: £2 Castlegar News October 31, 1990 LOCAL NEWS By CLAUDETTE SANDECKI = Staff Writer = A spokesman for a group ~_ But the group hopes that this time its voice will be heeded by the com- mission and there may be a ‘‘small b "" Scarlett told the 5 claims to $ electricity consumers jn a 7 Kootenays and the Okanagan says he is ‘‘not very optimistic’ the B.C. Utilities Commission will deny West = 5 Koctenny Power the 16-per-cent rate increase it is seeking over three years. z “In our view, they have gotten =. everything they asked for’’ each time = the utility has gone before the com- = mission, said Don Scarlett, the Elec- & tric Consumers Association vice- : president for the Kootenays. Castlegar News during a telephone interview from Rossland where the rate hearings are continuing this week. West Kootenay Power spokesman Jack Fisher said the utility is seeking consumer rate increases for 1990, 1991 and 1992 that will in turn provide the company with a rate of return — or profit margin — attrac- tive enough to entice a shareholder into buying into the company. “We have to stay healthy,’ Fisher said Tuesday. Robert Evans, a Toronto expert on rates of return, was brought in by the company to explain to the com- mission why the increases WKP is seeking are fair, Fisher said. West Kootenay is seeking approval for a 5.5 per cent increase for 1990 (which consumers are already paying in the form of an interim increase), 5.6 per cent for 1991 and 4.9 per cent for 1992, For the average consumer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month who paid $34.73 last year, the ? i i i i Parent company will Canadian utility WK rate increases likely, , Says Opponent LOCAL NEWS ri Imminent plant closure ‘has union scrambling =: By CasNews Staff Asking Johnson-Matthey to keep open its electronic materials plant in Warfield is a long shot ‘‘but its cer- S tainly worth a try,’’ says a spokesman for the United = Steelworkers. of America whose members will be out of jobs when the plant closes Dec. 31. Jim Saare, _ president — of Steelworkers Local 9705 said the union will ‘‘leave no stone untur- ned’’ in its efforts to find em- ployment for the 70 to 75 union workers at Johnson-Matthey. Working through the Economic De the union BRIAN’S REPAIR SERVICE SMALL ENGINES * AUTOMOTIVE GENERAL MECHANICAL 613-13th St., © 365-7233 | NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETING The Fall General Meeting of the Castlegar Nordic Ski Club will be held on Wed., Nov. 7 is attempting to persuade Johnson- Matthey to consider manufacturing one of its other products, such as ceramics or paints, at the Warfield plant rather than shutting down and relocating to Spokane, Wash., Saare said Tuesday. Johnson-Matthey general manager Ken Burgoine said he is ‘‘very sym- pathetic’’ to the union’s effort to © Workwear World find jobs for its members and John- son-Matthey is contacting companies in the area, such as Cominco and Celgar, in an attempt to place the workers. But the company cannot keep its Warfield operation open when it’s losing money, Burgoine said. The West Kootenay plant lost ‘‘in ex- cess’’ of $3 million last year and is still in the red, he said. About 85 per cent of the local operation’s products are used ‘‘direc- tly or indirectly” by the defence in- dustry and recent world peace initiatives have cut demand for such Products, Burgoine told the Castlegar News. Some of the business will be relocated to the company’s Victoria research centre, some will go to Spokane and part of the plant will likely be sold, he said. The company’s Spokane operation YOUR COMMUNITY FOOD STORE Tremendous Cristal de France Collection Savings on 24 % Full Lead Crystal from France! NOW ON SALE! GROUND BEEF vu. «51% SAUSAGES $ 1 88 | BULK WIENERS 94S), on 247 9119 SLICED BACON "5 38/LING COD — BAKERY — KAISER BUNS, BREA OVEN FRESH WHITE OR % WHOLE WHEAT. BUTTER UP AND WIN MORE THAN 125, 000 INSTANT PRIZES. ASK FOR FULL DETAILS AT THE CHECK OUT WHEN YOU BUY BUTTE — CENTRAL DELI DELITES — SUMMER SAUSAGE OVERLANDER HEAD CHEESE at 7:30 p.m. —~(Prices effective has an administrative structure in at the Community Complex. Mem: while stocks place and relocating to the bership forms will be available at the last) ‘Washington city will save the com- meeting. s 5 PLAN TO ATTEND AND pany money, Burgoine said. —~—