Laugh it up Guitarist entertains with blend of music, comedy and ‘acrobatic guitar’ \COMMUNITY B1” Upgrading busy intersection \NEWS A11_ Renovations to downtown stores to change look of “oe Rocking Visiting technician adds new spin to the stones at the curling club \SPORTS B4 _By DUSTIN QUEZADA $1.00 PLUS 6¢ GST ($1.10 plus 7¢ GST outside of the Terrace area) PEANUTS, HISTORICALLY a.cheap source of dietary . protein, can be fatal for certain individuals and that can pose a Serious problem when those cases appear in the public school system. That’s what Cassie Hall Elementary School faced this ' year when when it was learned that one of i its new students , has a severe peanut allergy. " __ The result is a strictly enforced peanut-free environment _ for the several hundred students at the southside school. “It was new to us so we did research to find out how to deal with it,” said principal Darlene Bragg-Hounsell. The research would show just how important knowledge - ‘of anaphylactic peanut allergies is. Peanut residue left on any surface anywhere in the school can trigger a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction, says Catherine Chapman, the public health nursé who works with ' the school on any number of issues. This reaction can begin and proceed rapidly, occasion- ally proving fatal within minutes. It must be treated with’ epinephrine immediately at the first. signs of reaction, and the reaction may recur after initial therapy so that ongoing observation and care are required. — _ With a rotating class schedule in the school, there was no choice but to institute a peanut-free environment, says Bragg-Hounsell. “We would have (gone peanut free) even if we hadn’t» - income familie been class specific because contact is enough,” said the prin- cipal. * ; Chapman said she and community‘nutritionist Flo Shep- pard drew up a plan, based on teaching and education, for : the school’s staff, students and their parents. - Staff need to know how to administer epinephrine in a " case of a reaction, they and students need to be aware of what snacks are not allowed and parents have to carefully read labels to make, sure Junches aren’t being packed with » any peanut products. “You can understand why schools choose to go peanut free,” said Sheppard, adding peanut free doesn’ t mean traces won’t make their way into the building. " “Tt depends on the management (of a peanut-free strat- . fh} egy),” added Sheppard. “Does the school have a handwash- ing policy?” It’s a lot to ask of an entire. school ¢ as peanuts are progres- sively finding their way into more and more food products either as a planned ingredient in a food or indirectly when — other food is being manufactured or made. _ Peanuts may be designated on a food label in a'less eas- ily recognized’ term such as hydrolyzed. vegetable protein or _ ground nuts. And, ‘says ‘Sheppard, food companies change ingredients in ‘their products all the time. Every school is different in its makeup, making strategies to keep nuts away.’ Sheppard says schools that have lower that depend on food bank donations are not . Cont'd Page A2 NUTRITIONIST FLO Sheopard was one of those who set up a no- peanut plan at a local school because one of its students has an allergy. “DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO os City eases on.debt _ ‘THE CITY won't be. pres-_ ‘strike a deal with a potential _ out the negotiations, yes,” . are exchanging offers. _a mortgage charge against back taxes. Pressure - suring the Terrace Lumber Company to pay back a loan and back taxes, at least for now. - Mayor Jack Talstra said. last week he wants to wait to see_if the company can purchaser. “We will probably wait Talstra confirmed last week. “The idea is to maintain the jobs in this area and not lose them so from the city point of view we are doing the best we can to maintain that,” he says, adding he has spoken to the men behind Terrace Forest Products but _ would not. say muich about , who they are. -“T talk to the group some- . times because I want them to. not leave town,” Talstra said: last week. “So I do chat with them and encourage them, they have their own team of lawyers in Vancouver. as does TLC, I think, and those two groups, as far as I know, The city loaned the Ter- race Lumber Company - $950,000 to help buy. the mill © and in 2005 and with inter- | est, the amount now stands at $1.3 million. That's even . after a payment of $325, 000 is calculated. Talstra said the ‘city’s debt is secure because it has the land on which the mill sits. Terrace Lumber Com- pany also owes $800,000 in ‘TERRACEVIEW LODGE is to under- go an $11 million expansion, adding 16 complex care beds and three palliative care suites. It’s scheduled to open in mid-2008 with a planned construction start date of next year, says Rowena Holoien who is the Northern Health Authority’s senior northwest official. The new beds, which will be in . addi- tion to the 76 already at Terraceview, are in response to a growing elderly popula- tion, she said. But they are also meant to ease the problem at hospitals where people who pany site. LONG TIME sawmill worker Ralph Braam stands outside: the Terrace Lumber Com- “SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN - ..|. THE GROUP of investors interested in pur- chasing what remains of the Terrace Lumber - Company’s sawmill and at least some of the land it owns were here last week trying to work out a deal, They’ve taken the name Terrace Forest Products, confirmed one them, John Thuot of Vancouver, adding details of the potential deal are not readily available. “We have-not signed any formal agree- ‘ments yet,” Thuot said Dec. L. “It’s really premature to talk. All I'm go- ing to say is we are working very hard with the current owners:” . Thuot was also vague on exactly what the ’ new company wanted, to do with whatever _ equipment and buildings it might be able to . - buy back from those who bought portions of the mill at a whoiesale auction, clear out Oct. 25-26. my _ Representatives of the company were at the mill site last week speaking, to: people who bought the items. — Gus Nehring of Bold Salvage, bought several of the buildings and equipment and is responsible for the demolition of the site. . once all the other equipment and materials ' purchased by others have been removed.. ‘He says he was supposed to receive a ; down payment from the group of investors last week. ; “They were supposed to pay a bunch of ‘people. yesterday (Nov. 30) and they were supposed to.pay me a deposit but they were unable to come up.with the funds,” he said. Because the demolition is the last of the - work to be done, Nehring says he has some . time’ to wait for the group. to get its funding in place, but that’s not necessarily the case for other businesses or people who bought items from the auction. _ _The Terrace Lumber Company had asked dismantlers to have the removal of. their Mystery ¥ group been pushed back to Dee. 15. a Those. dismantlers -are carrying on. with their work regardless of the pending deal because they don’t have much time to meet their deadline. ‘Once that work is complete Nehring will have to begin demolition. ‘Td be. happy to wait until March. for these guys to come up with the mney he said, adding | that’s likely not, possible. . “When our demolition time starts if we F don’t have any money, we don’ t have; any , choice not to start.” , . The Terrace Lumber. Company’ s only e- also on the table. . He also declined comment on whether an asking price would have to cover off all: of ' his company’s debts, but he did say he’s ea- ger to see talks come to an end sooner rather than later. . “There is some urgency to us to conclude ; negotiations,”: Ryan said. - Thuot, although vague on what his « com- pany wants to do,-was optimistic something would happen. ' “It looks very positive and we ase very committed to doing this deal and creating. a _ new industry in this town,” Thuot said. - po . “We're going to be more specialised in our product line.” Thuot and partner Oliver Oien, who. is also from Vancouver and who was at the mill site last week, are the only two listed directors of Terrace Forest Products Ltd.. That company became a legal entity Nov30, | 2006. by changing the name of an existing . numbered company. ; Although. Thuot was reluctant to, “talk about Terrace Forest Products plans, he. is “connected with a company call Clean, En: ‘items completed by Nov. 25 but that date has ergy | Combustion poe Inc.” : Cont! Page A14 | don’t need the kind of care a hospital provides are kept on as patients because there is no room elsewhere. “It’s not the ideal for client care,” said Holoien of people kept in hospitals. | And because hospital beds are occu- pied by people who would be better cared for elsewhere, the number of beds open - for people who do need hospital care is reduced, _ It’s a situation that has gone on at hospitals for years and was brought up again by northern doctors at the North- ern Health Authority’s most recent board meeting in Prince George. On average, hospitals have about five . per cent of their beds occupied by people who would be better cared for elsewhere. But it can rise to.15 per cent on occasion, placing greater. pressure on hospitals’ faced with the needs of other patients, said Holoien. “At Mills Memorial, with 30. acute care beds, that could mean up to five or six clients at a time,” she said. The expansion plans at Terraceview also call for an adult day centre so that people who either live on their own or with family have a place to go during the day. See Lee reese Terraceview Lodge expansion planned As it is, six of Terraceview Lodge’s current 76 beds are for respite care, de- ‘fined as temporary care for people v who , ' normally live elsewhere. The new palliative care suites won't replace what is already i in place at Mills Memorial. “These are to really allow for the fam- -ily to participate in end-of-life care,” said Holoien. “This way we.can provide op- tions and a level of support to comple- ment what we already have in place.” The City of Terrace recently cleared — through a rezoning application made by the health authority to permit the expan- sion. Holoien said detailed design for the new beds and suites is now underway | and that the number could change. Also — unknown as of now is the exact number of new employees that will be required. “ Holoien expects to draw graduates from the recently-opened licensed prac- tical nurse program at Northwest Com- munity College here and those from a combined Northwest Community Col- lege/University of Northern British Co- lumbia four-year nursing degree pro- gram, also taking place in Terrace. Cont'd Page A14