Wednesday, December 2; 1992 m

Brouhaha, break-ins keep local RCMP busy

W@ Nanaimo man faces several

charges after altercation

some sort of prybar.

NEWS STAFF
Local police have been busy.

Break and enters were reported at
Tulips Floral Co., the Castlegar and
District Public Library and the Castle-
gar office of the Ministry of Social Ser-

vices and Housing Monday.

Castlegar RCMP Corp. Al Hudema
said the three incidents “appear to be

related.”

said.

the point of entry.

there are no suspects.

He said all three buildings were bro-
ken into through the back door with

“Money was the target,” Hudema

He would not disclose the amount of
money that was taken and would only
say it was the library and florist build-
ings that had money stolen.

Hudema said damage was limited to

Fingerprint experts from Nelson ex-
amined the buildings Tuesday:.but

PoliceBEAT

Murray Warwick, 34, of
Kamloops was arrested and
charged for assault with a
weapon on Nov. 28.

farwick is alleged to have
drawn a knife on a Hi Arrow
Motor Inn door attendant af-
ter being asked to leave
Brewskies Pub. The
Brewskies Pub employee
sustained a minor cut to his
right hand.

Warwick will appear in
court Jan. 11.

eee

All three occupants of a
car were injured Nov. 27
when the 18-year-old driver
— travelling west on High-
way 3A — lost control of the
vehicle and rolled.

An ambulance took the
three people to the Castlegar
and District Hospital for
treatment.

eee

Harvey Fraser, 25, of Trail
was charged with driving
without a valid driver’s li-
cence Nov. 27 and faces
charges of hit and run under
the Criminal Code of Cana-
da.

The charges stem from an
accident on Highway 3 in
which Fraser hit driver
David Rizzotti of Robson and
fled the scene.

eee

Tom Kootnikoff, 54, of
Blueberry lost control of his
vehicle on Arrow Lakes
Drive during bad road condi-
tions and struck an east-
bound pick up driven by Guy
Duguay, 38, of Port Alberni
on Nov. 27.

Damage is estimated at
$11,000 and there were no in-
juries. No charges are
planned.

eee

Henry Schneider, 61, of
Castlegar was travelling east
on Arrow Lakes Drive Nov.
27 when he lost control of the
vehicle due to road and
weather conditions.

There was $4,000 damage
and no injuries.

eee

Elmer Guindon struck the
rear of a vehicle driven by
Castlegar’s Randy Morrell
Nov. oS at Columbia Avenue
and-4th Street intersection’s

e was less than
$100 while Morrell re-

ceived injuries, Guindon was
uninjured.

Charges are pending and
the police are continuing
their investigation.

eee

Kwok Fan, 19, of Castle-
gar was charged with follow-
ing too close Nov. 27 after he
struck the rear of a vehicle
driven by William Crawford,
73, of Robson.

Crawford was stopped for
a flag person while travelling
west on Highway 3 when the
accident occurred.

Damage is estimated at
$1,500 and no one was in-
jured.

eee

Katherine Knight, 41, of
Robson hit the rear of Gwen-
dolyn Koftnikoff’s vehicle
while making a right turn on
Broadwater Road in Robson
Nov. 27.

Neither Koftnikoff, 41, of
Robson, nor Knight were in-
jured. No charges are pend-
ing and road and weather
conditions contributed to the
accident.

Damage for the two vehi-
cles is $2,500.

eee

Wayne Sherstobitoff, 31, of
Castlegar, lost control of his
vehicle on Waterloo Road due
to slippery roads, entered a
ditch and rolled on Nov. 29.

The driver and his 39-
year-old passenger received
minor injuries and damage is
approximately $3,000.

No charges are contem-
plated.

eee

Four tires and rims were
reported stolen from a yard
in the 3300-block of
Southridge Drive Nov. 28 .

The stolen items are val-
ued at $800. There are no
suspects.

eee
There was a report of will-
ful damage on Makayev
Road in Brilliant after some-
one threw a rock through a
residence window Nov. 26.

There are no suspects.

eee
There was some $700
damage to a 1990 Toyota
Corolla during a hit and run
in the SuperValu parking lot
Nov. 29.

Police are continuing to in-
vestigate.

4th Street.

leged to have been assaulted.

Hudema said there were no injuries

resulting from the altercation.

by the RCMP.

Hudema said as far as he knew none
of the buildings have burglar alarms.

Meanwhile, a Nanaimo man faces
several charges following an encounter
with police near Columbia Avenue and

Hudema said the man was stopped

for speeding. An altercation followed
and a Castlegar RCMP officer is al-

The man’s name is being withheld

Hudema would only say that the ac-
cused is a worker on the Celgar expan-
sion site.

The accused has been released from
‘custody and is scheduled to appear in
Castlegar provincial court Jan. 25.

Hudema said the man could face
charges of driving while impaired, re-
fusal to give a breath sample into a
road-side screening device, assaulting
a police officer, obstructing a police of-
ficer and possession of a narcotic.

Hudema said other charges are still
pending.

Castlegar decides to let report lie

i Apology to school board will have to
do as council fails to reach consensus

Corinne Jackson
NEWS REPORTER

Castlegar city council is letting sleeping dogs
lie.

Council decided not to send a letter to the
Education Funding Review Panel — either en-
dorsing, or asking for the dismissal of the first
part of its brief — before a final report was de-
livered to the Education Minister on Nov. 24.

According to Coun. Lawrence Chernoff, a
letter would have required “the consensus of
council. s

“We talked about it, but I guess they wanted
to let it lie,” he said Tuesday.

Chernoff said council is now looking at build-
ing “a better working relationship with the
school board.”

Evelyn Voykin said she is looking forward to
working with council openly, but called the
council’s decision “unfortunate.

“They had the opportunity to do something
other than the apology,” the School District

No.9’s trustee said, referring to a special Nov.
23 meeting when council said sorry to the board
for the report. :

At that meeting, Mayor Audrey Moore apol-
ogized, saying a flawed process saw council
members pass the brief hastily.

The report under scrutiny was written and
delivered by Coun. Doreen Smecher.

According to some trustees and councillors,
the brief questioned the board’s integrity, call-
ing for provincial-appointment of superinten-
dents, provincially-negotiated teachers con-
tracts and the dismantling of the board’s cur-
rent authority to an advisory role.

Calling the report “embarrassing” for the
board, Voykin said “we made suggestions and
they chose to close it at the original apology.

“You can’t take their hand and get them to do
something they didn’t want to do,” she said.
“We tried our best.”

Voykin said some good has come out of the
report's delivery, though.

“J think if anything, it’s made people aware

and we will make the extra effort to read the % %

papers that go through our fingers.”

Chapman accepts post with CNIB

NEWS STAFF

Jim Chapman has a new
appointment.

The city councillor has been
appointed as director of the
Castlegar and district chapter
of the Canadian National In-
stitute for the Blind. Chap-

post Tuesday.

As acommunity co-ordina-
tor, Chapman said he will act
as a liaison for visually im-
paired people. That includes
making sure some 40 people in
the area receive CNIB services
such as braille and ‘talking’

“There’s all kinds of mater-
ial like braille magazines, mu-
sic transcriptions and techni-
cal books,” Chapman said.

Chapman said people can
feel free to call him to have
special material transcribed
into braille or put onto an au-

man accepted the volunteer books.

Here's My Card...

dio cassette. Phone 365-8022.

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@ Wednesday, December 2, 1992

Cominco gets second tax break

Scott David Harrison
EDITOR

The pieces are falling into place for finan-
cially-troubled Cominco.

One week after the City of Trail announced
that it would give the ailing company tax
breaks, the Regional District of Kootenay
Boundary has followed suit.

The RDKB announced last week that it
would slash its 1993 budget, providing tax re-
lief for Trail’s giant lead and zinc smelter. The
tax break is in line with a Job Protection Com-
mission Re-

area homeowners.

“You have to ask yourself who is really sav-
ing here,” Santori said. “You have to ask your-
self what is at stake and we're not even talking
about the jobs. You have to look at the ramifi-
cations of not having a Cominco around.”

Santori said in order for Trail area residents
“to maintain a quality of life,” they must take
on a bigger tax burden. Cominco currently pays
$12 million in taxes to both the RDKB and the
City of Trail.

“I think Cominco is paying its fair share of
taxes and

port, which
stated that
the RDKB
and the City of
Trail should
provide Com-
inco with an-
nual tax con-
cessions Bes:

equalling some $3 million.

“It’s pretty sketchy right now, because the
budget process isn’t complete,” RDKB board
member and Trail Mayor Sandi Santori said.

Provisional plans would see the district
slash some $685,000 from its Trail area service
budget. Those cuts would see the district’s fire-
fighting force reduced from 16 to eight mem-
bers. The cuts would be made through attri-
tion, starting in 1993.

Other cuts could come in the areas of transit
and recreation.

The district is also eyeing the implementa-
tion of a parcel tax, meaning homeowners
would be charged a flat rate no matter a
dwelling’s assessed value. Santori said a parcel
tax would shift the tax burden from Cominco to

‘I have all the confidence in the world that the
province will come through. I also have
confidence that they will protect the interests of
the taxpayers of this province.’

more,” he said.
Santori
said Cominco
— through its
restructuring
plans — Trail
and the RD-
KB have done
all they can to
ensure the op-
eration’s long-term viability. Pointing to the Job
Protection Commission Report, he said the
provincial government must do its part.
According to that report, the province would
wave environmental licensing fees, saving
Cominco $3 million annually. Furthermore, the
province would restructure Cominco’s water li-
censing fees to reflect the Trail operation’s prof-
its.
Cominco and the province are currently in
negotiation and neither side will comment.
“They are talking, and that is encouraging,”
Santori said, “I have all the confidence in the
world that the province will come through. I al-
so have confidence that they will protect the in-
terests of the taxpayers of this province.”

— Trail Mayor Sandi Santori

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RDCK board says no to pay hikes

Scott David Harrison
EDITOR

The Regional District of
Central Kootenay has said no
to pay increases.

The board agreed Saturday
to maintain the status quo,
dismissing a hike in stipends
paid to its 20 directors.

“We thought restraint was
in order,” RDCK chair George

Cady said. “Taxes are going up
everywhere and we thought
we'd show a measure of re-
straint by not taking any in-
crease.”

Board members normally
approve stipend increases
equal to pay hikes for RDCK
staff. The RDCK staff is set to
receive a three per cent pay in-
crease on Jan. 1 1993 and a

two per cent hike on July 1
1993.

Currently, RDCK directors
receive $550 per month, plus
$90 per board meeting attend-
ed and $90 per committee
meeting attended. Cady re-
ceives $1,650 per month, plus
$90 per board meeting attend-
ed and $90 per committee
meeting attended.

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