ci__Castlagiar News _ oner7.1967 AIDS: Man cares Bi!) TELEPHONE 365-5210 for dying lover By ANN DUNCAN Canadian Press MONTREAL — For the past 18 months, Gary devoted his life tocaring for his friend and lover of 10 years who was dying of AIDS. John, 30, was ravaged by cancer of the mouth, throat and face, as well as a host of other afflications that hit vietims of acquired immune defi Gary would sit up all night with Jolin as he howled in pain, and would buy him marijuana — a proven analgesic — when pi killers were Gary hassled slow. acting bureaucrats when ‘the welfare cheques — he couldn't hold a job while helping his friend — were not enough to buy food, let alone the needed medicines, lotions and creams. The slightest infection could have killed John as AIDS destroyed his body's ability to fight disease. ‘The slightest infection could have killed John as AIDS destroyed his body's ability to fight disease’ And it was Gary who was usually there to take the brunt of John's furious outbursts when he could no longer GPs \with the pain or his impending death. “We'd get into these tremendous fights,” Gary explained over coffee in the book-cluttered apartment that he had shared with John, who died recently. “He thought he might have given it (AIDS) to me, and he was taking his guilt and anger out on me.” But hardest of all to deal with, Gary said, was the secrecy. John, a talented craftsman with an international reputation, was adamant that his family and most of his friends should never learn about his disease — or even that he was homosexual. His family, who lives in another province, was told only that he had terminal cancer. “I tried to tell him how hard it was to keep his secret,” said Gary, a gentle, soft-spoken man who has come to terms with his homosexuality. “I don't scream it to the world, but I'm not as closety as John.” Adds Gary: “Maybe I'm going around with a lot of guilt because I'm still carrying around his secret.” NAMES CHANGED Still, out of deference to him, Gary continues to take great pains to protect John’s identity. In this article, their names, ages and John’s occupation have been changed. As it was, some friends who learned that John had AIDS dropped him abruptly. Gary says that when John was in hospital the first time — in all, there were three lengthy hospital stays — a woman friend phoned him to say: “John, I don’t know much about your disease, but I do know it is very contagious and I don’t want any part of it. I want nothing to do with you ever again. Period.’ “It was one of the only times in my life that I had ever seen him cry.” But there were others, many of them perfect strangers, who pitched in to help. A volunteer from a local anti-AIDS group visited regularly, chauffeured John to his frequent hospital appointments, gave John and Gary money when they had none, and mediated their fights. “I'm proud and I don't have any regrets,” Gary says, “but there were times. when the tensions were so bad that T'd go and stay somewhere else for a few days. I wasn’t any saint. Who is? But I tried.” There was also a middle-aged housewife from a group called The Pilgrim Project who chipped in with groceries and moral support when they were most needed, Gary said. Thén there was Gary's mother, who lives-in Ontario. “As soon as she found out it was AIDS, she came right down and I don’t know what I would have done without her,” CP TOLD STORY And a story about John that was carried by The Canadian Press in October 1985 sparked dozens of letters, phone calls and donations from across the country. One man, for instance, regularly sent anonymous cheques of more than $100 to John through David Cassidy, a Montreal social worker. Cassidy acknowledged after John's death that he had ‘sent some of that money, earmarked for John, to other needy AIDS patients without first checking with the donors. “Both of us were so surprised to find out how many people_were so.giving,” Gary said. “What happened, happened for a reason. All his life, John was looking for love wherever he could get it. And in the end, he knew all these good, good people.” For the most part, however, Gary had to deal with John alone. “When he wasn't in the hospital, I was with him 24 hours a day. It was hard in such a small apartment, but I would always try to think of him first and that's part of the reason I'm having trouble now. It was like, during that whole time, I was sort of a non-person . . . Most people did not acknowledge that I had feelings too.” SUICIDE IDEA The events of the last 18 months were so overwhelming that Gary at times contemplated suicide. “But then I thought of John and leaving him that way.” What kept him going? “I don't know. Just something horrible was happening to somebody I cared for. I just did it . Love does strange things.” ‘When he wasn't in the hospital, | was with him 24 hours a day' Isn't Gary afraid that he, too, might have AIDS, which is usually spread through tainted semen or blood? His eyes dropped as a silent response, but he doesn't want to be tested to see if he has the disease or the virus. “I haven't done anything in a very long time and I'm very careful. I know it just takes one time. (John thought he contracted AIDS from a one-night stand about five years ago.) But given the stress of the last 18 months, knowing about it just won't do me any good.” NOT FOR HIM Gary is sure, however, that he would kill himself if he ever came down with AIDS. “I wouldn't put people around me through it.” What’ should be done to help people with AIDS and those who are close to them? Obviously, more money should be spent on research and a possible treatment “because if we don’t care now, then what's going to happen 10 years from now?” On a more personal level, Gary pleads for tolerance and understanding. TORONTO (CP) — Living together before you marry may not assure a happy-ever a Waa 809 Road after future, a Statistics Mayet ai Past Fireside Motel CALVARY BAPTIST JIN possesr nates ANGLICAN CHURCH 1401 Columbia Avenue Sunday Services 8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 10 a.m. Rev. Charles Balfour 71 ST. PETER LUTHERAN 713-4th Street Parish Purpos: Office 365-3664 “To know Christ and make Him known” 9-0-0 Worship Service DIRECTORY Dereon ake menande a 6 m. Jen. Sirus ccm el Feorenty Canada survey shows. The 1984 study of 14,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 found that couples who live common-law before they marry have a slightly higher chance of div. orce than couples who do not live together before marry. ing. + After 10 years of marriage, 18 per cent of women whose marriages were preceded by a common-law relationship had divorced, compared to 11 per cent of women had not had such a premarital union. This doesn't necessarily mean living together causes unstable marriages. The kinds of people who live to- gether are more apt to div. orce, officials suggest. IME FOR A CHECKUP. FORD BRONCO V-8, 4-Speed, New Red Paint White Spoke Wheels Real Good Looking & Functional TRADE OR TERMS AS LITTLE AS $100 DOWN. HED CASTLEGAR HYUNDAI % Block N. of Moloney's D.N. 7956 *, Phone 365-7241 Out of Town 1-800-332-7087 Pastor: Alan Simpson Sunday School 10:00 a.m Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Evening Service 6:30 p.m TUES. 6:00 P.M. AWANA — Children’s Program Kindergorten to Grade 8 WEDNESDAY NIGHT Study & Prayer 7 p.m Church 365-3430 Pastor 365-6170 LIVING WATERS FAITH FELLOWSHIP “Vision with Vitality” Located 2'/2 miles west on Hwy. 3 towards Gr. Forks (Old Hilltop Restaurant) Sunday Celebration lla.m Nursery © Childean's saiilee Bible Study — Wednesdoy, 7:30 p p.m MONTHLY SATELLITE VIDEO EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH 914 Columbia Ave. Sunday School 9:45 a.m Family Worship Service lla.m. Bible Study & Prayer Tuesday 7:30 p.m Phone 365-3269 or 365-2605 FULL GOSPEL FELLOWSHIP (A.C.0.P.) Accredited video Bible College Available PASTOR: Stuart Lourie — 365-3278 2605 Columbia Ave Rev. J. Ferrier Phone 365-3182 Morning Worship 11:00 a.m Into: 365-8292 or 365-3182 PENTECOSTAL TABERNACLE GRACE PRESBYTERIAN Below Castleaird Plaza Phone 365-6317 Pastor: Barry Werner Phone 365-2374 SUNDAY SERVICES — Sunday School 9:45 a.m Morning Worship 11:00 Evening Fellowship 6:30 Wednesday: Bible Study and Prayer 7:00 p.m Friday HOME OF CASTLEGAR CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 365-7818 Youth Meetings 6:30 p.m. 767 - \\th Ave. Ph. 365-5212 NEW LIFE ASSEMBLY. WiLL BE THE NAME OF OUR NEW CHURCH 1 Old Church Christian Education 9:30 a.m ‘Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. Evening Evangelistic 6:00 p.m Wednesday Bible Study Prayer at 7:00 p.m Friday Youth ot 7:30 p.m Wee College * Women's Ministries * Young Married ‘A VIBRANT , FAITH BUILDING. FRIENOL F ATMOSPHERE stor: Ken Smith Assistant: Morley Soltys ‘Sunday School 10:30 Rev. G.T. Backus 365-3085 Listen tothe Lutheron Hour Sunday ‘mon Radio CKQR, . ROBSON COMMUNITY MEMORIAL CHURCH Tst Sunday, 7:00 p.m. 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sundays, 10.a.m. No service 5th Sunday CHURCH OF GOD 2404 Columbia Avenue Church School 9:45.a.m. Morning Worship lla.m. Pastor Ira Johnson Phone 365-6762 UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA 2264-6th Ave. 1% Blocks South of Community Complex 9:45 a.m. Singing 10 a.m. — Worship and Sunday School Rev. Ted Bristow 365-8337 or 365-7814 SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH i Accounting MOROSO, MARKIN & BLAIN CERTIFIED GENERAL ACCOUNTANTS 241 Columbia Ave. Castlegar Ph. 365-7287 Brian L. Brown CERTIFIED * GENERAL ACCOUNTANT 270 Columbia Ave. Castl Nursery CHANG’S Nursery & Florists Ltd. A complete nursery stock! COMPLETE ce ow “Well, | just hope | look as good as you do on my 110th birthday.”’ ~ Cleaning Ph. 365-2151 SOLIGO, KOIDE & JOHN CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS 615 Columbia Ave. CLEAN-SCENE ENTERPRISES © ROTARY-JET STEAM EXTRACTION (TRUCK POWERED) © UPHOLSTERY CLEANING © WATER & FIRE DAMAGE CLEAN-UP SPECIALISTS 365-6969 Castlegar Phone 365-7745 Henry John, B.Sc. C.A. Resident Partner Call 365-3388 * All Brand Names Serviced * All Parts Stocked © Rebuilt Timers © Used Appliances and Consignments * Coin-Operated Machines * Industrial Laundry WE ALSO SERVICE + KENMORE + INGLIS * HOTPOINT « ETC. CASTLEGAR PLUMBING & HEATING LTD. 1008 Columbie Avenue 365-3388 Appliance Rentals TIRED OF LAUNDROMATS? “see $1.99 (per month) And do your wash at home. For your convenience, other ge shers, wicca ‘ons aryers. For more information call or drop into Castlegar Plumbing & Heating Ltd. 1008 Columbia Ave. Costleger 365-3388 usskit UCTION Hwy. 3A, Throms Buy or Sell by Auction 399-4793 Auto Rentals 1471 Columbia Ave., Trail 364-0117 Regular Saturday Services Pastor Clift Drieberg 2649 ICBC Claimants LOCATED AT Castlegar Airport Terminal - CHEM-DR OF THE KOOTENAYS (WEST) * No Steam or mpoo ex® Dries in we minutes * Economical * Removes even Stubborn Stains * Carpets, Draperies & Uphoistery Cleaning 100% Unconditional Gverontow ree Estimates Call 365-3912 or 364-2223 Computers Concrete WEST K CONCRETE LTD. PIPELINE PITT RD. CALL PLANT 693-2430 CASTLEGAR 365-2430 o Adastra Aviation — 365-2313 KINNAIRD TRANSFER Concrete Gravel Road Gravel Drain Rock Bedding Sand Fill, Gravel or Sand Topsoil Call 365-7124 Dentistry Draperies THE STORE THAT HAS IT ALL IN DRAPERY! Gwen Kissock In-home drapery estimates — no charge, no obligation. 7 LANDSCAPING SERVICE 365-7312 Open 7 days o week 9a.m.-7p.m 2601 - 9th Avenue, Castlegar Optometrist J.T. (TIM) ALLEN OPTOMETRIST No. 2 - 615 Columbia, Castlegar 365-2220 or 366 Boker St., Nelson 352-5152 Ce or 9:30-5:30 Tues. to Sot. Bus. 365-3515 Res. 365-6880 1434 Columbia Ave., Castlegar T.F. ELECTRIC LTD. * Contracting * Maintenance * Consulting * Class A ESTIMATING & SALES CALL 365-8028 CASTLEGAR FUNERAL CHAPEL Dedicated to kindly, thoughtful service. COMPLETE FUNERAL SERVICE Cremation, Traditional Burial and. Pre-Arrangement Plan Available. Granite, Bronze Memorials Cremation Urns and Plaques Phone 365-3222 Moving & Storage WILLIAMS MOVING & STORAGE 2337-6th Ave., Castlegar Invite you to call them for a free made Willioms the most respec ted name in the moving business. Ph. 365-3328 Collect a © Parties * Weddings * Banquets 365-2539 B.S. O.D. OPTOMETRIST 1012 - 4th St. Castlegar PHONE 365-3361 Tues.-Fri. 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m. - 12 noon Plumbing & Heating BARTLE & GIBSON The Plumbing & Heating Centre American Standard Valley Fibrebath Jacuzzi ¢ Crane Duro Pumps & Softeners PVC Pipe Fittings Septic Tanks Electrical Supplies 365-7702 2317 - 6th Ave. Castlegar AL’S PLUMBING * Commercial * Residential * Installation * Repairs * Hot Water Heating 365-8223 ALL TYPES OF COMMERCIAL PRINTING * Letterheads * Envelopes * Brochures ® Raffle lickets Su Castlegar News 197 Columbie Ave. 365-7266 Restaurants ~ THE COLANDER SPAGHETTI HOUSE Specializing in Italian Cuisine “A Trail Tradition” Dinner 5 to 9 every day. Lunch 11:30 to 2 week days. For Reservations Phone 364-1816 1475 Cedar Avenue Trail Septic Service DR. C. COX Family Dentistry Orthodontics We like Children! Metaline Falls 509-446-4501 Want to make a little money go a long way? Try Business Directory Advertising! COLEMAN COUNTRY BOY SERVICE Sump & Septic Tank Pumping PHONE 365-5013 3400 - 4th Avenue Castlegar Lagt bihaiclen Library. Pah See: nt Bldgs. SOL Belleville St Ce ; ft se see for 1987 ina what's i pndhert out this yeor... A7 _Rotering Nelson Mayor Gerald Rotering is concerned wt our lack of ap- Preciation for Selkirk’. code snow. wal intend or vain _> 60 Cents 2 Sections (A & B) social SMOOTH SKIING . . . Sisters Danna (left) and Sharon Lang head out for cross- country ski Saturday around trail at Inland Gas right-of-way near Kinnaird Junior secondary school. CasNewsPhoto by Ron Norman The were 7, 9, 17, was 46. mos ond 36. Tie Calas ake. Lotto 6/49 I lott The winning number in Frida: draw is 2359618. ids prizes. jery 18. There are also subsidiary many... B81 Belczyk way back Castlegar’s Felix Bele- zyk finished 23rd. in rid Cup 8 Worl downhill. in West Ger- _ FORESTS ENDANGERED == Report proposes immediate action By SURJ RATTAN Staff Writer Action must be taken immediately to ensure the life of the forestry industry in the West Kootenay, but it is doubtful the federal and provincial governments will spend much money on the problem. At least that's the reaction of some and industry tives towards i dollars in this area without giving other high forestry areas the same amount. But at the same time he said both the federal and provincial governments are holding back money they do have that could go towards reforestation pro- ms, “tT am hoping for an increase in dina forest management report prepared for the Regional District of Central Kootenay. The report, which will be the subject of a meeting next week between regional district representatives and the forestry ministry, argues that $25 million is needed annually to keep the forestry industry alive in the West Kootenay in future years. The re; also predicts the loss of ~ 1,600 jobs by the mid-2030s if nothing is done immediately to increase refor- estation efforts. “It's not very realistic to expect that kind of money ($25 million) from the federal government, Kootenay West ing agreement that would see $300 million spent on the forestry industry in B.C. over five years. Brisco said that is the route to take to ensure the life of B.C.’s forestry industry in future years. “Some enhancement is needed to the five-year agreement because at this point the federal government cannot afford to spend $25 million in Kootenay West,” said Brisco. Rossland-Trail MLA Chris D'Arcy agrees with Brisco that the federal government cannot spend millions of for D'Arcy said. “The government re help up some of the in this tion areas need to be found. “There certainly could be more efforts. made for reforestation. We {Southern Wood Products) ask for a certain number of trees each year but we don't get them because the trees are not available,” said Zammit. He added that forestry jobs will be lost if the federal government does no put more money into the industry. Zammit said Westar is working with area.” He added that new growth areas for reforestation are not being developed fast enough. Wade Zammit, general manager of Westar Timber'’s Southern Wood Products, agrees that new reforesta- FINANCING QUESTIONED the p on refores- tation tet at | its Plateau operation near Prince George. He said Westar and the provincial government have put up $500,000 each to fund the refor- estation project. Salmo Ald. Ned MeNeil, chairman of continued on page A2 UtiliCorp under fire By MIKE KALESNIKO Staff Writer The Electric C 3 A Scarlett explained that UtiliCorp generally takes out a short-term loan to SMALL TOWNS REAP BENEFITS FROM MOVIES By DAVE LANG Canadian Press NELSON — Steve Martin, wearing a fireman's uniform and a fake Cyrano de Bergerac nose, was gallavanting around town last summer. At about the same time, Burt Reynolds was being coached on his acting by a 73-year-old local resident in the town of Princeton. The two communities were the sites for three major movies. Nelson, a town of 9,000 in southeastern British Columbia, was chosen as the location for Martin's comedy Roxanne, in which the star plays the chief of a volunteer fire department. Nelson was also the location of a drama called Housekeeping by Bill Forsyth, the director of Local Hero. Princeton, on the mountainous highway between Vancouver and the Okanagan valley, served as the backdrop for Reynolds's thriller Malone, also starring Cliff Robertson. Mayor Gerald Rotering says “it's not overplaying or being melodramatic to say that Hollywood producers have discovered Nelson.” + NOTES SCENERY ¢ The mayor said his city, on the shores of Kootenay Lake in the Selkirk mountains, offers colorful scenery and a town with an authentic turn-of-the-century look, thanks to $2.5 million in restoration work. In exchange for offering itself as a movie location, Nelson_ got an economic boost (Rotering said people iated with Ri and Hi keeping have spent STEVE MARTIN .. . As fire chief of Nelson, Wash., this modern day Cyrano de Bergerac was just one of the many famous Hollywood personalities to star in movies shot throughout B.C. CosNewsPhoto about $1.5 million) as well as the fun, generosity and pure excitement that movie people provide. For fun, there was a comedy night Martin and comics from Roxanne staged to raise money for the firemen's muscular dystrophy fund. For generosity, there was the $3,000 worth of art books that Martin gave the Nelson public library after finding the library had none. And, for excitement, there were bit parts for Nelson residents? Rotering’s- daughter donned 1950s-style clothes and coiffure as an extra in Housekeeping. In true movie fashion, there were also added attractions. Olivia Newton-John was in town to be with her actor-husband, Matt Lattanzi, of the Roxanne cast. The Reynolds movie, Malone, not only brought inved on page A2 is ing the financial stability of UtiliCorp United Inc., the American- based company attempting to purchase West Kootenay Power and Light Ltd. “Instead of governing themselves Brisco slammed, A3 a particular , then ooee the acquisition is complete, it sells common stock shares to pay off the short-term debt. “Common stock does not pay divi- dends,” said Scarlett. “They are only of value because it’s speculation, it's like a utility company, they've gone into the speculation game,” said ECA vice-president Don Scarlett. Scarlett said the financing methods of UtiliCorp are both and to increase in value, “If the stocks did not increase in value then stock owners would sell it. “Common stock is only useful to people if it grows,” said Scarlett. unstable. “We wouldn't ordinarily be fright ened by growth,” said Scarlett. “But they (UtiliCorp) finance their acquisi tions with the assets of the “Utility have never been financed that way before.” Scarlett also pointed out that Utili- Corp's credit rating has dropped. According to such wt ‘known credit they have just obtained.” rating dard and Poor, and Moody's, Uulicorp's rating has fallen one per cent. “Some of the financial analysts are worried,” Scarlett said. “They see a debt load and a potential for disaster.” Scarlett said that while the rapid growth of UtiliCorp — over twice its original size in only 18 months — may seem promising, UtiliCorp executives are being unrealistic. Scarlett said Richard Green, chief executive officer of UtiliCorp, envi- sions the company growing to approx. imately 4.25 times the size it is now. That figure does not include the WKPL purchase or another $100 million U.S. in potential purchases. “The picture I'm trying to paint is clear,” said Scarlett. “This is a rapidly and continually expanding company. They have not got stability because continued on poge AZ Area I voters go to polls By RON NORMAN Editor Voters in Area I will go to the polls next month to decide whether to increase taxes for fire protection. The Regional District of Central Kootenay board gave the go ahead Saturday to a Feb. 14 date for the referendum. Voters will be asked to authorize a maximum tax levy of $150,000 a year for the Pass Creek and Tarrys firehalls. The referendum became necessary when property assessment values took a sharp drop and the provincial government removed the machinery and equipment tax on business and industry. A report prepared by regional dis- “ CF trict secretary Barry Baldigara shows that the current maximum tax levy of $1.228 per $1,000 of assessed value raised $134,256 in 1982. But because of the steady decline in property values, that rate raised just $122,732 in 1986. Despite the drop, the firehalls were still able to operate on the reduced revenue. However, the elimination of the machinery and equipment tax reduced the tax levy to just $90,041 this year, and Area I director John Voykin says that’s not sufficient funding to run the firehalls. “If we don’t get approval (to increase the tax levy), we'll be raising $90,000 and that's not enough by a long shot,” Voykin said in an interview Saturday. Baldigara points out in his report that the firehalls have a fixed cost of $57,990 a year to pay off principal and interest. Without a tax increase “we will only be left with . . . $32,061 in 1987 to operate two firehalls,” Baldigara says. “This will be impossible.” He said the owner of a home assessed at $50,000 in 1986 will only pay about $8 more this year if the referendum is approved ($28 in 1986 and $36 in 1987). As well, the regional district will not have to raise the $150,000 maximum levy. Baldigara's figures show the fire- halls will have a budget of $135,000 in 1987 and $138,000 in 1988.