S TANDARD TERRACE
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$1.24 PLUS 6¢ GST
VOL. 26 NO. 2
www.terracestandard.com
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Miners converge on city MORE THAN 750 delegates have begun registering at the Terrace Sportsplex today, touching off the three-day Minerals North 2013 conference. And with more than 500 of those delegates coming from out of town, the event has resulted in full hotels and motels, fishing lodges and other forms of accommodation. By the numbers, it’s the best attended Minerals North convention in the 25 year history of the annual event, which promotes and celebrates northern British Columbia’s mineral development potential.
Evan van Dyk from the Terrace Economic Development Authority and one of the conference’s key coordinators, says the economic impact of the event can’t be understated. “It’s a great opportunity for businesses and people to showcase the city,” he said. “It’s very exciting.” The influx of people has had such an impact that van Dyk’s heard stories of businesspeople unconnected with Minerals North having to change their travel plans because they could not get a seat on an airplane flying into Terrace this week or even if they could get in, they
couldn’t find accommodation. “The delegates will be very visible. Unlike Roundup where you put 8,000 people into a large city, here they will be noticeable,” said van Dyk of an annual mining conference held in Vancouver. While a core group planned the event, which includes presentations from mining companies and others, van Dyk said nearly 75 volunteers are providing the ways and means to make the event happen. “There are very good volunteers in this city. I had always heard this was a good city for volunteers. It
wasn’t a struggle to find people, they’ve really stepped up,” he said. The general public has a chance tomorrow afternoon between 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to view the trade show portion of the conference at the Sportsplex. More than 100 booths occupied by mining companies and the companies that provide services to the industry can be visited. “It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the industry and for those interested in employment, they can learn what’s involved,” said van Dyk.
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Evan van Dyk
City sells Co-op land
staff PHOTO
■■ Violin virtuoso ecole mountainview student Julia Yoo warms up prior to a performance by her class in the Orff category of the Pacific Northwest Music Festival April 19 at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre. The annual event which draws competitors from around the region wound up April 20 with an evening gala performance at the theatre.
THE CITY is selling the majority of the former Terrace Co-op location on Greig Ave. between Emerson and Kalum to a Calgary-based hotel developer for $877,500. The company, Superior Lodging Corp. of Calgary, wants to build what it describes as a midscale establishment for business and travel, said company vice president Eric Watson. “We’re looking at approximately a 100-room hotel, meeting space between 1,500-2,000 square feet with an indoor pool and cool waterslide and fitness centre with pretty high end equipment with some retail,” Watson said. “We like the economic growth prospects of the region, that’s really why we are there. There are a lot of older motels so there was the opportunity to bring something fresh and new and modern into the market place.” Watson hopes to begin construction next spring on the 2.79 acre parcel but first has to wait for the city to obtain an environmental clean bill of health on the property and to subdivide the property. The hotel will most likely be four storeys high though that could change, Watson said. Not included in the land sale is a small portion on the corner of Emerson and Greig. A local company called the Skeena Brewing Company has an option to buy that portion where it wants to build a brew pub. Also not included is a strip of land reaching south from the corner of Greig and Kalum to the CN tracks. That’s been set aside for a public plaza and for a future cultural or community facility. A city-organized committee struck to determine uses for the property recommended a large portion of the property be set aside for a hotel or other development with the remainder set aside for community use.
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Veterans’ service
Close call
Caged in
Three Legion members honoured with Diamond Jubilee Medals \COMMUNITY A19
Local runner was in Boston Marathon when bombs went off \NEWS A9
Scenes from CFF’s debut amateur fight night in Terrace, B.C. \SPORTS A29