libelling, rolling, rolling Picture perfect ....... i I Champion choppers i i Canadian Tire has found the land Photos and results from this The logger sports at the fall fair i ; to build a store here in year's Skeena Valley Fall once again drew a large ' Terrace\NEWS Page A8 Fair\COMMUNITY B1 crowd\SPORTS B6 J~ WEDNESDAY 93¢ PLUS 7¢ GST SEPTEMBER 11, 1996 VOL. 9 NO. 22 Union forces target city hall By JEFF NAGEL who some of the candidates are," he added. Mike Scott. THE NDP ]vLACH]NE that helped re.elect Lavallee said they also have two candi- Lavallce said a major issue with the city dates confirmed for Kitimat council and will be the contracting out of union jobs. MLA Helmut Giesbrecht is about to go • Mayor to run again, page AS back into action for this fall's municipal one for the Kitimat seats on the new School' The current council steadily worked election campaign. • City's growth could signal District 82 school board. toward privatlzing many city functions, and Local New Democrat workers hope to use changing politics, page A5 He says the group hasn't decided under the proposals now being considered to their already-warmed.up election team to [] Every vote counts, Page AS what banner the candidates will run. build a second sheet of ice may also in- blow Terrace's fight-leaning council out of [] Amalgamation to trim num- Lavallce said raising money will be a big volve privatlzing the existing arena and city hall. ber of trustees, page AS part of the election, adding he expects there aquatic centre. Slates of candidates are being formed to will be a substantial war cheat -- in part Lavallee said the present council has had run for Terrace city council, Kitimat district from local unions -- to bankroll the a long history of anti-union behaviour, council, and the new amalgamated Coast campaign. noting they've consistently refused to Mountain School District board of trustees, and confirmed. "There's already dollars committed to honour labour-sponsored proclamations. according to Terrace and Kitimat District "We've got one so far for city council it," he said. "We know how important it A significant municipal push by the left Labour Council spokesman Norm Lavallee. and two so far who have thrown their hats is." would be intriguing because it would ',We've got some individuals already, but in for school board," Lavallee said. Lavallec said the municipal election harken back to the days when Mayor Jack we just don't have the full slate yet," Others are considering candidacy, he said, campaign is part of an overall strategy to Talstrs and Helmut Giesbrecht were in Lavallee said. but those are the ones who are actually con- keep the machinery warmed up for a feder- He said a political action committee is firmed to run. al election next year, where the labour Continued Page A5 Norm Lavallee working on getting the full slate in place "You're really going to be surprised with groups hopes to oust Skeena's Reform MP Tsimshian continuing treaty effort NEGOTIATORS working on the Tsimshian land claim hope to agree on how treaty talks will take place this month. .... ~ ::: : They're close to signing a framework agreement whlch ~ sets out how the Tsimshian and the federal and provincial f~,-,4 . , * ' ',~. ~q~ governments wall work toward an agreement m prmc=ple~ ~,~,' A tentative framework agreement was prepared this - .q spring and it's now awaiting signatures of federal and :,/;'tl . ,{ .., ,,! . / provincial senior politicians and Tsimshian chiefs. , c ,i ' : " .' ;, E );:.' ;, ',' ;., : , The agreement in principle, when negotiated, provides the foundation for a final settlement. :e,/:f.4?,~ ,.~ Chief Tsimshian negotiator Gerald Wesley says his l ' .7' group is already working on the issues to be involved in the agreement in principle stage. /: "We're waiting for the final signatures. In the meantin'te ./ we're working on going beyond," he said. Wesley and others estimate the agreement in principle will take at least three years and perhaps as long as four years to negotiate. "There are some who normally say it's a two year pro- eess and we looked at that and wrestled with it and decided it couldn't be done in that time period," said Wesley. "The other negotiators can only meet with us once every N~ six weeks for two days at a time so when you look at that N over two years, that's not a lot of days," he added. That's what happened with the Nisga'a who went into talks with the federal and provincial govermneuts thinking :' , / i /L ' , : • ,* .': that a short negotiation period was possible. Their talks were extended several times until a Nisga,a agreement in principle was finally signed earlier this year. I Take a deep breath Wesley said a longer period for the Tsimshian is preferred as the seven individual villages involved in the THE NORTHWEST BOASTS some great kayaking waters, as because their boats were totally immersed in a nine-foot-deep pool talks will need time to examine specific issues affecting John Trewhitt found out as he headed over Vetter Falls, in the at the bottom before they popped back up. Kayaks are sealed tight them. Nass Valley. He and Mike Misskey, who took this photo, dis- against dunkings like this, and the air trapped inside the slender And as the Tsimshlan continue down the land claims covered they had to hold their breath when they went over. That's boats propels them quickly to the surface. palh, they are a[so working on solving boundary overlaps with the nelghbouring Nisga 'a, That story Page A 12. Loaded gov't money truck Fire vote set SOME RURAL residents will vote Nov. 16 on whether or not to extend fire protection east and south ofThomhill. A recent fire conmlissit)rter's report indicated that fire ser, vice was needed tti protect the c0mmunitiesi which are quite a problem for Giesbrecht a distance fl'om the Thornbill Fire Hall; Ret, ional district officials expect w.,0 ,.;oluateer fire halls By MALCOLM BAXTER that amount in any of those years and, as a wondered what was wrong with putting that woul~l be built; Tlie exact 10cations have yeti0 be decided. FOREST RENEWAL B.C. may not be getting result, will have accumulated a nest egg of money into general revenue "to beneft the but one will probably be iiear LakelSe Lake-c iver ng ttie value for the millions of dollars it's been dish- about $900 million by the end of this financial people who own the resource." kea ad Jackpine Flats. ing out lately, says Skeena NDP MLA Helmut year. "Will it ever be able to spend it?" he "There are needs out there," he emphasized, The other will likel) be tin Hi~h~,a,; 16 East. protectina Giesbrecht. asked. adding Victoria is having to contend with con- homes near Copper River; Kleanza Creek~ Usk and:as flu~ as He made the comments on the eve of a board FRBC's wealth combined with the provincial tinual cost off-loading by the federal govern- Chindemash; . meeting of the provincial crown corporation at government's budgetary woes has prompted menL Both halls will be equipped with pumper-tankerS Similar to the $149,000, trUck recently purcliased by the Thoi'nhill which it'll decide what to do with what is turn- speculation Victoria has its eye on the crown "Things change," Giesbrecht said, suggesting some members of the FRBC board might not Fire Depar!ment. ing out to be an embarrasment of riches. corporation's surplus. In addition, a separate 2:500 gallon tanker w ould have to "There's a lot of money being shovelled off The legislation that established FRBC guaran- have an "obsessive, possessive view" about be purchased to shuttle water from a water-source tO a fira, that truck," Giesbrecht said. As an example of teed it would receive two thirds of the revenue their bankroll. The fire cornmissirmer'S report also suggests tliere be a it being shovelled in questionable directions, he resulting from the 1993 hike in stumpage rates - While saying it was F1LBC's call as to full-time fire chief to handle the increased departnlenL rath' pointed to the five-year, $5 million study of por- the remainder went into the government's gen- whether it handed over some of its surplus to er than the existing pitrt;iime chief p0s t iii~il cupines going on in the Shames Valley, west of eral revenue account. Victoria, Giesbrecht noted that if it declined to Thornhill RD direct0rPegg!, Jfilsetli says that the expan. Terrace. It also required FRBC money be spent on do so the government could change the legisla- sion is necessary to adequatel) sei:ve the outl,,ing areas; and Maintaining much was already known about forestry and forest industry related projects. tion if it wanted to. suggests that the increased iax costs io :esiden s wilLbe Cov- the prickly creatures dining habits when it came Those conditions and their being put into law • As to where the money should be spent if it is ered by insuranCedecrea'ses: :: : to young trees, Giesbreeht noted local cx-forest - so that government couldn't arbitrarily change diverted from FILBC coffers, he said he would "What residents fuund when Kaiutn Norfll came Under industry worker Lee Watmough had effectively prefer to see it go toward capital projects rather Wh0rnhill protecthm Was that their insui'ance Costs went the rules to divert the money elsewhere - was down cons derably ,'Juiseth:says, "Taxes will incretiSe, but than be "frittered away" in operational ex- demolished the study tdea in a recent letter to one of the reasons the forest industry poblically hopellully not to the same degree?' : : : i the editor in The Terrace Standard.