. , Will generate enormous amounts of

’ new Skeena Junior Secondary: School.

' the aged on the bench, and gravel courtesy of the department ©

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - A5

| Proposed mining projects raise serious concerns

Dear Sir:

It is baffling that according to Minister Bill Bennett, the province
has been in urgent “in-depth negotiations” with bcMetals Corporation
for “about a month” on a cost sharing agreement for a hydroelectric
line up Highway 37.

” Obviously the Minister, and this
newspaper, must not be aware that
_ the federal government is being
sued over allegedly violating the
Canadian Environmental -Assess- —
ment Act when it refused to consult
with the public on the Red Chris
Mine proposed by beMetals. «

‘During that lawsuit. the mine
cannot be constructed. .

The organization suing the feds;
Mining Watch Canada, has also
asked the court to prohibit the is-
suing of any federal permits for the
Project.

" This is a huge open pit mine that

2)

‘toxic acid waste for tens of thou- o
' sands of years. ° :

They plan to fill existing lakes and a pristine mountain valley with
this toxic waste.

' Additionally, the enormous mine pit is situated squarely atop ‘the
richest and most important Stone Sheep lambing habitat i in the world.

OK to shop online

“Bil Bennett °

Last week there was a band of 50 Stone Sheep ewes with lambs right

where the mine is proposed. Already this year local Tahltan have had to.

intervene and stop the company from fording a creek with heavy equip-
ment, right through about 60 spawning rainbow trout.

This project has not been viable for 50 years. despite being very
close to a highway, and isn’t now absent of massive subsidies from the
taxpayer.

This’ Ministers shenanigans a are also baffling because this govern-
ment made a promise when it was first elected not to subsidize private
corporations. This money does not belong to Minister Bennet, it be-
“Jongs to all of us, and perhaps would be put to better use building a new
cancer clinic in the North or restoring beds in our hospitals.

And why is Minister Bennett negotiating as if the 1 mine were a done
deal? 0

He would have us believe that the Tahitan support this mine and that

““the iron is hot.”

It is disappointing this newspaper, normally pretty: good al being
accurate, didn’t fact check this minister’s statements. “

He, and this newspaper, should be.informing the public that the
. Tahitan have formally registered their opposition to the Red Chris mine
~ being built. His ill-conceived, backroom negotiations will only inflame
a fragile situation, undermining trust with northern First Nations? and
will destabilize mining investment in the north, especially the, Galore
Creek mine of Nova Gold. __.

' It is also baffling that Nova Gold would be involved with this mon-

. key business, They have a developing relationship with the Tahltan,
and the tentative cooperation of the environmental community in re-
‘gard t to their Project, Galore Creek.

CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD):

So far, they have acted with some professionalism and made some
good decisions. They are about to blow it, big-time, and destabilize
their own investment, which is enormous.

Without a doubt, continuing down this path will add years to the
time it will take to get their mine operational. Or worse — if they need

a powerline, it should go to their mine, and they should pay for it. It’s

called capital investment. ;
Partnering with the province and bcMetals on, this ill conceived and
ethically challenged initiative calls their judgment into question.

There are going te be some new mines in the north. Where they will °

occur should be determined by freemarket forces, affected First Na-
tions and a fully consulted public — not by over eager ministers being

_ far too free with our tax dollars.

. [four tax dollars are burning a hole in his pocket, I suggest ithe right

thing to do is lower taxes, or perhaps clean-up the enormous number of”

abandoned toxic mine sites this industry always seems to'leave behind.
Certainly making gifts to, or subsidizing, private mining companies is
a poor-use of taxpayer resources. ~

What happens when this admittedly marginal mine hits low. com-.

modily prices?

Undoubtedly they will ‘ask for further subsidies, and Jhelp” from the :

gover nment.

- Bennett should leave well enough alone, and let market forces de-~

cide the fate of Red Chris. One would have hoped they would have

iearned something from the. last gang who dumped hundreds of mil-

lions of dollars into a a company the market said was not viable.

‘Bruce Hill,.
° Terrace, B.C.

a

"Dear Sir: .
In response to Ken Hawkin’ s letter, I agree with local -
shopping.

My husband and it owna new, used and consignmient store
here in Terrace. We try to carry something for everyone and
. if we can’t get it locally for you we most certainly will pur-
chase it on-line.’

We like to shop locally‘as well but if a deal is out there
in the cyber, world that is more affordable, why not jump on
it?

Prices in our st store are based on on-line shopping.
. Nancy Hopkins,
Terrace, B.C.

Track key for.
_ teens’ growth.

’ Dear Sir: ;
‘T have several concerns with respect to the rubberized .

track situation. The track in question, as I understand it, is

‘the replacement track for the one that was buried under the

The original. track was built by purely volunteer labour
and materials in the mid-fifties — cinders from the home for

of highways — as was the grading of the track. The compac-
ticn was provided by a water filled roller that came from the |
Terrace Airport, a leftover from the RCAF, that was pulled
by. a tractor from the Frank Bros. Dairy.

_. Why: would anyone put an. asphalt finish on a running
‘track? It’s completely insane to.say the least.

The fact that some are interested in getting proper sur-
faces and facilities is commendable. —

Track and field as well as other individual sports activi-
ties are crucial to the development of our young people. This
was true in the mid to late ’50s as it is today. Individual [°
sports activities develop young people who stand out and - |’
assume positions of leadership.

In the time I spent in Terrace between,1955 and 1958,

building the original track at Skeena Junior/Senior High, I
developed a thriving individual ability for teens to perform.
Unfortunately, it seems that since that time the needs have
been circumvented by the politicized positions of democra-
cy. The city sees a need to have an agreement with the school
district. How about $1 a year to lease the subject field?
Whatever the decision, the taxpayer owns the property. I

-WILD BEARS have been seen around town eating from garbages and composts ately.

Bears not tourist props — they're wild

oan

cannot believe that a community would have not developed
a program for their youth that provides for the development

of our individual teens.

Mike Chambers

- Skeena Junior School P.E. teacher 1955-58

- Fort St. John, B.C.

Proof needed for
“fishy” farm claims:

Dear Sir:

the community at risk so a couple of

‘

Andrew Williams, the chair of the Friends of Wild Salm- ;
_on, wrote on July 19, 2006,: that foreign companies that
operate. many of the salmon farms in B.C. also operate in

Norway, Scotland, Ireland and Chile.

Mr. Williams makes a very serious charge. oe
He wrote, the companies “have a long and current history
of pollution, disease outbreaks, huge fish escapes and sea

lice infestations of wild fish stocks.”
That’s pretty frightening stuff.
But then it’s supposed to be.

_ Those outrageous claims are right out of the Book of Pro-
tests as preached by David Suzuki, Alexandra Morton, Jen-

nifer Lash of the Rainforest Coalition, and their followers.

_ On the basis of his allegations, I:think that Mr. WilliafAs
should be able to provide written, peer-reviewed proof from
independent and government scientists in the countries he
“has listed, that his charges in his July 19 letter are true.

Furthermore,:I would like to see his scientific facts to
prove his statement ”that directly links salmon farms to the
decline of wild stocks in the Broughton.”

Stuart Morrison,
Kelowna, B, Cc.

A book for you

In response to my good friend Brenda Silsbe, one
’ shouldn’t have to eat doggie doo to know it’s bad eating.

Alas, liberals. don’t know!
I suggest she read, “The DaVinci Code” and “The Se-

Dear Sir:

crets of the Temple” b

y Robins Griffiths-Jones, Master of

the Temple Church i in Loridon, founded by the Knights Tem-

plar.

Brown’s book.

Now he’s a jolly fellow unlike his portrayal in Dan

Brian Gregg,
Terrace, B.C.

‘pening around Terrace.

Dear Sir: -

In response. to Les “Watmough’s Ss"
letter “Moving Kermodes from area
‘do you:
honestly think the residents of the .

will likely anger tourists,”
Terrace area ‘will tolerate putting

photo-happy tourists can snap a few
pictures?

At. first you would probably say
no, but that is exactly what is hap-
Dump-
sters are left open, garbage cans are

stored outside, compost piles are |

available and fruit goes unpicked by

the ton. All of this puts our commu-

nity at risk of attracting bears.
Wildlife is just that - WILD!

If you want a guaranteed sighting, .

Illegal activities in downtown pak

visit the zoo. Directions can be giv-

en to known hot spots in the Skeena
region, but there is no guarantee that

‘a bear, especially < a Kermode, will be

there.
We should be promoting proper
wildlife viewing that is safe for both

_ people and bears and involves keep-
ing the wild in the wildlife. This
will ensure there is opportunity for

people from all over to experience
our spectacular wildlife for years to
come.

Bears. in garbage are " destroyed:
~ due to the potential safety risk and _
.the rate at which relocated bears re-

‘tum. This Kermode bear was lucky ,
‘and gota second chance. :

Now it may be viewed by those

‘that appreciate viewing bears in ae
wild setting. where they are © suppose
to be.

' Bears. are amazing creatures that
adapt to almost any. circumstance, .-.
but they will © protect themselves,
‘their young or anything they view

as being theirs. This may be your

garbage can, your composter or your

fruit trees.

Bears that hang around in our

community pose. a potential safe-

ty risk and that is why.the Kermode.

bear was relocated. . >
To prevent removing the wild

are potential. carriers of the Kerméde Ves

gene.

DUSTIN. QUEZADA PHOTO _

..-« To ensure bears: both. black. and, ce
white stay in the wild, store garbage*~
inaccessible to -bears until pick-up:
day, pick fruitas it ripens and re-.
move windfalls daily, and compost | Ley
- responsibly.

For more information on prevent 7

~ ing problems with bears visit’ www. -
“ bearaware.be.ca or call 638-6536. -

' To report problems with bears to.
_the conservation officer service, call - °
1-877-952-72717..This information is
also used to guide education efforts. .

from wildlife and to keep the com- . ., Deidre Price,
munity safe, it is time for the com- Program Delivery Specialist,
munity to take responsibility. ~ Bear Aware,

Onei in ten black, bears in this area Terrace, B. Cc.

need to. be controlled by police —

Dear Sir:
’ Asa parent of two young

children and.a resident of ©

Terrace, I find myself out:
raged at the situation in the
downtown park.’

This park should be a
friendly and safe piace’ for

‘residents and visitors to stop.

and take a break: from shop-
ping, or to have a picnic after
visiting the Farmer’s Market
on a Saturday afternoon. .
My children and I used

to enjoy this park because of.

the amount of other children
that were usually playing
there. | .
Every time we have vis-
ited this park we have been

' forced to leave by others’

inappropriate and/or unsafe
behavior.

In three recent visits to the
park, we have witnessed one

intoxicated 1 man insisting on

having a conversation with §
us and abusing another vis- -fJ

itor’s dog; a group of people

chasing and swearing at a
couple walking through; and.

the above mentioned picnic
happening with a bottle of
wine and a joint in’ place of
juice and cookies.

I question the lack of po-
lice presence in the park.

I understand that there
is a shortage of staff in our
police department and there

must be a priority system
- used.

-However, I wonder if
Tim Horton’s coffee tastes
just as good at the park and
if our children’s safety and
well-being should perhaps
become a top priority.

M. Baber,
Terrace, B.C.

GEORGE Little Park is no place for drinking, says local mom.

FILE PHOTO |