fatativea Libra. Vv VSv kd 4 Poy mans 3 i ctorin, 5. C. idvae, STLEGAR NEWS Feb. Diptributed Bright and Karly Every Thursday Morning at "The Crossroads of the Kootenays” a CM VOL. 81, No, 31 TWO SECTIONS (A&B) CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1978 25 CENTS NE ~ Castleg By RYON QUEDES -CasNews Editor The city will cease running Castlegar Airport after Oct. 31. City Council Announces Oct. 31 Cutoff Date That was the decision city council members reached in a closed meeting last Tuesday after examining city solicitor Galt Wilson's recommendations on the new airport head lease proposed by the federal transport ministry, Citing the lack of federal government co-operation and tangible benefits for operating the airport, council voted to serve immediate of the cut-off date notice to the ministry. The motion, moved by airport committee chairman Ald. Gerald Rust, also noted the lack of proper equipment and the potential liability faced by the city in any further involvement with : the airport function. decision was based on the city solicitor's recommendations and council members’ fears that the city, which took over operation of the airport about two years ago, could face legal problems similar to those of the City of Cranbrook after the Feb. 11 disaster at Cranbrook airport. “We've nothing to gain from exposing ourselves to those liabilities,” he said. “And the terms of the head lease are such that we would be arguing back and forth in communications with the ministry to get them to be fair to the ipality.” Although the ministry pays a portion of the administrative costs of running the airport, its operation represents a con- siderable workload for city staff, Rust said. Out of six B.C. municipalities running airports in a similar manner, Cranbrook and Kelowna as well as Castlegar are opting out, he said. The airport committee chairman said he was uncertain how much time after Oct. 31 would be required for the management “Let the ministry run it and face some of the problems we have been facing as individuals on council,” Rust continued. “The ministry will have to recognize the fact that these airports are just 8 “I suspect it will be a couple of months before we get them to take it back,” he said, r COE Interviewed: Tuesday, Rust told the Castlegar News the as entitled to safety as the major airports.” _ [Curtis Denies City’s Charge Municipal Affairs Minister Hugh Curtis has denied city ‘council's charge that he is evading Castlegar's water sup-! ply problem. In response to council's - telegram last Wednesday citing his failure to discuss the city’s proposed Arrow Lakes supply in comparison with results of environment ministry tests on Lake Logs a groundwater source at Sel- kirk College, Curtis said in Friday's letter that he rejected “without hesitation the in- ference that this ministry is in any way evading what is ad- mittedly an urgent problem.” “Considerable progress has been made in finding a rational and responsible solu- (Cont'd Pg. A2, Col. 4) a Hazard, Local Boater Claims Logs and debris floating in the lower Arrow Lakes are a distinct hazard to boaters in the area, according to a local resident. Tom Johnston told the . Castlegar News this week that he and several other boaters in the area have recently sus- tained-heavy damage to their crafts after hitting logs which have apparently escaped from booms transported south on the lake to CanCel’s local pulp and sawmill operations, Johnston said he damaged a propeller on his own newly- purchased boat when he used it in the lake last Sunday. “What I had hit wasn'ta surface log,” he said. “It was about one foot under water.” “All sorts of people have had this happen to them,” he continued. “If it gets the slight- est bit choppy on the lake, you can't see the logs and you just hope.” ‘ Gerry Bindert, CanCel's personnel and safety super- visor, said Johnston's report on the he heard in the area, He said the ‘was the’first he had © ee ‘ GENELLE DEFENDANTS (left to right) Eric Taylor, Herb McGregor, and Brent Lee leave courtroom Tuesday alter brief appear. ance In which thelr trial for obsteucting Mayor Audrey Moore, also contacted Tuesday, noted that ar to Bow Out of Airport Function — during the crash of a water bomber at Castlegar Airport last Tuesday four city fire trucks, as well as the airport's chemical truck, responded to the alarm. “Where's our responsibility to the people of Castlegar if there had been a fire in the city at that time?" Moore asked. In addition, the city has no contro! over the regulations or the financing of the airport, she said. She said the airport serves a population of about 60,000 but the city's power of taxation to cover any liability would only extend to the city boundaries, . Council members first indicated they would consider withdrawing the city from the airport function June 13 when they to cease ‘ing it in late Sep unless the ministry delivered a new head lease for the airport by June 30, (see earlier story on Page B1.) ‘@ exploration of uranium deposits at China Creek was adjourned to Oct. 24. —CasNewsFoto by Ryon Guedes Residents Seek Meeting With Chabot Trial Delayed 3 Months ‘The trial of three Genelle men charged with obstructing a road drilling crew exploring China Creek uranium deposits wag adjourned to Oct. 24 in provincial court-here-Tuestlay.- Judge L. J. Keffer ordered the adj in response to logs were not from CanCel booms, noting that fluc- tuations in ‘the. lake's water level could result in the pres- ence of more debris in the water. “The debris could be from anywhere," he said. Normal procedure for boat- ers on the lake is to “proceed with caution,” he said. Alberta, Saskatchewan Temporary Jobs Eyed Job markets in Alberta and Saskatchewan are among the employment opportunities being investigated for ‘nearly 200 International Woodworkers of America members left out of work by the June 17 fire at CanCel’s local sawmill opera- tion, Rossland-Trail MLA Chris D'Arcy said this week. ministry representatives ap- pointed to find new jobs for the unemployed sawmill workers, said there is a low unemploy- ment rate and a high demand for seasonal workers in the two provinces. “It's temporary, and we're not making any bones about that, D'Arcy said. “It's not but it's hi D'Arcy, of the joint five-member committee of union, company, Canada Man- power and provincial labor to tide them over.” He said the committee this (Cont'd Pg. A2, Col. 5) Tim Messenger New _ Advertising Manager ‘Tim Messenger has been appointed advertising manager of the Castlegar News, publish- er Burt Campbell announced this week. Messenger, 31, has held a number of positions with Thom- son Newspapers, most recently with The Trentonian in Trent- on, Ont. TIM MESSENGER +. Joins CasNews team 4 “Messenger was born and raised in Trail, and his parents now reside at Fruitvale. He joined radio station CJAT in Trail after graduating from high school and started his newspaper career with the Rossland Miner before joining the Thomson organization at Penticton. His wife, Teri, was born in Nelson and her parents live at Grand Forks. They have three children: Braden, 4, Jeremy, 2, and Tracy, nine months. In Trenton Messenger was a member of Kiwanis and served as a director of the Trenton Chamber of Com- merce. He enjoys music as a hobby and plays the guitar. He likes all sports, and in Trail was active in both junior and senior baseball. The Messengers have been looking for an opportunity to return to British Columbia, particularly the Kootenays, and look forward to making their home in the growing Castlegar district. a request from Vancouver lawyer Leo McGrady, counsel for Herb McGregor, 46, Eric Taylor, $2 and Brent Lee, 33, for additional time to prepare" the defence case. Interviewed Tuesday Me- Gregor told the Castlegar News - McGrady, who had originally asked for an early trai) date, required the additional time to secure testimony by a witness who is an expert on nuclear power. Charged with intimidation under Section 381 of the Criminal Code after a five-hour confrontation July 10, the three were the only members of a group of about 50 area resi- dents who refused to obey a direct RCMP order to stand aside to allow Manny Con- sultants, conducting tests on behalf of the China Creek Mining Consortium, to use an access road to the drilling site. Tom McKenzie, a spokes- IN RECOGNITION of the five gold medals she won at the 1978 8.C. Games for the Physically Handicapped, champion swim- mer Cheryl Kristiansen Is presented a certificate of merit by Mayor Audrey Moore f of the city. The mayor wished 1, a alngle-leg amputee, good luck at the Canada Games for the Physically Handl- capped In St. Johns, Nild., Aug. 20 to 22, ch man for the Genelle ad hoc committee: organizing opposi- tion to the drilling, said resi- dents were still blockading the road this week although there was little activity at the drilling ite. “There's been no activity there other than our own,” Mc- Kenzie said. * He said committee mem- bers have “exhausted” the mines ministry, Pollution Con- trol Branch and water rights branch officials and hope to meet with Mines Minister Jim Chabot in Victoria in the near future to discuss their proposal for a five-year moratorium on ‘exploration and mining for uranium. : But Rossland-Trail MLA Chris D'Arcy, said this week he has had no success in setting Water Bomber Crash Inquiry The date for an inquiry into the water bomber crash which caused the death of a 35-year-old Abbotsford man at Castlegar Airport last Tuesday will be named “within a week,” the Castle- gar News was told this week, City coroner Carl Loe- Coroner to Set Date blich said he has yet to receive a report from local RCMP and complete his own report on the crash, which occurred during a demon- stration of the twin-engined Grumman aircraft's _ fire- fighting capabilities. He said no inquest into the death of pilot Robert Smith will be held because he was the only person aboard the craft—owned by Con Air of Abbotsford—and nothing remained of his body after the plane plunged to the side of the runway” and caught fire. action they can take with local {Cont'd Pg. A2, Col. 2) Water Regulations Officer Eliminated The city water regulations enforcement officer's position no longer ‘exists. , But water users will be subject to even stricter policing by city works crews. of Ina closed meeting last Tuesday, city council members voted to eliminate the position “as it is impossible for one person to supply the enforcement necessary to curtail the abuse of the water inkli lations.” Council also it d city crews “to ‘stringently enforce the water sprinkling regulations by turning: offenders’ water off without first issuing warnings.” Ald. Gerald Rust, who in the public portion of Tuesday's meeting called for stricter enforcement.of the regulations, told the Castlegar News this week “eight to 10" city works trucks regularly travel throughout the city during the day, and each truck is equipped with a water turnoff key. . Me. Canada Works Grant Seen As Route to Extra $9,000 (Cont'd Pg. A2, Col. 4) THE INSIDE A Canada Works project. could be part of the answer to funding problems faced by the National Exhibition Centre here, the centre's director said this week. Bernard Bloom said Tues- day that a decision is expected this week on his application for federal funds which would cover four salaries over a 14- week period may provide part of the $18,000 the NEC must ~ obtain from other sources in order to receive an extra $9,000 from National Museums of Canada. Although the money pro- vided for the project would only cover the four salaries, he said it would represent a significant portion of the outside funding required by the NEC, which has been allocated only $9,000 in federal core funding. “The main thing would be in helping us to finesse our way through the various hula hoops the federal government wants us to go through,” Bloom said. He said funds from other sources would include a grant of $2,500—$2,500 less than last year—from the City of Castle- gar, a proposed $2,000 from the provincial government and $500 from the Kootenay Re- gional Arts Council. Bloom said another de- velopment in the NEC funding are scheduled to compete in a three-day tournament at Kinnaird Park . this weekend. Page Al2 situation was the news that the $9,000 for core funding is ex- pected to arrive in the near future and National Museums RCMP to Get Help | With Paperburden City council has decided to help local RCMP members with their paperwork. Council members last Tuesday supported a motion by Ald. Jim Gouk, a member of the city's protective services com- mittee, to grant the RCMP request for up to $7,000 for half the salary of an extra fulltime clerk-steno and additional office equipment for the Castlegar detachment effective Jan. 1, 1979. Gouk, who said he recently accompanied an RCMP night patrol, told council the paper- work faced by members re- duces their effectiveness in en- forcing the law. “Each time any type of in- cident comes up during the evening patrol, they have to go back and write a full report,” Gouk said. “This has to be done during the duty day and cuts rather severely into their effec- tive time for policing action.” “Basically we're hiring RCMP constables and we're getting part-time constables and part-time secretaries,” Council agreed on the $7,000 maximum for the half salary and the cost of such equipment as a desk, chair, bookease, conference table, three tape recorders and a transcriber after Ald. Len Em- bree asked for an exact figure (Cont'd Pg. A2, Col. 3) Permit Refund Seekers To Get Back Only 75% If you're seeking a refund of your city building permit fee, expect to receive 25 per cent less thah what you paid. City council last Tuesday The city is authorized to name the 25-per-cent adminis- trative fees under Section 9 of the Castlegar Building Bylaw No. 132 without requiring any pproved finance chairman Ald. Gerald Rust’s recommendation that the city administration costs deducted from fees for permit applica- tions which have been rejected or allowed to lapse for six months or more be increased from 10 per cent. “There have been a signi- ficant number of applications taken out for building permits, and now they're asking for re- and suggested she might be rep Canada in International competitions In October. In an Intensive campaign, two area radio atatlons, and Kootenay Savings Credit Union's Castlegar and Trall branches had ralsed nearly $2,800 by yesterday noon to pay Cheryl’s expenses at the St. Johns games. —CasNewaFoto by Ryon Guedes has already been done, except for the final inspection.” He said some i bylaw Rust said. = STEAM: The provincial government's museum train exhibit comes to Castlegar. 5 Page BL STALLING: Municipal Affairs Minister Hugh Curtis doesn't have the authority to give us an answer. e Page Al4 Ann Landers ... Page AS Bill Smiley . ... Page B2 Classified Ads, Real Estate, and Automotive... Pages A8-A9-A10-Al1 Page B7 Entertainment............ Pages A4-A5 One Man's Opinion........ Page A! Sports Pages A6, Al0, Al2, BS Telenews ... Pages B3-B4 (Weekend - Weathercast MOSTLY SUNNY today, with a high of 28 to 32. The lows will drop to between nine and 12 degrees. Outlook for the week is for mostly sunny weather, with season- al temperatures, as the ridge of high pressure which is responsible for this fine weather moves very slowly eastward. Our summer weather is expected to con- J: -tinue for at least the next three days. For conyenient home delivery:: ; of the Castlegar News, call” 365-7266. ee Long Weekend Brings News Out on Friday The Castlegar News will be distributed Friday morning . next week, Inslead of on Thursday morning. oa The change In publishing dat Is necessary because B.C. Day hollday Ison Monday, Aug. 7 and our employees will not be working that day. As well, over 25 per cent of the Castlegar News staff wil! also be on annual vacation at that time putting a atraln on our normal production capacity. y. We hope this necessary change in publishing date won't may be delaying action on the permit applications in anticipa- tion of a city moratorium on building which could result from a water shortage. too greatly and we ask our our carriers to make note of the change. Since we will be back to full staff by Aug. 31, the Labor Day hollday In early September will not require a change In publishing date.