News March 2, 1991 { Pies RON ita yA a i LOCAL/PROVINCIAL NEWS Heritage society looks By CasNews Staff ‘With its members aging and others inactive, the Castlegar and District Heritage Society is in trouble and may be forced to disband, society president Sherrel Koreen said Thursday. “The worst case scenerio would be for the society to disband and become again an advisory committee to the city,”’ she said. Since forming in 1988, the society has operated and maintained. Zuckerberg Island and the Castlegar Rail Station, and spearheaded the restoration work at the station. “*We have quite a few members, atound 50, and only about four work,’’ she said. ‘‘We need lots of help."” The problem is that those members who volunteer willingly are either getting to old for some of the work that netds to be done or have done their fair share, or both. “If we could just get some new blood in there,"’ she said, adding if they had more people,to share the work, each person would have less work to do. Koreen is facing the end of her two-year term as president — the maximum amount of time one person is allowed to hold the same’ position — in May, when members must elect a new executive. Koreen herself ‘‘needs a rest’’ after four-and-a-half years of volunteering on a full-time basis for everything from taking care of watering the lawns in the summer to chairing meetings, she said. , ‘The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. However, ‘No one wants to take over the executive positions,”” Koreen said, adding that she’ll do what she can to try to get some candidates. If a new executive can’t be elected, the society would disband and the responsibility of both heritage sites would go back to the city, Koreen said. Ultimately, as a last resort, the city could sell the island and the station. However, acting mayor Ald. Bob Pakula said that’s unlikely. “I don’t think it would be too likely," he said. “I can’t really see it happening but I guess anything's possible. That would be one of the last resorts (and) we'd hope it wouldn’t ever come to that."’ John Charters, a society founder and active mem- ber, agreetl saying he strongly doubts the city, if put in the position, would sell the island or the station. He ad- ded that he would be * "* at the for 'new blood’ He said the scenerio of selling the island and the station reminded him of a Mark Twain quote: ‘The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." As a society, most of its funding comes from B.C, Heritage Trust grants and local, private grants, while employees hired to run both sites from May to October are paid through government work share programs, Koreen said. Last year’s payroll expenses alone were about $57,000, The city would not be eligible for the grants and the society is, and without a society executive, ness’’ of such a proposal. “After many thousands of hours of volunteer work by committed citizens, and heavy investments with both federal and provincial funds, and the amount of com- mitment from a heritage and educational point of view, the heritage society is absolutely essential to this com- the city would have to hire a coordinator. That would cost about $20,000, bringing payroll expenses up around $77,000, she said. payee ; The city currently kicks in about $5, @ year to help with parting costs, about half, at the rail station and pays the utility expenses and some maintenance ex- Penses at the island. munity,’ Charters said Thursday. Workers continued from front page Operating - Engineers, Local 115, based in Cranbrook, said he's also willing to give that time. Mayer said of the 24 operators hired so far, only three have been local. But he said he has “‘assuran- ces’’ from the project’s major con- tractor, Argo Industries Ltd. of Kamloops, that ‘‘there will be more locals hired in the very near future.’” D’Arcy said the men were doing the right thing by getting together on the issue and he offered to use his, and others’ influence to get some ac- tion, “*My job is to take what comes out of this meeting to the appropriate people. I don’t have any authority in this matter but I hope I have some influence,’’ he said. ‘‘Friendly per- suasion, that’s all you can do. It’s in place right now and I think it’s going to be successful.”’ Evin said the men would meet again in two weeks if no progress was made. think they now know the problem. I think they know we just want to work and live in peace. But if nothing hapens, next time there’s going to be even harder feelings,” said Evin. Schools open to community By CasNews Staff There’s a place for everyone in Castlegar schools and next week is devoted. to just that — making education ‘‘everyone’s business.”’ Education Week is a chance for the community to get to know its schools, says school board trustee Joanne Baker. Schools are funded partially through taxes, yet only 75 per cent of B.C. taxpayers have school children, the new Year 2000 needs community support, and high school students will be out in the community getting work , experience before graduation — three reasons i in- COMING ALONG Ray Hackett (left), Ed Isakson (centre) and Len Bleier continue to work one night eve eek restoring a 1924 fire engine at the Bigsby and Bill Gyurkovits (not shown). Numerous began almost three years ago. south Cast CasNews photo by Donne Zuber ar fire hall. Helping them are A\ have pitched in since the project Pulpwood continued from front page It's a whole environmental movement and we’re trying to ac- commodate that as much as possible.”” After the initial review by the Ministry of Forests — which is where the licati are now — and volvement is important, Baker says. Open houses and various other ac- tivities are planned at each school. For example, Stanley Humphries secondary school activities include tours, art displays, a band perfor- mance, fashion show and an evening of one-act plays. Each school can be contacted for Specific details. assuring the applicants meet all criteria, the applications are made available to the public. Later, public hearings are scheduled where presen- tations are made and the public can comment. . Any input from the hearings is given to a forest development review committee with all other infor- mation. Sitting on the committee are i of the B.C. mii ie Castlegar News HOME DELIVERY 365-7266 Central Foods (Prices effective March 3-March 9) Overwaitea (Prices effective March 3-March 9) SuperValu (Prices effective March 3-March 9) Woolco (Prices effective March 2-March 9) Zellers (Prices effective March 6-March 10) phy receive full distribution. net receive one a mana eur Circulation Department at of Crown Lands, Agriculture and Fisheries, Environment, Municipal Affairs, Recreation and Culture, Native Affairs, Parks, Regional and i De was disqualified for not meeting the ministry’s criteria. A brochure put out by the timber harvesting branch lists the following criteria applicants must meet: © Create and maintain job oppor- tunities and other social benefits in the province; * Provide for the management and use of the, province’s timber; © Further the province’s develop- ment objectives; © Meet the government’s goals on environmental quality and the management of water, fisheries and” wildlife resources; and, * Contribute to revenues. Celgar general manager Jim Browne said last year that the com- pany has no plans to actually harvest its own wood and will continue to depend exclusively on a network of ii sawmill in the provincial Tourism, and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Chairing the committee is a representative of the Ministry of Forests. Information gathered from the committee and public hearings is put into a report which goes to the deputy minister of forests’ committee on sustainable development. Any recommendations from that commit- tee would be presented to cabinet via the Ministry of Forests. The final region to maintain the mill’s supply of chips. Central Interior for sawmill byproducts such as chips, sawdust and shavings, or for pulp logs, which are not suitable for sawmill operations, the Ministry of Forests says in its brochure. The pulp logs were left on the ground during har- vesting and the byproducts burned as waste, the ministry says. Pulpwood agreements helped to establish pulp mills, which in turn encouraged the forest harvest and process smaller ‘timber and introduce debarkers and chip- Pers. : The Ministry of Forests says pulp- wood agreements are better use of timber resources and provide social and economic benefits to the provin- ce. As well, the ministry says the agreements extend long-term management to areas that have tim- ber that is too small or too decadent for harvest and use by the sawmilling industry. Wage restraints threaten teachers VANCOUVER C(p) — Teachers’ the picket line to fight for quality i is inviting chaos, con- contract in and elsewhere are too high and may be rejected, British Columbia's new wage-restraint commissioner said Thursday. Teachers and trustees could be sent back to the bargaining table on- ce legislation is brought in next mon- th to back up Premier Bill Vander Zalm's promised public-sector wage controls, says Ed Lien, _. School trusteés dnd teacher representatives quickly said Lien is out of line in interfering when he has no legislative mandate yet to do so. “It’s arbitrary interference,” said Ken i i of the fusion and problems.”” No one really knows yet what sort of mandate Lien will get and it is inappropriate for him or anyone else to speculate on how school districts might be affected, said Donna Jones, B.C. School Trustees Association president. “*To renegotiate those priorities a month from now would -be a phenomenal effort.’’ Lien said the Vancouver teachers two-year, 14-per-cent wage package, which ended their strike Thursday, is ‘a heck of a lot higher than what is ing in the private sector." B.C. Teachers Federation. “For him to make statements like that after teachers have been out on **I donot have a mandate yet,” he noted in a telephone interview from his new North Vancouver office. Chamber drops expansion plans By CasNews Staff The Castlegar and District Cham- ber of Commerce has scrapped its plans to expand to a one-stop business information centre because it can’t afford the project, chamber president Jim Craig said Tuesday. “The directors looked over the finances and decided we couldn’t handle a project of that size,’’ he said. ‘‘It just wouldn’t have worked out financially.” The proposal called for an ad- dition to be built on to the cham- ber’s existing building on 6th Avenue near the Community Complex. The idea behind the expansion was to house, on a rental basis, Environ- ment Canada’s Southeastern Interior weather office now located at Castlegar Airport and the Castlegar and District Development Board in the same building as the chamber and the Travel Infocentre. However, the construction alone was estimated at $150,000 and a grant application to GO B.C. was denied. Craig said the directors are now looking at alternatives within the chamber building to provide more space. Whether the chamber decides to fix up the basement or the loft area, the costs will be more within its means at $10,000 to $15,000, Craig said. LOTTERIES industry to. These are the winning numbers for last week. LOTTO 6/49 lottery Feb. 27 4, 6, 18, 33, 42, 44. Bonus 20. EXTRA Feb. 27 61, 88, 89, 93 BC KENO Feb. 28 15, 16, 22, 31, 34, 36, 43, 51 Feb. 27 22, 23, 25, 28, 34, 38, $1, 55 PUNTO ACTION MENU No. 283 Feb. 22, 1991 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19,22 MENU NO. 284 Feb. 23, 1991 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 18, 19, 22 MENU No. 286 Feb. 24 1, 4,5, 8, 10, 11 13, 16, 17, 20, 22 MENU No. 287 Feb. 25 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12 13, 15, 17, 20, 22 MENU NO. 288 Feb. 26 2, 3,6, 7, 9, 11 14, 16, 17, 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. Under a » all suitable materials offered at a reasonable price must be bought before the holder of the agreement has the right to harvest. Celgar applied for the agreement as an “‘insurance policy” to guaran- tee wood chips will be available in the future. “A pulpwood agreement would be decision on ing the agreemént is made by the Ministry of Forests, McPhail said. The pulpwood agreement is for an area which stretches from the Monashee Mountains in the west to the Purcell Mountains in the east and from the Canada-U.S. border in the south to the Mica Reservoir in the north. Competing with Celgar for the are only in the event that chips and roundyood could not be secured through the region's independent said. The maximum annual volume of wood that may be made available for under = the Wood Preservers Lid. of Cranbrook and Tolko Industries Ltd. of Ver- non, McPhail said, He added that a mill would consume about 2.4 million cubic metres of chips per fourth Castlegar 4 Natural Wood Processing Facility — na to preserve the gre a0 |s, were first By CasNews Staff Ministry sends message the That’s the message B.C. will hear March 4 to 10 during the second annual Immigration Week. and Kootenays ‘‘to give them a positive and more : oh of innlal Woude said. part.of the community.” by Canada and the B.C. Ministry of International Business and Immigration, the ““What I would like to see is that we encourage our communities to go beyond acceptance,’’ said Bill van der Woude, manager of Canada Im for the Kootenays. ‘‘To cross that line a little further where they come to a position that they welcome people, where they proactively make new people a ” help getting settled, and if they break laws, action will be taken, van der Woude said. While the latter sounds like a harsh reality amid dreams coming true, that’s the balance, he said. In 1989, 25,335 immigrants came to British Columbia, 13 per cent of the 192,001 immigrants that came to Canada. About 100 to 150 families settle each year in the Kootenays, he said. To immigrants themselves, the Message goes further to say their families are welcome, they'll have immigration today,” van der Van der Woude and community volunteer Mike have a Canadian society as much as Canadians have a responsibility to accept them. to fit into ——— TLL Mee eeeenemeeTNeananem LOCAL/PROVINCIAL NEWS NDP criticizes loans in Socred VICTORIA (CP) — A_ $5,5- million p loan ridings south Vancouver, home to two Socred announced Thursday for a Kelowna truck manufacturer brought to altfiost $15 million the amount of loans granted in recent weeks to companies based in Social Credit- held ridings. » The loan went to Western Star Trucks Inc. Two Socred legislature members currently represent the Kelowna area. Meanwhile, Bud Smith, regional and economic development minister and the men who granted he loans, now is trying to gain final cabinet approval for a $40-million grant to an aircraft company operating in towns in Socred strongholds, accor- ding to a senior government official. One of those communities is Kamloops, in Smith’s home riding. Some of the loans, made under the It was app by cabinet Feb. 20. * $5.8 million to Evans Forest Products Ltd., baséd in Golden, in n British C Socred Duane Crandall represents that area and is said to face a tough re-election battle from the NDP. This loan was announced Feb. 14 by Smith. * Up to $1 million to SWI Specialty Woods International, Inc., based in Dawson Creek, in a nor- theast B.C. area represented by Native Affairs Minister Jack Weisgerber. This loan was approved in January. The loans were revealed by cabinet orders. NDP finance critic Glen Clark called Smith's actions offensive and said they are an indication of the Industrial Devel: Act, have been in the preparation Stages for several months But they are the only loans the ministry has made since Smith gained ’s double standard. “This puts the lie to the restraint message they've been trying to send out,’’ Clark said. ‘‘They have one standard when it comes to political his new last D far, no companies in ridings held by New Democratic Party members have received loans from his ministry, Other loans secured by Smith in- clude: © $1.5 million to West Coast Plywood Company Ltd., based in like keeping nurses’ wages low. But they have quite another standard when it comes to achieving their own political ends."" In Vancouver, Smith refused to comment directly on the loans and the proposed $40-million grant to Conair Aviation, telling reporters the matter is currently before cabinet. Tom Willson of Envi: rder this week — before winter returned with a blast of cold an focusing the sun's rays on to a special strip of paper which will burn CHECKING THE RAYS Canada’s South Interior th office at the Cast gor Airport checks the sunshine id snow Friday. The device records daily sunshine by as long as the sun shines. —conews photoby Louis Leroche Westar continued from front page ‘*There’s no guarantees,"’ he said. “Our preliminary numbers show (going overseas) is better than going to the United States, but they still show a substantial loss. We're doing our best to minimize the damage by going to other markets."’ Machinery converted to cut lum ber in metric sizes can still be swit- ched back to imperial ‘‘very easily’’ to. fill orders going to the U.S., Madlung said. Another Westar mill, the Carneby mill in Hazelton, sells only to the overseas market, he said. “They've developed a large product base that we'll utilize down here now,"’ he said, adding that are already i The first shipments are expected to be made in about two months. For the past eight months, Westar’s mill in Castlegar has been operating at a loss, but Madlung would not say how much of a loss. Production was downsized to a three-day work week several weeks ago “lL don’t know of any mills that are working at a profit in B.C. Our mill in Vanderhoof is probably one of the most profitable in the province and it’s having a tough time.’’ Regardless, the company does plan to keep the Castlegar mill operating during spring break up. “We have just enough logs to make it through,”’ he said. ‘*Break up came one month early this year so it’s made it pretty tough.”’ Break up — when the ground is too wet to log without causing significant environmental damage — usually runs until June or July. Madlung said the employees them- selves have helped the company’s i during ion cutback and now with the conversion. “The employees are being flexible and they're the ones who will make it work. They're going through a period of change and their help and flexibility are really appreciated.’’ And, despite the company’s losses, employees ‘‘should feel fairly com- fortable’’ with job security, he said. 2 Local Pp contractors on the Celgar mill ex; jon A needed to do the abso the borgir tatst and truck drivers say Gorey been ignored by even though they have all the equipment Waste continued from front page the plan analysis (and) will be a criteria in the selection of the most appropriate plan."” As well, the public will have some control over operating costs by how much they participate in waste management, said Mike Jessen, coordinator of the recycling depot dm Nelson. However, operating at a profit would be ‘‘extremely difficult’? to do, he said. ‘*Basically it would take an extra high cooperation rate from the public, I mean we’re talking 100 Per cent, because unless everyone is contributing to recycling, then they’re throwing in garbage we still have to operate a landfill system for. That’s not to say it wouldn't be possible if people changed the way they make waste."” Theoretically, 75 to 80 per cent of waste can be recycled or composted, he said. Reid Henderson, RDCK ad- ministrator, said a number of public meetings will be held with represen- tation from the B.C. Ministry of En. vironment, the consultants, RDCK staff and its technical committee “The public are certainly going to be influencing the board of directors on the direction the plan is taking,’’ he said. Once the study. is c in three stages, but the Regional District of Central Kootenay has asked the consultants to first look at recycling, Shand said. However, there is some doubt that a recycling plan would come before the complete waste management plan — of which recycling is only a part — is finished. “I’m sure we're disappointed it's taking so long,”’ Voykin said. ‘*Bur for us to go to referendum, what are we going to take to the people for them to support? Once the study is complete and the report is accepted by the provincial government, we won't have to go to referendum.”” But funding isn’t the only problem with separating recycling from the waste management plan, Shand said “It's a dilemma I guess. If you want (o put off everything else in the plan, it could delay opportunities of getting things moving.’” Meanwhile, the first stage of the study is now underway and public meetings should start in the summer Shand said The first stage looks at how gar bage is generated and collected, how much garbage there is, what kinds and how it is handled and processed As well, they'll review the existing system and ‘‘a complete range of alternatives’’ based on the latest waste techniques about 18 months, the regional district will be ‘‘at liberty’? to im- plement a plan without going to referendum, provided the Ministry of Environment ‘‘feels confident with the way the meetings were held’’ and approves the plan, Henderson said. “It’s going to have to address Constitutional issues to be decided by voters VANCOUVER (CP) — British Columbians will give their pi i “binding d constitutional issues in the next election, B.C. cabinet minister Bud Smith said “We intend to seek by referendum from the people directly at the time of the coming general election their binding direction on several questions, some of which will be specifically related to issues of constitutional renewal,"’ Smith told the Vancouver Canadian Club. But in a later interview Smith, minister of regional and i of the cabinet COURT NEWS CasNews Staff In Castlegar provincial court, James David Doherty was found guilty of impaired driving and refusing to provide @ breath on C would give few details about his one-sentence announcement. He wouldn’t say what questions voters will be asked or how long they will have to ponder them before the B.C. election. An election must be called this year because Premier Bill Vander Zalm's mandate expires in October. “*You'll be, I’m sure, interested when they all, in the fullness of time, are put forward,’’ Smith said of the questions on the election ballot. But ‘‘it will be important for them to be announced before an election.” He said some issues might come from the others from B.C. citizens or groups. In his speech, he said referendums will enable Canadians to take better control of their future. e ‘Institution’, governments and politicans have failed to deliver the potential found in this land."’ He said public institutions are out of touch, gover ments build programs taxpayers can’t afford and politicians debate issues that do no challenge Canadian Without mentioning the threat of Quebec separatism to constitutional reform, Smith also said Canada continues to build institutions ‘rooted in our supposed (English-French) duality. ““But is it right to claim duality as the foundation of a nation which for five decades or more has been a multicultural reality? quite a diversification,’’ he added The study involves nine incorporated municipalities, 11 electoral areas over 23,000 square kilometres in size and a population of 49,110, half of which lives inside the municipalitics The regional district took on the study in response to a provincial government policy to cut in half the waste now going to garbage dumps by the year 2000, Voykin said The province is picking up more than half of the $211,400 cost of completing the study with grants ex pected to total $126,109, leaving $84,291 for the regional district to pay, Henderson said. The province also has funds for capital purchases to get the final plan going. The study is broken down into Shand said there are two main components to reducing ‘‘main. stream waste." There’s a large paper and cardboard fraction that can be diverted through recycling and there’s organic waste, like household and yard garbage, that can be com posted, he said. “We take a very general view of what applied technology can achieve, in a very broad sense, and get some input from the regional district, thc ministry and particularly the publi of what ways of waste management should be looked at in phase two. he said The second stage looks at four or five routes a waste management plan could take, as approved in stage one “We'll determine and define (alternatives) in terms of cost impact and social impact,’’ Shand said. Stage three is writing she final plan selected by the regional! district. “That's the end of our specific assignments,”’ Shand said. ‘‘But we would anticipate the implementation would require further input."” “For most of our nation’s life, and in- stitutions have embraced duality while our citizens have lived something else." He said there must be a change in focus in future constitutional talks. “CO nal di now will require a greater concentration on issues about the relat- jonship between government and citizens and less con centration on issues solely about one government and ‘another.”’ Smith said in February that the cabinet committee on Confederation has started a public consultation process that includes written submissions from experts in economics, culture, political science and constitutional law, Kootenay Savings Credit Union has reported net earnings of $1.25 million for 1990, a 65 per cent increase over 1989 car- nings. The credit union financial division said in a news release its assets rose by 9.3 per cent last year to more than $181 million while its loan portfolio grew by KSCU earnings up 2.2 per cent to $107.1 million As a result of the successful operation in 1990, the board of directors declared_a seven per cent dividend Details of the financial Operation will be presented at the 22nd annual general meeting of Kootenay Savings in Trail on April 2.