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VOL. 27 NO. 6
www.terracestandard.com
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
City closes in on Chinese deal By JOSH MASSEY TERRACE MAYOR Dave Pernarowski says the city is closing in on a deal which would see a Chinese economic development authority purchase up to 1,000 acres of the city-controlled Skeena Industrial Development Park located just south of the Northwest Regional Airport.
Pernarowski returned from a four-day trip to China last week and while there, signed what he called a “progress report” which built on an earlier memorandum of understanding signed when a combined city and Kitselas First Nation delegation visited there last November. The deal would see one or more Chinese manufac-
turing companies through the Qinhuangdao Economic and Technological Development Zone (QETDZ) set up shop at the industrial park. Negotiating details have yet to be released but when the Kitselas First Nation’s Kitselas Development Corporation bought 165 acres at the park from the city this year, the deal was worth
$1,647,700 or $10,000 an acre. A recent report by the corporation suggested its holdings are now worth between $30,000 and $35,000 an acre for a value range of between $5.1 million and $6 million for a parcel of land that’s approximately onefifth the size wanted by the QETDZ. Helping broker the Ter-
■■ Surf’s up CONNOR BLOCK adds some more colour to his surfboard in art class at Centennial Christian School May 23. The students’ finished surfboards will be on display at the school’s arts evening June 5 along with a band concert and dessert night.
now like this in terms of moving into an industrial park and developing out an industrial park concept,” said Pernarowski, Pernarowski was accompanied on this latest trip by city corporate lands manager Herb Dusdal and Blaine Moore from the Terrace Economic Development Authority.
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Police to beef up downtown patrols By ANNA KILLEN
MARGARET SPEIRS PHOTO
race-Chinese land sales deal is the provincial government’s Major Investments Office which first suggested to the Chinese they consider the industrial park here. Pernarowski said it’s the only trade deal of its kind currently underway between Canada and China. “We are currently the only project in Canada that China is looking at right
THE RCMP is reviving a downtown patrol aimed at curbing public disorder following complaints made by merchants and others. Speaking at a meeting called by city council May 21, Terrace RCMP detachment commander Inspector Dana Hart said two officers will be dedicated to foot patrols during specific times. Called a crime reduction unit, the detachment at one time had as many as four officers assigned to downtown duty until they were blended in with regular patrols a year ago. Although they did patrol on foot, the unit also drove a marked panel van in order to take arrested persons back to the detachment. Bicycle patrols were also used – another thing Hart said he would like to see revived. Aside from the crime reduction unit, Hart said he has issued a challenge to his officers to spend more time on the ground patrolling the downtown core. Hart stressed that while overall crime is on the decline in Terrace, “there are people in the downtown area making it difficult for people to go about their business or feel safe going about their business.” He said that crime is sometimes a matter of perception – for
example, large groups of teenagers may appear intimidating to the public, but they are not always up to illegal activity, he said. “It’s a balancing act,” he added, referencing the need to balance police work with privacy and civil rights. But an increased watch, with more officers out at targeted peak times, should help to combat the issues downtown – for example, people asking for money near ATMs and being drunk in public, he said, noting that the strategy might cost the detachment more in overtime while it is first implemented, but should save money over time. He also asked that people call in suspicious activity when they see it, and noted that bringing back a citizens on patrol contingent would be “a huge benefit.” Councillor James Cordeiro said the activity downtown is the worst he’s ever seen and he welcomes more police. “Brolly Square seems to be an epicenter of problems,” he said of the public space on the corner of Emerson and Lakelse. “If there’s somebody patrolling through there on a regular basis, people aren’t going to want to congregate there. I understand they’re just going to move off to somewhere else, but hopefully
they move out of town.” He was speaking to the potential out-of-town criminal element moving into town as development increases. “To me it has to be like, this is not a place to come and be idle and cause trouble and hang out. Another city will be better because in Terrace they don’t tolerate it,” Cordeiro said. “It’s a broad social issue that’s not going to be solved by the RCMP, it’s not going to be solved this summer, or the summer after that. I guess I’m just being pragmatic.” The issues do go beyond policing, said Hart, and it will take more than just more boots on the ground. “What do we do to address where they can be, what they can be doing?” he said. “That’s not a policing issue... that’s an issue with housing, with community services, with education, health care, addictions.” Hart added that it is sometimes difficult for officers to do foot patrol downtown because they are out on other calls. Members spend a lot of time on “counselling” calls and dealing with repeat offenders, he said. And a municipal bylaw officer would go a long way to free up officer time, suggested Hart, an idea council appeared open to considering.
New guy
ABC’s of LNG
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Local church welcomes new pastor to its pulpit and the community \COMMUNITY A10
Province and industry pay for local students to attend LNG conference \NEWS A4
The Northmen take it to teams in Edmonton at annual Rugbyfest tourney \SPORTS A27