Kitimat Northern Sentinel, June 10, 2015

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Volume 61 No. 23

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

1.30 INCLUDES TAX

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SO2 hearings resume

Cécile Favron Environmental Appeal Board hearings into Rio Tinto Alcan's permit to increase sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from their aluminum smelter resumed at the Kitimat Rod and Gun Club last week. The hearings, taking place June 1-5 and June 8-12, mark the second half of the 20-day appeal that was previously held in Victoria.

Kitimat residents Emily Toews and Lis Stannus are appealing RTA's permit, granted by the Ministry of Environment (MOE), to increase SO2 emissions from 27 tonnes per day to 42 tonnes per day – a 55 per cent increase – after the Kitimat Modernization Project is completed.

The appellants, Toews and Stannus, maintain that they are in favour of the modernization project, but are concerned about health and environmental damage that could be caused by releasing a high magnitude of SO2 without any emission reduction technologies, mainly scrubbers, being employed.

RTA maintains that the proper research procedures were followed when the permit was issued and that there is no present reason to use precautionary measures to reduce emissions.

The Kitimat hearings saw Toews testify as to the adverse health effects she believe she will experience if RTA raises their SO2 emissions.

Toews suffers from asthma and left the lower mainland because the pollution levels were aggravating her condition, something that she believes will happen again if 42 tonnes of SO2 emissions are released from the RTA smelter each day.

After Toews took the stand, Ian Sharpe, the Delegate of the Director under the Environmental Management Act, testified as to why he approved the application to increase the SO2 emissions limit. Sharpe emphasized that science has yet to determine if there is a link between SO2 emissions and adverse health effects.

Kitimat vet fundraises for Nepal

/page 3 Head of Kitimat RCMP retires

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For what remains of the last two weeks of the hearings, six Rio Tinto Alcan experts will be testifying as to how they came to their scientific conclusions on the environmental and human health effects that played a role in the ministry's decision to approve the permit.

The appeal began in 2013, shortly after the permit to increase SO2 emissions was approved by the Ministry of the Environment. Toews and Stannus, both elementary school teachers in Kitimat, sought counsel after they became concerned for their own health and the health of their students.

Lawyers Richard Overstall, counsel for Emily Toews, and Chris Tollefson, counsel for Lis Stannus, are advancing a multi-faceted case against the decision to approve the permit.

“The Ministry of Environment has failed in its duty to independently assess this project,” Tollefson was quoted as saying in a press release by the Northwest Institute of Biological Research at the beginning of the appeal. “[The MOE] seems to be more committed to meeting RTA's needs, and this reveals a systemic problem.”

On the scientific front, experts from across Canada provided testimony to the appeal board in Victoria as to the evidence that SO2 emissions can be harmful to the environment.

There is evidence to suggest that SO2 emissions can cause acid rain which effects the soil and can be harmful to vegetation, according to Richard Overstall.

Continued on page 8

Library crafts Adorable monster-crafter, Teanna Dewalt, age 5, visited the Kitimat Public Library on her day off of school, on May 29th for Monster Crafting. Kitimat Public Library

Union letter blasts District Cécile Favron Unifor 2300, the union representing the striking District of Kitimat workers, released an Open Letter to the Public last Wednesday accusing the district of a “negative media campaign.” The union said that they have been unable to respond to the district’s false statements due to confidentiality restrictions set out by the Labour Relations Board.

This open letter comes as the union and the district returned to the bargaining table last Sunday and Monday for resumed negotiations with their mediator.

Unifor described in the open letter that only the bargaining committees, including the Mayor and Council, were privy to the information discussed in the mediation. When the union proposed an offer to settle in the final minutes of the last bargaining session on May 23, the letter says they expected that the district’s bargaining team “would confer with Mayor and Council and respond to [them].”

However, the union states in the letter that “[they] were very shocked when

the district didn’t confer with the Mayor and Council and went on a negative media campaign.”

The union wrote that they find it difficult to address the claims the district has made in their releases to the press because of the confidentiality agreement in place. Through the letter, the union did attempt to correct some factual inaccuracies in the district’s press releases.

The union clarified the district’s comments on the debate over the harassment policy saying that they only want to change the protection of the harassment policy in the deal so that it can not be unilaterally changed.

The district has also attacked the union for demanding a 5 cent per hour wage increase even if the district does not see revenue from the project, but the union said that they are only demanding that increase if the District sees the revenue.

Also noted was the scuffle between the two parties over security of employment. Both sides say the other side demanded a clause that dictates a set num-

ber of employees under the district.

The union finished the letter by explaining why they chose to reject binding arbitration. “Our union refused binding arbitration because we believe that the best Collective Agreements are bargained at the table,” the letter reads.

The union’s letter came just before the two sides returned to the table for another round of bargaining last weekend.

The talks were only scheduled for two more days because these were the only two days that the district, the union, and the mediator were all available to meet.

Going into the mediation, Unifor agent Martin McIlwrath was optimistic that the talks could bring an end to the strike. “This is the best opportunity to get a fair collective agreement for our members,” he said last week.

Also, the district’s Chief Administrations Officer Warren Waycheshen said last week that “we are always willing to do whatever is reasonable to get a collective agreement” and stated that the district always goes into the talks with a sense of optimism.

2 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Police Beat

Vehicle set on fire on Dyke Road May 25 At 4:54 pm, the Kitimat RCMP attended to lower City Centre Mall for a report of an intoxicated male. Police observed the male laying on the steps by the mall entrance. The man was arrested and lodged in cells until sober.

At 8:30 pm, police attended to a residence on a report of a disturbance. The complainant stated his son was asked to leave their house and was trying to get back inside.

Police located his son nearby and the son agreed to stay at a friend’s house for the evening.

May 26 The RCMP received a com-

plaint of a dog in a vehicle. The Kitimat RCMP could not locate the vehicle, but remind dog owners to be mindful in hot weather.

May 27 Officers attended to a residence following a report of a broken window to a vehicle. The vehicle had a broken front passenger window. Nothing was stolen.

Police suspect that a rock from someone cutting the grass nearby may have broken the window.

May 28 At 12:55 am, the Kitimat RCMP attended to a residence for a report of a missing female. The complainant stated that he hadn’t seen his girlfriend in a few days.

Library holding logo contest Cécile Favron The Kitimat Public Library is asking local artists to submit designs for a new library logo.

The artist who’s design is chosen will win $250.

“We are on the market for a new, fresh logo,” said executive director Virgina Charron of the contest.

“Whoever wins gets a $250 prize and their name ‘up in lights’,” she said.

The library asks that logo submissions are no

flames. The fire was extinguished May 31

by Kitimat Fire and Rescue.

The Kitimat RCMP attended The Kitimat RCMP continues to to a disturbance on Duncan St. investigate. where they located a male who Police attended to the Hirsch had threatened to harm himself.

Creek Golf and Country Club. The male was apprehended under The complainant reported that a the Mental Health Act and transcustomer failed to return a golf ported to the hospital. cart. Police located the golf cart abandoned on the side of a OPEN: SUN. - WED. 11AM to 10PM & THURS. TO SAT. 11AM to MIDNIGHT steep slope near 238 City Centre Mall, Kitimat hole #2. The suspect, who is well WEATHER WATCH STATS known to the Historical Stats H L Rain(mm) THIS WEEK May 15 21 9 THURSDAY FRIDAY Kitimat RCMP, High 17 Low 11 High 17 Low 10 May 16 24 9 had walked away May 17 24 14 n/a uninjured.

The Kitimat RCMP followed up with friends of the couple and the missing female was located in Terrace.

May 29 RCMP officers were conducting a drinking and driving check on Haisla Blvd at 10:35 pm. An officer spoke to a driver who displayed symptoms of drug use.

The driver was issued a 24 hour driving prohibition under section 215 of the Motor Vehicle Act. May 30 At 8:30 pm, the Kitimat RCMP attended to Dyke Rd for a report of an engulfed Ford Tempo. Upon attendance the vehicle was fully engulfed in

May 18 May 19 May 20 May 21

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Artists looking to submit their works can drop off hard copies at the library.

The current library logo was designed by Hazelton artist Leah Pipe over a decade ago. The library does not change their logo often, Charron explained, but felt like the right time to change their design.

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REGIONAL BRIEFS Ferries As people from across the country and the globe begin the vacation season, BC Ferries is adding two additional sailings to Haida Gwaii in June to keep up with demand.

The Northern Adventure will make unexpected sailings between Prince Rupert and Skidegate on Monday, June 8 and Monday, June 15 in order to address a backlog of customers wishing to access Haida Gwaii.

“We’ve been monitoring the situation and talking to our customers and in order to reduce waits for customers who couldn’t secure a reservation on a sailing of their choice we are adding extra capacity between now and the start of our summer schedule which ramps up on June 19,” explained BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall.

Weather If you thought last month’s weather was one for the record books, you’d be right.

“Quite a bit higher than normal and quite a bit drier than normal and that’s something we’ve seen throughout the coast last month,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Andre Besson, who noted that the southern coast of the province broke records for lack of precipitation – as did Prince Rupert.

“It was very interesting weather-wise,” he said. “Obviously it’s been warmer than normal … and that’s more so the story for most of the province.”

The reason for this, according to Besson, is that there was an upper ridge of high pressure anchored over the eastern Pacific for most of last month which deflected the moisture further north.

Vet fundraises for Nepal Cécile Favron Kitimat veterinarian Howard Thwaites has vowed to donate 25% of the bill for any dental procedure booked at the Kitimat Veterinary Hospital in the month of June to help relief efforts in Nepal after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the region in April.

Thwaites has coined the catchphrase “helping your pets help the people of Nepal” to describe his project.

He hopes to raise at least $6,000 for the country by the end of the month.

“I thought it would be a win-win situation,” Thwaites explained. “It raises awareness about dogs in need of teeth cleaning and also raises money for Nepal.”

Thwaites hopes to give people a humanitarian reason to learn more about the health of their pets and he expects to be very busy over the next few months as the dental appointments come in.

“I explained to my staff that we might miss some lunches with so much more dental work to be done, but my staff was behind me and they said

that they were okay with that,” Thwaites said of his staff’s dedication to the cause.

The money raised will go to rebuilding over 150 houses in Marpak Village in central Nepal – a village that Thwaites has vis-

Howard Thwaites ited twice while trekking over the past few years.

Marpak is located 80 kilometres from the capital Kathmandu and then 27 kilometres up a rough dirt road, a trip that takes over six hours by bus.

The region is suffering and aid has been very slow to reach this region of the country according to Thwaites.

Thwaites’ friend Ram Adhikari runs a trekking company in the region and told Thwaites that most of the houses in Marpak

were damaged and many people were homeless. According to Thwaites, Adhikari has been organizing efforts to bring relief packages to all the houses in the village.

So far he has visited 158 houses in Marpak that are in need of help.

Adhikari is putting together bundles of wood, bamboo, and zinc sheets to repair houses or make temporary shelter.

He is also providing staple foods and mosquito nets for the families in the village.

Thwaites estimates that it would take more than $4,000 to buy zinc sheets and nets for all the families in Marpak.

He also estimates that it will cost another $1,500 to rebuild a friend’s shop, also in Marpak, that was destroyed in the quake.

Any extra money raised will go to a women’s cooperative in Nepal, which Thwaites’ friend volunteered in last year, to help them cope in the aftermath of the quake.

Thwaites also said he will accept direct donations to the cause.

He chose to donate to his friends in Nepal instead of going through an organiza-

tion like the Red Cross because he says he knows his money will be put to good use.

“It is a personal connection and I know here I can make a difference,” he explained, citing that his contacts are already on the ground and have local knowledge about what is needed to rebuild.

Thwaites notes that, in a country where the average annual income is estimated to be $730 US according

Maegan Pettit does dental work on a furry patient at the Kitimat Veterinary Hospital. to the World Bank, any money that is donated could go a long way in helping Nepal rebuild.

Also threatening Nepal’s future is the impact the earthquake will have on tourism in the region. Thwaites is worried that the media portrayal of the situation after the disaster as desperate and dangerous will discourage tourists from visiting.

But Thwaites is not dissuaded from visiting Nepal again.

“Nepal is such a beautiful country with so many different sects living in harmony, I am planning to go back there in November for more trekking,” he added.

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counsellor positions are usually staggered with five new counsellors elected every two years.

However, the last election held on June 6, 2013 elected ten counsellors for a four year term.

Chief elections officer Lawrence Lewis explained that the last Haisla election “was the first election under the new code, a one time event.”

The five counsellors who garnered the lowest votes in the 2013 election thus had their terms cut short at two years. The five counsellors, Russell Ross, Henry Amos Senior, Godfrey Grant, Joanne

Ross, and Willard Grant, ended their terms on May 31.

Joanne Ross, Russell Ross, and Willard Grant all ran for re-election, but only Grant was re-elected again for another four year term.

Elections for the Chief Councillor are held separately from the elections for the ten councillors.

With the results of this years election in, the ten counsellors are Crystal Smith, Lucille Harms, Margaret Grant, Taylor Cross, Brenda Duncan, Willard Grant, Ramond Green, Trevor Martin, Freddy Ringham, and Kevin Stewart.

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Haisla election results Cécile Favron On June 1, Haisla First Nation voted in five new councillors to the board in Kitamaat Village.

There were seven candidates running for the five open counsellor positions.

The new counsellors are Willard Grant (re-elected), Ramond Green, Trevor Martin, Freddy Ringham, and Kevin Stewart.

Former counsellors Joanne Ross and Russell Ross were also running, but were not re-elected.

The ten counsellors are elected for four-year terms, but elections are held every two years.

The elections for

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4 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, June 10, 2015

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Viewpoints

Nepal efforts In a world where the Canadian government matches your donations to the Red Cross, Howard Thwaites’ fundraising efforts for his contacts in Nepal (details on page 3) are unique. “It is a personal connection and I know here I can make a difference,” Thwaites explained of his choices, a rationale that is in tune with the new opportunities that modern technology has brought to fundraising.

Many people want to “donate smart” when they give money to humanitarian causes. One of the most commonly cited concerns is that administrative costs will eat up their donation money. A valid concern, but just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to humanitarian aid’s host of problems.

Firstly, aid rarely reaches the people who need it most, despite everyone’s best intentions. This was illustrated by reporter Yalda Hakim’s coverage of the Nepal quake for the BBC show Impact when she meets a woman of a lower caste living in a temporary camp. The woman told the BBC that she “was not able to access aid as easily as the others seemed too” because of her position in society.

Local social problems are often compounded by foreign relief personnel who lack local knowledge, a combination that allows aid to be hijacked from its intended purpose. It really boils down to aid organizations not knowing where to find the neediest people or how to get to them – a very human problem.

A possible solution is asking locals on the ground to work on aid efforts as well. All too often we reiterate an imperialist narrative and try to keep the helpers and the helped separate. However, aid organizations need to work together with the locals because neither side has all the answers.

Secondly, there is considerable evidence that humanitarian aid is largely ineffective. The most tangible reason is that donations often go towards the flashy campaign not the complex issue, so aid organizations have to engineer the type of program that will get the public interested. People are not scrambling to donate to an anti-corruption program that will make slow progress over the next twenty years.

Commitment to the region also affects the effectiveness of aid. Long-term projects often yield more results and often focus on empowerment rather than charity. Organizations such as the Red Cross provide immediate disaster relief, but they also work with the local branches in the effected country for years after the disaster. It takes more than a month to rebuild lives.

There is no quick fix for the problems in delivering aid, but contacting aid organizations and asking about what they feel is the most effective way to make change that might give them the confidence to be experimental in their campaigns. These are very simple solutions to very complex problems, but hopefully one step at a time might lead us in the right direction.

Cécile Favron

Senate debacle to ice Harper’s bid There’s a giant iceberg, with a craggy tip and its gigantic hidden 9/10th mass under water - drifting from the frozen north, against the current, into the St. Lawrence River and the Seaway – headed for Ottawa, where it threatens to create a reasonable political facsimile of the Titanic disaster. It has a name – the Senate expenses scandal.

For the Senate itself, there’s been a bit of a hiatus on this complicated issue with the recent break in the Mike Duffy trial. But, just as the 2015 election campaign is getting underway, there’s a sudden glut of enmbarrassing happenings -- and it could not come at a worse time for the already beleguered Conservative government. The Duffy trial now will likely carry on into the midst of the direct election campaign period.

So look out for cross-party rocket fire on this and the dozen or so major issues boiling over.

Of course, with no appointed senators, the NDP, which favors abolishment of the Senate, can only be chuck-

Under Miscellaneous

by Allan Hewitson ahewitson@telus.net

ling with glee.

To get back to last weekend, the three most powerful figures in the Senate were reported (by CBC) as among those flagged by the auditor general to repay inappropriate expenses.

New Senate Speaker, Leo Housakos,(PC) Claude Carignan, (PC) the government leader in the Senate, and Opposition Leader James Cowan — who all sit on the subcommittee overseeing the audits — were among 21 senators found to have filed ineligible expenses, sources reported to the CBC on Thursday. The cases of nine senators will be referred to the RCMP for further investigation. CBC Power and Politics host, Evan Solomon says the details in eight of these cases “will

stun us.”

I can’t wait.

James Cowan, by the way, stepped before TV cameras in Ottawa that afternoon and acknowledged there was a dispute between himself and the auditor general over some $10,000 of travel expenses, incurred four years ago...

Here’s an interesting wrinkle...a director of Via Rail Canada, Leo Housakos (Que.) was appointed as one of 18 senators named by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in December, 2008 -along with some others, perhaps better known for their activities since the appointments, including Mike Duffy (PEI), Pamela Wallin (Saskatchewan) and the former National chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, Patrick Brazeau (Que.).

Currently, as we all know, Duffy is on trial on a variety of charges laid by the RCMP, associated with his Senate expenses, Pamela Wallin, who has not to date been charged, also has issues with her expenses, as well as Continued on page 5

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Readers Write

An Open Letter to Rio Tinto Alcan Shareholders

Dear Sir, As the former Chief Medical Health Officer with Northern Health and a resident within the air shed RTA is planning to use as a repository for the waste Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) in its updated smelter in Kitimat will produce, I have watched the company’s management of this issue with great interest.

RTA has been given a permit to emit up to 42 metric tonnes of SO2 into the air shed on a daily basis, up from the current permitted level of 27 metric tonnes per day.

That’s a lot of sulphur dioxide. SO2 is toxic to

Dr. David Bowering humans at high doses but the jury is out as to the harm it does at lower ambient levels.

Everyone agrees that SO2 air pollution can cause airway spasm, induce asthma attacks, worsen chronic bronchitis among people with pre-existing respiratory problems, and lower the threshold

for exercise induced asthma. But it may be significantly more serious than that.

Although the Permit is currently the subject of an appeal, RTA was able to convince the BC Ministry of Environment that simply raising the height of its stacks would ensure that current permissible levels are seldom exceeded using a computer model of air dispersion based on data gathered mostly in 2008. Using the model, RTA consultants have created scenarios predicting likely peak exposure levels on the ground at a variety of sites in and

around Kitimat and extending down the valley to Terrace. They have even attempted to predict the expected number of episodes of airway spasm based on crude population data in each of these sites of interest.

As part of the permitting process, RTA was required to consult with the public and in doing so they painted a reassuring picture suggesting that any human health effects from the increased SO2 emissions would be minimal and transient at worst.

I believe I understand the epidemiology of the health effects of

SO2 at least as well as the RTA consultants but I am far from reassured.

I also understand that an air dispersion model is just a model: every conclusion based on the model, including projected SO2 levels and health effects no matter how many charts and graphs are created, is speculative and only as good as the model itself.

Here are some of my concerns: 1. The air dispersion model does not factor in or consider the possible and probable impacts of Climate Change which is an ongoing scientifically

established reality in 2015. Will the foreseeable future include hotter dryer summers with more frequent inversions and less wind dispersion than in 2008? Will there be more forest fires in the Northwest with ambient smoke pollution interacting with and changing the characteristics and behaviour of emitted SO2 with respect to humans and the environment? At the very least, consideration of these possibilities could have expanded the range of predicted effects and improved the quality of the data by being more realistic about

its uncertainty.

2. The RTA consultants have summarized the evolving science of SO2 toxicity according to the principle that “the absence of proof of an effect constitutes proof of no effect” and have confined the discussion to monitoring the relatively minor effects where causation is certain. However the US EPA Advisory Committee which is extensively referred to in the Sulphur Dioxide Technical Assessment Report (STAR) prepared by the RTA consultants (p50, vol.2) states clearly that the evidence is insufficient Continued on page 9

District-Union rift is a community embarrasment Dear Sir, Well is everyone happy? It’s a beautiful summer in our community and there is so much we can do without. Now I’ll list a few things we obviously don’t need...so taxes should go down.

1) pool closed, 2) Riverlodge closed, 3) seniors centre closed, 4) no Bull-O-Rama, 5) no grass cut in parks and hillsides (those who don’t cut their grass anyway will be happy), 6) won’t need to buy grass seed for the next 50 years..so money saved, 7) no flowers to make you feel happy and brighten your day, 8) no craft fairs, 9) no pretty place to take great graduation pictures or hold dry grad party, 10) probably no July 1st celebrations.

After coming home from spending weeks in Victoria for family medical reasons, I am absolutely disgusted.

What a complete disaster. The whole community should

be embarrassed. If any tourists or investors do appear what is this saying to them? Obviously this community doesn’t care...you know what is said about first impressions. How a handful of people (on both sides) can hold a whole community hostage is beyond me and many others. How do we know who is telling the truth?

I have lived here since 1956 and never, never have seen anything so childish or appalling. The name calling, bullying, harassment on facebook, at council meetings and apparently now starting between neighbours and friends is, in my opinion, the most disgusting thing going.

What a fine example the so called “adults” of this community have set for the young people. Remember the problems between families, neighbors and friends during the wildcat strike at Alcan years ago? Some of those people never spoke to each other again.

Weekly Crossword Solution in the Classifieds

Senate scandal Continued from page 4 Brazeau, who also faces breach of trust charges as well as separate civil charges for assault, and have all been expelled from the Conservative caucus, and the Senate.

Tempting as it is with such juicy news, I’ll not go further, because the auditor general’s report was to be released yesterday, Tuesday, June 9...so a lot of what I’m watching unfold on CBC could change radically before this column’s publication day.

But Parliament Hill is a hive of other fascinating activity.

Former Defence Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Justice Minister, Peter MacKay

announced last week he won’t run in the upcoming election, wishing, like many others to “spend more time with his family.” He’ll stay on as Justice Minister until Parliament is dissolved for the election.

MacKay, who is 49, has been earning $240,000 as a cabinet minister, and six years from now, at 55, he’ll be eligible for his government pension of something like $128,000.

Age 55 – that’s right.

The gold-plated government pension plan doesn’t operate the way yours and mine does -- where you can get it (reduced) at age 60.

MacKay of course

Life is too short to waste it on this kind of behaviour.

At least the dump is open and the crosswalks finally painted for safety. Maybe more municipal functions should be contracted out. Obviously there are people who want to work and I don’t know if it is for less money or not.

What’s wrong with binding arbitration? If other ways can’t make things happen then, in my opinion, it should be the next step. Unions and management have their place and need to be there and I have no idea who’s right and who’s wrong and at this point I really don’t care. I’m not on either side. Let’s just get this community back to something we can all be proud of. This “Kingdom” building and “Ego” building has to stop....no matter what side you are on.

Keep smiling, I’m watching and listening, Roma Burnett

will get that too when he is 60, or 65, likely, when he’ll activate it (at maximum). Tax advisors normally suggest this for the wealthy.

Wonderful, isn’t it?

Maximum Canada Pension (notwithstanding any private plans Canadians may have) is approximately $1,065 a month or $12,780 a year.

Your government representative, whether or not you voted for him or her, is going to do a bit better than you and me – and likely at a much earlier age.

Meanwhile the government wants Canadians to work until 67 to be eligible for full Canada pension.

Clues Across

1. Utilization 6. 2nd largest Estonia city 11. Spiral staircase center 12. Fisherman’s basket 13. Gain an objective 15. Aromatic pine resin 18. Thai monetary unit 19. Ancient capital of Nabataea 20. Strays 21. Served food 24. “Rubber Ball” singer Bobby 25. Foot digit 26. Profound fear 28. Atomic #77 29. Faced up to 33. Unit of pain intensity 34. Confederate soldier

Clues Down

1. Disentangle stitching 2. Plane passenger places 3. Assoc. for Women in Science 4. 1st bible book (abbr.)

5. The in spanish 6. Atomic #43 7. Arbitrager (inf.)

8. Harvest grain 9. Broadcast images on the airwaves 10. Nine county No. Irish province 13. Assist in some wrongdoing 14. An old 78 card game of Italy 16. They __ 17. Partner of Pa 21. To and ___: back and forth 22. Records electric brain currents 23. Female revolutionary descendants 26. Doctor of Theology 27. The People’s Princess

36. In an inconsiderate manner 43. Blue Hens school 44. Yemen capital 45. Swiss river 47. Black tropical American cuckoo 48. Short stroke 49. Competent 50. Unit used to measure buttons 52. Liabilities 53. Loafers 55. A social outcast 56. Old Man’s beard lichen 58. County north of The Golden Gate 59. Short literary composition 60. Norwegian composer

30. Temperament 31. One of Santa’s helpers 32. Pakistani rupee 35. Divulging a secret 37. Foreign Service 38. Possessed 39. US Nursing Organization 40. Quickly grab 41. Prosecuting officer 42. WW II Crimean conference site 43. Unstick 46. 20th Hebrew letter 47. The work of caring for someone 49. Any high altitude habitation 50. Atomic #3 51. Sea eagles 52. Afghan persian language 54. A large body of water 55. Golf score 57. Antarctica 58. Magnesium

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6 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Proposed Terminal A Extension Project - Environmental Assessment Public comment period: Rio Tinto Alcan is proposing to construct an extension to its existing Terminal A in Kitimat, BC, so that Terminal B, formerly owned by Eurocan, can be used for other industry in the future.

Rio Tinto Alcan recently submitted its Application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate to the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO). The Application Review phase includes a 38-day public comment period from June 15 to July 23 hosted by the EAO to seek comments on the Application. This public comment period will also be used to concurrently invite comments on other permits for the proposed project, including Rio Tinto Alcan’s Application to the Ministry of Environment (MOE) for an Amendment to its existing Waste Discharge Permit: Multi-Media Permit P2-00001.

What is the Application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate?

The proposed project is subject to review under British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Act, which requires proponents to undertake extensive studies to assess potential effects – environmental, economic, social, heritage and health – that might result from the proposed project. The Application provides details about these studies, potential effects and proposed mitigations.

Why is Rio Tinto Alcan seeking an Amendment to its Waste Discharge Permit?

To build this project, we will need to undertake dredging to prepare the area for construction and ensure the seabed is deep enough to safely accommodate vessels. We are applying for an amendment to our existing Waste Discharge Permit to dispose of dredgeate on our site.

Learn more: Community participation and input received to date is much appreciated. If you would like to learn more about these applications and opportunities to provide comments, please visit our website at www.riotintoalcaninbc.com.

If you have questions for us, you can email us at TerminalAExtension@riorinto.com or call us at 250 632 4712.

Environmental Assessment of the Proposed Terminal A Extension Project

Open House and Invitation to Comment Rio Tinto Alcan (Proponent) is proposing to construct and operate a replacement infrastructure project including an extension to an existing marine terminal, a barge berth, tug dock and laydown facility. The proposed Terminal A Extension Project (proposed Project) is to be located at the Port of Kitimat and within proximity to the District of Kitimat and the Haisla Nation Kitamaat Village and includes marine dredging and disposal of dredge material.

The proposed Project is subject to review under British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Act. The Proponent has now submitted its application to obtain an environmental assessment certificate, which is required before any work can be undertaken on the proposed Project.

In order to provide information to the public about the Application, and to receive comments from the public, Environmental Assessment Office of British Columbia (EAO) invites the public to attend an Open House to be held: Kitimat Valley Institute 1352 Alexander Avenue Kitimat, BC on: June 23, 2015 from: 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at:

EAO accepts public comments in the following ways: • By Online Form at http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/pcp/index.html • By Mail: Teresa Morris Project Assessment Manager Environmental Assessment Office PO Box 9426 Stn Prov Govt Victoria BC V8W 9V1 • By Fax: Fax: 250-387-2208 An electronic copy of the Application and information regarding the environmental assessment process are available at www.eao.gov.bc.ca. Copies of the Application are also available for viewing at these locations:

and

Rio Tinto Alcan’s Community Office 254 City Centre Mall Kitimat, BC Kitimat Community Library 940 Wakashan Ave. Kitimat, BC

There are 38 days for the submission of comments by the public in relation to the Application. The comment period will begin on June 15, 2015 and end on July 23, 2015. All comments received during this comment period will be considered.

The Proponent has submitted an application for an amendment to the Multi Media Waste Discharge Permit P2-00001 (otherwise known as AMS#100138) for the disposal and storage of dredge material and has requested the permit application be reviewed concurrently under British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Act, Concurrent Approval Regulation.

The intention of seeking public comments is to ensure all potential effects – environmental, economic, social, heritage and health – that might result from the proposed Project are identified for consideration, and the effectiveness of proposed mitigations, as part of the assessment process.

This permit application is also available on the EAO’s website at www.eao.gov.bc.ca and at the above locations. Comments on the permit application may also be submitted to the EAO during the comment period as described above.

NOTE:

All submissions received by EAO during the comment period in relation to the proposed Project are considered public and will be posted to EAO website.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NOTICE Application for a Permit Amendment under the Provisions of the Environmental Management Act We, Rio Tinto Alcan, #1 Smeltersite Rd, PO Box 1800, Kitimat, BC V8C 2H2, intend to submit this amendment application to the Director to amend the P2-00001 Multimedia Waste Discharge Permit, issued December 7, 1999 and last amended August 12, 2014 which authorizes the discharge of air emissions, effluents and refuse from a primary aluminum smelter. The land upon which the facility is comprised of District lots 90, 91, 92, 93, 96, 102A, 186, 7596 and 5469, Ranges 4 and 5, Coast District, Kitimat, British Columbia, located at 1 Smeltersite Road, within the District of Kitimat. The amendment requests that the following conditions be changed: Before: • Section 5.5 Concrete Disposal • B-Lagoon effluent discharge conditions authorized in Section 3.1.2 consisting of a maximum effluent discharge from B-Lagoon of 210,000m3/day, typical discharge of 32,000m3/day and Total Suspended Solids limit of 50 mg/L. • Monthly Reporting of B-Lagoon Maximum Flow in Sections 8.3.2.1 and 8.3.2.2 After: • Section 5.5 Concrete and Dredgeate Disposal.

• Disposal of contaminated dredged sediments that exceeds the Industrial Lands standard (IL+, under the Contaminated Sites Regulation) within a dedicated uplands IL+ waste cell to a maximum volume of 161,000 m3.

• Disposal of contaminated dredged sediments that are below the Industrial Lands standards (IL) in the uplands Dredge Disposal Site to a maximum volume of 219,000m3 in addition to an indeterminate amount of coarse woody debris from dredging.

• Disposal of contaminated soils from the Laydown Area to a maximum volume of 29,000m3.Disposal of contaminated soils from the Laydown Area to a maximum volume of 29,000m3.

• Disposal of contaminated soils from the former Concrete Management Area to a maximum volume of 6,500m3.

• Disposal of small but indeterminate quantities of asbestos-containing materials located within the existing Concrete Management Area.

• B-Lagoon effluent discharge conditions authorized in Section 3.1.2 consisting of: • Indeterminate maximum effluent discharge under extreme precipitation events.

• Typical discharge of 64,000 m3/day during dredging operations for 6 months per year over 2 years during the construction phase of the Terminal A Extension project. The average discharge during non-dredging periods will remain at 32,000m3/day.

• Total suspended solids limit of 75mg/L during dredging operations for the Terminal A Extension Project.

• Monthly reporting (in Sections 8.3.2.1 and 8.3.2.2) of B-Lagoon Flow up to 130,000 m3/ day, greater than which the discharge will be monitored by its level as measured by pressure transducer.

• Addition of appurtenant properties to Section 3.4.1 In summary, the purposes of this application are for: (1) inclusion in the permit of the uplands disposal of materials generated by the Terminal A Extension project and (2) reflect in the permit the naturally occurring extreme precipitation events that affect the flow of the effluent treatment system. Any person who may be adversely affected by the proposed amendment and wishes to provide relevant information may, within 30 days after the last date of posting, publishing, service or display, send written comments to the applicant, with a copy to the Director, Environmental Protection at Bag 5000, 3726 Alfred Avenue, Smithers, British Columbia, V0J 2N0. The identity of any respondents and the contents of anything submitted in relation to this application will become part of the public record.

Dated this day of June 3, 2015.

Contact Person: Shawn Zettler Telephone: 250 639 8329 Email: shawn.zettler@riotinto.com

_______________________ Gaby Poirier General Manager, BC Operations

Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 7

Coming Events September 1 SPORTFISH ADVISORY COMMITTEE meeting, 7 p.m. at Kitimat Rod & Gun Club.

Topics for discussion: Fish possession limits and transporting; and Steelhead plan. For more info call Jack Riddle 250-888-8202.

ONGOING: UNIFOR LOCAL 2301 RETIREES CHAPTER - The next Retirees Chapter Social is on Thursday June 18th, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at the Unifor Union Hall 235 Enterprise Ave. Kitimat. All Unifor Local 2031 retirees in Northern B.C. are welcome. Please forward your email address or phone number to Raymond to stay updated on future events.

Contact Raymond Raj at rayrraj@gmail.com or (250)-632-4006.

THE KITIMAT ADULT LITERACY Program provides FREE tutoring services for adult interested in improving their reading, writing, math, communication, and information technology skills. We provide FREE tutoring and small group English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.

For more info please call Brandi at 250-6327393 or check us out at www.kitimatcommunityservices.ca/KALP. html or find us on facebook.

DO YOU HAVE DIABETES? Individual and group counseling.

For more info call 250632-8313 during operating hours - Wednesdays 8:00 a.m. to noon, Thursdays 8:00 a.m.

- 4:00 p.m. - or leave message on our voice mail. We are located on the second floor of the Kitimat Hospital.

Continued on page 11

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8 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, June 10, 2015

S/Sgt. of the Kitimat RCMP retires After 22-and-ahalf years as a member of the RCMP, and three as the detachment commander for Kitimat, S/Sgt. Phil Harrison is hanging up his breeches as he heads in to retirement.

The local RCMP head said he’ll be heading back to Agassiz, the same place his career in the RCMP began two decades ago. Harrison came to Kitimat at a unique time in the town’s history.

His arrival was November 2012, just as the modernization project at Rio Tinto Alcan was getting underway.

He said it wasn’t long until he was introduced to one of Kitimat’s truly large indus-

tries: rumours.

“I’ve never actually been in a town that had rumours flare up so fast and spread so fast than I have in Kitimat,” he said.

At one point early in his time here he even wrote a public letter saying the community still remains safe, which was met with some incredulousness by the community.

Yet despite all the concern and worry about rising crime from the suddenly very transient population from KMP, he said no catastrophic rise in crime took place.

While there may have been some spike in files relating to things like drugs, generated by the dealers who may follow large

developments like work camps, it was never this large problem for the detachment like people thought.

Even so, the events in the community over the past four years did do something quite dramatic to Kitimat: shook the facade of the idyllic world of the 1950s and brought Kitimat in to the 21st century, which boils down to residents’ need to simply lock their doors and secure their property.

“It struck me... when I first got here I thought a lot of people were still stuck in the 1950s mode. Doors were left unlocked.

Vehicle doors were left unlocked. People did not secure their property,” he said, which is

now changing. “I think people are now starting to smarten up and realize that’s just an opportunity for someone to take your stuff away.”

Harrison’s place at the start of KMP and ahead of potentially large mega projects with LNG meant his role was planning as much as it was day-today crime fighting.

“I never had to deal with work camps before. Fortunately... the modernization camp, KMP, is pretty good. We didn’t have a lot of problems there.”

He knows Kitimat’s in a slow-down phase at the moment but KMP was what he calls a “small slice” of what could come, and he’s tried to prepare as

much as he can, or at least get the ball rolling through the bureaucracy.

That means preparing the detachment for more people and gathering extra equipment, even with ATV’s and snowmobiles.

“I’ve never been through a snow storm like here,” he said, referring to February’s madness.

Budget allowance for new members was also recently granted by the municipality meaning if new projects add pressure to the town the detachment can be stronger

town, especially when the sun shines.

From here he’s just planning to enjoy the quieter life with family.

to deal with it.

Harrison looks back at his decision to relocate to Kitimat as a good one, and says Kitimat is a great

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SO2 hearings Continued from page 1 The appellants are also arguing that the scientific uncertainty on adverse health effects caused by SO2 emissions merits a precautionary approach. Overstall says that they are putting forward an argument that emissions can exacerbate diseases such as asthma and can also cause people to develop such diseases.

More controversially, they are also claiming that there is evidence to support the possibility that SO2 emissions may lead to premature death.

RTA and the ministry experts argue that science has not established that there is a link between SO2 emissions and health risks and that they have taken the appropriate, “adaptive” approach to mitigating any potential effects of the emissions.

“We are advancing an argument that Ian Sharpe [and the MOE] didn't consider all of the scientific evidence when he approved the permit,” explained Overstall, stating that if all the evidence had been considered, it would have merited the use of emission reduction technologies.

Overstall continued that they are also advancing two legal arguments. The first is regarding a MOE employee Fraser Mackenzie.

The appellants are alleging that there was an apprehension of bias inclining Mackenzie to make a decision in favour of RTA because RTA was paying his salary at the time.

Counsel also alleges that the Memorandum of Understanding between RTA and Ian Sharpe “illegally confined the director's [Sharpe's] decision,” according to Overstall.

Counsel for the appellants claim that there was an understanding between the two parties that they would find a way to make the increase in SO2 emissions work.

Over the last week of the appeal, RTA will then have the opportunity to make their case.

Six RTA employees who wrote the SO2 Technical Assessment Repot (STAR) that the MOE utilized in their decision-making process will take the stand to defend their process and their science. Finally, general manager of the BC Operations of Rio Tinto Alcan Gaby Poirier will testify for RTA's part in having the

permit approved.

Poireir stands by the permit and said that all plans are in place to increase production levels

by February 2016. As for the elevated levels of SO2 Poirier says that the company only plans to be releasing 33 to 35 tonnes of SO2 per day when production increases and that they don't plan to reach the 42 tonnes per day limit.

“The modernization will reduce emissions overall by 50 per cent and this will make a world of difference,” he added.

Poireir also outlined why the company chose to go with the air dispersal method of dealing with SO2 emissions. He said that dry scrubbing would generate two tonnes of waste for every tonne of SO2 it scrubs.

Similarly, wet scrubbing would use tens of thousands of tonnes of water to scrub the SO2.

“Air dispersal is still the best option,” Poireir explained. “This is why we are confident we have made the right choice.” He declined to comment on the possibility of installing scrubbers, only saying that it could take years.

Happy be-lated birthday Edna Partington celebrated her 90th birthday on May 27 with friends at The Chalet Restaurant. Edna has been a Kitimat resident for 51 years. Cécile Favron

PROPERTY TAX HOME OWNER LEGAL SUITES & NOTICES UTILITY CHARGES GRANTS The 2015 Tax Notices were mailed on May 28, 2015.

Property owners who have not received a tax notice should contact the District of Kitimat at 250-632-8900.

New property owners are responsible for payment of the 2015 taxes whether or not a tax notice is received.

Taxpayers eligible to claim the Northern & Rural Home Owner Grant should complete all applicable spaces on the form and submit to the District of Kitimat whether or not a payment is made. To avoid the 10% penalty please submit on or before July 2, 2015. THE N&R HOME OWNER GRANT MUST BE APPLIED FOR EVERY YEAR.

Annual charges of $144 for water and $62 for refuse, per residential dwelling unit, were included on your 2015 tax notice. These charges were doubled for all residences with a legal suite, ie: $288 for water and $124 for refuse. Owners may apply to the District to have their legal suite status cancelled in order to reduce the utility charges.

DISTRICT OF KITIMAT 270 City Centre, Kitimat, BC phone 250-632-8900

PAYMENT REQUIREMENTS Payments may be made at the District of Kitimat, 270 City Centre or online. Please see www.kitimat.ca for more information.

Credit cards are not accepted.

Payments sent by mail must be received in the municipal office BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON JULY 2, 2015. Payments online must be in the District bank BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON JULY 2, 2015.

A PENALTY OF 10% WILL BE ADDED TO OUTSTANDING TAXES ON JULY 3, 2015.

OFFICE HOURS Monday to Friday 8:30 am to noon and 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm

TAX INQUIRIES Contact the District of Kitimat Finance Department

Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 9

Second phase in hot spring development Kelsey Wiebe Continued from June 3 Northern Sentinel Plagued by flood, fire, and economic depression, the Lakelse hot springs property lay dormant from the mid-1930s until 1958, when it was purchased by local logging entrepreneur Ray Skoglund, who immediately began implementing a visionary, multi-phase development.

Skoglund, who was widely accepted as a local man working to better the area, took over the 320 acres comprising the Lakelse hot springs property from Lloyd Johnstone in the late 1950s, and operated the resort from 1958 into the 1970s.

Johnstone had purchased back the hot springs property after his father had lost it in the 1930s, but, busy as Terrace’s mayor and also as a business owner, he had allowed the property to stagnate.

Skoglund immediately began an ambi-

tious tiered development for the Lakelse Hotsprings Resort, which were later rechristened Skoglund Hotsprings Resort.

Skoglund, who along with partner Sandy Sandover-Sly, simultaneously operated a successful Terrace logging company from the mid-1950s through the early 1980s, envisioned a family-oriented, local operation with global appeal. He was renowned for his enthusiasm and vision, and implemented the first two major phases of his plan within eight years.

“His formula is basic,” reported The Terrace Omineca Herald in 1966. “[T]ake a liberal amount of enthusiasm, add an even more liberal amount of hard work and determination and you come up with a job well done.”

Kitimat’s Northern Sentinel praised Skoglund’s resort as not being “owned outside” in a 1959 editorial.

“When a country has treated you well, then you must return the favour,” Skoglund said. At the same time as he employed his children in the resort, Skoglund marketed it worldwide, sending articles and promotional material as far afield as Buckingham Palace.

“Ray had the courage, vision, enthusiasm, equipment, credit and know-how to work a miracle,” Stan Rough said in the Northern Sentinel in the spring of 1961.

Purchased in June of 1958, by the middle of August, Skoglund had constructed a large gravity-fed concrete pool complete with change rooms. It measured 23 by 5.5 metres, and sported hot springs water cooled to about 32 degrees Celsius.

Fourteen duplex cabins with private baths were under construction, as was a snack bar.

Over the first winter, the original pool was covered when the

A postcard from 1963-1978 featuring a boy diving into the outdoor swimming pool at Skoglund’s Lakelse Hotsprings Resort. Heritage Park Museum, Terrace snow failed to discourage visitors from the surrounding region.

“I used to shiver just watching them,” Skoglund wrote of the intrepid swimmers.

“We decided to cover the small pool to make things more comfortable for those who preferred life a little less rugged but to leave the large pool uncovered for the hardy types.”

A Gothic-style arch frame of laminated spruce was covered with plastic, which kept the pool warm and the snow out.

In 1959, Skoglund

Rio Tinto Alcan Continued from page 5 to infer the presence or absence of a causal relationship between short term exposure to ambient SO2 and cardiovascular mortality as well as between long term exposure and respiratory disease mortality, non respiratory morbidity, and overall mortality.

To proceed as if these very worrisome associations had been disproven simply because the complex and difficult studies needed to either rule them in or out have not yet been done flies in the face of what I have come to see as prudent public health practice, particularly in the presence of technology (scrubbers) which would substantially reduce these potential risks to people who live in the air shed.

It occurs to me that a corporation wishing to promote tobacco use in the late 1940s would have likely produced a very similar scientific assessment acknowledging the relatively minor effects of throat irritation and cough while pointing to the lack of hard evidence in relation to the scourges of heart disease and lung cancer that took decades of research to confirm; even for a straightforward and

easily documented exposure like tobacco smoke.

3. The consultants have neglected to consider the variability among the human receptors (people) who will be exposed to the SO2 emissions. It is well known that populations with different demographics, social and economic status, and preexisting health status respond differently to the same levels of stress whether the stress is a toxin, a pollutant or a virus. While the STAR report acknowledges this there is no consideration of these important variables in their final analysis or in their health impact projections.

The technology exists to reduce SO2 emissions from your company’s smelter to well below what they are currently.

Installing scrubbers may be a cost the company would rather avoid, but if it wishes to retain a reputation as a good corporate citizen based on prudence and genuine concern for its neighbours that is what it should do.

There is much uncertainty in the current understanding of the health effects of long term exposure to ambient SO2 and there are good reasons to think

that they may be more severe than the RTA consultants have predicted. It will be virtually impossible to adequately document or respond to these more serious and/or long term impacts given the small size of the population at risk. The effects are likely to be cumulative and the damage done long before it can be detected in a conclusive way.

I am writing this based on many years of experience in Public Health in Northern BC, and with a profound sense of the importance of clean air as a fundamental underpinning of good population health. While scrupulous attention to the bottom line is an understandable corporate priority, human health is, or should be, an even more fundamental priority for all of us. I urge you to ensure that the company you own takes this into consideration by installing the scrubbers that are needed to reliably protect the public’s health in relation to SO2 generated by the RTA smelter operation in Kitimat.

Respectfully, David Bowering MD MHSc.

continued to expand the hot springs into a resort. With much fanfare, he opened a $125,000 extension in the autumn of 1959.

A second, slightly cooler outdoor pool measuring 30.5 by 15 metres featured underwater lighting, two diving boards, and a windbreak. Change rooms with a capacity of 400 guests were flanked by a steam room and Roman baths for guests with health issues.

Ten deluxe furnished housekeeping suites were located on a second storey, and 24 cosy tents complete with a stove, tables, and chairs in a clearing west of the buildings provided lower-budget accommodations. Renovations converted an earlier building into a lounge and coffee bar.

A 731-metre manmade canal allowed for lake access to and from the hot springs.

By 1962, a new

fine dining room and state-of-the-art kitchen were opened.

The Northland Dining Room boasted an impressively large stone fireplace, in keeping with the rustic setting. There were 26 guest suites in total, including the 10 deluxe housekeeping suites.

More than 125,000 people had visited the resort in the first three years of operation.

Continued in June 17 Northern Sentinel

Helping Your Pets Help the People of Nepal As many clients of the Kitimat Veterinary Hospital are aware, I have been trekking in Nepal on two occasions over the last few years.

The Nepalese people are a mix of cultures which are predominantly Hindu and Buddhist living harmoniously together.

In my experience, the Nepalese people are friendly, generous and kind, in spite of the fact that the average per capita income in Nepal is 730$US. The earthquake, which caused mass devastation on the 25th April, 2015 was 7.8 magnitude with an aftershock on the 26th of 6.7. A second aftershock of 7.3 occurred on the 12th May. ~ Dr. Howard Thwaites

Kitimat Veterinary Hospital WILL DONATE 25% of the bill from any Pet Dental Procedure booked during the month of June to aid in the Nepalese earthquake relief.

These funds will go towards: 1) Helping the people of Marpak Village, Dhading, Nepal, rebuild and repair their homes.

2) Helping a friend in Thamel, Kathmandu rebuild his shop after the earthquake.

3) Helping a women’s co-operative in Kathmandu rebuild after the earthquake.

This initiative will help both your pets and the people of Nepal.

Book your pet’s appointment today ~ ph. 250-639-2299 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Dr. Thwaites and staff at Kitimat Veterinary Hospital 587 MOUNTAINVIEW SQUARE, KITIMAT

10 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 A10 www.northernsentinel.com

Wednesday, June 10, 2015 Northern Sentinel

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Help Wanted

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Employment

Maintenance/Labourer

This handy person will have experience dealing with minor repairs and general up keep for various properties.

Hours are M-F and on-call for weekends/emergencies.

This could be an hourly or a contract position.

For more information call: 250-632-2822 or 250-407-2297

or Email: kitimatrentals@shaw.ca

MEDICAL Transcriptionists are in huge demand! Train with Canada’s top Medical Transcription school. Learn from home and work from home. Call today! 1-800-4661535 or www.canscribe.com email: info@canscribe.com.

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In Memoriam

In Memoriam

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION! In-demand career! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get online training you need from an employertrusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-855-7683362 to start training for your work-at-home career today!

You must be, computer literate, a good communicator, have general office/accounting procedures and be a visual presence at the property. Interviewing prospective tenants, negotiating contracts and adhering to the practices consistent with R.T.Act rules and regulations will be some of your duties.

For more info. call: 250305-0446 or 250-302-9108 Please apply to: darcywl@shaw.ca

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SEEKING LIVE-IN PROPERTY MANAGER

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YOUR NEWSPAPER:

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Career Opportunities

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INDEX IN BRIEF

Trades, Technical

Trades, Technical

101 Industries Ltd., a dynamic customer oriented, full service mechanical, plumbing, heating, structural, roofing company, located in Kitimat, British Columbia has an immediate opening for:

RESIDENTIAL/COMMERCIAL SERVICE TECHNICIAN

This position requires the appropriate candidate to be fully qualified in plumbing systems, gas fitting & HVAC/Furnace servicing for residential and commercial projects. Applicants must have heating service and install experience. Plumbing and Refrigeration TQ or equivalent experience is an asset.

Individuals must have a registered driver’s license, to be able to get to and from job sites.

Applicants must have experience in customer service and satisfaction, the ability to work in a dynamic, fast paced environment, and be able to follow through to maximize results.

Please direct all inquiries to: 101 Industries Ltd. 245-3rd Street, Kitimat, BC V8C 2N8 Email: 101first@101industries.com Fax: (250) 632-2101 Attention: General Manager

PERMANENT CARRIER ROUTES ~ Stein, Morgan & Kingfisher (65) ~ Yukon, Stikine (100) ~ Finch, Fulmar (75) ~ Eagle, Egret (60) ~ Swan, Quail (65) TEMPORARY VACATION COVERAGE Both Up-the-Hill and Down-the-Hill

Wed.

Sentinel

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and

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Fri. The Northern

Contact the Northern Sentinel at 250-632-6144.

626 Enterprise Avenue, Kitimat

ME Y FIND NT NEMPLOYMENT LO T T E P N NT M THE M E E E IN CLASSIFIEDS Y E M M O YM O PL PLOY NT PLOY NT L P E E M M M E OYM E OYM E NT E T T L L N N M P P E E Y EM NT EM LOYM PTLO LOYM E YM T EMP MEEMN EMP O Y T N PL O , E T M L N N M E Everything you re looking for is P T T E E Y N YM NEM YM E Ethe LO Y in classifieds!

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Northern Sentinel Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Services

Rentals

Financial Services

Apt/Condo for Rent

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Merchandise for Sale

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Real Estate

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Boats

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Northernwww.northernsentinel.com Sentinel, Wednesday, June 10, 2015A11 11

Kitimat museum changes TH constitution to reflect arts

35

Cécile Favron The Kitimat Museum and Archives voted to change their constitution to reflect visual arts in May at their annual general meeting.

The amendment would add the objective “to operate a visual arts exhibition centre and collect visual arts for Kitimat” to the Kitimat Museum Society's constitution, which already mandates that the society preserve artifacts and archives for Kitimat.

Curator Louise Avery said that the constitution change was only meant to reflect what the museum has already been doing for decades.

“When the museum opened in 1969, the first show was a visual arts show, and after that it was the go-to collection in the upstairs gallery, but the constitution just did not reflect that,” Avery explained.

The BC Arts Council, Avery said, is a significant funder of the museum and they want the museum's

activities to reflect their constitution.

“We hold lots of visual arts shows, but there is [almost] no mention of visual arts in the constitution,” she said.

When the museum opened, it did not even have a collection to display, and it was through the early work of Gisela Mendel that the museum came to hold the artifacts that they do today.

The focus, from the beginning, was on visual arts in the region.

Furthermore, Avery explained that the Kitimat museum is the only public space to hold an art show in town.

“In a small community, you have all these things in one place,” she said. “We are the only space in town that provides cultural heritage services and there is no other public space in town to show art.”

“After so many years if fielding questions from the BC Arts Council on why

ANNUAL The

TERRY

FOX Run

we [hosted art shows] when it was not reflected in our constitution, we decided to make the changes,” Avery said.

However, out of over 200 society members, only 15 turned out to vote in favour of the amendment.

Avery is still not sure if the low voter turnout is enough to make the changes stick. A review of the by-laws around the museum's decision making will yield the answer.

A new board was also elected at the AGM. Now the board includes Doug Thom-

son, Cyndi McIntosh, Cam Marleau, Connie Craig, Carol Dale, Allan Colton, Gaetan Pozsgay, and Marc Bouliane.

Mario Feldhoff is the appointed District of Kitimat representative.

The appointment by the Kitamaat Village Council is currently vacant.

The Kitimat Museum and Archives was originally called the Kitimat Centennial Museum as it was opened in commemoration of Canada’s Centennial Birthday in 1967. The museum actually held no artifact

collections when it first opened, that is why art was originally shown in the museum.

It was through the work of Gisela Mendel, the first curator, that the museum came to hold the artifacts that it does today.

Mendel set out to showcase and preserve the Haisla First Nation history in the region.

On top of collecting artifacts, she recorded the Haisla traditions and ceremonies and even learned how to speak some Haida.

The museum has also documented nonfirst nation’s history in Kitimat.

Career Opportunies

Career Opportunies

Career Opportunies

For Cancer Research

Gitxsan Child & Family Services Society

Generalist social Worker

NO ENTRY FEE NO MINIMUM PLEDGE NO MINIMUM DONATION

Gitxsan Child & Family Services Society is a delegated agency based in beautiful Hazelton, BC. It is a rural agency serving the 5 Gitxsan communities. The five communities that our Agency serves within the Gitxsan Nation are: Kispiox, Glen Vowell, Gitseguekla, Gitwangak and Gitanyow. We are surrounded by beautiful scenery, clean rivers and a thriving culture. We are seeking a qualified experienced social worker to join our dynamic team.

The Social Worker is expected to carry a regular caseload, using clinical and interpersonal skills as well as good case management systems, to provide a variety of services. Social Workers primary responsibility is to ensure the delivery of family support services to families and children who require them, guardianship services and the development and maintenance of caregiver homes.

Qualifications: BSW, plus two year related experience

Sunday

Coming Events

Continued from page 7 HOSPICE: Do you have a couple of hours a month to make phone calls, plant flowers, share memories, play cards, etc.? Hospice can provide you with excellent training. Call us now at 250632-2278.

FRIENDS OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY To join contact Luce Gauthier at lucegauthier10@gmail. com or Virginia Charron @ vcharron@kitimatpubliclibrary.org or call 250-632-8985.

KITIMAT QUILTERS GUILD: If you are interested in joining the Kitimat Quilters Guild please contact Aileen Ponter at 250-632-6225 or Janet Malnis at 250-632-7387 for further info.

HEALTHY BABIES DROP IN is held every Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Kitimat Child Development Center. They welcome families throughout pregnancy and up to one year (older siblings welcome). Come meet other parents and infants over light refreshments with support from the CDC staff and a Public Health Nurse. For more info call 250-632-3144.

CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE FunSpot drop-in for children aged birth to 5 years with caregivers. Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays 10 am-12 pm. Fridays are now a combined drop-in/ multicultural playgroup. Contact 250-632-3144 for more info.

KITIMAT FIBRE ARTS GUILD: Interested in knitting, spinning, weaving, or any other fibre?

For more info call Maureen 250-632-5444.

ReQuiRements • We are looking for individuals who are delegated or are eligible to be delegated under the current Provincial (BC) Legislation.

• Willingness to travel • Have a valid BC driver’s license • Must successfully pass a Criminal Records Check the Generalist social Worker will: • Cooperate and work with Ministry of Children and Family Development workers in ensuring all Plans of Care are completed before the file is transferred to GCFS. • Participate in case pre-transfer meetings with the MCFD Guardianship Worker, Foster Parents and the Child in Care With respect to case management, the Generalist social Worker will: • Complete Comprehensive Plans of Care in accordance with AOPSI Standards • Review Plans of care through formal meetings whenever possible and within specified timeframes • Set priorities for service delivery in consultation with the Supervisor • Conduct Case Management Meetings at regular intervals to ensure that services to the child are coordinated and appropriate • Include the child in decision making as appropriate to the child’s developmental abilities • Where possible, ensure the child signs his summary recordings so he understands what is in his file • Record the Service Plan and Goals for the child • Maintain up to date recordings in the format required by the agency • Ensure that the child’s medical, emotional and educational needs are met through referrals to appropriate professionals • Inform the child about behavioural expectations and consequences • Consult the resource worker, child’s family the community and the child where this is age appropriate when moving or placing a child • Ensure that appropriate action is taken when a child is missing, lost or has run away • Ensure that the GCFS Executive Director and the Director for Child Protection are notified of reportable circumstances and grievous incidents • Ensure consultation with the supervisor at all key decision points (see the AOPSI) • Ensure that children in care receive the support skills and guidance required to achieve independence upon leaving care at the age of 19

September 20, 2015 Walk | Run | Wheel | Ride

Please submit your resume and cover letter to the attention of: Diane.tashoots@gov.bc.ca team leader, Gitxsan child & family services society P.o. Box 333 4215 Government street, HaZelton, Bc V0J 1Y0 DEADLINE: (until position is filled)

No phone|calls please, only those who have made the shortlist will be contacted. terryfox.org 1 888 836-9786

12 Northern Sentinel, Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Sports & Leisure

Rio Tinto Alcan helps seniors’ games Cécile Favron Last week Rio Tinto Alcan (RTA) presented a cheque for $2,000 to the local BC Seniors Games Society to assist participants with costs for the 55+ BC Games to be held August 25-29 in North Vancouver.

The 55+ Games is an annual sporting event for British Columbians age 55 and over. The competitors are placed in five-year age bracket categories and compete in over twenty different sports.

Seniors are responsible for their own travel to and from the games and this is why Rio Tinto Alcan made the donation to the society for this year's games held in the lower mainland.

“We don't want anyone to not be able to attend the games for financial reasons,” explained zone director Bill Whitty of the decision to team up with RTA to make the games happen for seniors in northwestern BC. The local BC Seniors Games Society is called Zone 10 and encompasses the Kitimat, Terrace, Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii area.

Over 100 seniors from the northwest area are planning to attend this year’s games and the club usually tallies more than 150 members across the region.

“We feel that the Seniors' Games is the second best health care program the province has to offer,” Whitty said, citing that their oldest member, 93, is going on her 28th consecutive year in the games. “That means that the age range we have is from 55 to 93,” he said.

At last year’s games, the northwest team took home 41 metals in total of which 15 were gold, 13 were silver, and 13 were bronze.

And the games do more than just promote physical health and award metals at the games, says Whitty.

“For the most part in our zone, we look at the games as a place to have friendly partici-

pation and comradery, winning a metal is just a bonus,” he added.

To become part of the BC Seniors Games Society, participants only need to satisfy the requirement that they are 55 years

or older. The majority of the sports don’t even require qualifying rounds, the only exception is if too many seniors want to participate in a certain sport at the games — in which case there is

a play-off. Whitty says that it is very rare that anyone is excluded from the games. Competitors need only to be part of the BC Seniors Games Society and attend some of the society’s meetings to attend

the games.

Whitty encourages all seniors to come out and see what the games are about at the society’s next meeting in Kitimat on June 27.

“It is too late for these games, but it is certain-

ly not too early to consider the 2016 games to be held in Port Coquitlum,” Whitty explained.

Any seniors who want to join can visit www.bcseniorsgames. org/zones/.

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