2 a A a OT eC WEDNESDAY August 1, 1990 Vol, 43, No. 61 Castlegar, B.C. 3 Sections (A, B & C) ae bn 75 Cents Quilt show comes to NEC Swim clubs prepare for regionals ++ AT Highs near 30. precipitation: 10 per cent ton! Castle Prema Al~Wws A hose and running water was all it took to keep Jett Fleming, at Kinnaird Park Sunday. And when into the 30s, well, the answer was at hand. — comnews photo by Ed mills TOMORROW'S FIREFIGHTER? 2, occupied for hours he got thirsty, on a day when the temperatures socred Logging ‘insignificant’ to valley slide cause By CasNews Staff The slopes above Highway 6 in the Slocan Valley, where mudslides closed the highway for several days at the end of May, are ‘‘naturally prone to slides” and clearcut logging in the area ‘‘was considered to be an in- significant contributor in causing the slides,”” provincial reports conclude. “The “area ‘studied is naturally ~ prone to debris torrents. The poor drainage controls on logging roads, trails and landings have accelerated the natural geologic process,"’ a joint BA. Ministry of Forests-Ministry of En- vironment report said. “The slides were initiated when ex- cessive flows were discharged onto steep slopes during a heavy rainfall event. The excessive flows originated from alterations of natural runoff patterns caused by roads, skidroads/trails and landings."” A second report, completed for the Forest Service by consultant VanDine Geological Engineering Services, came to many of the same conclusions as the report by the ministries, a summary of the reports said. Both reports noted ‘‘slided ' oc- curred in the same areas in the past, prior to any harvesting or road- building activities taking placed,”” the summary said. Natural drainage areas had been in- creased as a result of skidtrail and road-construction activities, the reports found. “This increase likely had an effect of contributing to the initiation of the slides.”” The VanDine report also found that ‘‘portions of the drainage areas involved had been clearcut logged (and) did probably not have a great influence on the occurance of these debris torrents.”” The report by the two ministries in- cludes. recommendations, an executive summary of the report said. “Recommendations are provided for: mitigative measures in the lan- dslide area; improvement of Forest Service planning and procedures; points of action following any future landslide events; and other problems Please see REPORTS, page A2 Celgar to hold meetings on report Celgar Pulp Co. officials have an- nounced plans to hold a series of open houses around the West Kootenay to provide area residents with infor- mation on the company’s second report concerning the environmental impacts of the proposed ex ansion and modernization of Celgar’s Castlegar pulp mill. The first public session will be in Castlegar Aug. 14 from 4-9 p.m. at the Sandman Inn. There will be open houses in Trail Aug. 15 and Colville, Wash. Aug. 16. Slocan Valley residents will have a chance to attend local open houses beginning Aug. 21 with a public session from 6-9 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion in Nakusp. That will be followed by open houses in Bosuns Hall in New Denver on Aug. 22, in Silvery Slocan Social Centre in Slocan Aug. 23 and in Appledale Hall in Winlaw Aug. 28. Each of those open houses will be held from 6-9 p.m. Similar sessions will continue in Salmo Aug. 29 from 6-9 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion and Aug. 3» from 4-9 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion in Nelson. The open house series will wrap up in Castlegar Sept. 6 with a public session from 4-9 p.m. at the Fireside Inn. of the and of principal consultants who helped design the expansion and modernization project will be on hand to discuss various aspects of the project and respond to questions, said Wilf Sweeney, general manager of the project. . “We will provide a number of displays presenting highlights from our stage two environmental report,”’ ‘Sweeney said in a news release. “These will give people an overview of the total project and its im- plications for the mill site and will ex- plain air and water impacts, fibre supply and socio-economic im- plications. Celgar and consultant per- sonnel will be in attendance to expand on the information, to assist residents in their understanding of the details included in the stage two report and to respond directly to questions and concerns which may arise,"’ Sweeney said. The report, which is now in the hands of a three-member federal- provincial review panel, is available for public viewing at various libraries and municipal offices around the West Kootenay including the Castlegar and District Library and the Selkirk College Library in Castlegar. As well, the report is available at the Celgar expansion review panel office WILF SWEENEY . . . ‘give people an overview’ at 1414 Columbia Ave. in Castlegar The panel will conduct public hearings on Celgar’s expansion proposal in the fall after the panel members have reviewed the five- volume second report. No hearing dates have yet been set by the panel Area J will go to polls protection over fire By CasNews Staff Residents in the Ootischenia, Paulson Highway and Arrow Lakes Drive portions of Area J will go to the polls Aug. 11 to decide if a fire protection service will be established for the area. An advanced poll will be held Friday, Aug. 3 at the Ootischenia Community Hall between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The Aug. 11 vote will also be held at the Ootischenia hall, Between 8 a.m. and8 p.m. 3 Residents will be asked to vote on two Regional District of Central Kootenay bylaws that would establish the fire service and authorize the RD- CK to borrow up to $160,000 to acquire land for a fire hall, construct the hall and purchase equipment, in- cluding a pumper truck and a tanker truck. If Area J residents vote in favor of the proposal, residential property owners who will be covered by the service will be taxed $2.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value beginning in 1991. The taxation will cover the $23,000 per year needed to pay back the money the RDCK will borrow and the fire hall, estimated at about $25,000 per year, RDCK assistant administrator Barry Baldigara told Area J residents in June The bylaws can be read at the RD- CK office in Nelson during normal working hours ever day except Satur- days, Sundays and holidays until Aug. 10. Ken Wyllie, director of Area J with RDCK, said he hopes the fire protec- tion proposal will be passed “It (fire protection) is an essential service and a great deal of planning and thought has gone into (the proposal),"’ Wyllie said today He said establishing a fire protec- tion service in Ootischenia will be **the closing of a link in the line of fire protection in the (Castlegar) area."” Most of the other communities around Castlegar have fire protection and all fire departments in the region, Please see FIRE, page A2 Socred con By CasNews Staff The Rossland-Trail Social Credit Constituency Association will hold its nominating conven- tion Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. in a location that will be announced at a later date, the association said today All candidates should have their nomination papers in by that date but nominations will also be taken and costs. for date set for Oct. 3 vention from the floor during the conven- tion, the association said in a news release. Trail businessman Walt Siemens is the only declared can- didate for the party nomination so far. Siemens has stepped down as president of the constituency association while he runs for the position B.C. may help pay nativ By DEBI PELLETIER e land claims The premier also said after two successes, he has no VICTORIA (CP) — British Columbia officially refuses to recognize native Indian land claims but Premier Bill Vander Zalm said Tuesday the province could help pay to settle them. He made the statement to reporters after a meeting in a cavernous government hanger at Victoria International Airport with federal Indian Affairs Minister Tom Siddon. Nothing was decided, but they agreed to further talks after the B.C. cabinet considers the recommendations of the premier’s advisory council on native affairs later this month The report recommends the province should start neogitating land claims, but doesn’t deal with who will pay for the settlements. “Ottawa would have primary responsibility,’ Van- der Zalm told reporters after meeting Siddon. But he suggested that means there is room to negotiate a cost-sharing arrangement. That gives us @ degree of flexibility and | think that’s what's needed now, @ degree of flexibility. The details will need to be worked out.”” Siddon said his staff places @ B.C. Jand claims set- ‘Ottawa would have primary responsibility,’ premier says tlement at about $2 billion and British C olumbia ‘‘will have to be part of paying the price.”’ The province has refused to negotiate land claims set- tlements but Vander Zalm now appears to be softening “We have to be fair with one another and recognize we represent all of the same people,”’ he said. Siddon said he hoped to develop a framework for land claims negotiations by this fall but Shuswap Chief Ron Ignace said natives could be left out while the senior governments talk about their future: “*We should be formally involved in these discussions. That's why Elijah Harper stood up to Meech Lake and said never again will the lives of aboriginal people be decided behind closed doors. B.C. Indians have escalated roadblocks for three weeks to press land claims negotiations and to support Mohawk Indians involved in the armed standoff at Oka, Que. RCMP said about 10 protests continued in British Columbia. Vander Zalm and Siddon were to meet earlier Tuesday, but the premier flew to Kitwancool to convince Indians to remove a roadblock threatening logging near the northwestern B.C. community Both politicians said natives could jeopardize their claims by pushing too hard. ““There’s @ lot of posturing taking place, no doubt, and there are some demands coming forth that I think people have to appreciate would be impossible,’’ Vander Zalm said. intention of continuing his efforts to dismantle blockades. Earlier Tuesday, B.C. native leaders released a draft proposal di Af. an over 85 per cent of the province not covered by earlier treaties. B.C. has 930,533 square kilometres of land and water President Saul Terry of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said he hopes the draft proposal will form the basis for land claim negotiations It demands ‘‘full restitution’’ for economic and cultural losses in the past and would permit natives to maintain dual citizenship in Canada and their respective **First Nations."” It also sets out a framework by which B.C.’s 20 native governments could agree to release their interests and control to third parties over the economy, environ- ment, laws, public services and institutions in their traditional territories. Native governments would provide all public services to their citizens and qualify for equalization and transfer yments from the federal government, as well as rgvenue sharing to help pay for the services. ?