Saturday, January 9,'1993 a March199 + = : The month started with all the hype of a heavyweight title fight — city council versus CURB in an all out war over the 1992 municipal budget. Ding, ding... City council delivered a quick knockout punch, presenting a well- researched, well-thought out and well-documented budget package that left CURB speechless and the media clamoring to fill the news holes it had left for what was supposed to be a bitter exchange between Castlegar’s elected and unelected spokespersons. The fight never materialized as Castlegar’s $10 million budget — the biggest and boldest ever — was met with compliments instead of criticized. The budget outlined $3.6 million Jello wrestling took over the Lion’s Head Pub. Beiks delivered the same message to Castlegar city council one month later when she travelled to the West Kootenay at the request of Castlegar. Meanwhile, the Coalition Unaccepting Rash Bureaucracy and city hall seemed to find some common ground. That came when CURB vice president Walter Flux was appointed to the Official Community Plan Update Committee on March 9. Flux was even elected as the committee’s chair by the 18- member panel who were strapped with the mammoth task of shaping Castlegar’s future. “It’s all part of (CURB’s) acceptance in the community,” Flux said. “Besides, it’s only fair that I do my part. If I’m going to be critical of the city, I’d better be prepared to do my part.” A dispute between the Hospital in capital expenditures the city planned to make in 1992, including the relocation of the cramped city works quarters to the Castlegar Industrial Park. It also outlined some pleasant news for Castlegar homeowners — a two per cent cut in taxes. The School District No. 9 budget was an entirely different matter, however. Local trustees were left doing a budget balancing act after Education Minister Anita Hagen short-changed School District No. 9. The school district was issued a budget of $13,890,220 — an increase of 2.34 per cent over 1991 and slightly less than the provincial average increase of 2.4 per cent. said. “Our enrollment is up and we felt we deserved more.” “We certainly expected a few more per cent than that,” Treasurer John Dascher School District No. 9 never did get an | increase, however. Elsewhere, rumors of the impending closure of the Castlegar post office resurfaced. Rural Dignity Canada B.C. Director Sandra Groepler claimed that Canada Post had a plan in the works that would see offices replaced by privatized wicket service by 1995. She claimed that all letter-sorting — including Castlegar-to-Castlegar correspondence — would be handled through Kelowna. Canada Post refuted those claims, saying nothing would happen to Castlegar’s post office. Ilona Beiks admitted that the Crown corporation was looking to streamline its operation, but it wasn’t prepared to consider the closure of the Castlegar office... yet. “Even if changes were to be made, we would only do them if we could meet the commitment we have made to our customers.” Employees’ Union and the Health Labor Relations Association was taking shape in Castlegar, as well as across the province. After months of failed negotiations, the HEU began job-action which ended when a new contract was approved two months later... just in time for the B.C. Medial Association’s dispute with the provincial government over capped salaries. March notes: Two of three men charged with the killing of Castlegar native Mark Lightle were found guilty of manslaughter by a jury in a Calgary court. The third man charged in the downtown Calgary beating death of Lightle committed suicide. Timothy Stuart Steer, 28, and David Ian Olson, 22, received eight-year prison terms... Pete and Mary Oglow were named Castlegar’s Citizens of the Year by the Castlegar Kiwanis Club. The Oglows were unable to attended their own celebration, however, due to health reasons. @ Saturday, January 9, 1993 April1 992 } The joke was on Castlegar April 1 when The News ran a front-page story announcing the sale of famed Zuckerberg Island to the Tokyo-based Wi Phoole Yu Development Corp. for $18.9 million. The April Fool’s joke claimed quoted Loof Lirpa (April Fool spelled backwards) as saying “we’re excited about this acquisition. “It’s an opportunity to expand our investments in North America.” One story that wasn’t a joke was the official purchase of Westar and Tree Farm Licence No. 23 by Pope and Talbot. Announced in the April 1 edition of The News, the long-awaiting take-over bid was finally approved by Forest Minister Dan Miller, much to the delight of Rossland-Trail MLA Ed Conroy. “I think this is one of the best things that could have happened for the future of Castlegar’s forest industry,” Conroy said. “There are a lot of communities in the province that are not too sure of their forest future. This pretty well ensures that the forest industry in Castlegar will survive for many years to come.” Pope and Talbot officially reopened the Castlegar mill on April 27 with two shifts of 200 workers returning to the jobsite for the first time since being laid-off in November 1991. Meanwhile, down the road at Celgar, things were taking on a much different look as members of the Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada braced for a province-wide strike. The strike vote of Celgar’s 325 workers came after talks between the union and the B.C. Pulp and Paper Bureau broke off. The two sides continued to bargain, but to no avail. The pulp industry was shutdown by a province-wide strike which officially began on June 15. Pope and Talbot workers were laid off as a result of the pulp industry strike. aly, 5 oe John Charters wins special award. In Castlegar politics, things between the city and the Coalition Unaccepting Rash Bureaucracy began to heat up... again. Concerned about the cost of relocating the city works yard to the industrial park, CURB decided to stage an unofficial referendum on the matter. “If enough people say they don’t want it moved, then they can’t move it,” CURB president Mike O’Connor said at a gathering of the citizens group. CURB claimed that the $875,000 expenditure should be put off to another year. Council disagreed, saying cost of the relocation project had been approved through the budget process. As for the public opinion poll, Mayor Audrey Moore cautioned citizens against believing the CURB action would make a difference. “The results of these straw polls can be easily manipulated,” Moore said. They can be manipulated by anyone. “I think council would have to be very careful in weighing the results of this poll. “I think the citizens have to be very careful, as well.” In the end, the CURB poll didn’t change a thing as the new city works yard opened its doors in December 1992. Elsewhere, the Robson-Raspberry Ferry Users Ad Hoc Committee claimed victory on April 10 after the provincial government released the Inland Ferries Report. The group had petitioned the previous Socred government for the report, saying it was the only way the truth behind the removal of the Robson ferry would be discovered. Indeed it was, but the group also discovered that the then-government had designs on removing four other inland routes. “What we have been saying from the very beginning is we saved a lot of communities their ferries,” group member Fern Allam said. “This report proves that.” April notes: School District No. 9 selected their new superintendent in April — Revelstoke’s Everette Surgenor. Surgenor — superintendent in Revelstoke for five years, replaced Terry Wayling who was retiring after nine years in the position... Castlegar’s Lorraine Pazsty was awarded the prestigious Pacific Rim scholarship worth $20,000. She is currently studying in Taiwan... News columnist John Charters was honored in April, receiving a second-place finish in a essay writing contest, sponsored by Western People. Charters’ task was to write 500 words on “what people in your area are doing to make your town a better place?” By all accounts, Charters could have simply written about himself.