el a a SPR ST Se 1 See oor —— / ey Members of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Development being welcomed after arriving at the Cassiar airstrip in two Turbo Prop and one Otter plane. ; gas npg grr a Ee Pe Ee MAT a xc SS During the visit of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Development, representatives of the Cassiar Community present- ed a brief to them in the afternoon. Hon. Bob McClelland, chair- man, stated that the brief would be studied on their return to Victoria and a response would be forthcoming soon. The recommendations contained in the brief were: COMMUNITY CLUB — 1. When. the moratorium on the Recreation Facilities Assist- ance Program islifted, permit a community such as Cassiar the opportunity to be considered for funding. 2. Remove the extreme political bias in the procedure for the distribution of lottery funds to constituencies. There surely of this program than exists at the present time. 3. /n Provincial Games competition and play-downs, allow for consideration to provide assistance to encourage and Sup- port the worthwhile athletes from the isolated community. HOSPITAL TAKEOVER — 1. Staffing will reed to be increased to comply with B.C. Health regulations. 2. Subsidized housing will be of paramount importance in at- 3 M i y k is 4 ‘4 . Ss During their underground tour at Erickson Gold Mine, Hon. Don Phillips, Minister of Industry and Small Business Devel- opment, and Hon, Jim Hewitt, Minister of Agriculture and Food, and other members of the group, visited all three levels of the mine, 2, and even tried out the Jack-Leg. They also toured the Mill. 3. et tracting qualified personnel to this area. /t is strongly urged at this point that communication of in- tent by the government and/or its agencies, might be of value during the interim period. It is, therefore, suggested that contacts with responsibility for this are immediately set up, and made known to the Cassiar Hospital Society. SCHOOL — 1. To accommodate the K—6 students in Cassiar and stay with the projected class sizes the District needs approval to con- Struct an elementary school with a 50/200 capacity. (Ap- proval to construct an elanentary school with 50/150 cap- acity was given in the 1981 CEP.) To facilitate this the District needs to be granted an additional $350,000 in C.E.P. funds, Building CP-5, and the additiarial fees in Site, Equipment, Fees and Contingencies. 2. There is a pressing need to inbuild some flexibility into these area constraints so that smaller districts can have ac- cess to a suitable plant with adequate space functions. To this end School District No.87 (Stikine) has requested ap- proval of a District Administrative Office Complex and a Maintenance facility which exceed the Facilities Manual ‘area constraints, but which reflect the needs of an emergent school district. ~ 3. There is a need for accountability in the expenditure of the Province’s tax dollars. There isa need for financing a basic education program. There is also a need to look closely at providing a regular and predictable financial support so that small isolated districts can project for and mount an educ- ational program which meets the demands of its clientele and approaches equality of opportunity. GENERAL 1. Lobby the Federal government for a tax break for northern= ers. —— Hon. Tom Waterland, Minister of Forests and Hon. Don Chahot, Minister of Lands, Parks and Housing, and other members of the group toured United Hearne. They are shown here at the portal and inside the mill. 2. Provide better communication, either in terms of all- fina Jim Chahot observing Bill Trane tabling weather roads or rail service to the mineral producing areas. gold concentrate. | , must be a more equitable way of distributing the benefits — Cabinet Ministers listening to brief presentation. Cassiar Community Presents Brief The lee periods of road restrictions during break-up cost Cassiar Resources approximately $800,000 in 198 7, even _ though they stockpiled as much of their product a possible at the mine until restrictions vere lifted. Provice a Power source for developing mines with power at reasonable rates, thiswill give two advantages: (a) once a positive go ahead is given for power generation It will encourage mining companies to develgo (b) it will reduce the enormous drain on our non-renewable ~ energy resource — oil, Provide centres for the employees of mining companies _ which have at least the basic facilities that anybody else in _ British Columbia is used to. For instance, in Cassia the Company supports both the Hospital and Dental Clinic and in great part supports the recreation facilities. These are us- ed not only by Cassiar Resources’ employees, but also by employees of other mining companies, local Indian Bands, government employees and many other people in the area. By designating centres and perhaps having several mines working from that one centre this will, in turn, attract priv- ate industry and help the towns to grow and be self-supporte ing. The British Columbia government implement planning on a regional basis for northern B,C. and input from the resid- ents should be utilized. This would mean increased govern- ment involvement in the area, which would naturally down- play the Company’s involvement. _ 6. Proceed with incorporation of Cassiar, thereby giving the residents more input into the decisions that are made affect- ing their lives. R 7. Consider the need for a developed air strip within reason- able travelling distance of Cassiar. 8. _ Escalate their Highway 37 improvement costs sufficiently ” to complete the pavement of the entire highway. 9. Consider tax incentives and other means to attract indus- tries to the northern area of B.C. Some of the other means might include price equalization on priority items such as fuel, power, freight, etc. 10. Release lands in the Cassiar area for commercial, residential and recreational development. 77. Develop Cassiar as a regional centre, thereby eliminating } duplication of services existing in places such as Dease Lake Good Hope Lake, etc., which would in turn provide more . and better services in this sparsely settled area of northern B.C 712 Set up an information centre in Cassiar as there is a definite lack of communication between the people of northern B.C and the government. Most of the news and communication we receive is from the elected representative, Al Passarell, who is a member of the opposition. 13. Recogniz the contribution of the people, some of whom have spent major portions of their lives contributing to the develgoment of a northern resource which, in turn, contrib- utes to the economy of the province. 14, ‘The government view in all sincerity the unique characteris- tics of Cassiar and the surrounding district. a a i a a _ > 7 ( r x Cassiar Courier March 1982 Page 11 The entire Committee divided into three groups for a tour of the Cassiar mine. Here they are’ shown on their way to the Peak and looking down into the Pit. Paul Clark, Earl Anthony, Doug Little, Bob McClelland, Jack Heinrich and Ray Dykes at the entrance to the Cassiar Nill. Stefan Dyk explaining Cassiar mill operation to Bob McClelland and Jack Heinrich - Jack Heinrich, Minister of Labor, and Virginia Goodwin in the Mull Kaska Dena Council Brief Mr. Peter Stone, chairman of the Kaska Dena Council pre- sented a brief to outline their interests and concerns regarding major resOurce development. The brief requested political Sup- port so their claims can be dealt with ina Tair, just and exped- itious fashion. /t stated economic development was a basic responsibility of any government and that this should not have to wait for land claim settlements. The Kaska Dena Council requested the committee to con- sider setting up a regional corporation to provide training, management and capital for the economic development of their people. The brief requested clarification from the cabinet on the government's position regarding priority between the Liard or Stikine Hydro Project and that the Kaska Dena are irrevocably committed to. stalling. the ‘project until they have secured, through a negotiated settlement, recognition of their rights. a 7h Pe ae ates, aaa ee ————————eEOEEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeee minal 2 ee ——eE—eE—eeeEOEEeEEeEeEeE—eeE——eEEEeeeee —eneee ee ee