“Castle News April 15, 1990 CP transfers rights of wa Portions of several abandoned Canadian Pacific Railway rights-of-way, some of which are part of the old Kootenay Valley line, have been returned to the province, Minister of Crown Lands Dave Parker announced in « news release. The lands, with an estimated value of $2 million, are located in the Hope, Thom kanagan and Kootenay areas. Gifted by CPR to the Ministry of Crown Lands af- ter a seven-year negotiation, they will now: be subject to an extensive review designed to determine their best use, the release said. The review will consider public input to date and recreation and ‘agricultural uses. The transferred rights-of-way are rural lands only and do not include urban property, the Potential industrial, conservation, ministry said. access rights granted to municipalities, far- Existing access rights granted to municipalities, far- mers and other users for road crossings, power lines and other utilities will be honored by the ministry under the terms of their respective agreements. “Abandoned rail right-of-ways and what will become of them have been active issues for many years now. I am encouraged by the interest of local individuals and groups and their varied ideas of potential uses for these lands,"’ said Parker. ‘‘The review process will involve further op- Portunities for public input, consultation with local governments ond key ‘ageniles, and will ensure that British Columbians benefit to the fullest extent possible ine from Osoyoos to Okanagan Falls, the rail lines from Castlegar to Midway anger members of the Coalition for Information on the Pulp Mill Expansion, concerned with the effects the proposed expansion of the Celgar Pulp Co. mill in Castlegar will have on the area. “There were 343 submissions to government on the (Celgar expansion and a large majority of these were con- cerned with the transportation issue," CIPE co-chairman them there. years. Craig Lawrence says in a news release. “People are concerned about the large volumes of truck traffic that will be on our highways," Lawrence says. ‘‘It is business decisions of the CPR that are putting CP Rail unsuccessfully attempted in 1988 to abandon the 100 miles of trackline after facing strong opposition from regional industry, unions, and civic groups, CIPE says. Under the terms of the National Transportation Agency, they could re-apply for abandonment in two One man dead in hotel fire PORT MOODY (CP) — A fire raced through a hotel in this Van- couver suburb early Saturday, killing one man and injuring four other people. But Port Moody Police Sgt. Doug Townsend praised the staff of the Port Moody Inn for helping quickly evacuate the building. About 70 people were in the hotel at the time the blaze erupted in a Local briefs Local nursery to sod field Castlegar city council has chosen Chang’s Nursery to lay sod on the Community Complex softball field after the Castlegar business’ bid came in $600 less than bids by two other Chang's bid $15,102.50 while Grassroots Gardening of Castlegar h 4 and Pinewood C $15,706.60. of Per eac! bids of There were virtually no differences among the three bids other than the prices so the lowest bid was accepted, Ald. Patti Richards told coun- cil last week. Richards is chairman of council’s parks and recreation committee. Council voted last month to spend up to $20,000 to complete the field. The sodding project was tendered after grass seeds sown last year failed to grow. Murder trial set for in Nelson A Grand Forks woman charged with second-degree murder in the New Year's Day death of her husband has elected to be tried by judge and jury and will go to trial in Nelson when a date is set, a Castlegar court registry spokesman said. Roxanne Lee Murray, 26, was origitfally charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 41-yera-old husband in the couple’s Grand Forks home but that charge was reduced in Grand Forks in January. df suite at 3:40 a.m. The name of the dead man was not immediately released. None of the in- juries to the other four people was considered serious. The fire destroyed the old section of the hotel, but 65 firefighters from Port Moody and neighboring Coquitlam managed to save a newer wing. The Port Moody fire marshall was investigating the cause of the fire. Lottery numbers The winning numbers in Wed- nesday’s Lotto6/49 draw were 6, 13, 31, 35, 38, and 40. The bonus number was 15. The jackpot of $4,735,627.80 was divided into two prices of $2,367,813.90. The four extra winning numbers for B.C. were 3, 18, 22, 34. The winning numbers drawn Wed- nesday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 1, 2, 3, 15, 34, 51, 54 and 56. The winning numbers drawn Tuesday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 14, 16, 29, 32, 44, 45, 46 and 53. These numbers, provided by The Candian Press, must be considered Tarrys continued from front poge of extreme’’ when there is more fog on the highway than normal or a motorist is less alert than usual. Between 400 and 500 cars pass the schoot each day in the fatt and winter during the “‘critical’* morning period when about 25 children, from kin- dergarten students to Grade 12 students who catch a bus at Tarrys, cross the highway, he said. ‘This will at least meet the need created by the traffic increase in the last few years Flyer Alert ® Canada Safeway © Fields © Overwaitea © Shoppers © SuperValu *® Woolco ¢ Zellers ull distribution @ one of flyers ond wovid tike to do so. please phone our Circulation Depertment ot 365-7266. and help with the anticipated truck- traffic’ increase if the Celgar Pulp Co. mill expansion goes ahead in Castlegar, he said. But the parents and staff members feel a speed-reduction zone past the school, rather than the signs up now that warn drivers to slow down if children are on the highway, is still needed to make the crosswalk safe, Rilcof said. They feel only an overhead crosswalk could be totally safe, he added. “*But we don’t expect that,’’ he id. Post continued from front pege machines or a variety of services it has today."" ‘Canada Post plans to close the post office and provide community boxes, with other services available in Falkland, about 25 kilometres east of Westwold. Acting postmaster Angie ‘Schmidt said 44 rural B.C. have & The chairman of the parents group has resigned over the issue, Rilcof said. Drivers should be aware that when the amber lights near the school and the overhead lights on the crosswalk are blinking someone is either in the crosswalk, just entering or just exiting the crosswalk, he said, pointing out the lights blink for 20 seconds at a time and then there is a delay before the system can be activated again. The crossing guard, a parent who is also the noon-hour supervisor, will tend the crosswalk before and after school, he said. Her alternate is another parent who takes over her supervisory duties as well, when necessary, he added. The Castlegar school board has agreed to pay the guard $2,000 per year for her work with the crosswalk, he said. French to figures provided by Celgar, 19,250 truck gona of chips would be coming from the Grand Forks area annually after expansion and this figure would double when accounting for the empty trucks returning, CIPE ‘says. At the Castlegar hub, theoretically, a chip truck every 2.5 minutes, the group adds, “The CPR claims there isn’t enough business to justify keeping the line open, but they could be hauling 9,000 rail cars of chips to Celgar a year,’’ Lawrence said. “Until 1987, all chips from Grand Forks came to Celgar by rail. Now they haul none. “The Celgar proposal is the symptom,’’ he said. “*The-disease is the conversion-of industrial traffic from rail to road and the taxpayer is expected to pay to control the illness.’’ CIPE believes the one that should be fighting the strongest for rail service should be Celgar. “*Celgar has claimed they are looking for solutions to concerns raised by their “*Here is the ideal venue for them to prove they are serious. If Celgar truly hey should be lobbying place.”* said Bob Lerch, CIPE co-chairman. wishes to co-exist in this region,, with us to have a viable rail C there will be, Rail abandonments could escalate road repair costs by as much as 30-per cent and an 36,000-kilogram tan- dem truck can have the impact of 9,600 cars on a high- way, CIPE says, Statistics from the Solicitor Generals of- fice show that one accident in 12 involves a commerciat vehicle in British Columbia. “ICBC determines insurance rates on the basis of all accidents,’”” Lawrence said. ‘This could be a cost the public doesn’t realize they are assuming."’ The group says increased truck traffic could be detrimental to tourism — B.C.'s number two industry. **Would the repeat visitor ratio drop if the tourists know they must compete with large volumes of chip and other industrial trucking to get here?’’ Lerch said. The group feels that both modes of transport (rail and truck) can be utilized to meet Celgars chip demand and to minimize the impacts throughout the region. Alternatives offered by the group to make rail more competitive include the elimination of rail branch line taxes and an industrial road tax on industries that have a system available to them, which private they aren’t using. ney In light of the potential cost to the public when rail traffic becomes road traffic, these alternatives are not unreasonable, CIPE says. Ki l is Club 'y Comp! jox | by local child can see that their work Is prlery La ated photo). e Ci Scout Troop also helped with the work and B.C. Tel provided a post-hole digger ‘and two men. The City of Castlegar paid for the cement to secure the posts. Court news In Castlegar provincial court last week, James Alban Sturgeon pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a probation order and was fined $200 and a victim surcharge of $30 or, in default, sentenced to 10 days in jail. Sturgeon also pleaded guilty to possession of a narcotic and was fined $50 and a victim surcharge of $7.50 or, in default, sentenced to two days in jail 8 @ Arthur Danial Thorsteinson pleaded guilty.to driving while im- paired and was fined $1,000 or, in default, sentenced to 90 days in jail. Thorsteinson must also pay a $150 victim surcharge and is prohibited from driving for one year. . 8 Edward Michael Miller pleaded guilty to mischief and ‘was sentenced to 21 days in jail and three months probation. already lost their post offices open This is your invitation .. . . . . to golf at the CASTLEGAR GOLF COURSE * 18Holes Now Playing * Pro Shop and Clubhouse fully * For further information phone 365-5006 Please Note — Discount on membership rates ends April 30, 1990. Regular rates apply at that date. “‘See you on the Course!’’ the i 25 cialees ba had not signed up for the class. The board extended the registration deadline last month and there are now more than the maximum number of students for the class — 30 — registered. Turner said the members of Parents for French who organized a trip to Nelson to observe the late French immersion classes at Central school were responsible for some of the registrations. “*T take my hat off to those paren- he said. “About 40 students and 10 parents travelled to Nelson at the end of Mar- ch to sit in on a Grade 7 immersion class, said Parents for French member Denise Evans. Talking to the Nelson students and hearing their skill with the new language helped to alleviate the fears of some Castlegar students con- prea entering the program, Evans Howe. she said there were already 26 students registered before the Nelson trip. By CasNews Staff A letter sent to Castlegar businesses that sponsored a recent newspaper advertisement suppor- ting Celgar Pulp Co.'s Letter to businesses called ‘disgusting’ also for the project The committee members should be aware such attitudes are being public hearings on pulp mill ex: ‘disgusting,’ Castlegar aldermen agreed last week. “I’m seriously offended by it,’” Ald. Doreen Smecher said before recommending the letter be sent to the provincial committee in Vic- toria overseeing the major project review process Celgar is un- dergoing. The letter says ‘‘there are some people who will look for service elsewhere,’ if the business owners only advertise their support for the expansion proposal and not y, letter,” signed by four people from Nelson and one from Thrums, reads: ‘*Your advert in the March 28 Castlegar News leads me to believe that you sup- Port the proposed expansion of the Celgar Pulp mill. “*Since the expansion will have @ tremendous impact on so many aspects of our lives and since there appear to be a number of major questions unanswered, do you favor public hearings on the Proposal? “If you do indeed favor such hearings, would you please adver- tise this fact in the same way that you advertised your support of the expansion? “*Without this public statement it will appear that you favor the Proposed expansion regardless of the consequences. If this is the case, there are some people who will look for service elsewhere.”’ Nearly 50 businesses from Castlegar, Nelson and Trail placed the ad that read: ‘‘The following Castlegar and area businesses are proud to acknowledge and support Ceigar Pulp Co.'s long-term commitment to our community by taking the initiative to design and build the world’s foremost, state-of-the-art kraft pulp mill in Castlegar." Aprilts.1990 Castlegar News 43 § ar News __43 CasNews photos by Clouderte Sondecki COLORFUL BUNNIES —; The results are in and four of the Easter coloring contest run (left) and Elizabeth Colville. Photo right: Jaime Kalesnikoff. Far right photo: Emma Davis. by the Castlegar News. betas fy--eetd dlaete Photo above: Valerie Ball ure the winners a! Sloring Contest « & ti Refugees t By Pastor SLAWOMIR MALAREK Seventh-day Adventist Church My wife and I waited anxiously on April 2, at the Castlegar Airport for the arrival of the plane from Calgary. Among other passengers the plane was bringing two Polish brothers, refugees from Italy who were coming to live in the Castlegar area. The first thing I noticed about them was their silver-sprinkled hair, which surprised me because of their young age. I stopped wondering when they told me about their two-and-half year ordeal:—Another thing about— them which caught my attention was their maturity and how helpful and suppor- tive they were of one another. Bogdan_and. Marek Szpunar, 32 and 26, come from the village of Albigowa near Rzeszow, in south- eastern Poland. They come from a family of four boys. They still have two brothers.in Poland, both married with two children. They have fond memories about their growing up and their large family in their homeland. However, the political turmoil and resutling from it the collapse of the Polish economy (the price of a loaf of bread in the last three years rose from 40 zlotych to 3,400 zlotych, more than 4,000 per cent), had forced them to look for a better life abroad Since they were still single, they decided to leave. They left Poland on Nov. 2, 1987 for Rome, Italy, where they contacted the Italian Refugee and asked for i in the realization of their plans to emigrate to Canada. They were told to wait, and were given permission for temporary stay in Italy, which lasted almost two and half years. They never had a work permit or medical insurance and when employed never received even the minimum wage and could not claim their rights for fair pay. Having suffered many other abuses, the refugees called for TV Their jobs included the ce of some of the most beuatiful gar- dens in Rome, in possession of Catholic nuns (on weekends), and daily toit ina cement factory where each day some eight tons of concrete products would pass through the hands of each of the brothers. Once Bogdan suffered an accident when a large concrete block fell on his foot. It was a great blessing that he suffered only a minor injury. He was incapacitated for three weeks with his leg in a cast. He did not receive a penny from his employer who even forbade them to mention the name of the company to the doctors. During that time Marek doubled his work load while still caring for his bedridden brother. At first the brothers lived in a camp, in a tiny bungalow, and received some assistance from the Italian govenrment. However, the money for every refugee (and the camp was full of them) was paid straight to the owner of the camp who quickly saw in it a potential for profit. He cut off their electricity (saying it was too expensive), and they had to use candles. Next he cut off their hot water and heating. They had heating four days a month and often woke up (in winter) to see water frozen in the glasses on the table. Their food supplies were rationed and the food quality became unfit for human beings. In effect many refugees suffered from constant food poisoning. One time, after serving spoiled chicken, many refugees got severely ill but the owner of the camp refused to call in the ambulance. Only when the refugees called for police in- tervention was the ambulance allowed in rage of their p Out_of the many TV stations—in Rome, only one was interested but was not allowed to film on the camp grounds. At the time, when Bogdan and Marek still waited for the merciful gesture of the Canadian government, some 6,000 Polish refugees lived in similar conditions in Rome, and about 13,000 in Italy. Lately, a lot of Russians have also gone to Italy but were much more speedily processed and sent on their way to the U.S. and Canada. Not so for the Polish brothers who realized that their only hope was to find a Sponsor in Canada. They wrote a letter for help to the headquarters of the Sevneth-day Ad- ventist Church in Oshawa, Ont., (though themselves not members of this church), Their letter was cir- culated throughout the SDA churches in Canada and that’s how I came into contact with them I read their letter sometime in Sep- tember of last year, right after we had arrived in Castlegar from Los Angeles. I thought it was providential that this letter fell into my hands, sin- ce I am a Polish immigrant myself. I was moved to help my compatriots though I had never met them before. I talked to my church in Trail about it and they spontaneously endorsed the idea of sponsoring Bodgan and Marek. Though we hardly have people of means in our congregation, everyone showed a spirit of Christian generosity and sacrifice. Still many months would pass from the time we applied for sponsorship through Immigration Canada in Cranbrook until their arrival in Selkirk students getting international experience Selkirk College students are heading overseas next month‘to jobs in Finland and Australia as part of their Co-operative Education work- term placements. This is the first time such international opportunities have been available to students in co-op education programs. Cy McCargar of New Denver is in his second year of the computer in. formation systems program and is about to embark on his final work term. in May he is flying off to a Position with the direct marketing firm of Morris International in Bun- dall, Queensland, Australia. There he will be for the on the practical approach. The fact that co-operative education was available at Selkirk was a big factor in my decision to come here.”” McCarger was one of two students in the program to apply for this over- seas posting. The other is Crescent Valley resident Dave Sookaveiff, 21, who is in his second year in the electronics technology program Sookaveiff is off to Finland for the next three months to work for the Kone Corporation, a Finnish-based that fi heavy _ceipment, analytical tures next four months in a troubleshooting and heavy cranes and other lifting devices. capacity, and fF ry user support on the hundreds of per- sonal computers used in the com- pany’s direct marketing enterprise While McCargar is responsible for his own air travel, the employer is assisting in his relocation by arranging accommodations for him. He will earn approximately $1,400 per mon th. McCargar elected to attend Setkirk’s computer information system after spending three years at UBC as a computing science major. “IL found university to be too theoretical," said McCargar. ‘‘l prefer a program that focuses more kaveiff’s job pl arranged through the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Expérience, (IAESTE), a connection MacRae made through the college’s member- ship in CAFCE, the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education. This is Sookaveiff's third and final work term with Selkirk, and this job takes him to the town of Hyvinkaa, a half hour’s drive northeast of Helsinki. Though details of his duties. are sketchy at this time, Sookaveiff believes he may be applying his skills in electronics to servicing computer controls used in the manufacturing Process. Another “‘first’’ for Co-operative Education at Selkirk College is the opportunity students have of applying for summer jobs with B.C. Tel. On April 3, Rose Thast, employment representative with the provincial telecommunications giant, flew to Castlegar to interview eight Elec tronics Technology students for tem porary positions with that company in central office maintenance/repair as weil as jobs as installers and on-site repairmen. In the past, B.C. Tel has stuck to the provincial universities to recruit their summer student employees. This year Thast said she is looking at only three colleges, Selkirk, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology “We are hiring temporary summer employees in response to a construc- tion boom currently under way in lower mainland communities,"’ said Thast. ‘‘But we are on the lookout for potential employees."’ “1 am pleased that a major em ployer such as B.C. Tel is recruiting from Selkirk College,"’ said MacRae. “I think that says a lot about the calibre of our education and the quality of our students.”” Il of plight Castlegar. We are happy that at last they are here. They are most grateful for having had-—this—opportunity-to—come to Canada. They are charmed with she natural beauty, order, and prosperity of the people living in the Kootenay However, to begin a new life as an immigrant is not easy. At present they live in our home, but soon they will need an apartment at an affordable price. They quickly learned that to get around they need a car And most importantly, they need jobs. Bodgan is a plummer by profession, and Marek is a locksmith — mechanic. However, they are more than willing, if necessary, to learn a new profession. They are eager to do anything they can get hold of, any job no matter how small it may be Meanwhile they are working hard to improve their English y: NEW ARRIVALS . arrive os by Paste: ; Polish brothers Bogdan Sxpunar (left) and Marek Sxpunar (right) and are g jk 5.1 | earthqua jolts B.C., U.S. BELLINGHAM, Wash (CP) An earthquake measuing 5.1 on the Richter scale rattled residents in nor theast Washington state and southeast British Columbia, tem porarily closing a Canada Customs office and border crossing The Friday night quake followed by about a dozen after shocks, the strongest. of which measured 4.1 on the Richter scale, the University of Washington Geophysics Program said Saturday Customs officials evacuated their Office at the Pacific border crossing south of Vancouver when cracks ap peared in the walls The crossing between Blaine, Wash., and White Rock, was reopened around noon on Saturday after a building inspector turned the border point Northbound traffic had been re- routed to other crossings and a tem. Porary crossing was set up for some trucks. Southbound traffic into the United States wasn't affected Walls at the Canada Customs of fice were moved “‘about a quarter of an inch,"’ said Customs superinten: was dent Glenn Bonnett The quake occurred at 10:33 p.m PDT on Friday, centred about 4.8 kilometres northeast of Deming, 60 kilometres south of Vancouver, said Geophysicisist Steve Malone of the University of Washington “It was fairly shallow,”” said The quake's power was about 100 times less than the San Francisco quake last fall DAMAGE MINOR Earthquake monitors at the univer sity in Seattle said there were reports of minor damage south of the border including broken glass and things tossed off shelves. A canopy at the Blaine border crossing was also cracked Officials in Skagit, Whatcom and Snohomish received calls from people who felt the quake, but no damage was reported other than pictures falling off a wall There were no reports of damage in British Columbia other than at the customs office. However residents from Chilliwack, in the eastern Fraser Valley, to Cowichan Valley on Van- Malone counties couver Island reported feeling the jolt Bob Pacific Geoscience Center in Sidney, B.C said the epicenter was close to those Horner of the of two, earthGuakes of similar magnitude last Monday “I's not enough serious damage," Horner said. “It's certainly enough to be strongly felt Dave Kelly of North Vancouver said he felt the quake in Vancouver's West End to cause any “Unless you were drinking beer, watching seniors’ golfing on TV like I was, you wouldn't have felt anything,"’ he said The Richter scale measures ground motion as recorded on seismographs Every increase of one number means a tenfold increase in magnitude. Thus a reading of 7.$ reflects an ear thquake 10 times stronger than one of 6.5 An earthquake measuring 4 is capable of causing moderate damage, S considerable damage, and'6 can be severe.