The Castlegar Sun oe December 5, 1990 | By BARBARA TANDORY ‘Sun steff writer rave ingualisi program im Castlegar school unique in B. Cc. it. He says be has sympathy with people who wonder, ‘Why is this is reviews, | and the people who d the Russian 1 ing?’ But he admits that _Pinuaty question — ‘Why are ion into the Castl git oe — has] lost its school system are happy to bave had their success d by 2a e the t oto dingy incial non-Russian authorities. Castlegar schools superintendent Terry Wayling says he is proud of the achievement, “We're actually the leaders in the province in developing heritage "be said. “We external study conducted by the ‘education faculty at Simon Fraser Undvenely. school school boards he teachers Stee anda the ‘Under this system, no locally- developed programs reccive direct tax dollars from the community. The change has enrolled in the Russian ‘immersion and bilingual program at Twin Rivers school, are all proud to be a leader in the province in introducing a heritage language -into the locally- developed curriculum. * The trend to native languages has been given a boost in the B.C, government's Year 2000 educational reform, which encourages schools to develop “special programs for native programs” and promises to In the Castlegar area, public support for the Russian in Sauuwy of this yoar when school boards have lost their power of taxation. Guglielmi says his public Spperition | in the past to extending the program — beyond grade 3 level that was its original object — has eared him enmity from some fellow trustees and he eetends himself against charece oO must She a little more broad- minded in this district.” “There was a great interest in the community,” be says of the intiative that dates to the early 1020s, “Te hac hada unanimous support.” Wayling says that it is “almost impossible to setine the cost of the Since the was gram, he said, “I know quite a number.of non-Russian parents whose children are in the Turner says there wasn't enough support for French at the Polmary # school level so the school board has decided to offer French bilingual teaching only at the intermediary level. “I look at it as hing not. -B i'l be like changing rooms in a house, The: recent Simon Fraser study has that Russian-instructed children are at a linguistic advantage. According to Evdokimoff, the finding was that these children “bad acquired a strong second language. skills with no loss to bent where all the (school) buses ‘And Turner thinks the school board has been rewarded by the success of the program, at no great’ cost. “It is not costing us bundles and bundles of money,” be said. Tumer says it'd be a fair guess to put a cost estimate of the at about $40,000 a year, for the Russian dds but for all our kids,” said Tumer. a HOE my son it’s been a lish, the first 1 (of instruction).” : Since the program was possibility,” Turner, who teaches English and writing at Selkirk College, lished, in 1983, about 100 have i language instruction. Of the twenty or. so children in the developed in 1982, , most of the costs of developing it came from “outside sources,” that is, from funding provided by the federal governments the B.C. Teachers and the local Union of ethnic doesn’t mean that I don’t like the Russians; it simply means that r these conditions I must say no.” At issue are budget and and Guglielmi feels Spiritual Communities of Christ, the Doukhobor sponsor community. The bulk of the cost for the program was the cost of teaching that the school board, in pushing Peter Evdokimoff, a Russian has been nearly unanimous. But although there's been no opposition, the program has had its critics. On the school board itself, Tony Guglielmi has been lending an ear to those in the area who find it a little strange that in a gual English-French society, the p has bad its p skewed a little, “How can we say that we provide education for all children helping teacher who was involved from the start with the program, says the cost of the initial material development was when we're not p d to provide it to every “grade hs school?” he said, in 10,000.” Bight different teachers are din either us Twin Rivers primary school where the program is centred. “But we will provide second bilin: the local bilingual prog! should be English-. -Russian at primary school level. Guglielmi thinks the program is a good one but feels it may be too much of a good thing. Recently re-elected as trustee, be has vowed to continue to be a watchdog on the issue on bebalf of the program critics. “As I walk my beat I get bi ” said Gugli who to a special group?” When Guglielmi was elected trustee, in the 1985 fall election, there was only one Russian- Canadian trustee on the board. At the time of the last school board election, three out of the six trustees were of the Russian background. The issue is still one of iorities, claims Guglielmi. “We Bnelish 1 or teachers at Twin Rivers. Evdikimoff says the Kindergaren level “Russian immersion” really a program | of “partial or bilingual pro, Evdokimoff is Sa ieaver ofa provincial committee on heritage- language instruction and says the committee was impressed with the program during a visit to Russian classrooms last June. He says all the Russian- teachers at Twin Rivers is a letter carrier. “And I get ne calls from people who feel that their child’s needs are not met equally with someone else’s. That Bene resentment. It generates hard feelings.” > Guglielmi notes he is not against the program itself but is vehemently opposed to extending have not been fullfilling as well as we should the needs of other groups and programs.” He says some special needs programs have been neglected for the sake of the Russian program. On tne other hand, the school receive special language training in the Soviet Union. Castlegar school board chairman Gordon Tumer supports the program enthusiastically both as a trustee and a parent. “My background is non- ian and I have one of my endorsed by the school board’s children enrolled in the (R says another | any language, greatly helps with language skills in general. “It ly hones F each year, about fifteen come from schools other than Twin Rivers,where the entire bas been centred. acquisition skills, They’ll be so much better prepared for French, “" “We made the decision to | house it at that one school because or the amount of. one extra teacher’s annual sidlary. “IE we put all the > kids back into their (former) classes, there might be a saving of one teacher,” he noted. “But we'd lose a very good program,” “Ie’s a peculiarity of the region,” says Wayling, noting that about 35 percent of people in the Castlegar are are of the Russian ethnic background, Attention! for parents and grandparents Pictured ‘are, left to right, Steph Terri Lynn Plotnikoff, Chelsea Karken and seco! Missing from the photo is new Brownie Daya Markin. The Brownies have been busy with many projects this year - their next activity, is to be held in conjunction with the Thrums/South Slocan Girl Guides, is a craft/ bake/ white elephant sale at the West Kootenay Power and Light Hall in South Slocan on Saturday, Dec 8 from 10 - 2 p.m. The first Thrums Brownies held their enrolment ceremony on Wednesday,Nov. 14, . Four new Brownles were welcomed into the pack. anie Tarasoff, second year Brownie Amanda Bergen, nd year Brownie Danielle Kabatoff. FEEDBACK Chips ahoy! It's a long way to Midway A chip truck driver speaks out/3A WEDNESDAY December 12, 1990 The SPORTS PEOPLE Courting a championship Rockettes hoop third/7B.- You better watch out ae Santa Claus came to town/1B Castlegar Sun MIXED Weather / Page 3A Vol. 1-No. 3 gar, British Columbia Navel Oranges Sunkist approx. 20 Ibs. 6 wi @ Q California Grown @ Fancy |Christmas Box Cards Christmas Gift Wrap 20% off Apples Red or Gold 2 s..99 1.09 kg. B.C. Grown Cucumbers Large S SuperValu Your satisfaction is our main concern 8, 1990 WE RESERVE THE Wicker Nalieys or Oid Dutch RIGHT TO LIMIT EL Ey 29 Rock Cornish Game Hens Canada Utility approx. 12 - 16 oz. size each ne "Steak | Boneless Ib. 6.35 kg. pack Cut from Canada Grade:A Beef By NANCY LINGLEY Sun Editor The announcement of the Celgar Expansion Review Panel’s approval-in-principle for the like to know exactly where we are before we make a decision. “Nobody wants to sign a blank cheque,” stated Sweeney. In the Panel’s interim repost to the provincial and federal the : d Celgar and . expansion hasn't really changed much of anything. - “I can't see it as a done thing yet,’ said Wilf S YY, general was given that the project be granted approval-in-principle, ‘subject to strict regulatory and manager of Celgar’s expansion project. “We don't have app: of a number, of measures for We can't proceed with anything until we have the gi traffic approval.to proceed. I’m ‘aot too sure when that's forthcoming. There’s some concern about terms and conditions that are is of the issues and the complete reasons for the Panel’s recommendations, along with the proposed terms and ill There is'a concern because they are.unknown. -We're caught between two things; Everybody is chose fo leave us with this bit of a cloud. Sweeney added that he had anxious. Unfortunately the panel . in interested une who choose to act on the basis .of this recommendation....should proceed with caution. They should be advised that the Panel’s final spoken to gi tatives who were also a little concemed with the state ‘the panel has left the project in. report will that strict terms and conditions be imposed by permitting authorities.” ‘The news of the interim report “The g ‘is a little worried, too. They have no idea what the terms and are either. It may be terms imposed “The panel will let everyone know upon the government,” he said. _ when they're good and ready, ‘The 5 can ‘give iple to proceed, ‘with the things imposed: upon those approvals, It was {or the project ‘was made Public by B.C. Pi ge by. Secretary Howard Dirks, MLA for Nelson-Creston, early Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 5, two full days before it was to be released. ne hayen't released anything - aid local B.C. Environment t that: they may be % ndding Publie' Affairs Co-ordinator Jim ~ Durham at 9'a.m. on in Thursday, it was done’in this manner. We'd See CELGAR TBAT A growing concern Celgar still playing a waiky game despite release of interim report Concern expressed over unknown terms and conditions to be clarified later by Celgar Expansion Review Panel inds Something tinder 150 feet hi ie Célgar ‘ show. the new: recovery boiler building a whopping 240 feet high baal the: Smokestack extended to 300 feet to the sky, towering 1.0" ration and Oxpansior SUN STAFF PHOTO /Nancy Lingey he present : By NANCY LINGLEY 99 | Super valu ice Cream 4 litre every $25.00 In groceries purchased entitles you to Sandwich Bread each 570 grams Whole Wheat or’ White H] at these super low prices f the more you buy, the more you save 69 Gem Potatoes Smoked Pork Picnic Shoulder - Shankless ee Government Inspected Pork Sun Editor There is a strong likelihood that it could be a very good Christmas Happy holiday in sight? “Cabinet expressed its pleasure with the interim report,” he said. “That was a statement from Cabinet and a change in ministers ‘won't alter that.” ‘Reynolds surrendered his ic to expect approval (of the Celgar project) before Christmas,” said David Parsons, B.C, Environment man- ager of major project and mine development review, from his Victoria office Tuesday moming. “It’s hard to know exactly how fast government will move, but it’s my understanding that cabinet would like to give an indication of approval of the project soon.” Parsons also stated that the resignation of former Minister of the i John Id: portfolio on Monday “based on a matter of principle” according to a Statement released by Premier Vander Zalm, The former minister was unhappy with a decision made by government to have further study into requirin; ing pulp mills in B.C. to an effi rea dard of 1.5 kg. of organic Sompounds per tonne by Dec. 31, 1994. The government has agreed to force pulp mills to achieve a|° this past Monday would not affect the Celgar project. of 2.5 kg. per tonne by that date. That level is consistent with other areas in North America. By Leigh Rubin F l Beef Tenderioin Traffic plan released By BARBARA TANDORY ‘Sun staff writer The city staff report, titled “Columbia Aye, Traffic Control Traffic on Ce ia Avenue is 1PFO" the such an immediate problem that the city of Castlegar has come up with a “near-term strategy” for handling it while working out a longterm solution within a ~ Reducing the speed limit from 60 to 50 kin between Arrow Lakes Dr. and outh of 20th Street, that is, past the Columbia-Highway 3 interchange in South Castlegar; -eliminatii all dsid ve development plan. “We have “ne road that's trying to be everything to everyone,” city parking between 6th Ave. and 20th St., except for the parking stalls outside the Oglow puilding: engineer Kenn Hample p da traffic report from the city staff to the new council Monday evening. “We took a look at Columbia Avenue as an outstanding problem year for some time,”’ said Hample. Quoting statistics taken in traffic counts, he noted the tremendously high volume of 13,000 road vehicles,a day on eliminating southbound Ieft- send at 4th St. and northbound right- tum lane at 6th St. and blocking part of t the southbound extra “through” lane at the southern highway interchange. The proposal also provides for traffic signals on Columbia at Hill and a number of Columbia where it intersects with 9th Street, near the RCMP station. At the south end highway interchange, the volume is even higher, at some 17,000 motor vehicles a day. Hample Suid one of the main with Castlegar’s main street — and the only thoroughfare in town — is that it serves multiple functions, mixing through traffic with “zone to zone” traffic and local access traffic, and adding parking to the mix. otber changes, such as the creation of a three-lane zone between 6th and 17th Streets on Columbia. Eventually, Columbia Avenue is to become a four-lane road, a proposal under consideration by city planners preparing the ment plan. e But. Hample said even the “near-term” proposal is wide- reaching enough for the a to See TRAFAC Bus ¢ drivers vote for strike g S “17.59 kg. gi a ‘B qpee #41. 10 Ib. bag 2 iw 89 Large #41 Pepsi or 7-Up Poinsettias 99 1.98... plus deposit 2 litre size © Reg. or Diet Coke, Sprite, Canada Dry. Cut from Canada Grade A Beef ‘Lean Ground 9 ea. : 3 : plus deposit ¢ 1 litre size ¢ Reg. or Diet 5 Beef Hot Dog or Hamburger | Buns 285 mi. Pacific ic Evaporated Milk 1. 88. | i S574: Paaaie. tb. — Cut from Canada Grade A Beef nagny y6e1 06610 “uy “Byeanputs sioTeaID "Why, of course you're welcome to join our monastery. I'm quite certain that you'll make an excellent fryer.” By BARBARA TANDORY Sun siaif witer Will the buses stop running after the holidays? A strike vote this. week by bus drivers in Castlegar and Trail was a resounding yes, but CUPE Local 2087 president Dennis Blatchford says he hopes a transit strike’ can be avoided when the current contract oe on New Year's “We certainly hope we won't ge on strike,” Blatchford said Tuesday, following a strike vote taken Monday night when all 17 employees out of the total 20 transit workers voted unanimously “no” to the employer's recent offer, and equally unanimously “yes” in favor of taking a job action. the union ‘Wednesday. f But Blatchford ‘said a strike is not necessarily imminent “just because we voted to take job action.” He noted that some 95 percent of ell union contracts. are resolved without strike measure... ' “If we fail to resolve it by Dec. 31 we may issue a 72-honr strike’ notice,” he said. “But that does not and the Trail R 1 Transit System ‘broke off a week ago