Kitimat Sounds Alarm Over Alcan by JEFF NAGEL 380 Megawatts for Export
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This is an immensely profitable unveil plans to revamp its aluminum designed to create permanent "surplus" 1997 compensation agreement, the num- smelter." smelter so it uses less power, fewer work- power, rather than use all the electricity ber of regional jobs could be as high as He noted the newest Alcan smelter an- ers and frees up more electricity for sale. available. 5,400. nounced for Quebec would get electricity By failing to take a strong stand Based on the workforce at a similar But Hall said the larger smelter and at $37 per megawatt - well below market against energy sales, they say Victoria is new smelter in Quebec, he said it could workforce is only possible if Victoria prices, but still much higher than the opening the door to a scenario that could result in just 800 direct Alcan employees firmly blocks further power sales and electricity generation cost of about $5 per entrench and expand Alcan's pattern of - 1,000 fewer than now. leaves Alcan no other use for the electri- megawatt in Kitimat. power sales and chop the number of AI- And Hall said the number of direct and city than the smelting of aluminum. "All around the world they're building can-related jobs in the region in half. indirect jobs in the region would be chop- The only reason it doesn't use all the new smelters. Alcan's building them like "It means devastating consequences ped from the present 6,000 to 2,850. electricity it now has to produce alumi- crazy - they're just not building them for the northwest," Kitimat city manager He said those job losses would be num, he said, is that the door has been here." Trafford Hall told those who attended a much lower - the region might retain opened to even more lucrative power ex- Hall said Kitimat has been stymied in July 4 chatriber of commerce luncheon. 4,500 direct and indirect Alcan jobs - if ports. getting support from either provincial He predicts Alcan will modernize its Alcan rebuilds the smelter to consume "This is one of the most profitable government civil servants or cabinet smelter in Kitimat so that it produces the entire 840 megawatts its Kemano smelters in the entire Alcan fleet," Hall ministers. slightly more aluminum than now but power station produces. said, estimating it rings up a minimum "They don't return our calls," Hall uses much less power - freeing up about And if Alcan were to use the further $450,000 profit every day. Cont'd Page A14 Trafford Hall Premier lauds overwhelming referendum vote VOTERS in Terrace and Kitimat gave a resounding yes to treaty-making principles laid out in the just-complete provincial referendum. The Skeena riding, dominated by the two cities, deli- vered an even stronger yes vote than the provincial aver- age on each of the eight questions. Only a handful of ridings in Prince George, the north- east, the Okanagan and the Fraser Valley voted yes by bigger margins ..... Premier Gordon Campbell hailed the results, released July 3, as an overwhelming endorsement of negotiating principles that will reinvi- gorate treaty talks. "On principle after princi- ple, the people's verdict is unmistakable," Campbell said. • "The net result is a re- sounding vote of confidence in both the treaty-making process and the principles that my government will take to the negotiating Gordon table." Campbell Aboriginal leaders and supporters were dismayed. MARLENE McLEAN holds a photo of her daughter Vicki. The toddler died July 1 at Mills Memorial Hospital after a three-day battle "Rednecks have shown with a mystery illness. McLean says Vicki's illness wasn't taken seriously until it was too late. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO their colours," said a disap- pointed Tsimshian chief ne- gotiator Gerald Wesley. "Skeena has more people Family demands answers saying yes to the questions ' than almost anywhere else." Results here ranged from a low of 86.3 per cent who said yes to question 1 - which in aftermath of girl's death said private property should By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN "! know it's kind of mean to use needles taken to Smithers where funeral arrangements not be taken away in treaties and JOANNA WONG and do blood work on kids but still they'd find were made. - to a high of 96.6 per cent, VICKI MCLEAN'S family has begun the task something instead of guessing," says McLean. Three days before the funeral, a cortege of who agreed in question four of finding out how and why the four-ye.ar-old Vicki was laid to rest July 7 at a funeral in vehicles, ~the first one of which contained that parks should be main- Gerald Wesley girl died in the early morning of JulY 1 at Mills Vicki, slowly made its way along the highway. tained for the benefit of Memorial Hospital. from Smithers to Kitwancool where she was everyone. That task includes meetings this week with More inside kept until the funeral. Provincial totals came in at 84.5 per cent to 94.5 per health care officials and the coroner's office. [] Officials begin investigation, There's been an outpouring of support from cent in the yes column, depending on the question. Marlene and George McLean have a lot of A2 friends, and even complete strangers since But the low turnout for the referendum means nearly questions over the events which began June 28 Vicki's death. two-thirds of voters did not send in their ballots. In Skee- [] Rights activist wants to start ha, 38 per cent of voters returned ballots. when Vicki developed flu-like symptoms. class action lawsuit, A2 The loss has shaken the McLeans, who "I really don't know what happened to her," have six other children, one girl and five boys. Taken that way, when nearly 94 per cent of Skeena says Marlene McLean'. "She was healthy with [] A chronology of Vicki McLean's Speaking from her mother's Terrace home respondents agreed aboriginal tax exemptions should be no medical problems." last hours, A3 last week, Marlene McLean was surrounded phased out, those yes votes really reflect only 34 per McLean feels her daughter deserved prompt by a constant stream'of family and friends cent of the riding's registered voters. and thorough treatment. She says things might dropping by to offer their support, condolences About 330 ballots from Skeena, or five per cent, were have been different if tests had been done right Kitwancool, on Hwy37 north of Kitwanga. It's and prayers. counted as spoiled or rejected. About seven per cent of away. She wants to know why Vicki was never the McLean's family village. "I don't know how things are going to be ballots province-wide were spoiled. admitted after she made several visits to the An autopsy was done in Prince George the when everybody goes," McLean says. Those protest votes don't include an estimated hospital and as her daughter became more ill. middle of last week, after which Vicki was Continued Pg. A2 '100,000 more ballots collected province-wide by abori- ginal groups and churches that opposed'the referendum. The weakest yes margins came in urban Vancouver and Victoria ridings that tend to be NDP strongholds in provincial elections. SC! didn't pay its taxes .... But despite what he said were some reports of racial '?< name-calling during the referendum at local 'schools, CITY COFFERS were emptier than usual last weekend. to pay its taxes or else the companywill ,even- Wesley said less damage was done by the process than week when Skeena Cellulose failed to pay "Skeena Cellulose, as expected, has not tually lose its sawmill here in a tax sale. many feared. $816,000 in property taxes by the July 3 dead- paid their taxes," said councillor Vai George. The company also owes the city a further Most of the questions related to principles that have $576,000 in unpaid back taxes. line. "It would be a bad message to send to the long beenheld by provincial negotiators both.under the City officials for several months had feared community - spending money literally to That money is to be repaid over nine years current government and underthe former NDP, the struggling forest company wouldn't pay on brim." under the terms of the sale andrestructuring of. But question six asked if aboriginal self-government time and took steps to restrain spending. "It's a nice thing to have) but not in the Skeena Cellulose in April, in future treaties should be modelled after municipal One such restraint measure because of the present budget situation we have," Terrace's mayor-and councillors unsuccess- governments, rather than the broader, constitutionally cash crunch was introduced July 5 when city The money shortfall is considered short- fully attempted to block the purchase of Skeet entrenc councillors decided the city would hold back term, na Cellulose by new owner NWBC Timber The on its usual annual $5,000 contribution for fire- The city's position is that Skeena Cellu- and Pulp - infuriating NWBCpresident Dan Skeena works during the Riverboat Days.August long lose, like any other property owner, will have Veniez.