Sawmill jobs threatened here

TERRACE — As many as 100
jobs would be lost at Skeena
Sawmills here if parent Eurocan
has.lo open a Prince Rupert saw-
maill il bought last year,

Eurocan bought the bankrupt
Wedeene River mill and ac-
companying forest licence in Au-
gust 1991 with the understanding

it would open up by this Novem: —

ber.

But the amouut of wood avail- -

able to Enrocan for its northwest
mills at the time of the purchase
has since declined, company offi-
cial Bruce MacNicol said last
weck.

And the only way it could oper-
ate the Wedeene mill is to take
wood dedicated to Skeena Saw-
mills, he said.

“If we operated in Prince

Rupert on one shift, we would
have to cut Terrace by one shifl,””
MacNicol continued in estimating
the potential job loss here at 100
positions.

“There would be no overall in-

crease. in -employment. There
would. probably be a _ net
decrease,’ he said.

As itis, Skeena Sawmills al--

ready has to. buy approximately
250,000 cubic metres of wood a
year over and above iis own
quola, MacNicol said.

“If we have to run Prince
Rupert, we would be looking. at
buying an additional 450,000

cubie metres.”

He said it docsn’t make much
sense to open a closed mill at the
expense of one already operating.

“We would be looking at

* Skeena NDP MLA Helmut Giesbrecht agrees with
the position of Eurocan. And he's said so in a letter to
forests minister Dan Miller. You'll find that story on

Page Aé.

* The Prince Rupert decision also affects longer term
plans Sor the Skeena Sawmills operation here. That

story is also on Page Aé.

laying off long term people here.
Prince Rupert is beyond commut-
ing distance,’’ said MacNicol. _

Eurocan has written forests
minister Dan Miller asking that
the original requirement to rin
the ‘ Prince Rupert mill be
removed for.at least two or three
years,

The company has a letter on file
from the provincial government
indicating the requirement could

be waived if it could provide rea-
sons.

Eurocan does want to use the
Prince. Rupert mill sile as a log
sorting yard and has 32 people
chipping wood there for pulp use.

The decline in wood available
for milling came from several
areas. |

A decision to log the Kitlope
area south of Kitimat, it’s in

_Eurocan’s TFL No. 41, has been

put off until L995,

The Khutzeymatcen region
north of Prince. Rupert, It’s in the
Wedcene forest licence bought by
Eurocan, has been frozen because
of wildlife and wildemess values,

Eurocan is also. expecting
reduclions in its annual allowable
cuts in the northwest and
alticipates there could be further
reductions because of land
claims.

**There’re just too many un-
knowns in the timber supply that
need ta be ironed out before the
picture is a litile clearer. It's
changed so much over the last
year,’ MacNicot said.

He said operating the Wedecne
milk would be marginal at best
even without the timber reduc-
tions,

Opening the mill would require
$4 million in expenditures while
$14 million would be needed to
cut larger diamater wood. than it
can now, he said,

Bringing the mill up to two
lines, one for smailer logs and the
other for larger ones, would cost
more than $30 million,

MacNicol said there’s support
for Eurocan’s position in Kitimat
and in Terrace,

The milf was built by Wedeene
River Contracting ata cost of $15
million and opened in May 1988.

But its inability to cut large
diamater logs and a restriction on
log exports combined to reduce
cash flow and increase expeuses.

Debis of tearly $20 million
were amassed before it went into
receivership in the fall of 1990.

ERRACE STANDART)

College keeps
its autonomy —

he

“PAR IME took its toll on Slomo but there's é stil I snough lite
elcome.the New. Year. No matter: how: you celebrate - this haliday.sedgon. : lf you do intend: on ‘celebr:
‘the New. Year, may it bring you good fortune and. luck. dust a cab on. arrange ford di

reminder that theré: will be RCMP roadblocks a ot on afound -

Queensway to vote in spring

TERRACE -—» Northwest Com-
munity College retains control of
its universily-transfer programs
under an agreement reached with
the University of Northern B.C,

The details of the agreement,
reached Nov. 18, were released
last week after being ratified by
the college board and UNBC’s
Interim Governing Council.

It states that the college will
continue to offer its first- and
second-year courses. UNBC will
offer third- and fourth-year
courses here.

_ The universily may offer other
first- and. second-year courses,
but ‘‘only following: joint discus-
sions with the college.”

College and bniversiy officials

" praised ‘the deal Jast'week as an
“expansion of higher education

opportunities in the region.”

Northwest Community College
president Don Anderson said it
doesn’t crode the college’s in-
tegrity.

He said UNBC officlals had in-
dicated they would be unable to
offer courses unless there were a
minimum 25 students per class.

Anderson said ‘70 per cent of .

courses the college presently of-
fers are run with class sizes
smaller than 25.

“] really don’t care who offers
what as long as it’s available,”’ he
said.

Likewise, Anderson said, it
would have been foolish to dupli-
cale programming.

“What we've come up with is
the only thing that makes any
sense,’* he added.

Sewer line not tied to Thornhill |

TERRACE — Thornhill resi
dents won't be asked to subsidize
a proposed $2.8 million Queens-
way sewer system, says Thornhill
regional district director Les Wat-
mough,

The new sewer system will
Stand or fall. depending on how
Queensway votes ina referendum
this spring, he said.

And the price to Queensway
voters will be the same regardless
of whether the rest of Thornhill
approves a one-time $172: 1ax
levy for an oversized sewer line
big enough -for a future Thornhill
system.

That price could be as much as
$686 per homeowner every. year
for 20 years, Walmough said.

“That’s the worst
scenario,’” he added.

case

If the Kitselas band subdivision

off Queensway Ave. decides to-
' join the system, the cost per

houscholder would come down
by at least $80 per year.

And bomcowners who already
have an approved septic tank to
hook up with would also save
moncy, perhaps facing a cost as
low as $539 per year.

Watmough stressed that those

numbers are tentative and subject
to. change, adding residents are

hoping for a-further reduction in -

the price.
’ Watmough said the system will
be a low-pressure, gravily-fed
system.

Each house would pump out
sewage to ils septic tank. But in-

- stead of pumping into a seplic

ficld from there, the septic tank

“Ordinary
people... by margin

issues of major
importance.”’

of almost 5 to 1 want
the ability to vote on

OPINION # A5

Bad ouys

e Kitimat’s

industries
are the area's most
consistent polluters.

- NEWS ’ A7 .

would pump into the gravity-fed
main line.

And if the Thomhill vote also
passes, an oversize gravity-fed
main sewer linc would be in-
stalled, capable of allowirig the
rest of Thornhill to connect to the
system in future years.

‘We're looking forward to the
future of Thornhill,”” Watmough

said. ‘And in the future Thornhill
will require. a mew sewer sys-:

tem.”'
_Tustalling. the oversize sewer
linc now, at ‘the same time the
Queensway system is built, will
save Thornhill. voters lots of
money down the road, he said.
Waimough said the hope is the
oversize line would help the
Kitimat-Stikine regional district
install a system for the rest of

Thornhill at a reasonable cost in
the future.

**That’s the dream, Maybe it’s
jusl a dream but we're going to
give ita try.”

The project would also include
pumphouses and a. sewage treat-
ment plant on the Skeena River
below Kirsch’s Island.

Homeowners: will also be
responsible for upkeep and
maintenance of their septic tanks,

. But the alternative —- a straight

gravity-fed system -— would have
been far loo expensive.
Regional! district direclors have

‘been hoping to set the referendum

date for many months, but have
delayed it.

They're now aiming for a mid-
February referendum, but. that
date could alsa be set back.

Engineers are looking for ways -

to cut the costs further, Wat-

mough explained, adding he
doesn’t bold out much hope of
that happening.

‘“’s a good deal for people but
it’s going to be a tough sell, be-
cause the costs are high.’”

He says it’s a good deal because
Thormhill is getting a 75 per cent
provincial government subsidy —
‘something that basically nobody
else in the province is getting,”

“This is as low as it goes,’
Watmough added. ‘‘This is the
cheapest you'll ever get it.

“Grab it now or next year it'll
be more.” .

Watmough said he has no idea
what the regional district will do
if voters reject a tax increase {o
pay | for the sewet T system. ;

The agreement also provides for.
joint development of ten degree
opportunities wilh UNBC.

They are:

* A four-year Bachelor af

Science degree,

* Three Bachelor of Arts de-
grees —- one general, one in the
humanities discipline and one in
the social sciences discipline.

* Bachelor of Nursing degree.

* Bachelor of Social Work.

* Bachelor of Natural Resource
Management — Forestry.

* Bachelor of Business Admin-
istration.

* A two-year Associate of Arts
degree,

* A. two-year Associate of
Science degree. -

” ‘The two-year associate degross
would be’ issued by Northwest
Cominunity College,

The nursing, social
forestry and business administra
lion programs would’ — be
‘Yaddered.”?” NWCC would pro-
vide the initial few years instruc-
tion and UNBC would provide
the courses to complete the de-
gree, ,

Still in the working stage are
proposals for an applied science
and technology degree program
based in Kitimat.

‘According to the agreement,
UNEC would be prepared to ac-
cept students: into its third-year
courses for the nursing and busi-
ness administration laddered de-
grce programs in the fall of 1994.

Its applied technology, forestry
and social work courses would
come on stream a year later in
1995, ,

Gilday to
head PEP.

TERRACE - The city has ap-
pointed its new zone co-
ordinator for the Provincial
Emergency Program (PEP).

A resident for the past two
years, Kelly Gilday first pot
involved with emergency
response in 1986 through the
B.C, provincial - ambulance
service. ; ,

That experience, he says,
sparked an interest which
has since seen him take, a
number of related courses.

His qualifications include
being a certified fire fighter
training officer, first aid and
CPR instructor and emer-
gency medical attendant.

rs A look back at toons a |
sports scene in the north-:

west.

SPORTS # B2

work, °