Saturday, June 27, 1992 @ @ Petition oppo increased truck as circulates neighborhood Scott David Harrison EDITOR Cheryl] Mueller is trying to put the brakes on a plan that would see Trail-bound truck rerouted through Castlegar. Worried that more trucks will be rumbling through Castlegar’s streets, Mueller has started to circulate a pe- tition opposing the Ministry of Highways plan. “My major concern is for safety along the highway,” Mueller said. A resident of Crestview Crescent, iho anus neighboring Highway 3 has plenty of truck traffic al- ready. She said adding even more trucks could be a dead- ly mix. The Transport Ministry is considering a plan that would see loaded trucks rerouted through Castlegar, en route to Cominco. The plan was proposed following a near-fatal accident on the Warfield hill when a semi- trailer lost its brakes and slammed through a residen- tial home. While Rossland-Trail MLA Ed Conroy doesn’t like the rerouting plan, he says it must be done. “T live in this community, too,” Conroy said, “but our brother and sister in other communities have a serious problem and we have to be willing to pitch in a bit. “This is only a short-term solution,” he said. Mueller doesn’t buy that, though. Concerned about her son’s and other children’s safety, Mueller says “people are very reluctant to believe politicians. “Once we agree to it and say yes, then you never know if it will ever leave,” she said. Mueller, who adds noise and air pollution as sec- ondary concerns, had com- piled 38 signatures as of Thursday — all from her neighborhood. “The concerns I have are real and all the government appears to be doing is relo- cating Warfield’s problem to Castlegar.” Bluetop Burger 25 ‘All Our Prices include the G.S.T. Now open til 9 p.m. 1521 Columbia Ave. 365-8388 Call Ahead Drive Through Service THE DAY HAS ARRIVED JUNE 27, 1992 FULLY SERVICED R.V. PADS Close to Safeway Phone 365-8077 ss Nig, For Every $100 You Spend on Our Dinnerware, We'll Give You For Dessert Rebate applies to any Royal Albert or Royal Doulion Dinnerware. * Offer is available only on in-stock patterns of Royal Albert, Royal Doulton, Everyday Fine China, Royal Doulton Fine Bone China and Paragon. OFFER ENDS: August 1, 1992 ay AUBERT OC swrost | ge WNALAY gross om Pulp talks back to mediation Scott David Harrison EDITOR : It’s back to the drawing board for the B.C. pulp indus- At 10 a.m. today, mediator Vince Ready began indepen- dent meetings with the sides involved in the province’s pulp dispute. The meetings are the first of their kind since the in- dustry was shutdown by a full- scale strike 13 days ago. Rossland-Trail MLA Ed Conroy says he'll have his fin- gers crossed that a new deal _ can be reached. “It’s not an easy thing that we are going through right now,” he said Thursday. “It would be nice to see it come to an end, but you never know.” Conroy said he’s concerned on the impact the strike will have on Castlegar. “Tm _ner- vous in the sense that I don’t want to see strikers lose _ their | aN houses or I Ed Conroy don’t want to ———_————_ see a compa- ny go down the tank,” he said. Like Castlegar, where 325 Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada walk the picket lines, Conroy said it’s only a matter of time before the provincial economy is crippled. Saying the forest industry is responsible for 49 cents of every dollar in the province, he said B.C. will feel the pinch. “From a provincial perspec- tive, there no doubt this is costing us a lot of money.” Although several sawmills still continue to operate, Con- roy says they will be closed if the strike persists. He said mills like Pope and Talbot — which was shutdown the day after Celgar workers hit the bricks — have no option but to close because of a lack of stor- age facilities for wood chips. “Pretty soon all the sawmills will be down and then we really feel the impact of this strike.” JUNE 27 - JULY 5 CLEARANCE SALE 2 Locations 9th Ave. and Columbia Sth Ave. Location Vegetable & Tomato Plants Bedding Plants 5"-6" Geraniums Martha Washington 1/2 Price Outdoor Hanging Baskets 4 Patio Plants .... All Perenials Stoke Seeds Silk Flower Arrangements Climbing Roses onty Junipers 2 gal. size ony Shady Trees, Flowering Trees, Blue Spruce, Cedars (1 & 2 gal. only) Tree Roses & Patio Roses Chang’s Nursery & Florist Ltd. Complete Landscaping Services - Free Estimates 2601-9th Ave., 365-7312 °¢ 4375 Columbia lees 365-6676 Castlegar @ Saturday, June 27, 1992 AroundTOWN Our People Glen Freeman 365-7266 FIESTA TIME Are you enjoying the Sunfest celebrations this weekend? If not, It’s because you haven't gone out and taken advantage of the party atmosphere. Put down the TV remote control and hit the streets! _ PARK IT Pass Creek is the place to be for family fun tomorrow. Events are taking | place for Sunfest all day Sunday, so just do it. CONGRATS GRADS A good time was had by all who attended the Stanley Humphries Secondary School awards night Thursday. A special congratulations goes out to all of the students who received awards. PLAY SAFE Summer is a great time of year, if you're careful. Please remember to have a good time and play safe all season. OurPEOPLE Allegiance to the Legion Once bold guardians of the mation, today’s legionnaires (proudly serve their communities Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER Some people are content to just sit around and watch the time go by. And some people, like Bob MacBain and the members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 170, are not. “The Legion.was formed to take care of veterans who came back from wars and their dependents,” said MacBain, the current president of the local branch. But MacBain admits that the number of men and women who served their country during wartime is dwindling. “The average vet is from the second world war,” he said, “and that’s going back now 40 years. We're getting old.” But MacBain knows that the legion is too valuable to let die. That’s why there are several types of members allowed in to the organization. “We have three types of members,” MacBain said. “We have what are called ordinary members, people who have been in one of the branches of the armed forces. “Then we have associate members, those who have some relative who has been an ordinary member. - “And then we have fraternal members. They are people who have no association with veterans but wish to join the legion.” The Castlegar legion is healthy to this day. In fact, MacBain says the legion has “500 and something” members, about 30 of which actively participate in regular meetings. But social functions are another matter. “Oh, we get a tremendous turnout at our functions. People come out and really enjoy themselves.” Enjoyment is fine, but the legion wasn’t satisfied with having a good time. They have branched out and become one of the areas largest service clubs. “Now it’s enlarged itself and gone into helping communities’ activities, or some way we can help the people in the community.” And helping people in the community is what they do best. “For the Canada 125 celebration,, we wanted something that would live on forever and carry the name of the legion with it,” MacBain said. A $20,000 bursary was established through Selkirk College Foundation to help support students in their post- secondary educational pursuits. “Giving a bursary to the college foundation will News: Photo by Glen Freeman Bob MacBain is a proud Canadian who loves his community. That’s why he and all of the local legionnaires support their club. guarantee a $1,200 bursary every year forever.” But the legion doles out funds to more than just educational institutions. “The executive recommended a number of donations to their membership last Tuesday,” MacBain said. “There is $2,000 to the Castlegar Hospital Foundation for a breathing apparatus, $2,700 to the Kootenay Society for Community Living, $200 to a bantam hockey team going to Czechoslovakia, $400 to a handicapped childrens camp, $450 to a diabetic camp,” and so * on. Cash comes from a number of fundraisers that the club holds throughout the year, ranging from bingo to pull tabs to meat raffles. “We'll do anything we can to see our communities grow,” MacBain said. “We have a large stake in it.” Castlegar resident heads local lung association Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER A long time resident of Castlegar has been chosen as a director of the B.C. Lung Association — again. “Bunny Charters was re- elected at our ,annual meeting last week,” = said the associations’ director of communications Jerry Miller, ° “She has been a director since 1986, and she has done a tremendous job.” Miller said that Charters acts as a spokesperson for the association’s Christmas Seals campaign, as _ well as performing other duties. “What can I say except she has been very effective?” Charters says that may be so, but she’s only doing her job. “I’m a firm believer in non- smoking,” Charters said. “It was easy for me to become enthusiastic about (the lung association) and their program because the stop ead campaign is a big part of it.” Other parts of the association are numerous fundraisers and a number of projects, like a new asthma centre currently being built in Vancouver. “Castlegar residents can take advantage of all of our projects.” Charters admits that being a director has it’s ups and downs. “Sometimes it’s difficult. It just depends on the people you’re working with,” she said. “But it’s rewarding. In fact, it’s vital.”