Unequal access Personal teleporter Uphill thrill The city says no to a wheelchair A local lad knows what we'll be World class snowmobilers ramp up at the Terrace .wearing on our wrists in the year converge in Terrace to take on the arena\NEWS A13 2050\COMMUNITY B4 mighty A.O.T.\SPORTS B4 VOL. 13 NO. 50 iniO "O WEDNESDAY O Ire March 21, 2001 t.O 03 ,;70 $1.00 PLUS7¢ GST p,. ($1.10 plus S¢ GST outside of the Terracearea) TANDARD II "Terreace hs ool "Fore=$try Cctp,tct['" Natural gas bills Unions to too high Poor. estimates block raw. inflate PNG bills By JEFF NAGEL PACIFIC NORTHERN log export: Gas has been told to look into reports that faulty gas By JEFF NAGEL consumption estimates THE IWA is refusing to sign a deal that would allow have caused some natural Skeena Cellulose to export raw logs and possibly re- gas customers to pay too duce the duration of logging and sawmill shutdowns much money. this year. Gas utilities routinely The union, which represents workers now laid off at make physical meter read- Skeena Cellulose's Terrace sawmill, views raw log ex- ings every two months but ports as effectively exporting B.C. sawmill jobs, said simply estimate the IWA Canada local 2171 president Darrell Wong. months in between based "We are not prepared to sit down and negotiate a raw on each customer's histor- log export agreement," Wong said from the Vancouver ic consumption. Island head office of Local 2171. But problems with the He said the five-year estimating system being economic plan being pre- used by several utilities at pared for SCI by provin- [] City council backs a time when natural gas cial Job Protection Corn- log exports for Inter- rates were rising quickly missioner Eric van Seer- for, Page A13 may have resulted in over- EUROPEAN cheeses are scarce after an import ban was slapped on anything that may spread foot-and- en gives no guarantees billing, B.C. Utilities mouth disease to Canada. That!s Gerlinde Langheimrich from Bert's Dell with some Swiss cheese, that there won't be fur- Commission officials say. For example, a two- Cheese s el lers hit by import Dan ther"Nothing shutdowns short or oflayoffs a 100 once per centthe plan guarantee is in plaee. of employ- month gas bill covering ment for our members in both manufacturing and logging January and February By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN be affected because all its meat from spreading to livestock here. would be an acceptable agreement," he said. "And it could be based on an esti- EUROPEAN cheeses are disappear- comes from Vancouver. Foot-and-mouth disease does not could never be for a period of time such as five years," mate of January consump- ing from local shelves after a federal "We don't really know what's affect humans but wreaks havoc on The deal for SCI is one of at least nine being worked tion followed by an actual ,, on by the Job Protection Commission to allow northwest meter reading at the end of ban on the import of cheese and going on, Kriegl said. cloven-hoofed animals by causing f6~St Companies to export logs and take advantage of February. r,-~.-, meats that could spread foot-and- He said that e'ven'his suppliers--.-blister-like sores on the mouths, 0ther cost reductions promised by government. mouth disease, are unsure exactly what is happening tongues, hooves and teats. The meter reading en- Bert's Dell in Terrace has already as far as the ban isconcernedl ~ The disease leaves the animals The flurry of plans arises from forest minister Gordon sures total" usage for th,0 run out of impm'ted French Brii~ An¢l The indefinite ban coVers all weakened and unproduefi~e~ ' ..... Wilson's Northwest Forest Plan announced in December. two m0hths is accurate. since most specialty cheeses at the meat products and certain dairy pro- European countries are killing and Van Soeren says the SCI deal will likely involve fur- But if the estimate for dell are from Europe the supply of ducts from all countries in the Eur- burning hundreds of thousands of ther deferrals of property taxes by northwest towns and of January usage was too other varieties could also dry up. opeanUnion and Argentina. animals in efforts to stop its spread, stumpage by the province. low, some of the gas actu- "Our main cheese supplier is It could remain in place until the If the highly contagious disease Despite his opposition and the union's policy of op- ally used in January will going to bring in more cheese," said global epidemic is contained, reaches Canada, it will spread like posing log exports, Wong has twice before approved an end up being billed at Richard Kriegl, whose family owns "It's just the time frame," said wildfire and cause billions of dollars export plan. February prices - which the dell. Kriegl. "We don't know how long of losses. One of those was the controverisal two-year-old deal were higher because of a But once that's gone they may it'll take. That's the big thing." It could be transmitted via animal to keep hundreds of West Fraser loggers working here. rate hike that took effect have to seek Canadian alternatives. The ban is a bid to prevent the products or even people wearing Wong said that deal was much more tightly restricted Feb. 1. The deli's meat supply shouldn't devastating foot-and-mouth disease contaminated footwear or clothing. Continued Pg, A13 Rate increases on Oct. 1 and Jan. 1 could have had similar effects if esti- mates were poor around that time. Let gas company go "We've had a few com- plaints with regard to faul- ty estimates," says com- mission secretary Rob Pel- under, senior says latt. "The commission will be asking PNG for a report." Mayor roasted for his silence amidnatural gas crisis He said PNG plus its By JENNIFER LANG ing cat food to pay gas bills?" says. northeast subsidary and MARIE STEVENS would ra- Stevens asked. "They got themselves into Centra Gas are using a ther see Pacific Northern Gas Her last bill came to $300. this situation with bad judgment new customer information go out of business than watch She has no idea what this and poor business practices," system that may be the her fellow senior citizens eat cat month's bill will be. she said. "They knew Methanex source of the estimating food while they cope with skyr- "I can only wear so many was a huge risk." problems. sweaters," she explained, adding She said everyone in the re- Pellatt said Centra ex- ocketing heating bills, she now turns her thermostat off glen now faces hardship due to perienced similar estimate "I imagine there are a lot of in the afternoons and keeps it at rising gas costs, particularly sin- problems last summer. seniors who just simply exist on 60 degrees Fahrenheit over night gle income .,families, seniors, The gas company re- their pensions - where does that to save money, and those on disability pensions. sponded by temporarily leave them'/ Friskies?" Stevens Like many, she switched to In addition to making a pre- eliminating estimates and wondered, referring to a popular sentation to the panel, Stevens moving to more costly brand of cat food. observed all five days of hear- monthly meter reading be- Describing herself as a senior "l think it's despic- ings held by the BCUC two citizen just trying to make ends cause of the glitches, he meet, Stevens urged a B.C. Uti- able that he didn't have weeks ago. said. lities Commission panel in Ter- the gonads to speak She's disappointed so few Utilities commissiori of- race to turn down PNG's pro- out for his people." people turned out to listen or ficials said the estimation make a presentation to the panel system may have been posed gas rate increases, when they had a rare chance to fine when rates were more And if that means the compa- help stop the proposed increase. stable, but it isn't working ny goes under, well then so be it. natural gas in the 1970s when "Well I'm not ready to roll well now that rates are ris- "I would rather see them go PNG came to town and "sweet- over and play dead." ing dramatically. bankrupt," she said. "I think it talked" her into using what was She said she's disgusted that "If there's a rate change would be for the best." ~ then touted as an affordable, Terrace mayor Jack Talstra MARIE STEVENS says it's better that PNG go bankrupt than it really does magnify the She's been forced to dip into clean and efficient fuel. didn't make an oral presentation have local seniors forced to resort to eating eat food. problem," Pellatt ex- her life savings to pay for natural She's outraged that the corn- to the panel, unlike the mayors plained. gas heating bills that have more party now wants a series of rate of Fort St. James and Houston. She also said people were tain terms that you can be there The three recent rate than doubled but fears other se- hikes to help make up for the "1 think it's despicable that misled into thinking they but shut up and listen," she said, increases have driven resi- niors on pensions may not have loss of a huge industrial custo- he didn't have the gonads to couldn't address the panel with- added she was allowed to speak dential rates up 42 per that option, mer, Methanex.