CASTLEGAR NEWS, Thursday, November 10, 1 An Independent Company in the Private Sector, Not a Government Agency “A Tough Bargainer Running a Lean Organization By CATHIE GOURLEY (From the Vancouver Province.) During a recent trade trip to Japan, someone made the mistake of referring to Ronald Gross as a representative of the B.C, government. It: was enough to make the mild- mannered Ohian—president and chief executive officer of * Canadian Cellulose Ltd.—see red. It’s not that the label is something new. Management has been try- ing to cast it off ever since the B.C. government stepped in to shore up the ailing forest products company four years ago. The relationship between the two is strictly hands-off, it has said. But the company's image as a government-controlled agency persists—thanks in part .to one persistent shareholder who shows up each year to harangue CanCel management at the company's annual meet- ‘ing. The unhappy shareholder .—a man called Miller from -Montreal—says the company : has undervalued its assets. : Consequently, its stock is so : Tow the government can't af- : ford to sell out, he claims. : The company's 1973. re- S structuring included the prov- : ince’s picking up a 79 per cent : interest in CanCel.’ A major force in restoring “the company back to financial health, the 44-year-old execu- ¢ tive doesn't take kindly to claims that Victoria has an i influence in CanCel’s opera- : tions. < The province is just anoth- ter, albeit major, shareholder, :) he explains, of an independent ‘company that is part of the private enterprise community. Trail Chamber Promoting City : Businesses There's a new advertising enterprise in Trail. Who's run- : ning it? Hopefully, all the “~yetailers in Trail and district. Trail Advertising is actu- ally a committee of the Trail and District Chamber of Com- merce, with businessmen Tweed Daoust and Terry Cam- peau heading it up as co chairmen, According to a brochure distributed by the chamber, the purpose of Trail Advertising is to promote the business com- munity in outside areas, and in Trail itself. Specific promotions sug- pores | would include: Whether ‘his message is getting through to the vocal Montrealer Isn't certain. But Miller's telephone calls to head office have been tapering off. Two developments may ac- count for his recent quiescence. Firat, the province has put its CanCel interest, along with that of three other companies, into a holding company for public, investors. The -govern- ment ‘said the B.C.. Resources Investment Corp. is an attempt to return some of its invest ments to the private sector. Its portfolio isn't complete yet, but the CanCel and Westcoast Transmission holdings are its main attractions. This may still fears about governmental presence in the company. Gross himself is _ known to have wanted the province's interest to go below 50 per cent so that CanCel would be more attractive to joint venture environment—his father and brother own and manage a ‘small linen supply business. He “ be sized at 21 inches. projecting “ our pyearay 5 + “But if it were-to be sized : propérly to lopk after. the even- ¢:tual.’ district’ ‘municipality it should; be sized at 26 inches wth a and 6 our, needs for 15 : week, the mayor’sald Robson, ‘Ootischenia, Raspberry and the ||’ other outlying aréas. will prob- ably join’ the city: in. a district, municipality within 10 years, but‘added that’ such’ an incor- sporation in the near future ‘“would ° be ° extremely expen- sive.” ‘ “That is because the ‘win ute you go into a district muni. cipality you're responsible for “maintenance of all. the’ ‘roads and, snow plowing of all the: roads,” 'she‘anid. “You're tes- ponsible ‘for’ fire ‘services in all ‘thoge areas, and you're respon: sible for the Policing costs in all those areas.” | Moore said- if city council members were, to support for- mation of a district municipality at-this:time,.they would “re- ‘celve the ‘greatest outery pos- ible” ea both municipal'and © I taxpayers. ° Tang T I ‘ion’ t think we're in oa position to entertain that kind ivof x 'financial commitment on your behalf until the.tax base distor substantially,” ‘sal “Final: Offer” “A, total 75, per cent of 6,400 Pulp, Paper.and Wood- workers of Canada members last’ week . to. accept the \B.C.) pulp .and. paper: industry's final offer, union spokesmen announced Mon: “Release of the, overall «vote ‘results was Teportedly delayed ‘by’ procedural diffi- “culties, although Rudy Mar-- tini,; PPWC Local ; No.1 slightly’ more than 70 per: cent of the members'in ‘the Castlegar . area ‘voted : to accept the offer. -: Industry “spokesmen made: the: offer—which in: cludes ;a $1.15 ‘hourly. pay increase over 18 months— after a) special arbitrator. in September awarded $60,000 PPWC.” Union president, last “week satd |" in. damages ‘against the | By RYON GUEDES A ‘nim 18 18-month wait for a city tien with CanCel’s . Arrow’ Lakes,’ water. ; Supply could ‘mean ‘another’ ‘morato- sald. last week.: ‘Moore told members of the Downtdwn* Businessmen's As- sociation on Wednesday of last week that because ‘the water. this coming summer, she “can- not’ rule out” a moratorium similar to the one enacted by city council last ‘April:in an effort to prevent further strain on the existing water supply. to ; from association. president Bjorn Edblad on completion of ' the planned. tie-in—which in- volves’ the first two phases of an overall $5 million plan for the city and outlying areas—the mayor said the city would face 't Rule Out’ Moratorium y summer, Mayor Audrey Moore the 18rmonth wait even if don't. know,” she ‘said. “What federal and provincial govern: ment funding for the project were authorized immediately. “But we have only a.verbal agreement with the ministry of rium on building Bernie next tie-in will not be Neted by tives agreed to. accept ite district. municipality, the mayor said, must be considered in ‘the; Lower: Columbia: Water _ Study ‘Com isaion's submis n* the cipal. ‘until early 1978, Area J°diree~ tor Martin’ janderpol said ans offer for members after Tauatey spokesmen agreed to forego Rego District of : Central tenay’ board, said commis- ses ‘officials | have, indicated ey will not take: on’ any. aie workloads until they have’ completed : their review and’ adjustment of. existing ‘ALR boundaries. | * “They: want to get through . withthe press set of hearings. befo: Vanderpol .said. to get.that straightened th eive briefs during should contact ate he. ‘able to pass Sundsy atternoon by utilizing of the track was ta be completed '‘Tuesda: an xiliary track Total CaNew Foto “Santa Claus, affairs that this pro- ject will be funded under Bill | 88," Moore said. “They have not committed themselves in writ- ing, so even the assistance that is available to . municipalities’: water ‘systems we have not secured in: writing.” “What -would be forth- coming from: the federal. gov- ernment I'm:in no position to say, because it would depend on which agreement they applied to the situation.” 3 Those remaining problems would make an estimate of the actual: completion date.“an impossible question to answer,” . she said. To help ease a- possible water shortage next summer, Moore: said, ‘city ‘council has taken, steps to® install more storage facilities on the school- tank ‘location. |. “How much it will help, we the impact will be to water use by the full operation: of the south sewer. system, we don't * know. “I think those are problems } we're going to have to sort “out over these next. few. months.” Asked by a DBA member |: whether the city has received definite permission ‘from ‘Can- Cel to tie into the company water system, the mayor said it was granted in principle. She said final approval of the tie-in, negotiated in discussions since July with CanCel management © and engineering staff, is subject /:-: to the provincial government's °°: approval of the project.\°. Moore pointed out to DBA. members that a. water supply to the area from the Arrow Lakes ; ~ “is not a new concept.” 0.0... “I've had discussions with | the former minister of forestry. in that. regard, and’ I under- stand Castlegar was. very close to it in 1988, “I'think this is the closest you've been since 1968’ and I (continued to page :A3) City Rejects Proposal For Shop Hours Bylaw City council last’ Tuesday * refused a local man’s second request that. it. consider the necessity of a shops opening hours bylaw. for Castlegar. Couneit voted: to” receive +2, and file for information a letter f the: available fibre! supply": by manufacturing ‘ lum- 2 ber, Som loge, ‘which previous! stack it'soit’s'ready; the’ steam ‘kilns for: drying. ‘SantaClaus Care Castlegar News :: Hey. Kids! ‘ Here's ,; your. “chance . to. “ensure your letter getting right’ to’Santa. Claus at the ‘North Tust writ your letter to: re of Castlegar News, ‘Box 3007, * Castlegar, B.C.” and we'll do the rest. ‘our: letter: will. be. ‘pu’ “lished in: the Castlegar. New. re anda copy‘of the-paper will go - airmail special | delivery; direct to Santa: Claus. ):./: + Don’t: forget’: 6 ‘remind Mom’ and -Dad, though, ‘that’ ’ your letters must be mailed to “the Castlegar News so. that they're received ‘no later: than noon on Ménday of the week in which they should appear in the from, John ‘Vanin’ which: said Castlegar is‘“‘one of the very . few, if not the only, city in B.C. that has absolutely. no. official on: of shop opening clearly defines. and‘ rej shop opening hours. Al before council:is actually asked to consider’a bylaw. ‘ “If the small busin e in = the’ city, ‘through their * spokespeople, feel. it is neces- sary to further expand. on! the rules and regulations, “additional | input", he, said, “Right now Castlegar is all . small-“‘businesses ‘and nobody * ean foresee when a: wide-open: shopping could hurt them,” said Vanin, a clerk for Safeway Ltd. “We need big businesses here but , we. need something * for. small businessmen too.” is falling apart, you're still ‘in one Piece. mony ge BE * WINTER: A hard one “ahead {ot all B. Cc. x