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Saturday; September 26, 1992

TheFARSIDE

By Gary Larson

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Selkirk seeks

Corinne Jackson
NEWS REPORTER :

More provincial funding is
required if Selkirk College is

expected to maintain high pro-
gram standards.

The college’s president pre-
sented a briefto Castlegar city
council recently asking for
support in Selkirk’s push for
more provincial funding.

“We spoke to council be-
cause it’s part of keeping peo-
ple informed of what our plans
are,” Leo Perra said in a re-
cent interview. .

Perra says the provincial
funding formula must be
changed. He says the province
“must increase the amount
provided per student.”

Perra said Selkirk was giv-
en $17 million this year — an
increase of 2.6 per cent over
1991 which equals $6,775 for
each full-time student.

Although the college was
able to balance its budget, Per-
ra contends more money for

Good Evening
from the

INF Fireside

new formula

instructional and support
costs are required. He said the
government's formula as-
sumes that class sizes are the
same around the province.

In fact, a big city like Van-
couver would have an easier
time filling classes than small-
er cities, he argued.

According to Perra, the for-
mula does not account for the
possibility of smaller class
sizes that require the same in-
structional needs. Therefore
the cost of running a program
in a remote area is often high-
er, he explained.

“They assume, for example,
that there are 30 students in
each English class across the
province, but we can’t always

achieve this,” Perra said.

“We'd like to see a bettering
of the funding mechanism.

“If we looked at changing
the formula that determined
the $6,775, it would generate
more money for us and make
life easier for us.”

CURB candidate set for race

Wi Doug Green prepares
for council challenge

ning in Castlegar’s byelec-
tion to make

He hopes to win a seat
on city council and push
for “more open commun1-
cation.”

Green was announced.
as a candidate last week
with the support of the

lic.

process.

Coalition Unaccepting
Rash Bureaucracy.

The CURB candidate
says he carries the same
dissatisfaction with the
city as the rest of his mem- A
bership. Green says he is in.
particularly upset with
the way the city gathers
information from the pub-

“By the time (a project)
comes to an a
i d reen :
iL tee cx solr The deadline for nomi-

»

Green plans to change

t.

“Pll be there to ask
questions. I’m not there to
make friends. I’m there
for the people who put me

Green, a Castlegar resi-
dent for 19 years, is mar-
ried with two sons.

To date, Green is the on-
ly person to step forward
and announce his candi-
dacy.

nations is Oct. 1.

New challenge for forest industry

@ B.C. must expand remanufacturing
base to survive into the future

Scott David Harrison
EDITOR .

Ed Conroy says the B.C. lumber industry
must diversify. ,

The Rossland-Trail MLA says British Co-
lumbia must develop a master plan to deal with
depleted timber resources. He also says the

rovince must start manufacturing its own raw
materials instead of shipping lumber abroad.

“The allowable annual cuts will probably de-
crease in 1993, so we have to begin looking at
value enhancing industries,” he said.

Conroy said a decrease in AACs would force
the timber industry into layoffs. He said layoffs
in the forest industry can be offset by the de-
velopment of lumber remanufacturing indus-
tries within British Columbia. :

“We can fill some of the lost jobs in the pri-
mary industry if we develop this manufactur-
ing base,” Conroy said. -

The rookie MLA is currently touring the
province with the Select Standing Committee
on Forests. Co-chair of the all-party commit-
tee with Nelson-Creston MLA Corky Evans,
Conroy said the province must take stock of the
resources it has and do everything it can to de-
velop a remanufacturing base.

“The forest industry can’t go on doing what

it has in the past,” he said. “Depending on who
you talk to (we’re in trouble). If you talk to the
guy that is laying down in front of a bulldozer
on Vancouver Island, our forests are devastat-
ed,” Conroy said. “If you talk to the industry,
our forests will last forever.” .
Conroy said the province must take inven-
tory of B.C.’s forest supplies and develop strate-
gies that will see the timber last. :

“As far as I’m concerned, that is something

that should have been done a long time ago.”

Conroy said only when an inventory of B.C.’s
timber supply has been taken can the govern-
ment take the appropriate steps to secure a vi-
brant forest industry. . ;

“(Studying inventory) is something that will
take time,” he said, “but it has to be done. We
have to know what we are working with. My
gut feeling is that we have been overcutting.”

The Select Standing Committee on Forests
will continue its tour of the province to discov-
er what the needs of B.C.’s remanufacturing in-
dustries are. The committee is accepting public
submissions up to Oct. 23. .

Currently in B.C., lumber remanufacturing
employees 3,500 people. It generates annual
revenues of $700 million. ;

“It’s a growth industry,” Conroy said. “We
have to look at ways that we can keep it grow-
ing and that what this committee is trying to
do.”

Saturday; Sep

lbét 26, 1992"

3a

CALL THE
NEWS

@General Inquiries

The News is
located at 197
Columbia Ave. Our
office hours are
Monday to Friday,
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed on
weekends and

SecondFRONT :

Wl Rossland-Trail MLA wants Canada
to pass accord and work on deficit

Scott David Harrison
EDITOR

Ed Conroy says he’s not surprised to see
British Columbia’s Liberals and Socreds
making political hay out of the
Charlottetown Accord.

The New Democrat MLA says the two
political parties are posturing in the hopes
of gaining political points with British
Columbia voters.

“That’s just the nature of the beast,” the
Rossland-Trail MLA said of Liberal and
Socred opposition to the constitutional
package. “We say we like it and they say
they don’t. That’s what happens when
you're in opposition.”

Conroy said political parties are looking

for reasons to oppose the accord, instead of
exploring ways to keep the country
together.

“If you want to cherry pick a lot of things
in the accord, you can,” he said. “You can
cherry pick good things about the accord
and you can cherry pick bad things about
the accord.”

Conroy said he only has one reservation
about the accord, which will be voted on
during a national referendum on Oct. 26.
He said he is disappointed that the package
“ignores the disabled.

“I think that was the major faux pas of
the entire agreement.”

Despite that, Conroy said the accord is a
good deal for British Columbia.

“I don’t think the deal will have an
impact on British Columbia at all,” he said.

Not so says Scored leader Jack

Conroy backs Charlottetown Accord

Weisgerber. Speaking at the Union of B.C.
Municipalities convention in Vernon
Wednesday, Weisgerber restated his
opposition to the constitutional package,
stating that the Charlottetown Accord
“would open up a Pandora’s box.”

Weisgerber stated that Quebec’s distinct
society clause and its guarantee of 25 per
cent of the House of Commons seats
“strikes against the very heart of
democracy by arbitrarily abandoning the
one person, one vote rule.”

Conroy says those are the issues that the
“no forces” will concentrate on as they try to
dismantle a nation.

“We have to get the constitution behind
us,” Conroy said. “I want to start dealing
with the needs of our constituents,” he said.
“I think it’s high time we start dealing with
things like the deficit.”

SOUND OF MUSIC

Food bank
still needs
extra help

Wi Salvation Army gets some
support, but more is needed

Neil Rachynski
NEWS REPORTER

The Salvation Army still
needs more food for its food
bank.

Following a story in The
News as well as a call for
assistance by the Salvation
Army, Castlegar did respond —
but more food is needed.

Community services co-
ordinator Dick Parr says, “I
believe it did help some, but it’s
still slow. We could use more
food.”

Parr says a cash donationiby
the Royal Canadian Legion was

News photo by Neil Rachynski
Now that’s a boom box. This truck from Clarion Car Audio was a big attention-getter Wednesday at the front
of Pete’s TV. Numerous folks stopped to check out the vehicle’s 1,180 watt car audio system.

a big help.
“We had enough food for
handing out hampers.”

Corinne Jackson

Seniors’ housing finally addressed

He says the money from
clothing sales at the Thrift
Store are helping, but not in the
short-term.

“People who shop at the store

Southern Fried Hospitality
through September 27!

BLACKENED CATFISH

Soraya gt aor ga $4 5
and blackened. Served

statutory holidays.

SUB
RATES

where the facilities are,” Maund said. “They
haven’t stayed here because we haven’t had
places for them.”

Demonstrating the growing problem, Maund
said the committee has recently found that 43
per cent of Castlegar’s population is more than
35 years of age.

“We have more seniors in our mix of
population than the average Canadian town of
our size,” she said.

To deal with Castlegar’s aging population, the
committee will be asking anyone 40 years old and
older to fill in the survey.

“Forty is the age at which people are beginning
to think about their next living arrangements,”
Maund said.

As well, she said there is an interest in the
community for combined adult and. senior
housing.

Maund announced the survey will begin with
an open forum. The meeting will be on Oct. 20,
7:30 p.m. at the Community Complex.

“We will be looking at what exists and what
should exist.”

are helping the food bank in the
long run,” Parr said.

“With clothing (shortages) we
can get something from Trail or
from somewhere else, but food
is different.”

The Salvation Army is no
longer handing out food
vouchers, as it had to do when it
first started up in Castlegar.
Vouchers are taken to grocery
stores and used to'buy food.

What the Salvation Army
needs right now is non-
perishable goods. And with the
onset of cooler weather comes
and increased demand for food.

“People start to heat their
homes and that can cut into the
food budget,” Parr said. “We
need canned or frozen food.”

Donations to the Salvation
Army can be made at 1100 - 3rd
St. in Castlegar. ;

NEWS REPORTER

It is a mixed blessing.

The Castlegar and District Senior Citizens
Action Committee is happy to receive money for a
senior’s housing survey, but feels they’ve been
pushed into it.

Lack of affordable and functional senior’s
housing is an issue that has been put off for too
long, the committee’s project manager said.

Elma Maund recently announced that the
organization received a grant as part of the
Federal New Horizons, Seniors Independence
Program.

But the study’s supervisor said that “this
project came pounding on our door. It wasn’t
something we were looking for.”

The issue could only be ignored for so long and
then seniors were going to demand a solution,
Maund said.

“We have, until now, looked at housing for
families but now we're forced to look at seniors
housing.”

“Traditionally our seniors have moved to

Phone in your birthday wish or drop by
the Castlegar News office.

We will print it FREE OF CHARGE
starting Saturday, Oct. 3. All Birthday
greetings must be in by 10:00 a.m.
Thursday for our Saturday paper. Our
phone number is 365-7226.

The News is
published by Castle
News Ltd. for
Canwest
Publishers Ltd. Mail
subscription rate to
The News is
$37.50 per year.
The price on
newsstands is 75¢
for each edition.
The price delivered
by newspaper
carrier for both
editions is only 90¢
a week (|

monthly). GST
extra. Second class
mail registration
number 0019.

514”

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