parade eH es sy om aie mers 2 Sa RON a2 q THE FAR SIDE By GARY LARSON Saturday, March 7, 1992 Rezoning bid means mall Scott David Harrison EDITOR ; Is Castlegar finally getting a shopping : If the city’s-own rezoning: plans have ing to do it, the answer is yes. ger Tuesday, Castlegar city council got the shopping mall wheels rolling, giving two readings to a bylaw amend- ment which would see three ~ properties change from single family residential to service commercial. The two readings are the first of several steps the city must take before a mall could be built. The two readings will be fol- lowed by a public hearing — slated for March 17 at 6 p.m. in council chambers — roe any party protesting . the 8 ‘ ge ea Peal may adopt ‘the amendment following the pub- lichearing during third and fi- nal reading. The Castlegar News has confirmed that First Allied Development Corp. of Vancou- ver is the group behind this latest shopping mall venture. First Allied’s agent and fi- nance director Tim Earle was reluctant to talk about the pro- posal, saying Castlegar has been teased long enough about incoming shopping 4 Earle said developer Bob Madick wouldn’t make an offi- ‘cial announcement until all the hurdles had been. jumped. Castlegar’s planning tech- nician Joon Bahk said, while the zoning amendments will operi the door to the First Al- lied shopping mall proposal, nothing has been signed. “Rezoning is the process that they must go through,” he said Thursday. “But this re- zoning doesn’t bind them to the project.” : City amends water and sewer rates “Oh, Misty always hates me showing this slide. ... It’s halftime at the ’88 Detroit-Chicago game when we met.” Women’s Day arrives NEWS STAFF Tomorrow, women all over the world will be celebrated. Sunday has been designated-as International Women's Day. “This day started around the turn of the century with a labor background,” said Patricia Lake gar Community Services. s, Administrator of the Castle- “It addressed the terrible working conditions which women had to put up with. But ithas grown into something much more than that.” Lakes said that today, Women’s Day is set aside to com- memorate the work of women and to examine topics which still need improvement. Scott David Harrison EDITOR © s : Castlegar has adopted a flat fee for its sew- er and water rates. Council voted Tuesday to install a new schedule which would see the cost of connec- tions set at $1,000 for water and $900 for sew- ers. In addition, the city will adopt a cost plus program which sees developers charged for additional work required with connections. “We wanted to charge a fee that was more realistic, but fair,” Ald. Marilyn Mathieson said Tuesday. Under the cost plus plan, developers would be charged for curb, sidewalk and asphalt re- pairs incurred while making sewer and water In addition, developers would be charged 20 per cent more for connections made be- tween September and April and five per cent more if the proposed link interferes with oth- er utilities. With the flat fee-cost plus program, the av- erage price of water connections would be $1,450, while the average price for sewer links would be $1,345. : “The good side to this is we can walk out in- to a field and see what the costs will be,” city public works director Barry Comin said. “We couldn’t do that before. “The biggest problem that we have always had (with connections) is the golden question: How much will it cost,” Comin said Thursday. “with this, we will be able to answer that question. : The flat fee-cost plus program will also help the city recover some of the money it was los- ing under the old system. Castlegar would have lost $9,090 for water connections and $8,460 in sewer hook-ups this year. “And there is need for improvement,” added Lakes. Folge: | DOS Level Il: Prerequisite is Dos Level |. Instructor: Pat Jacklin, Mon. & Wed., March 9-25, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. $110. (6 sessions) One-to-One Communication: Sharpen your listening skills, feedback skills, and perceptual skills. Role play body language, facial expression and tone to enhance your message. Learn and practice the skills you cannot afford to be without in today’s competitive world. Instructor: Karen Holden, Mon. March 16, 23 & 30, 7 - 9 p.m. $30. Late Prenatal Classes: For the women in her third trimester. Prenatal classes prepare you for changes during pregnancy, labour and birth. Teaches i i and post-partum and parenting issues. A hospital tour is included. Instructor: Julia Stockhausen, Wednesdays, March 11 - April 15, 7 - 9 p.m. $30. Canoe Rescue: Emphasis is placed on how to deal with those unplanned situations when you find yourself out of your canoe and in the water. Take advantage of this opportunity to increase your safety level in a warm pool and supportive environment. Instructor: Bert Port, Friday, March 20,7-9 p.m. $7+GST. Special Event — The Palestinians: A Nation Without A Country: Mr. Hanna Kawas, Presi of the Canad: ine A ion will speak on the historical situation of the Palestinians under Turkish, British and ~|sraeli pation and their aspirations for the future. Born in Bethlehem in 1948, Kawas is a member of the Middle East Peace Action Coalition and the host of the co-op radio show “Voice of Palestine”. Date: Thursday, March 19, 7 - 9 p.m. Donation. Must pre-register. ; : Aromatherapy: Designed for those who wish to incorporate Essential Oils into their daily life and for Estheti i : Therap y Nurses ans ot Body Workers. The course will Pp ou to comp asd ba ividually and professi nally. i 4 : Darlene Ward, Fri., March 20, 6 - 10 p.m., Sat. & Sun., March 21, 22, April 4, 5, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (5 sessions) $250. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER CALL: CASTLEGAR CAMPUS - 365-1261 365- HOURS: Mon.-Thurs. & Sat.. 0 RIB ROAST | Canada Grade "A" Beef ¢ 7.67 kg. f FROZEN 2 TURKEYS Canada Utility © Gov't Insp. 3-7 kg. size ° 2.18 kg. ; & MrOnTeD .) TOMATOES 2.18 kg. |HASH BROWN 1kg. SiEoeN 1 PREEINIER A SAVINGS 20° @ All Easter Candy | 86 kg. 209 Selkirk College a " Check out our many in-store Castlegar Foods 635 Columbia Ave., Castlegar WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES. Prices Effective to March 14 specials for extta savings! 99 eee : REEN CABBAGE | SURPLUS DAVE’S Come on in and check out the variety of items priced right at SURPLUS DAVE’S located in Castlegar Foods, 635 Columbia Ave. @ Saturday, March 7, 1992 3a athe News SecondFRONT CALL THE NEWS @General Inquiries 365-7266 OUR HOURS The News is located at 197 Columbia Ave. Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closedon weekends and statutory holidays. SUB RATES The News is published by Castle News Ltd. for Canwest Publishers Ltd. Mail subscription rate to The News is $40 per year ($44 in communities where the post office has letter carrier service). The price on newsstands is 75¢ for each edition. The price delivered by newspaper carrier for both editions is only 90¢ a week (collected monthly). GST extra. Second class mail registration number 0019. @ Management claims union has no intention of negotiating settlement Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER Hospital workers could be on strike as early as noon today. Workers province wide recently voted 78 per cent in favor of taking strike action, a measure which would have adverse effects on the Castlegar and District Hospital. . “If a strike were to take place, we would said Ken Talarico of Castlegar’s Hospital Labour Relations Association. “That would include postponing all elective admissions until the strikes end. We would only be able to handle emergencies.” According to another member of the HLRA; the threat of a strike could have been avoided. implement our Essential Services Plan,”. “The Hospital Employees’ Union has not responded to either of our last two offers,” said Martin Livingstone, Director of Communications for the HLRA in Vancouver. “They seem to have been doing their negotiations through the media, which is not what I would call collective bargaining.” Livingstone said the union’s demands are unreasonable, especially with the fiscal restraint the government is pledging. “The members of the HEU are demanding a 63 per cent increase in wages ene benefits over the next two years,” he said. “That would cost B.C. taxpayers an additional $421 million over the next two years, and that is unrealistic considering today’s economic situation.” The HLRA has offered members of the HEU. a.3.5 per cent wage increase retroactive to April 1, 1991, a 1.5 per cent Hospital workers ready to strike wage increase as of April 1, 1992, and a wage reopener provision effective April 1, 1993, which allows the union to renegotiate wage increases for the third year of the collective agreement. The average HEU worker, which includes cooks, cleaners, clerical staff and. so on, currently earns $26,657 annually, and is allowed four weeks of paid vacation time per year. ; “I can’t comment on the negotiations,” said Bev Petit, a local HEU officer. “All I can say right now is that we are preparing ourselves for strike action.” Chris Gainor, communications officer for the HEU, was in meetings and was unavailable for comment. “They (the HEU) have not demonstrated that they are serious about negotiating,” Livingstone said. “I hope they take a close and sober look at our offer, so that a strike can be avoided.” ‘e- ALCOHOL AWARENESS MP favors Castlegar i Lyle Kristiansen says local jobs must be protected with Pope and Talbot takeover Scott David Harrison EDITOR Lyle Kristiansen says if he had a vote, he’d cast it for Castlegar. - The Kootenay West- Revelstoke MP says the B.C. government should approve at News photo by Jonathan Green Although this scene looks, and is, serious, Selkirk College student Lenny Joe ‘wasn’t injured. The mock accident he was participating in was all part of the college’s Alcohol Awareness Week. Scott David Harrison EDITOR Ed Conroy says if his riding is ever going to get the Castlegar-Robson bridge, it must unite. “We have to try to bring all the parties together,” the Rossland-Trail MLA said. “Right now, you have Castlegar taking a position against the ferry, the Regional District (of Central Kootenay) taking a position against the bridge and the ferry user committee wanting nothing more than a crossing,” Conroy said. “You’ve got to wonder what the minister is thinking when, in our area, we can’t decide what we want.” Conroy said the interested parties must form a common front. Without it, he said, Castlegar may never see a bridge, “It’s frustrating,” Conroy said. “We have to Conroy calls for united front come to some form of consensus and then approach the minister.” Conroy met with Transport Minister Art Charbonneau this week “to give it one more kick at the can.” He said Charbonneau told him at that time the bridge would not be built this year. “We have to start working on next year, theri” he said from his Trail constituency office. “We have to form some sort of coalition. That would be something we could do so in the end we'can all walk away happy.” Conroy said Castlegar’s situation isn’t unique. He said other MLAs are feeling frustrated with the government’s tight-fisted policies. “The government is sincere about getting the deficit in order,” he said. “I understand that and agree with it. But that doesn’t make things any easier, especially when (those cutbacks) are happening in your own riding.” ; Pope and Talbot’s bid to buy the Castlegar sawmill and the southern protion of Tree Farm Licence No. 23 in order to save obs. “Luckily, I don’t have to take a stand on t nei 8 4es Kristiansen said of the debate within Castlegar a n Revelstoke surrounding the fate of TFL No. 23. “But, it is my thinking, that you have to go with the exisiting mill and the jobs that are there.” Kristiansen said Castlegar’s lumber industry must be maintained with the apporval of Pope and Talbot’s $22 million purchase of Westar’s operations. “The main thing is to maintain and preserve existing facilities over proposed expansions,” he said. Forests Minister Dan Miller is expected to make a decision on the TFL tranfer on March 27 — some six weeks after public hearings closed in Sicamous. Lyle Kristiansen Pere = Rw ee ESSA es.