ss A ROTARY VISIT . . . Rotary District 508 governor Gene Bronson (third from right) and wite Mary (fourth from right) were greeted at recent Rotary function by lotal club president Dr. Waldo Yule By J.A. CHARTERS “You can accomplish whatever you want to go after,” Gene Bronson, District Governor of Rotary District 508 told the Castlegar Rotary Club, the Rotary Anns and their guests Sept. 18. Bronson has some 40 Rotary clubs to meet this fall 10 in the East and West Kootenays He reminded Castlegar club members of the Rotary “Four Avenues of Service” and of the needs of a strong, professional membership. He placed particular emphasis on the value of the student exchange program in which a club in one country will host a student of high school age from another for the period of a year. The program is promoted in the interests of peace and international understanding and each year there are several thousand of these students on exchange through. out the world. At the moment the Castlegar club is hosting two exchange students — Florian Reinhardt from Brazil and Carl Parmann from Norway. Both are attending classes at Stanley Humphries Secondary School At the same time two Castlegar students, Julie Higgins and Chris Bullock, have been sent by the club to spend a year of study in Japan and Norway, respectively Rotary International also has university and vocational scholarships for students going on to higher education throughout the world and the governor pointed out that their numbers exceed by more than eight times the Nobel Scholarships and Rhodes scholarships com bined. He also discussed the 3H Program (Health, Hunger and Humanities) which has among other things the (second ind Rotary Ann ight). and two ex- students, Florian Reinhardt (far lett) and Carl Parmann (far right). Castews Photo by John Chorters Rotary governor here ib je of eli malaria, by Phillipines, where it is a scourge. Bronson also encouraged local support of the “Heal the Children” program which was begun by a single courageous woman and is now saving the lives of many children under the vigorous sponsorship of Rotary “This kind of involvement has opened many unex pected doors,” he said In the course of the evening Bronson presented club president Dr. Waldo Yule with a Rotary tie and was in turn presented with two Brazilian Rotary club banners by exchange student Florian Reinhardt Earlier in the evening, Bronson'’s wife, Mary, met with Rotary Ann president, Adele Yule and the Rotary with the » Anns and was presented with a Russian ladle hand carved by Pete Oglow. Guests at the dinner included Reinhardt, Carl Parmann and Honorary Rotarian Gordie Hill and his wife Alida. Before leaving for Nakusp on Wednesday, the governor and his wife, accompanied by John Charters and Hill, made a tour of the Rotary Zuckerberg Island Park Project. Bronson was delighted with the park's beauty and the extent of ity “) He desire to have a film of it prepared for presentation at the spring District conference in Spokane The party then paid a visit to the Kootenay Douk- hobor Historical Museum where they were welcomed by president Pete Oglow Both the governor and his wife described it as “a delightful experience.” The Bronsons were the house guests of John and Bunny Charters during their visit to Castlegar FOR LEADERSHIP- Ray Yule wins Rotary award Ray Yule of Castlegar won During this time, campers ( PUBLISHER . 1 he Costlegor News is published by Castle News Lid Mail subscriptions rate to the CASTLEGAR NEWS is $30 per communities ter corrier service). The price q newsstonds is 50¢ for each edition. The price delivered newspaper carrier tor bot editions is only 66¢ a week {collected monthly). Second. a 1984 Rotary Youth Lead ership Award. Yules’ award, sponsored by the Castlegar Rotary Club, meant he joined other young men and women be tween the ages of 18 and 25 at an intensive, week-long leadership training eamp derstanding law and govern This year it was held at ment, concepts of law and Camp Gifford, on the shores justice, family and interper- of Deer Lake north of Spo sonal relationships, and kane, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2. others. listened to presentations, worked together in seminars, and talked late into the night on important issues. Subjects they dealt with included the art of listening, goal setting, motivational dy namics, small businesses, un- RAY YULE attended camp “We Have a High Rate of INTEREST for Your Money’’ Daily interest paid is monthly No minimum balance [7 Line of Credit Combined chequing (1 & savings 30 days to 5 years Monthly income plans Compounded interest pions RRSP Term Deposit option may Savings Credit Union SALIRO SOUTH SLOCAM = -NAKUSP NEW DENVER FZ Koote WAR (FRUITVALE CASTLEGAR WANETA PLAZA loss mail registration number 0019. ERRORS The Castlegor News will not be mele tor ery errors to first 11 is agreed by the odver fiaer requesting space that the 1 is accepted on te condition that in the event of failure to publish any od. vertitement of descrip tion, or in the event thet errors occur in the publishing of an advertisement, that por tion of the advertising spece occupied by item together reasonable allowance signature, will not be cho: for but the balance of the ad: vertisement will be paid for of the applicable rate. In the ror, advertising goods need not be sold. Advertising is merely on offer to sell. The jer may be withdrawn at any time ‘ NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT Full, complete ond sole copyright in any printed met ter produced by Costle News Lid_'is vested in and belengs to Castle News Lid.; provided how Established Aug. 7, 1947 Twice Weekly May 4, 1980 Incorporating the Mid-Week Mirror MARKIN & BLAIN. 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Former Celgor sawmill supervisor Nick Rebalkin is on the outside rel in after 22'% years. He was one of a number supervisors let go in the mill's recent management shake-up. CasttewsPhoto by Adrien Chomberlgin FIRING A ‘SHOCK’ By ADRIAN CHAMBERLAIN Staff Writer On Aug. 28, minutes after finishing his night shift at the Celgar Lumber Operations sawmill, Nick Rebalkin, 50, was called in to see the head of maintenance. Rebalkin was told that, after 22% years with the company, he was being fired that Friday Rebalkin had been working as a maintenance super visor at the mill for seven years, and had heard about recent layoffs within the ranks of management. But he wasn't prepared for this. “I was shocked,” said Rebalkin. “After 221 years of dedicated work I was a very dedicated person to the company. I spent countless hours of overtime I put in that I didn’t get paid for.” “I didn't expect it. I felt I was doing my job. If they felt I was incapable of doing my job, they should have retired me years ago.” When Rebalkin became a supervisor, he realized that once out of the workers’ union, there was less job protec. “But I didn’t think the company would go sour and react this way,” he said. Rebalkin’s termination was part of a spate of recent firings and rehirings in management at Celgar sawmill, including the sacking of sawmill manager Al Thornton. Bill Ford, temporary manager of sawmill, refuses to talk about the firings. “I really don't want to discuss the terms or what the outcome of all this stuff is,” he said Thursday Neither does Westar vice-president Ken Voight. “Tm certainly not prepared to discuss why we have made some management changes,” he said in a telephone interview from Vancouver the same day. “(Such changes) go on every day.” According to Rebalkin, the only reason he was given for his firing was the company was in the process of “reducing staff.” Ford, who has been at the sawmill just over a month, said he couldn't confirm or deny Rebalkin's figures Rebalkin says the firing of management is wrong “The way I look at it, it's mistreatment,” he said “It's unfair, totally unfair to the oldtimers with 20 years’ seniority “We all figured we did our best, and we're all going to retire in this area,” said Rebalkin, who has lived in Castlegar most of his life. “And it is not so. These things are being changed because of changes in upper level management.” Asked about Rebalkin's claim of Voight replied, “I have no response to that Both Voight and Ford denied that the rationale behind the changes in management is to save money Rebalkin says he's also irritated by the sawmill's recent hiring of B.C. Institute of Technology graduates. He says four have been hired as production foremen, two taking the place of management workers with over 20 years of experience at the mill According to Rebalkin, it takes at least of experience for a supervisor to fully understand the workings of the sawmill. But Voight says that's not necessarily so “It probably takes some people a longer time to get acquainted with the plant, and it takes some people a shorter time,” he said. Voight added that the rationale behing hiring BCIT graduates for management positions at the sawmill is “to attempt to run the mill more efficiently than it’s been run in the past.” “(Top level management) do believe in these BCIT students — for what reason, I don't know myself.” said Rebalkin. “They feel they have a better degree than us guys. But @ degree doesn't mean you know the mill” He ssid “down-time” in the sawmill — the time lost while the mill comes to a halt due to 2 problem — is now “in the neighborhood” of six per cent, which according to mistreatment,” three years Rebalkin says 16. workers in at the sawmtill have been let go over the past three years. “Out of these; there were only two or three that panera lea Jerg +, kegel he said. supervisors had from two to 40 years of srr wih be marty Ling ad ht 3a of according to Seven of the 16 were let go this year, eight went in 1963. is up from about three per cent five years ago. He claims this of decline in efficiency corres ponds with the loss of experienced supervisors. Rebalktin said be gras offered the choice of “going back on my tools,” ‘thet is going back as a millwright, before be was fired. | He said be considered the option. but realized that by reatimeed no cage te WEATHERCAST VOL. 37, No. 79 Sunny today with increasing high lou Monday will be mostly sunm Highe both days near 18 with bows from 0 to -2 50 Cents = CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1984 Sh. stlégar 4 Sections (A, B, C&D) PERMANENTLY Westar closes Nelson sawmill By CasNews Staff and News Services Westar Timber Ltd., citing signifi cant losses and weak lumber markets, announced Friday it is permanently closing its Nelson sawmill operation. The sawmill, which employed 165 members of the International Wood. workers of America, has not operated since May and the company, which closed its plywood mill in 1982, said it has lost more than $21 million since 1980. “Despite the fact that the mill has {_.dmproved jts productivity when it has been operating, it has not been able tc cover its operating costs when lumber markets are depressed, as they have been in recent years,” Westar chair man Jack Smith said in a news release. “We've discussed a possible sale with a number of potential investors since 1981, but no interested group has been willimg or able to purchase the operation.” Smith said the mill could only operate if major equipment improve. ments were made, but the company “does not have the necessary funds. Since we have no other long term solution, we believe it is our obligation to employees and to the community of Nelson to end the uncertainty about the future of the mill,” he said He added that the company can nc longer afford the high cost of main taining the mill when it is shut down When poor markets force the mill to close for lengthy periods, Westar must pay overhead costs of almost $3 million a year for taxes, forest rentals, in surance, and employees’ benefits, Smith said. Severance benefits totalling more than $1.5 million will be paid to the mill's employees. The announcement was made as the woodworkers union closed its conven tion in Vancouver. CLOSURE A SHOCK “It’s not a very pleasant way tb end the convention,” said Wayne Nowlin president of the union's Kootenay local. “There's been rumors that it would be closed, but it's still a shock.” Nowlin said he recognized lumber markets are weak and the company’s losses are mounting, but “they could have spent a lot more money upgrading when the economy was good. “That plant needed a major re vamping and it didn’t get it.” Two months ago, a former Westar manager who was interested in buying the sawmill tried to get the union to accept wage cuts of 30 per cent, but the membership unanimously rejected that plan. The closure is another harsh blow to Nelson, which earlier this year lost the David ‘Thompson Uniiversity Centre when the provincial government shut down the school. In addition, 50 For. ests Ministry employees based in Nel. son lost their jobs because of the pro- vincial restraint program. Mayor Louis Maglio said Westar “hasn't been a good corporate citizen. The decisions are made in Vancouver and they don't give a damn about our community.” Maglio said he would continue to look for local investors to buy the sawmill. Westar has five other sawmills in the province, including Celgar in Castle- gar. Lorne Nicolson (NDP-Nelson-Cres. ton) said Westar’s decision to close the sawmill permanently puts direct res ponsibility on Forests Minister Tom Waterland to salvage the lost jobs. “Westar will surrender its local tim ister, because it is his decision how those timber rights will be re-allocated. “If these rights are allocated to an outside company, there must be a guarantee that this timber is processed in new or existing mills in the Nelson area Properties on block Monday in tax sale By RON NORMAN Editor About 20 homes, lots and businesses are scheduled to go on the auction block Monday morning at the City of Castlegar’s annual tax sale. ‘That was the number of properties ~on which 1982 city taxes had not been paid as of noon Friday. However, the total could change by Monday City tax collector Peter Ozeroff says delinquent taxpayers have until 10 a.m Monday to pay back taxes. Ozeroff said that about 80 properties were origin ally listed as overdue, but the owners have since come in and paid the over due taxes. Properties are put up for tax sale only when municipal taxes have not been paid for the last three consecutive years However, even though the prop erties may be sold, delinquent owners still have one year from the date of the sale to pay the taxes. Those who purchase the properties at the tax sale must pay cash, which is kept by the city in trust for the year. If the taxes are paid by the delinquent property owner before the year is up. the purchaser's money is returned, plus six per cent interest. Last year 42 were origin ally listed, but by the time the tax sale started, only six propereties were left. There was just one bid last year and the purchaser never did get the prop- erty as the delinquent owner paid the back taxes within the year. five properties re- ceived no bids and so reverted to the city, which held them for the year. Owners of four of the five properties continued on page Al