News July 28, 1990 eR LOCAL/PROVINCIAL NEWS July 28, 1990 Castlegar New A3 LOCAL NEWS Blockade falls after premier steps in Meanwhile, Lil’wat people continued to block the Duffey Lake Road. Lil’'wat spokesman Terri John said she had notice from the premier’s office Thursday morning that Vander Zalm would be visiting the blockade near Mount Currie after his meeting with chiefs at the BC Rail blockade, But John said the premier never shigWed up. The blockade came down shortly after 7 p.m. Thur- sday and BC Rail spokesman Barrie Wall said traffic should be back to normal today. * On Vancouver Island, Indians in Campbell River said they will block commercial vehicles and out-of- province tourists on the Island Highway beginning this weekend after a driver rammed signs at their information picket Thursday. % SETON PORTAGE (CP) — Traffic along the BC Rail line resumed Friday after Premier Bill Vander Zalm persuaded Indians to drop their blockade. But the protesters warned the blockade will be resumed unless cabinet accepts their demands for aboriginal title and rights. block may resume in three weeks unless cabinet favors the Fountain chief Roger Aldoph said his people ‘‘were document. c, just getting warmed up’’ when the deal was struck to drop The Indians asked Vander’ Zalm to formally wo the blockade. acknowledge receipt of the document and present it to “He rammed some signs down, and then jumped out kanagan ‘PeibalCouncilimembers decided Thur- B.C. Indians have been setting up roadblocks in what __cabinet for consideration, and pulled the other ones down," ‘said Tusoate tind cadiesd focgneicl cies at Vernon and Pen- started as a show of support for Mohawk Indians in: In return, they agreed to drop a two-day blockade Kwaksistala, a member of the Kwakiutl Tj pe teen >» * volved in a standoff in Oka, Que., but has grown to in- that has halted north- and BC Rail The bloc! istogouptoday. ‘Yt roe clude land claims. and freight trains through this village, located 175 Cars with B.C. plates will bg let through because ‘‘we Recommendations: from the premier’s council on — kilometres northeast of Vancouver. The village has a have too much support from the people of B.C. to the land claims are before cabinet and a decision is expec- ted in about three weeks, Indians here seek separate consideration for their demands, as outlined in an 80-year-old document titled Declaration of the Lillooet Tribe, and suggested the road- Silviculture takes on futuristic look CasNews Her Ed Mills recently took a remaii look at some of the silviculture activities in 3 ee which Westar Timber is involved. The following ; Is the first of two reports. Remember George Orwell’s novel 1984? Or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World? Orwell's Big Brother was always watching; Huxley's babies were made in test tubes, genetically programmed to perform in a model world. Both authors told of future worlds with tailor-made people for a tailor-made sogiety. Well, the authors’ visions have arrived, but in the Councillor Eric Mitchell said the tribal council also decided to dismantle the pickets as soon as the standoff in native affairs on how British Columbia should deal with population of 750. jeopardize that,” he said. me a 16 Np mag tee: Oka, Que., is settled peacefully. ON THE RADIO Al Cummings shows the easy way of getting on the radio — by sitting on it, as he chats with a friend at a bus stop in downtown Castlegar Thursday afternoon. — coinews photo by Ed Mills ECONO SPOTS You can save up to 80% on the cost of this ad! 365-5210 Welcomes. . . HAIR LING See RONDA DUTTON ate Cato te to our staff! 1 0 % ALL HER SERVICES 0 (cuts, perms & colors) OFF wen vou present Tuts coupon. | We Made A $pecial Buy! Attractive, multi-toned 40 oz. Nylon-Poly Blend Low profile, densely-piled, action back carpeting — for all those “tough” areas, 4 colors 95 Was 24.95 Now 1 sq. yd. OTHER CARPETING: 5.99, 7.99, 8.99, 10.99, 11.99 to 14.99 sq. yd. ALL IDEAL CARPETING FOR THE “DO-IT-YOURSELF” OR WE INSTALL! — ~~ HOMIE Furniture Warehouse Floor Covering Centre Genelle Phone 693-2227 Located haltway Trail & Castlegor Open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Seturdey Bill continued trom front page belief in the public’s right to know,” Provincial Secretary Howard Dirks said in the house. But Harcourt told reporters the law is a ‘‘Socred scandal coverup bill.’’ He said the legislation is feeble compared to an NDP conflict of in- terest bill introduced earlier in the session. It would have allowed citizens to bring a complaint before a judge. Harcourt also said the government bill means members of the legislature can’t even bring a case before the house, only to the commissioner. “That shows a contempt for 200 years of parliamentary history and parliamentary tradition to exclude members of the legislature from bringing the matter before the legislature.”” The bill received second reading and was expected to be passed Friday. “It has to be one of the most tur- bulent (sessions), not for the events inside the legislature but for what happened outside,’ said political scientist Norman Ruff. But some significant legislation got through. Among some 80 bills passed was one that created a provincial park in the Carmanah Valley on Vancouver Island to protect old-growth Sitka spruce trees and halt logging in half the valley until an environmental study is completed. Another contentious bill allows for referendums on almost any issue. The Socreds claimed their second consecutive balanced budget, which the NDP denounced as smoke-and- mirrors accounting. Rose, who admits the NDP questioned its ethics by making public the Smith tapes, said the government was the author of its own misfortune. “I’ve never seen a government so unable to control damage,”’ he said. Tower__ continued from front page that the mountainous terrain around Castlegar make takeoffs and landings more dangerous than at other airpor- ts. Critics of the move also say the loss of the controllers could lead to delays or even cancellation of some commer- cial flights into and out of Castlegar. Transport Canada spokesmen say ur BRIEFLY From Wire Service cost more than 100 local jobs. the new licensee at Lillooet. condition of the transfer,"’ he said. company to local communities. Premier Bill Vander Zalm said. allow televising of debates. equipment for TV cameras. allowed in the chamber. Quadra. industry. orchard lands. Mills' closure prompts action VICTORIA — The provincial government will take immediate action on the closure of Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd.'s sawmill and planer mill in Lillooet, Forests Minister Claude Richmond said. Ainsworth, which is based at 100 Mile House, has shut down both plants and is moving logs cut in the Lillooet area to its operations elsewhere. Residents of the Cariboo community say Ainsworth’s actions “**] am very concerned about the loss of jobs in Lillooet,’’ Richmond said. ‘‘We take very seriously the obligation that companies have to local communities in which they operate.’” The minister also said the company is still bound by a condition attached to the 1987 transfer of a forest licence in the Lillooet area to Ainsworth, that the timber be processed at a mill owned or operated by “*While the reference to Lillooet was not included in the wording of the renewed forest licence, that licence is still subject to the original Richmond said forest licences do not specify the obligation of a Television coming to legislature VANCOUVER — Television is coming to the B.C. legislature, It will be the “‘last thing to be done’’ to meet his major 1986 campaign promises, he said in an interview. Vander Zalm said plans will be in place ‘‘within a month or two”’ to Shortly after he won the 1986 general election, Vander Zalm backtracked on his promise, saying it would be too expensive to install Since the election, there have been four sessions without cameras Reformers courting Liberal VANCOUVER — Former B.C, Liberal leader Gordon Gibson is being courted by the Reform Party of Canada to run in Vancouver “*T want to talk to Gordon,"’ Reform party leader Preston Manning said following a luncheon speech that Gibson attended. “We're trying to let the Reform party be seen as a position to which people from every political party can come to. And of course in that riding we would have to draw on people who have supported the Liberals in the past and he (Gibson) has been a prominent spokesperson. So we'll talk to him and others.”” Quadra is represented by former national Liberal leader John Turner. Turner, who was replaced in June by Jean Chretien, is expected to step down before the next federal election Pot. sweetened for fruit growers VICTORIA — The B.C. government has introduced legislation to create a new authority to revitalize the province's ailing tree fruit Premier Bill Vander Zalm said the bill would establish the Okanagan Valley Tree Fruit Authority. It would be headed by a government-appointed board with the power to buy, sell or lease — the removal of the c could take place as early as this fall. TOURIST ALERT Tourist Alert issued by the RCMP The following people, believed travelling in British Columbia, are asked to call the person named for an urgent personal message: Stanley Matthews, Thornton, Penn., call Linton Westman Richard and Betty Hersey, West- bank, call Ann Morlin John Eisworth, North Delta, call Joe Eisworth Barbara and Hans Martensen, Koeln, West Germany, call Gerhard Bethge. Jack and Olga Burgs, Alberta, call Olga of Ontario. © Central Foods (Prices effective July 30- August 4) ° Overwaitea (Prices effective July 29- August 4) © SuperValu (Prices effective July 29 August 4) ¢ Zellers (Prices effective August I- August 5) Not olf Hyers receive tull distribution. * these Students continued from front page 32 casual jobs this year, down sub- stantially from last year when 93 stidents found jobs, said Gandha, who works out of the Canada Em- ployment Centre in Trail. “*The numbers are really down this year,” he sai The centre is scheduled to close its doors Aug. 10. To date, more than 460 Students have registered and more than 320 secondary and post- secondary students have been placed in full-time, part-time or casual jobs, Gandha said in a news release. The centre opened May 7. Gandha said the uncertainty among area businesses earlier this year about the Cominco situation ‘‘played a sub- stantial role’’ in the decline in job placements. “Everybody said, ‘Can you guarantee no strike this summer,’ ” Gandha said. However, with labor peace at Cominco and about six weeks remaining before school starts, Gan- dha said there is still time to employ a student to complete a project around the home or to fill a vacancy left by vacationing staff. LOTTERIES The winning numbers drawn Thur- sday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 2, 10, 24, 26, 36, 41, 44 and $4. The winning numbers drawn Wed- nesday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 1, 6, 10, 14, 19, 22, 28 and 33. The winning numbers in Wed- nesday’s Lotto 6/49 draw were 2, 16, 28, 39, 41,46. The bonus number was 2s. There was no winner of the jackpot Prize of $4,485,275.30. Therefore, the Lotto 6/49 -jackpot prize pool estimate for the next draw will be $10,000,000. The second prize pool, awarded to those matching five regular numbers and the bonus number, had seven winners of $124,205.80. The third-prize pool, awarded to those matching five regular numbers, had 267 winners of $2,490.10. The fourth-prize pool, awarded to those matching four regular numbers. had 13,102 winners of $97.60. In addition, ther were 245,982 prizes of $10 awarded to those mat ching three regular numbers. There was a total of 259,358 prizes worth $9,758, 147.80. The four Extra winning numbers for British Columbia on Wednesday were 36, 51, 88 and 97. A match on all four numbers wins $500,000. Three numbers wins $1,000. Two numbers wins $10. One number wins $1. The $1,000,000 winning number in Friday’s Provincial lottery draw is 2319519. There are also subsidiary prizes. In the event of a discrepancy bet ween these numbers and the official winning numbers list, the-latter shall prevail. unlikeliest of places and for a good cause. Welcome to K & C Silviculture Farms — an ordinary looking nursery nestled in the small community of Oliver in B.C.’s South Okanagan. Though it may be an everyday sight with its rows of greenhouses, sprinklers and sheds, for many British Cc — from and government, to forestry workers and entire communities that rely on the forest industry for survival — what’s happening at K & C is crucially important. Simply put, silviculture — Which essentially means growing trees — is the future of forestry, and as the province’ s.biggest industry, forestry, some would argue, is still the future of B.C. With that future in mind, K & C is on the cutting edge of technology — which includes inventing its own — in its effort to keep the forestry future (and its own) bright, and green — the color of money. And that’s exactly what Westar Timber — K & C’s biggest customer and Castlegar’s second largest employer (behind only the Celgar pulp mill) at its sawmill operations — is looking for: Big trees, little trees, disease resistant ones; one’s that can grow on rocky terrain, trees that can grow in the cold, high ona mountain, or in moist areas low in a valley. But most of all, forest companies want K & C to produce seedlings that, when plnted, will live — trees that will grow up happy and healthy until the day they can be cut down and the process started anew. It’s a tall job but K & C is doing some unique things to fit the bill Enter Big Brother. In this case, a computer system with the job of keeping-an eye on, and the pulse of, every living thing in every greenhouse at K & C 24 hours a day Yes, Mr. Orwell, Big Brother is watching, but he’s also monitoring temperature, rate of light and dark, the food, air and water supply. And if anything goes wrong, the computer sounds the alarm. A touch of a button in the main office and any tree on the site can be located and its status checked. No mean feat considering the 14 hectare (45 acre) site has 146 greenhouses with the potential to house almost eight million seedlings at one time. Such complete control is one of the reasons you can look in any of the 30-by-200-foot greenhouses and see rows upon rows of perfect, uniform, little soldier- like spruce, larch or any one of the 12 different species grown there The technology used at K & C, like the computer system, is so new that the staff writes 45 per cent of the software for it. Then there’s a machine shop on site to produce specialized equipment that just can’t be found at the local hardware store K & C is revolutionizing silviculture and, basically, a lot of things are done off the cuff. If one of the managers comes up with an idea to make the business run better — like a better transportation system or a freezing method — he floats it past the other managers and then they see if they can do it More often than not they’ve been successful. Then there’s the research and development room — the experiment room — where, walking around in lab coats, peering into microscopes, biologists consider things like biological controls — getting bugs that are good for trees to eat bugs that are bad for trees. They're also fiddling with how long a seedling can be frozen and how much or how little light it can stand. Accurrent experiment deals with cellular reproduction — test tube trees in a way — in which seeds would no longer be necessary to grow trees. Huxley would’ ve gotten a kick out of that one. The company spends in the neighborhood of . $60,000 a year on research and development, but the quest for the tailor-made tree is not purely, or even mostly, academic at K & C. Money, lots of money, is involved The company makes in the millions of dollars and expects to do better every year. It’s also become Oliver’s largest employer, with 200 people working there during peak periods creating a payroll of about $1.5 million. Silviculture in its current state is still a fairly new industry (although forest companies have been growing and planting trees for years) but it became a booming one when the provincial government decided to get out of the business in 1987 and let the private sector — nurseries and forest companies — handle it That’s when entrepreneurs like K & C general manager Ron Powell, who got into nurseries nine years ago, started to see the forest from the trees. In 1981, K & C produced five million seedlings annually. In 1988, production grew to 11.3 million seedlings a year and last year K & C sowed over 20 million seedlings while carrying another seven million in stock “We presently have contracts with 33 forest companies in all parts of the province,”” says Powell To date, Westar has about five million seedlings at various stages of readiness at K & C and another two million in other nurseries. This year, Westar plans to plant 8.4 million ‘Seedlings at a cost of about $5 million. The company’s goal is complete reforestation of its cutting area by 1995 ; The thing about silviculture, says Powell, is that it's good for everyone, and that’s why he’s smiling “It’s good for government, it’s good, for people and good for the company. Everyone wins.”” ‘Hey, one of these days, we could be doing this all over the place — like a McDonald's one day."’ Fast food trees? Roll over Huxley and tell Orwell the news. , Wednesday: A look at an unusual form of weed control. TREES PLANTED BY YEAR . MILLIONS OF TREES Plantings exceed two billion Here are some facts and figures about silviculture: © Sil-vi-cul-ture (sil-va-cul- chur): a branch of forestry dealing with the development and care of forests. © In 1989, the cumulative num- ber of seedlings planted in B.C. 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 GMMM TREES PLANTED passed the two billion mark. ¢ By 1992; the cumulative number of seedlings planted is ex- pected to pass the three billion mark © Westar Timber, which is aiming for complete reforestation of its cutting area by 1995, will plant a record 8.4 million seedlings this year at a cost of about $5 million © Westar Timber will hire 400 planters who will plant seedlings on 6,000 hectares of land © The projected survival rate for the seedlings is 90 per cent YEAR —— BASELINE Story and photos by Ed Mills inds of seedlings in their pods are h d i gists use ivicull Fi lod! t may look like an ordinary greenhouse (top ot page) but the tho monitored 24 hours a day by a hi np syste (above left) to work on various exp atk oT 4 g one that uses insects that won't harm trees to eat insects that are harmful. Entrepreneur Ron Powell (left), has a growing business on his hands and thet translates into lots of money. The management team (eve) comes up with an idea to improve the business and then they try and make it work. (From ) Brad Powell, Kent Stralbiski, Mark Mack and general manager Ron Powell.