@ Labor Minister asks Vince Ready to draft nonbinding recommendation by Friday Scott David Harrison EDITOR Mike Babaeff says the government is getting desperate. The Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada Local 1 President says La- bor Minister Moe Sihota is straddling the fence. “The government is still trying to be polite about all this,” Babaeff said. Babaeff said Sihota is calling on me- diator Vince Ready to get the govern- ment out of hot water. Concerned over the financial impact of the 25-day-old pulp industry shutdown on the province, Sihota has called on Ready to prepare a list of nonbinding recommen- dations. Those recommendations will be presented Friday. “A move like this shows that the gov- ernment is approaching desperation,” Babaeff said. PPWC President Stan Shewaga agreed. He said the government is look- ing for a way out of the pulp strike. “It’s going to be nonbinding recom- mendations, so we don’t have to agree with them. I can tell you that we’re not Independent protesters showed up outside the Celgar expansion site. gate: of the $700 million construction project Monday and Tuesday. s Monday and Tuesday, prompting the closure going to agree with any r tions that eq our m Sg Ina news release, Sihota stated he is “alarmed” with the financial losses in- curred by the pulp industry shutdown. An industry-report stated last week the shutdown is costing provincial and mu- nicipal governments some $1.1 million a day in lost taxes and stumpage fees. “This government is a strong propo- nent of the collective bargaining process — we believe it’s the best way to settle labor disputes,” Sihota stated. “But we are also keenly aware of our responsi- jahities to the welfare of all British Columbians. Government is not willing to stand idly by while the losses accu- ls any 1s for mulate. Eric Mitterndorfer says he knows all about losses. The Pulp and Paper In- dustrial Relations Bureau President said his industry is saddled with record losses, losing money in each quarter for two-straight years. “The real story isn’t the strike, it’s the losses we have incurred as an industry,” Mitterndorfer said, pointing to a Price Waterhouse report released in June which states that the pulp industry lost $533 million in 1991. “Despite those losses we are still will- ing to make our workers the highest paid in the world,” he said. “There has been no acknowledgement from the unions that we are uncompetitive as an industry and there has been no ac- knowledgement from the union that the deal we proposed in June has stretched us to the limit.” The offer rejected by 89 per cent of B.C.’s* 12,000 striking pulp workers called for a $1 increase over two years. However, it also called for the elimina- tion of one of four statutory holidays. Mitterndorfer contends that the re- moval of the statutory holiday is essen- tial, not to help the industry achieve profitability, but to prevent even further losses. Shewaga reaffirmed the union’s op- position to the removal of any statuto- ry holiday Tuesday. In fact, the union leader said Ready would be foolish enough to include that in his list of non- binding recommendations. “(Ready) knows how we feel about that,” he said. “He knows that we can’t accept any concessions that means a loss to our members.” Mitterndorfer defended the indus- try’s stand as well, saying “Ready is a competent man and he is well aware of what we are facing.” Neither side would speculate at what recommendations Ready would make. Letters to theEDITOR Forced bilingualism is a mean-spirited government hoax Thomas Jefferson, sage, champion of democracy, nominee for “person of the millennium” and third U.S. president said it best: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Uncensored communications is the best guardian of democracy. Free people in a free society can spot the Our politicians have lost the support of Canadians. They tout revamping the constitution to unite Canada, while dictating a mean- spirited policy of forced official They concoct expensive commissions and conferences but only pretend to listen. Now, when Canada needs great statesmen and eloquence to unite us, we get pretenders and myth-peddling politicians acting like patronizing Napoleonic nannies. Floundering transient politicians who: 1) impose taxation without representation, then call Canadians cynical and cranky 2) waste billions, create a sick economy, then twirl in whining spin doctors 3) are intolerant towards democracy and unaccountable to the people 4) believe that their raison d’etre is raisin’ the debt 5) preach unity but double-speak, practice and vote division and stress diversity 6) can’t justify their voting record but call critics vile names 7) would, by indefensible decree, chain Canada to a regime of bureaucratic unelected mandarins with suffocating official everything and democratic nothing 8) without our permission, try to dictate forced official bilingualism, 9) consult Canadians, ignore them, act dictatorial and call that leadership 10) spout the Orwellian spoof that some Canadians are more equal than others I’ve now had the pleasure of driving across Canada. From the East Coast fishermen to the Chinatown clerks in British Columbia and all the other friendly folks in between. The strong bond that unites our great country is the English language. Canada’s reality (98 per cent of daily newspapers in nine of the 10 provinces are printed in English) does not diminish the beautiful French-Canadian language and culture that our province of Quebec has, understandably, chosen to retain, but it does underline the illogic of wasting billions of taxpayers’ dollars pretending that Canada is bilingual. It’s time that Canadians had a referendum on _ forced official bilingualism. Democracy means “ by the people” all the time, not just five minutes in a voting booth every four years to guess which citizens will represent us best and be our agents of democracy, not sheep of their party. Bad government is everyone’s folly. Good government is everyone’s business. Jim Grant, St. Catharines, Ont. B.C. HYDRO SAYS NO TO ZUCKERBERG ISLAND AID, PAGE 23 @ Wednesday, July 8, 1992 AroundTOWN Our People Glen Freeman 365-7266 MOOSE ON THE LOOSE Youth of all ages are invited to the Syringa Creek Provincial Park Sunday at 10 a.m. to enjoy the Jerry's Rangers Club. Jerry the Moose and his critter buddies will delight all who attend. PUPPET PALS More than 130 fans were delighted by a marionette and Puppet show at the Castlegar Public Library Saturday, June 27, but it was puppeteers Anne Kelly and Cecilia Skwarok who stole the show with their award- winning performance. OurPEOPLE Lessons in love Castlegar couple proves that high school romances don’t have to be puppy love Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER They. say that basketball is good for the heart. And nobody knows that better than Stanley Humphries Secondary School teachers John Ritchie and Colette Pilloud. The two hoopsters were wed Saturday. And where else would such a ceremony take place but on the SHSS basketball court. “We couldn’t think of a better place to get married,” Pilloud said. “We met on a basketball court, that’s where we spend most of our time. It has a real history for us.” The two roundball coaches met at a University of British Columbia basketball camp in the summer of 1986, and depending on who you ask, it was love at first sight. “We were both seeing other people when we met,” Pilloud said. “Our relationship was casual for the first year or so, and then we started coaching together.” Pilloud added that a “very competent” coach Ritchie then took control of the UBC Thunderbirds. Pilloud was an easy pick for co-coach, “By then we had broken up with our other partners. We used to just sit around and have tea together. It was a lot of fun,” she said. But Ritchie sees things a little differently. “She was the first basketball person I met when I got to Vancouver,” said Windsor, Ont. native Ritchie. “And she filled all of my criteria. She’s great on the court, she can out lift me in the weightroom — sometimes — and she wanted to move to a great community like Castlegar. “How could I go wrong?” He couldn’t, and the two moved to Castlegar in August of 1990. “That’s when both of us were hired on at the high school. We just love it there,” Pilloud said. And after seeing each other every day for two years in the hallowed halls of SHSS, the News photo by Jonathan Green John Ritchie and Colette Pilloud were the toast of the court Saturday as they tied the knot at the SHSS gymnasium. couple finally made the big slam-dunk this weekend. About 100 close friends and family adorned the gymnasium Saturday as the couple lost their free-agency and signed the big contract’ with no escape clauses. “It was a great wedding,” Ritchie said. “I don’t think I would change a thing. It was exactly what we wanted.” The beautiful bride was gracing a knee-length wedding ~ dress adorned with pearls. The groom sported a black tuxedo and, you guessed it, a pair of Nike Air Huarache’s on his golden arches. And what would a wedding be without a game of hoop. “We played a little one-on-one and I got beat,” Ritchie said. “She hit the outside jumper. I drove to the net and put in a lay up, but she beat me.” Even though the game didn’t go his way, Ritchie says the future is bright. “Things are looking great right now,” he said. “We’re spending our honeymoon moving, but that’s no big deal. It will be worth it when we get into our new house.” . The couple is constructing a home in Ootischenia which should be finished by the fall. “We plan on spending a long time in Castlegar,” Pilloud said, and her husband agreed wholeheartedly. “We'll be here as long as the people want us here,” he said. Or maybe just long enough to have a basketball team — er, family — of their very own. The following is a list of Stanley Humphries Secondary School students who were honored for their outstanding tallents Thursday, June 26. CLUB AWARDS Interact Club: Paula Furey. Candy Stripers: Amber Giesbrecht. Theatre Sports: Best Rookie Player — Elizabeth Anderson. Most Creative Player — Matthew Hample. Omega Theatre: Jr. Acting Award — Takaia Casler; Sr. Acting Award—Gavin Mealing; Student Direcor-— Leigha Belanger; Technician — Misha Burhman. zeviinemental Club: Games Club: Jeremy Fleet. Olympic Weight Lifting: Ken Parkes. Exchange Students: Rodrigo Barbosa (Brazil) Anna Zabinska (Poland) Cheerleaders: Most outstanding — Laura Peterson; Most improved — Holly Waywood; Most dedicated — Rhonda Welfare. CounterAttack: Silver prize, Youth Leadership — Bruce Wilson; Club Award — Linda Esovoloff. OUTSTANDING CITIZENS Grade 9 recipients: Sandra Dosanjh, Ryan Bennet, Nicole Harassemow, Jason Cardeiro, Elizabeth Anderson, Amy Strelioff, Kim Quiding, Shannon SHSS students honored for special talents Gienger, Sonja Han, Tanya Todd, Sara Healing. Grade 10 recipients: Averil Sheppard, Todd Smee, Melanie Strelive, Warren Harshenin, Christine Brownlie, Leanne White, Leona Jones, Laura Kosowna, Ron Garay, Todd Bonderoff. “ Grade 11 recipients: Tammy Giles, Connie Alves, Wendy Closkey, Bonnie MacDonald, Germana Ferriera, Laura Peterson, Corina Waage, Venie Voykin, Angie Strelive, Lonestar Littleworlf, Janet Kalesnikoff, Christina Evdokimoff, Allison Ritson. Grade 12 recipients: Greg Akselson, Kelly Marsh, Lorraine Paszty, Sonoko Kambara, Eric Ruljancich, Laurel Closkey, Jasson Stupnikoff, Carolyn Chernoff, George Wabisca, Christina Rowsell, Corrine Bartsoff, Dan Proctor, Jason Taylor. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE _ Grade 9: Sandeep Dosanjh, Celia Mansbridge, Kim Quiding, Jolene Ozeroff, Michael Kooznetsoff. Grade 10: Leona Jones, Sara Vatkin, Melanie Browlie;Hanna Van de Vosse, Marni Sloper. Grade 11: Janet Kalesnikoff, Brian Port, Karen Hawkins, Tammy Giles, Wendy Closkey. Grade 12: Sonoko Kambara, Eric Ruljacich, Carly Lychak, mf Davidoff, Tom Phipps.