18 Wednesday, March 4, 1992 & Nine tF IVE BOOSTER SHOT B.C. Hydro earnings are being boosted by favorable exchange rates and low interest rates. Hydro credits those rates as important factors in a $38 million improvement to the utility’s earnings for the nine months ended Dec. 31, 1991. Net income for the first three quatters of the fiscal year was $173 million, Hydro said in a news release. THROUGH THE ROOF Spring came early for the Vancouver real estate market. this year as house sales shot up by 63 per cent last month over January sales to post the strongest month since May, 1991. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver reported Monday that 3,599 homes were sold on the multiple listing service in February, compared with 2,207 in January and 2,586 in February 1991. GROWTH SPURT Small businesses are showing strong growth in 1992 across the Lower Mainland with firms employing under 25 people showing the highest growth WorRPLACE | Selling The City Local Development Board puts Castlegar on a pedestal Jonathan Green NEWS REPORTER Don’t stop and think if you see Richard Maddocks and Harry Stan waving a Castlegar flag. It’s their job. The two are. executive directors with the Castlegar and District Development Board and have been since 1986... Going largely unnoticed, the board works quietly behind the scenes to promote local development and the quality of life at the Crossroads of the Kootenays. : The roots for the board go back to 1983, when the city established the Castlegar Development Commission with one thing in mind. “It was approved by city council to develop some kind of marketing plan for the industrial park,” Maddocks said. After extensive research and planning, the commission approached council in 1986 and said that promoting Castlegar itself would be advantageous in selling the industrial park. “Basically, we had to market the whole area,” Maddocks said. The board receives annual operating funds of some $150,000 from three primary sources: the city, the regional district and the province. With that money, Stan says the board does its best to sell Castlegar and area, largely “close to home. “We promote Castlegar in a regional context,” he said. And by doing that, Maddocks says the payoff is greater. “You get more bang for your buck,” he said. A lot of the board’s projects involve government ministries, from dealing with Energy and Mines about the Keenleyside Dam to Transportation and Highways about the Robson Bridge. Because of this, Maddocks gays that — so far — 1992 has busy. “It started off with a bang right after New Year’s and it With a lot going on in and around Castlegar, Richard Mad executive directors of the Castlegar and District Developme prospective businesses on the idea of calling Castlegar home. docks and Harry Stan have been busy. As nt Board, they spend a lot of time selling News photo by Jonathan Green ™ Wednesday, March 4, 1992 just hasn’t let up,” he-said, adding that it looks to be a continuing trend. “It’s going to be an interesting year.” Stan said that with issues like the Westar purchase and the Robson ferry decision making the headlines, Castlegar is getting a fair bit of news coverage. “Provincially, we're getting a lot of exposure,” he said. “The profile of the community has been raised dramatically.” Although it isn’t in the headlines, Maddocks says the Celgar Pulp Co. expansion is largely responsible for industry es shifting to C: ey astlegar. “What it meant to the community is economic stability for 10 to 20 years,” he said. “It really helps to promote the community.” And because of that, Stan says the number of companies interested in moving into the area has increased sharply. “That’s what industry wants,” he said. “They want a stable labor force.” In a country where the government refuses to acknowledge the existence of recession, Maddocks says the ‘R’ word was felt here, despite the bright prospects “It slowed the potential growth we could have seen,” he said. And ina province where the recession has some industry towns licking their wounds — like troubled Cassiar — Stan says Castlegar is bucking the trend. “This community wants to grow,” he said. “It’s thinking forward.” With the board approaching its sixth birthday in July, Maddocks says he is happy with what he has seen happen in the area. “We're very pleased with the activity that has taken over the last five years,” he said, adding that the board can’t rest on its laurels. - “There are a lot of promising things happening here. It’s a matter of capitalizing on them.” ‘WKP powers in on big savings West Kootenay Power achieved cumulative energy savings of 15,700,000 kW.h in 1991, exceeding its year- end target by 16 per cent. Now in. its third year, WKP’s PowerSmart initia- tive has made energy effi- ciency inroads into every cus- tomer class. The savings rep- resent enough electricity to power 1150 residences. only 5 per cent of the market two years ago, account for over 50 per cent in 1991. To- tal financial incentives from WKP under these programs have amounted to $242,000. As part of WKP’s continu- ing commitment to energy management, the company is participating in a collabora- tive study, which began in 1991, to identify conserva- “It is very satisfying for us to know that our programs are meeting our customers energy conservation expectations.’ — WKP President Joe Drennan “Achieving our energy effi- ciency goals requires not on- ly technical expertise, but the full support of our cus- tomers,” said Joe Drennan, President and CEO of West Kootenay Power. “We provide the incentives, but our cus- tomers provide the impetus. “It is very satisfying for us to know that our programs are meeting our customers energy conservation expecta- tions. That, I believe, is the reason for PowerSmart’s strong showing in 1991, and will be critical to its success in the years to come.” Response to residential programs continues to be high. WKP has performed 3200 HomeGuard audits of electrically heated homes and 900 customers have com- pleted substantial conserva- tion upgrades. Another 5,200 customers have purchased energy efficient appliances. The company has provided $1,020,000 in financial re- bates under these programs and $743,000 in low interest loans. Largely driven by PowerS- mart initiatives, compact flu- orescent lights are now avail- able at competitive prices in most retail lighting outlets. Efficient motors, which had tion potential in British Co- lumbia. A significant legislative breakthrough occurred in 1991 when Power Smart, in conjunction with the Provin- cial Government, helped shape improvements in the Building Code and imple- ment provincial standards of energy efficiency of electrical appliances. As a result, levels of energy efficiency previous- ly encouraged by financial re- bates are now mandated by law through B.C.s New En- ergy Efficiency Act. Energy experts performed audits on the company's own facilities and have identified - and implemented measures that will save up to 30 per. cent of WKPs own internal energy use. Work is ongoing in this regard. Over the long term, Pow- erSmart programs will help mitigate the pressures of load growth by ensuring wise consumption by both existing and new electric customers. That means energy and fi- nancial. savings for cus- tomers and the company. Over the next decade, West Kootenay Power expects to reduce consumption by 100 million kW.h through Pow- erSmart. CERTIFIED GENERAL ACCOUNTANT 270 Columbia Avenue Castlegar - 365-2151 Surgenor & Rogers CERTIFIED GENERAL ACCOUNTANTS Morrison Painting & Insulation ¢ Blown Insulation ° Batts & Poly DUNCAN MORRISON 650-5th Avenue 365-5255 1444 C Avenue, Casth B.C. NEIL E. SURGENOR, C.G.A. RESIDENT PARTNER Bus. 365-7208 Res. 365-3908 ‘ We're out to A Federal Business Development Bank f representative will be 4 paying your com- ¥ munity a visit in the Ze next few days. Call today and meet you! arrange an appoint- 3 ment to discuss finan- + Y cing and management § services (counselling, planning and training). At Castlegar on March 11, 1992 B Ls Banque wffr- <-* _- COMMITTED TO YOUR SUCCESS langues officielles. SCHARF CARPENTRY > + CONTRACTING + FINISH CARPENTRY + FRAMING + CABINETS + CLOSET ORGANIZERS + DECKS "FREE ESTIMATES” Phone Chris at 365-7718 C apie ONS TRUey, RENOVATIONS + INDUSTRIAL - AGRICULTURAL For more information, call your Authorized Garco Builder Midwest Construction Services Ltd. 365-8410 Box 1633, Creston, B.C. 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