uibrary. Parliament Victoria, gor and the rest of the country began to fall this week... A3 d jldgs.. Ths six winning numbers in Saturday's Lotto 6-49 draw were nine, 16, 19, 25, 34 and 36. The CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1986 saieiiiiai ae oaimiamemmandll Board faces $366,000 cutback . Window of new C of f Commerce building provides suitable frame tor foundation has been poured and workman. Building ig 's Pp munity Complex. g quickly at site next to Com CosNews Photo by Ron Normar TOXIC WOOD WASTE Ministry set to burn By CHERYL CALDERBANK Staff Writer B.C.'s environment ministry has finally decided how to dispose of a toxic wood waste pile at Meadow Creek Cedar mill near Kaslo. Dennis McDonald, regional director for the ministry, d this week The earliest the burn could take place is Wednesday. The date of the burn will be determined by monitoring meteorlogical conditions for the area and long-range weather forecasts. “It will depend on the earliest suit- able time period after that date that a major pile of wood waste will be burned, while a smaller pile will be trucked to a landfill site. The burning has caused a lot of controversy because residents in the Meadow Creek area feel the burn will pose undue health risks. About 30,000 cubic metres of waste wood was contaminated last fall after workers at Meadow Creek Cedar sprayed wood with a preservative con- taining chorophenols. When burned, chlorophenols give off dioxins. But the ministry has said “no more than a tablespoonful” of chlorophenols was sprayed on the wood because the chemical was diluted by a 100-1 ratio before it was used. The ministry says only a “small amount” of toxic dioxin will be released into the atmosphere. (Ww day),” McDonald said. Te environment ministry had given Meadow Creek Cedar permission to burn the wood waste last month but the burn was put on hold after a public meeting in Meadow Creek. McDonald said that originally his staff's evaluation determined that it was safe to burn the wood waste. How. ever, after the public meeting some of the participants submitted information which they asked the ministry to take into account before proceeding with the burn. McDonald added that he didn't know at the time if the information was new or not. However, the ministry took time to review the information. As well, during the review, the ministry called in a team of specialists from Victoria to assess the situation and give a second opinion. “Their evaluation confirmed initial evaluation,” McDonald said. McDonald said there was “a lot of concern” expressed at the public meeting — attended by between 125 and 150 people — about the possibility that the burn would pose undue health risks to residents. He said the ministry is satisfied the burn won't cause problems witn diox ins. However, he added there is no question that there may be some problem with smoke in the atmos phere He noted that the burn has been re viewed with Central Kootenay medical health officer Monty Arnott and his ministry has “no problem” allowing it to oceur. The environment ministry will also hold an open house at the Meadow Creek School Monday from 3-5 p.m and 7-9 p.m. where ministry staff will be available to answer additional ques tions residents may have about the situation. the Bennett's announcement of a $110 funds to school districts on a per student basis. school district receives $3,601 per student. “We're an additional de- cline of 54 students for Sept. 1, 1986,” Wayling said. “That would be an addi- tional $194,000” that the district would ‘That means the total reduction in the million in fund for B.C.'s restraint-ravaged education system. “It's worse that it ever has been,” chairman Kay Johnson's “It's like they take away $10, give you back $5 and call it an increase,” she said, referring to the budget for next year could increases to teachers that may result from the current negotiations between the CDTA and the board, Wayling said. “That's the news, and the news is Of that total, 83.1 per cent — or $7,061,640 — goes toward paying the salaries of Furthermore, the government's fig- ures don't include funds for salary Public Employees Local 1298, Johnson . teaching staff, board wants their input into formulat- and Wayling the V meeting and Castlegar’s budget. Wayling said the government's fund. ing for 1986-87 “indicates a reduction of $172,000" in the district's operating budget. However, he added that the reduc. tion doesn't take into account the dis. trict's declining enrolment, which could mean a further reduction of $194,000 in funds, since the government allocates Commissioner called in By CasNews Staff Critical industries commissioner Art Phillips has become involved in the negotiations between Cominco Ltd. and the provincial government over reduced water taxes. However, the degree of Phillips's in volvement has not been made clear. Premier Bill Bennett said that he had separate meetings this week with Cominco chief executive Norman An derson and with Phillips “and progress was being made.” Cominco says relief from provincial water license fees is required for it to build a new $270 million lead smelterat_ Trail. Sf The federal government has offered to buy $69 million in preferred shares to help finance the smelter. However, Cominco says it needs the $12 million annual water license fees reduced before it can proceed with the modernization project. BCGEU By CasNews Staff The B.C. Government Employees Union appears headed for a strike vote. BCGEU president John Shields and members of the union's master bar gaining table spoke to about 250 BCGEU members from the West Kootenay in Nelson Thursday night Shields is touring the province to seek guidance from BCGEU members on whether to hold a strike vote. According to Frank Brooke of Team The provincial government has taken the position that property tax cuts awarded Cominco last year will save the company $30 million over three years. The province and Cominco have been discussing the water tax issue since last November. However, Phillips's involvement in the negotiations was news to Cominco spokesman Richard Fish Asked if Phillips had been called into the discussions, Fish replied: “I don't know.” He suggested contacting Com inxto's Vancouver office. A spokesman from the Vancouver office never returned the Castlegar News telephone call. Elsewhere, Rossland-Trail MLA Chris D'Arcy said the province may consider tax relief other than the water license fees. D’Arcy said the province seems con cerned that if it rolls back the water taxes for Cominco it will have to roll them back for everyone. Meanwhile, Cominco announced it is extending its early retirement plan, which could cushion the effect of the 300 layoff notices issued last week. The notices took effect Thursday. Fish said layoff notices planned for office and technical staff have not yet been issued. He said it will take a couple of weeks before the notices will be issued. Finally, a Trail pensioner has initi- ated a petition calling on the provin- cial government to reduce the water license fees. The petition attracted more than 1,300 signatures in its first week. Started by retired hospital worker Joan McCumber, the petition is being cireulated in Castlegar, Trail and Nelson. eyes strike vote Work Media Services in Nelson, at Thursday night's meeting Shields ex plained to the BCGEU members on union's present position at the bar gaining table. He also sought direction from the membership. Bargaining between the BCGEU and the government have reached “a slight impasse” in terms of some major issues, Brooke said He said the government has in formed the BCGEU it is going to alter the terms of reference as to what the union can and can't negotiate at the bargaining table. The BCGEU has withdrawn, saying it can no longer sit at the bargaining table when the rules are going to be changed, Brooke said. “It's not a new tactic (changing the rules),” Brooke added. Now, the union is trying te solicit enough support in order to call a strike vote instead of just taking the vote. Continued on pege AZ