‘Legislative Library, Parliaments Bldgs., Victoria, B. C. V8V Lk4t 501 Dale Distributed Bright and Early Eve ry Thursday Morning at “The Crosse ‘oads of the Kootenays” VOL, 31, No, 27. TWO SECTIONS (A&B) ahr CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, FRIDAY, JULY 7, 1978 26 CENTS RADON SURVEY has bewn complete {n Castlegar when numerous homes were basements. Thi ing wi uranium ore deposits In the area by random. for testing of indertaken In view of known personnel from the Radiation Protection Bureau, department of National Health. Shown here are technical Inspector Leo Gourgon, left, and Jim Wiison. Wilson works In the fled the samples * with’ Gourgon following through with the testing. Toasting Is also related to time of sampling and the type of basement and lis conditions. The team visiting Castlegar Is un r project leader R. G. McGregor. A detailed report of the survey Is expected to be avallable to the West Kootenay Health Unit this fall.—CasNewsFoto by Lols Hughes '-Uranium Hunt Nixed — Citizens of the Genelle area have erected a biotkade across a road used by engineers ex- ploring for uranium. Fearing pollution of their water supplies by silt and radioactive dust, a group of local residents built a fence across the road Sunday and turned back a group of mine exploration workers.. Police visited the scene Wednesday, but took no action. The head of the firm doing the exploration work also came to the site to see why his men had not started work. After a brief discussion with the mostly middle-aged picketers, he left, possibly to seek an injunction, protesters said. There were 11 people man- ning the barricade one km north of Genelle Wednesday afternoon, and several cars parked across the access road built some 30 or 40 years ‘ago. Notices posted on the sturdy barrier announced no trespassing is permitted in the watershed area except by per- mission of the China Creek ing Genelle and surrounding. areas, In the past year there has been increasing exploration ac- tivity as a conglomerate of mining firms seek to confirm a suspected huge uranium depo- sit in the area, Crews of men have been blasting holes into the rocky Certificate of Baca tion is being uw ground in the watershed, and drilling has taken place in a number of locations. Tom McKenzie, a member of an ad hoc committee created to protect Genelle's water supply says there has been evi- dence of some pretty sloppy exploration and that there is fear they will become British Columbia's Elliot Lake. “Overburden from the dig- ging has been pushed into the canyon, and the slurry from the drilling, which is slightly radio- active was running into the water supply above our in- take,” he says. McKenzie told the Castle- gar News yesterday residents are immediately concerned about poor road construction and hnis tion and rehabilitation,” Me- Kenzie says, “The district in- spector of mining is trying to confirm ‘what commitments Manny Consultants have but is having difficulty in communi- cating with them.” While the unincorporated Village of Genelle with appro- ximately 500 people living there faces .its problem, Mc- Kenzie called attention to the stake area which is “10 kilo- metres in length extending north and five kilometres in width, McKenzie says he can see Mayor Audrey Moore's concern for the city stating a““hot spot" could be three feet below Cana- dian Propane Station right in the city. uf In Arnold Sher- which can put silt in their water and cause serious erosion. But in the long run, he said, there are fears a massive open-pit uranium mine could be started in the hills directly above the village. wood, gold commissioner for Trail Creek mining division, the Castlegar News was told rec- ords indicated there were stakes in Castlegar, one right by the Castlegar Post Office. Sherwood said his records show oxy exploration, not year-old Choral Kristiansen by City Council this Tuesday Up for Third Reading Amends Zoning Bylaw CasNews Stait A public hearing on Wed- nesday evening of last week, dealing with amendments to the. city's) zoning bylaw, brought out close to a dozen residents, While most were private citizens, Bjorne Edblad, presi- dent of the Downtown Busi- nessmen's Association, made a verbal presentation. He told those council mem- bers sitting for the hearing, which was chaired by Mayor Audrey Moors, that,the mem- bership 80 relaxed to a degree on the number of parking spaces re- quired for employee parking when establishing a business, persons fa amendments pro- posed were basically “a step in the right direction long over- due.” é “He called particular atten- tion to amendments. dealing with parking—which have been CanCel Hit Hard By Sawmill Fire Canadian Cellulose has suf fered a “major setback” from the fire that recently gutted its Castlegar sawmill, Don Wat- son, company president, said Tuesday. Watson said the company may eventually be forced to go the money markets to rebuild the mill, but “we are not going at the moment and we don't want to go. We are not down and out but have suffered a major setback,” he said. The company had earlier been optimistic that its finan- cial fortunes, which suffered a sharp drop in sales and profits in the first quarter, would improve in the fourth quarter. The fire has also had a major impact on the B.C. Resources Investment Corpora- tion (BCRIC) plans to make a public share offering. (CanCel is one of BCRIC’s major holdings.) David Helliwe!l, BCRIC president said Tuesday the offer has now been put off until next year due to the fire. “It is not the damage itself that is causing the delay but the time required to properly study and describe its impact on CanGel's operations,” he said. CanCel officials are still assessing the effect of the blaze on its operating and financial affairs. Helliwell said, “It. is clear that the fire at the! Castlegar sawmill will have an impact on CanCel, particularly during a period when income from pulp sales is not bouyant." “We therefore considered it prudent to delay the offering so that prospective BCRIC investors can have an opportu- nity to assess our assets under more | normal conditions, = he added. Although the company has business interruption insur- ance, Watson said it may take the underwriters four or five months to clarify their position. In the meantime, “we have to build the plant one way or the other.” He said CanCel should know within 10 days just what and how it will recon- struct the mill. If the company decides to improve on technol- ogy at the same time, it will have to find additional money to do so, Property damage has been estimated at $6 million and Watson said there is $2 million Attention was also called toa study of the city's parking, which is to take place .this summer. “We are trying to resolve our parking problems step by step,” said Mayor Moore. “Amending the bylaw i: is just. a step.” "Some: discussion. was given. Water Users C serv- -Team Completes Radon Survey Here The radon survey in the West Kootenay Health Unit area, which started on J june 19, has now been plement the current Canada- wide radon testing program conducted by the Federal Ra- diation P -The completion of the survey, conducted jointly by personnel from the Radiation Protection Bureau, Depart- ment of National Health and Welfare, was announced Friday by Dr. N. Schmitt, director, West Kootenay Health Unit. The ‘survey covered the testing of basements in’ homes“ When an inquiry was made as. to what would be expected of the ‘long-established merchant should a fire destroy the busi- ness and he chose to rebuild— “would he then be faced with obtaining more land to accom- modate employee parking?” It was pointed out that allowances have been made for this. If a building is rebuilt to the, same specifications as be- fore a fire loss, that business . would not be affected. An enlarged premises would be. Prior toa public hearing, it is required that notices be sent toany property owner affected, up to a 200-foot radius. Those receiving such no- tices and were present asked if these proposed rezoning would in fact raise ible on plant i Wy To Examine . Uranium Mining Issue British Columbia NDP MLAs Bob Skelly (Alberni) and Chris D'Arcy (Rossland-Trail) will be in Castlegar July 16 to accept submissions dealing with proposed uranium mining in the province. Skelly is the NDP mining critic in the legislature. According to association president Gordon Titsworth, the ‘fact-finding mission’ will deal strictly with the uranium issue, with particular reference to the proposed development of open pit mines in the China Creek area near Castlegar, and at Grand Forks, Rock Creek and the Clearwater area north of Kamloops. The meeting will take place in the Hi Arrow Arms Motor Hotel. The $5 registra- tion fee will include a smorgas-. bord luncheon. ne Public Input is Sought On Terminal Expansion Public input is invited by both the Airport Committee and City Council on recom: mendations for the expansion of the terminal building at the Airport. It was indicated at the last council meeting that Cominco, as well as the Castlegar and District ‘Hospital board, have both made submissions and council has indicated it wants the input of the airport users and the public at-large. their taxes or indicate plans are already in the making for changes in their particular part of the city. City planning technician Andy Jishoff - it did in ‘ies between Trail and Castlegar, as well‘as at Beaverdell. This testing was undertaken because of concern expressed by local citizens and their elected representatives with a view to known uranium ore deposits in the area. The survey will also com- urea, A total of m8 | basements were examined on a random basis. The data from this survey will now be analysed in appreciation of her efforts that resulted in her breaking three national records dur- ing the B.C. Games for the Physically Handicapped in Vancouver. Cheryl Kristiansen, a single-leg amputee, will be competing in the Canada Games for the Physically Handicapped in St. John's, Nfld., Aug. 20 to 22, where the top three participants in each category will be picked to represent Canada in Bra- zil the end of October. Mayor Ane Moore an Ottawa. and compared with data collected from honher, areas of Canada. A detailed report is ex: “pécted to be “available to the’ health unit this fall. The final results of this study, apart’ from being of interest to individual home- owners, will serve as valuable baseline data in case uranium mining activities might be implemented in the area some time in the future. Snowplow in June. Welcomed by City A snowplow in June? The city has received one for use at the Castlegar Airport and no one is looking a gift horse in the mouth. Ald. G. S. Rust,” liason’ between council and the Air- port Committee, reported at the.last council meeting, on the delivery of a White, Western Star four-wheel drive dump truck to the local airport, not. He called the proposed amendments “housekeeping measures.” The residents were as- sured they will be given the final say as to what goes into their particular area, and that notices of public ings deal- d with roll-over snow- plow. blade. Rust called it an unex- pected windfall which is appre- ciated. Further reporting on the airport, he stated besides: nor- mal several jobs ing with changes will have to go out to those immediately affect- ed. 3 No Report of its Total Utilization hiled n th! were done during the closure of the airport when the landing strip was resurfaced. This included the repair of the airport terminal furniture, work on the air conditioning, the painting of the doors as well as pulling of the well. The parking was extended to the north by laying out crushed gravel to accommodate at least 20 more vehicles. Rust said this area should be used for overnight parking and the paved area of the parking lot for the continuous traffic. The airport committee con- tinues to look into the water situation which is a major problem. Rust listed the expansion of the terminal building as the Airport Committee's first prior- ity followed by an adequate water supply and a proper lighting. system for emergency use. has to the ‘public ia auton the next council meeting, which begins'at 7 p.m., to help the city ‘pay -tribute “to this young athlete. Health Survey To Include The Canada Health Sur- vey, a national study to as- certain our health status and risk exposure, began Monday in British Columbia and the prai- rie provinces. In B.C., 120 households— approximately 400 people—in greater Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George, Campbell River, Armstrong, Black Creek - Oy- ster River and Castlegar, will be visited each month. The households are chosen at ran- dom ,by Statistics Canada, which is © co-sponsoring the survey with Health and Wel- * fare Canada. The survey began in the Atlantic provinces May 15, and in Quebec and Ontario, June 12, First results should be avail- able in 1979, with yearly reports thereafter. The Canada Health Survey is unique in content and design. While surveys undertaken in other countries focus on mor- bidity and health care delivery, the Canadian survey empha- sizes lifestyle and health, An interviewer will visit - each household and complete a general questionnaire about its members, their health and use been Officially ‘Announced by Devalest Newt Mot “The geologist’s reports d of such a mine, which would mean blasting twice a day with fallout into our water supply and into the community itself,” MeKen- zie said. McKenzie confirmed the people will maintain the block- ade as long as necessary to stop further exploration for ura- nium. “This was not an organized effort but a spontaneous re- sponse to a problem that is affecting them all,” he said. It is not certain if this is a public road. McKenzie told the Castlegar News, “there are no corner posts. It is shown on a public map as a public road but another chap says his property line is somewhere on the access “On some documents, ex- ploration companies have. cer- tain conimitments for reclama- Castlegar of health care facilities. Each person 15 years of age and over will be asked to complete a confidential, self-administered questionnaire focussing on exercise, smoking, alcohol use and driving. In one-third of the house- holds, a nurse will conduct a series of physical measures and tests for blood pressure, height, weight, and skinfold thickness, taking blood samples to assess immunity and other risk fac- . tors, as well as administering the Canadian Home Fitness Test which measures heart/ lung efficiency. Every member of the household aged two and over will be asked to participate in some or all of the physical measures; all measurements will be taken in the home. Results of the tests will be mailed to- participants and, if they wish, to their family doctor. Individuals are free to choose to participate or not in the survey. Data obtained in the Can- ada Health Survey will comple- ment existing information, which now comes primarily from vital statistics and health insurance records, and will be used by provincial and federal * governments, professional as- Smithas —CasNewsFoto by Lols Hughes sociations and university re- searchers for health planning purposes. In particular, because the survey studies exposure to the risks of future disease, it will be possible to plan to reduce these risks and thus avert later problems. The area in- volved takes in Birchbank Golf Course, which he said was {Con't. Pg. Al2, Col. 7) THE INSIDE | STORY e FIRST SIGNATURE: Mayor Audrey Moore of- ficially opens Castlegar and District Chamber Tourist Booth by signing guest book. ge BL e RECOGNITION. “tu. dents receive awards at Kinnaird Junior Second- ary School. Page A2. e HAPPY BIRTHDAY: || Mrs, Katie Chernoff cele- brates her 101 birthday. Page A13 e SEARCHING: Kootenay land for a Boys’ Town. Page BL © CONSERVATION: Tony Silva gets message across. - Page BO Pulpit and Pew . . Ann Landers ... Page AS BillSmiley .... Page B2 Classified Ads, Real Estate, and Automotive. . . Pages A10-A11-A12-A13 Editorial Page B10 Pages A4-AS Pages A6-A8 Pages B3-B4 ocr epg rg "NN Weekend Weathercast SUNNY with cloudy periods and the possibility of isola- ted afternoon showers. This trend will continue through- out the weekend. For convenient home delivery of the Castlegar News, call 365- Sports .... Telenews ... Fire Damage at Slocan Estimated at $126,000 While no official word has been received, damage to the office building of Slocan Forest Products at Slocan, which was destroyed by fire June 25, has been estimated at $125,000. Plant manager Harry Ar- gatoff, a shareholder in Slocan Forest Products who took over the sawmill and logging opera- tion from Triangle Pacific. in mid-June, told the Castlegar News contractors and architect are both involved in plans for rebuilding. The decision has yet to be made whether to re- construction the 13-year-old office building as it was or go to an entirely new design. When asked about earlier reports that arson had been suspected in the early. morning fire, Argatoff stated he is awaiting final word from the fire marshal and did not care to comment at this point.