Saturday, November 28, 1992 @ FREE EMPLOYMENT-WANTED CLASSIFIEDS. Heather Hadley Classified Manager Today your main concern is taking care of your family. Feeding them. Clothing them. Putting a roof over their heads. To do that, you need a job. And these days jobs can be a little hard to come by. So your friends at the Castlegar News want to give you a little help. Now you can run your own *employment-wanted' ads free. Because if we help you to get an even break, you'll do the rest. That's the job of any community newspaper. So that's our job here at your community newspaper, the Castlegar News ... 365-7266 V Ki We} GASEEG 13 33 ZZ, @ Saturday, November 28, 1992 Nine to FIVE Your business Is our business Nell Rachyski 365-7266 "SOUTH © BUYS DOWN Nelson labor market analyst Judy McCandlish said cross-border shopping in the West Kootenay could see a decline. Ina retail sales report for the Canada Employment Centre she states, “the declining Canadian dollar and the new provincial tax on cigarettes and alcohol should see consumers shopping at home or at least in Canada.” AGAINST BILL 84 Six more organizations have joined the Coalition of B.C. Businesses in their call for amendments to the province's new labor code. That brings to 20 the number of organizations to join the coalition, along with 35,000 small and medium sized businesses. OVER YOUR -HEAD Putting a roof over your is costing more. Housing prices in the Kootenays are up 11 per cent over last year according to the B.C. Real Estate Association. The average cost of a house this year was just over $81,000 compared to last year's average of $72,441. Greater Vancouver was highest at $240,000. WorkPLACE Opportunities At Work Neil Rachynski NEWS REPORTER The pitch has been made in Castlegar. Now David Levi will have to wait and see how many residents take a swing. The president of the Working Opportunity Fund (EVCC) Ltd. made a presentation Wednesday to about a dozen members of the Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce. Levi outlined the benefits of the Working News photo by Neil Rachynski David Levi says the Working Opportunity Fund is “for the little guy.” Opportunity Fund in an effort to drum up investors for the new initiative. The fund was set up in January 1992 and Levi emphasizes it is not for loans but rather for investments. One of the major selling points Levi outlined in the plan was the tax savings. He told the meeting that for every dollar invested, there is a 20 cent tax credit from the federal government, a 20 cent tax credit from the province and a 40 cent tax saving with an RRSP contribution. Levi said with a refund of 80 cents that would mean a total investment cost of 20 cents for every dollar. Those figures are based on a taxable income of $35,000 and a subscription of $5,000. The fund states the tax savings for people earning $25,000 is about 67 cents per dollar and approximatey 85 cents for those with a taxable income of $60,000. The fund has the support of both the provincial and federal governments. It was set up with the sponsorship of Working Enterprises, which is owned by a number of provincial unions, including the B.C. Federation of Labor. In fact, federation president Ken Georgetti is chairperson for the Working Opportunity Fund. Levi said there are a number of reasons for union involvment. For one, he said the government required union sponsorship for people to qualify for the tax credits. He also said the unions want to play a bigger role in the marketplace and enhance their image: as good money managers. The idea of all this is to create investment returns by expanding small- and medium-sized B.C. businesses. Levi said where large corporations use investment money to upgrade their technology and eventually cut staff, the fund will help expand companies and create jobs. While trying to peak the interest of potential investors, Levi said the fund is also looking for investment opportunities. There are some strict criteria though, and as Levi said, there is a hitch. The fund will only invest in companies with: * less than $35 million in total assets, ¢ 80 per cent of their assets located in B.C., ¢ at least 50 per cent of wages and salaries going to B.C. employees. Levi said all investments are subject to the approval of a four-person advisory board. The four consultants on the board represent four different companies in the investment and finance markets. Levi said the advisory board will be “checking the checkers.” He said the fund cannot invest in resource extraction, real estate development, or the retail and banking sectors. Instead, it will be looking at diversifying the provincial economy by concentrating on areas such as manufacturing, secondary industries, tourism and high tech or knowledge-based industries. Then there’s “the hitch” Levi metioned. He said the average term for an investment is around four to six years, but there is an eight-year holding period on those funds imposed by the government. But he said there is a hardship clause, the ultimate example being death. The minimum investment is $500 and the maximum is $5,000. Levi said that ceiling limit creates an investment climate strictly for individuals, known as a retail fund. Investors must also be B.C. residents. “It’s for the little guy.” Of left-turn lanes, flashing traffic lights and lint Time for adjustments to the local traffic flow. I was chatting with some drivers. Fair enough. amber — while they are flashing red for 17th Avenue free-flowing lanes in that direction and one for northbound traffic. members of the unofficial media club recently. And while the discussion bordered on navel-gazing, there were some interesting ideas tossed about on the traffic problems. First, my suggestion. Put a flashing-green left turn signal at the intersection of Columbia Avenue and 3rd Street. Trying to make a left turn from Columbia towards West’s Department Store is a chore during peak hours. And drivers who want to go straight usually take the right turn lane to continue straight ahead. An accident is just waiting to happen when one of those oncoming cars turn left and drive straight into one of those vehicles using the right eo The Bottom Line NeiiRACHYNSKI turning lane. Twenty seconds or so of a left-turn signal would go a long way to helping with that aggravating backlog. Idea No. 2: The intersection lights at the Kalawsky dealership could do with some fine tuning. During peak hours the lights flash yellow — ’scuse me, But when it’s 2 a.m. and that light stops you cold on Columbia Avenue, you have to wonder what the point is. In larger cities, lame intersection lights like that just flash away through the midnight hour. Idea No. 3: This is the big one, for which I can’t take the credit. Stop using the middle lane on Columbia Avenue as a turning lane. It was a noble idea but it doesn’t appear to have worked. There are a lot of drivers out there that don’t realize what the lane is for. Instead, use the existing lane as a through road that matches peaks hours. For instance, during the afternoon southbound rush on Columbia Avenue, have two Reverse that flow in the morning, two lanes of traffic in one direction and one lane in the other. It shouldn’t be too hard to regulate. Large cities do it by installing a series of lights along the middle lane. If there’s a green arrow pointing down you can use the road, if there’s a red ‘X’ you can't. Of course, left turning cars from the single lane could have trouble cutting through two lanes of oncoming traffic. The whole point is moot anyway because a lot of people think the problem will vanish after the Celgar expansion. In the meantime, I'll consult with the other navel gurus and see if we discover more than lint.