S TANDARD TERRACE
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VOL. 26 NO. 35
www.terracestandard.com
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Pellet plant planned here
MARGARET SPEIRS PHOTO
■■ Little shoppers SHYANNE NOORDHOF and Amber Beck check out the crafts at the Kitsumkalum Christmas Gift and Craft Fair at Kitsumkalum Hall Dec. 7.
A PLANNED wood pellet plant here is a crucial part of the equation needed for the development of a value-added forest industry, says one of its proponents. The plant, the planning for which is the subject of an agreement struck last week by forest tenure holder Coast Tsimshian Resources and pellet producer Pinnacle Renewable Energy, would use fibre now considered waste, says Coast Tsimshian chief executive officer Wayne Drury. “As you know, using that part of the [forest] profile has always been a challenge,” said Drury. That's because the percentage of fibre in the area which can't be used in a sawmill to manufacture lumber tends to be higher than elsewhere, creating mountains of residue which then need to be dealt with. “We've always said we've been looking for a way to use that waste. We really need to add value and that's been our objective,” said Drury in explaining the reasoning behind the agreement with Pinnacle, which has six pellet plants in BC, including ones in Houston and Burns Lake. He described the agreement between Coast Tsimshian and Pinnacle as a good fit because one can supply the fibre and the other the manufacturing expertise and both have extensive business experience in the region.
Wood pellets are formed from waste wood by applying pressure which also results in moisture being squeezed out. They are burned in furnaces and stoves in residences and commercial buildings. Drury said Terrace is a logical place for a wood pellet plant because of the availability of fibre, because it would complement Pinnacle's other plants along Hwy16 and because of the closeness to an export facility Pinnacle has opened in Prince Rupert. For now, the favoured location for the plant is the far western end of Coast Tsimshian's Keith Ave. Poirier log yard where it is bounded by Frank St. CN's rail line and Hwy16 run along the northern end of the property, providing easy access either by road or by rail to Pinnacle's Prince Rupert export terminal. “That's where we'd like it to be but the final decision will depend upon an evaluation of it and other locations,” said Drury. The size of the plant, how much fibre it can take in and how much it will produce and its cost has yet to be decided. Drury said Coast Tsimshian and Pinnacle will be looking for additional fibre from other forest companies in the area and that the resulting volume will help establish the mill's output.
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City defends spirit bear trademark By JOSH MASSEY THE CITY of Terrace has spent thousands of dollars in a quietlyfought battle over the past decade defending its decision to trademark several names used to describe the Kermode bear, a creamy whitefurred genetic strain of the black bear which is only found in northwestern B.C. The Kitasoo/Xaisais First Nation and Terrace share the Spirit Bear trademark with Terrace and Terrace has also trademarked Kermode, Kermodei, and Moksgm'ol, the Tsimshian name for the Ker-
mode. Since 2006, the Kitasoo/ Xaixais and the city have successfully challenged three attempts by businesses to use the name Spirit Bear. Terrace has also lost one attempt to oppose a company using the Kermode name. Over the past four years, the city has spent an average of $5,000 opposing trademark infringements on the various Kermode-related trademarks, according to city finance director Ron Bowles. So far this year the city has paid $5,700 in legal fees to defend the trademarks. In 2012 it spent $4,700, said Bowles.
The latest action launched by Terrace and the Kitasoo, whose traditional territory takes in Kitasoo Spirit Bear Conservancy where 120 of the estimated 400800 world population of Kermodes reside, is aimed at Urban Distilleries of Kelowna, a company marketing gin and vodka brands using the name Spirit Bear. The city's 2006 policy says that the Kermode names “should not be used in a manner that denigrates or causes the majesty, uniqueness or integrity of the bear to be called into question.” In filing a court order against
Urban Distilleries, Terrace and Kitasoo officials say they are defending the name Spirit Bear against inappropriate use of the local animal to sell an alcoholic beverage. Terrace first trademarked the names in 2004, and then in 2006 the Kitasoo First Nation council, which represents the Kitasoo and the Xaixais in the village of Klemtu, agreed to mutually trademark the Spirit Bear name with the city and to share the cost of opposing others from infringing on the mark. In April 2012, the two parties worked out an agreement with one business, Spirit Bear Coffee Com-
pany, which will see money based on royalties divided between Terrace and Kitasoo—a 5 per cent cut of royalties. Bowles said that so far the city has not received any payments from the Spirit Bear Coffee company. The trademark challenge Terrace lost in September was to a Nanaimo-based company that produces phytoplankton for energy supplements and beauty products, Canadian Pacific Phytoplankton Ltd, wanting to use the mark Kermode Warrior.
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20 years of music
Route options
Looking sharp
Terrace Symphony Orchestra celebrates reaching a milestone \COMMUNITY A17
Proposed LNG pipeline route options go through Nisga’a Lava Bed park \NEWS A14
The Terrace River Kings are ready to win on home ice this weekend \SPORTS A26