Tied up traffic | The beginning of the Dudley Little Bridge redecking work wasn't smooth\NEWS PAGE A8& Feline surplus - Anybody who wants a kitten or a cat should visit the city’s animal shelter\COMMUNITY PAGE B1 A natural > Local body builder wins two titles. at Abbotsford Natural for Life competition\SPORTS C1 _ WEDNESDAY JUNE.22, 1995 Ss Gee 75¢ PLUS 5¢GST. VOL.8NO.10 | Ok Repap in wood wrangle with Victoria REPAP IS tuming down sugges- tions from the forest ministry that it needs permission to take over another northwest forest compa- ny. Repap this spring gained major- ity share ownership of Buffalo Head Forest Products which has a licence to log 342,000 cubic metres of wood a year north of Meziadin, It did so by increasing what was a 49 per ceat share holding inter- est acquired some years ago by an additional 25 per cent, The provincial Forest Act re- quires that the forests minister give consent whenever there is a change in control in a company which has a forest licence. Although that seems to indicate Repap does need the consent of the forest minister it’s arguing that it already bas had control for a number of years, “There’s been no change: in control. We define control as by the number of directors you have “and the number of votes. By that, we have had control all along,”’ said Repap official Reg Lightfoot last week, He added that Repap has sent its legal opinion of control to the; forest service. At stake is not so much the re- quirement for the forest minister to give consent to a licence trans- g The luckiest orphan THE VERITAS DRAMA CLUB and the Skeena Junior Secondary Band join forces to present the musical Annie, this Friday and Saturday at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Here Shauna Palahicky, who plays or- phan Annie, cuddles with Sandy. (Sadie is her off-stage fer but a supply of wood, Provincial forest regulations re- quire that five per cent of the an- nual allowable cut of a forest licence be surrendered whenever it changes hands. In this case, that means five per cent of 342,000 cubic metres or 17,100 cubic metres ‘a year. “That's what it’s really about,” said Lightfoot when asked about the potential to lose that amount of wood, Repap; as with other forest companies, is experiencing every tightening supplies of fibre, Losing any amount would only put pressure on finding additional SOUTCES. name.) Children form grades four through seven will be pes- forming many musical numbers, including the hit “Maybe.” Any proceeds from the weekend will go towards the band and drama club. Provincial forest service official Graeme Hynd said its involve: ment is determining the question of control with Repap, That’s because the requirement for the five per cent surrender js relatively new and came in after Repap bought its original stake in Buffalo Head. , Should it be determined Repap gained control after the require- ment was brought in, itil be sub- ject to the five per cent surrender, . “"They’re saying there was a change in control but at what point. At no time did we receive a request for consent for transfer,”’ said Hynd. “Section 50 of the Act says that Thieves steal library bears By MALCOLM BAXTER LITTLE KIDS loved them, pressing their noses against the glass of the library’s new display case to admire the handmade teddy bears behind the pane. At approximately 5:15 p.m, last . Thursday, person or persons un- known took admiration a dis- honest slep further and stole six of the 11 bruins, “Dm just furious, but you're helpless,” said Becky Sundberg, a library clerk and the person who crafted the bears. She's been making the bears for the last four years and loaned her handiwork for a display aimed at thanking library patrons for put- ling up with ihe inconvenience caused by the expansion project, “Thanks for Bearing with us’ was the theme, ; Children’s librarian Holly Nguyen developed the theme fur- tier by holding a Teddy Bears Picnic in the park to which youngsters brought their own favourite bruins, - The thief or thieves got away with one Jarge and five small bears, some of Sundberg’s most recent —~ and favourite — crea- tions. ‘T thought they were the cutest,’” she explained. Not snatched was the bear with the greatest sentimental value, the one wearing a dress knitted for Sundberg’s daughter by the then- infant’s grandmother. The cost to her of the theft? “*You can’t really put a value on them,”’ Sundberg said. Although theoretically they might have commanded a price of $75-§100, she admitted, ‘I’ve never really had the nerve to ask anyone to | pay for them. ’? But there {s still a sense of loss when you've spent tvo days making each bear and ils clothes from scratch, and when, out of that creative process, ‘‘they take on a personality,”’ They also wear distinctive clo- thing, like the bespectacled bear with the tartan jacket and hat. But, Sundberg adds, she’ll be able to recognize them, even if the clothing had been changed. While she knows it’s long odds against ever seeing the stolen bears again, Sundberg hopes there might be people who read this story and realize wheze that _ surprise new toy came from, ESCAPEE. Becky Sundberg poses with ‘Tyler’, one of her hand crafted bears left behind when someone Tipped off ‘six of the bruins from a display case at the library Thursday, when there’s a transfer or change in control of a licence, except be- tween affiliations, there’s a re- quirement to take back five per cent,’” he added, If a company docs want that five per cent back, it'll be more expensive for it to acquire re- placement fibre because it has to bid with others on the open market, Hynd said, Buffalo Head was formed in 1985 to acquire one of three forest licences im the Meziadin- Bell Irving area. Alberta businessman Ross Adam, along with Bemie Smith, another businessman, are the Youth founding principals of Buffalo Head. Adam is the person who Sold his position in the company while Smith retains his 25 per cent position. The purchase further tightens Skeena Cellulose’s forest hold- ings in the northwest, Although it has a pulp mill in Prince Rupert and sawmills in Terrace, Carnaby near Hazelton and in Smithers, the company doesa’t have secure supplies to feed them. Fibre supply is becoming more crucial in B.C. with companies competing for an increasingly limited amount. raised to adult court By JEFF NAGEL A 16-YEAR-OLD youth charged in fast fall's double murder will be mised to adult court. * B.C. Provincial Court Judge Richard Miller handed down the decision Friday, ending a week- long hearing that included testimony by psychiatrists, psychologists and probation of ficers. The youth is charged in the ‘ crossbow killing last September of 25-ycar-old Yvon Gosselin, and the later stabbing of his fa- ther, 66-year-old Jean Gosselin. If convicted of first-degree mur- der, the accused youth faces a sentence of life imprisonment, with no chance of parole for 25 years, Had he been tried under the Young Offenders Act, he would face a three-year prison term if convicted, . Crown prosecutors had asked for the youth to be raised to adult court. In an interview Friday, Judge Miller said he took into account a series of factors in reaching the decision — including the circum- Stances of the alleged - offence, protection of the public, and the chance of success of rehabilita- tion at federal versus juvenile in- stitutions, “I concluded the Young OF Alcan, province _ fenders Act offered nothing in the way of treatment for him,” Judge Miller told Zhe Standard. “And it inadequately provided security for him, other Young Offenders ‘inmates and ihe public.”!"" °° - “The only appropriate. treat- ment and. correctional facility available for this offence and of- fender {s within ‘ihe federal penitentiary system,’”? , “The Young Offenders Act it- - self was inadequate to deal with this offence and his alleged in- volvement init,’’ he added. The decision to raise to adult court is in a0 way a finding of guilt, : The purpose of the hearing is to assume the worst case scenario and then determine whether the adult or youth penal system - would best address it. : The youth was 15 years old at the time ofthe murders, The Young Offenders Act sets out age 14 a5 the lowest age at ~which youths can be raised to adult court. ee - Details of the killings heard this week cannot be published, as they might prejudice any future trial in. the case, . Also charged in both killings is 28-year-old George ‘Bliss Haw- thoric, Elis preliminary hearing resumes Sept, 11 in Terrace court rooms. ; , mum on taiks ALTHOUGH the — scrapped Kemano Completion Project is out of the spotlight, the back- rooms are humming with activity. Alcan and the provincial goverment are negotiating how much compensation the company is duc for Victoria's decision in January to cancel the $1.3 billion hydroelectric project. Both sides continue to meet but | won’tsay what's being discussed behind closed doors, “Discussions with Alcan are ongoing,’ health minister Paul Ramsey said, ‘The premises of those discussions are that KCP has been cancelled and that there are a Variety of next steps that need 10 be taken by the company and by the provinee.’” Alcan’s Les Holroyd said the compeny expects the province to introduce legistation to formally remove provincial approvals to proceed with the project. The question. is whether the province will go further and at- - tempt to restrict the emount of water Alcan: takea out of. the Nechako to. power: its existing — generators at Kemano, oo Killing the project apparently Violates the 1987 agreement un- der which Alcan agreed to 2 certain set of water lows, If both sides agree to walk away from the 1987 agreement, Alcan could conceivably increase the - amount of water it takes to the high levels of the early 1980s — when federal officials were going to court to get injunctions to force higher flows for fish. ; Bavironmenta opponents want the province to go the other direc- tion, and reduce the amount of water dolow what Alcan now takes, , ' Depending on how far Victoria went, thit. could cut into the amount of power Alcan -could produce for re-sale, limit possible future industrial expansion in Kitimat, and, ¢ven. threaten the viability of the existing smelter. Ramsey hinted that’s not the province's intent. ° “We want to ensure that the jobs that are provided through the Kemano project at Kitimat and in the northwest are protected.””