60SECONDS

@ OUR PEOPLE

A writer, reporter and novel-
ist, Castlegar’s John Charters
has done it all. Today, The

' News takes a special iook at
the life of times of its long-time
columnist.

@ LOCAL SPORTS

Stevie Y is blazing this own
trail in the National Hockey
League. The Detroit Red
Wings captain is riding high
with his hockey career.

page 17

@ WORK PLACE

With three dogs and two
cats, it makes sense that Mae
Perepolkin works with animals
for a living. She grooms dogs
from the basement of her Tar-
rys home.

page 23

Farside
Norman
After Hours
Our People
Dear Abby
Crossword
Horoscope
Local Sports
Work Place
Action Ads
Beyer

Saturday

February 1, 1992

af News photo by Jonathan Green

Though her clients are nothing but animals, Mae Perepolkin enjoys her job. For the last year-and-a-half, she has worked full-
time from the basement of her Tarrys home as a dog groomer. is

Cominco cuts managers

Mi Some 110 management jobs
among the 500 permanent layoffs
at Trail lead and zinc smelter

Scott David Harrison
EDITOR

Cominco is trimming its white-
collar jobs.

The Trail smelter announced
Thursday that some 110
management positions will be among
the 500 workers laid off.

“We're reducing the layers of
management from five or six to
three,” explained Cominco’s
communication director Richard
Fish. “By cutting this many, we are
cutting 25 per cent of our
management positions.”

With the large layoffs in

management, Cominco also
announced that it will combine the
Maintenance and operations
functions into a more self-sufficient
grouping.

The management shake up:comes
on the heels of record losses for the
giant Trail lead and zinc smelter.

Cominco announced that the Trail
operation had lost some $100 million
in the past two years. The company,
recorded unaudited profits of $13.5
million over the same period.

The Trail operation is trying to
recoup its losses through layoffs,
energy reductions, transportation
and purchasing cutbacks and breaks
in tax levels.

Cominco is seeking a reduction: in
its water tax level from the provincial
government. Cominco is expected to

ARRYS VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPAR

T TMENT HALF WAY THERE, PAGE 5 ,

pay some $10.5 million in water taxes
in 1992, up 15 per cent from the year
before. by x

“If we can get all the things we are
striving for in place, we will be at
least at the break-even point under
present market conditions.”

Fish said the management :
casualties will receive pink slips as
early as this week, with layoffs
taking place in May.

Fish stated that an announcement
on layoffs for Cominco’s unionized
workforce would be made this week.
He declined comment on rumors that
the layoffs won’t take effect for one
year.

He also dismissed another rumor
that Cominco would close down
altogether in July: See é

more COMINCO news page 2