The Castlegar Sun Py Wednesday, April 15, 1992 On top of the news... Faster than express... Cost-wise rather than pennywicse... Aim for the TOTAL West Kootenay Market Place Your Advertisement in... Tae TRA Times 1163 Cedar St. Trail Daily News 465 Columbia Ave. 266 Baker St., Castlegar Nelson 365-2278 352-3554 and their TOTAL MARKET PUBLICATION (TMC) TMC Circulation 24,023 97.4% Coverage of West Kootenay Market Another Sterling Newspaper Advantage SUPPLEMENT ENTERTAINMENT 104 LEGISLATIVE 4-18-93 RK [BRARY PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS VICTORIA BI Sk VAV 1X4 Get ready Castlegar—it’s time for a Trade Fair! See our Trade Fair supplement inside the Leisure guide Meet the author! Mystery writer Cas Public reading scheduled at library/3B r-bound Player returns to Midget boys’ volleyball team off to Westerns ach own team/9A w»eow The Castlegar Sun MIXED Weather 3A Vol. 2- No. 21 ‘Leading the way in supporting local business’ 75 Cents + G.S.T. Glance Strike vote tabulated The decision on whether job action will take place in the pulp and paper industry will be known today after ballots from across the province have been tabulated. Stan Shewa- ga, PPWC negotiator, said he is expecting the votes to show over 90 per cent of workers are in favour of striking. "I'd only be guessing, but I will be surprised if (strike favour) is less than 90 per cent," he said. A good read As part of National Book Festival Activities, the Castlegar Library is hosting a reading by local writers. Members of the Castlegar Writers Guild and students from Selkirk College and Twin Rivers will be reading. Everyone is invited to the library on April 30 at 7:30 p-m., to hear local talented writers read from their works. Refreshments will be served and admission is free. Environment discussions West Kootenay residents will be able to comment next week on the Environmental Assessment legislation promised in the recent throne speech at an open house to be held in Nelson between 3 and 8 p.m., April 27 at the Lord Nelson Hotel. The open house will be based upon the discus- sion paper Reforming Envi- ronmental Assessment in British Columbia, which reviews the current approach to environmental assessment in B.C., , and to identifies the issues to be addressed in the development of an assessment process. -Wowsers! SUN STAFF PHOTO / Brendan Halper Fun was had by all 50 children who attended the Castlegar and District Recreation Centre’s Pre-School Easter Party and Egg Hunt last Thursday. JASON KEENAN Property acquisition underway Sun staff School district okays controversial survey HALPER Sun staff School District No. 9 board members voted during last night's regular meeting in a four to two ratio to use the controversial McCreary Centre Society's Ado- lescent Health Survey. Superintendent Terry Wayling said the survey, which has been the topic of hot debate across the province, will be conducted as soon as possible. “The intent of the survey is to get a picture of what's taking place in the minds of 13-18-year olds across the province,"Wayling said. The survey had been scheduled for implementation in Kinnaird Middle School last Thursday and Stanley Humphries S support from the Central Koote- nay Health Unit. Although some individual schools and districts have chosen not to implement the survey, there has been an 80 per cent participa- tion rate throughout the province. Cc today but was put on hold pending discussion among board mem- bers—who addressed concerns over the wording of certain ques- tions, not the content. and end d by both the province's Ministry of Health and Education, the survey covers such domains as; drug and alcohol use, sexuality, STD's and pregnancy, nutrition and eating The survey has d full physical and City says poll will carry no weight SHARLENE IMHOFF | Sun Editor Officials from Castlegar City Council say the public opinion poll which the Coalition Unaccepting yard will have no effect on the city's decision to relocate the yard to south Castlegar. "It's a done deal. City council has gone through the proper routes and received authorization to go to tender,” said Councillor Kirk Duff. "We're basically ready to get going.” City council has placed $850,000 in its 1992 budget to relocate the public works yard from 2 sections 24 pages Ann Landers . 5B Business ... Comics. Editorial Sports.. Weather Profile Classifieds. Entertainment Castlegar to the south end, signalling the start of a complex revitalization project. Members of CURB say the money should be spent on more pressing needs—such as an improved sewage system in south Castlegar to handle the possibili- ties of increased development. "Big deal if the money is all ready in the budget—if the peo- ple don't want the public works yard moved, it shouldn't be moved,” said CURB president Michael O'Connor. This reasoning has CURB ready to hold its own public opin- ion poll, via local media, in order to determine what residents truly think of the move. "It's a public opinion poll— not a referendum as claimed,” said O'Connor, referring to an earlier story. "CURB is smart enough to realize we can't legally hold a referendum.” While the thought of a referen- dum held little ground with city council, a public opinion poll car- ried out through local newspapers holds even less. “These types of polls are wide open to manipulation,” said Castlegar Mayor Audrey Moore, who believes it's "as easy as buy- ing up a thousand newspapers.” O'Connor maintains that money placed in a budget can be redirected to other needs, and says the city can wait for a year or two before the works yard is moved “(Our membership) is not say ing don't move it at all, we're say ing wait for awhile.” mental health, suicide and family life. A letter will be given to par- ents—via their children— which will explain the survey. The survey can be declined by either parent or child. -A ride for Canada! The Castlegar/Robson Bridge construction is moving ahead. Sort of. The Ministry of Transportation and Highways began acquiring the properties in Castlegar need- ed to build the bridge approaches and underpass before the announcement that bridge con- struction was put on hold. Eliah Farrell, public informa- tion officer with the Ministry of Transportation and Highways, said that the department will still go ahead with bridge design and land acquisition because the funding was already in place when the minister announced that construction of the bridge was postponed. The houses in question, along the river side of Columbia Avenue between King Street and the old ferry crossing, are in the process of being bought by the government The transportation ministry formally took possession of the first house last week, and expects to take possession of five or six more houses this week, said Barry Eastman, from the Min- istry of Transportation and High- ways. They are still at the negotiation stage with the rest of the home owners in the area. “The buildings become assets of the Crown, and are transferred to the purchasing department,” Eastman added. He expects that they will be in possession of all the houses by mid-July. As they take possession of each house, they will be boarded up, and their condition will be monitored by security staff. The ministry will be asking the B.C. Purchasing Commission to try sell some of the houses for relocation. The ministry expects that invitations to bid on the houses for sale and relocation will be posted in local newspa- pers around mid-July. “At that time, the public can bid on the houses, and will have time to relocate the building,” Eastman said. Because of the delay in the building of the bridge, a new option has arisen. The original owners of the houses in question will have the option to rent the houses after they have been sold to the ministry. Conceivably, they could be renting the houses that they used to own until just before construc- tion commences. If they chose to rent, they will be given notice to vacate within the legal time frame, Eastman said. Only the original owners would be allowed to rent the houses, Eastman added. “We are not going to get into the public housing field.” While the offer to rent is avail- able, Farrell said that, so far, none of the residents have taken up the offer, but many of the properties are still in various stages of negotiation. “Most people prefer, or have already made arrangements to relocate,” said Farrell. After all the land is acquired, and the houses that can be sold are removed, the remaining hous- es that are not being rented out will be leveled, the basements filled in, and the area will be given minimal landscaping and grass seeding. Eastman said that they expect the process of sales and landscap- ing will be completed this fall. “We will maintain the proper- ties,” he added. On the design side, the crew ‘See BRIDGE —~—~—~«SLAN Riders from across the West Kootenay, including Castlegar, took part in the Ride for Cana- da—part of Canada’s 125th birthday celebrations. Between 150-200 riders rode between Nancy Green Park and the top of Salmo-Creston. The relay ride began at the Yukon-Alas- ka border and in Newfoundland and will end in Ottawa. SUN STAFF PHOTO / Brendan Halper