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Terrace Ba Schreiber Wednesday, June 18, 1986 yo Vol. 41, No. 24 Serving Terrace Bay, Schreiber and Rossport 35° CPR to be billed 'thousands' after being blamed for fire Canadian Pacific Rail will be billed for at least $100,000, if not more, by the Ministry of Natural Re- sources for fighting the May 21 Terrace Bay forest fire which, according to a recent MNR investigation, was caused by CP Rail. Al Johnson, Program Manager for Aviation and Fire Services with the Min- istry, said in an interview with the News on June 16 that such a billing pro- cedure is fairly routine in most fires where the cause can be pinpointed to one source and company. He explained that the _ MNR investigation report , concluded that the fire was ~ started as a result of main- tenance. operations on the CP Rail mainline to the east of Terrace Bay. Johnson refused to release any fur- ther details about the Min- istry report. ~ He did add that although there is still no concrete dollar and cent figure on the cost for battling the blaze, it was "obviously a fairly expensive fire" to fight, though only moderat- ely so compared to the much larger fires the Min- istry has also been involv- ed in over the past few weeks in the province. "The Terrace Bay fire didn't goon all that long, after all," he noted. "It was only just the one big day and then nine more be- fore (it was declared off- icially out)."' He did say the final cost, which won't be arrived at until this fall, will no doubt be in the '"'hundreds of thousands" of dollars and will almost certainly be at least over $100,000. Jim Barlow, CP Rail's public relations represent- ative in Toronto, said the company has yet to receive a copy of the MNR report or the bill. "This is a matter of not being able to comment on something you don't have yet,'" he said in an inter- view, also on June 16. He added that the company has asked for a copy of the re- port and that they are in contact with the Ministry. '*This is still a country where you have to have proof...you are still inn- ocent before being proved guilty,'? Barlow explained, noting that the company first heard about the pro- posed MNR bill through the media. Johnson said the MNR has contacted the company and added "they are ex- pecting a bill...they are aware of this." He admitted that if CP Rail disputes the MNR's findings, the matter could even go to court. "But I don't like to por- tray this as a unique situat- ion," Johnson stressed. He pointed out that the day be- fore the Terrace Bay forest fire there were five or six other blazes caused by the company, only "these were less significant." Approximately 500 town residents of the Terrace Heights subdivision had to be evacuated for a few hours during the height of the May 21 fire, which saw the destruction of between 200 and 250 hectares of forest to the east of the town. The fire was contained before it caused any prop- erty damage to the homes in that area. The land to which the fire spread after starting at the CP Rail line belongs to Kimberly-Clark of Canada. The MNR report will be forwarded to the Canadian Transport Commission, a source said. Concert held Selah, a Christian rock trio, appeared in concert at the Terrace Bay High School auditorium on June 12. The southern Ontario-based group's visit was sponsored by the Terrace Bay Gospel Assembly and was part of a week-long tour of the Lake Superior area. The band travels in cooperation with the Youth Ministries department of the Pentacostal Assemblies of Canada. (Photo by Conrad Felber) Schreiber Council approves 6% budget hike There will be a straight four per cent increase in this year's budget for the township of Schreiber over last year's budget, accord- ing to the figures present- ed at the June 10 meeting of Schreiber Council. With the school board tax port- ion, though, the total in- crease will be approximat- ely six per cent. The budget, which calls for a total tax levy of $476,822 as the municipal- ity's share of operating ex- penditures for this year, was discussed for the first time and later passed at the meeting. Town clerk-treasurer Aurel Gauthier explained to Council that the in- Reeve wins award Terrace Bay Reeve Ollie Chapman was presented with the very first Corps D'Elite Ontario Regional Award by town Recreation Consultant lan Smith, representing the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation. The award was given to Chapman at a dinner party on June 8 held to thank her for her 25 years of volunteer service. creases will vary, depen- ding on whether a taxpayer is a public school or sep- arate school supporter. He used a public school supporter with a home ass- essed at $43,000 as one ex- ample. That taxpayer will be faced with a tax bill this year of $893, with $510 worth to go to the town- ship itself and the rest, $383, to go to the public school board. The school tax portion in that example was $351 last year. Separate school support- ers, on the other hand, will find a slightly smaller tax bill this year because the school tax portion is less, compared to the school tax increase brought down last month by the public school board. With a $43,000 home, which Gauthier said is typ- ical for Schreiber, a sep- arate school ratepayer would have the same $510 municipal bill, but only an additional $305 in school taxes this year compared to a figure of $297 in 1985. Gauthier pointed out that Council worked long and hard to keep the increase down to four per cent. "If you want to keep it at four per cent, though, you may have to rob Peter to pay Paul," he added. 'Don't say Peter!"' said Fire Chief Peter Doig, who was at the meeting. A total of $66,000 was provided in~ the 1986 budget for com- pletion of the interior of the new town Fire Hall. ""Last year was a really tough year," Councillor Tom Quinton said. "We spent a lot of money (on) the Centennial." Schreiber celebrated its 100th anniv- ersary in 1985. "This year we are just going to take it easy," he added, saying the 1986 budget will be one of "housekeeping."' "I think it's a good bud- get," Reeve Mike Cos- grove said at the meeting. "It's one we can work with at least." Afterwards, in an inter- view with the News, Reeve Cosgrove said the budget does contain a number of projects and programs for this year. "'We will continue to develop the North End sub- division, for one," he ex- plained. "We plan to re- route the creek to make more use of the land there' ...that will free up five lots, anyway." That project is scheduled to get started as early as next week. The storm sewer project for Hill Street is also plann- ed for later this year, as is the ball park renovation, which has been priced at up to $79,300. The school board will be supplying a fence for that project. General town beautific- ation will also continue this year, Reeve Cosgrove pro- mised, with a green belt set for Ethel Street. Overcrowded events a problem: Krause By Conrad Felber Bob Krause, Schreiber Councillor, said at the June 10 meeting of Township Council that the town may lose its licence to hold events at its Recreation Complex because some re- cent wedding receptions have had crowds in excess of the legal limit. '*That limit is 407 in the Recreation Hall," he told Council. "At least that's how many seats are set up. What they're doing is over- loading the legal capacity after the dinner is over." He pointed out that at one recent event the legal capacity of the hall was ex- ceeded by 60 people. "'T wouldn't like to see our facility shut down,"' he warned. He also pointed out that the town's Rec- reation Director, Ron Larivee, has been "'getting flak over this...they're all blaming him, and it's not even his fault." Councillor Tom Quinton said Larivee had warned him this might happen. ""We may have to look at a new system," he add- ed, suggesting the stamp- ing of hands as one poss- ibility to prevent people from entering after the re- ception has started. Fire chief Peter Doig agreed that a problem ex- ists. He said the right number of people are seated at the banquet, but then more people come for the dance afterwards, and there is just no control of admittance at the door. "If we stamp hands, the Recreation (Committee) will have to hire extra peo- ple to do that, and that'll cost the people even more money," Krause noted. ""We'll have to come up with something," Mike Cosgrove, Reeve for the township said. '"We've got three or four more wedding receptions coming up."' "If our costs are increas- ed, we'll have to increase our rate for the Rec hall," Krause stressed. Doig pointed out that earlier this month a hall was closed in Thunder Bay for the same overcrowding problem. The difficulty at the hall in Schreiber is compound- ed because groups renting the hall and knowing they will have a large crowd on hand don't want to spend any extra money to rent the larger arena area at the complex, Council was told. The consensus reached at the meeting was that the matter would be investigat- ed and discussed again at a future Council meeting. In other Council matters at the June 10 meeting, the town clerk was requested to write to the Ministry of Transportation and Com- munications in Toronto to point out the "poor qual- ity" of paving done recent- ly on the section of High- way 17 between Fire Hill and Pays Plat. Council indicated that the July Schreiber Council meeting will be held one week later than usual. In- stead of July 8, the meet- ing will be held on July 15. It was noted that a large water leak at Figliomeni's Trailer Park has been re- paired. Preliminary plans are being prepared for a town Dog Pound, clerk continued on page 2