Squish on the —

slopes of Slidvik

In which Herby Squish lays a Swedish template over Beetle Mountain and gets ready to check the fit. -

s we learned last week, a chance encounter at a

Vancouver convention

led to a long and lasting friend- ship between two professional foresters, Herby Squish from Terrace and Sven Svenson from Sweden. Eventually, that friend- ship led Squish to Sweden to see’ for himself. Is there a Swedish solution applicable to B.C.’s forest problems? Or is that a myth? . |

A number of things in Sweden surprised Squish. And as he worked his way to the top of Beetle Mountain he reflected on that excursion. |

On his arrival in Stockholm, he had hailed a cab and his first stop was the Swedish govern-

ment offices in the old section |

of town. He wanted to talk to a member of the Green Party. If there were any environmental conflicts or concerns, that would be the place to find out.

A neatly dressed secretary had referred him to a Mr..Bjornson... Down the hall and to the right. Following name swapping and a handshake, Squish got straight to

. his point. "What kinds of prob- lems are you dealing with in the forest industry here Mr. Bjorn- son?"

Bjornson had looked confused.

"Problems?" he said. "Every- thing in life has problems. But I don’t quite understand the point of your question."

"You know. Things like envi- ronmental concerns.”

"Environmental concerns?"

For a moment, Bjornson pon- dered the hustle of Swedish commerce outside his window. Then, with his gaze returning to his Canadian visitor: "Well... There are a few things we’re working on. Very, very few. But generally, everyone accepts proven fact as truth... And there is a universal commitment to doing this right. So we are nor- mally very proud of the way we treat our forests in Sweden,"

"You mean there are’ no ques- tions? The Swedish people fully trust the laws and the govern- ment here?" It was Herby’s turn to be confused. "Why?" he asked.

"I think it’s a historical point," Bjornson replied. "Swedes are law-abiding people and they have trust that Swedish officials really try to do good jobs... Instead of going doing bad jobs. I think there’s a general feeling of trust towards government and the parliamentarians in Sweden."

"Why?" Squish repeated.

"I don’t think we will lose our

forests because of the practices |

of the companies. If we’re going to lose trees in Sweden, it will ‘be because of the pollution and the increase in acidity. You

_ Terrace Review — Wednesday, January 29, 1992 7

by Tod Strachan, in consultation with Rod Amold and Doug Davies

know... Acid rain,"

The conversation carried on in a similar tone for about a half hour. And ‘when Squish left Bjornson’s office, he was shak- ing his head. He couldn’t believe it. The Green Party was known for it’s environmental concerns. And with forestry, they appar- ently had none. .

"What kind of crazy country is this,". he wondered, Environ- mentalists, forest companies, politicians and loggers... Friends?

Squish boarded a train for his two hour ride north to his intended destination. The small town of Slidvik. A town named after Slidvik Hill... Or was it the other way around? Squish could never remember.

At any rate, it didn’t really matter. Svenson worked in Slid- vik for a large wood manufactur- ing company called Svenland and Sons, and Squish was far more interested in Swedish for- est practices than the names of Swedish towns.

As the train slowed, Squish

took in the passing scenery with keen interest. It was a pretty little town, he decided, sitting at the base of Slidvik Hill. Bor-

Highways awaits word from Victoria on capital budget

The change in the provincial government and grim rumblings coming from the office of the new finance minister appear likely to have an effect on capi- tal projects planned for high- ways in the Northwest. The

extent of that effect is still not.

clear.

In May 1990 the ministry announced a series of capital projects for the Skeena region proposed for building over sev- eral years. On Dec. 23, 1991, however, the new minister of transportation and highways, Art Charbonneau, said his ministry was reviewing the status of all capital projects. "If cutbacks become a reality, our ministry will be in a strong position to revise our project list according to priorities set now," he said.

. About half the projects pro- posed in the May 1990 program are already complete and many of the other half are under way to some extent, regional high- ways manager Jon Buckle said last weck. He expects the long term projects that would run over five or seven years, like the

rebuilding plan for Highway 37, to suffer the effects of capital funding cutbacks by the govern- ment if cutbacks occur,

Major projects that have been completed include the Shames Mountain access road and over- head rail crossings at Esker (20 kilometres west of Terrace), Carnaby (at Kitsegeucla) and Dumont (50. kilometres west of Terrace). Projects that are par- tially completed include paving of the Nisga’a Highway.

A study of congestion and traffic flows in the Terrace high- way corridor was also part of the 1990 long range capital program. The study was completed but no action has been taken on it.

"One of the nice things about this is that we developed the program priorities with consulta- tion, based on the collective interests of the region. Those prioritics are standing the test of time quite well. We're feeling very comfortable about that," Buckle remarked.

He also noted the distinction between capital projects — new construction — and rehabilita-

tion projects, which are im- provements to existing roads and

Structures. Charbonneau’s Dec.

23 statement indicated that the ministry’s: when revised, will be centred on safety and congestion problems in urban areas. "It appears the focus will be on Vancouver and southern Vancouver Island; that’s where the majority of the bucks will go. We’re banking on the rehab side," Buckle said.

The rehab projects, he said, are backed by substantial technical arguments and should not be in danger from the possible cut- backs to capital funding.

In view of Charbonneau’s inclination to concentrate capital money on the lower mainland, cutbacks would probably spell doom for radical improvements to access for Usk. Buckle said the $3 million bridge proposal to teplace the community ferry would unquestionably fall under the category of capital improve- ments. oe

Buckle expects to have a clearer idea of the region’s budget in February.

-week stay,

dered on the south by Slidvik Lake. — .

"Slidvik?" His curiosity resur- faced. Fellow passengers eyed him curiously as he asked his transparent reflection in the window of the passenger car... "Where is the imagination in this town?"

Squish felt their curious stares.

But he didn’t care. Instead, he decided he would ask Svenson for the name of the mayor... "It has to be Slidvik." More stares,

The train jerked to a halt and Squish headed for the rear of the coach. As he stepped onto the platform he saw Svenson headed his way with a broad smile and outstretched hand. Squish didn’t feel like a stranger here. He knew he would enjoy his two

The next morning, Svenson

took Squish to the plant to show him around. The first stop was

at Otto Svenland’s office. As is the case with many small towns _

in B.C., he soon discovered,. the town of Slidvik relied almost entirely on Sveniand’s operation.

Sveniand wasn’t your typical

B.C. manager. As the president

of the company, he had spent

more time in the academic world

than in a corporate board room.

He knew exactly what forestry

in Sweden meant to the econ- -

omy. And he fully understood his role in maintaining . tha economy. ; wee

A brief tour of Svenland’s operation. Some: casual conver- sation. And it was time to leave. To really understand, Squish had to see the forest. And Svenson

had scheduled the necessary time

to accommodate him.

capital ' priorities, .

The Provincial Emergency Program has determined that relief for” flood-stricken residents of the Nass: Valley during October 1991. required the largest airlift in PEP’s history. The emergency aid: involved 14 flights by two helicopters to take $25,000 worth of food and other necessities to stranded residents of Greenville, Canyon City, Aiyansh and Nass Camp. The flooding occurred ° during a provincial election, and PEP also delivered ballots by. helicopter for people demanding to vote in spite of the emergency.

Telegraph Creek now has a shelter for women and children in crisis. The four-bedroom shelter was built by the Tahltan Band Council with the help of a $180,000 forgiveable loan from Canada Mortgage and Housing. It will be operated with $208,290 in funding annually from the Department of Indian and Northen Affairs. .

It is not known at this point if PetroCanada gas stations in the Northwest will be affected by a nationwide reduction in the number of the company’s retail operations. A public affairs spokesman for PetroCanada in Calgary said Monday they intend to close about 30 percent of their retail outlets over the next three years, with a site-by-site review being launched immediately. Rocco Ciancio said the company has been taking heavy losses from cross-border gasoline Shopping and a general decline in the use of gasoline. Consumption of gasoline in Canada dropped seven percent last year and 2.7 percent the year before.

There are two PetroCanada stations in the Terrace area.

. Several schools in the Terrace area received grants from the

Ministry of Health for substance abuse prevention projects, Gitanyow Elementary School got $1,660 for a community youth forum, Hazelton Senior Secondary got $1,550 for peer counselling, « a school CounterAttack program and work on the anti-smoking project Flame Out, Stewart secondary received $500 to stage a theatre production, and Nisga’a Elementary-Secondary in New Aiyansh got $2,000 for the Dragon Project, a theatre production to mark National Addicion Awareness Week.

Applications are now being taken for $500,000 in Green Gold grants. The money comes from FRDA HI, the second provincial- federal Forest Resources Development Agreement, and is intended for financing of public awareness and education projects about forestry by non-profit organizations. Further information is. available from the Kalum District Forest Service office in Terrace.

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