S TANDARD TERRACE
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VOL. 27 NO. 41
www.terracestandard.com
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Business group makes play for Thornhill study By JOSH MASSEY THE TERRACE & District Chamber of Commerce has waded into the debate over the future of Thornhill. A letter dated Jan. 12 to the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development as well as to the City of Terrace and the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine calls for the ministry to examine alternatives to incorporation including boundary extension and amalgamation. Regional district director for Thornhill Ted Ramsey has already initiated a process through the ministry that will lead to a referendum on whether Thornhill residents want to incorporate, which would mean they would have their own mayor and council, administration and services. Terrace mayor Carol Leclerc has advocated for a broader approach which would include a feasibility study into several governance aspects, including having Thornhill become part of the city. That approach, support-
ed by some council members, was rebuffed by a majority of council members who had a motion passed to have the city take a handsoff approach to Thornhill’s future. Chamber executive director Carol Fielding said the letter was issued not to argue in favour for or against incorporation or amalgamation but instead to make sure the provincial government studies all scenarios before green-lighting Thornhill’s incorporation bid, even if the population votes in favour. “Maybe incorporation is the right idea, but we don’t know. We have people who live in Terrace but their businesses are in Thornhill. We have people who live in Thornhill but their businesses are in Terrace. So there is a lot of crossover.” For this reason, Fielding says the chamber, which has members in Terrace and in Thornhill, has a vested interest in making sure that any changes to the governing system of Thornhill doesn’t harm its members.
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Kitselas signs up to pipeline deals STAFF PHOTO
■■ Steady as she goes CALEDONIA GRADE 11 student Ethan Chisholm works on the cylinder head portion of an engine Jan. 23 as part of the regional Skills Canada competition held at Northwest Community College here in Terrace. Looking on is Dave Reinhardt, an instructor at the college who also served as a competition judge. There were other competitions for students in carpentry, welding and culinary arts. Winners of the regional competition have the opportunity to attend a provincial Skills Canada competition in Abbotsford. Skills Canada is a national organization promoting skills training among young people.
THE KITSELAS First Nation has signed three pipeline deals with the province which will provide it with close to $1 million right away, additional payments which could amount to more than $4 million based on construction and a share of ongoing annual payments should natural gas ever start flowing through them. The deals are tied to one pipeline, TransCanada’s Coastal GasLink which would serve the LNG Canada facility at Kitimat, and two pipelines destined for the Prince Rupert area – TransCanada’s Prince Rupert Gas Transmission to serve the Pacific NorthWest LNG plant on Lelu Island and Spectra’s Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission to serve Prince Rupert LNG, a BG Group project. Dollar values of each deal, which are part of an overall provincial pipeline benefits
program aimed at First Nations, are based on the number of kilometres a pipeline travels through a particular First Nation’s territory and other factors. The agreements are also meant to provide, says the province, the certainty needed in order for LNG developers to commit to construction. For each of the three projects, in addition to upfront payments, the Kitselas are to receive payments based on construction – half when construction starts and half when a pipeline goes into operation. In the case of Coastal GasLink, for example, the upfront payment amounts to $230,000 and construction payments work out to $575,00 when construction starts and $575,000 when the pipeline goes into operation.
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Youth parliament
Hot water
It begins
Caledonia students sit in legislature to learn more about politics \COMMUNITY A10
What’s the deal with the hot springs at Lakelse Lake? Part one of three. \NEWS A5
River Kings finish regular season, head into playoffs against Steelheads \SPORTS A24