TERRACE
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VOL. 25 NO. 26
www.terracestandard.com
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
City pushes tax share pitch By Lauren Benn AT LEAST one provincial cabinet minister says he’s ready to come north to hear a pitch being made by the City of Terrace for a share of tax revenues expected from large industrial projects. But Bill Bennett, whose cabinet portfolio includes communities, says he first wants to read a study on the issue commissioned by the city and be convinced that an influx of
people and industry is putting a strain on city services. “We’ll have to watch and see what development takes place,” said Bennett last week. “We’ll have to see how much benefit each of the communities get from all this growth that’s going to happen and then see what the shortfall is if they’re just not able to keep up with infrastructure demands. “Then we’ll sit down.” Bennett was one of several cabinet min-
isters lobbied by Terrace city council weeks ago at a local government convention in Victoria. In broad terms, the city says it’s going to be affected by large industrial development, but because those industries are located in rural areas and are subject to only provincial taxation they can’t be taxed to pay for new or additional municipal or other local services that will be required. The city had originally hoped to press its
point with a $15,000 study, but it was unfinished when the meetings took place. That didn’t appear to have prevented the city from making its initial revenue sharing bid, says Mayor Dave Pernarowski. “Our ask in the meeting was to ask for them to look at the concept. How we might see it unfold,” said Pernarowski, adding each session with a cabinet minister was limited to 15 minutes.
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Teacher honoured
STAFF PHOTO
PATRICIA KOLTERMAN has a keepsake at her home in Terrace that reminds her of the many students she’s come to know during her years as a teacher in B.C.’s northwest. The bench pictured above has on it inscriptions of student names — markings permanently left by hands that have also held pencils in Kolterman’s classroom.
A JUST-RETIRED teacher has received the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence — Canada’s highest award for K-12 teachers and educators. Grade 5 teacher Patricia Kolterman, who retired at the end of June after an education career that began in 1976 on Haida Gwaii, was one of 94 recipients across Canada to receive the award that has honoured outstanding elementary and secondary school teachers since 1993. Kolterman moved to Terrace in 1978 and taught at Uplands Elementary, at Copper Mountain in Thornhill and then at Thornhill Elementary. “When I knew I was being nominated, I felt embarrassed,” said Kolterman last week after hearing the news. “There are so many people you work with and you learn so much from other people. At Copper Mountain, we used to say there was no ‘I’ in team,” she said. A citation of Kolterman’s accomplishments
noted her “legendary long field trips, gardening skills and quirky ways.” Those field trips included visits all the way down to Barkerville in the Cariboo, to the Fort St. James National Historical Site and to the Huckleberry copper mine near Houston. All of those trips followed the Grade 5 curriculum which examined the use of non-living natural resources, said Kolterman. “We had wonderful parents,” said Kolterman of the work that went into the trips. “They would take time off of work and help. Without the parents, I couldn’t have done it.” One field trip took students into the Nass Valley to visit the Nisga’a Lisims Government building where they toured the assembly chamber and enjoyed a luncheon. Kolterman said parents also helped her in developing a school garden which provided food for healthy lunches for students. “Kale chips,” she said. “They couldn’t wait to eat kale chips.”
Riding for kids
Cancelled
In their skates
Motorcyclists revved up the 30th annual toy run for kids successfully \COMMUNITY A23
An alleged major player in local crime didn’t get a bail hearing last Friday \NEWS A22
Hockey referees are a big part of the game – so what’s it like to be one? \SPORTS A32