Wednesday, January 22, 1992 @

City says ‘no’
to pesticides

@ Pesticide spraying not.
wanted by Castlegar
Scott David Harrison

’s official.

Following the lead of sever- «

al West Kootenay communi-
ties, Castlegar city council op-
posed pesticide spraying along
area highways.

Council unanimously re-
jected a request Tuesday from
Boultbee Pest Control Ltd.
seeking permission to spray
pesticides in the West Koote-

nay. ae

It took all of two minutes
for council to agree to draft a
letter rejecting the Penticton-
based company’s request filed
with the Regional District of
Central Kootenay.

By rejecting the permit,
Castlegar joins Rossland,
Grand Forks and the RDCK.
The Regional District. of
Kootenay Boundary has with-
held a decision pending its
own investigation.

Prior to Tuesday’s decision,
the city contacted the health
unit to study the chemicals to
be used in the proposed spray-

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CASTLEGAR SAT. JAN. 25
TRAIL SUN., JAN. 26.
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ing — Clean Crop Simazine,
Karmex, Roundup, Amsol 500
and Glean.

(Roundup is being used in
Castlegar, but city officials
have assured that it is used
primarily for pavefent edges
and sidewalk cracks.)

The health unit study de-
termined that if used properly,
the chemicals held low hazard
ratings.

What captured Castlegar’s
attention, though, was the
unit’s statement that the
chemicals should not be used
in ground water levels.

“We don’t want any pesti-

‘cides near ground water or

even surface water,” Ald.
Lawrence Chernoff said prior
to the vote. :

The RDCK is expected to
make a decision on Boutlbee’s

_ application in

CourtNEWS

Trevor Peter Planden was
fined $100 and prohibited
from driving for three months
for driving without due care
and attention.

Bluetop
Burger

All Our Prices include the G.S.T.
NEW HOURS OCT. 1 - 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
1521 Columbia Ave. 365-8388
Call. Ahead Drive Through Service

ANA-KIT HOLDERS
PLEASE NOTE:

Miles Canada Inc. has issued a recall notice on
the following Lot Numbers:
ANA Kit. Lot # AK274
ANA Kit. Lot # AK275
ANA Kit. Lot # AK279
Also Epinephrine Refill Syringes S218, S219,
$221 & S223 are being recalled.
if you are holding stock the above lot numbers,
please return them to your pharmacy.

Strike has road work at a dead end

Jonathan Green
NEWS REPORTER

What do you get when you
combine a strike by highway
maintenance workers and
sriow?

Chaos.

Winter driving in southern

- British Columbia became all

that more hazardous this
week when maintenance
workers walked off the job.
At 4:30 a.m. Monday, Em-
con Services employees took to
the picket lines after rejecting
a weekend contract proposal

from the company.

Cliff Andstein said from
Vancouver that negotiations.
between the two sides began
in Kamloops at 8:30 a.m.Tues-
day.

“The union wants a collec-
tive agreement,” said the B.C.
Government Employees
Union director of negotiations.
“The employer has a bunch of
concessions on the table.”

Unlike last summer’s
postal workers strike, And-
stein said that work would not
continue on a rotating basis.

He said snow removal would
occur only in emergencies.

“We have an agreement

promising emergency service

‘to the RCMP, ambulances and
fire departments,” he said.

With snowfall hitting sever-
al regions of the province
Tuesday morning, the Min-
istry of Transport and High-
ways announced closures of
some major routes. Among
them was the Coquihalla
Highway between Hope and
Merritt. i

THURS... JAN. 23rd!

Discount given at point of
sale. FBC cards are honoured
for stamping on these days,
but not for redemption.

310 Columbia Ave., Castlegar

Phone: 365-3255

HOURS:

Thurs. 9:30-5:30 ¢ Fri. 9:30-9:00 ¢ Sat. 9:30-5:30

@ Wednesday, January 22, 1992

Jonathan Green
NEWS REPORTER

The Regional District of
Central Kootenay has
shelved plans to recover ad-
ministrative costs.

In November, the nine
municipal and 11 ‘rural di-
rectors voted to consider ap-
plying fees to the 152 ser-
vices receiving district
funding.

Through a $9.50 levy on
all cheques written by a
particular service, the dis-
trict hoped to recover some
$156,000. But at the Jan. 11
meeting, the board chose to
put the plan on hold until
1993.

“The board decided that’s
the way they wanted to go
with it,” RDCK Chief
Administration Officer Reid
Henderson said.

Henderson said that al-
though the “cost-apportion-
ment” plan was retired, the
board voted to pursue an-
other option — liability in-
surance.

In the past, cost of insur-
ing particular services was
covered by the RDCK. But
under a new plan,.costs will
be split between the service
and the district.

The implementation of
that plan gives facilities
such as the Castlegar and
District Community

RDCK rejects recovery plan

Complex some breathing
room, Complex director Pat
Metge said Tuesday.

Metge said if the cheque
service charges had been
adopted, the five compo-
nents of the complex would
have faced an additional
$30,000 in annual costs.
Under the new plan, the
complex faces a $10,000 in-
crease for liability insur-
ance.

“It’s a realistic cost,” he
said. “We don’t have a prob-
lem with it.”

Metge said he hoped the
board would re-evaluate
over the course of 1992 the
proposed cost-apportion-
ment plan.

Fate of Kinnaird in
hands of supporters

Scott David Harrison
EDITOR ,
innaird Hall has survived for another day. ‘

Castlegar city council Tuesday moved to place the fate of the
aging structure into the hands of the public.

Council agreed to rescind its plan to have the 50-year-old
landmark closed and scrapped. Instead, against mounting pres-
sure from user groups and building supporters, council has
agreed to a plan that may save the Kinnaird Hall.

The plan allows council to examine the lease or sale of Kin-
naird Hall. In addition, the lease or sale of the hall comes with
certain criteria attached. First, in the event of a sale, the city
must get market value for the structure and land. Second, cur-
rent users group would be allowed to stay. Third, minimum ren-
ovations would be done to ensure the hall meets safety and
health requirements.

A decision on'the halll’s sale or lease is expected in February

Library closed for area residents

Jonathan Green
NEWS REPORTER

User fees are continuing to scare off Area I
and J residents who want to access the Castle-
gar and District Public Library.

Since 1990, homeowners in the two outlying
areas have had to pay an annual fee of $50 to
use the local library. City homeowners, mean-
while, can use the facility free of charge thanks
to Castlegar tax dollars.

Ron Norman says the user fees are unfair
and he wants them scrapped.

“If they want to use the library, they have to
pay $50,” said Norman, the library. association
chairperson. “What we’re saying is that the li-
brary should be free.”

Until 1990, Norman said 20 to 25 per cent
of the library members came from the outlying
areas, yet the $20 annual user-fee they paid
covered only three to five per cent of library

He added that area homeowners rejected a
1989 counter-petition which would have in-
cluded them in the regional tax base for library

“The library had no alternative but to raise
the fee,” he said:

Norman said there is residential support for
a recent library board proposal to bring the
once-rejected referendum back to life, but re-
gional directors Kenneth Wyllie and John
Voykin say that the people have to speak first.

Wyllie, director for Area J, says now is not —

the time for a referendum

“I don’t think there’s enough public support
to warrant a referendum,” he said.“If it failed,
Ithink it would undermine community support
for the library.”

Area I director Voykin agreed, saying that
if a referendum was to be held it would come at
the will of the people, not the library board.

“The residents need to give me an indication
they’re interested in the library.”

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Highway 6
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pipe? Deduce Whodunnit?

Who killed Ethel Priggham? Was it Madge LaMarr
with an ice pick or was it Dash Riprock with a lead

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+ ©Neal McKenna, 1992