Slocan Forest Products buys Vanderhoof mill NEWS STAFF Slocan Forest Products Ltd. is expanding its operations. The lumber manufacturer purchased the Vanderhoof- based Plateau sawmill from the financially-troubled Westar Group for $58 million. The deal is all part of an effort by Westar to stay ahead of creditors. Prior to the Vanderhoof mill’s purchase the total debt of Westar Group exceeded $400 million. The sale of the mill signals the end of Westar Group's tim- ber holdings. In the past 18 months, Westar has disposed of mills and tree farm licences across British Columbia, including the pur- chase of the Castlegar sawmill by Pope and Talbot for $22 million U.S. The Plateau sawmill and woodlands operations produces some 275 million board feet of lumber and 170,000 bone dry wood chips per year. According to the purchasing agreement, Slocan will be en- titled to acquire cutting rights to an additional 620,000 cu- bic metres of lumber per year. Castlegar Savings Credit Union is able to assist you with getting the best return for your investment dollars. For more details, contact either location of CASTLEGAR SAVINGS CREDIT UNION "Your Community Financial Centre” 601-18th St. (5 3026 Hwy. 6 ANNOUNCEMENT 365-7232 226-7212 THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE CASTLEGAR GOLF CLUB will be held at the Castlegar Recreation Complex Sunday, Dec. 13 + 2 p.m. Early Bird Membership can be Purchased at this time ‘ bd Christmas is Such a Glorious Family Holiday Carl has invited everyone for tea Dec. 13, 12-4 p.m. Your Senior's Gold Card is worth 15% off Carl's Plaza , we 7g Your Friendly Pharmacy . Castieaird Plaza, g \y WARES Saturday, December 12, 1992 Valhalla Society crying foul @ Environmental group says district's internal audit reveals 56 invalid permits Neil Rachynski NEWS REPORTER : . A group of West Kootenay environmentalists ing foul. a Now Seaver Valhalla Society claims to have an internal audit from the Arrow Forest District which outlines 56 violations of the provincial Forest Act.Society chairperson Colleen McCrory said it is the largest scandal of mismanagement to ever hit the Kootenays. The issue evolves around Pre-harvest Silvi- culture Prescriptions, known as PHSPs. They were introduced by the government around 1987. PHSPs require a logging company to ad- vertise its plans as part of the public process be- fore timber harvesting can begin. Under cur- rent guidelines the documents require the sig- nature of both the forester and the district manager. Metroey said 56 permits from 1987 to 1990 are invalid because the PHSPs were either not done, or are invalid because they were not signed. And what upsets McCrory is that the logging proceeded anyway. “There should be heads rolling in the Forest Minister’s office,” she said. “We want an inves- tigation. “These are professional foresters, and they've broken their own code of ethics as well. She said the society is considering taking le- gal action against the province “in a strong, ng way. ; she readle Forest District, after discovering the error, is trying to remedy the situation. Arrow Forest District manager Ken Arnett said he has written to the forest companies in- volved, asking them to submit proper PHSPs. “The cutting permits were issued prior to PHSPs, and then they carried over to when PHSPs were required,” Arnett said. The problem, according to Arnett, happened when the change-over occurred and the com- panies never submitted their PHSPs. “We had to go back in time and bring these documents up to legal status,” Arnett said. “The papers are not a legally acceptable docu- ment.” But Arnett emphasized the actual harvest- ing was done in accordance with the permits requirements and responsibilities. Replying to McCrory’s call for someone to be held accountable, Arnett said, “I think in a sense that’s what we're doing. ; : “We could have breezed through it and said ‘it’s in the past,’ but we didn’t,” Arnett said. “I think (McCrory) would have strong case if we discovered this problem and ignored it.” sw VaR ee ~ ° VaR Ee /, Rey te Va Ee ome AG Join Us At NEW LIFE ASSEMBLY For A CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA WITH "COLBY" & Z/ ae Ne G3 Res Sof ‘e Bay Sunday Dec. 13 6:30 p.m. New Life Assembly 602-7th St. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL 365-5212 @ Saturday, December 12, 1992 AroundTOWN Our person for Our People Corinne Jackson 365-7266 TERRIFIC TIME FOR TOTS So how did the crows save Christmas? Children are invited to find out Dec. 19 when Puppeteers at the Castlegar and District Public Library will perform a Christmas story. The event begins at 11:30 a.m. with a carol sing- a-long. After the Puppet show a visitor is expected to meet with children and hand out goodies. WATCHING OUT FOR JACK FROST The B.C. Lung Association is reminding people that having a clean chimney will help prevent house fires. GRANTS UP FOR GRABS Do you have an idea that will promote forestry awareness in B.C.? If you do, OurPEOPLE Full-course meal... a luxury for most, an impossibility for others | i Corinne Jackson NEWS REPORTER Eating disorders can be the worst type of secret to keep. The effects vary with each case, but sometimes the results can be tragic. Unfortunately, it is not the easiest secret to discover. A Ministry of Health pamphlet states some five per cent of Canadian adolescents and young adult women suffer from either anorexia nervosa or bulemia, or both. That's at least 50,000 people. Although it is not as common, adolescent and young men also suffer from these disorders. “There’s a lot of people out there (who are affected), but you’re not necessarily going to see them all,” a Castlegar and District Hospital dietician says, explaining how sufferers “are very secretive.” According to Jeff Krueger, the description of the average sufferer is expanding. Those afflicted may become extremely thin, experience irregular menstrual cycles, constipation and tooth decay from the gastric juices they throw up with their food. However, Krueger says, these effects and others vary with each case. More and more, the patient demographics are changing. Krueger says people can be affected from eight years old to their mid-40s, even though it was once seen as a problem for women in their early 20s. “We're learning more and more about it and as you learn more... you realize it’s expanding in terms of age and types of people it affects.” The health ministry reports anorexia “ased to be seen as affecting primarily white adolescent females of the upper and middle classes. “Recent studies suggest it is spreading into younger and older age groups and into other socio-economic classes.” Because of these ever expanding definitions of whom is affected and what to look for, Krueger says it is best that if one suspects that a friend, or family member is experiencing anorexia or bulemia that they approach the person gently. “Approach them in a caring manner. “Let them know help is available,” he says. Of course, Krueger says, the best chance of full recovery is when the sufferer knows they have a problem, are able to admit it and seek help. “I think deep down they know something has to be done, but even can of worms,” he says, describing how difficult it is for someone to take the next step. “Are they going to admit it to other people. Who are they going to seek out. “That’s a huge step for a lot of people,” he says. But that’s the step that some families, or friends of a sufferer may have to make too, Krueger adds. The dietician explains that food is not the real reason people experience eating disorders. “It’s a symptom of something else. “There is something going on in their lives that they find stressful — family life, peer pressure, social pressure. “(Food is) the way they get back at the world,” he explains. Krueger feels that group therapy for the victim is the step to recovery, but adds “everyone can benefit from looking into professional help whether it’s family, or friends.” The ministry of health has stated, “as many as 30 per cent of young women have episodes of binge- eating, but, this alone does not mean they have the clinical disorder known as bulimia.” Krueger echoes the same concerns. He says, if someone sees any of these symptoms do not become alarmed, but rather get more information. eee Anyone interested in more information can call the dietary department at Castlegar and District Hospital at 365-7111, or the Mental Health Centre at 365-8502. provincial and federal forestry departments invite you to apply for a grant. For more information contact the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Forestry Canada, government agents’ office, or write Green Gold Grants Program, P.O. Box 40047, Victoria,. B.C., V8W 3N3. Applications are due Jan. 31, 1993. I've found a Home-Sweet-Home in friendly Castlegar Last Tuesday’s episode of getting my car stuck in a snowbank has been added to my on-going list of things I love about Castlegar. Well not the fact that my car got stuck, but rather the strong sense of community I’ve noticed here.I have lived here for three months and 18 days and enjoyed almost every minute of it... except for getting stuck in the snow. Often times when people find out that I’m “new” around here — and that I’m from the coast — their reaction is “How do you find Castlegar? It’s a little slower than you’re probably used to, eh?” My response each and every time has been that I am astounded by the sense of community here. The events of Explanation points CorinneJACKSON _ Tuesday night seem to be another good example of this. After an extremely long day at work, I offered to drive co- workers Scott and Neil home. After dropping the two ‘pedestrians’ off in front of their Lakeview Street home, my car got stuck. It was 11:45 p.m. and it was snowing. Trying to get myself out of the mess and debating whether I should go get help, I gave in and got the guys to give me a hand. We could ‘not have been out there rocking the car and spinning the wheels for more than 10 minutes before a man brought out two shovels and started digging the car out. I'd like to take this moment to thank that Lakeview Street man — Mike Sherstobitoff. It’s not like I didn’t expect people to be friendly when I moved out here, but I thought I'd have to wait until I got to meet people. Instead, my first encounter with the people here was to ask people mowing their lawn (remember this was late- August), roofers at Selkirk College, waitresses at local eateries and others if they knew of a place I could rent. The reaction from people when asked was_ over- whelmingly, “You don’t have a place to stay? Why don’t you stay with me until you get a place?” My 16 weeks in Castlegar seem much shorter. A letter from Mom this week would indicate she probably doesn’t agree with me. You can be assured, that as I head home for the holidays, the snowbank story will be included in my list of reasons why family and friends should come out here to meet my new community. I guess I’ll also mention if they want to go snowshoeing, this is probably the place to do it.