dba Published at “The Crossroads of the Kootenays” WEATHERCAST Mixture of clouds ¢ and sunshine shows: za Slightly taal ‘led. conditions for the weekend, VOL. 35, NO, 44 35 Cents CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1982 4 Sections (A, B, C&D) By RON NORMAN Editor Canada Safeway Ltd. Tuesday ruled, out any possibility of opening a new Castlegar store this year. In fact, Safeway real estate. manager Ken Horwood said in a telephone interview. from Vancouver that Safeway still hasn't reached a final szeement with local developer Paul Boel, Earlier reports indicated Sadeway had reached an. agreement to take part in a new imall on the Boel property on Columbia Ave. just north of the Hi Arrow \_ Motor Hotel. As well, reports were that paleeey, wanted to be “operational” in its new location before Christmas. _But Horwood said Safeway is still “preparing all the material" on the proposal, including construction costs: He said the company must then analyze the material before making any commitment on the project. However, he admitted Safeway has reached a tentative agreement with Boel for a total 70,000 square foot development. The Safeway store would be 25,000 square feet and the remaining 45,000 square feet would be retail space. That compares with the proposed 88,000 square foot supermarket in the First City Investment proposal for the site further north on Columbia. That proposal calls for (Boel proposal still tentative a total 81,000 square foot development — 42,000 square feet of it retail and 5,000 square feet for a bank. Horwood said the Boel proposal calls for a plaza-type development and not a mall, as previously reported. He emphasized that the proposal is by no means final. “We're just getting into it,” he said. _ He said the site has the benofit of being already zoned for commercial development —unlike either the . First City site or the First Commercial Properties eliptical site -behind Castleaird Plaza. First Commercial Prop a sealed-d He added that although the site has “certain constraints” it is nevertheless “a good site.” The site has “good exposure”, can be seen from Highway a and is near the existing shopping centre, he pointed ou! However he said Safeway doesn't have a construction timetable. He added it isn’t necessary to open at certain times of the year. “We'll open at any time of the year.” If the proposal is finalized, construction would take atleast nine months and that would put the cpening date into the summer of 1983 — “if it comes off," Horwood said. “That's a big thing... zoned or not zoned,” he said. BEVY OF BEAUTIES . oo. Six conlanlania: vying or the title of Miss Castlegar, took part in Monday's fashion show at Stanley Humphries Secondary School. Candidates are (left to ri Club, Linda Crofts; Miss Dixie-Lee, Bev Harshenin; Miss Downtown ht) Miss Selkirk Lion's FIREFIGHTER TE NING _, Program proposed Miss Pontiac, hannon Call s A Marie Weir 8 Miss Helen's flowers Cathie Van Dungen and Miss s oe page A2, See story and more By CasNews Staff C : The move also follows ‘8 e department will initiate: a. new training program com- plete with a written exam- ination for all firefighters — including officers — it was disclosed this week. ~~ Council's protective ser- vices committee chairman Ald. Carl Henne said Tues- day that the new program came out of a two-hour meeting last week between “the department's 10 officers and city council. by former fire chief Dan Fitger that. the firemen — especially the months... we'll have a new chief,” he said. The new training program will start ¢ when the new chief arrives. officers — were not-prop trained to fight fires. Fitger resigned last week - after 18 months as fire chief, citing lack of cooperation and support from council and members of the department. Henne said the city will replace Fitger and has al- ready started ing for In the the off- icers will take charge of the department, Henne said. He said he is confident the Officers can handle “what- ever comes up.” Henne also met Monday night for about an hour with the north hall firefighters and explained the situatioh to ~ a new fire chief. “I feel that within two them. He told them the aim is to “start fresh” Violence marks first day of Inco strike SUDBURY, Ont. (CP) — A strike by 10,000 Inco Metals Co. workers got off to a violent start Tuesday as five fires broke out on company property, two strikers were charged with obstructing pol- ice and two faced charges of mischief. ‘The glow from the largest “blaze — which threatened nearby houses — lit the sky as the sounds of police and fire trucks rang throughout this Northern Ontario city. | The violence marked the D‘Arcy wants action. By CasNews Staff Rossland-Trail NDP Chris D'Arcy has called for govern- ment action on the economic situation in the: West Koot- enay. . “The worst thing against us right now, I would say, is a lack of confidence and faith in the future,” D'Arcy told the 8.C. Legislature. recently. “I believe the government should be leading and its business of growing seed- lings, expanding the tourist industry or surviving in these difficult times. D'Arcy suggested some specific government moves that could bolster the local economy could includé an early start on the installation of electrical generators at Hugh Keenleyside dam and the rollback of water licence fees — thet he says are business and small avi. po uals with agricultural land: who would like to be in the he wer this region development.” D'Arcy said these and other similar projects “not only have a high return in economic, and hence social, benefit to my riding, but also would have a significant re- turn in‘revenue to the prov- incial government. Any spen- ding in this province returns at least 80 cents on the dollar to the provincial govern- ment. There's an immediate return and an immediate ier effect.” hed enjoyed for decades and which led to local industrial D also called for construction of the West Porter on B. C. chamber By CasNews Staff Castlegar Chamber of 4% Commerce vice-president # Renee Porter was elected to fi the B.C. chamber board of directors at the provincial { body’s annual general meet- ing May 27-30 in Prince George. Porter and chamber man- ager Linda Green joined 196 other delegates representing 47 chambers of commerce, boards of trade and affiliated 3 associations from across the province. Porter and Green spent the three days in delibera- tions and discussions on 189 resolutions which affect both the business and consumer sectors. Resolutions passed at the meeting form the policy of RENEE PORTER +. 0B.C, director the B.C. chamber and are forwarded to the appropriate federal and provincial agen- cies and departments for implementation or action. Resolutions affecting the : West Kootenay area include the recommendation that the provincial water licence fee. increase be revised to ensure that electrical energy inten- sive industries —. such as Cominco and BC Timber — are able to remain compet- itive in the world market- place and to ensure that . future development of these * industries is not jeopardized. Other resolutions included the retention of the Multiple Unite Residential Housing tr: (MURB) tax incentives, and changes to the Income Tax Trail approach road, and an end to college funding cut- backs. He also said there is a need for new federal-provin- cial infusion of funds into the joint TIDSA tourism devel- opment pro; “I would ask that the government immediately contact the federal govern- ment and ask for a new allocation of funds for the ‘TIDSA program,” he said. “I'm sure that the money that has been invested by the provincial and -federal gov- ernments in B.C. tourism has already been returned in tax revenue and in economic activity out there in the private sector.” He added, “The fund is out of money right now, but the program is still in place. What we need is a new infusion of funds.” D'Arcy said part of the $700 million Cominco project in Trail “depends on the relocation of that highway.” He told the Legislature, “The government, though, sits month after month and twid- dles its thumbs. “I ask the government to move with more than delib- erate speed immediately. We have a major investment’ in pease and tertiary indus- crease. concern (on the government benches) about the reality of the economy of B.C, the reality of the marketplace which we as a province all- find ourselves in — which is a reality of world markets,” he said. He said the government is simply saying, “We want to increase rates. We're not going to call it tax increases, We're just going to increase water licence fees and user fees for all kinds of services by several hundred per cent. We're going to get our bucks and we don't care how we do it” Meanwhile, Nelson-Cres- ton NDP MLA Lorne Nicol- son called for the province to encourage seedling pro- duction locally, start forestry road construction in prepar- ation for renewed logging, and carry out stream bank protection to prevent flood- ing and erosion. He said the g “I don't see any of what tee dense strike in the Sudbury area, with its popu- lation of about 160,000. The last strike at Inco, in September, 1978, lasted Bi months. Sudbury Regional Police said Tuesday an old curling rink building near Inco's Dollar recovers slightly MONTREAL (CP) — Can- ada’s dollar broke the 80-cent barrier at opening of trading today, but recovered to 80.26 cents U.S. at midmorning after what traders said was strong intervention on for- eign exchange markets by the Bank of Canada. The day began on a sour note when the currency opened at 79.94, but the central bank's purchase of More on the - dollar page A4 should shift the focus from megaprojects to smaller pro- jects in rural parts of the province. “The big megaprojects are not going to stimulate the economy in Salmo or in the Lardeau Valley. Instead of ing some of these ‘high ‘technology industry . 2. waiting on this highway ” Act, small business deductions and restricted farm loss limit of $2,500. : Meanwhile, D'Arcy also blasted the government for the water licence fee in- megaprojects would it not be more rational to assist BC Timber to get on-with the job of increasing its pulp mill capacity at Castlegar?” he asked the Legislature. unwanted dollars sent it shooting up a fifth of a cent above Tuesday's all-time low of 80.06, a shade below its previous record low of 80.08 set in 1931 during the depths of the Great Depression. Tuesday's downswing — which analysts il main offices, a construction’ trailer used to. block the entrance at the main gate, a guard house at another mine and two hydro poles had been deliberately set on fire. Rejean Lachance, 28, and Boyd. Skiffington, 48, were charged with mischief after a fire truck was stopped from coming near the fire of a storage building on company property about 2:30 a.m.; 242 hours after the walkout star- ted. CHARGES TWO MORE Roger Bedard, 26, and Ronald’ Larose, 26, were charged with unlawful assembly after two men were seen obstructing police and enticing about 70 to 80 ‘workers to follow them as flames engulfed the building. Firefighters had some anx- ious moments at the fire at the curling rink, now being used a warehouse for ore samples. “It was already engulfed by the time we got there, and there were embers drifting all over,” said Fire Chief Jack Barr. “The houses near the curling rink are quite close together, and if those embers had caught we would. have had a real catastrophy.” Inco spokesman Morry Brown said the company is “concerned by these illegal, - irresponsible and dangerous acts,’ and described the dam- age to company property as “significant.” The strike by members of. Local 6500 of the United Steelworkers could be a long one as both sides are still far apart, The compahy has offered $5.50 an hour in wages and benefits over three years to” the current package of about $17.50 while the union is seeking a total increase of about $8 an hour. The average wage rate is $11.54 an hour including 97 cents in cost-of-living allowance. REPORTS FIRST LOSS Last year, Inco reported a Joss of $469.5 million (U.S.) — its first loss since 1982:and the biggest ever by a Can- adian company. It lost an- other $37.2 million in the first quarter and has been bur- dened by a $1.3-billion debt continued on poge AZ. City looking at new works yard By CasNews Staff Castlegar council has given up trying to shift the city works yard from downtown to a new location on the eliptical site in Woodland Park behind the Castleaird Plaza. * Mayor Audrey Moore told the Castlegar News the city has “lost all interest” in the eliptical site as a works yard and is now attempting to assemble another package of land. She would not dis- close where the new site is located. The nine-acre eliptical pro- perty is also the site for a news that some American interest rates had risen slightly — began early in the day, and at one point the dollar traded as low as 80.03, Monday's close was 80.39. mall by Ci Properties Ltd. of Winnipeg. Council has directed its solic- itor to draw up a develop- ment permit for the mall. That permit is still in the works. However, the land which is zoned light indus- trial — would still have to be rezoned for commercial dev- elopment. Some Woodland Park res- idents voiced opposition to the works yard moving to the eliptical site, though. council said at the time that other residents indicated they pre- ferred a works yard there to another light industrial bus- iness. Moore said council had the eliptical site appraised and made an offer to buy the property based on the apprai- sed value. She said the owners didn’t take the city’s offer “very seriously.” She added council is assem- bling the property, though she doubts the works yard will relocate this year due to budget restraints.