The Castlegar Sun Wednesday, June 14, 1995 A SIMPLE LITTLE AD ABOUT _OUR | SIMPLE LITTLE RATE. NO LIMIT FINANCING ON MOST MAZDA MODELS SPORTS (+ CNA BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1995 wows The Castlegar Su 0 you know No registry 0 r for sex ” offenders/3A Fomenott steps down/SA VARIABLE Weather Vol. 5 - No, 31 “The weekly newspaper with adally commitment’ 75 Cents + G.S.T. Castlegar area listed on First Nations’ map RON NORMAN Sun Staff A First Nation has submitted a treaty application that identi- fies the area around Castlegar as part of its traditional territory. However, the application does not include the city itself. The Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Tribal Council, based in Cranbrook, claims aboriginal title to an area that covers nearly 60,000 square kilometers, or twice the size of Vancouver Island. ‘The area stretches from the Alberta border in the east to the Columbia River in the west, and from the U.S. border in the south to Kinbasket Lake in the north. Because Castlegar lies on the west side of the Columbia River, it is not included in the First Nation territory. However, the Lower Arrow Columbia and Area I electoral areas of the Regional District of Central Kootenay are included. (Castlegar could be included in other traditional boundaries. For instance, the Wp Osoyoos band also travelled through this area. However, that band hasn’t See yet filed a treaty lication). . Pas Special Report Page 1B _ “We asen’t pre- senting a case for land claims,” emphasizes Denise Birdstone, the Ktu- naxa (pr d Too-nah-ka)/Kin- basket tribal treaty coordinator. Instead, the tribal council is seeking a treaty with the federal and provincial governments “which will clearly define what rights and resp ilities the g: have and what rights and responsibilities the bands have.” But included in the treaty will be a land agreement of some kind. And Jonathon Rayner of the Federal Treaty Negotiation Office in Vancouver acknowledges that First Nations will “probably” emerge from the treaty process with larger tracts of Relaxing, river-style —___—_ Number 10 lights up Local fire chief expresses serious concerns of arson KAREN KERKHOFF Sun Staff It's happened again. For the tenth time since April 1, Castle- gar firefighters battled a blaze which is believed to be the work of an firebug. The latest fire happened around noon on June 13 at Inland Park near downtown Castlegar and is the fifth such suspicious fire in that vicinity. Ironically, it was the same. Brilliant resident who called in the alarm the last time a fire was reported at the park. Earlier this year two children were seen running from a fire at the same park. But due to other recent eyewitness accounts, Castlegar Fire Chief Gerry Rempel suspects that there now might be a “copy cat” arsonist adding fuel to the fire. “It's pos- sible there may be more than one—you often get copy cats, We have received some tips where on one occasion a person saw a youth running from an area where a fire had just been set.” Rempel said he will be questioning the suspect and will also be forwarding information on to the Castlegar RCMP. “I will investigate and will talk with the suspect in conjunction with the RCMP.” Not only has the arsonist(s) set fire to brush areas, Rempel said that on occasion the arsonist has hedged his bets by setting two fires in the same area. Although the fires have been set at various times and days of the week, Rempel said he will be investigating whether there is any correlation between non-school times, such as lunch break or after school, and the times the fires near Inland Park were set. What's especially troublesome, said Rempel, is the danger that firefighters are in each and every time they respond to a call. Rempel said that statistically, firefighters are injured more often on set fires than other types of fires. Should a firefighter become injured or die while responding to a set blaze, Rempel said the arsonists, if caught, could be held liable for criminal negligence causing bodily harm or death. Rempel said that recent rain has done little to alleviate the extremely dry conditions in the area. “This rain is a drop in the bucket.” It’s estimated that the ten fires have cost local taxpay- ers almost $5,000. But that cost could rise dramatically, explained Rempel, should dry conditions prevail and other fac- land than they have now. However, both Birdstone and Rayner point out that private land is not part of the treaty negotiations. The Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Tribal Council represents seven native Indian bands, two of which are located in the U.S. and five in Canada. It is only the five bands in Canada which are eli- gible for treaty negotiations. There was no generation gap in this canoe as Kyle Wheeler (fore- ground), and his grandfather, Roger Wheeler, who visited from Stoney Plains, Alberta, spent a peaceful afternoon on the Columbia River near Zuckerberg Island. Wheeler senior had many stories to tell his grandson, especially of the canoe trips taken by Kyle’s father when he was a young boy. — SUN STAFF PHOTO / Marin Strong Now Mazda not only gives you more car for your money, it gives you more car for less money. Simple, huh? Try one of these models on for size. 626 CRONOS ¢ More interior room than Toyota Camry or Honda Accord e 2-litre, 16-valve DOHC engine with electronic fuel injection ¢ Dual air bags (SRS) ¢ Side-impact door beams © 60/40 split fold-down rear seat back ¢ More torque and horse- power than Honda Civic Coupe DX ¢ 1.6L. 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Our 3.9% Event can radically reduce your cost for a new Mazda! IT JUST FEELS RIGHT “Financing: Rates apply on all new 96 626 Cronos, B-Series 4X2 Trucks, Protegé, MPV and MX-3 Precidia models 0.A.C Example for 6 $10,000: at 3.9% per annum equals $434 per month for 24 months and C.0 B. is $412 for a total of $10.41 0B 1s $936 for a total of $10,936 - at 6 9% per annum equals $239 per month for 48 months and C.0B 1s $1,472 for a total 1 of $11,472. Offer may not be combined with any other offer Offer available on retail purchases only starting May 4, 1996 for a mited time only See participating dealer for details. Supply and stock may vary by dealer, 2- at 5.9% per annum equals $304 per month for water tors contribute to a fire which might necessitate the use of at Inland Park. The five bands include the St. Mary’s Band near C: hs the Lower Kootenay Band near Creston, the Tobacco Plains Band near Grasmere, The Columbia Lake Band near Winder- mere and the Shuswap Band near Invermere. The bands between 1,200 and 2,000 native Indians—the lower figure being the federal government's estimate and the higher figure being the Tribal council’s estimate. Another First Nation, the Westbank Band located near Kelowna, has also applied for a treaty that claims a portion of the West Kootenay as their traditional territory. Their territorial claim covers the Arrow Lakes between Rena- ta and Fauquier and stretches as far east as Slocan Lake, encom- passing Valhalla Provincial Park. A third band, the Arrow Lakes Indian Band, is not part of the treaty process. Also known as the Sinixt (pronounced Sin-cye- ixt) the Arrow Lakes Indians once occupied the land around the Arrow Lakes, but were declared extinct in the 1950s. Many of their band members moved south across the U.S. border to join other tribes on the Colville Reservation. In the early 1990s several Sinixt retuned to the area to protect an abo- riginal burial site near Vallican in the Slocan Valley. However, even if the band had not been declared extinct, under the rules of the treaty negotiations, the federal and provin- cial governments will not negotiate with First Nations which are not resident in Canada. Youth’s death baffles police SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor Board members from the Regional District of Central Kootenay have endorsed the city of "5 oad " Psa Nelson, John Voykin from Area I, George n Wyllie of Area J RDCK attaches strings to city airport proposal port funds to be used for other than airport uses and; that the airport land-use concerns ve to the The four directors prepared the resolu- Castlegar’s ap to of the airport, but not without attaching some major strings. The most far reaching condition states that the city of Castlegar will not have ownership of land upon which the airport is located. The resolution was passed during Satur- day's RDCK meeting in Nelson. The direc- tors who prepared the motion for board consideration were Gerald Rotering from tion, including the four diti to its approval. They are: That the RDCK will assume no financial or legal liability, now nor in the future; that the RDCK does not at this time support an extension of city boundaries by the province; that the RDCK will have a rural director as a member of the Airport Advisory Committee; that rt Canada be told that operating reg- ulations should not allow future surplus air- be y referred to the city’s and Area I and J Advisory Planning Committee upp the entire City Council has yet to discuss it. Castlegar Mayor Mike O'Connor would not comment on the resolution, saying it would be a major item for discussion at Tuesday night's city council meeting. The result of that discussion was not avail- able to The Sun before press deadline. New Denver RCMP are asking for information regard- ing the death of 16-year-old Robert Wallace Palmason, of Slocan City. Corp. Al Brown, said it’s believed that Palmason, a Mount Sentinel School student, shot himself outside his resi- dence June 15 with a .303 rifle. But what stymi¢s RCMP and Shawn Jestley, the region- al coroner, is why. “There's hardly any history. He hadn't mentioned it to any- one. There was no indication But there's no doubt he did shoot himself,” said Brown Brown said that Palmason left no letter, nor did he appear to be despondent. In fact, Pal- mason had just received a hair- cut the same day. Police are hoping that further information might make the events leading up the shooting more clear. Brown said foul play is not suspected at this time. “One minute he was okay, the next minute he did himself in.” Anyone with any informa- tion regarding Palmason is asked to call the New Denver RCMP at 358-2222. Contract narrowly accepted by Celgar workers Employees of Celgar Pulp mill have narrowly voted in favor of a three-year contract. On June 13, 60 per cent of Pulp and Paper Woodworkers of Canada Local | ratified the main package. while 66 per cent ratified a package containing language specific to Cel- gar Pulp mill and its employees Celgar Pulp officials had already ratified the contract Bill Adair, first vice-president for the PPWC national office, said that although the package was ratified, Celgar Pulp officials should pay ion to the unspok of the low vote and be forewarned. “There's a signal there. The employer should take note that 40 per cent aren't satisfied with the deal. It's a bit of a hot potato.” Glen Watt, media spokesperson for PPWC Local One, agreed that there are still some issues outstand- ing such as the employer's wish that there be trade flexibility. When queried what trade flexibil- ity was specifically, Watt comment- ed, “That's the problem, we still don’t know what that means.” Watt did say however that mem- bers were pleased with provisions for a three per cent increase for each year. The struggle to reach agreement has been long. and at times bitter. Earlier this year PPWC Local 1 members served 72-hour strike notice which was quickly followed by lockout notice by the company. The contract is retroactive to April 30, 1994 and is slated to expire in 1997 Kootenay Cruise rolls into town this Saturday teveneeesss ftODSON Ruler