A2_Castlegar News November 17, 1990 LOCAL/PROVINCIAL NEWS BRIEFLY And inci: of Pool vandalism called minor Reports of.vandalism at the Castlegar Aquatic Centre are off the mark, recreation coordinator Verona Walker said. Ald. Albert Calderbank told Castlegar city council this week that a number of serious acts of vandalism have occurred recently at the But Walker told the Castlegar News vandalism at the pool has been minor since the facility opened in January. i at the C Walker said. whole appear to have declined since the Aquatic Centre was built, She said vandalism in the pool area has consisted mainly of minor i in the i Complex as a rooms knocked off such as soap the walls. DBA calls meeting on plan will have a of the D DBA president Jack Parkin said. rates. chance this week to see a draft copy of the strategy plan being prepared as the first step in revitalizing Castlegar’s downtown core, The DBA has scheduled a meeting for Nov. 22 at Jenny’s Cafe to discuss the draft plan. The meeting gets underway at 6:30 p.m. ICBC predicts rate increase VANCOUVER — Prepare for another increase in car insurance Premiums will probably go up 41% per cent next year because of rising accident rates and the looming federal goods and services, the president of the Insurance Corp. of B.C. said in a news release. Three per cent of the rate increase will cover claims and benefits, while another 1% per cent will cover the GST, said Tom Holmes. Auto ii for three-q Passenger vehicles will rise less than $50 next year, said Holmes. In 1990, said Holmes, B.C. motorists set another record for the number of claims reported in a year. The total is expected to exceed 800,000 compared to 739,000 in 1989. Plant closure meeting sought Trail Mayor Marc aprabrvas said an official with the Ministry of of B.C.'s private and city for a meeting with ae concerned”’ about the impending closure of the Johnson-Matthey plant in Warfield. i of the ic Di has been asked to come to his Mag60lin, who is also some of whom live in Castlegar. Health. Children’s Centre in Castlegar. Friday. Commission, said he is waiting for word after meeting with the ministry’s director of regional planning in Victoria on Thursday. Johnson-Matthey announced last month that the electronic materials plant will close at the end of the year due to a decline in the electronic materials market. The plant employs about 95 workers, Society hires speech therapist The Kootenay Columbia Child Care Society has announced the hiring of a speech therapist through funding from the Ministry of The sociey has hired Ilse Murray who will be based at Hobbit Hill This is a one-quarter time position. Murray will serve the catchment area of the Castlegar school district. Referrals-are being accepted from public health nurses, doctors, preschool teachers, infant development consultants and parents, the child care society says in a news release. If people have any questions, they may call the society Monday to Attitudes will strengthen B.C. during recession VANCOUVER (CP) — The current recession will not strike British Columbia as hard as Central Canada, but a major problem will be how view it, “In the face of higher inflation, we may find a significant portion of B.C. labor taking a more militant stance since they had years of wage consultant George Pedersson said. “Consumers make up two-thirds of the provincial economy,’” he told the Association of Professional Economists of British Columbia an- below inflation." Strikes would do significant damage to the slowing economy, he said, and corporate profits next year would also be weak. Pedersson and other economists nuat “If they see newspaper headlines about recession in Ontario and Quebec, there is a possibility this may mean people here will not give enough credence to the fact that B.C. is doing relatively well.’” That would worsen the province’s economic slowdown, he said In addition, about 300,000 B.C. workers were due to have their con- tracts renegotiated during 1991, Pedersson said Bosse's Central Foods Prices effective Nov. 19-Nov. 24) Fields (Prices effective Nov. 21-Dec. 2) Overwaitea (Prices effective Nov. 18-Nov. 24) Shoppers Prices effective Nov. 20-Nov. 24) SuperValu (Prices effective Nov. 19-Nov. 24) Woolco (Prices effective Nov. 19-Nov. 25) Zellers (Prices effective Nov. 21-Nov. 25) also- concern that John Crow, governor of the Bank—of Canada, would not slacken the current tight monetary policy soon enough in his battle against inflation. Keeping the monetary brakes on too long would worsen the down- turn, they said. Pedersson predicted a two-per-cent growth in British Columbia this year, compared with a national forecast of minus one per cent. He said next year, he expects provincial growth of 1.5 to two per cent, compared with 0.5 per cent at the national level. LOTTERIES The $1,000,000 winning number in Friday’s Provincial lottery draw was 1227807. The winning numbers drawn Thur- sday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 3, 15, 19, 22, 28, 29, 36 and 42. The winning numbers in Wed- nesday’s Lotto 649 draw for an estimated $1.9 million jackpot were 21, 26, 29, 31, 46 and 47. The bonus number was 14. The four Extra winning numbers . for British Columbia on Wednesday werre 4, 42, 78 and 85 A match on all four numbers wins $500,000. Three numbers wins $1,000. Two numbers wins $10. One number wins $1 The winning numbers drawn Wednesday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 9, 10, 22, 28, 30, 40, 47 and 56. In the event of a discrepancy bet- ween these numbers and the official winning numbers list, the latter shall prevail. Agreement calls for VICTORIA (CP) — The B.C. government accepted a proposed federal-provincial agreement cutting spending to replant logged areas by a third in the hopes it can win other concessions, says Forests Minister Claude Richmond. “*We are not and have never been happy with the propsed second, five- year, $200-million Forest Resource Development Agreement shared 50- 50,"" he said in a statement released agreement shared 50-50."" The proposed agreement calls for the federal and provincial gover- nments to spend $100 million less than in the previous five-year deal. It covers replanting logged areas and tending young forests. Federal Forestry ister Frank Oberle said Wednesday he hopes the new agreement will be signed by the end of the year. After repeated attempts to negotiate more federal money, the $200 million was accepted on a ver- bal commitment for a significant “forestry component in the federal green fund,’’ said Richmond, who was away from his office at a family funeral. The federal announcement on the green fund holds the key to final ac- Sunfest planning underway What will the theme of Sunfest 91 ? Ross Hawse, president of the Castlegar Festivals Society and Sun- fest 90 chairman, plans to make the announcement at the conclusion of the society’s annual general meeting Nov. 28. Sunfest, held the first weekend in June, changes its theme each year. And each year the people and businesses in the community can be relied upon to provide a great deal of support for all the Sunfest activities, the festivals society says in a news release. At the annual meeting, to be held at the Castlegar Chamber of Com- merce board room, all directors and committee people will be giving brief. reports on Sunfest 90 activities and a new board of directors will be elec- ted. Hawse said there are a minimum of seven director poistions available and that new people have already expressed interest in carrying on with Sunfest. The society will accept, with regret, the resigniations of two direc- tors, Robin Clarke and Rob Moller. Both have taken positions with com- panies out of the area, the festivals society says. At the conclusion of the meetings, the elected directors will sort out the executive positions of president, vice- president, recording secretary and treasurer. The Sunfest committee Positions will also be appointed and the first meeting of Sunfest 91 will be held. All positions with the society ‘ure-volunteer-and-anyone-who-is_in- terested in helping in any way with Sunfest should plan to attend the meeting or contact Hawse at the radio station. Any groups interested in hosting an event should ensure that they send a representative to the meeting. Decisions about events will be made quickly since this year’s Sunfest dates have already been set for May 31, June 1 and 2, the festivals society says. One of the keys to a successful Sunfest is fundraising. Aside from the money raised in the sale of but- tons and programs, the society receives money from the city to stage and host the parade and from cor- porate sponsors for specific events. In four years, the society’s budget has risen to over $30,000 from $3,000. This year there will be a renewed emphasis on fundraising. Hawse said a lot of options are already being explored and more work will be done after the annual meeting. And the theme? In 1990, theme was Mexican Sunfiest 1989 it was Pioneer Days, in 1988 it was Salute to Australia and in 1987 it was Rainbows and Roses. Hawse refused to speculate what the 1991 theme will be but earlier this fall the provincial gSvernment announ- ced that Castlegar would be hosting a concert as part of Music 91. “Once we announce the theme, we will again have a contest to design a lottery button and be well on our way to planning another weekend of fun Sunfest activitits for our residen- ts, friends and visitors,’’ Hawse said. ceptance by the B.C. government, he said. “I will await details of the an- nouncement, which will no doubt recognize the significant value of British Columbia’s large and ecologically diverse forest resource to the wealth of the environment,” his statement says. q “It’s at least gogd news the federal and provincial governments reached a further agreement,’’ Jack Munro, president of IWA- Canada, the union that represents forest workers. “But it’s a bloody disgrace and truly a pittance to the amount of money which the forest industry brings into the governments’ 4 fers.” The industry brings $20 billion a year in export dollars to the federal cuts government, he said, and “‘puts $500 million a year into the back pockets of the provincial government.” The $200 million falls far short of what is needed, said Greg Jadrzyk, vice-president of the Northern In- terior lumber sector of the Council on Forest Industries. “We've been lobbying for about a year for $700 million over the next five years, $350 million from cach government he said. ‘The $200 million won't put a dent in the problem. The long-term prognosis is Oberle said the federal government paid for half of the expired package, but could come up with only $100 million this time. He wanted British Columbia to double its contribution to make the package equal to the 1985-1990 deal. HOOKING UP Stan Enge hooks up the gas meter at the new Chevron station being built on Columbia Avenue beside the Sandman Inn. CosNews photo by Donne Zuber Ferry continued from front pege But he said no one should consider a bridge to be a certainty. Few things happen without ‘‘some agitation,” he pointed out. And if the Celgar project does not go ahead, promotion of the bridge will become more important, Siemens said. “It (a bridge) would not be a priority with the government if the pulp mill does not proceed.’’ However, Siemens said he believes that a bridge will become a necessity in the future if traffic in the area in- creases. Siemens added that he agrees with Dalton’s suggestion that the bridge should be built before the mill ex- pansion begins to make it easier to move ‘new equipment to the con- struction site. If the project goes ahead, “thousands of tons of construction equipment will be coming into Castlegar,"’ Dalton said in a letter to Siemens in October. “It cannot come by rail for there Westar continued from front page been setting records almost daily. High production keeps the com- pany’s costs down because the cost of running the sawmill is spread over the volume of products the mill produces, he said. If the volume is high, operating costs are propor- tionally smaller, he said. Madiung said Westar will not clear snow from some of its logging roads production as frequently as usual in an effort to cut winftr road maintenance costs. Allowing snow to pile up on the roads in areas where snowfall is not expected to be heavy, rather than Clearing those roads on a regular basis, will save money, he said. Westar shut down all logging operations from Mica Creek to Castlegar in mid-October because of the depressed lumber market. The shutdown affected about 400 loggers and truckers. is no longer a direct rail link between Castlegar and Vancouver and Calgary. The equipment will all have to come by truck. Presently, all this traffic would come through down- town Castlegar “If the Robson-to-Castlegar bridge construction could start now, this problem could be avoided, and the needed Robson-to-Castlegar link realized for the benefit of Robson, Raspberry, Brilliant and Castlegar Citizens." Story__ continued from front pege portant for us to get to work, and to take the time necessary to make our reviews. “I just wanted people to have every assurance in that regard."* The panel is currently deliberating over whether or not to recommend approval of Celgar’s project after 14 “Once we have drawn our con- clusions we will submit them to the federal and British Columbia ministers, in accordance with the panel's terms of reference,” Bodkin told the Castlegar News. November 17, 1990 Castlegar News LOCAL NEWS Special to the Castlegar News Castlegar citizens were a big hit with delegates from the Japanese sister city of Embetsu during their visit to the Crossroads of the Kootenays earlier this fall. “We were impressed by the warm and heartfelt welcome by many citizens at the airport,” Embetsu Mayor Yoshiyuki Sasaki says in a letter to Mayor Audrey Moore. Sasaki goes on to say that the relationship between the two Embetsu mayor praises visit to Castlegar that we cannot have in Embetsu . - We think the natural en- vironment you have is one of the many treasurers of the City of Castlegar."" Sasaski again thanked Moore and the city for tie gift of a han- dmade quilt, which he said hangs on the wall of the Embetsu city hall ‘‘so that all citizens in Em- betsu have a chance to see and feel our sister city.”” Sasaki said the ‘‘most touching’’ experience the was through many occasions” such as the reception at Selkirk College the commemorative tree planting at Zuckerberg Island and the dinner and entertainment at the Brilliant Cultural Centre. “Especially the dinner and en- tertainments at the (Brilliant Cultural Centre) was an exciting experience for all of us,’’ Sasaki writes. ‘‘I still recall the splendid the (Doukhobor) Sasaki added that the houseboat tour on the Arrow Lakes was ‘‘a very relaxing time had was at the com- munity barbecue at the Com- munity Complex where the Debra Tompkins Dancers and the Old- time Fiddlers performed. “We really enjoyed dancing with children in traditional clothes and listening to the nice tunes of the Oldtime Fiddlers. We believe. the occasion such as this one is the most desirable way to extend our relationship into a larger circle.”” Finally, Sasaki thanked all of the citizens of Castlegar ‘‘for the efforts you made to make our trip meaningful.”” Embetsu Mayor Yoshiyuki Sasaki, seen here with Mayor Audrey Moore during a visit to Castlegar earlier this fall, has written to the c! Seentiag te residents for rts in making the trip meaningful ste the Japanese Embetsu is Castlegar’ 's sister city and Aoyama is the Selkirk College. CosNews tile photo NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFLY From Wire Service highest rate since April. increases, Statistics Canada said. tise. On Thursday, the key central well as bakery and dairy products. “An annual increase ih property higher housing costs and the sharp the advance in transportation costs. Inflation up sharply to 4.8% OTTAWA — Higher gasoline prices caused by the Persian Gulf crisis helped push the inflation rate in October to 4.8 per cent, up sharply from 4.2 per cent in each of the three previous months and the Prices jumped by 0.8 per cent between September and October with all seven components of the consumer price index posting The two largest increases were in housing which rose by 0.8 per cent and transportation which accounted for one third of the overall taxes was the explanation for! ~i« rise i line prices was behind Laie io from 12.49 per cent. Economists said the marginal decline was a sign that bank governor John Crow remains concerned about inflation. Crow is worried that higher oil prices, the goods and services tax and strong wage increases may cause inflationary prices to boil over, said Ernie Stokes, director of Canadian services at the WEFA Group, an independent economic research firm The rate announced Friday is the Ihighest since April when inflation was reported at 5.0 per cent The agency reported that food prices in October rose 0.5 per cent, largely due to higher prices for fresh vegetables, beef and pork cuts as Tough laws called advantageous CALGARY — Alberta’s pulp and paper industry is on the brink of stimulating the same sort of economic activity as the province's oil boom in the late 1970s, an industry executive said “*The tough environmental legislation in Alberta is working to our advantage,"’ Greg Nielsen of Millar Western Pulp Ltd. told the Calgary chapter of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering. “Pulp buyers from around the world are insisting on New Clean Air Act signed WASHINGTON (CP) — With the stroke of a pen Thursday, President George Bush ended a decade of Canadian frustration by signing a major environmental law that com- mits the United States to cleaning up its acid rain problems. At a ceremony in the ornate East Room of the White House, Bush Signed the revi Clean Air. Act, ‘will-evern y reduce by Heif the sulphur dioxide emissions that flow from the U.S. Midwest and cause acid rain damage in Eastern Canada. “This legislation is not only in America’s interest,’’ said Bush. **Like so many of the environmental issues that we are working on, this bill is in the interest of people all over the world.’” Canadian Ambassador Derek Bur- Mey was a guest at the ceremony and Bush said Burney’s presence represented ‘this countrymen’s con- cern for our common environment." In Ottawa, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney welcomed the signing as a major step toward a cleaner en- vironment in North America. “The Clean Air Act is a significant victory for those who worked so hard for so many years to revise U.S. the environmental facilities at plants as a condition to placing orders. “‘Alberta’s industry is one of the toughest regulated in the world said. Pacific Forest Industries cous create 1,100 jobs and a fortune in economic spinoffs. The bleached-kraft mill is planned near Athabasca, a 200 north of Edm softwood lumber producers. be under Environment Minister Ralph Klein is expected to decide by the end of the year if the project will proceed. The costs of making a mill environmentally state-of-the-art is an additional $3 million, but money well spent, Nielsen said. Tariff enforcement pledged WASHINGTON — Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher has pledged to enforce tariffs that -help Americans compete with Canadian “Events in Canada suggest that the phaleerairs of Canada may the four- Pressure to “We are firmly committed . small-business subcommittee. billion US. U.S. lumber. said the 1986 agr and appropriate to enforce the terms of the agreement,"* letter Thursday to Rep. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) chairman of a House year-old memo of eae on fumber # trade, Mosbacher said. . and will take any action necessary he wrote in a (Canada agreed in 1986 to impose a 15 per cent surtax on lumber exports to the United States to offsest what American companies claimed were subsidies Canadian producers receive from their governments. Canada supplied about 28 per cent of the softwood lumber consumed in the United States last year, worth nearly $2.8 Lawmakers in the American Northwest are afraid the export duties will be weakened, allowing Canadians to undercut prices for has become a ‘‘political $128 more under the GST. target’’ in Canada because of mill closures, the stronger Canadian dollar and fear of a market downturn. GST will apply to funerals OTTAWA — No one gets an exemption from death, and death will get no exemption from the goods and services tax. Conservative senators defeated a Liberal amendment to exempt funerals from GST. The 52-46 vote om the amendment brought the tax closer to a final vote in the Senate. “We're disappointed,” said Bob Schaffner of the Funeral Service Association of Canada, which says the average $3,200 funeral will cost "* he said in a written statement. ‘‘It deals comprehensively with acid rain and other air-quality issues and will im- Prove the quality of air on the con- tinent.’” Ottawa has said the new U-S. law, combined with Canada’s own Law commits U.S. to cleaning up acid rain pollution programs, will stop further acid rain damage in Ontario, Quebec and the Marititnes and allow lakes, rivers and vegetati@n to recover. x€4nada-first“tried-to-negotiate—a transboundary air __polfution agreement with the United States in made countless trips to the U.S. capital to push for passage of the Clean Air Act — said Bush’s signing of the bill is a victory for all citizens fighting for a cleaner environment. “The signature of the bill today shows that while it may take a long time and a concentrated effort, if you push hard enough against the system's levers they actually produce results,’’ Perley said from his Toron- to office. can go into the atmosphere without a corresponding drop in existing pollutants. “There is a new breeze blowing, a new-current-of-concern-for-the-en= vironment,” said Bush, who received an ovation from Republican and 1979, when acid rain were just coming to light. But with the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980, U.S. action on acid rain came to a halt. For many years, Reagan refused to acknowledge it was a serious problem. He agreed to a U.S.- Canadian acid rain study in 1985 but refused to force American industries to cut emissions. One of Bush’s first major initiatives as president in 1988 was to send proposals to Congress for a revamped Clean Air Act, including the acid rain cleanup plan. It took 16 months to get through the process, but the act emerged with the main acid rain provisions requested by Canadian environmen- talists and the federal government. By the year 2000, sulphur dioxide emissions from U.S. power plants will be cut by about 10 million ton- nes. — a reduction of almost 50 per cent from t980- As well, a cap will be placed on emissions once the target has been reached, meaning no new Canada and the United States now will step up negotiations on a tran- sboundary air pollution accord. D cong) ; Michael Perley of the Canadian Coalition on Acid Rain — who has Sulphur dioxide flows both ways By The Canadian Press U.S. President George Bush signed into law Thursday a new Clean Air Act, which includes emissions cleanup programs Ottawa believes will stop acid rain damage in Eastern “anada. Canada and the United States will now complete negotiations on an accord to control transboundary air pollution. Here's a look at acid rain damage the countries cause each other. What the U.S. sends north: In 1980, 3.8 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide emissions flowed to Canada. On average, the United States is responsible for 50 per cent of the acid deposition that falls on Canada What Canada sends south: In 1980, 1.8 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide emissions flowed to the United States. On average, Canada is responsible for 15 per cent of the acid rain falling in the U.S. Northeast. Biggest states:_E: from Ohio 16 per cent of the total U.S. transboundary flows, followed by Michigan at 13 per cent and Indiana at nine per cent Gorbachev on the defensive MOSCOW (CP) — _ Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev defen- ded his government’s economic and Political program Friday, but his principal rival replied by calling for the government to quit. Gorbachev also announced a re- examination of the Soviet army command ‘‘over the next few days.’” The Soviet leader described some republican political leaders and other Gorbachev also announced that “outdated and clearly useless struc tures” of government would be scrapped “within 10 days.”” *‘One must reorganize the gover- most respected political figures, nment with changes of people. One must renew (the government) com- position, bring in specialists and the along with those who benefit from broad popular support.”* Al-Pac approval reported EDMONTON (CP) — A scientific review panel has given its stamp of to Alberta-Pacific Forest as princip Gor- bachev also called for unity within his own circle of often-feuding ad- visers and accused critics of using “slander and rumors’ against him “No more defensive action,”’ Industries’ revised pulp mill Proposal, the Edmonton Journal reported Quoting unnamed sources, the Journal said a confidential report to E if Minister Gorbachev said in his 90 speech during an emergency debate im the Supreme Soviet, the national parliament. ‘‘It's high time to launch an offensive." Legislators, upset by the con- tinuing political and economic deterioration in the country, deman- ded the session Wednesday On the army, Gorbachev said: “"We shall examine the questions of the senior command over the next few days. | don’t think this powerful organization can escape reform."" Some sources said Defence Minister Dmitri Yazov may be Ralph Klein on Oct. 1 concludes Alberta-Pacific can meet its claim of significantly reducing thé amount of chlorinated organic pollution it will dump into the Athabasca River The repert would open the way for cabinet approval of the $1.3-billion bleached kraft mill, which has been delayed because of environmental concerns: A decision on the mill is expected from cabinet this month. Mike Cardinal, member of the legislature for Athabasca-Lac La Biche and a member of a gover- mment committee considering the That environmental review panel concluded there is not enough in formation to judge whether fish and people who cat fish on the Athabasca and Slave ‘rivers are in danger from existing and proposed pulp mill development Alberta-Pacific submitted a second report, said the committee will present its recommendation to cabinet Wednesday. Asked whether the committee will endorse the mill’s construction, Car- dinal grinned and said, ‘I'm always optimistic.’’ Cardinal is a staunch supporter of the project, planned near the town of Athabasca, because proposal to the government outlining it will create jobs for his. new to reduce ts. after Klein said he accepted the fin- The scientific review panel appoin- dings of the original review panel ted by Klein in July was the second group of government appointees to examine the mill It was asked to examine only the technical soundness of Alberta Chlorinated organics including toxic dioxins and furans are produced when chlorine gas is used to bleach wood pulp to a bright Pacific’s revised proposal, not the ef- White. Alberta-Pacific proposes to fect the mil! -witthave —on—the—#et rid __of chlorine gas _in__its Athabasca River or its fish bleaching process, substituting The findings of the unreleased Chlorine dioxide. report do not relieve concerns Alberta-Pacific says it can reduce outlined last March by the first dioxins and furans to below detec review, which recommended delaying ‘able levels of 10 parts per the mill. quadrillion.