Saturday, August 15, 1992 @ TheFARSIDE By Gary Larson 3,500 OTEU workers agreed to a two-year deal Thursday. The deal calls for wage in- crease of 5.5 per cent, across- the-board lump sum pay- ments of at least $1,460, bene- fits for part-time workers, an agreement from ICBC not to electronically monitor employ- ees without just cause and the extension of dental and med- ical benefits to partners of gay and lesbian workers. “Our members realize the wage settlement was the best that we could achieve in this economy,” OTEU President Ron Tuckwood stated in a / SUMMER BASKET SALE Come on down the Price is right, for our summer Basket Sale. 18 pieces of Golden Delicious Chicken Cooked to perfection For only $ 19° Wow!!! Don't forget to pick up some crisp French fries or our tasty JoJo's. Throw in a couple homemade salads, some buns and you have a meal that is sure to please the whole family. At a very affordable price. Only at Chicken Time "Anytime is Chicken Time" 2816 Columbia Ave. Castlegar, B.C. 365-5304 J REPLACEMENT CARRIER 3 Fe 4 \ y= \y sp Required Immediately For Routes news release. Elsewhere, member with West Kootenay Power were set to sit down with mediator Don Cott Fri- day in the hopes of averting a strike. WKP is already feeling the pressure of one strike, as ICBC inks OTEU deal pickets by its 180 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers enter their fourth week. The utility’s office workers are seeking a better pension plan. 100 OTEU WHERE YA HEADED? What looks like something out of the Chinese National Circus is actually Danielle Runions (head showing) and Chantelle Sutton working on their SHSS cheerleader moves as Natalie Pacheco (left) and Alison White look on. News photo by Glen Freeman @ Saturday, August 15, 1992 3a EXTRA: EXTRAS ( GREAT MEALS By Meadowbrook/Highland interested call 365-7266 ask for Mary Ann at the Smoked Tiger Prawns A dozen Smoked Tiger Prawns sauted in butter wine and served with a Cajun Oyster Sauce. 516° OF, =, FIRESIDE RESTAURANT Veal Scalapini 7 oz. of pure veal lightly pan fried with, mushrooms and red Quail Curls Boned Quail stuffed with walnuts, raisins roasted tender and served with wine, cream. Tum sauce. $145 516° FOR RESERVATIONS CALL: 365-2128 1810-8th Avenue, Castlegar 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. Closed on weekends and statutory holidays. SUB RATES |. The News is published by Castle News Ltd. for Canwest Publi Ltd. Mail SecondFRONT | Neil Rachynski NEWS REPORTER B.C. Hydro is willing to sit down and talk anytime. Responding to more concerns of water levels on the Columbia River, B.C. Hydro’s commu- nity relations co-ordinator says the Crown cor- poration is ready to sit down with local resi- dents. “(B.C. Hydro) loves to meet people,” Al Geissler said. “I'll try and facilitate that. I’d be delighted to make arrangements to have some- one come out and talk to (local residents).” Geissler’s comments are in reaction to a let- ter written by Ann and Bud Godderis of Castle- gar. The Godderis’ letter is addressed to B.C. Hy- dro’s Board of Directors. Ann says sending the letter right to the top brass is the only way to get results. “I think (water level management) is a poli- cy decision,” Ann said. “I don’t think people at the lower levels have any control.” She hopes a concentrated letter campaign by pf residents will put some heat on B.C. Hy- “The only way they'll pay attention is ifthere is ane public response and pressure,” Ann said. In a letter to The News, Godderis writes, “I would like to urge your readers to support Castlegar city council and our local MLAs by also sending a letter, even a few lines, to both B.C. Hydro and the provincial government.” B.C. Hydro has admitted it was caught off guard by the damage caused by June flows from the Hugh Keenleyside Dam. At one point, the dam was releasing 125,000 cubic feet of water per second — enough to flood property below the dam, and enough to send water levels plummeting at local marinas above the dam. This caused a severe water shortage at the Arrow Lakes Reservoir. After examining both flood and drought sites, B.C. Hydro agreed there was a commu- B.C. Hydro set to talk with locals nication breakdown between the Crown corpo- ration and the citizens of Castlegar and area. “We admit (the water levels) is a bad situa- tion but there’s no solution other than getting some rain,” B.C. Hydro’s corporate communi- cations manager Peter McMullan said. Ann Godderis hopes to stir B.C. Hydro into talks with city council, Rossland-Trail MLA Ed Conroy and local residents: The Godderis’ letter to B.C. Hydro states, “we hope that a meaningful discussion will soon take place with all concerned along the Arrow Lake and Columbia river system as a first step to developing a more satisfactory ap- proach to managing this important water sys- tem.” Ann is reserved about what kind of success any talks will have, though. “A meeting would be of great interest — one that’s open to the public,” she says. “But I don’t hear any real desire (by B.C. Hydro or the provincial government) to make changes or re- spond to what we’re saying.” ARMY BLUES HINE Seon News photo by Gien Freeman The Canadian Army ground to a halt Thursday as a 10 ton wrecker recovery vehicle sprung a hydraulic leak. If it wasn't for the patriotic actions of Castlegar Machine and Chrome Ltd., the vehicle might still be AWOL. Rankin set to release city report @ Price Waterhouse study could go public this week Neil Rachynski NEWS REPORTER Don’t expect to see the Price Waterhouse study in _ its entirety. Victoria lawyer Murray Rankin says, “there’s material in the files of a personal nature that under any freedom of information regime would be kept private.” Rankin was appointed by the city to determine what can be made public from’ the confidential report — a $24,000 study commissioned two years ago which examines the city’s overall operations. Rankin says he’s allready Conroy comfortable with Warfield Scott David Harrison addressed years ago and it wasn’t. Now, we're left started working on the document. He says he hopes to have it handed over to the city by the middle of next week, though he doubts his report will EDITOR Ed Conroy says he can live.with a decision that will see Warfield hill traffic say put. The Rossland-Trail MLA said upon further review a plan that would have seen loaded truck traffic rerouted through Castlegar didn’t make after all. subscription rate to The News is $37.50 per year. The price on newsstands is 75¢ for each edition. The price delivered editions is only 90¢ a week (collected monthly). GST extra. Second class mail registration number 0019. fe aN | | “I always said that rerouting made sense as a short-term solution,” he said. “I still believe that, but it’s become apparent after talking to government officials that their short-term and my short-term were two different things.” Conroy said Transport Ministry officials told him the rerouting plan would go well beyond six months, something he said he isn’t prepared to endorse. Conroy said transport officials told him the rerouting plan could last as long as two years. “We don’t need more trucks in Castlegar, I know that, but I saw it as a way to help out our neighbors,” he said. “We have a situation in Warfield that shouldn’t even be happening. (The trouble with the road) should have been holding the bag. Transport Minister Art Charbonneau officially announced Wednesday that the Warfield hill traffic would stay right where it is. Charbonneau also said any efforts to refurbish the troublesome route would be a waste of time. Conroy agreed, saying the $3 to $4 million needed to construct arrester beds could be better spent. “Just to go in there and spend $3 million would be a waste of money,” he said. “Everyone knows that Art Charbonneau isn’t about to spend that kind of money on a project which may not warrant it when we are facing the current economic conditions we are.” Conroy said transport officials are studying one plan that would see the Warfield hill bypassed altogether. The price of that route has yet to be determined, although it is expected to cost over $10 million. The Transport Ministry is expect to finalize its plan in December. — be ready for council’s Aug. 18 session. Although Rankin didn’t want to speculate on just how much information would be made public, local residents will definitely get some sort of glimpse at the study. “There is information in there that I think taxpayers have a right to know,” in said. Councillor Kirk Duff, who asked the city to release the study, is watching with interest. “I’m looking forward to it, I like this stuff,” Duff said. “It’s gbod to see these processes at work.” \ “I'm going to do a competent job,” Rankin said, “and if I don’t, I hope you throw darts at me.”