTH Soccer season is rolling along, and playofts are just about set to begin. This weekend Terrace will host a four-division round robin event at Christy Park, with teams visiling from around the northwest. For more on Terrace Youth Soccer, see page B7.

This will affect library hours in elementary schools, and snow removal, among other things.

In Prince Rupert, the budget went up by $37,000, but ‘the amount of mancy available per student decreased by: al- most $60 a child.

- Cuts were made in arcas such as -li- brary books, supplies and materials and equipment réplacément. -

In the Terrace/Hazelton school district,

a breakdown of the budget reveals that 79 per cent will go toward salaries and benefils, 8.3 per cent toward administra- tion, and 14.1 per cent toward niaintain- ing aud operating ‘buildings. The Gnal 3.6 per ceat is spent on bussing costs, IVs not much different from fast year. Administration costs are down slightly

and operation costs are up slighuy.

There will be four to five new teachers this fall, due to the inercase in students.

But the biggest increase will come in native education. Currently there are six teachers in that program, and another 15 will probably be hired by the fall, And on top of that will be additional support staff and administration.

This hiring is possible because the school district has just over $2 million in its budget next year lo spend native edu- cation, ~ Piersdorff can't comment on how other districts are faring, but says ‘‘restructur- ing and finding better ways of delivering service’? have helped the district deal with government cutbacks in some areas,

The cost of those cutbacks is-quite ap-

parent sometimes, Across the northern half of the province, the education minis- try has cut $3 million from the amount it’s giving school districts: for maintenance,

The Terrace district, says Piersdorff,

has already restructured its maintenance program once or twice. ’ But be can’t say if all that work will be enough for when the Terrace and Prince Rupert school districts amalgamate this December.

It won’t affect the 96/97 budget, but the government ‘‘hasn’t indicated what funding levels will be for 97/98 and 98/99,’ said Piersdorff. ‘‘It makes it dif- ficult to plan.

“T'm not sure what the consequences of amalgamation will be,”’ he added.

Seeping sewage prompts lake study

CONCERNS ABOUT the possible con- tamination of Lakelse Lake from septic sys- lems have prompled environmental health afficials ta conduct a summer-long study.

“F’s gelling more and more difficult for residents to find ways to get rid of sewage because of high floodwater levels of the lake,’’says Skeena health unil officer Ron Craig.

Craig says thal some existing septic fields are helow flood levels. And people who want to build new houses or replace exist- ing cabins are finding out that they have nowhere lo send their sewage,

“A number of people have been denied permits to install septic fields,’’ says Craig.

Over the years, the housing density has increased dramatically around the lake as properties have been bought and developed.

The resulting increase in sewage going into the ground has led to steadily increas- ing pollution levels in the lake.

‘The levels peak towards the end of Au- gusl,’’ says Craig. ‘But even al the peaks, the levels have been fine for swimming.”

Craig says the acceptable pollution levels are likely due to the rapid turnover rate of the lake’s water.

“It’s a pretty clean lake, but it nceds to be protected,” says Craig, ‘‘Pollulion is an emerging problem.”

The pollution survey begins this week and will continue until the end of the sum-

mer, at which time resulls will be turned over to the regional district

One possible solution to the problem is the installation of a small community sewer system. The system could serve the prob- lem homes, pumping their sewage to a suitable discharge site,

Sampling resulis done so far this year in- dicate that the lake water is safe for ba- thing, but not for drinking, Craig says this is a problem for residents who take their water from shallow wells or directly from the lake.

‘No above-ground water systems, without treatment, are safe sources of drinking water,"’ says Craig. ‘'That in- cludes waler used for washing vegetables or fruit and brushing teeth.’’

Improper septic systems around the lake are of particular concern during flood. situations. During a flood, low-lying septic fields back-up, sending untreated sewage directly into the Jake.

“It's not like the lake only floods once every 200 years,”’ says Craig, *‘Over the last six or so years it has flooded three times,””

Craig says that the survey will nat be used as an excuse to delay action on mal- functioning systems.

“Those will be dealt with immediately,"’ he says, ‘‘The survey looks al the overall picture,”

Hospital gets $4,000

A PRE-ELECTION promise just barcly came through for Mills Memorial Hospital.

The hospital has received an increase in its provincial grant this year over last.

But it’s just .04 per cent — or $4,019.

And thal’s about as close as it can get in meeting the provincial government’s an- nouncement this spring that hospitals will receive al least as much to spend this year as they did last year.

“You could almost say it was zero, bul not quite,’ Mills finance director Paul Manhas ‘said last week afler examining budget documents from Victoria,

If there is good news it is that the hospi- tal's budget wasn’t cut. Late last year Mills was told hospitals might have to swallow anything froma zero increase to a cut of up to five per cent,

Manhas said baspital officials are now

examining the budget documents to determine how Mills will absorb wage in- creases called for in new contract setile- ments.

Those increases are minimal but there are provisions to keep employees on staff for one year if their jobs are cut to deal with budget deficits.

In total, the province is giving Mills $10.973 million to spend this year,

There’s an additional $61,000 to finance programs aimed at discharging people as soon as possible and to hold pre-admission clinics.

That money comes from the Closer ta Home program and is meant to reduce as much as possible the number of people staying at the hospital.

The provincial grant amounts to approxi- mately 90 per cent of the hospilal’s budget,

Union wants major mine deal

A TRADE union wants ta break estab- lished labour tradition in B.C. by signing a contract potentially worth more than $20 million to provide all the workers at a mine construction site northeast of Smithers, a

The Intemational Union of Operating Engineers Local 115 was part of a larger group of trades unions discussing a joint agreement for the Kemess gold and cop- per project owned by Royal Oak Mines,

But whe other unions, dissatisfied with proposed wages and working condi-

tions, walked away from discussions Lo .

cal 115 decided to go it alone, says its business manager, Gary Kroeker.

“There's more than 1 million working hours of construction up there and that’s nothing to sneeze al,’’ said Kroeker,

He added thal Royal Oak is examining the legal and other ramifications of sign- ing a contract with Local 115, :

Should this occur Local 115 and Royal Oak will have what in labour circles is” called a ‘wall to wall agreement??.

That's a deal’ whereby one union agrees 10 provide all of the various skills. needed at a specific project.

Am that’s a radical departure from labour tradition in B,C, where individual unions jealously protect their jurisdic lions.

Kreeker said it’s important that a B.C. lade’ union represent - workers at the Kemess sile.

“We think some Work is beller than 10 work for our members, Otherwise - we risk having people come into our pro- vince who don't pay ‘taxes here, B.C. people for B.C. projects is our philoso- phy.”

“There's more than $280 million

worth of construction up there and Royal Oak isn’t going to leave that gold in the ground, It's a go.””

There's an extra incentive to hire B.C. workers because the provincial govern- inent is pumping nearly $130 million into the project, Kroeker added,

‘We have people who could be up there yesterday,”' said Kroeker.

Approximately 30 per cent of Local 1158's 10,300 members in B.C. and the Yukon aren’t working at the moment,

‘We've gol-a lot of people in the nortiwest who aren't working and we're

prepared to place them first. These people need jobs,” said Krocker,

Under discussion js a system of 21 days spent at the site followed by seven days out for approximately 18 months. Wages would be in excess of $20 an hour.

Kroeker described that schedule as a “walk in the park” for norihwest workers,

This wasn’t the opinion of trade unions who walked away from discussions with

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