Wednesday; March 25,1992 @

IWA-Canada fu

rious over TFL

Local union rep denounces NDP for
ignoring pleas of Castlegar workers

Scott David Harrison
EDITOR

Tony Ferreira is tried of waiting.

“The IWA-Canada spokesmen says the gov-
ernment has failed its supporters.

“Not only have we been ignored by (Forests
Minister Dan Miller) but we have been ignored
by our own politicians.”

Ferreira said local IWA members have been
pulling hairs out while the government makes
up its mind regarding the proposed purchase of
Westar’s Castlegar sawmill and Tree Farm Li-
cence No. 23 by Pope and Talbot Ltd. The de-
cision, expected Friday, has been long overdue

Editorial, page 6

he said Thursday. “We have done everything
we can to see this go through as fast as possi-

‘ble, people don’t understand that.”

Ferreira is one of them. i

He said the government should be concerned
with saving existing jobs, nothing more, noth-
ing less.

“I understand the political process and the
need for public input, and I agree with it,” Fer-
reira said, “but the average man doesn’t. He
just wants his job back, that’s all.”

Ferreira said “the government is holding
back” some 800 workers who want to get on
with their lives. He called the government’s
first-ever public hearings regarding the trans-
fer of Crown timber “a tremendous failure” be-

cause Miller

‘If I was in their shoes, I could give a damn
about what the government says about
waiting’

happy with the
work of the NDP
and our own
politicians,” he

has stalled in
announcing his
final decision.
Ferreira said
Miller has no

> ira excuse for sit-
— IWA’s Tony Ferreira ne oh tie Bve-

said, referring to
Rossland-Trail
MLA Ed Conroy and his Nelson-Creston coun-
terpart Corky Evans.

“I can tell you, that we won't forget how they
ignored us.”

Ferreira said, despite all the efforts from the
280 unemployed mill workers, Conroy and
Evans abandoned their own supporters. He
said the two MLAs should have been slamming
fists on desks to ensure a speedy decision on
Pope and Talbot’s proposed $22 million U.S.
purchase of Westar’s assets.

“If I was in their shoes, I could give a damn
about what the government says about wait-
ing,” he said. “They should be more concerned
with the people that elected them, like the guys
from the sawmill who have mortgage pay-
ments or the businessman in Nakusp who
could be losing his business, his equipment and
his skidder.”

MLA commit-
tee’s recommen-
dations for as long as he has. Miller received
the committee’s report on March 13.

“It’s not that the minister hasn't had the rec-
ommendation long enough, it’s right in front of
his eyes,” Ferreira said.

“Our membership can’t accept that the min-
ister has waited this long.”

Commenting on the fate of the Pope and Tal-
bot deal, Ferreira said “nothing would surprise
me.”

“If they screw up this deal, they could kill the

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Castlegar mill forever,” he said. “If they decid
to favor Revelstoke and Sicamous, I can almost
guarantee you that we would never find a buy-
er for that mill again.”

Revelstoke is seeking to have the TFL di-
vided at Pingston Creek, some 50 kilometres
south of the city. That plan has since been en-
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er Conroy could TOU be reached-for COLL
ment, but in an interviewlast week, Conroy
said he has done as much ‘as eould be expect-
ed.

“If it wasn’t for me pushing the minister to
get started, we could be waiting even a

Castlegar and Nakusp, meanwhile, want
the original proposal to proceed unblemished.
That deal would see Pope and Talbot take over
the Castlegar sawmill and some 75 per of TFL
No. 23, which runs south of the Trans-Canada
Highway towards Castlegar.

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if Wednesday) March 25; 1992

Sa

McGauley rejects hero status in long fight

m@ Former Castlegar teacher spearheaded battle to get money back from co-op.

Jonathan Green
NEWS REPORTER

A former schoolteacher
from Castlegar walked into a
legal battle in 1987 and
emerged last week the winner.

Alma McGauley represent-
ed the interests of some 35,000
members of the Teachers’
Housing and Investment Co-
Operative when she took on
the THIC four and a half years
ago, though she feels the cred-
it should be shared.

“I don’t feel personally a
hero,” she said from Vancouver
Tuesday.

“Yes, I did make some big
decisions, but I feel we're owed.
it as a group.”

The THIC was formed in
1951 by senior teachers to al-
low younger ones the opportu-
nity to borrow money to make
mortgage payments.

But some shaky real estate
investments in the early ’80s
forced co-op chief executive of-
ficer Jack Bentley to put the
co-op into voluntary receiver-
ship in 1985.

Because of that, all funds
invested were frozen, putting
some teachers into financial
limbo

Enter Alma McGauley.

With the help of Castlegar
lawyer Terry Dalton, the then
67-year-old McGauley initiat-
ed a legal fight in 1987 that
ended last week when the co-
op members received a $32
milliion out-of-court settle-
ment in their case aginst the
B.C. government, the co-op’s
directors, accounting firm

Pannell Kerr McGillivray and
law firm Davis & Co.

McGauley said the battle
was tiring, one she almost
gave up in 1986. .

She had approached the
B.C. Teachers Federation in
February looking for help.

“My idea was to persuade
them to mount some kind of
campaign on behalf of their
colleagues,” she said.

Receiving none, she thought
about calling it quits until Dal-

ton convinced her to go
through the media.

With the help of Vancouver
Sun reporter David Baines,
McGauley’s cause was made
known, and the rest is history.

Baines said the teachers’
win was impressive.

“The magnitude of this vic-
tory is unbelieveable,” he said.

“Thirty-two million is mas-
sive, especially when you look
at who the litigants were.”

With her fight now over, Mc-
Gauley said it’s time to enjoy
retirement.

Teachers

continued from front page
Alberta went sour.

“The TIHC had office build-
ings that had no tenants,” he
said.

The co-op’s investing days
ended abruptly in November
of 1986, when it went into vol-
untary receivership.

Because the co-op’s busi-
ness ventures weren't regulat-
ed, Dalton said teachers’ in-
vestments weren't insured.

“Many lost half their life
savings,” he said.

The legal fight to recover
those savings began shortly
after, when Dalton met Castle-
gar teacher Alma McGauley
on.the street.

Dalton said McGauley
spearheaded the fight for the
teachers, at one point taking
their story to the Vancouver
Province.

M no ne migh no
have happened,” he said.

Under the Limitations Act,
legal papers could not be filed
for two years, which gave Mc-
Gauley and Dalton time to

rewarded

prepare.

The teachers got some fi-
nancial help in May of 1986
when Winnipeg-based Can-
West Productions assumed
the co-op’s portfolio, and of-
fered the teachers 52 cents on
each dollar invested.

Dalton said CanWest presi-
dent Izzy Asper had a long
term goal of an investment in-
stitution for teachers across
Canada, which precipitated
the purchase.

Calling them negligent,
Dalton initiated legal action
against several groups, in-
cluding the provincial govern-
ment and former directors of
the co-op.

Through numerous _ pro-
ceedings and a couple of visits
to the Appeal Court of B.C.,
the two sides agreed to an out-
of-court settlement.

Dalton estimated that with

last week’s settlement, teach-
ers who kept their money with
CanWest would receive a total
return on each dollar invested
of between 70 and 80 cents.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS

Tough choices are

ie. Columbia needs jobs in

the working forest. But we also need
to protect our priceless environmental
heritage. We need to maintain our
quality of life. And we need to settle
land‘claims.

' That’s why the government of

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INVITED TO A SPECIAL

= MEETING TO DISCUSS THE

CITY OF CASTLEGAR'S PROPOSED
PARKS AND OPEN SPACE STUDY

During the past five months, the City has been gathering
information regarding our parks and open space, and
listening to the interests and concerns of Castlegar
residents.

GENERAL
MEETING

OF CASTLEGAR
SAVINGS CREDIT UNION

participate in an open public process
with specific deadlines for making
recommendations about where to log and
what to protect.

CORE is your chance to help shape
British Columbia’s future. Shouldn’t you
be involved?

' March 30, 1992
Registration: 6:30 p.m.

The purpose of this public meeting is to hear and discuss the
recommendations arising from that research, and have the

British Columbia has set up the
Commission on Resources and

More information on CORE and the
choices we face is available in a special

Polaroid 600 Plus

Kodak Professional Film

opportunity to provide additional input prior to the

Environment — CORE. Because it is
time for leadership to work out our

publication, Focus On Resources & Our

Environment.

Reg. $14.99 preparation of the final document.

differences and to resolve the valley-by-
valley conflicts over land use.

= ea Over the next few months CORE
will be asking British Columbians to

Watch for it in your mailbox.

It’s time to find
common ground..

Meeting: 7:30 p.m. — x :
i ae : ee DATE: March 30, 1992
: TIME: 7:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Council Chambers, 1402 Columbia Ave.

Cc
2101-6th Avenue, Castlegar, B.C.

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%

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE
CONTACT THE CITY OF CASTLEGAR AT 365-7227

Be Sure to Attend

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¢Picture “Place

Castleaird Plaza, Castlegar

CASTLEGAR
‘601-18th Street
365-3368

SLOCAN PARK
Highway 6
226-7216

365-2211