WEATHERCAST gelslative Library, ‘arilazant Bldg &8e, 50 ictoria, B.C. BY 1k4 CASTLE, ‘ Published at The Crossroads of the Kootenays” VOL. 35, NO. 6 85 Cents Cloudy skies Thursday morning with snow Hhurries but without lation of snow. ge accum ith pate pattern will ‘continue for the will be s. ground. -3* with overnight tows near -9 3 Sections (A, B&C) CELGAR LUMBER MILL $35 million u By RON NORMAN Editer B.C. R (BCRIC) Ducey said the proposed - upgrading | will increase mill has announced: its plans to spend $35 million this year to -modernize’ and upgrade’ the BC Timber Celgar ‘lumber mill here in Castlegar. Brant Ducey, BCRIC dir- ector of public affairs, told the Castlegar News this morning the plans include in- creased sutomation and com- puterization which will make the mill one of ‘the moet modern in the province. Initial- announcement of the modernization program was made by BCRIC presi- dent Bruce Howe at'a meet- ing of the Winnipeg Financial and has been asked to finalize the’ plans. Once the plans have been finalized, they will again be presented to the BCRIC board ‘either at the end of February or the end of March L for approval. _ throughout the province. including Finance Minister Hugh Curtis — in the rush to : appeal their 1982 property ° erty assessments. © ‘And they're doing it in incredible numbers. ‘Area assessor Derek Tur- ner said his Trail office had received a total of 288 assess- ment . appeals from the Castlegar school district as of : Tuesday night. “ That's nearly 200 more than the office had Friday afternoon. Turner said the appeals started to trickle in late Fri- day, but “Monday and Tues- day were horrendous.” Of the 288 ‘appeals, 100 were, from Castlegar city — compared to’ just 24 Friday afternoon, ,The ‘other 168 were from the rural'areas — again compared to only. 6 Friday. © = Turner had told the Castle- gar News‘in a Sunday story that the, _tppeals were . no and provide equipment to better handle the size and species of fibre’ at the mill, Improvements include an automatic scanner for logs, ' stress rating equipment,, automatic ‘sorters, and com- plete computer controls. “It's the sort of thing we've been looking at for our other mills'as well,” Ducey said. Once’ completed, the Cel- gar mill should be the equi- valent of BC ‘Timber's Pla- teau Mills in Hazelton — the company’s flagship. Ducey.said Plateau Mills is the only one of BC Timber’s seven lumber mills that is fully computerized. CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA; WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1982 Ducey said the Celgar up- grading will be included. in BC Timber’s 3982 capital taken aback by the announce-: ment, and indicated that he Parent corporat Meanwhile, Ducey said BC ° firat' heard of the Program _ from the media. Blessin said he hasn't re- ceived: any. specific ‘details, -but thought the $35 million program ‘included a number of BC.Timber's southeastern Interior mills — not just the mill, ‘ Celgar “We could build. ...a whole plant for $85 million,” he said. However, Ducey con- pgrading plan " Sigalet liad “no comment,” and explained that; the ; an- nouncement came “fro: jetails : “on! th should ,also’ come ‘from ‘the’ tion. Timber ‘hasn't any: plans. to; 2 amalgamate the Kootenay Forest Products plywood op- eration in Nelson with the Celgar lumber mill. “I haven't heard. that’ op- tion before,” he said. - However, . he. indicated a decision on the KFP. mill will be made at the’end-of Feb- ruary or the end of March firmed thé $85 million is ear-. board marked spe for the Celgar modernization pro- “It's really producing gram. well,” he said, Plateau Mills produces. 20 per cent of the lumber for BC Timber's & gev- en mills, “What we're trying to do is get these mills up to scratch so when the lumber’ down cycle reverses we'll be ready . to-go.” owners’ have only until’ Celgar mill manager 4 Thornton. was decide on the modernization plans for the Celgar mill. “I don’t think it’s any se- cret that KFP is having its comment, on the * cubaiiog ment. He would only say,’ “We are optimistic we will get a project.” Jack Sigalet, BC Timber's regional wood products man-. ager, was equally reticent. P ."Ducey added. BC ‘Timber indicated last year it would have a report on its overall ‘plans for the: southern Interior operations , by. last October, but . that spepett is still personae ¢ midnight tonight to file an” inor appeal. He added that the assess- but ment office will consider the . appeal valid if it has a'Jan. 20 postmark’ — even though it may not arrive until later this © week. However, he said the office will not consider letters from postage meters. “We've found a couple of occasions where people: put the meter back,” he ex- plained. Turner said he won't know’ until Friday afternoon if the number of. pesteament ap- peals is a record. He added “It's pretty ob- vious « Some bye ‘the’ appeals in- creased “sharply” after the “weekend: “The ministers say they're going to appeal theirs, Taper was. wee to “ CAIMAW_-STEEL HEARING * Raid extension robe ‘yacouven (CP) oe ‘The Canadian Association of In- dustrial, Mechanical and Al- lied Workers did not ap- proach the B.C. Labor Rela- tions Board for permission to extend “its raid of Cominco operations in Trail and Kim- berley. until after the cam- paign had been under way for + almost three months, a board hearing’ was told Tuesday. Peter: Cameron, the raid- ing union's regional vice- president testified that even sthough his union had not collected a majority of mem- bership cards .within the . three-month period it did not ask that the raid be pro- longed. It had been board policy that raids not exceed three months. ‘The notion that an ex- tension had to be sought was not. in my. frame of refer- ence,” Cameron told the - three-member panel, which will decide whether toallowa certification vote among the 4,850 members of ‘the bar- gaining unit at Trail -and Kimberley,. currently mem- bers “of ‘the United - Steel- - workers of America. Ifa ion vote is iThey. say the assessments * ‘shank said the, city’s assess-” ment rolls increased 15 Per, 2 cent this. year. E “That's not bad,” he’ said. : “We're ‘not ‘too far out of hack.” sabes o. wi However, Cruikshank said he’s heard .some individual assessments were very high this year.) ~In Victoria, Curtis said he assessment: on the: family home and he and his wife are appealing it : Curtis said he hopes. the Court of Revision that hears began its raid of production iworkers, at the mining and smelting operations on Aug. 4— set Nov. 3 or Nov. 4 asa target for the end of-the raid because “an end-of- are_used as a‘ basis for levy- ing municipal taxes, have in- ‘were made at a high point in the recent real estate boom and do not reflect a sub- Counci 1 protests freeze By CesNews Stalt Castlegar council has joined the Central. Kootenay’ Regional District: board in protest over the provincial government's decision — to freeze the Recreational Fa- cilities” ‘Assistance Program Fond. In a Dee. 9 letter ‘to the regional’ district,’ ‘Provincial Secretary Evan Wolfe an- nounced that the fund will be frozen for the next 18 months until the end of the 1982-83 fiscal year. Wolfe said the move was necessary because the prov- ince is faced with “reduced Fevenue which ordered “and the raiding union wins, the 65,226. mem- bership of CAIMAW would almost ‘double and would replace.the Steelworkers as the biggest union in the B.C. ent in such raids. He said ifa target date had not been ‘pinpointed, many potential signees would not be as Prompt -in signing membership cards, Cameron admitted, -when been oo netat the board’s three-month time limit: for raids should be enforced and that CAIMAW went beyond that in its campaign. Cameron told panel chair- man Stephen Kelleher his union“ understood that the time limit extends “three months from the'end of the month in which the (first) card was signed.” .He said the independent Canadian union — which lawyer. John Baigent, that is always. pres- “pretty close to 250” employ- ° ‘ees'revoked their CAIMAW. cards before the. union ap- plied to the labor board for certification Nov.30. Cameron has maintained that an official count of cards © by the labor board indicates that CAIMAW has signed a “comfortable majority” of Cominco production workers. continued on page A2 fore (us) ..- to respond by Night” Monday: ‘as more‘than 75 persons attended the: an- nual meeting of the Castlegar ‘| and District’ Public Library Association. of continuous service. In pre- senting her with an engraved silver tray, library . board chairman Dr. Roy Ward said Manahan was symbolic of all” the library: volunteers who have given so “uristintingly” of their tim It was‘an evening of ser- ious thought, determination and‘ reminiscing 2s various speakers addressed the group with guest’ speaker John Charters” prepared ad- dress on.the history of the - library delivered in his ab- sence by his wife Bunny. Ward requested thatthe speech be left with the board to be placed in the -corner- stone of the proposed re- gional library. Rossland-Trail MLA Chris D'Arcy .in a brief address expressed regret that’ the, board was unable to. obtain a was given ‘Mra,’:Manahan eae for her 80 years : : Vanderpol He added that 1982 would indeed be. interesting —' a turning point for the library. “We will either become a library for the whole district or continue to be an entity crammed in nooks and cran- ae CHARLIE KING ++. first chairman “donations which will be used for publicity... Area 1 director Martin expressed his pleasure at areal and J being part of the new regional i- | brary adding’ that 2s an English teacher he is a “firm believer in-a good library system.” Castlegar. librarian Judy Wearmouth gave a series of- examples of the crowded “Your board of trustees : and library staff will have an intere} year’ no matter what Phe decision, although we désperat awant the: li-” Gisap formed to fight fee hike By CasNews Staff Businessmen and workers throughout the West Koot- enay have banded together in a bid to roll back a provincial -sabinet decision to increase water licence fees by 300 per cent for all major power generators. ‘A Water Licence Impact Committee of area industry, ‘small. business, labor and local make formal statements on the effects of the 300 per cent hike. . The committee claims the increase will. have.a major effect on Cominco, and BC Timber’s Celgar pulp and lumber mills — both of which are major power users in ‘the . area. In fact, Cominco spokes- man Jim Cameron has said tives has been formed and a meeting is scheduled for Jan. 28 in Trail to air findings and complaints. Meeting organizers have invited Premier Bill Bennett and key cabinet ministers, recre- he said the li- mea- sures where practical.” The fund provides up to one-third funding to a max- imum of $400,000 for the con- atruction-and renovation of © recreation facilities. . The proposed -Castlegar regional library was one of the récrreation projects af- fected by the freeze.” The library board had ex: pected to receive as much as $885,000 from the ‘brary board has a great deal of credibility in the com- munity and people are talk- ing of the proposed library in a “major way.” He wished the board well, adding, “You have zeal, you have enthusiasm.” ditions at both of the library and noted that while working towards a new library, other work continues to be done. She stated the board had applied for a summer student grant to employ three stu- dents to conduct a thorough inventory, matching every book to its shelf-list catalogue Mayor Audrey . Moore card. lauded. the association for doing a “terrific” job despite “impossible conditions.” Noting a but now must pay all'the $2 million cost with Iccal funds. The regional district at its last meeting’ supported a motion to ask the provincial government for a “modifi- cation or total reversal of the moratorium affecting the rec- reation facilities program.” be, held Feb. will 18, Moore wished the. board success “even though we are in bad economic times.” -To help get as much pub- licity. as possible for the upcoming referendum, Ward said a box had been set at each of the two libraries for ‘The grant was rejected but tee work is being done as permits, eotier work noted by Ward in his chairman's report in- Industry Minister Don Phillips and Energy Min- ister Bob McClelland. The business-labor coali- tion charges that the gov- ernment: decision an- nounced just two days before Christmas — “appears to be having serious adverse ef- fects on the already strapped forest products and mining industries.” The coalition says the water licence fee increases mean higher electricity bills which will be particularly tough on West Kootenay and resid be- cluded the of an updated version of the li- brary’s policy statement. In the same report Ward said, “We have had an old Chinese ‘curse’ given to us. It is — “May you live in inter. esting times cause this area has tradi- tionally enjoyed relatively cheap power. The Jan. 28 meeting is set for 6 p.m. in the Blue Room of the Crown Point Hotel, where the committee will the fees will cost his company an extra $9. million this year. The increase comes at a time when the area’s major industries — Cominco and BC Timber — are both suffering serious slumps because of depressed export markets, The business — labor com- mittee was spearheaded largely by former Chamber of Commerce president Kim Catalano and: United Steel- workers of America Local 480 president Ken Georgetti. The committee has already contacted a number of area businesses to determine the effect the increase will have on their operations, the fu- ture of the company and employment prospects. Impact committee spokes- man say the increase will hit the area very hard because many businesses settled here because of the lower power rates. Other business will be discouraged from locating here because of increase in rates, they claim.