Legistativ Parliament e Library, Bldgs... 50I Belleviti. Victoria, B. C. vav 1x4 Feb. 28 Pulp prices reached record highs with an- other increase this weekend... A7 External Minist Waiting game Afttairs Joe Clark says “he isn't setting any timetables for the Soviets to respond in the spy tit-for-tat affair a3 [6/49 draw we bonus number was 12. LOTTERY NUMBERS The winning numbers in Saturday's Lotto 26, 32, 33, 35, 38 and 44. The The $1,000,000 winning number in Friday's Provincial lottery draw is 3320222. The winning numbers drawn Fridey in The Pick lottery were 6,9, 18, 33, 45, 46, 48 and 51. Gold rush rarian Selkirk College lib- John Mans bridge found “gold” in some old papers of former Kootenay West MP Bert Herridge an NY, Castlégar News per cent M WEATHERCAST Cloudy with @ few showers or thundershowers today and the chance of one or two sunny breaks Highs 22°-24°. Monday will Chance of precipitation is 60 ps isolated showers ‘ent today and 30 CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA SUNDAY, JULY 3, 1988 Vol. 41, No. 53 — 2 Sections (A & B) 60 Cents CP Rai request / LONG WAIT .. . Youngsters get r tless waiting their turn to get into the pool at the Robson River Otters swim meet Saturday at the Coralea Schuepter Pool. Swim clubs from around the region and the U.S. attended the annual meet. CosNews Photo by Ron Norman Cyclist rides across Canada By RON NORMAN itor Monty Paluniuk isn’t your typical cyclist. For one thing he's biking more than 10,000 kilometres across Canada and back again this summer. For another, he has only one arm. The 39-year-old cyclist left his Salem, Ore. home on June 6, taking with him only a small backpack and his Brid 10-speed on which he strapped two leather saddlebags. And that’s it. No tent, no sleeping bag. Only his leather hat trimmed with rabbit fur and sporting a flashy foxtail. Paluniuk isn’t sponsored by any official organization. Instead, he's doing this on his own to help promote the Special Olympics, of which is cousin is a director in Oregon. “['m asking people if you've got a day off and nothing to do come down to the local Special Olympics and push some boxes around for someone or answer the phone or do some filing or typing.” As well, he says he also rides to reach out to other amputees. “I had an accident, but I'm not letting that stop me from living. I still think I've got a pretty nice body, maybe lacking 2 little bit, but it’s still in the heart.” Paluniuk lost his left arm in a sawmill accident 15 years ago. continued on poge AZ MARATHON CYCLIST . Monty Paluniuk of Salem, Ore passed through Castlegar this week on a cross-Canada cycling trip to help promote the Special Olytmpics and to reach out to amputees. ” CosNews Photo DaCosta fulfilling a dream By CasNews Staff Tony DaCosta is a step closer to fulfilling a dream His dream is to construct a first-rate youth centre in Castlegar, and thanks to a $16,666 provincial lottery grant, he’s about to realize that dream “I'm so happy, I'm so happy.” an elated DaCosta told the Castlegar News this week. DaCosta, who heads the Castlegar Cougar Athletic Association, is seeking to purchase the building adjacent to the old Castle Hotel site on 13th Avenue. He will know by Thursday if he is the successful bidder. But if he isn't, it will only be a minor — and temporary setback. He says he will simply begin looking for another location DaCosta founded the youth assoc iation several years ago with $125 and lots of hard work. The centre has bounced around from one spot to another, beginning in the basement of the old Kootenay Builders Supply store on Columbia Avenue. It is presently located in the former Henne Marina building next to the Castlegar News. But DaCosta has had his eye on a building he can call his own. So he applied for a lottery grant — and was successful. He credits Castlegar Mayor Audrey Moore for giving him considerable help getting the grant “She gave us nice support,” DaCosta says with a huge grin. Together with the grant and a credit union loan, he hopes to renovate a building, providing a d on poge A2 rejected By BONNE MORGAN Staff Writer The National Transportation Agency of Canada has turned down CP Rail's applieation to abandon its Boundary subdivision’ line. CP Rail had applied to abandon the 161-kilometre line between Castlegar and Midway, arguing it was losing money and it felt there were trans. portation alternatives for its ship- pers. The railway claimed it has lost a total of $6.2 million in the last four years during transportation hearings in Castlegar at the end of May. CP Rail said it would have to either increase rates by as much as 32 per cent or run another 1,085 cars on the line But Pope and Talbot, and Canpar Industries of Grand Forks both said they will increase business on the line. The NTA ruled that the projected carloads by CP Rail were “pessimistically low” in view of future traffic commitments by area industries. The NTA also found “there was a lack of any clear evidence” on the availability-wnd utility of alternative transportation services. It concluded that the abandonment of the Boundary subdivision would have a “wholly disrupting effect on the economic catchment area” and ordered the branch line be retained. Canpar Industries was celebrating its victory when contacted by the Castlegar News. “The closure would have put us in a very uncomfortable position and this allows us to go on with business as usual,” said Canpar Industries general manager Paul Verigin. Kootenay West MP Bob Brisco said the applicants had “obviously done a great sales job” during the appeal hearing and is pleased it was settled in their favor. “I'm just delighted that the people of Kootenay West have won another one,” he said, The NTA will reconsider CP Rail's abandonment application in two years. The decision said that it would not be in the public interest to retain the line for the full three-year period allowed by statute should the proje- cted degree of economic activity for the area not oceur. “The challenge is obviously ours to make sure the economy of the line is enhanced,” said Brisco. Gary Kennedy, president-general of the Brotherhood of Maintenance and Way Employees, one of the four railway unions protesting the aban donment, was relieved by the de- cision. “There would have been massive losses to the community,” he said, adding -his union is “currently in. volved in similar abandonment hear- ings in Nova Scotia and New Bruns- wick. He said union representatives are preparing submissions and infor. ming communities on proposed “mas- sive closures” in eastern Canada. “When a community works toge- ther you can solve a problem,” he said. CP Rail was contacted but declined comment Chamber reports tourism increase By CasNews Staff Tourism in Castlegar is on increase Hotels and businesses are seeing more activity according to a recent study released by the Castlegar Chamber of Commerce > ai com. mittee. The four-member committee, Lar. ry Callaghan, Madelaine Plant, Mar. ilyn Strong and Ernie Turta, looked at tourism from Jan. 1 - April 30. Among the three major hotels, occupancy average just over 50 per cent. The chamber committee called this “remarkable” noting the post- Christmas period is normally slow Business travellers, teams participat ing in tournaments and skiers were ail credited with contributing to a 17 per cent increase in occupancy over last year. “Our ski packages with Red and Whitewater were advertised in Spo kane and as a result we have had over 1,400 skiers staying with us this year.” said Larry Callaghan, mana ger of the Sandman Inn. The tourism committee estimates skiers spend more than $47 daily in the community, accounting for more than $65,000 spent directly in the community. The Fireside Motor Inn had more than 400 two-person packages last winter “That's a direct spending of over $3,700 and indirectly more than $120,000 coming into this com munity,” said Strong. The Hi Arrow Motor Hotel had 35 ski packages during that period. Skiers weren't the only visitors to Castlegar this winter. The confer ence and convention business is “alive and well” in Castlegar, the chamber committee said. Among the three major hotels, more than 6,000 convention and tournament visitors stayed a minimum of two nights “The chamber and the city should the ERNIE TURTA value of tourism work together to get more tour buses stopping here,” suggested Askew, after noting tours don’t seem to be taking advantage of Castlegar’s ac commodations. Convention and tournament busi ness brought in over $1.2 million to the community in the first four months of 1988. Less than $300,000 of that was spent directly for accom modation. The reason more tions and tournaments are coming here is that Castlegar has more hotel/motel space than any other community in the Kootenays. “If only more people in Castlegar knew the numbers of visitors that come in each day to our community, perhaps we'd all be more aware of the value that tourism has to Castle gar,” said Turta. Castlegar will be hosting the 1990 British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association annual meeting and it is the first time that the BCRPA has met outside the Lower Mainland or the Okanagan. conven.