Hospital's Money Woes Deepen a PROMISE to at Least Balance Mills Bookkeeping Adjustment

They're at it again Young green thumb Full contact hockey American environmentalists He's only eight but he's already a Expect some action when locals threaten another boycott of our winner of a garden face a touring RCMP timber\NEWS A9 competitionkCOM MUNITY B1 team\SPORTS B7 W 93¢ PLUS 7¢ GST DECE T ANDARD VOL. 11 NO. 35 Hospital's money woes deepen A PROMISE to at least balance Mills bookkeeping adjustment. But departments such as the intensive northwest and our people and that comes Memorial Hospital's budget seems more The hospital went into the fiscal year care unit don't receive any extra money firsL" remote than ever but the chair of the Ter- April 1 with a budget designed to bring • The cure for the hospital's to reflect the regional use. Tarwi'ck said the health council con- race and Area Community Health Coun- in a surplus of $130,000 by the end of budget Illness may require a new And matters aren't helped when other tinues to speak with the health ministry cil isn't ready yet to concede defeat. March 1999. way of running health care I!1 the hospitals in the region have either scaled which, in turn, monitors the hospital's "We've not been overly successful to And that was to help meet a promise northwest, down their own intensive care services spending. • Health care officials are worried live within our budget," said Larisa Tar- the hospital made to the health ministry or close their wards on weekends. "They know that's going on. They wiek last week after the newest financial ill 1997 to at least balance the budget by about staff burnout. That results in patients being trans- For these stories, see Page A12 know what the problems are and they figures were released which show the March 1999, just four months from now. ferred to Terrace and more costs, said think there are some things we can do," hospital is sliding deeper into debt. Yet Tarwick said she's not giving up Tarwick. she said. As of Oct. 15, Mills was running a on that goal. prediction of a deficit of $178,000. As well, attempts by the hospital to The health council has persistently deficit of $86,453 in a time when it had "We'll see," said Tarwiek in noting "I don't think we have enough money keep the patient load to an average 25 pursued the province for more money for predicted a surplus to provide a cushion that Mills continues to examine ways to in our budget to do what we're doing," patients a day on its main ward aren't its intensive care unit but a suggestion over the busy winter season when costs cut costs and increase efficiency. said Tarwick. working. The daily patient average is 30. this past spring of help hasn't material- increase. The balanced budget promise ran into Most of the cost pressures faced by "We have too many people in the hos- ized. The deficit would have been $40,000 trouble the first year when Mills posted a Mills come from specific departments pital but they need to be there and that's "People feel we haven't moved ahead more had not the hospital brought in ad- deficit of $318,000 for the 12-month pe- which provide services to patients from our role," said Tarwick. on the question of funding," said Tar- ditional revenue through what it called a riod ending March 1998 compared to a around the region, said Tarwick. "We are serving the people "in the wick. New challenges take aim at treaty THE NISGA'A treaty faces two new chal- portant ancestral lands under the treaty lenges -- one from non-native residents of rammed through by leaders who come from the Nass and one from an internal critic. the other three villages. Nass resident Lloyd Brinson has filed a "The Kincolith band has been sacrificed class action lawsuit on behalf of himself by the president of the NTC, and the parties and other non-natives in the valley. in the final agreement," says Barton. He claims the treaty will effectively dis- In addition to points raised in his previous place him from his country by, surrounding court case, Barton now also contends an his property with native-owndd land, ad- episode of financial irregularities at Kin- ministered by a government he can't vote colith was used in 1997 to silence dis- for or participate in. content there and force the band council to Brinson, 64, seeks damages for resettle- overturn a resolution to pull out of the ment, 10ss of woodlot rights, loss of future Nisga'a Tribal Council. income and property value. He also raises numerous questions about . The suit contends Ottawa and Victoria the Nisga'a vote on the treaty, which don't have the power to transfer lands and passed by a 61 per cent margin last month. resources to the Nisga'a, and that Nisga'a Barton suggests the number of eligible self-govenunent isn't constitutional. voters should have been much higher. The suit joins court actions launched by And he said some ballot boxes from ur- the B.C. Liberal party and the B.C. ban locals like Terrace could have been Fisheries Survival Coalition challenging the tampered with on their way to the Nass. treaty on constitutional grounds. "The public of B.C. would not accePt the A Nisga'a man from Kincolith but now results from a ballot box that made such a living in Richmond is also continuing his trip," he says in his letter. "Particularly drive to defeat the treaty. when the parties who want and must see to Frank Barton, who lost a court action ear- it that the treaty passes are involved in the lier this year aimed at quashing the Nisga'a transportation of the boxes and the counting leadership's authority to negotiate the of the ballots." treaty, is now demanding a federal inquiry Barton also contends a planned $15,000 into a wide range of allegatimm. payment to Nisga'a elders when they tam He maintains the Kincolith band lost ira- 60 amounted to a bribe to buy yes votes. New Skeena school gets the green light CONSTRUCTION OF a multi-million dol- placement plan but under certain condi- lar school to replace aging and over- tions. One of those conditions requires the crowded Skeena Junior Secondary could district to use a common architectural plan begin as early next summer. viewed as one way to cut costs. Altd it will become a full-fledged That should mean a fast construction start secondary school by adding Grades 11 and date, says school district maintenance su- 12, trustees decided Dec. 2. perintendent Harry Eberts. Official word that the province will pro- He said the present school would still be vide the money for the school came through used while the new school is built on the late last week. Trustees were told by the present playing field. province they would have to re-apply for a Once the new school is built, the old new school if they changed their minds school will be demolished and the land will about adding Grades 11 and 12. become a new playing field. [] Waxing the board ' It's the second time in two years the pro- Eberts estimated the school to house 650 vince has ammunced it will replace Skeeua students will take about two years go build. GETTING READY: Tyler Wilson prepares a snow Shames Mountain's scheduled season opener on Jmdor Secondary. A 1996 announcement The next step is to meet with educators to board at Ruins Board Shop in Terrace. The store Dec. 10. Wilson has already climbed Shames this that $1 million would be given to the determine what stock building plan best is hopping with customers these days selling year to test the slopes and do some back-country school district to plan a replacement stalled suits students' needs. Skeena Junior Secondary, built in 1953, boards, boots and bindings for Christmas and snowboarding. when all capital spending was frozen later that year. suffers from a leaking roof, drafts and cost- Last year, the province revived the re- ly heating bills. Reformers reaching out to Liberals WHAT COULD be the first sign of an opinion comes through a mail out being tions anfJ 'tl~en have a run-off to choose right after the provincial election, fueled Right" rally at the ILE.M. Lee Theatre. attempt to run a "Unite the Right" can- sent by the Skecna Reform executive. one candidate to go up against sitting by the NDP popular vote tally province- That rally heard speakers say itho only didate in the next provincial election has "We're asking our members to renew Skeena NDP MLA Helmut Giesbrecht. wide of under 40 per cent. chance of defeating the NDP in the next surfaced. their membership and to let us know Giesbrecht took the Skeena riding in Bell spent several days last week com- provincial election is to form coalitions. The provincial Reform constituency how they fell," saidBell. the 1996 provincial election with 5,147 paring policy positions of the Reform "They put the call out and we'll see association for Skeena is asking its mem- "We don't know what the response votes, a little less than 600 more than his party with those of provincial Liberals. what transpires," said Bell. bers what they think of the idea. will be but we have to ask." closest competitor, Liberal Rick Woz- "There's not that much differellce be- Ile said it was important not to lose "There's a hint, just a hint, out there of Bell said it would be wrong for the • hey.

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