a2 Castlegar News April4,1990 * Uncertainty reigns in forest industry VANCOUVER (CP) — Two years ago, the forest industry in British Columbia rode a buoyant economy to more than $1.5 billion in profits, the highest in its history. Times have changed. Razor-sharp competition in global markets, the crip- Pling effect of the increased Canadian dollar value on ex- Ports and costly environmental regulations have taken their toll on the bottom line. While the industry is no stranger to downturns, no ‘one knows for sure just how long or how deep this one will run, “This is a cyclical business,”’ said George Pearson, senior vice-president of Fletcher Challenge. ‘‘When we're in the middle of a downturn, it seems like it will last forever.”" Pearson speaks from experience. Fletcher's net ear- nings tumbled 33 per cent to $120 million in 1989. MacMillan Bloedel suffered a similar fate, with Profits falling 25 per cent to $247 million in 1989. Overall, operating earnings for the entire industry dropped more than 10 per cent to about $1.38 billion. That’s big news in a province where the forest in- dustry reigns supreme. The industry directly employs about 82,500 people, accounting for more than $2.6 billion in annual payroll. It Provides another 165,000 spinoff jobs, meaning about one out of five jobs in the province is connected to forestry in some way. Ironically, the sector that led the province’s largest business out of the dark days of the 1982 recession — pulp, paper and newsprint — now is dragging profits down. “Generally, there is a two-year lag between lumber and pulp and paper,”’ says Charles Widman, longtime in- dustry watcher and ‘based industry “In the next year, the lumber sector should do reasonably well. It’s the pulp and newsprint sectors that Officer continued from front page cevich held two hostages at a Super Save store and adjacent Frontier restaurant in this southeastern British Columbia community. Friends of Preevich told the inquest Prcevich had consumed about four or five beers an hour before the shooting took place. ““When Sue was sober, she was a are going to have the problems. One of the major reason: fot those problems is simple supply and demand. High earnings in the late 1980s encouraged com- panies worldwide to increase their production capacity. In 1989, North American companies added.five new newsprint machines, two of them in British Columbia, which boosted capacity by more than six per cent, said Widman, Another six — jacking up output by the same rate — are slated to begin producing newsprint in 1991. That new capacity, coupled with slower economic growth in North America, weakened newsprint prices, which have dropped to $540 US a tonne from $600 US in 1988. That price drop, combined with the exchange loss between the Canadian and U.S. dollars and increases in production costs, have essentially eliminated the profit margin of newsprint in Canada, said Bob Findlay, senior vice-president of marketing for MacMillan Bloedel. The picture is slightly rosier for B.C. companies producing lumber. “We feel good about lumber markets,’ said Hank Ketchum, president of West Fraser Timber, a company with sawmills in B.C."s Interior. But Ketchum and other lumber executives remain con- cerned about stumpage fees — a form of tax levied by the provincial government for timber cut — and the squeeze on timber-producing land. . Stumpage fees were jacked up in 1986 to: appease the U.S. government, which had slapped a 15-per-cent tariff on imported Canadian softwood lumber in reaction to complaints from U.S. producers. Another key factor contributing to the squeeze is the cost of environmental concerns to the industry. It’s no surprise that Price Waterhouse, the chartered accountants firm, dedicated its third annual day-long seminar on the B.C. forest industry to economics and the In fact, forest asked for it. “There is no question environmental issues are having an impact on their bottom line,” said Mike Mac- Callum, chairman of the firm’s forest industry specialist group. “Most of the expenditures you make on the en- vironment don't bring any return for your money. The industry only has so much money and the key issue is are they spending the money wisely.’’ “*We're now spending more on environmental con- trols than on depreciation and maintenance of business, added Findlay. He estimates MacMillan Bloedel will spend $250 million during the next two years bringing its plants in line with environmental standards. MacMillan’s competitors are in the same boat. mig Council of Forest Industries, an industry lobby ites new and pi stan- soa ‘tor air and water pollution will cost the industry between $2 billion and $3 billion in the 1990s. The message of reduted profits isn't lost on people like John Hodgson, president of a Canadian Paper- workers Union local in the northern pulp mill town of Mackenzie. More than 55,000 union workers are seeking a new collective agreement next year. “We have had resolutions suggesting that we take ‘one hour a month off to build up a war chest,”’ he said. “This wouldn't be happening if people felt secure about the future."” April 4, 1990 Castlégar News a3 Forests are battlefields VICTORIA (CP) — Environmentalists and the logging_ind: lustry are destined to battle over every potential logging area in British Columbia, Forests Minister Claude Richmond said Tuesday. “People say to me, ‘‘You should bring in a blanket policy” but you can’t do that because every watershed, every valley you go into is different,’’ nounce his decision on Carmanah, a pristine 6,700- hectare valley on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The valley is home to centuries-old Sitka spruce, which grow as high as 30-storey buildings. It has been at the centre of an intense debate between wood- workers and’preservationists. Debate like that will be a fact of life in €ach forest Richmond said. ‘‘We’re going to have to assess every valley on its own merits.’" He made the remarks a day after meeting with unionized woodworkers from Port Alberni, who ex- pressed concern over jobs. They have a major stake in said. the decision Richmond will nearby Cafmanah V: make over in the where logging is considered, Richmond said. But meanwhile, the Forests Minitry is looking for a process that will help it decide fairly where logging will be allowed and where forests will be left alone, he And.the,pressures on the ministry will increase as wogd supplies Shrink and more jobs are on the line, he SS and when he might an-.... said. very nice girl,’’ said Dr. May John- ston, Prcevich’s physician for seven years. Johnston testified that when her patient was intoxicated she indulged in self-destructive behavior, including suicide attempts. On Monday, Stock testified he had no choice but to shoot Preevich. “*I feel terrible that I took a human life, but there’s no guilt. I did what I had to do,”’ he said. One of the hostages also testified. “She looked angry and wild — there was no doubt in my mind she would have used it (the rifle),’’ said June Woo. Probation officer Wallace Eadie said Prcevich was suicidal and self- destructive, a pattern of behavior that emerged after she gave up her first child for adoption three years ago. The appropriate course of treat- ment for such behavior is referral to trained professionals, said Eadie, “but it was impossil see somebody.” Joan Astra, Prcevich’s foster mother, told about late-night phone calls laced with Suicidal threats made by Prcevich when she had been drinking. “Ihave no complaint with the agencies. It was up to Sue to help her- self,’ said Astra. Astra said Preevich appeared to model her death on that of a young hero in the movie Wisdom. They wat- ched the movie together on Prcevich’s request two nights before the shooting. Astra said Prcevich set herself up to be ‘‘blown away” like the young hero, who also aimed an empty rifle ata police officer. Lawsuit continued from front pege were announced that if Hydro paid its full share of property taxes on its facilities, the Regional District of Central Kootenay would receive an- y some $4 million from the The other three regional districts involved in the suit are Kootenay- Boundary, East Kootenay and Columbia-Shuswap. B.C. Hydro and Attorney General Bud Smith have seven days to respond to the writ, Cady said. Flyer Alert ® Woolco Not oll flyers receive full buagireneood M you did not-receive one flyers ond would like to de to” please ghone our Circulation Depertment at - 7266. 10 get her to _ Just testing Unknowing motorists stopped on the side of the road may bave shovent a plane had crasi near Castlegar Airport Sunday afternoon as firetighters were on hand to douse the staged pei and emergency crews care of cadets who acted as the injured vemmorgency crows CosMews photos by Ed Mills Arecord breaker By CasNews Staff Sunny, warm, dry days and cool nights summed up the weather for much of March in the Castlegar area with record high temperatures of 21 and 19 degrees Celsius set on March 30 and 31 respectively, according to statistics from the Castlegar weather office at the Castlegar airport. But the mercury also dipped to minus 6 degrees Celsius March 25, a record low for the date. The March 30 high of 21.2 degrees C was just half a degree shy of the warmest temperature ever recorded in March at Castlegar — degrees C on March 29, 1966. ~ “‘The month of March was relatively dry and warm,’’ the mon- thly weather summary from the weather office states. ‘‘This was mainly due to the strong ridge of high pressure which—held- over southern B.C. through the majority of the month. A few weak Pacific distur- bances crossed the region during the first two weeks supplying light rain and snow."* However, despite the disturbances early in the month, the amounts of rain and snow were far below average, the weather office said. Just 17.8 mm of rain fell last mon- th, 42 per cent of the average 42.3 mm which falls during March and well below the recofd high of 95 mm which drenched the area in March 1987. The driest March on record is March 1969 when only 6.4 mm of rain fell. The weather office recorded 6.8 cm of snow in March, 37 per cent of the 48.5-em-which-normally blankets the area during the month. The most snow recorded fell in March 1971 when 58.9 cm fell. March 1981 saw the least snow — 0.2 cm. Total precipitation for March 1990 was 29.8 mm, just over half — 51 per cent — of the normal amount of 58.9 mm for the month. The wettest Mar- ch on record is March 1987 when the weather office recorded 95.4 mm. The driest March was in 1969 with just 20.8 mm. Precipitation fell on seven days in March, half the normal 14 days. The month was also sunny. The weather office recorded 162.3 hours of sunshine, well above the normal 124 hours and only a few hours short of the record 176.9 hours set in March 1969. The dullest March on record is March 1972 when the sun peeked through the clouds for just 85.4 hours, Celgar “Coalition forms to stop proposed system VANCOUVER (CP) — A coalition will try to stop a proposal to force school boards to hold referendums to pay for education costs not covered by the provincial government. Under the proposal, the province will allot money for education costs, but a school district needing more will have to seek local voter support by holding a referendum. Education Minister Tony Brummet announced the plan in January while saying education spending has in- creased by more than double the rate of inflation. The government, he said, feared a taxpayers’ revolt if spending on education continued unchecked. “The Vander Zalm government is setting up a ‘system that will see education become the sole target of a taxpayers revolt,"’ said Donna Morgan, a parent and member of the coalition. She was among about 30 represen- tatives of various groups who met Tuesday to discuss what action they can take. The coalition is made up of groups representing children, parents, teachers, labor and other special in- terests. It includes the Vancouver District Parents, the B.C. Coalition for the Disabled, the Vancouver Elementary and Secondary Teachers’ Associations, the Vancouver School Board, the Vancouver and District Labor Council and ine Vancouver i E P Union. Maureen MacDonald, past president of the Vancouver Elemen- tary Teachers Association, said her group feels there are several things wrong with Brummet’s scheme. “Referenda give the illusion of democracy without the substance. (They) do not really measure the public’s reaction to education. . . they measure the public’s reaction to proposals for increasing taxes.”” MacDonald also complained that school boards would be forced to waste money and time they don’t have in order to hold the referendums. “Referenda or referendums, it doesn’t matter how you spell it. . . makes for shoddy, short term, short- sighted budgetting,’’ said Vancouver school trustee Marina Navin said. But she noted that a majority of trustees recently voted to attempt referendums. “*We are leaving our options open and it is a disagreeable option for me . . but we feel that’s the only way that we can go to to the public and ex- plain.” The coalition is writing Vancouver area members of the provincial legislature asking how they will vote on the legislation when it is in- troduced by Brummet, possibly as early as next week. It has also begun a letter and card-writing campaign to urge lawmakers to vote against the proposal. Referendum funding has also been by both the p and Canadian teachers’ federations. Ken Novakowski, president of the B.C. Teachers Federation, says the Vander Zalm government proposed the new system without consulting teachers. And the president of the Canadian Teachers Federation, Kitty O'Callaghan, has urged B.C. teachers to do whatever is necessary to block Brummet’s scheme. Lottery numbers The winning numbers in Saturday's Lotto 6/49 draw were 6, 23, 25, 31, 39 and 41. The bonus number was 12. The four Extra winning numbers. for British Columbia were 20, 39, 42 and 91- The winning numbers drawn Saturday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 7, 16, 27, 34, 36, 37, 41 and 46. The winning numbers in the Ex- press draw for Jaguar cars were 938834, 948080, 405950 and 190818. The winning Lotto BC numbers were 6, 18, 21, 27, 29 and 40. These numbers, provided by The Canadian Press, must be considered unofficial The winning numbers drawn Mon- day in the B.C. Keno lottery were 4, 19, 27, 34, 36, 41 and 52. Castlégar News TREET TALK A FORMER EDITOR of the Castlegar News is i a lesson in who edited the CasNews i the early 1950s after coming to Castlegar with the Canadian Im- perial Bank of C left for C: i March 4 where he is teaching English, Canadian history, and the democratic way of life to Czechoslovakian university students. Misutka, who at one time was editor of the Western Catholic, subsequently joined the staff of the Edmonton Journal. According to a story in The Journal, Misutka’s sojourn in Czechoslovakia is part of a program called for which is d jointly by the Czechoslovakian government and. the Czechoslovakian Association of Canada. “This is something that really excites me,”’ said Misutka, who retired from The Journal last May after 20 years as a writer and copy editor. **It gives me a chance to re-establish my roots.”’ Misutka, 63, was born in Zilina, a city northeast of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. He came to Canada when he was two years old and has never returned to Eastern Europe. Program co-ordinator Frank Hanus said the Program was i because C: i need to learn English more than ever now that the har- dline regime which ruled the country for the past 40 years has fallen. And since English is the language used in technology and business throughout Europe, he said Czechoslovakians will have to learn it. The Education For Democracy program was initiated to meet those needs. “This program is part of the evolution sweeping the country,”” Hanus said Volunteers pay their own air fare to Czechoslovakia, but they are paid wages equal to those earned by other teachers in the country. Though not much by Canadian standards, the salary is enough to cover room and board. Misutka said he volunteered for the program after learning about it on the news, and since he had some ge of the C; ian language, he sub- mitted his name. newspaper work to good use," he said. ‘And since I still have a working knowledge of the language, I KEN CHERNOFF . gets tour of BCIT “It seemed like a good opportunity to put my Shopeasy 3 DAYS * 3 NIGHTS INCLUDING RETURN AIRFARE FROM VANCOUVER TO NEW ORLEANS See trip & contest details at your participating Shop-Easy. thought I could help.”’ But he had another motive, as well. “I have some relatives there, cousins whom I've never seen, so I'll look them up.’ Misutka said he will stay in Czechoslovakia for only four months because his daughter is getting married at the end of June and he wants to be back home for the wedding. KEN CHERNOFF can tell you it’s true — if you don’t enter you’re not going to win — after his name was drawn for an all-expenses-paid trip to Vancouver last week in a contest sponsored by. Shoppers Drug Mart and the B.C, Institute of Technology. The Grade 12 student at Stanley Humphrie’ secondary school will represent the Wet Kootenay and will be joined by nine of his peers from across the province for a tour of BCIT as it holds an open house April 6-8. Chernoff, who graduates this year, doesn’t know if he wants to attend BCIT. But, at least, he says, ‘I'll get a first- hand look at it to see if I like it.”” SIRLOIN TIP BONELESS. .. CANADA GRADE ROAST mu Aiba uae 1 68 READY TO EAT HAMS SHANK sau), $1. 39|VEAL CUTLETS, BUTT PORTION ...... BREADED ....... $169 PORTION... 9333/5. 1 er BEE prick WIENERS | on, 54 19 FRESH SALMO! q rrest COD FILLETS =". CHEESE cet. mossonane. CHEESE ««........... ie Sone dist ve 1 ee CHICKEN ... 2 eel COTTAGE ae VAUD U PACK 0 52 = 88° In memory 1990, at age 80. Castlegar in 1984. her husband in 1982. Funeral Chapel. Lurli Holden Lurli Evelyn Holden of Castlegar passed awhy Tuesday, April 3, Mrs. Holden was born Aug. 28, 1909, at Collingwood, Ont. She grew up in the Collingwood area and lived at Midland and Port Colbor- ne. She married Hugh Holden in Buffalo, N.Y. Mrs. Holden came to She is survived by one son, Stan of Robson; two grandchildren; and one sister, Georgina Nicholson of Midland. She was predeceased by A service of remembrance will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at the Castlegar Funeral Chapel with Reve. Cremation has taken place and the ashes will bé interred in the family plot in Oakwood Cefnetery, Port Colborne, Ont. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Castlegar Ted Bristow officiating. Spending order $1.3B VICTORIA (CP) — A cabinet or- der allowing the B.C. government to spend $1.3 billion before the provin- cial budget is announced April 19 is about $200 million more than Finance Minister Mel Couvelier thought it would be. The warrant, released Monday, was signed by Premier Bill Vander Zalm and Health Minister John Jansen, in Couvelier’s absence. The fiscal year ended at midnight Sunday night and the government technically has no authority to spend money until a new budget is passed. It was delayed until April 19 because of changes in the federal budget. Special spending warrants are routinely passed at this time of year to tide ministries over until the next year’s spending plan is announced. But the warrant announced Mon- day is the biggest ever for British Columbia, double the $700 million passed in 1983. NDP finance critic Glen Clark said the warrant is offensive because the legislative session is set to resume on Thursday, and an interim supply bill could easily have been introduced then. Couvelier initally scoffed at Op- Position concerns. **You go get an expert that tells you what we've done is wrong, or any less correct than any other system, and I'll We Answer To You LANCE WHITLEY senior service representative «Sales DAVID FISCHER .. Sales representative listen to you,’’ he said when questioned by reporters “What the hell are you guys making a big thing of this. I mean, it’s crazy.” But later, he admitted he was **discomfited’’ by the confusion over how much he thought the warrant was for. Couvelier initially said the $1.3 billion warrant was arrived at by taking one-twelfth of last year’s $13.5-billion budget, plus or minus various other factors. But after reviewing two papers and conferring with staff, he agreed it was one-tenth of last year’s budget — about $200 million more than he thought it would be. 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CON. ...341 mi $1 18)RE PICKLES DILLS, SWEET MIXED, STEINFELD 1 L. $198) RE CAMPBELL’S SOUP CHICKEN NOODLE 284 69 ° SUNLIGHT LIQUID DETERGENT .. TOMATO SOUP CAMPBELLS ..... 09° $ 248 Sane imino Ae CAMPBELLS SOUL .69° SUNLIGHT ,, $698 LAUNDRY DETERGENT .... WINNER OF THE MICROWAVE OVEN WAS JULIA LANGILLE OF GENELLE. WINNER OF $100 GROCERY CERTIFICATE WAS BOBBIE KERAIFF OF CASTLEGAR. — CENTRAL FR ORANGE! SUN ESH PRODUCE — ¢ SUNKIST LUNCHBOX SIZE . rok. 136 nod 3 HONEY DEW MELONS cxsaone 152/489 *| 5 GREEN _CABBAGE GRADE No.1 62 2” GREEN ONIONS OR RADISHES cxsroomt nae PRICES EFFECTIVE THURSDAY, APRIL 5 THROUGH SUNDAY, APRIL 8,.1990 Central Foods YOUR COMMUNITY AWARD WINNING FOOD STORE 2717 Columbia Ave. C g BUSINESS HOURS Mon., Tues., Wed. & Sat 9am soe: ™. continued from front poge can, and once the can’s been kicked then nobody can say they haven't had their kick at it and away we go,”” he said. “There's a lot of those kind of strategies that are played 3 1-800-663-9461 Service Frank Parks 1-800-668-0199 Supplies . Fi in a situation ike this.” Frank Allan Parks of Coquitlam, formerly of Castlegar, passed (604) 364-2768 Fax e. Meanwhile, the Castlegar Chamber of Commerce and afbay Sunday, April 1, 1990 at age 84. ur: the Castlegar and District Development Board are cir- He is survived by Pleasance Risby of Port Coquitlam; Kathy | reg: decision to deny approval in principle at this time. Asked if he thought the decision to delay the project might be a political decision, Conroy said, “Oh heck “I think it could very well be political in nature in a culating petitions around the area urging support of the jory of Castlegar; five and five gr sense that everybody will have their day, their kick at the Celgar project. The petitions will be sent to hd: 10 A.M. TO 6PM.