A2_ Castlegar News February 9, 1991 * LOCAL/PROVINCIAL NEWS McCarthy won't run again ‘Grande dame’ of B.C. says its personal VICTORIA (CP) — Grace McCar- thy, widely regarded as the grande dame of British Columbia politics, announced Friday she won't run in the next provincial election. Her decision follows a. long- Standing dispute with Premier Bill Vander Zalm. She has been a backbencher since “resigning from the Social Credit cabinet in 1988. “1 am_ stepping down at a time that | think is appropriate for me," McCarthy told a news conference. She's Personal decision. | may seem a little I have no McCarthy said she’s leaving public office but not public life. “| will dedicate my energies in'any way that I can to maintaining British Columbia’s well being,”’ she said. “British Columbia is on the threshold of even greater promise and its potential is better than else in North America. I plans except to be with my family and friends a little more than I have been able to.” Earlier, in a prepared statement, have deep affection for our province, and I will continue to serve British Columbia faithfully, albeit from a different chair."’ McCarthy, 63, was first elected to the B.C. legislature in 1966. She was re-elected again in 1969, but defeated in the 1972 election that marked the political end for former premier W.A.C. Bennett. She subsequently won five more elections, beginning in 1975, under former premier Bill Bennett and Vander Zalm. She ran for th¢ party leadership in 1986 but lost to Vander Zalm. McCarthy resignéd as economic development minister July 5, 1988, ~ by Octol citing interference from the premier's office. Her decision not to seek re- election” came after a grassroots challenge to Vander Zalm's leader- ship fizzled last month. Several con- stituency associations held meetings to: consider the leadership question but failed to get the necessary votes from members to try to force a leadership review. Vander Zalm must call an election McCarthy has an extensive list of cabinet credits, including a lengthy stint as deputy premier and minister of human resources, economic development and tourism. She represents the Vancouver-Lit- tle Mountain riding. GRACE McCARTHY «+» In legislature over 20 years Finance minister hints public increases will halt at 4 per cent VICTORIA (CP) — Most B.C. public sector’ wage increases* will likely be limited to less than four per cent, Finance Minister Mel Couvelier hinted this week. But Couvelier, who also appointed — a wage control commissioner, refused to be pinned down on fi; He suggested that his Com; ition Fairness Program is aflexible and based on employers and taxpayers’ ability to pay. He said he expects provincial revenue to increase by no more than 3.5 to four per cent over the next year. “The fact that I have used the figure has_some_ significance,"’ Couvelier said. “Quite clearly the issue of ability to pay is paramount in terms of the compensation fairness program. The ability to pay will vary. “It is important to recognize that the primary payer of public sector compensation, that is to say the provincial government, expects a revenue growth of only 3% to four per cent.”” Some growing municipalities, however, may have higher revenues and a greater ability to pay, Couvelier said. And wage control guidelines will recognize productivity, existing pay and employment equity programs and shortages of skilled labor, he said. New commissioner Ed Lien, who served in a similar capacity in the 1980s, will talk to those involved and make recommendations to cabinet MEL COUVELIER «+. Says program is fair about guidelines within two weeks But Couvelier made it ‘clear guidelines are retroactive to Jan. 29 when Vander Zalm outlined his 12- point taxpayer protection plan in a provincewide address. Public sector contracts signed since Jan. 29, including binding arbi- tration settlements, will be reviewed. And those not fitting the guidelines will be turned back to the parties. Legislation still must be introduced in the legislature. Lien said his mandate covers anything that adds to an employer's “total labor cost’? —_ including By CasNews Staff Castlegar’s unemployment rate increased to 13.9 per cent in January, up 2.1 percentage points from 11.8 per cent in December, Statistics Canada said Friday. Trail’s rate rose 3.1 percentage points to 16.5 per cent from 13.4 per cent in December. About 5,000 people were out of work in Castlegar’s economic region in January out of total labor force of about 37,000, Stats Can said. In Trail’s economic region, Unemployment rates rise about 20,000 people were unem- ployed out of a total labor force of about 120,000. Castlegar is part of a Statistics Canada economic region that in- cludes Nelson, the Slocan Valley, Creston and the Columbia- Shuswap region. Trail is part of an economic region that includes Grand Forks and the Central Okanagan. Statistics Canada warns that figures for economic regions should be used with caution due to variability of sampling from month to month. © Central Foods (Prices effective Feb. 10-Feb. 16) ° Fields (Prices effective Feb. 13-Feb. 24) © Kootenay Savings Credit Union Newsletter © Overwaitea (Prices effective Feb. 10-Feb. 16) © SuperValu (Prices effective Feb. 10-Feb. 16) © Woolco (Prices effective Feb. 9-Feb. 16) © Zellers (Prices effective Feb. 13-Feb. 17) teachers trying to negotiate smaller class sizes. “Class size is an element of labor cost,” he said, because reducing class sizes would force a school board to hire more teachers, thereby increasing labor costs. “This means the Finance Ministry is working against the Education Ministry,’’ said Chris Mosby, president of the 1,700-member Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association, which went on strike last week seeking higher wages and smaller classes. “The Education Ministry is telling us to begin to individualize programs," he said. ‘‘When we want to do that by cutting’ classes, the Finance Ministry steps in and says we can’t.”’ Lien, meanwhile, is no stranger to wage controls. The former forest industry executive was registrar and mediator in 1982 of the Compensation Stabilization Program, a_ similar government endeavor. He also served as commissioner in 1988. Lien said he will be paid within the range of a deputy minister, between $98,000 and $106,000 a year. Couvelier also painted a bleak economic picture, but continued to avoid saying British Columbia was in recession. Revenues are down because of reduced corporate profits, declining retail sales, lower housing sales and shutdowns in the forest industry, he said. John Shields, president of the 43,000-member B.C. Government Employees Union, doesn’t buy Couvelier’s explanation for wage controls. Public sector workers lag 15 per cent behind privately employed, ionized workers doing jobs, he said. “They (government) are trying to provoke a fight with the labor movement,” Shields said. ‘It is very typical of this (Social Credit) gover- nment. They are coming to an elec- tion and they want an enemy."’ Vander Zalm must call an election this year. Wage control legislation ‘in the early 1980s led to widespread labor unrest, protests and ing work BRIEFLY jews Staff Guarded waters The B.C, Environment Ministry has warned people planning to work on or near streams in the Kootenays to obtain approval from the ministry first. “The ensure that are designed to maintain water quality and protect fisheries habitat,’ the ministry said Thursday in a news release. The ministry says its water management staff are concerned about activities‘such as draining of farm land, altering the channel of a stream, excavating beside a stream, or constructing bridges, culverts and other structures in and around stream channe}s. Failure to obtain prior authorization may lead to prosecution under the Water Act and/or the Fisheries Act, the ministry warns, aay that it has laid ‘‘a number of charges recently”’ in the in response to i activities along streams. Mall almost full Vancouver developer Sandy Reid said this week he’s almost filled his proposed mall next to the Sandman Inn. “I think we’ve filled up one whole bank (of stores),’’ he said. “By the end of the day (Tuesday) it may be fully rented. The response has been terrific.”” Reid said he’s changed the name of the mall to Southcentre Mall from Twin Rivers Mall. He’s proposing 20 to 24 stores in the 60,000 square foot enclosed shopping centre which he says will start as soon as Celgar Pulp Co. announces it’s proceeding with the cleanup and expansion of the Castlegar pulp mill. Youth convicted CRESTON — A_17-y id boy from a stoppages. Writer joins series The 2Sth anniversary Canadian Writers Series at Selkirk College begins this semester with a reading by prominent local author Vi Plot- nikoff who will read Feb. 12 from 7- to 9 p.m. in the staff. lounge at the Castlegar campus. A Castlegar resident, Plotnikoff works as an advertising copywriter for a local radio station by day, and in her off-hours is an active member of the Castlegar Writers Guild, a support group for writers. Noted primarily as a writer of short stories, her works have ap- peared in a number of journals and magazines. Her stories re-create both the humor and pathos of growing up as a Doukhobor in Canadian culture, the college says in a news release. Plotnikoff’s reading is the first of a series of four presentations by Canadian writers planned for the winter semester. This term, the schedule has been adjusted to allow more participation by members of the community. All readings scheduled for the winter semester will be presented in the evening. Other prominent Canadian writers scheduled to appear are Holly Rubinski on March 7, Tom Wayman on March 21 and Joy Kogawa on April 9. Round table tours B.C. Mike Halleran, a member of the vironment was established by the B.C. Round Table on the E: ment and the Economy, will speak at Selkirk College in Castlegar on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Halleran’s A Better Pi in January 1990. It’s an independent advisory group of men and women drawn from around the province and ing different parts of society Way: Public Participation and Sustainable Development, will be part of the college’s Environment Week activities. The British Columbia Round Table on the Economy and the En- including environmental groups, in- dustry, labor, native groups, academics and the public service, Their job is to help British Columbia meet. the challenge of crafting a sustainable development strategy, January thunderstorm breaks 26-year record By CasNews Staff For the first time in January, after 26 years of keeping records, thunder boomed over Castlegar when a storm passed through the area on Jan. 18, Environment Canada’s southeast in- terior weather office reported. Otherwise, cooler January was ‘slightly than normal with ‘below ARROW LAKE | ELEVATION 1403.87' on Feb. 9 Forecast of Elevation 1401.24’ by Feb. 16 average snowfall and above average rainfall, the weather office said in its monthly summary. “A northerly wind across the In- terior was the prevailing flow pattern resulting in a generally cool, fairly dry circulation,’ the weather office said. ‘It warmed up briefly in the middle of the month resulting in 29.9 mm of rain which is well above the 25-year average of 19.4 mm.”" The weather office recorded 44.4 em of snow, well below the 73.5 cm average. Total precipitation of 70.1 mm was slightly below the average of 76.7 mm. The most rain fell in January 1983 when the weather office recorded 70.8 mm. January 1975’s record of no rain can never be beaten. The most snow fell in January 1969 when 185.7 cm buried the area. January 1985 saw just 7.2 cm, which stands as the record ‘for least snowfall in January. RARE eA Thanks to the deep snowfall, January 1969 also stands as the January with thé most total precipitation — 120.9 mm. January 1985 is the driest January on record with just 9.0 mm of total precipitation. There were 14 days of measurable precipitation last month. The average for January is 16. January 1969 had the most days at 25 and January 1985 had the fewest'at four. The mean temperature — the average of the high and low tem- peratures for the month — was - 5.0C, 1.3 degrees below normal for January. The weather office recorded 44.5 hours of sunshine last month, just below the normal 45.3 hours for January. January 1980 is the sunniest on record with 71.7 hours. The dullest January was in 1966 when the weather office recorded just 20.5 hours of sunshine. British Columbia was placed on two years probation Thursday for sexually assaulting his three half-sisters. The teenager was charged last July under the Young Offenders Act with six counts of sexual assault. But the Crown dropped three of the charges after he pleaded guilty in to sexually ing his three half-si aged six to 11. Provincial court Judge Don Calgren placed the youth, who cannot be named under the Young Offenders Act, to two years probation for each charge, to run concurrently. The teenager is the second member of the commune to face sexual assault charges. The trial of a polygamist in his mid-30s, who faces six charges of sexually assaulting two of his three wives, a son, a stepson and a stepdaughter, is to resume this month. The commune of 300 people in Lister,'20 kilometres south of Creston, is a breakaway Mormon sect headed by about 20 men. Creston is about 490 kilometres east of Vancouver. The group was investigated by the RCMP and the provincial Social Services Ministry after members who left the commune spoke out against the patriachial leaders. LOCAL NEWS French continued from front pege for life skills and band. This will change, however, as ‘the present group moves on to Grade 8 next year where the curriculum's French share will drop from the current 90 per cent to about 75 per cent, and less in subsequent years. In fact, the program is designed to allow immersion students to be able to strengthen their English skills before graduating from high school. But how do immersion students’ math and science skills compare with that of other Grade 7 students? Whereas no two instructors teach exactly the same thing in the same way, it would seem that the amount of material learned in both the regular and immersion program is comparable. Research supports that ‘‘immersion programs teach kids French without detracting from general studies."’ There is no question that the speed of learning is at first hampered by a language barrier, but this barrier rapidly vanishes as students acquire proficiency in their second language. All Grade 6 students in the Castlegar school district have recently come to Kinnaird Junior to visit the current French immersion class as part of their orientation program for next year. If everything goes according to plan, there should be enough interested students to form a new Grade 7 immersion class in September, leaving the school with two immersion classes. Special information meetings will be held Feb. 20 at Kinnaird Junior. It is commonly believed that the implementation of the new French immersion program has been a success, a success that has come about from months of very careful planning by the school board. For Lach Farrell, assistant superintendent of schogls and chairman of the Second Language Committee, last year’s community survey and carefully planned implementation framework have paid off. French immersion teacher Danielle Labonte (left) Keone an eye on one of her students as she demonstrates her writing skills in French at Kinnaird Junior y school. Louis Leroche NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS U.S. ambiguous on nuclear weapons use WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States, if it chose, could end the Persian Gulf in a flash — of nuclear explosions. Analysts say dozens of warships and warplanes deployed in and around the gulf carry sufficient nuclear Power to flatten Iraq. The Bush administration has not ruled out this op- tion, preferring the cloak of ambiguity as a deterrent. Defence Secretary Dick Cheney has warned that should Iraq be ‘‘foolish enough to use weapons of mass destructiof;~the U.S. response would be absolutely h and it would be " Other Officials say the U.S. response would rely on conventional weapons, almost as lethal as nuclear ones and farm more reliable. And White House chief of staff John Sununu said recently there’s ‘‘no possibility’’ of nuclear weapons being used. “*There’s no political will to use them,’’ said David Silverstein, a defence policy analyst with the conser- vative Heritage Foundation. Yet a handful of nuclear proponents point to 1945 — the only time nuclear weapons have been used — when the United States dropped two atomic bombs onto and Nagasaki i i ending sia years of the Second World War. They argue that tactical nuclear weapons, such as ar- tillery shells or short-range missiles, could inflict suf- ficient casualties on Iraqi troops to make them surren- der. Or the United States could use a ‘‘clean weapon’’ — a low-yield neutron bomb whose radiation can be contained within an area of about three square kilometres and which inflicts only limited damage to property. Asked whether they would favor using tactical nuclear weapons if U.S. lives would be saved, 45 per cent of those surveyed in a late January Gallup poll said they would. Forty-five per cent of the 1,011 respondents said they wouldn't, and 10 per cent said they didn’t know. Another poll, commissioned by Cable News Network and Time magazine, found that 71 per cent of the respondents didn’t favor using nuclear weapons to end the war. Opponents say the military usefulness of low-yield nuclear devices is only slightly greater than that of sophisticated conventional weapons. “If you want to limit the damage, what would be the point of going nuclear?” said Janne Nolan, an analyst at the Brookings Institution. With no real experience in using them, ‘U. S. troops + taminate the environment, endangering plants and animals and posing unpredictable long-term effects. The possibility that nuclear weapons could provoke retaliation by other nuclear powers in the region — Israel, Pakistan and possibly Iraq — is a serious con- sideration too. The issue is so sensitive that the Defence Depar- tment declines to say how many, if any, nuclear weapons are on hand for Operation Desert Storm. William Arkin, an expert on nuclear weapons and an activist with Greenpeace, believes about 1,000 nuclear warheads are in the region. Most can be fitted onto long-range cruise missiles risk with said Leonard Spector, a nuclear non-proliferation specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for Intern: nal Peace. Nor could Iraqi and Kuwaiti civilians be protected from the effects, even if the United States tried to attack only military targets. A nuclear bomb also would con- on warships. Some are bombs that can be dropped from aircraft based on aircraft carriers or in nearby Turkey, said Arkin. Arkin warned that even with the best intentions to keep such an arsenal sheathed, accidents could happen if shooting breaks out or one of the vessels hits a mine. Earnings drop $176 million. from $34 million in 1989. VANCOUVER — A sharply lower contribution from partly owned Cominco Ltd. reduced Teck Corp's 1990 net earnings almost 15 per cent, the company reported. Net income dropped to $90.6 million or $1.10 a share from $106.4 million or $1.31 a share in 1989, the com Revenues rose to $474 million from $414 mii operating profit from mining activities increased to $202 million from Equity earnings from Teck’s interest in Cominco fell to $3 million ny said. ion in 1989, and LOTTERIES These are the winning numbers for this week. LOTTO 6/49 lottery Feb. 6 12, 15, 17, 28, 38, 43. Bonus 33. EXTRA a7 at: 38, 39, 47, 50, 53 Feb. 6 * 4, 14, 17, 19, 29, 41, 42, 51 PUNTO ACTION Menu No. 262 Feb. 3 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12 13, 16, 18, 19, 22 Menu No. 263 Feb. 4 1, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11 14, 15, 18, 20, 21 Menu No. 264 Feb. 5 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12 14, 15, 18, 20 21 These are the official winning lot- tery numbers provided by the B.C. Lottery Corp. In the event of a discrepancy between the numbers published and those provided by the B.C. Lottery Corp. the latter shall Prevail. Women continued from front page fered through the with organizing and developing gover- nment, Scott said. Scott’s position is being funded until the end of June, but she hopes it can be extended for 12 to 15 mon- ths, she said. Scott,. who lives in Sh for the past 20 years. In her new position, Scott will be travelling throughout the Kootenays helping local communities get the Provincial grants. recently finished working on the senior health needs assessment in the Grant communities by the end of March, she said. Manning a ‘clone’ of his father EDMONTON CP) — The booming voice of William Aberhart contrasts with the demure, nasal drawl of the his protege, Ernest Manning, on the scratchy recording of a Back to the Bible broadcast from Feb. 11, 1940. The two men quiz each other about religious fundamentals while blending in a good measure of Social Credit party principles and taking shots at international bankers. Three years after the broadcast, the bombastic Aberhart was dead. Manning took over the weekly radio broadcast as well as the reins of the Alberta government. Twenty-five years later he left office as the province’s longest-serving premier. The phenomenal success of the Alberta Social Credit party is being eyed covetously by Manning’s 48-year-old son Preston, leader of what may be Canada’s fe growing political » the Reform party. The populist Socreds swept to power in 1935 on Unemployment situation worsens; hits east hardest OTTAWA, (CP) — In a surprise leap, Canada’s unemployment rate jumped to 9.7 per cent in January All figures are adjusted for seasonal variations unless otherwise stated. Statistics Canada issued a forecast would accelerate as consumers become more alarmed about the economy. PRESTON MANNING . +. like father, like son Socred leader from 1973 to 1975. As a young adult, the university-educated Preston Manning was more interested in the political a miature of Christian piety, unc monetary reform and a conservative fiscal policy. Some observers see a similar blend in the growing success of the Reform party. think there are a lot of parallels, not just in party, but in the political views of father and son,’’ says political scientist Allan Tupper of the University of Alberta. “One is a clone ofthe other,"’ adds Conservative MP Jim Hawkes of Calgary. “‘If you look at the Reform party’s platform today, it’s the same as the Social Credit party’s in the 1930s."" ‘When the slightly built, bookish- “looking Ernest Manning took over after the.rotund, than elected politics. Alvin Finkel’s book, The Social Credit Phenomenon in Alberta, blames him and his ‘educated, technocratic, right-wing friends”’ for backing the uninspiring Harry Strom as the elder Manning’s successor. Strom’s ascension coincided with the demise of the Socreds in Alberta. The party lost power to the Conservatives in 1971 and was all but dead four years later. Removed from the fringes of political power in the late 1960s, Preston and his father started a from 9.3 per cent the previous month with most of the economic damage in Ontario, Statistics Canada said Friday. That’s the highest rate since February 1986 and almost two per- centagé points from the January 1990 level of 7.8 per cent. The agency said 40,000 more People — 26,000 in Ontario alone — lost their jobs last month to bring the total number of unemployed to: 1.32 million. Unemployment increased marginally in British Columbia and Quebec with little change in the rest of the provinces. In the past 12 months, Statistics Canada recrods show 256,000 jobs have been lost from the economy Ministers OTTAWA (CP) — Environment Minister Robert de Cozret and In- dustry Minister Benoit Bouchard now are singing the same tune on plans to deal with pulp and paper business in. corporate planning for high-powered energy Aberhart, he cast off many of the Socred reforms to i US. i to on Alberta's oilfields. Despite his lack of business training, his administration became known for sound Th itari i such as the oilsands project, Novacorp and TransAlta Utilities. “‘Both men have a tremendous grasp on issues and are able to articulate them very easily and simply. They can put anything into common man's language very simply and can communicate well with their audi ** says Schmidt. ie only minimal responsibility to his cabinet and even less to members of the legislature, which sat for six weeks a@ year at most Born a year before his father became premier, Preston Manning grew up on the family’s dairy farm northwest of Edmonton, attended public schools, and made his first money hauling manure at five load. ““He knows what it's like to milk a cow,” Werner Schmidt says with a chuckle. Schmidt, a lifelong friend of Preston Manning, was provincial After running unsuccessfully for the federal Socreds in 1965, Preston Manning stayed away from elected politics until 1988. As a Reform candidate that year he put up a strong fight against External Affairs Minister Joe Clark in the western Alberta riding of Yellowhead. Manning, who runs the Reform party out of its Calgary head office, has said he will run next time against Conservative MP Bobbie Sparrow in Calgary Southwest. Sparrow had the largest plurality of any MP in the 1988 election. In a joint statement Thursday, the two ministers said all pulp mills must get rid of poisonous dioxins in their waste water by 1994, “There is no provision for a mill to receive an eatension of this deadline,"’ they said. The tough tone of the statement earlier this week of 9.5 per cent for January after surveying economists across the country But the deterioration of the job market sur- prised even In trade and construction sectors, job losses totalled 39,000 and 38,000 respectively. There was less severe damage in financial services and “We're now seeing the service sec- tor being whacked,"’ said Martha Justus, chief forecaster at Ottawa- based Informetrica Ltd. Since the recession officially began in April according to Statistics Canada’s criteria, jobs in the goods- producing sector, © particularly manufacturing, had been the first to dry up, especially in Ontario and B.C. Now the service sector — par- ticularly retail — is in pursuit, Justus said She said she feared this trend public Ernie Stokes, director of Canadian services at the WEFA Group in Toronto, said January’s unem- ployment rate may have been the major reason the Bank of Canada dropped its lending rate almost a quarter of a point to 10.49 per cent on Thursday. That is the bank rate’s lowest level since September 1988 and its 10th straight weekly decline. But Stokes says the interest-rate relief may be a too little too late. stand by clean-up delay for up to two years in certain cases,"’ Bouchard told the meeting. “In co-operation with Environ- ment Canada we are currently defining the criteria and circumstan- ces under which such a deadline e.- tension might be granted."* Bouchard’s comments cries of protest from produced furans. The regulations under both pieces of legislation have been treated as a package in recent consultations. They are closely related and one in- dustry official said they can’t be separated * Dioains and fuceme are toxic sub- talists who consider dioxins from the pulp industry one of the biggest water pollution issues in Canada. They said Ottawa was caving in to industry pressure wit made to members of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association last week. Bouchard had said Ottawa is Prepared to give some companies an entra two years to meet new regulations on pulp and ‘paper mill effluent. “Recognizing he difficult’ times facing the forestry industry, the new law will allow for an extension of the ° of the deadline will be considered only for new regulations under the Fisheries Act, not for those under the Canadian Environ- mental Protection Act (CEPA), said Terry Collins, a spokeman for de Cotret The Fisheries Act regulations ap- ply to the discharge of suspended solids and oxygen-depleting substan- ces, while the CEPA regulations ply to the discharge of dioxins and stances di as of the pulp and paper bleaching Process The most poisonous type of dioxin can kill animals even in tiny quan- tities. Effects on humans are varied, ranging from eye problems to birth defects. Large areas of the B.C, seabed are closed to commercial shellfish har- vesting because of dioxin con- tamination. Louis Fortier of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association said it will be difficult for some mills to comply with the CEPA rules by 1994 and he still hopes Ouawa will show some fleaibility.