Gas Hikes Loom by October AREA RESIDENTS Filcc Yet More Na- Last Week

Drilling to be probed Local history explained ' artial art mania The provincial gov't is reviewing Terrace's street names are the TaeKwon-Do teacher plans a whether an oil and gas morato- focus of new book by two local strong future for his sport in the dum should be lifted\NEWS A:I.4 authors\COMMUNITY B3 northwest\SPORTS B4 WEDNESDAY $1.00 PLUS 7¢ GST (Sl.lO plus B¢ GST outside of the August 23, 2000 Terrace area) T ANDARD VOL. 13 NO. 20 % Gas hikes loom by October AREA RESIDENTS filcc yet more na- last week. PNG's September rate increase re- expenditures and by laying off em- In return for those cost cuts, Metha- tural gas price increases as early as "Typically, as is the case with rate quest is different, for it involves the ployees. nex says it will pay PNG 40 per cent of the profits and the provincial and October stemming from the closure of applications, you make your applica- cost of moving natural gas through its At the same time, Methanex is Kitimat governments 20 per cent of Methanex's Kitimat methanol plant. tion and request interim rates," said northwestern pipeline. conducting a public relations cam- the profits when the price of methanol Pacific Northern Gas (PNG) an- Weeres. Methanex is PNG's largest custo- paign, saying it could re-open its Kiti- rises. nounced last week it will file for a rate Those interim rates could then be mer providing 40 per cent of its reve- mat plant, closed July 1 for at least a PNG has responded to Methanex's increase Sept. 1 to make up for the adjusted upward or downward depend- nue which, last year, amounted to $23 year, if only it paid PNG less to cost cut plan with one of its own that, loss of revenue from the Methanex ing upon the BCUC decision. million. transport natural gas, received a prop- it says, will reduce by 55 per cent closure. As it is, northwesterners already are Losing any or all of that then means erty tax break from the District of Kill- what it charged last year to move na- And part of the application to the paying effectively double for natural PNG will want other natural gas users mat and paid less royalties to the pro- tural gas to the methanol plant. B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC), gas from what they paid last year. ranging from Skeena Ccllulosc's pulp vincial government for the natural gas In doing so, Weeres said what PNG which regulates natural gas transmis- Those increases come from the ris- mill in Prince Rupert to Alcan to hos- it buys from producers. sion costs, is for an interim October ing cost of natural gas itself, driven by pitals to home owners have to make charges Methanex remains the least of rate increase until such time as the a burgeoning American demand for the up the difference. Methanex's cost reduction plan is Methanex's cost worries. commission makes a final decision, fuel. PNG passes along the increases Weeres said PNG has already tied to the sales price it receives for Cont'd Page A10 PNG vice pre~dent Greg Weeres said to its customers. moved to cut costs by reducing capital the methanol it produces in Kitimat. ,,-,Ican's Police utopia to beef up go up in night smoke patrols A "FOR SALE" sign CHANGES ARE coming hangs in the window of a to the RCMP detachment Kemano home as a mock which will put more offi- challenge to realtors in the cers on Terrace's streets now-closed community. during weekend evenings. But the real challenge The creation of an "E' comes this fall when fire- watch, from 4 p.m. to 4 fighters are slated to torch a.m. on weekends starting these houses in a massive in September will add four practice exercise. additional officers to times In what is being touted when they are most nee- by Alcan as the firefight- ded. ing training exercise of the So-called "Welfare century, crews from around Wednesday" evenings will the province will get the also see a boost in on-duty chance to be involved in officers. what spokesman Kathy The additional officers Bourchier calls "a legacy will come from day shifts, of public safety." when police aren't as badly needed. The death "We used to have an 'E' shift, but when we had of Kemano staff shortages here, it [] Stories Page A5 wasn't feasible anymore," said Staff Sgt. Tom Forster of the local detachment She says Kemanoites last week. have been "very suppor- I! Japanese students explore Canada The shortages, as many tive and pragmatic" about Shunsuke Yuki, Keiko Ishimatsu and Yu Ohta (pictured which pairs Japanese travel club students with Canadian 4-H as 10 officers at one point, .:h~ company's decision to above) were three of the five Japanese exchange students students. The Japanese exchange students left for home to- are becoming a thing of Icl the townsile go out visiting Terrace last week. Their visit was organized by 4-H B.C, day. See B1 for story. the past now, as the de- wi,h a bang. tachment moves closer to It's a unique opportunity a full complement of 42 for many firefighters to people. match wits with a house Group asks city council for permission "We can start taking a fire, she said, adding many more pro-active approach B.C. crews have never had now," Forster said. "We'll to deal with that kind of to hold prayer meetings inside city hall start targeling problem situation on the job. areas, and youth Firefighters will negoti- CITY HALL could become home to Community Church, has not divulged who problems." ate stairwells in the multi- weekly, non-denominational prayer meet- the other members of his gronp are. Forster said that the floored houses and be ings if a local group wanting to uplift the "1 don't know if I have the freedom to loss of general duty" offi- timed on bow long it takes spiritual fortunes of city council gets its mention them," he said. cers on the day shift won't way. While some of Terracc's church lea- F affect the detachment too them to make their exit. Exact details of how the The local chapter of Prayer Canada, a ders say they support Prayer Canada's in- much. exercises will be orga- 'group that's spent more than a decade ur- itiative, they stress they are not directly "We have traffic and nized still must be worked ging local governments to open city halls involved. highway patrol officers out, says Bourchier, add, to prayer meetings, approached Terrace "It's his thing,', said Thornhill Com- that can pitch in," he said. ing Alcan needs a guaran- city council last week. munity Church pastor Rob Brinson, refer- Under the new system, tee of commitment from "It's promoting a healthy atmosphere ring to Brousseau. "He,s not representing Forster said, supervisors the firefighting agencies in our city councils," spokesperson Mi- US." will be able to do more that have so far expressed chael Brousseau said, adding the act of Reverend Steve Bateman of the Evan- supervising. interest in being involved. praying for city council would foster gelical Free Church said his church will That's because under One six-week training harmony and stability in the community. continue to pray for city council even if the old system, supervisors session is phmned for the Terrace councillors did not approve the request is turned down. found themselves respond- fall and one in the spring. Brousseau's request, citing a policy draf- "From our perspective as a church, the ing to calls because there Not all of the houses in ted in 1977 restricting the use of council activity is more important tlian the loca- weren't enough officers to Kemano are going to be chambers to council and committee tion," Bateman said. go around.g. used in the training exer- meetings, Lowell Holmquist, youth pastor at the "They'll have the time else, however. Most of the But council did agree to review the Terrace Pentecostal Assembly, was un- to be there with the offi- prc-fab units have already policy to see if it needs to be updated, aware of the request but said, ,I think it's cers, instead of handling been sold by the company which could mean the issue will come up a good idea." other cases," Forster said. to buyers in the northwest. again at a future council meeting. Holmquist said local ministers from No overtime or extra' And when the smoke "You don't have to come to council to different churches already meet once a expenses will be incurred, clears, the Alcan staff- pray," noted Mayor Jack Talstra. "You week. because the number of house, recreation centre, can get a group together and do that any Brousseau, meanwhile, said his group hours officer's work~i cafeteria, and historic time." would be- satisfied if council allows tllem remain the same. church will remain for the Councillor Ron Vanderlee, a member to hold prayer meetings in an~r00m at I " Officers will have:' tO tie use of the company's hy- of the Christian Reform Church along hall, .... i: given 28 days notice that droelectric crews that will with t!le mayor, said his congregation al- citYongregations often' say prayer,;lis o n ,e', ! they could be placed on continue to operate the ready prays for city council.

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