Orenda would let gov't buy In

TERRACE — The chairman of Orenda Forest Products says he would consider the possibility of the provincial government buying a piece of his company.

That would replace a request Orenda has made for a $100 mil- lion loan guarantee to. help fi nance its planned $500. million pulp and paper mill.

“Tf it was to be in equity — yes, J could buy that,’’ said Hugh Cooper last week, -

“T am not set in my mind as to the eventual disposition of the equity for this project,’’ he added.

Cooper predicted that a collec- tion of Canadian, American,

European and Asian banks al- ready lined up as potential in-

Fishy outing —

vestors would favour direct provincial investment.

“They would say ‘wow’. Now we have it and it’s OK,” Cooper said.

Cooer’s comments. come as provincial officials are gctting ready to present the Orenda loan guarantee request to the ‘Provin- cial cabinet.

The $100 million loan gliaran- tee is viewed as the comerstone of the: financing ‘package needed by Orenda. :

“The financing looks very credible. There are some things now that require stroking here and there. We stilf need the government to do something ta give credibility to -the whole

* Orenda’s search for $500 million takes it to nine banks and across the ocean, That story on Page A2.

* Terrace mayor Jack Talstra and Skeena MLA Helmut Gies- brecht have different ideas about government loan guarantees,

That’s also on Page A2.

idea,’’ said Cooper.

He said. the guarantee would provide proof to the banks that the province backs the project.

“It would say the province is hot going to take away the wood and would not subject it to regulations that could shut it down,”’ added Cooper.

“The best evidence of that credibility would’ be for the

government to guarantee, part of the senior debt,’ he said.

“We have investors beating down the door but they need to know the project cannot be destroyed by the actions of government,’? Cooper continued,

“The security of property rights is less sacrosanct in Canada than in the United States,” he said.

City on mine list

TERRACE — The City of Terrace has been nominated to receive the Mining’ Association of B.C.’s ‘‘Mining. Community of the Year” award. ;

This is the first year for.thi award which. is designed ‘to recognize a community: for its contribution: to the mining in-

dustry. 1

Three other. - communities, Princeton, Kimberley and Sandon, located -in the

Kootenays, have also ‘been nominated, .

A winner will be announced March 12 during ‘‘Mining Week” activities in “Van- couver.

‘Terrace has done a lot in promoling mining awareness,’ said mining association public relations spokesman ZIda Makaro of the nomination.

THORNHILL ELEMENTARY Year 4 students {above} get a guided tour of the Deep Creek hatchery from manager Jorma Jyrkkanen. Like myriad school groups before them, they got to see the thousands of young alevin kept inside the hatchery and feed the chinook and coho fry in the ponds outside. Hatchery proponents trying to save the facility have pointed out it's a -val- ~ uable educational tool:as well’ as helping maintain Jocal fish stocks. For the latest develop- ments in the Deep Creek. battle for ‘survival, turn to page A5.

Cooper added that the dittitude of the banks does not have any- thing to do with the NDP being the governing party in Canada.

Cooper also said the province would earn perhaps .8 per cent in interest payments from Orenda in return for the loan guarantee,

And he noted the provincial economy would benefit by mil- lions of dollars a year in taxation and cconomic spinoffs from the Orenda project.

Provincial economic develop- ment minister Dave Zirmbelt has already said the province no mnger has a loan guarantee pro- gram of the type and size to fit the Orenda project.

But he added that the new B.C.

<RACE STANDAR]

Boycott Possipie if PCB storage —

Investment Office is studying the request.

Created late last year, the in- vestment office is to help projects steer through various government requirements and reviews.

Cooper said Orenda wants to hear of a provincial government decision on the loan guarantee re- quest as soon as possible, .

The company wants to get a start on construction this year so it will. be able to work under cover once winter arrives.

Company officials are also heading off to Finland ia carly March for what Cooper described as arranging final details on buying paper making machinery from a Finnish company,

‘

plan goes ahead —

TERRACE — Some Thornhill residents. say they may boycott Dairyland milk products if the company doesn’t drop its plans io store PCBs ct its property on Kofoed Drive,

For now angry residents are mounting a letter-writing campaign.

But they say they'll change tac-

tics if the company doesn’t -

reconsider its proposal.

“We'll do what we have to,” said Joe Chay. ‘‘Ifwe have to get legal advice we'll do. that as well.”

“They can put those tanks in but they can’t tell us to drink the milk,” adds area resident Kay Hagen, ,

The’ application by® “Agrifoods: +

International .. Cooperative” Ltd. would allow the company — which operates Dairyland Foods — to store up to 8,000 kilograms of PCB-contaminated electrical equipment on the property.’

The old fluorescent light bal- lasts and capacitors would be placed in sealed, plastic-lined drums and stored in a large ship- ping container, inside a fenced compound.

The permit allows for storage of contaminated electrical equip- ment only — not large quantities of PCB oil. The storage site would take the PCB waste from

“Taxes set to increas

TERRACE — Local residents will pay higher: taxes because Kitimat council won7t pay its share of regional planning.

“They're being cheap and’

stupid,”’ said . Hazelton’ mayor

Alice Maitland, who blasted |

Kitimat’s politicians for trying to

save dollars to curry favour with — - voters in an election year.

‘Kitimat gave notice last year of its intention to pull out of the planning | department Kitimat-Stikine Regional District — saving $22,000, Efforts to per- suade Kitimat to stay in have so far failed.

* The money will be made up by -

the other areas of the regional dis- trict,

Terrace _ will pay - another $9,000. Thornhill will make up about $2,000. The smaller elec- toral area C (including -Lakelse Lake and other Terrace rural areas) must come up with more than $4,000.

“Let’s just cut the ‘Kitimat’

of . the .

part out and call it the Stikine Regional District,” Maitland sug- gested. ‘This is just rotten.’”

New. Hazelton’ s Pete Weeber said he was ‘disappointed and disgusted’” with Kitimat’s deci- sion. ;

Lakelse Lake’s. Sandy Sandhals called the move “shortsighted”? and said it would have drastic im- plications on the way the regional district runs.

Thomhill’ Ss noted that planning is the “biggest, and most important function of the regional district.’?

“'‘May [ suggest Kitimat adopt the ostrich as its national bird, added Hfazelton-area director Fred Roisum.

A proposed new agreement — which would have allowed Kitimat and the other municipalitics in the regional dis- trict to pick and choose when they would participate in plan- ning activities — was voted down

by Darlene Comell (Stewart),

Discover! 3 ~ COMMUNITY + B1

“Les Watrhough

Alice Maitland (Hazelton), Harry Nyce (Nass Valley), Fred Roisum

(Hazelton area), Sandy Sandhals,

(Lakelse -Lake/rural Terrace), Dave Brocklebank (Telegraph Creck), Pete’ Weeber Hazelton). . Terrace directors Jack Talstra, Bob Cooper, and Thornhill direc- ‘tor Les Watmough voted for the plan. :

(New

Watmough said Kitimat should have stayed completely in the planning department because many issues it handles — from the development of land around the proposed Orenda paper mill

’ to the zoning of oceanfront vistas

down the Douglas Channel — af- fect Kitimat, “These things run in cycles,”

_ added Weeber, noting that issues

the company’s . other . buildings and properties throughout B.C, -

‘Why in the world does little bitty Terrace have to stofe these PCBs for the various Dairyland locations around B,C,?”? demands Barb Hovland. “I realize we have to take care of our own garbage. But why do they have to truck all this junk up here and store it in Terrace.”

‘T think it’s absolutely ridiculous,” added = George Hagen. ‘‘We don’t want it and there’s no way we're going 10 take it’? .

PCBs are presently stored that —

way at four other sites in the Ter- race.; area: Skecna” Cellulose, Skeena Sawmills, B.C. ‘Hydro

< gnd-the airport, - -

Waste’ management officials have called it'a relatively low-risk proposal,

Agencies and individuals have until March 10 to respond in writ- ing to the proposal.

Victoria has made little prog- tess in ils efforts to start destroy- ing the tons of hazardous wastes stored around the province.

Regional district. directors backed up Thornhill residents by voting Saturday to write a letter to the environment ministry.

They also object to the proposal

and are calling for a public m meet-

ing on the issue. .

may presently focus on. Hazelton

but will eventually. be vital: ta Kitimatas well. =...

“We are somewhat ‘shocked that Kilimat — with all its resources — should opt out of the planning function for the sake of, a few dollars,”’ he added.

Some directors plan to lobby Kitimat in a final cffort to get the town’s council to reconsider, |

City lottery idea scratched

TERRACE — The province has given the thumbs down on a proposal the city run its own lottery.

The idea was put forward by councillor Rick King during council’s ‘Think Tank’ session last fall.

Proposing the city have its own Seratch and Win lottery, he polnted out Victoria’s policy changes had ended lottery

SOLUTION?

¢ Queensway

grants for local projects.

King argued a focal scratch and win would be a way of tap- ping money spent by residents on lotteries with the proceeds being used to finance com- munity projects.

However, the province has made it clear it isn’t about to al- low the city to break in on Its gambling monopoly.

Administrator Bob. Hallser

said both the B.C, ‘Lotteries branch and Gaming Conmis- sion had told — the | city municipalities were prohibited from operating lotteries.

However, it could apply for permission to run a raffle, he added. .

That alternative will be con- sidered at council’s next in- camera committee of the whole meeting,

residents .

get pep talk on. new sewer.

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