ca July 5, 1989 OnJuly became It's official! Inland Natural Gas has completed the final steps to become BC Gas through- out most of the province. BCGas Ist, Inland Natural Gas BC Gas...Naturally 's British Columbia's largest gas distribution company, serving over 550,000 customers from the Interior to the Lower Mainland. BC Gas combines the faciliti and personnel of two great provincial gas utilities: Inland and the former Mainland Gas division of BCHydro. The result is a company with a strong management team and 1,300 dedicated employees...a true British Columbia company, shareholder-owned, making a major contri bution to the B.C. economy. A RENEWED CUSTOMER COMMITMENT We have a new name, but you'll enjoy the same personal attention from the same friendly people. While the size and distri bution area of our company have increased dramatically, one thing hasn’t changed. That's our pledge of superior natural gas service for the growing number of BCGas customers in the Interior. THE NATURAL ENERGY CHOICE Clean-burning, low-cost natural gas is B.C's overwhelming choice for home heating, as well as an efficient energy source for busi- ness, industry and now for transportation. For advice on natural gas service, or information about the new company name, please call your local BC Gas (formerly Inland) office. Serving your needs. Sharing your concerns. John Charters praises those who made recent even ings out enjoyable Capitol summer. The Capitol théa tre in Nelson has a lineup of plays tor summer evenings +e AO LOTTERY NUMBERS The winning numbers in Saturday's Lotto 6-49 draw were, 10, 13, 18, 28, 31 and 42. The bonus number was 35. The winning number in Friday's Provincial lottery draw was 4785633. Larionov Ready to skate for the Canucks... BT Tastleg Vol. 42, No. 55 60 Cents aN! wis Sal r New CASTLEGAR BRITISH COLUMBIA, SUNDAY, JULY 9, 1989 WEATHERCAST Today: Sunny with cloudy’ periods ond @ 30 per cent chance of after noon showers or thundershowers Highs between 26’.28" C. Monday continuing cloudy periods with 30 perrent chance of precipitation 2Sections (A&B) Renewal of faith A young man is baptized by total immersion in water and crowds listen to speakers Saturday as more than 2,000 Jehovah's Godly Devotion and activities include lectures and a play, performed today. CosNews photos by Donne Zuber Pleas for compromise, anger mark meeting By CasNews Staff Pleas for compromise and conciliation mixed with angry exchanges and crys of “‘let’s take care of business take care of the living’’ as Slocan Valley residentS met at Passmore community hall Thursday night to discuss the controversial proposed road between Passmore and Vallican. The meeting, chaired by Regional District of Central Kootenay chairman George Cady, was designed to allow for the groups involved to explain their positions in a public forum-and answer questions concerning the road that will run between a subdivision and an archacological site con taining burial grounds over 3,000 years old. RDCK Area H director Bob Barkley reiterated his support for the road,~ saying the Vallican bridge is dangerous and must be replaced and the Highways Depar tment says the project must be completed all at once, rather than in sections as the Archaeological Park Society has asked The society doesn’t want to halt work on the bridge, only on the northern portion of the road that is planned to run past the burial site, coordinator Celia Gunn said But Barry Eastman, Kootenay regional manager for the Ministry of Transportation and Highways, said in an in. terview that the ministry has changed the process of allocating funds since the Coquihalla highway went so drastically over budget a few years ago and caused the government embarrassment Funding is now provided on a project basis, he said, and is under a time limit. The funds for the Vallican bridge and the road are in this year’s budget and if the project is delayed the money may not be there next year, he said Eastman, who was asked to answer questions most frequently at the meeting, told the crowd the project has gone into the tendering process, which will be handled through Victoria because the project is worth over $200,000 Cady answered one residents’ question about the ten dering process by saying he thought a. ministerial order could halt the project Eastman said an archaeological impact study has been ~ done on the area and he is “‘not aware’’ of any burial grounds outside of the area currently defined. ““We have to define ) sen. sitive areas and work with them,’ he explained. He also said erecting a fence to keep people from stop- ping along the site would be costly and the funds are not in the budget continued on pege AZ Film said dying in funding wait By CLAUDETTESANDECKI Staff Writer A $5.2-million feature film dealing with the history of the Doukhobors in Canada that has signed big-name Canadian stars and secured Canadian, American and television distribution rights; may not be made because Telefilm Canada is taking too long to decide if it will fund the project, producer John Stark says Telefilm has had the material on the film since Arpil | and no one has read the script yet, Stark said in an in- terview from Los Angeles. Part of Telefilm's guidelines state that the ‘creative aspects’’ of a film will be reviewed within two to three weeks of receiving the material and a decision made ‘on whether the invest- ment organization will finance the project or not, Stark said. ‘ Telefilm has been funding the project in the development stages for the past two years, Stark said, and it’s unfair to encourage development of a film only to hold it up at production time. Encouraging and then dropping a film is also a waste of taxpayers’ money, he added But Bill Gray, Telefilm director of operations in Vancouver, said development funding doesn’t imply a commitment to a film since develop. ment is a “‘fishing expedition’’ and the organization funds about 100 projects in the early stages for every one film it funds in production Telefilm has not looked at Stark's proposal because it ‘‘hasn’t reached the top of the pile yet “There are considerably more qualified applications, than his (Stark's) that have been waiting longer,” he added The film has distribution commit ments from Astral in Canada and First Play on word Choice has secured the television rights. Hemdale Distributing which had the U.S. distribution rights to The Last Emperor, Platoon and Salvador — will get the rights to the film in the U.S. Stark said it is ‘very unusual’’ for a Canadian film that has not even begun production and has no U.S. stars to have a contract signed with a major distribution company The script ‘‘must be powerful’’ if there is so much interest and commit ment to the film at this stage, he said “This is probably one of the most promising pictures ever produced in Canada,"’ he said But Hemdale will only distribute the film if the actors and director remain the same — if anyone pulls out, the deal is off, Stark said. And the situation is ‘desperate,’ he said, since the stars and director are in demand and won't wait forever for this film to begin production. Stark has signed Christopher Plummer, his daughter Afaitda Plummer, Megan Follows, Margot Kidder, Gary Farmer (Powwow Highway, Renegades) and Elias Koteas (Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Malarek) Koteas, who just finished Full Moon and Blue Water with Gene Hackman, told Stark Saturday that the producer has until Wednesday to *‘ pay or play before Koteas accepts another film of fer, Stark said Farmer has been offered $500,000 for another part and can’t wait too long to make a decision, Stark said, and director Charles Jarrott is in the same situation Jarrott (Poor Little Rich Girl Nicholas and Alexandra) was hired af ter fellow Canadian Ted Kotcheft pulled out because he didn’t want to work with Telefilm, Stark added 7+ ll JOHN STARK “absolutely ruined” If the project is delayed Stark will lose all credibility, he said, and the last straw will come when one of his stars or Jarrott leaves the picture He will then be willing to do anything to make his situation known he said, including marching nude in front of Telefilm’s Vancouver office, a protest method used by the Sons of Freedom, a sect of Doukhobors who also consider fire a cleansing method It (marching nude) will be a last resort — | will have no more to lose,”* Stark said Stark said he has contacted as many influential people as possible, in cluding federal Minister of Com munications Marcel Masse and Premier Bill Vander Zalm. Heis also in contact with Doukhobor leaders in the Kootenays who are “‘angry’’ over the delays, he said continued on page A2 s nets trouble for Parker VICTORIA (CP) — Forests Minister Dave Parker got in trouble with his own caucus chairman Friday for telling an NDP. member speaking to the legislature about AIDS that the New Democrats’ theme song should be Sodomy Forevet Caucus chairman Carol Gran said Parker should apologize for his remark that was a play on Solidarity Forever, a theme song of the labor movement However, Premier Bill Vander Zalm disagreed, saying Parker felt the NDP is chipping away at society’s standar ds. * Parker made the remark after NDP health critic Tom Perry finished a speech about AIDS prevention measures “Your new theme song should be Sodomy Forever,"’ Parker said ““Disgusting.”” When Gran was asked about the remark she said: “You're kidding. | think he should apologize to the House.”” Parker wouldn't talk to reporters but Tater told the legislature he was withdrawing ‘‘remarks purported to be attributed to me.”” Vander Zalm said Parker has young children and held very strong views about NDP attitudes “He doesn’t like the NDP ap proach. Mr. Parker's amp is es Expansion By CasNews Staff The $130-million expansion of Cominco’s plant in Trail ‘‘can not be justified’’ because the increase in production would not offset the in crease in tax on Water used to generage power for the plant, Cominco president Bob Hallbauer said Thur sday following the announcement of cancellation of the project Cominco’s water taxes, paid to the provincial government, increased from about $200,000 per year to $9 million per year in the early 1980s, a news release said, following the modernization of the zinc smelting and refining operations. The increased fees more than double Cominco’s cost for generating power On its damis, the release said: The tax increase was ‘‘an easy way to raise money" for the government, Hallbauer said in an interview (they're) chipping away at standards. Perry said Parker's remark epitomized the attitude of sorte cabinet members. cancelled Cominco has been working on the expansion plans for more than a year, he said, and it has been trying to negotiate a lower tax with Victoria The province has refused, he said, and the combination of high taxes and the projected closure of domestic zin ¢ mines means the project is too expen. sive for the revenue it will generate for the company When domestic mines close, Cominco will have to compete for foreign raw materials for 80 per cent of its smelter feed by the late 1990s, the relgase said. Had the expansion gone ahead, ap proximately “600 man-years of con truction activity” and over 100 per manent. new jobs would have been created, the release said: Hallbauer said the expansion would not be reconsidered ‘in the forseeable future."’