it’s your money |

Finance minister Elizabeth: Cull | comes to town. to talk: about gov't jo spending/NEWS AS ~ na

African visitor

| Linda Sesay’s here from Sierra _ ‘Leone to volunteer and learn ‘about Canada/COMMUNITY B1

Nail biters

Terrace volleyball teams fall victim in northwest zone . heartbreakers/SPORTS ca

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 1994

Airport ‘hub’ planned

MORE AND MORE it looks like the Terrace-Kitimat airport will become the hub for a series of remote weather sensing stations at northwest airports.

The federal transport authority is already making changes at the Sandspit and Prince Rupert air- ports and now Smithers is on the list,

Moves to change the system started about 18 months ago when Transport Canada estab-. lished national standards for. air navigation requircments. .

Kiln plan returns

TERRACE PRE-CUT’s proposal to build a dry kiln on its Braun St. property is back on the table.

City councillors will examine the mill’s application for a devcl- opment permit at their planning committee meeting on Thursday, Nov. 25.

The issue is likely to again draw ‘protests from -Braun St, neigh- bours, who argue that a dry kiln doesn’t fit the city's definition of light-industrial use for the proper- ly under the Official Community Plan,

A consultant hired by the city to review its zoning bylaws will also give an opinion on whether the mill — with or without the kiln —~ complies with the light- industria] designation.

Bruce Anderson, of Urban Sys- tems, arrives in town today and will give an opinion on the issue by the time the planning com- mittee mects.

“We will rely on his expertise on whetber it’s a permitted use in the light industrial zone,”’ city ad- ministrator Bob Hallsor said,

Anderson gets a tour this weck of the mill and will be given detailed plans of what is pro- posed,

Planner Jack Hepplewhite said the proposal calls for the kiln to be housed in a 30x22-foot build- ing about the size of a garage.

Terrace Precut has received onc limber licence in 1992 on the un- derstanding that a dry kiln be constructed. Half of that wood has been cul.

Forest Service district manager Brian Downie has said the mill nist begin construction of the kiln before the district will ap- prove cutling permits for the remaining timber under that licence.

The need for a kiln prompted mill owner Mo Takhar to seek ex- tra space to store lumber,

Efforts to use nearby properties for wood storage angered neigh- bours.

Stewart mine makes golden

WESTMIN RESOURCES, which has a mine and mill near Stewart, is putting in a bid for the Red Mountain gold property near that community.

Company vice president Bruce McKnight and other Westmin of- ficials were in Toronto last weck pouring over documents prepared by Red Mountain owners Amer- ican Barrick.

Buying and developing the property could be a perfect fit for Westmin because the. mill. at its Premier mine is. under utilized, said McKnight.

Under those new rules, airports with fewer than 20,000 aircraft movements per year aren’t con- sidered busy enough to have a Flight Service Station, says Joba Glover, Transport Canada’s ac- ting flight serviccs regional direc- tor,

He said the Terrace airport is convenient as a regional centre because of the level of activity there now and because of its cen- tral location in the northwest.

There’s also room at the airport |

for any ~ equipment additions

necded for more centralized oper- ations.

One plan under discussion is to move employees from other air- ports to Terrace which would then become one of four commu- nication and service hubs opera- ted by Transport Canada in B.C.

That leaves Smithers airport — with an average of about 18,500 movements per year — on Trans- port Canada’s hit list for flight service station closures.

Sandspit is already duc to lose ils Hight service station people

a Cute and cuddly KITTENS DO make wonderful pets as demonstrated by Lynn Henry. But owning one does come with responsibility and not all owners follow through. That story on Page A3.

and there'll be a reduction in Prince Rupert when the flight ser- vices station is moved from the Digby Island airport to the Seal Cove seaplane base,

Automated stations at those air- ports will provide weather up- dates for pilots, allow them to file flight plans, and monitor the air space for emergencies.

Those stations will include tele-

vision cameras connected to the planned Terrace central base.

Employees in Terrace will then be able to further monitor condi- lions at those airports.

“In a sense we gel two tries — one on our own and then milling the ore if, for some reason, anoth- er company is successful at a bid,’"’ he said.

American Barrick became the owner of the Red Mountain prop- erty this fall when it took over Lac Minerals.

American Barrick put Red Mountain and three other former

Lac mines on the. ‘block wo.

Weeks ago.

Company. officials decided to- keep.some of Lack’s: properties: but said others didn’t fit Amer-

ican Barrick’s new corporate plans.

Lac spent close to $20 million over the past three years explor- ing and assessing its mineral potential.

Even then Westmin was inter- ested in milling the ore at its Premier operation.

McKnight said Westmin would - have to spend money on its, Premier mill so it could handle:

Red Mountain’s ore.

"They would be fairly minor modifications and we're sure

there would be no problem,’’ he said,

The advantage to Westmin is that its Premier mill is already running and has the appropriate environmental permits, ~~

That would save Westmin: the expense and time of building a new tailings and mill site, said

McKnight. . All of this could make for a faster “ environmental _ approval

- ftom the provincial government if . a new mill slte and failings pond

wasn’t required,

“Red Mountain is north and. to: ~~

75¢ PLUS 5¢ GST~ VOL. 7 NO. a7

© My

THE NUMBER of criminal offences reported to police is down nearly 20 per cent from last year.

But it's only slightly below the number of cases RCMP handled in 1992, acearding to an RCMP report to city coun- cil.

The report lists total cases up to the end of September.

Break-and-enter reports are down from 241 cases last year to 127 this year,

Shoplifting has declined from 186 reports in ’92 to 123

Crime rate dips —

_ amount

so far this year.

Impaired driving cass, reg related offences, and liquor related offences are al] down | from last year, according to ; the stats.

Assaults, however, are at. 180 cases so far, up from 163. in 793 and 136 in ’92. me

Also up and by a large are vehicle thefts compared to previous years. °

There have been 53 to the end of September compared to 35 for the same period. in 1993 and 17 in 1992.

Violence targeted |

A GROUP of local people is helping the provincia] Women’s equality ministry come up with a program io stop violence against wonilen.-

The locals took part recently in a focus group where individuals are probed for attitudes and knowledge of a particular issuc.

They -were ..selected. .by. «tele- phone and were screened prior to being interviewed by a company hired by the women’s equality ministry.

‘The groups are designed to Ict us know how people feel about violence against women,”’ said women’s equality official Dar- lene Snider. “It’s a tool for us to figure out how we can work to stop violence against women — we want to find out what the gen- cral level of information out there is, 3

She said the findings are meant for (he internal use of the govern- ment and won't be released to the public.

Nelson, North Surrey and Vic- {oria were also chosen as sites for focus group scssions.

Participants were scouted through a phone campaign run by Iris Communications, a Van- couver consulting firm hired by the ministry to conduct the focus groups,

Callers randomly phoned Ter- race residents in search of three

groups of 12 people: : old males, 18-24 females. and a 25 and older mixed group.

“People. were asked how: they fit into these age groups, whether they worked .in the communica- tions ficld or in the justice- sys- tem, and whether they'd cver

been involved in a focus -group - -before,”’.said-Sniders ..5...05.".

“The only screening were thes ; questions so we got people: who were not involved in this: subject beyond having a personal inter- est.”’

Because a large number of abusers are men aged 18-24 and a high percentage of abused women fall into that same age category, she said, the ministry decided to focus on that age group.

“‘We want to know what people of that age think about’ the violence against women, what its causes are and how it can be stopped,”’ Snider said.

She said participants were

asked questions such as what the contributing factors of violence are, how it can be prevented, who education programs should be

aimed at and who should be.

responsible for working ‘to stop the violence.

B.C. has the highest rate ‘of violence against women in Cana- da, according to a recent Statistics

Canada survey of 12,300 Cana-

dian women.

Canopy canned.

A CANOPY over the entrance of the library won't be built until the city can afford it.

Administrator Bob Halisor said the city has saved about $11,000 by not building the canopy now.

The materials have been pur- chased and will be stored until circumstances permit its con- struction, Hallsor said.

Concrete foolings have been put in for the structure, as well as some of the other preliminary work,

‘We've made it so it can be put in at no additional cost,’”” Hallsor explained,

the cast of Stewart, off of Hwy37 leading toward the Meziadin Junction.

That makes for a journcy of ap- proximately 50km to Westmin’s Premier mill.

Former owners Lac wanted to

build a tamway to transport the .

ore down off ihe mountain to roudievel. ao, American Barrick wants to sell the Lac properties as a package and that means Westmin is also

looking for partners. to make a

‘combined bid. .

"We: ‘would: like. it if: Red

The city won’t know for a few more weeks what additional costs

have developed following coun- — cil’s decision last: month to fire

the architect who designed the siruciure,

That happened aficr the cily learned some of ‘the. project's -” engineering hadn't | been certified before construction |

structural

began, ‘The cily called

work completed, and to supervise the project’s completion.

The project, was budgeted | ‘to cost $1.74 million.

bid

Mountain was sold separately but | : if not, we're looking” for other. companies interested in the other .-

properties,” McKnight said...

American Barrick . has. put a . middle of December. daté onits -.

plans to sell,

Westmin: opened. its Premier .

mine in the late 1980s but:soon

found out the ore {t thought was - there didn’! meet its mill: capac:

citys.

ed

in a new , engincering firm to review the

Since. then. ‘the ‘company. has. ‘been looking. for: compinies with ‘smaller ore: properties. a§ contract

~ customers, LBB, ee