Su >> 4 a: Castlegar News _onvory2!, 1990 Kimberley mine will KIMBERLEY (CP) — Calvin and Judy Golbeck sit morosely in their living room, contemplating the possible loss of their modest house. Their concern is prompted by Cominco’s decision to close indefinitely its huge lead-zine mine, the largest em- ployer in the area. +1 don’t want to lose the house, | don’t want to move," Judy, 31, says. ‘*I like the area. I grew up here. My dad worked in the mine. Almost everyone on this street works for Cominco.”" After 113 people were permanently laid off in Decem- ber, Calvin, a $35,000-a-year millwright, transfer.to the concentrator as an operator. **L like my job but the way Cominco has started to treat us, I don't think we're being treated fairl he said. “It almost seems as if we're pawns in their little games. ad child. was forced to community, “People who have sunk everything they own into the most of them are forced to think of moving because there's no other jobs here. Ogilvie said he’s angry the layoffs come when there are about 25 million téanes of ore reserves in the mine and after Cominco received $110 million in federal and provincial ‘ its Trail Calvin said if the layoffs become his family will almost certainly lose the $75,000 house they bought 10 years ago and recently expanded for a third Cominco announced Wednesday that about 600 Jim Ogilvie, mayor of this cammunity of 7,300 for 17 unionized workers face layoffs Jan. 31 at its Sullivan mine is as upset as the Golbecks. because of poor zinc prices. An additional 100 workers will i be laid off Feb. 15. About.50 will stay on to care for the mine. Calvin, 31, said Cominco’s surprise announcement means he'll haveto seek work elsewhere after 13 years at the East Kootenay mine, 525 kilometres east of Vancouver. Workers will be — docked pay By CasNews Staff Members of the Canada Em- ployment and Immigration Union who staged a at the Trail Canada Em- ployment Centre to protest the moving of 10 jobs from there to the Nelson of- fice have been officially informed they will be penalized 19 days’ worth of pay for the three-day sit-in, union regional representative Bill Brassington said Friday. In an interview from Vancouver, Brassington said the union executive has determined the 24 Trail employees and their six Nelson counterparts who joined the protest for the final day owe the government $50,000 in total. The penalty will be collected by holding back 50 per cent of the workers’ paycheques and in the case of the 24 union members who This is for the ity, so in view of the fact when the company has experienced dif- ficulties in the past they have made every effort to keep the merchants. people working. I’m scared and concerned.”* Ogilvie said the closure also creates uncertainty for Inan effort to avert the shutdown or reduce its length, Ogilvie is trying to arrange a meeting Monday with the, unions, the company and senior federal and provincial of- ficial: Ron McLean, the mine’s administrative manager, said Sullivan produced 172,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate, 96,000 tonnes of lead and 1.5 million ounces of silver in 1989 but ‘*the glory days of the mine are over.” REJECTS CHARGE He denied a United Steelworkers of America charge the layoffs are designed to put pressure on union workers LET'S PLAY! . . . Castlegor Ald. Lawrence Chernoff drops the puck signalling the official start of the Spokane Friendship Tourney at the C event, which brought 12 Spokane teams to the city this wee! rations which end today. Hockey Week cel CasNews photo complex kend, is part of Minor The annual for three days the pay cut will last for two or three months, Brassington said. The union leaders find the method of collection ‘‘quite shocking’ and each worker will have filed a grievance with CEC manager Jim Switzer by Monday objecting to both the penalty and the method of collection, Brassington said. However, he added that the filing of grievances will not halt the slashing of cheques and the union is seeking gal help to determine if there is a way to stop the collection of the penalty while the grievances are dealt with. Also on Friday, Trail Mayor Marc Marcolin received a letter from Em- ployment and Immigration Minister Barbara McDougall in reply to a com- munity group’s request to meet with the minister in Ottawa to discuss the moving of the jobs. However, the letter does not men- tion a meeting and instead explains the government’s position on moving the jobs. McDougall maintains moving the jobs in the unemployment insuran- ce sector of the CEC in Trail is necessary to consolidate the claims process. “Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with me,’ Mc- Dougall writes in the letter Marcolin was unavailable for com- ment Friday but a spokesman for his office said the maydr has called a meeting with the community group, which includes local mayors, a minister, a representative of the Trail Chamber of Commerce and members of the United Steelworkers of America, for 10a.m. Monday. Lottery numbers Pool attendance high After the first full week of operation of the new Castlegar and District Aquatic Centre, director of recreation Pat Mejge reports that attendance at the facility is overwhelming. The first week, which consisted of public swimming, adult, seniors, parent and tot, and family swims, as well as a teen night and aqua fit, saw a total of 2,553 paid admissions, Metge said ma news release He said that last Sunday during the afternoon session the facility had to be closed due to the large number of people in the pool. That session attrac- ted 293 swimmers Metge also reported that all sessions are receiving good support and gave as an example the teen night which attrac- ted 141 swimmers and the seniors swims which are averaging between 25 and 30 participants. With strip-ticket sales being very successful, swimmers will be using the facility on a regular basis and not just trying it out for one occasion, Metge noted. He saidethe facility still isn’t com- pletely operational but each week more activities come on stream. Last week, the steam room was opened for the fir- st time along with the weight room This week, crews will be in to install the ozone system so by next weekend it is expected that the system will be operational, Metge said. Once the ozone system is in, the facility will be complete. This week will also see swim lesson’ begin along with the swim club and school swim lessons. An early bird swim Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. is also scheduled to begin. The response by the community is gratifying with many positive com- ments being received along with a number of positive suggestions, Metge said, adding that staff members are trying to implement as many suggestions as possible as they wish to keep all the users happy With many out of town visitors par- ticipating in events taking place in the adjoining arena, the Aquatic Centre is catching the interest of people from throughout the Kootenays, Metge said. The one common remark being received is ‘‘only if we had such a facility in our community,"’ he said close whose 39-month contract expires June 30. McLean said the Kimberley operati ions lost about $4.5 million in November and December, the months after the lapse of an incentive plan involving 220 contract miners. Cominco accused the workers of conducting & monder®: , “They've got too much money tied up here,’’ Beattie said at hoe shaft, which drops 610 vertical metres. “To shut down Kimberley and get ore : concentrates elsewhere for Trail doesn’t make much sense. Energy Minister Jack Davis met Thursday with Ted Fletcher, senior vice-president and chief operating officer talks, of Cominco Metals but neither would comment on the Keri Georgetti, president of the B.C. Federation of Labor, said Friday the shutdown by ‘*immensely profitable’? Cominco is a bargaining ploy and provincial and federal governments should demand an audit of the company’s books. “Owner wants compensation By CasNews Staff The owner of the building which Canada Post leases for the Robson post office said he’s willing to work with the people of Robson to keep the post office where it is but insists that the federal Crown corporation musi help pay the costs of improvements to the building if Canada Post can be convinced to stay. Gordon Ferguson of Castlegar said he’s spent $24,000 over the last 16 years out of his own pocket to make im- provements to the Robson post office which Canada Post now wants to vacate because it says the building is in poor condition. Canada Post announced earlier this month it intends to privatize postal service in Robson and is seeking a local business to run a postal franchise. ‘Now that I want to be compen- sated for something they throw all this at me,”’ Ferguson said of Canada Post’s announcement. Robson residents opposed to the move will square off against a Canada Post representative at @ public meeting Tuesday night at Robson Hall. The meeting, - which Canada Post scheduled to discuss the proposed changes, starts at 7Tp.m. Meanwhile, Ferguson said the first he heard Canada Post intends to vacate his building was when he saw the story on the front page of the Castlegar News Jan. 7. He said he has heard nothing from Canada Post. Among the improvements to the building Ferguson said he has made over the years include a new roof, a new floor, painting and decorating, carpeting and switching to gas heat from oil. “1 upgraded it as much as I could myself,”” Ferguson said. He said he has paid the utilities for the building for the last 15 years. Canada Post has paid the utilities since June 1989 because of new provincial laws, Ferguson added. He said he has raised the monthly rent on the building to its current level of $684 from $183 in 1975. Local autos safe By CasNews Staff Castlegar drivers have the safest vehicles in the area, Const. Al Brown of the Castlegar RCMP said Friday. Brown said that conclusion was reached Wednesday and Thursday by the Nelson RCMP highway patrol unit that assisted the Castlegar detachment in vehicle road checks: under the provincial government's new private- vehicle inspection program. The highway patrol unit is currently travelling in the area and assisting local RCMP with the inspections, Brown said. During the checks, police stopped 175 vehicles and removed only one from the road because it was ‘*com- pletely unsafe,’’ Brown said. Five motorists were ordered to report to designated inspection stations and 26 drivers were ordered to have repairs done on their vehicles in 30 days. Three drivers were charged with having too many defects such as cracked windshields, which are not part of the safety features the police check for under the program, Brown added. The Castlegar RCMP will not be set- ting up any more road blocks under the program, he said, but checks will con- tinue as part of the RCMP’s everyday work. The program is being carried out in cooperation with the Motor Vehicle Branch of the provincial Highways Ministry. Ticketed motorists who fail to have their vehicles inspected face fines of $500, the government said. Lawyer continued from front page the area, and to comment to Victoria and Celgar but has so little information on the expansion and the technical report that the average person can’t comment without having the expan- sion plans explained first, he said And Celgar and the province are not doing enough to get the information out, Peppard said, adding that the new Celgar information office in Castlegar is fine for informing people in and around Castlegar but does nothing for people living up the Slocan Valley or in any other area outside Castlegar The winning numbers drawn Thur- sday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 8, 10, 12, 16, 30, 37, Sl and 56. The winning numbers in Wed- nesday’s Lotto 6/49 draw were 3, 22, 27, 46, 48 and 49. The bonus number was 19. The jackpot of $4,487,826.40 goes to the holder of a single ticket bought in Quebec. The four Extra winning numbers for B.C. on Wednesday were 21, 42, 52 and 82. The winning numbers drawn Wed- nesday’s in the B.C. Keno lottery were 11, 16, 23, 25, 29, 30, 47 and 53. These numbers, provided by The Canadian Press, must be considered unofficial Canada Safeway Overwaitea Shoppers SuperValu Zellers Not oll flyers receive tull distribution Hf you did not receive one of these flyers ond would like to do so, please phone our Circulation Department ot 365-7266 of the public outside of Castlegar is being left to groups such as CIPE, Peppard added As well, Peppard said he wants to know if Celgar will be releasing other reports addressing the socio-economic impacts of the mill expansion as is required under the major project review the company is currently un- dergoing The current report addresses only the environmental impact of the mill plans, he said Celgar general manager Jim Browne told the Castlegar News in November that the environmental study is only one component of the major project review that will consider all aspects of the mill’s impact on the area, from roads to housing, and will go through the same public process as the en- vironmental study Public meetings are to be conducted following the public displaying of the report and the government will con- sider all the input on the study to determine if the mill’s expected impact will be acceptable as planned, Browne said. CIPE transportation . committee member Craig Lawrence said Friday the group is concerned about the ex- pected increase in traffic in the area in light of statistics that show accidents involving commercial vehicles are on the increase The group has determined the ex- pansion will result in a chip truck travelling down Highway 6 in the Slocan Valley from the Slocan Forest Products mill to Castlegar at the rate of one every eight minutes, compared to the rate of one every 20 minutes now, based on the Slocan mill’s projected increase in truck traffic per day, Committee continued from front poge representative Ald. Doreen Smecher and Castlegar resident Russell Leamy, Moore said Representatives of Regional District of Central Kootenay electoral areas I and J will be included in the group but who the representatives will be hasn't yet been determined, the mayor added. Moore said she is pleased with the group that has been assembled and she believes the group members are representative of the community. The advisory group will be expected to become familiar with the mill's ex- pansion plans and solicit comments Lawrence said. When logging trucks are figured into the equation, the result is one commer- cial vehicle on Highway 6 every 3.8 minutes, he said Quoting Ministry of Highways statistics, Lawrence Said accidents in- volving commercial vehicles went up 70 per cent between 1984 and 1988, compared to a 20- to 25-per-cent in- crease in non-commercial vehicle ac- cidents. In light“of such statistics, Celgar should consider other means of tran- sporting its chips such as determining if much-safer rail travel can be made economically competitive with trucking, he said. However, Lawrence added that the coalition’s concerns don’t mean CIPE is ‘‘anti-trucking.”” “They (truckers) have to make a living too,”’ he said. Students vote for dry grad The Stanley Humphries secondary school grad class of 1990 has voted 87 per cent in favor of an alcohol-free af- ter-grad party. Celebration 90,-to be held at the Community Complex, will feature and concerns from d parties in the community, she said. Council will expect advice from the group periodically, Moore added The community should be involved in the mill’s plans, and this is ‘‘coun- cil’s way of being responsible,”” she said Moore said what form the group’s activities take will be up to the group members. She said public meetings will be an option for the group to consider. s in the new pool, Casino, bucking bronco, con- tests, food and prizes, a news release says. Mahy organizations and businesses have already thrown their support to the event but the grad class is looking for more volunteers to help stage Celebration 90. Planning meetings will be held regularly with the first scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the SHSS library seems In memory William Holoboff William W. Holoboff of Tarrys passed away in Trail Regional Hospital Friday, Jan. 19, 1990, at age 88. Mr. Holoboff is survived by four daughters, Grace Grayland, Helen Wlasuck, Ann Sourkeroff and Lisa Fairgrave; one son, Pete Holoboff; 12 Conrad. Cemetery. Funeral ar 15 great-g) Margaret Sherstobitoff and Tina Slemko. Mr. Holoboff was predeceased by his wife Annie, sister Anna Sookochoff, and a granddaughter, Caral Funeral service will be held Monday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. from Thom- pson Funeral Home with interment to follow in Nelson Memorial Park ; three sisters, Mary Metelski, Home She enjoyed cooking, are under the direction of TI Helga Liptak Helga Sigridur Liptak of Castlegar passed away Tuesday, Jan. 17, 1990, at Trail Regional Hospital at age 75. Mrs. Liptak was born Nov. 15, 1914, at Wynyard, Sask., and grew up there. She moved to Surrey, B.C., in 1945 and came to Castlegar in 1964. baking, She is survived by one daughter, Elin Peppard of Castlegar; five Funeral music and playing piano. two 1983 and one brother, Frank Hall. Funeral Chapel. Hospi He is survived by his loving wife Peggy; one daughter, Sharon; two sons, Wayne and Dal; three grandchil ‘A memorial service will be held in St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Castlegar today at 3 p.m. followed by a reception at the Senior Citizens’ Centre. Langley, B.C., and Arni Hall of Wynyard; and one sister, Olivia Stein- berg of Lynden, Wash. She was predeceased by one son, Leon Laxdal in - Funeral service was held Saturday at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses with Fred Sherlock officiating. Cremation. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer Foundation, P.O. Box 1423, Stn. A, Kelowna, B.C. VIY 7V8. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Castlegar Ernie Newman Ernie Newman of Castlegar passed away Jan. 16, 1990 in Castlegar two brothers, Jonas Hall of ren; and one great-grandson. January 21, 1990 Castlégar News a3 riefly Natives say premier lied VANCOUVER (CP) — Premier Bill Vander Zalm lied when he said in his television address that his government is taking a more a ive role in addressing Indian land claims, says the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. The Indian leaders said ina statement they have no evidence the government is dealing with land claims. Since the 1970s, the federal government has also asked the B.C. government to act onthe claims. In the Wednesday night speech in which he said he would stay on as premier, Vander Zalm said: ‘‘Our success through the premier’s native Indian advisory council. . . has encouraged us to take a more active role in effectively dealing with native land claims."’ The chiefs’ organization said the remarks would be welcome and historic ‘were it not for the fact that his statement is a lie.”’ Vander Zalm quashes conflict KAMLOOPS (CP) — Premier Bill Vander Zalm quashed an em- barrassing situation Friday afternoon by ordering that a lease not be signed between a B.C Hydro subsidiary and a building he and his wife own Earlier this week, Hydro announced its subsidiary companies Westech Information Services and CANTEX Conversion Services would set up a computer mapping division in the building in Kamloops, located 260 kilometres northeast of Vancouver But in a prepared statement issued late Friday afternoon, Vander Zalm said the proposed lease agreement was sent to his office in Rich- mond on Thursday and he did not have time to read it When he learned the tenant would be a Hydro subsidiary, the premier said he instructed his realtor to reject the lease . He also told the realtor to ensure in future there are no apparent con- flicts in leasing the building Jury still out on FTA OTTAWA (CP) — Canadians might have to wait up to five more years to measure the jobs and wealth that will be created by free trade, Trade Minister John Crosbie said. In his first major report on the deal with the U.S., he said it's im- possible to put an economic yardstick ona treaty just one year after it took effecton Jan. 1, 1989. Free-trade opponents have used “hysterical nonsense’’ to raise the alarm about the first year under the deal, which will gradually end all tarif- fsand reduce a host of other commercial barriers betweenthe countries by 1998, he said “There hasn't been the kind of economic disaster that opponents of the deal havesaid there would be,’’ Crosbie said. Canadian woman space bound MONTREAL (CP) — Dr: Roberta Bondar has been dreaming about being an astronaut since she was.six, and by the end of this year, her dreams shouldcometrue. ~~ Bondar, 44, a neurologist from Sault Ste Marie, Ont., will be the fir- st Canadian woman to fly in space when the space shuttle Columbia takes off next December, William Winegard, Canada’s minister of state for science and technology, said Bondar has been chosen by NASA as a payload specialist on the nine- day mission, Winegard told a news conference. She'll be one of seven people on board 4 Shuttle lands safely EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — The space shuttle Columbia landed in darkness Saturday with a rescued satellite aboard af- ter overcoming weather and computer problems that extended the mission toa record of almost 11 days. The shuttle touched down about 4:36 a.m. EST and rolled to a stop showing no apparent problem from its heavy cargo, which gave C ‘olumbia alanding weight of 103,511 kilograms, a shuttle record Communists clash on reform BELGRADE (AP) — Hard-liners and liberals clashed at a Yugoslav Communist congress Saturday over how quickly to renounce the party's 45-year-old monopoly on power. A vote on a reform document was put off The resolution cals for free elections and a multiparty system, and proclaims the party's readiness to relinquish its guaranteed grip on power. The opening of the congress, broadcast live on Belgrade TV. featured heated debate, with some delegates demanding that the docu- ment be adopted as soon as possible and others cautioning against haste. Ballard soap opera continues TORONTO (CP) — Not only has Yolanda Ballard been locked out of the apartment she shares with hockey magnate Harold Ballard, but she was almost kicked out of a Miami hotel Friday for not paying her bill, her lawyer says. “Security guards tried to evict her money to pay,” said lawyer Howard Levitt Yolanda, who owed the hotel more than $1,000, has been left with a meagre allowance after Harold, her longtime companion, was confined to hospital, the lawyer said The problem was resolved late Friday when lawyers for Maple Leaf Gardens agreed to pay the bill, Levitt said from his Toronto office. Yolanda, 57, is staying at the hotel to be close to Harold, who is being treated for kidney failure, diabetes and a heart ailment in Miami Baptist Hospital (because) she doesn’t have any Mayor charged for drugs WASHINGTON (CP) — The mayor of the U.S. capital — a city teeming with drug abuse — was charged Friday with possessing crack cocaine after he was arrested at a downtown hotel in a special “sting” police operation Marion Barry, one of the best known black leaders in the U.S., looked calm and reserved following the short court hearing held a few days before he planned to begin his campaign for a fourth term. As part of Friday's proceedings, Barry was ordered to undergo weekly drug tests: He was allowed to remain free, with his next court ap- pearance scheduled for Feb. 5 Rajneesh dies in India NEW DELHI (AP) — Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the Rolls-Royce guru who turned a central ‘Oregon town into a tumultuous commune of free love, hedonism and murder plots before being deported, died Friday at age $8.5 Rajneesh, who claimed $00,000 followers worldwide, suffered heart failure, said a spokesman at Rajneesh's commune in Poona Disciples celebrated his spirit’s release with songs and dance, then carted the body to a riverside funeral pyre where it was cremated in the traditional Hindu manner Support may VANCOUVER (CP) — A provin gewide poll suggests Premier Bill Van der Zalm’s televised speech to B.C, voters Wednesday night gained him support and moved the Social Credit party closer ,to the leading New Democrats. The NDP has the support of 49 per cent of decided voters while the Socreds stand at 43 per cent, according to the survey conducted by The Angus Reid Group on the two nights after Vander Zalm announced he would stay onas premier. “Overall, it is our analysis that Mr Vander Zalm may have won more sup- port than he lost as a result of his Strategy of going before the people of British Columbia,” the polling firm says in an analysis released Saturday. Priest given jail term CALGARY (CP) — A Roman Catholic priest who ‘admitted to in- decently assaulting young boys over a 20-year period clutched his Bible Thur- sday as he was led away to start serving a four-year prison sentence. Rev..Robert Whyte, 68, pleaded guilty in provincial court last week to 18 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. Eleven of the charges resulted from incidents in Calgary.while Whyte was a parish priest at St. Pius Catholic Chur- ch and a teacher at two high schools. The other offences took place in and near Radium. Judge T.B. McMeekin said Whyte used the goodwill of parishioners and studentsto preyonyoung boys. “It would certainly appear that he was well regarded . . . and in certain quarters a much-beloved priest,”” McMeekin said of Whyte, whose eyes were fixed intently upon the judge. “But it is clear that he used this good- will to assist him in preying on the vic- tims.” The incidents — which occurred between 1962 and 1982 — involved boys between II and 17 who were altar boys, church members or Whyte’s students. Cocaine continued from front page imposed in similar cases in B.C. and on Vigue's criminal record Vigue received a one-day jail senten- ce and a fine of $2,500 tor the same of- fence a year ago. Bell said the previous sentence had not deterred Vigue and he was ‘‘clearly moving up”’ in the area’s narcotics trade The ‘‘absolute minimum" Vigue should receive is two years less a day, Bell concluded Vigue's lawyer, Brent Adair, remin- ded the court Vigue has lived in the Kootenays most of his life and is em ployed here Adair said there should be unifor- mity in sentencing across the province and an offence should not have greater “The Social Credit party appears to have picked up new support as a result of this initiative, and what was earlier seen as a complete rout should an elec- tion be called looks like it may become more of a horse race."” The poll, commissioned by the Van- couver Sun, was based on interviews with a fandom sample of 470 voters and is considered accurate within plus or minus 4.2 percentage. points, 19 times out of 20. The Reid Group says the current six per cent margin is significantly closer thart the 20 per cent gap between the parties found in polls it conducted in the late summer and early fall of 1989. The latest poll also showed that a large bloc of voters — 29 per cent — remain undecided. SUSPENSE HELPED In an interview, Reid said Vander Zalm and his strategists skilfully used the five-week period of ‘‘suspense’’ before the speech to attract a ‘huge audience”’ of 1.1 million voters. That group, he said, rivalled the audience for the English-language BILL VANDER ZALM . .. large audience for speech leaders’ debate during the 1988 federal election. ; “If you were an ddvertiser in B.C and you could get that audience for free for your product, that’s a really big audience.”’ In comparison, Reid said, the Thur: e growing sday night television address by NDP leader Mike Harcourt was ‘‘an- ticlimactic."" “The whole hype coming out of this thing is that we have Vander Zalm looking very big and Harcourt looking very emall,"’ Reid said. The survey also found that there is no longer a majority of voters who believe Vander Zalm should resign ter his unpopularity was blamed for six consecutive byelection losses. SHOULDSTAY Forty-eight per cent said the premier was right to stay on while 42 per cent thought he should have stepped down, nearly the reverse of a Jan. 6 Reid poll in which’54 per cent thought he should resign. The element of Vander Zalm’s speech that drew the most favorable reaction was his decision to seek changes in the Meech Lake con- stitutional accord, He said the accord was unacceptable to British Colum- bians and announced he would present anew approach but refused to provide any details Conroy . continued from front page facing Rossland-Trail this decade. He said the proposed expansion of the Celgar pulp mill in Castlegar is one project residents and politicians of the area must deal with im mediately. . “From an er-ployment perspective, I’m in favor of the Celgar expansion but asa citizen of the area I want the river cleaned-up, I want the air cleaned up,”” said Conroy, who has been named to represent the Castlegar school board on Castlegar city council’s newly formed Celgar expansion ad- visory committee. He said creating a clean mill while main- taining employment is possible. **One of the reasons I agreed to sit on this committee is that I want to be one of the people who's instrumental in making sure it’s done,”” Conroy said. Can we build a new plant and clean up the environment? That's what everybody wants. It’s just going to be a matter now of en- suring that’s exactly what happens.”* He said industry and large corporations have sometimes in the past misled the public about incorporating so-called state-of-the-art technology “We've been lied to alot,”” Conroy said. ‘I'm hopeful we're not being lied to this time and I’m looking forward to doing some real sound investigation to make sure that’s not the case.’” Turning to other proposed developments, Conroy said he’s happy B.C. Hydro’s proposed Murphy Creek dam project has been put onthe backburner. “1m not really too excited about Murphy Creek to tell you the truth,” he said. “Obviously, when you have the opportunity for development in your area, you want the jobs. I just feel at this point . . . the people in this area have to have some more time to think about the impacts of Mur- phy. I'd like more time to think about the impacts of Mur- phy as well.”” On other issues, Conroy, who has represented Area I on the Castlegar school board for the last five years and is currently vice-chairman of the board, said the state of education in B.C. is ‘‘not very healthy.”* He noted that costs of providing education in the ‘Castlegar school district rose 17 per cent in the 1980s yet the board was forced to raise school taxes ‘110 per cent’’ and says underfunding by the provincial government is the reason “More of the burden of providing the basics of education is falling on the backs of the taxpayers (in school districts) and it’s a burden they can’t bear any longer. I'm of the opinion that we're almost on the verge of ataxpayer revolt,” he said Conroy said the provincial government must increase the amount of money per pupil it pays to school districts and insists the money is available in the province's general revenue “If they've got the money to build a four-lane Cc lla (highway) connector. Yes, I believe the weight ding on the community in which it is committed, a reference to the RCMP constable’s testimony on the impact such a quantity of cocaine could have ona small community, A sentence of six months to one year would be appropriate, said Adair, who also asked the judge to consider a 90- day intermittent sentence to allow Vigue to work and rehabilitate him self. Both attofneys made reference to the two months Vigue spent in custody and Adair asked that the sentence be reduced by four months to reflect the time Vigue had already served In sentencing, the judge said Vigue didn’t learn from his first conviction and a sentence must be imposed to “bring home to him'’ that the court will not tolerate such illegal activity Following the sentencing, Adair told the Castlegar News he and his client will consider an appeal of both the conviction and the length of the jail term Going from a fine and one day in jail to 2% years in a federal penitentiary is “too dramatic a jump,"’ Adair said And if something is against the law in Vancouver and receives a particular penalty there then it should be worth the same penalty in Castlegar and should not be given more weight because the crime is committed in a smaller centre, he said “If someone commits murder, the dead person is just as dead here”’ asin Vancouver, Adair said to illustrate his point The decision on an appeal will likely be made within two weeks, he added Bell said he felt the sentence was ap propriate and if the time Vigue spent in custody is figured in, the sentence is close to the three years Bell asked for Bell added he was not surprised to hear Adair plans to consider an appeal money’s there. We just have to change our priorities a little bit.”" Conroy, a founding member and now board member of the Arrow Lakes Tugboat Society, said his long in volvement in the forestry-related work has given him an overall view of forestry management problems in the area and an insight into the industry as a whole Reaction- “We have to totally re-evaluate our logging prac- tices,"" he said. ‘We've done such’ a terrible job in managing our logging that now we don't have people just crying for proper logging practices, we've driven a lot of people so far that they're anti-logging."’ He said B.C. needs a new Forest Act. On other resource issues, Conroy said he would like to see West Kootenay Power ‘‘repatriated’’ by a provincial government if it could reach a fair deal to buy back the utility from UtiliCorp United of Missouri “+I think that electricalp6wer generation and control of water is too important to be placed in the hands of anybody outside the province,” said Conroy who, as a member of the Electsical Consumers Association, helped fight UtiliCorp’s purchase of WKP. And, speaking generally about privatization, Conroy said there are several areas, such as highways maintenance, health care and the environment, where the provincial government should maintain full control. “It’s not that I don’t trust the private sector,’’ Conroy said. ‘‘I just think that there are some things too close to. home to let other people worry about.” He added that it’s ‘tan old Socred myth’’ that the private sector can manage businesses and services more ef- ficiently than government and that there are some services the government supplies that should not have profit asthe underlying motive. “Theré’s some things the government -has-to-supply that have no relevancy to money, that are a service that people who live in certain areas need and pay for and ex- pect."’ Conroy said On the political front, Conroy said Premier Bill Van- der Zalm’s decision last week to stay on as leader of the Socreds is good news for the New Democrats. “That’s the upside,"’ Conroy said. ‘*The downside is that I don’t know how much longer he’s going to stay in and how much more damage is going to be done in the interim " Conroy said he expects Vander Zalm to call a general election if and when the Socreds rise to the mid-40s percen- tage range in public opinion polls. As for his own odds in getting the Rossland-Trail nomination, Conroy said he hasan “‘even chance."* “Nobody enters into something like this unless they figure they've got a chance,”” he said. ‘I've got some good, hard-working people on my committee and we're very serious and we feel it’s time for a change in Rossland-Trail and we're going to do everything we can to see that hap- pens.” Conroy is married and has four children ranging in age from five to 17. His wife, Katrine, is administrator of the Kootenay Columbia Child Care Society In a news release announcing his candidacy, Conroy emphasizes the importance of sharing his commitments with Katrine “We are offering ourselves to Rossland-Trail as a team,"’ he says. Katrine Conroy also possesses many years of political experience and is the daughter of well-known Castlegar New Democrats Ingeborg and Ben Thor-Larsen. She first canvassed for the NDP at age 12 and, like her husband, ser- ves on the executive of the Rossland-Trail NDP Con- stituency Association continued from front page “The challenge now is to put the true story to the people,"” he said @ Iris Bakken, Salmo president of The Many Friends of Bill Vander Zalm, said she had a *‘gut feeling’ the premier was going to stay and ‘‘he did a beautiful job" with his speech ¥ “It was very clear and gut-honest,"’ Bakken said But the party will notbe able to win again if there is in fighting in the caucus, Bakken warned, adding that she supports the premier’s tough stand on dissidents within the party Bakken said she would like to see the caucus members who have left the party return but ‘‘not if they continue as they have."" She said she has difficulty understanding what the dissenters are opposing. They will destroy the free: enterprise system if they continue their vocal opposition to Vander Zalm and his policies, Bakken said She added the dissenters will not form a new party “‘if they care about free enterprise and the people of B.C “If they do, you'd know it would only be out of self interest,” she said The dissenters will ‘‘get on-side,"’ Bakken predicted She said Vander Zalm will go on to win the next election with a big majority — provided the media doesn’t continue to publish and broadcast half-truths about the premier and quote him out of context Provincial secretary and Nelson-Creston MLA Howard Dirks agreed with Bakken that the premier gave the right message on dissent within the party “You're either on or off the team,”’ Dirks said, adding **[don’t disagree with the message at all."" Dirks said he.is “solidly behind’’ Vander Zalm and the province is moving in the right direction under his leader ship. Dirks also backed Vander Zalm’s declaration that he will propose changes to the Meech Lake accord. The accord is not as popular now as it was when the B.C. legislature ratified the deal and there has been a change of attitude in the province and the country since that time, Dirks said The accord should be modified to make it acceptable to provinces other than Quebec, he said. Moore also backed Vander Zalm’s move into the fray over the accord, saying every premier needs to be fully aware and fully involved in provincial-federal issues. “If they're not, they're not doing the job we elected them to do,"’ she said But Terry Dalton, lawyer fot the Robson-Raspberry Ferry Users Ad Hoc Committee, took issue with Vander Zalm’s remarks on federal matters. “Mr. Vander Zalm cannot, on the one hand, criticize the federal deficit, the size of government and high in- terest rates while at the same time compelling an operation (the E and N Railroad) that the general public dees not sup- port and use,”’ Dalton said “The E and N served 45,000 citizens a year at con- siderable cost. The Robson ferry served 955,000 citizens a year at a cost of about 26 cents per citizen," Dalton con- tinued, referring to the closure of the ferry almost two years ago and the committee's so-far fruitless efforts to have it sestored until a bridge can be built Dalton also slammed the premier for his remarks on seniors, single families, children and the disabled “Mr. Vander Zalm would wish us to believe that these special citizens are particularly a matter for his concern and protection,”’ Dalton said “Yet it has been these very citizens who have been most hurt by the continuing ferry closure."