ESTABLISHED AUG. 7. 1947

MONICE OF COPYRONT: Ful,

INCORPORATING THE MID- WEEK MIRROR PUBLISHED Ser. 12,
LV. CAMPBELL — PUBLISHER AUG. 7.1947.FE8 15,1973

PUBLISHER — Bur! Campbell
EDITOR — Ron Norman
FOREMAN

CIRCULATION MANAGER — Heather Hodiey

TWICE WEEKLY MAY 4.1980.
AUG. 27 1900

— Peter Harvey

vested in ond belongs to Castle News Lid., provided, however, that copyright that part are that port erty a
L cry_caverinamant prepared tem repre proeis, ungrovings, at. provided By the

shall remain in ond

ad

Puzzling decision .

The B.C. Environmental Appeal
Board's decision this week to allow
CP Rail to spray the herbicide Spike
80 W along railway tracks in
Castlegar, Nelson and Trail is puz-
zling.

The board apparently based its

vironment in which very few areas
were recommended for exclusion
from spraying.

It was the same ministry official
who carried out the Castlegar ‘in-
spection who also inspected the
rail lines in the Slocan Valley. Yet
the results were totdlly different.
So many areas in the Slocan Valley
were r d

Nelson, where the spraying will af-
fect large numbers of residents,
when spraying has piready been
restricted in the Slocan Valley,
where the population is significan-
tly smaller? Of course not.

And that doesn't take into ac-
count Castlegar's unique layout.
The railway tracks in Castlegar ore
not confined to a small portion of
the city; they run the entire length
of the community.

Most homes and businesses are
located within a kilometre of the
tracks. Many of those homes —
numbering in the hundreds — abut
the tracks.

To allow spraying in those

lor
that CP Rail decided to abandon its
spraying program there
altogether.

Does it make sense, then, to
spray in Castlegar, Trail and

heavily p d areas while ex

cluding spraying. in sparsely
populated areos is like asking
drivers to obey the speed limit on
highways, but ignore all speed
restrictions in school zones.

Reasonable profit?

Shaw Cable's proposal to spend
$1.1 million over the next two
years to improve and expand cable
service to West Kootenay
customers is good news.

Fortioulacty welcome is Shaw's
col e to «i
programming by investing in a

,000 microwave system to
provide live community program-
ming and setting aside $92,000 to
add to and replace community
programming equipment.

However, there are parts of the
company’s proposal that are
questionable. Perhaps foremost is
the planned 23 per cent rate in-

ts.

Wartield Ald. Eric O'Dell makes
@ strong case for rejecting the
proposed rate hike, pointing out
that Shaw's 15 per cent return on
its investment would increase to 24
per cent if the $2.15 a month rate
increase goes ahead.

While it would be sate to suggest
that Shaw customers don't mind
paying more for improved service,
they do not want to see a large
portion of that rate increase go to
boost the company’s profit margin.

No one would deny Shaw the
right to make a reasonable profit,
but as O'Dell points | out, the key

crease to finance the imp

word is “

[

Ron
Norman

Westar Timber's Southern Wood
Products sawmill is here to stay.
But five years ago there were some
who weren't sure the mill would last
five months, let alone five years
That's because five years ago the
mill was about as healthy as a
smoker with an advanced case of
emphysema.

The sawmill entered the 1980s
coughing and wheezing with its
1960s technology. While never a
star performer among Westar's
group of sawmills, the Southern
Wood Products mill had neverthe-
less plugged along, managing to
stay in opePztion.

Then the recession hit. The
bottom dropped out of the lumber
markets and B.C. forestry firms
along with it. Companies large and
small racked up record losses,
including Westar Timber. In fact,
Westar officials admitted years
later that the local sawmill had come
within a hair of closing its gates for
good,

But it didn't, and like a survivor of
the Great Depression who vows
never to go hungry again, Westar
Timber management was deter.
mined that the Castlegar sawmill
would be in a better position to
weather future recessions.

(If there's one thing that
forestry insiders say remains con:
stant in their industry, it's the
cyclical nature of the markets. The
industry is riding a wave of high
prices right now, but almost every
one expects the wave to crest. They
say it’s just a question of when.)

Last year Westar embarked on a
$25 million modernization program
It was either bring the mill into the
1980s, or shut it down. Millions of

lars have been spent so far, on
things like computerized edging
machines and automatic sorters.

On a tour of the mill this week,
production manager Rick Forgaard
was quick to defend the old equip
ment. It was state of the art when it
was installed 25 years ago, he said

But times have changed.

Other mills are making use of
computers and automatic sorters
and stackers. Southern Wood Pro-
ducts had to follow suit or find itself
edged out of the market.

But the changes — which will be
completed by next May or June
— won't have been made without
some sacrifice. The mill will need 40
or 50 fewer employees

During the mill tour it was easy to
see why. Mechanized equipment has
replaced workers. It was an eye
opener to see how much sawmills
have changed since I last worked in
one 15 years ago.

In 1972 the green chain was the
cornerstone of almost every saw
mill. Newcomers were always
placed there as a sort of testing
ground. It was hard work. You
waited for lumber to come along on
a conveyor belt, then rolled it off the
belt and stacked it in a pile. That's
all changed now

In its place — and taking the jobs
of all those workers on the green
chain is an automatic sorter. A
conveyor belt carries the lumber to
the sorter which separates the
lumber into bins according to the
different lengths and widths. Once
the bins are full, the lumber is
routed along another conveyor to an
automatic stacker

But while an automated mill will
require fewer employees, it will also
protect the jobs of the more than
200 workers still employed at the
mill. It's the kind of short-term pain
needed to ensure long-term gain.

As Forgaard points out, by next
summer the mill will be competitive
with any in the province. He's confi
dent that in another recession the
Southern Wood Products mill won't
go down — or will be one of the very
last in the province to close

That's important not only to the
employees, but the community at
large, which relies heavily on the
mill. And it is an indication of how
far the mill has come in years.

“Well. . .and what instruction only did we

rn onour very first day at school?”

Letters to the Editor

Spike only beginning

I have been an interested observer
of, and participant in, the process that
led to the cancellation of the permit
granted to CP Rail to spray its tracks
in the Slocan Valley with the pest:
Tebuthiuron, the active ingredient in a
commercial formulation known locally
as Spike.

Like everyone else in the province
interested in opposing the.use of in
adequately tested industrial chemicals,
we were forced to fight against the
application of this particular chemical,
on this particular place, at this parti
cular time. Even if you win a fight like
this, you don’t accomplish what you
want.

Consider the current concern with
an unforeseen effect of the group of
chemicals called flourocarbons, used as
aerosol propellants and in refriger-
ation compressors. It turns out that
these substances, when we are “fin

Politi
The recently-completed sale of the
West Kootenay Power and Light Co. to
total foreign ownership raises the
question: “What has happened to
democracy in the large WKPL service
area — with a population of 250,000
people?” At all levels of government —
federal, provincial and regional — the
will of the 80 per cent majority of the
residents has not been allowed to
happen. We have been (temporarily)
defeated by the very politicians who
claim to represent us. Though the
media continues to report the number
of residents actively opposing the
foreign sellout at about 10 per cent, it
was clearly shown by straw polls,
petitions and Bob Brisco’s survey that
at least 80 per cent were in fact
opposed to this controversial sale.
For almost a full year this disturbing
precedent was hotly disputed by
fonided ‘tadivi

ith them, end up high in the
atmosphere, where they react with
essential molecules found there, re- past. Too often as a direct result of the
ducing the ability of the atmosphere to system that allows
filter out harmful radiation emitted by something declared

industrial chemicals in Canada has
been seen to fail too many times in the

innocent

Remember
When?

40 YEARS AGO
From the Sept, 11, 1940
‘Castlegar News

The Castlegar Fire Department
members turned out Synday to give
Mr. Rigby a hand in cleaning up after
his recent fire.

‘The use of a truck was donated by
the Castlegar Transfer and was driven
by W. Watt.

Members turning out were Mr,
Wade, Mr. Rigby Jr., Mr. Watt, Mr,
Lewis, Mr. Green and Fire Chief West,

. * 6

Playing at the Castlegar Theatre
all this week is Trigger starring Roy
Rogers.

Also playing is The Razor's Edge
starring Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney,
John Payne, Anne Baxter, Herbert
Marshall and Clifton Webb.

. 2 6

At Petties Real Estate, a three
bedroom house, with light, heat, store-
room and woodshed is selling for
$1,300.

* © «

A Marconi long and short wave
radio is selling at Castlegar Electric for
$156.

25 YEARS AGO
From the September 13, 1962
Castlegar News
Castlegar commissioners met face
to face with Celgar officials Monday
night in the conference room of the
pulp mill to discuss charges of smoke,
fume, fallout and smell pollution by the
mill.
Cc issi s described them-

proven guilty large

stances have been introduced into our

Government officials in Canada,
citing the need for an international
conference to immediately start to
phase the use of these chemicals out,
are quite clear that this is a potentially
catastrophic situation. This problem,
which may gravely affect us all, was
just not thought of when uses for
flourocarbons were thought of, or when
tests to prove them “safe” were con-
cocted.

Although it is an excellent place to
start, it quickly becomes clear that
cleaning up your backyard is a very
tiny beginning.

The whole process of registration
and regulation of pesticides and other

environment and when the evidence
finally comes in, and it is seen clearly
by all that this never should have
happened, it is too late.

What we need is a change in the
process itself, so that adequate testing,
regulation, and application of these
chemicals will be tone, relative risks
and alternatives will be assessed, the
needs of the community will be
addressed, and we can move closer to
being able to look the next generation
in the eye without feeling like a
criminal responsible for destroying
part of their heritage.

David Lewis
Crescent Valley

cians beware

LEGISLATION NEEDED . .

final hearings in Kelowna apparently
were an expensive exercise in futility
since Energy Minister Jack Davis

— people who spent considerable time,
effort and expense in revealing to all
levels of government that the people
wanted to see some form of Canadian
ownership and control of this utility
take place. Contrary to excuses
frequently given, there were numerous
Canadian options available, at least
three of which proposed to match the
UtiliCorp bid of $80 million

Our elected governments at all three
levels have chosen — at their peril — to
disregard the will of the people. Surely
they must realize that we of this 80 per
cent majority intend to make a
substantial issue of this matter — and
any other proposed sellouts of
Canadian utilities — at all upcoming
elections. Furthermore, we will not
support any future candidates —
regardless of party — who do not have
in their platforms firm commitments to
work for and achieve legislation to
prevent foreign sellouts of our public
utilities.

To review the scandalous history of
this sale:

At the federal level: After a hasty
and apparently superficial examination
of UtiliCorp’s application, Investment
Canada rushed the approval through
on Christmas Eve, 1986, apparently as
a" ‘ial lamb” to sweeten free
trade negotiations with the U.S. After
carrying out a survey on this question

at public expense — our Kootenay
West MP disregarded his own findings
and chose to support the 14 per cent
minority who favored the sale.

At the provincial level: After several
months of controversial and expensive
hearings the B.C. Utilities Commission
approved the sale — somewhat reluc-
tantly — with conditions attached. The

his belief that
the sale would be approved.

The BCUC itself has clearly implied
that legislation is needed in the realm
of foreign ownership. On page 70 of the
decision of June 30, 1987 the Commis
sion says: “The public's fears and
concerns, attributable in part to the
absence of either guidelines or legisla
tion controlling foreign investment in
what are widely regarded as essential
industries, in the Commission’s view
were entirely understandable and

The B.C. Utilities Commission implied
legislation is needed in the realm of foreign ownership.

CasNews tile photo

At the regional government level:
Although an urgent and unanimous
resolution from a large public meeting
of more than 300 people in Castlegar
called upon the Regional District of
Central Kootenay to conduct a public
referendum on the question of the sale,
and although this resolution was
diligently presented by RDCK
directors John Voykin and Martin
Vanderpol to a meeting of the board,
this request for a regional democratic
process was rejected by a vote of 10 to
seven.

The entire performance — at all
government levels — was not
and will be diligently

in the

Yet the premier — who clearly had
authority to overturn~ the BCUC
decision — either missed or ignored the
Commission's “hints” of needed
legislation and, like his federal counter-
part, took no action — despite
numerous requests — to prevent
WKPL from becoming a “sacrificial
lamb” for the cause of free trade. Of
what use is free trade if w
expected to give up the very uti
resources and lifestyles which make us
a free and independent nation?

We received no support from our
provincial MLA for Rossland-Trail,
who — contrary to the NDP party's

declared opposition to the sale —
continued to be completely
non-committal on the question. NDP
party leader Mike Harcourt himself put
up a weak and unimpressive show in
the way of opposition to this disturbing
precedent.

To add insult to injury our premier
now states that any or all of the

der of the hydroelectric
generating facilities of our province
may soon be offered for sale to foreign
ownership and control. No other
civilized country of the world allows
this sort of thing!

remembered when election time comes
again. Perhaps, it should be suggested
that those of our politicians who by
their actions in this matter have shown
so little interest in maintaining the
integrity and independence of our
nation might find residence in some
other country more to their liking.

It is irrelevant to blame either
UtiliCorp for taking advantage of what
appeared to be a sound investment, or
Cominco for wishing to capitalize on
UtiliCorp's attractive offer. The blame
for this national indiscretion and
historically dangerous precedent lies
with our Canadian governments which
allowed this to happen — governments
which appear to have set no limits in
their willingness to make sacrifices to
their god of free trade.

In conclusion, I say: “Politicians
beware of the next election. We the 80
per cent majority are patient people
with very good memories — people
who are concerned over the integrity
and independence of our Canadian
lifestyle and our Canadian nation. Our
votes will bear this out — you may be
sure

Harry F. Killough
Castlegar

selves as concerned about all four
points with the most important factor
being the kraft pulp order.

. «+ 6

A suggestion that next time Sons
of Freedom fraternal council members
are on trial, a judge more removed
from the problem be employed, has
been suggested to Attorney-General
Robert Bonner by the Castlegar and
District Chamber of Commerce.

The action was taken some time
ago by the executive members of the
chamber. Members endorsed this
action at the first meeting of their fall
season endorsed last night.

. 2 *

An organizational meeting of the
Kinnaird Ratepayers Association was
held last Thursday evening in the
Kinnaird Hall.

An attempt to revitablize the or-
ganization had been made earlier this
summer but the man elected as presi-
dent at that time has since left the
area.

15 YEARS AGO
From the September 21, 1972
Castlegar News

A $30,000 renovation and addition
program at Castleaird Plaza was
announced this week by realtor Jack
Young, local agent for Griffith Lee and
Wilson, property ‘managers for the
shopping centre.

He said a contract has been
awarded to Creighton Construction of
Kinnaird and work was scheduled to
get underway this week on the
program.

* 8 6

Vandalism in School District
Number 9 is causing a sizeable ex-
penditure to the taxpayers

Hardest hit are Woodland Park
School in Kinnaird and the Blueberry
Creek School.

At Monday's meeting of the board
of trustees, maintenance supervisor
Fred Howes stated damage ranges
from broken windows, obscenities
gouged in ‘the stucco finish and rocks
placed into roof vents

* 8

The appointment of Lois Hughes
as News Editor of the Castlegar News
is announced by Burt Campbell, editor
and manager of the Castlegar News.

5 YEARS AGO
From the September 15, 1982
Castlegar News

Castlegar School Board has seven
days to respond to a writ filed Monday
by the B.C. Teachers Federation in a
bid to prevent the firing of 37 teachers.

BCTF solicitor David Yorke said in
a telephone interview from Vancouver
that there will be an injunction sought
against the school board unless the
teacher termination notices effective
Oct. 1 are cancelled.

* 8 6

Castlegar property owners be-
ware. The taxman cometh-but not until
Sept. 30.

That's the deadline for property
owners to pay their city taxes, after
which the city can legally auction off
the property to the highest bidder in
order to recover unpaid taxes.

However the properties up for sale
are only those whose owners have been
delinquent on their taxes for three
consecutive years.

HIGH TECH d in-
spects the ae ‘out of the pea rofl edger at

MILL MODERNIZATION

Socred cabinet

in Nelson

By CasNewe Staff
in the Nelson-
Creston riding will be re
ceiving a visit from British
‘Columbia's top politicians as
Premier Bill Vander Zalm
and his Social Credit cabinet

Mowat said the caucus will

premier and
take a tour of the riding visit his riding, said he hopes
his become

beginning Sept. 28.

will
aware of the importance of

: The announcement was improving access to Nelson

made this week in Nelson by from the east.
Nelson-Creston MLA How-

Mowat, who is the caucus unemployment t!
chairman. ing:

Sisters share

pregnancy

TACOMA — Evonne How- Howard and Pyrah are tak-

ard and- Bruce Pyrah are ing part.
planning a trip across Wash-
ington state in November to mine,” said
witness their baby’s birth.

couple's baby is growing in-
mother — Howard's half sis- job I've ever had.”
ter in Spokane.
through artificial insemina- sisters

had a hysterectomy — is un- ago.
able to bear children.

i 6 don't ~ of it as
inais,

simply gave we my egg.
That's because the Tacoma but they made the baby.

“['m just babysitting and
side the womb of a surrogate it's the easiest babysitting

The women aren't the first

Penny Vadnais volun- female siblings to share such

teered to have the child a pregnancy. Two Florida ‘
co-operated in the

tion because Howard — who birth of a baby girl 22 months

Vadnais said the focus of
Vadnais is in her seventh her pregnancy is love, not

He said he also hopes the
atd Dirks and Vaneouver- caucus will be able to help the
Little Mountain MLA Doug riding out of the problem of
it is fac-

“I

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Westar Timber's Southern Wood Products sawmill.
— Conttews Phote|

bby Ron Normon

Changes going smooth

By RON NORMAN
Editor

Westar Timber’s Southern Wood Products sawmill is
nearing the end of the first year of a two-year $25 million
modernization program and the changes are beginning to
show.

A huge crane is on site lifting steel beams into place for
a new automatic sorter that will be in operation by the end of
October. And just down the way an old dry shed has been
reduced to make way for four gas-powered dry kilns.

The kilns will replace the 13 small
presently powered by steam from adjacent Cel

The new kilns, which will handle 400,000 rd feet of
lumber apiece compared to the old kilns’
will be operational by next May or

manager Rick Forg
kilns. will dry about 150 per cent more wood than the old
kilns.

The sawmill will need the extra drying capacity because
the modernization program. will allow the mill to produce
substantially more lumber.

“We hope to increase our production by 30 to 40 per
cent,” said Forgaard during a tour of the mill this week.

‘The sawmill presently cuts an average of 750,000 board
feet a day. That's up from an average 500,000 board feet it
used to cut a few years ago. But it still won't match what
Forgaard says the mill will be able to produce when the new
equipment is installed next summer.

“We hope to be in excess of one million (board feet a
day),” he says.

The modernization began with a few purchases in 1985
followed by some more items in early 1986. But it wasn't
until about this time last year that the program really hit its
stride.

Forgaard says a new C mill edger was installed last
November along with work on the in-feed to the chip and
saw.

Two Japanese-made debarkers to improve the quality

of cedar chips to the pulp mill were also installed.

The B mill carriage was changed to hydraulic drive from
stearn arid an optimizer was installed — that's where a
computer takes a picture of the log and decides how it will be
cut for optimum use.

Forgaard says the sawmill replaced four edgers with
one edger-optimizer. The computerized edger makes use of
98 per cent of the wood. A man edging at top standards could
only hit 85 per cent, Forgaard says.

A new automatic stacker has also been installed to tie
into the new sorter.

Still to come are a new log deck, a barking/bucking line
(early November), a canter line to replace the head rig (by
next March) and another computerized edger.

The new planer line will be operating about the same
time as the new dry kilns — by next May or June.

Forgaard says the new planer line is desperately
needed. The present planer runs three shifts a day, Monday
to Friday and two shifts on weekends. And it can barely cope
with production, he says. With the changes planned for the
mill, it wouldn't have been able to cope without a new line.

‘The move to gas and hydraulic drive and away from
steam provided by the pulp mill is designed to improve
production, Forgaard says.

The sawmill still has one line powered by steam which is
affected every time the pulp mill shuts down for main-
tenance or has a breakdown.

But modernization will take its toll. About 40 to 50 jobs
will be lost when the new equipment is installed. However,
Forgaard says the mill plans to run three shifts as much as
possible, providing between 20 and 30 additional jobs.

He says modernization will put the sawmill in a better
position to weather another recession.

Right now the lumber market is booming. Forgaard
says the wood the mill is cutting now has already been sold.

“We're selling the wood before it’s even cut in the
sawmills.”

"Here's
my

card

(Fa LCON
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husband, Tim Yeager, and money,” Vadnais said.

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Sat., Sept. 19, 8 a.m.

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