A2 - The Terrace Standard, eens aay J June 25, 1997

STOP Press

Ex-resident dies hiking

AFORMER Terrace resident has died in a hiking accident in the coast mountains near Hope.

Hope RCMP say they received notice of two missing hik- ers last week. One of them was Tomasz Zarzecki, 26, who lived in Terrace last year, but had since moved to Port Moody. His hiking partner was 30-year-old Jacek Sikora of Vancouver.

On Thursday, two bodies were sighted near the summit of Mount Rideout, The recovery of the bodies involved a heli- copter landing on the summit and rescuers repelling to the bodies 200 metres from the top.

Assauit in Thornhill

TWO MEN have been arrested following a forced entry and assault at 3629 Krumm Ave. in Thornhill June 21.

Police say Randy Kerr and Glen Joynt, both of Thornhill, have been charged with uttering threats, assault with a wea- pon, forcible entry, intimidation and aggravated assault.

A 35-year-old male was hospitalized with injuries from the assualt but has since been released.

Holiday shopping dead

COUNCIL HAS rejected requests from the business com- munity to hold a referendum on allowing businesses to open on four statutory holidays in the summer.

Monday night’s vote was unanimously in favour of back- ing workers’ call for preservation of the Victoria Day, Canada Day, B.C. Day and Labour Day holidays.

Councillor Val George said it was an issue in which the majority of people through a referendum should not be allowed to override the fundamental rights of employces.

WIll try to keep trees

CITY COUNCIL has approved a land use contract amendment that allows Rossco Ventures to build about 22 six-plexes in the land immediately south of Northwest Community College.

The key change to the amendment was the reconfiguration of multi-family and single-family zoned Jands in the area, and the shifting of a triangular chunk of parkland into the middle of the development.

The move of the parkland had nearby residents concerned they'd lose their buffer and that tall trees there would be removed. Councillors say they will require the developer to retain many of the trees when the time comes to issue devel- opment permits for the proposal.

“I think the neighbours made a good point about retention of trees,” councillor Val George said, adding that the resi- dents were right and the city hasn’t paid enough attention to relaining trees.

Mayor rebuffs coalition

MAYOR Jack Talstra found himself under the gun Monday night for the city’s refusal to be part of the Northwest Communities Coalition.

The city has endorsed various projects of the Kitimat- based group, but has refrained from being actively involved.

The coalition has evolved from a group that was born out of a defence of Alcan’s Kemano Completion Project. But Terrace has so far avoided involvement wilh the group for fear of casting the city’s distinct voice in with a regional , group —which may not always share the city’s priorities,

Monday night’s council meeting saw Northwest Loggers Association president Ken Houlden urge council to formally become involved.

Houlden said a recent coalition visit to Victoria enabled the group to meet seven cabinet ministers and the premier.

And he said the group now has a broad base, and is no longer a single-interest group.

He urged the city to name councillor Linda Hawes as the city’s rep to the coalition. Hawes is already a member and was part of the trip to Victoria.

Former chamber of commerce president Skip Bates and West Fraser Timber regional manager Bruce MacNicol also urged more direct city involvement.

MacNicol said the group could be important in addressing the demands of preservation groups such as Greenpeace, adding those groups will directly impact communities here.

Talstra said the surprise delegation seemed well-organized but didn’t extend the basic courtesy of giving advance warn- ing of their plans to come. “It bothers me a little bit to be ambushed,” he said.

Other council members said the coalition shouldn’t feet it doesn’t have the support of the city.

“] do not know where they got the idea that we’re not endorsing their activities,” Val George added.

Council, at Talstra’s suggestion, declined to discuss the topic immediately, and referred the matter for discussion at the committee level in the weeks ahead.

New arena tops list

ANEW arena and a community centre for youth, recrea- tion and conventions were top priority for Terrace residents who filled out a recent community recreation survey.

The preliminary results were based on a quick tally of 500 questionnaires. More accurate resuits will be available once the phone survey is completed and the information is pro- cessed through a computer system.

Trails and parks placed a distant third, followed by sug- gestions for a skateboard and roller blade park, anew swim- ming pool and more parks.

FROM FRONT

Logging ends Friday for SCI

Canada, Forest Renewal 8.C., and other agencies.

“What we’re attempting to do is put a fairly flexi- ble structure in place that will be able to accom- odate the needs of fotk as they change if this turns out to be a protracted situation,” he said.

Miller said Riseborough’s proposals have been given the green light by the province,

“Some people are more equipped to go through a period of unemployment than others,” Miller said, adding the group being assembled would try to be a “single window whether you're dealing with UI or different social problems.”

More dire consequences are on the horizon for Skeena Cellulose’s operations if a long-term fix isn’t found scon.

if shutdowns last more than a month or two, the company risks losing contracts from purchasers of lumber and pulp.

“If the market sees that there may be some inter- ruptions, it’s going to be hard to hold those things together,” Kerley said, “The pulp market is so com- petitive I imagine that as we speak every customer of Skeena has been approached by some other mill offering to supply their needs.”

“Any sign of what a competitor sees as a potential advantage for them, they will move.”

And if those contracts go, the company will be hard pressed to avoid bankruptcy. That would be the worst possibility, likely causing protracted shut- downs of the mills during bankruptcy proceedings.

That's a possibility Kerley says he’s working hard to avoid.

“We're going to find the answers,” he said. “It’s just a matter of what the answer looks like and how long it takes to arrive at it.”

Mayors from across the northwest meet here Thursday to deliberate over what can be done to solve the Skeena Cellulose crisis.

The City of Terrace agreed Monday night to let Skeena Cellulose defer $915,000 in property taxes due July 2nd for six months, without penalty.

Interest will be charged on the overdue taxes, buta 10 per cent penalty — which would have amounted to $91,500 — will be waived.

That penalty will go back on. if the company doesn’t pay the taxes by January 2, 1998,

“We are not forgiving taxes for anybody,” Mayor Taistra said Monday night. “We are not forgiving

taxes for Skeena Cellulose. We cannot even do that under the Municipal! Act.”

The company was also looking for the City of Prince Rupert to defer taxes of $3.3 million there, and the same for $330,000 worth of property taxes at Port Edward.

“We want to do our part,” Talstra said.

The tax deferrals were to be part of the interim economic plan Kerley intended to buy time for the operations.

That proposal included government promises that stumpage could be deferred through all of 1997, bringing the running total of unpaid stumpage to $25 million by year’s end.

Government officials add to that the $20 million in cost savings a year the changes to stumpage and the Forest Practices Code will deliver to the company. And they throw in about $£5 million in FRBC- backed loans extended to area contractors this spring.

“[t’s not as though the government hasn’t done anything,” Kerley said. “You're talking $50 or $60 million from those three sources alone.”

Cal students protest French cuts at NWCC

THE CUTS at Northwest Community College continue to take their toll — this time it’s French students which are suffering.

The college has cut all its first year level courses in French, That has French immersion students angry — angry enough to leave town.

“T don’t want to lose the language,’’ explained French immersion student Krister Partel. He wants to enter the Foreign Service and was planning io take his first two years of university at the college.

But he needs French, and preferably another language. He can’t get either through NWCC, he says.

‘'Why were we in French immersion for 13 years if we can’t continue to speak the language,’’ asked Partel,

He would have preferred to study at NWCC, saving money by living at home.

Partel says he’s not the only French student. leaving town. Other classmates ate also looking at schools down south.

He and 24 other French students have written to college administration, the education minister and the premier, as- - King that the college reconsider its decision not to offer any first year French courses.

Concert group to gamble on tickets

THE TERRACE Concert Society is going to have to gamble when it sets ticket prices for next year’s sea- son. President Karen Birkedal hopes that gamble won't leave the society in the red.

The problem is that the concert society holds all its events at the REM Lee Theatre. The theatre is owned by the school board, and . this spring trustees voted to trim $100,000 from the budget of the REM Lee and Mount Elizabeth Theatre in Kitimat.

However, the theatre is primarily used by non-profit groups, such as the NW Pa- cific Music Festival, Terrace Little Theatre and the con- cert society.

So in order to come up with $100,000 the trustees voted, among other measures, to put a $1.50 head tax on events at the theatre and to raise the rent.

But no one has told

rent is being raised.

“Tt was told they’d decide that in September,’’ she said, But her program for next season goes to press this summer and seasons

ticket sales will start by September.

“This shouldn’t be a guesswork kind of thing,” she said.

She’s mad not only at the increase, but that the details, such as the rent increase, haven’t been worked out.

Birkedal plans to list the increased costs passed onto the concert society directly on the tickets.

“T want people to know where their money’s going.”

She’s also concerned that people won’t want to pay the head tax unless some portion of it goes to improve the REM Lee Theatre.

So far the concert society hasn’t had to cancel any shows, but it’s counterpart in Kitimat has.

Both Terrace and Kitimat belong to an association which brings virtuoso piano players into rural com- munities once a-year,. ----

oo lThese: itop--pianist + hold ~~Birkedal by how -much~the--

master classes-and give per- formances. One was sched- uled to come to Kitimat in March, but now that’s been canceled, says Birkedal.

“This is just the begin- ning,’’ she warned,

Anderson gets fish post

PRIME MINISTER Jean Chretien also named former transport minister David Anderson, from Victoria, to the

post of fisheries minister.

The change was hailed last week as a sign Pacific fisheries concerns will get more priority.

“That’s a pretty bold move,’’ says Steelhead Society vice president Bruce Hill of Anderson’s appointment. “His background is a serious conservationist. He has a lot of knowledge about habitat and conservation issues.”

Hill says Anderson is actually a former long-time mem- ber of the Steelhead Society, so he's optimistic — but doesn’t expect to see any miracles.

**He’s still part of a huge bureaucracy,” Hill Says Cau-

tiously. ‘“We’ll see.”’

Anderson, one of four B,C. Liberals posted to cabinet by Chretien, replaces former fisheries minister Fred Mifflin, who becomes minister for veterans’ affairs.

Richmond MP Raymond Chan will be secretary of state

for Asia-Pacific. Herb Dhaliwal

(Vancouver-South

Burnaby) takes over national revenue from Stewart. Vancouver-Centre MP Hedy Fry becomes minister for multiculturalisin and the status of women.

. SUITS PLEASE

Garlle Bread $6.00

Dance 9pm

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 13 - Terrace

" ature, June 28 Shorts * T-Shirts * Tank Tops

NO BIKINIS OR BATHING

Cocktails Gpin Dinner 6:30 = 8pm

Chill & BBQ Bratwurst & Wioners

MUSIC BY JACK of CLUBS , Come in and join our BEACH PARTY?

Member & Bonafide Guests Welcome.

Penn sia

DEADLINE!

THURSDAY, JUNE 26,

AT 5:00 P.M. WILL BE THE DEADLINE FOR THE JULY 2ND © TERRACE STANDARD BECAUSE OF THE CANADA ‘DAY LONG WEEKEND.

“TERRACE

BUERASHP

CO-OP\ TERRACE CO-oP

upstairs in the Terrace Co-op

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