Legisla tive Library, Parliament Bldgs., 501 Belleville Victoria, B. c, VaV 1x4 Febi Brisco By BRENDAN NAGLE Staff Writer Kootenay West MP Bob Brisco is resting in an Ottawa hospital after suffering a serious heart attack earlier this month, Brisco was released from the intensive care ward at the National Defence Medical Centre Monday after spending 10 days under acute medical observation. “I had developed (cardiac arrest) symptoms and my wife and son drove me to the hospital,” Brisco said yesterday in a telephone interview from his hospital bed. “I got in the wheelchair and that’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in intensive care.” While Brisco tried to downplay the severity of the ailment he said: “It was serious to the degree that they had to kick start me.” He was referring to the fact that hospi used high-voltage electrical paddles to coax back into working order after it had stopped. Once Brisco’s heart rate was stabilized, he stayed in the intensive care ward at the Ottawa hospital until Monday “They (the doctors) know where the damage is,” Brisco said. “It's not the main part of the pumper.” The 59-year-old MP said doctors attributed the heart failure to numerous causes including stress, fatigue and fine' after heart attack smoking. The physicians did not have to operate on Brisco but instead performed an angiogram — an X-ray of blood vessels. Brisco is now resting in the hospital and is under going therapy to speed his recovery. “I'm feeling fine,” he said. “I expect I'll be here in the Defence Medical Centre for rehabilitation instruction and exercise for a week. It's a buildup process.” Brisco said he isn't sure when he will be back in his constituency. He indicated it might be a month before he's well enough to fly and the final decisions are made by the doctors. “I don't think that the physicians would be impressed with my leaving too early,” he joked Brisco also said the doctors have made it clear that he should stop smoking and added he isn't having as much trouble quitting smoking as he thought he might. “I haven't had a craving for cigarettes since I wa: admitted,” he said. “I definitely plan to stop smoking.” He said he will also become quite difficult around others who decide to smoke in his presence. “I'll probably be one of the world’s worst nags.” Following his release from the hospital in another week to 10 days, Brisco will recuperate at his Ottawa residence with his family Vol. 41, No. 30. 60 Cents RS) V» Mt Castlegar News CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1988 WEATHERCAST Increasing cloud Thursday with isolated showers and/or thunder storms. Highs near 18 and lows around 5. Outlook for Friday is showers, but expect sunshine Saturday and Sunday 3 Sections (A, B & C) Council won't go for land sale deal By CasNews Staff Castlegar council refused Tuesday to option a number of city-owned prop- erties in the downtown area to a group of local businessmen which wants to develop a mall. The Downtown Development Group asked council for a “commit- ment” that the 10 properties required for the proposed mall be made “avail- able” to the group at their assessed value. Castlegar businessman Leo Bosse first proposed a $5.6 million mall for downtown last April. The 82,000- square-foot mall would be located on 18th Avenue between the city works yard and the Castle Hotel'site. Bosse was one of four businessmen who met with council's planning and development committee on April 4 to discuss the city land. The others included Paul Moroso, George Rilkoff and Wally Horning. Committee chairman Ald. Terry Rogers told the group that council had already endorsed in principle Bosse’s continued on page A4 INSIDE Volleyball ~ team third page B1 Lottery numbers The winning numbers drawn Tuesday in The Pick lottery were 15, 30, 35, 37, 42, 49, 50 and 54, TOP CITIZEN... Ludwik Zurek congratulates wife Roberta on winning the 1987 citizen of the year award with a kiss Tuesday night. Pat Haley (left), president Celgar may accelerate upgrading By RON NORMAN Editor Celgar Pulp Co. and the Ministry of Environment are negotiating to accelerate the pulp mill's 10-year pollution upgrading program in light of the company's strong economic per formance. Car! Johnson, an engineer with the ministry's waste management branch in Nelson, told Castlegar council Tuesday night that the company has reacted “favorably” to speeding up the pollution program. “The original program was 10 years long. We think that that's a bit excessive. We think it can be short ened,” Johnson said of the Castlegar Kiwanis Club, presented Zurek with plaque while Merv Rush outlined Zurek’s community which led to n. CosNewsPhoto by Burt Compbell Crowd honors Zurek By CasNews Staff Friends, relatives and guests joined the Castlegar Kiwanis Club Tuesday in honoring Roberta Zurek, the 1987 Castlegar area citizen of the year. More than 80 people turned out for the banquet at Jenny's Cafe and heard a glowing tribute to the 28-year resi dent of Robson. Master of ceremonies Merv Rush said Zurek embodied the ultimate good citizen — someone who has concern for others. “A good citizen means attending endless meetings when it would be so much easier to stay home and watch TV,” Rush s: “A good citizen means supervising bingo games, (and) acting as booking agent for Robson Hall, Resker Hall and the Church Hall “A good citizen means always being available. A good citizen means Roberta Zurek.” Rush detailed Zurek’s life, begin ning with her birth in Vancouver through her marriage in 1953 to Ludwik Zurek and with their. seven years together in Prince Rupert “In the fall of 1960 Ludwik was transferred to Celgar here at Castlegar and they moved into their present home five months later,” Rush said. He noted they had four children before the move: Louise, Mark, Frank and two after the first move: Roberta Zurek joined the Robson Community Church in 1961 and the Robson Evening Group a year later Some 18 years ago she joined the Robson Recreation Society, on which she has been a director for the last 14 years. In 1975 she became a Guide leader, moving on to become assistant, then guider in charger and finally district retary since\\981. Besides sitting as a director on the\Resker Hall board since the hall was finished, she also works in her spare time in the St. David's Thrift Shop. over a hot stove in Robson Hall. A good itizen means sweating and Karl; Judy and David. continued an page A4 Premier CASTLEGAR MAN INVENTS POP MACHINE By BONNE MORGAN Staff Writer A Castlegar man has come up with an invention that could totally revolutionalize the way beverages are dispensed in restaurants and bars. Said El-Farra came up with the idea several years ago when he was working in the basement of his William's Lake home. The 42-year-old refrigeration engineer and mechanic was thinking about a problem a pub owner had been having with his draft beer lines and working on something else when he discovered a unqiue air pressure system that eliminates the use of carbon dioxide gas and tanks. “I was getting something else and accidentally it came to me,” said El-Ferra, who now works for Castlegar Plumbing and Heating. And ElFerra is ready to go big time. The small machine which uses a compressor to propel purified air continued on poge As SAID EL-FARRA . with invention » he gave no indication just how much faster the work will be carried out He explained that Celgar was granted a 10-year variance permit in 1986 on the condition that if the mill's economic situation improves, the company may be required to accelerate the pollution upgrading. “There has been negotiations carried on over the last few months,” Johnson said, adding that Celgar had to present its proposed spending plans for pollution upgrading and for production improvements. “Hopefully, there will be an amended variance issued shortly that will have a shorter time line,” he said Mayor Audrey Moore called the acceleration “really good news.” However, Ald. Len Embree sev erely criticized the pulp mill owners, calling the pollution upgrading situa. tion “a soap opera.” “I'm a little angry,” Embree said, adding that there is a sense that “be- cause the company is finally doing something responsible, we should all be grateful. “Well, my particular comment is that it's about damn well time.” Meanwhile, Johnson said the min. istry is satisfied with the work that has been carried out on the pulp mill recovery boiler. “From our point of view.” . we have been pretty satisfied with the progress to date on resolving some of the air quality problems and emission problems from the recovery boiler.” Johnson said the recovery boiler improvements are ahead of schedule. “The major part of that boiler rebuild will be starting on Sunday,” Johnson said, adding that the mill will continued on page A4 Dry weather sparks forest fire concern By RON NORMAN Editor Dry weather conditions in the Arrow Lakes region has local Forestry officials concerned about the upcoming forest fire season. “We're anticipating an early and dry year unless we get some spring rains,” said Ted Evans, resource planning officer with the Arrow Forest District The forest fire season Friday and runs until Oct. 15 Evans said this year is shaping up very much like last year when con ditions were even drier than the 1985 season, which saw a record number of forest fires in this district Three years ago there were more than 250 forest fires. Last year there were about 100 fires, which is close to the 10-year average, Evans said He explained that there weren't as many forest fires last year because of timely rain and fewer thunderstorms. “This year it's starting out to be very, very dry,” Evans said, but added that the number of forest fires will depend on when the rain falls and the number of thunderstorms. Meanwhile, the Environment Min istry says the snowpack in the Koot enay region is 60-80 per cent of normal. “It is still well below normal,” said Dwain Boyer, engineering section head with the Water Management Branch office in Nelson. Boyer said while there were some improvements in the snowpack last begins month, they were restricted to higher elevations. The lower elevations “didn’t have much snow at all,” Boyer said, adding that the snow has dis. appeared now He said residents who depend on underground springs will be “out of luck” this year, and the water manage ment branch is forecasting a “fairly dry summer” for this area. Boyer added@pat the only way the situation would improve would be for a lot of rain to fall this spring “It would have to be above average rains from here on in.” While the communities outside Castlegar could be faced with a dry summer and restricted water use, Castlegar itself shouldn't face any water restrictions. “We've had nothing at all as far as I know that (tells us) we will be in a rationing situation,” city engineer Kevin Lagan said Tuesday The city gets its water from the Arrow Lakes reservoir, which is ex pected to be down this year from other years. However, the drop in water level isn’t expected to have any effect on city water use. Meanwhile, dry conditions were a factor in two grass fires in Castlegar Monday and another in Robson on Sunday Castlegar Fire Chief Bob Mann said the fires were “minor” and were apparently caused by sparks from passing CP Rail trains.