The Castlegar Sun Wednesday, January 27, 1993 Turning signal need finally Wednesday, January 27, 1993 The Castlegar Su n Page 3A WEATHER Name: Christina Beil Where you work: At schoo! bike What you do there: Attend grade 4 & play basketball 5 tikes: Aquatic Center Best kept Castiegar secret: Misty at D-D Pet: Cat - Pesmoe, Dog - Mugsy, Lizard - Fig ‘What would you rather be doing? Riding a horse @ Proposal By dog-drawn-sled was one way this little tyke was able to get around town after a heavy snowfall last Tuesday. Accompanied by mom, the threesome were off to the Castlegar and District Recreation Centre. SUN STAFF PHOTO /Marilyn Strong recognized KAREN KERKHOFF Sun staff In about three weeks Castlegar drivers won't have to wait patiently, or otherwise, to turn left off of Columbia Avenue onto the Castlegar Arterial Road, which is also known as 19th Street. Most people have probably noticed by now the green garbage bag that is covering the bottom part of one stop light. It has been confirmed by the Ministry of Highways that not only will Castlegar receive its first left turn advance signal, but the signal will soon be in working order. Highways Manager of Elec- trical Services, Dave Johnson, said the only thing holding up the use of the light is the acquisition of a device called a controller. The controller is an essential component of a stop light, and regulates the amount of times between signal changes. “The controller is on a waiting list in Victoria. There is a back- log, we are looking at approxi- mately another three weeks before we get it.” Johnson said once the controller is acquired, it’s only a simple matter of installing it, which usually takes one to two hours. The new device is the result of a previous Continued from 1A dministrator, will be rep - ing the cities, but he was unable _to fully comment. as attorneys had yet to obtain and read a copy of the executive summary of the “The solicitors will be looking it through, then we’can com- ment,” said Carrell. WKP has voiced considerable opposition to the proposed Power Purchase Contract with BCH, stating that “the proposal would double BCH power purchase costs to WKP from $15 million to $29.8 million per year.” If the power purchase costs are as high as WKP projects, that would translate to an average increase of 16 per cent for WKP customers in 1993 Other registered interveners from the WKP service area afe The Regional District of Central Kootenay. The Town of Creston, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary; West Kootenay Eco- nomic Coordinating Group; Princeton Light & Power Com- pany Limited; The B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association; The City of Kelowna; District of Summer- land; City of Penticton; City of Grand Forks; Celgar Pulp Com- pany; Association of B.C. Irriga- tion Districts; Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce; Castle- gar and District Chamber of Commerce and the Trail District Chamber of Commerce The hearing will begin Feb. 8 in Castlegar, and will be followed by a hearing in Vancouver Feb. 15. New record set for power consumption in the Kootenays Residents told to conserve KAREN KERKHOFF Sun staff Unusually cold December and January temperatures have contributed to setting power consumption records. The records set are equal to adding the annual energy demands of more than 1,500 homes added to the system. people need electricity, so we are trying to encourage people to use energy wisely.” Bradshaw also said that using increasing amounts of energy require WKP to purchase power from other sources, such as Cominco and B.C. Hydro, and this cost of purchasing the power is then passed onto the consumers. _@ Fearful traffic count Continued from 1A to reside in a half-way house in Victoria, virtu- - ally left unsupervised without the public, the family or the Victoria RCMP being notified? I am certain that as far as the public is con- cerned, they have the right to this information.” Jane said the only family member who has made peace with Blackman and supports his bid for freedom is BL 's twin brother. “The others are fearful for themselves and their families. I fear not only for my life, but I also fear for the lives of all the family members. Does another tragedy have to occur “He's very intelligent, and can make himself look sane when he wants to What he did was horrendous. His rights should not -be-as-well protected as they-are. Society has a right to know about his past.” Blackman’s restricted release to attend a job, and to reside outside the institute, is part of a transition which is often designed to prepare patients for eventual release into the general public. Jane said that she and other family mem- bers are the ones who have received a lifetime sentence, since they are living in constant fear. “What about our rights, our feelings, our fears? We feel that we should not have to live in fear, continuously changing our residence, always looking over our shoulders and waiting and won- dering when he will strike again. Our family was once considered a close family, i has only been ten years since this horrible tragedy occurred, and the effects from it have been devastating. We no longer keep in touch via the phone or letters. How can the legal system in Canada fail to such an extent that it permits a mass murderer the freedom to live like you and I? Jane alleges there is information, that was deemed inadmissible in court, of which the public needs to be aware. She says there was a tape recording in which Blackman stated he intended to kill not six family members, but 13, which is a demonic number. “Prior to committing these senseless and grisly murders, Bruce made a tape recording of his plan to murder 13 family members. This tape was inadmissible in court. Brice believed by completing the requirements devised in his mind, he would ultimately become the anti- Christ,” Jane said during an interview with The Castlegar Sun. Jane alleges that Blackman made contact with another family member in 1985-1986, during which he made a chilling request. “Bruce called up a close family member and asked that this person finish off what he (Bruce) had started, meaning the murders.” In an interview with the Vancouver Sun last May, Curtis Rhodes, who was married to A new record was set on Dec 29 when 621 mega watts were gobbled. This replaces the old record which was set Dec. 29 1991, in which 619 mega watts were consumed. Two other records were set Jan. 5 1993, with a demand of 623 mega watts, and Jan. 6, with the peak demand topping 641 mega watts West Kootenay Power's (WKP) Director of Community and Public affairs. Mike Brad shaw, said it is in the con sumers’ best interest to practice energy conservation techniques “Somebody would pay for it (the increase in power con sumed). We understand that “Unwise conservation of Karen, Blackman'’s sister and victim, said that Black still ded to murder other family energy increases the req for additional power. This cre- ates a load growth which forces us to purchase more power Peo- ple.will become more aware of it when they receive their bills. We tend to be more conscious of how much power we consume when we see our bills.” Some suggestions for reduc- ing the amount of energy you and your family use are. set thermostats at 20C, cook dinner in a microwave after 6:30 p.m., save laundry, dishwashing and owers until after? p.m., and €ep all unnecessary lights turned off members. “He said in court that he has not finished the job. That's when he was mentally ill. Now they ter were away from the home at the time of the murders. At Blackman'’s trial, which was held Nov. 3, 1983 ified that he believed he say he has recovered. But they can't that he will remain that way,” Rhodes said at the time. Jane also charges that while there is injustice being done to the family, Blackman is profiting frofn his crime. “Bruce Blackman is obviously profiting from the horrid murders he committed. Not_, only did he receive a free education and free room and board for the last ten Years, but he will receive upon his release part Of the inheri- tance from his parent's death." When Black- man's parents were murdered, Blackman’s inheritance’ from the estate was worth about $80,000, but with interest and compounded . interest, it is now worth approximately $150,000. Since Blackman was found not guilty by reason of insanity, he is therefore enti- tled to his inheritance, even though the demise of his parents was causéd by his own hand. In 1982, prior to the murder of his family, Blackman had been prescribed anti-psychotic medication, which appeared to be effective. However, Dr. Harvey Breen, the physician who had prescribed the medication for Blackman, testified at the trial that Blackman went to Nel- sori prior to the murders to arrange schooling at Selkirk College..When Blackman returned from Nelson he was obsessed with the idea that he needed to deliver his family from the “Big Bang”. Breen said that while in Nelson, Black- man might have neglected to take his medica- tion, thus sending him into a paranoid-schizophrenic whirlpool which dragged him to the darkest depths of insanity. It was shortly after Blackman’s return from Nel- son that he shot and bludgeoned his family. Breen also stated that most paranoid- schizophrenics can function normally if given the proper medication. Although Jane does not dispute that anti- psychotic medication might be effective for the mentally disturbed, she does wonder how it can be assured that Blackman does not neglect to take his medication again. She fears that should Blackman neglect to take his medication, he was the devil, and that he had murdered his family to avert the end of the world. Prosecutor Bhrry Sullivan said the evidence pointed to a reoccurring theme in Blackman’s “bizarre thinking”. Blackman believed he was pos- sessed by the devil, he also thought he was the anti-Christ, that the devil was in him, and the world was going to end in a “Big Bang” Blackifian has been seen by the British Columbia Board of Review annually since 1983, when he was first admitted into the insti- tute, The Board of Review, which consists of mine members and includes two attorneys, two psychiatrists and social workers, reviews the case, and then makes one of three orders. One order, called In Custody, requires the Patient to remain in custody until further board reviews determine him or her eligible to Teceive conditional discharge. Conditional discharge entails an agreement where the patient is free to leave the unit to attend work. Under strict guidelines, the patient may also five outside the facility, as Blackman is doing. Blackman has already received a con- ditional discharge. The third recommendation is called absolute discharge. Absolute discharge“is just as the word implies. The patient is free to live and work outside the facility, and has no further obligation to report his activities or where- abouts to authorities. Registrar of the B.C. Board of Review, William Enwright, said that conditional dis- charge, which currently applies to Blackman, is a prelude to absolute discharge, although he would not speculate specifically on Blackman’s order. “Historically, granting a conditional dis- charge is done with a view to move the person out to community living.” i“ Castlegar citizens who will be receiving medals today which recognize their citizens, their community and country (I-r): Audrey M Missing from the above list of photographs is Peter Ogi SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor Five Castlegar residents will be receiving medals for their contri- butions to their community and fellow citizens, today in city council chambers. Lyle Kristiansen, MP for Kootenay West-Revelstoke, will be presenting, to selected recipi- ents, Commemorative Medals which secognize theit outstanding contributions to their fellow citi- zens, their community and to A their country. Castlegar recipients of the award are: Burt Campbell, busi- nessman and Publisher Emeritus of the Castlegar News; Audrey Moore, mayor of Castlegar; Alex- ia Turner, a teacher at Woodland Park Elementary School; Peter Kalesnikoff, owner of Kalesnikoff Lumber; and Peter Oglow, a retired businessman and a promoter of the area's heritage. A press release from Kris- tiansen’s office states the medals, which have been authorized by the ‘Queen, commemorate the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation. The press release also states that the medals reflect different types of achievements in various communities and will be present- ed to 40,000 people across Cana- da. Similar commemorative medals were issued to mark: Canada’s Centennial in 1967 and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977 Other recipients in Nelson are: Elizabeth Drew; Ralph A. Hys- Five receive medals today for outstanding contributions in the past outstanding contributions to their fellow loore; Peter Kalesnikoff; Alexia Turner; and Burt-Campbell. low. ' sop; Jean MacKenzie; Laura Maglio; “Lefty” White; Merle Hanson; Ella M. Heaven; Doug MacDonald; Tom MacKenzie; Joan Reichardt; and Doris Thomas. . Recipients from Trail are Andy Bilesky; Dr. Hugh Camp- bell; Eleanor Gattafoni-Robinson; Gordon Jones; Rose Kumorek; Harry Lefevre; Albert Warring- ton; Barbara Bourchier, Richard Caputo; Joann Wild; Lloyd Wilkinson; Charles Lakes; and Roberta Taylor. City refuses Celgar's request for lower water rates Castlegar residents high water users, as comparison shows SHARLENE IMHOFF SunEditor aise Castlegar City Council has voted iff favor of a motion which recom- mends that Celgar Pulp not receive special consideration in user fees for water rates. Council passed the recommendation during last Tuesday's city coun- cil meeting, after months of discussion with Celgar officials. For it's first-29-years of operation, Cet gar simply pumped water from the Columbia river for use in drinking. fountains and sewers. Two years ago the company paid for a tie-in to the city’s chlorinated potable water sys- tem, although Celgar supplies the water up to the city connec- tion from its source at the Hugh Keenleyside dam. Whether due to unduly’ optimistic estimates or an unforeseen rise in con- sumption resulting from the expansion workforce, Celgar has found itself using twice the annual amount_initially fore- TRAIL Population 8000 lars spent,” said Eaton. In 1992 the average consumption by the Celgar plant was 3.5 million gallons per month with highs and lows of 4.66 million and 2.8 million gallons per month respectively. Yet, Celgar’s consumption rate repre- sented only six per cent of the total water consumed in the city. Superintendent of Public Works, Barry Comin, said one of the rea- sons why Celgar will not be getting a break—at least for now, is due to CASTLEGAR | NELSON 6700 8865 Total amount of potable water used in 1992. (measured in imperial gallons) 706 miltion Communities Winter Dally Average (Jan. - Feb.) 1.42 million Communttiee ‘Summer Daily Average (July - Aug.) 3.06 million 772 million =| 760 million = 1,5 million 1.35 million 6.6 million 4.4 million The above statistics are based on averages of treated water amounts and were received from the Cities of Castlegar, Nelson and Trail. All stats include residential and commercial users, but exclude industrial users. its fluctuating consumption lev- els. “Due to the variety of activi- ties that are going on at the plant during the modernization Process, the average amount of water used on a monthly basis highly fluctuated,” said Comin “Because of this, it was difficult for the city to determine what a yearly average would work out to.” Comin said that in one way, Celgar is already getting a break, since it pays the same rate as residential consumers. cast. In an earlier interview, Celgar Engineering Superintendent John Eaton said the company was now expected to pay as much as. $30,000 Per year, after earlier estimates predicted a price range of up to $12,000 per year. Celgar requested to city council in May 1992, that due to its large consumption—it receive a break in price “I'm a little disappointed with the city’s decision. Speaking from an engineering standpoint, our duties are to get the best value for our dol- RDCK budgeting for waste management coordinator The Regional District of Cen- tral Kootenay has voted in favor of budgeting for the position of ‘Waste Management Coordinator. John Voykin, Area I director, said that a coordinator would represent RDCK directors’ inter- t ieves the The B.C. Board of Review has presided over the hearing for Blackman's bid for uncon- ditional discharge since Monday. Review was scheduled to last until Wednesday. It is con- ceivable that if the Board of Review rules in Blackman’s favour he might be a free man as might once again fall into an acute p schizophrenic episode, as he did before mur- dering his family. ; “Who’s going to assure he’s taking his medi- cation regularly?” Jane asked. Jane also said she is deeply disturbed that Blackman has changed his name from Bruce Alfred Blackman, to Richard Bruce James. “He has assumed the names of his victims. Richard is the name of his father and his brother, and James is the maiden name of his mother.” B shot and bludgeoned bers of his family in the early morning hours of Jan. 17, 1983. His victims included his mother Irene, father Richard, brother Richard, sisters Karen Rhodes and Roberta Davies, and broth« er-in-law John Davies at his parent's home in Coquitlam. An identical twin brother, and a sis- early as Wednesday evening. If this happens, Jane has some haunting questions. “What happens if he does complete his “mission”? Who will take the blame? We feel the legal system has failed to such an extent that it has given him the unspoken permission to act out the final scene of his demonic plan.” Jane said the only hope for herself and her family lays not in the hands of the legal system, who she says has failed them over and over, but in the hands of the public. “Do you want this man as a neighbor, or dat- ing your daughter or sister? If you feel that jus- tice has not been served, and you don't want Blackman back out in public, we beg you to contact the B.C Board of Revi you maybe our only hope.” @ Study Continued from 1A also-many pedestrians. cyclists and school buses which travel that road, We have to think about the safety factor. I am very con- was estimated that after the expansion is complete and fully operational that number will almost triple, to approximately 170 chip trucks a day. Hugh Keenleyside Dam. Transporting the chips by rail from Slocan to Celgar, and truck- ing the chips from Slocan to Cel- gar were other options which firm, Ward Consulting Group, and Comerstone Planning Group Limited, who directed the public consultation program. Now that the recommenda- cerned, the traffic problems are horrendous. Those roads are not constructed to handle vehicles the length and size of those trucks.” Currently there are 50-60 trucks a day which transport wood chips to the pulp mill, it It was recommended by the Steering Committee that the chips be barged from Needles to Celgar. In order for barging to occur, loading and docking facil- ities need to be built, and it is essential that the barge be narrow enough to fit through the locks at were submitted to the ministers. The steering committee was under the direction of the Koote- nay Regional Transportation Task Force and included repre- sentatives from communities within the Kootenays, a trans- portation engineering consulting tions and findings of the study have been forwarded to the Min- isters, Chapman said it should not be too long before the com- mittee receives a response. “I think we should get a response within two months.” g he be current RDCK-funded consulting team is not doing well enough. “T feel we're being ignored, at least in this subregion.” The sub- region Voykin refers to include Areas I, J, south H and Castlegar. Josh Smienk, chair of the Waste Management Committee, said it’s necessary to budget for the position even though no one has been hired yet. “The province is asking us to hire a co-ordinator, and we're entering into our bud- get process, so we have to budget for this position.” Smienk said he understands why Director Voykin would per- ceive difficulties with the current consulting team. “There have been difficulties with the iting team, but tha isn't a reflection on their perfor- mance. It’s indicative with any contract work being done outside of your community—it loses that personal touch.” Smienk was uncertain at the time how much a waste management co-ordinator would cost, although waste man- agemient is labelled as the biggest increase in the RDCK’s provi- sional budget. The working doc- ument estimates the total cost to be $582,000. The breakdown of these costs include the following Administration, $160,000, Legal, $2,000; Site Development, $300,000 and Reduce and Reuse, $120,000.Castlegar's share of the total $582,000 would fall some, where in the $97,000 mark That rate is set at 75 cents per 1,000 Imperial Gallons. In July, when-the-expansion-is-siated for-compietion, the-city-will once again look at Celgar’s water rates—and it is expected by Comin that an accu- rate reading will be achieved at that time Overall, Castlegar's consumption rates have doubled in the last ten years. Comin said that water rates which residents are paying will even- tually rise to 83 cents per 1,000 Imperial Gallons, which he maintains is the actual cost of water rates. delivery. Th Ken Talarico, Administrator of the Castlegar and cheque for $560 from Peggy Toews, who represents the Castlegar Quiltess Guild The money will help purchase a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator (TENS), which will be used as a form of pain relief for women during labor. Using this equipment will reduce the amount of pain killing medication needed during a i i le of a quilt last year District Hospital, accepts a SUN STAFF PHOTO ‘John Van Putten OUTLOOK: The forecast for Wednesday: Cloudy with a few sunny breaks and scattered showers or flurries. High temperatures near 4, An upper Mild temperatures will persist. disturbance approaching from the coast should provide mixed precipitation on Thursday Sunny breaks should develop in its wake on Friday. Temperature: Max/Date 5.5/20 Precipitation: — Rain Number of Hours 10.4 caused considerable problems for tr: and in the air. Highway passes have the snowfalls have-created severe a -15.3/23 Snow 8 48.6 A LOOK BACK AT THE PAST WEEK: Min/Date Normal Mean Mean -3.0 -2.6 Normal Total Total 50.8 13.4 Normal Number of Hours 9.1 REMARKS: Well above normal snowfalls this past week have avellers; both on the highways been closed as high winds with walanche hazards. Periods of freezing precipitation were atso recorded which only added to the problem. Although milder temperatures were recorded this past week, mean temperature are still well below normal Forecast provided by The South - East Interior Weather Office at Castlegar, B.C ARROW LAKE RESERVOIR FORECAST Jan. 23/93 1391.6 ft. Jan. 30/93 1390.7 ft. Castlegar man credited for providing shelter to Coquitlam woman KAREN KERKHOFF __ Sun staff An elderly woman, Linda Black, who had been living under a blue tarp within ten feet of a busy highway in Coquitlam, is now being cared for and rest- ing comfortably in a warm bed, thanks to Lorne Barrass, 53, of Castlegar. About three weeks ago, while Barrass was watching the news, he saw a story about an elderly woman who was living under a” blue tarp near the Mary Hill bypass in Coquitlam. Although it was disturbing to Barrass-to witness this unfortu- nate woman's circumstances, he assumed that since the woman's circumstances were now known to many people, her situation would be investigated and reme- died. ee “I thought it had been looked after.” But Barrass was soon to find out that after three weeks, the woman was still living under the tarp, and nothing had been done to help her change her situation. Three weeks later while watching another news program, Barrass once again saw the plight of the woman featured in another news story. The situation of the woman so disturbed Bar- rass that he decided someone needed to look into the welfare of the woman, and that someone was himself. “Basically she has nobody. She's what you would call a bag lady. I wanted to see the mental- ly ill cared for instead of being looked over. You or I could end up the same way tomorrow,” is the reason Barrass gave for choosing to help the woman find safe and comfortable accommo- dations. ‘ Barrass's bureaucratic odyssey to obtain help for the woman took on gigantic propor- tions, and literally dozens of phone calls. But Barrass finally iacesded hete-f LORNE BARRASS woman whose name Barrass doesn't even know. Barrass called many health officials and politicians in his quest to find someone who could or would help the woman. His calls for_help included Health Minister, Elizabeth Cull's office, and as far away as Ottawa to speak with Audrey McLaughlin, he even contacted Mulroney's office “Mulroney's office didn't even return my phone call.” After numerous phone calls, Barrass finally contacted John Gray, of the provincial mental health centre. It was through Gray that Barrass was able to help the unfortunate woman. Finally, six days after Barrass made the first phone call for help, Black was admitted to the Royal Columbian Hospital for investigation, and hopefully a solution to her housing dilemma. Although Barrass is glad he was able to help the woman, he does not classify himself as a hero. “The purpose was not to raise hell, but to see that the mental health system and our govern- ment do not allow these types of people to be ignored and fall between the cracks of our Castlegar hospital reveiwing own KAREN KERKHOFF Sun staff Premier Mike Harcourt announced Jan. 21 that hospitals will be receiving a three per cent increase. The announcement was met with mixed reactions from hospital administrators across the province Castlegar and District Hospital Administrator, Ken Talarico, is no exception “It's better than being on the negative side, or getting nothing It waS positive from the point of view that the increase was on the plus side.” Even though Harcourt announced a three per cent , increase, the actual increase will be less than three per cent. Before the funds are allocated to each hospital, some specialized ser vices such as renal services, can- cer and A.I.D.S drugs will be deducted from the increase before the net allocation to the hospitals is determined. This is the part of the increase that has Talarico con- cemed. “We don't know what that means, three per cent could trans late into one per cent.” & £3 P ‘systerr operations and costs in light of provincial budget In a letter to hospital admin- istrators, the Ministry of Health, indicated that because the available funds for alloca tion will not meet the expected costs of wages and benefits, or inflation as calculated in 1993/1994, there will be a province wide Labor Adjust- ment Strategy for health in place before March 31, 1993 Talarieo said the term Labor Adjustment Strategy, refers to a strategy which tries to deal with staff who ha been laid off due to an inadequate budget allowance Historically, when health care facilities in-B.C—have had tean budgets to administer, cutbacks have become necessary. One of the budget strategies is to decrease staff and initiate bed closures “Last year they (the Health Ministry) provided funding to staff who were affected by lay offs. The Ministry of Health pro- vided funding to staff to relocate to other jobs, or retraining.” Talarico is uncertain at this time if the increase will be ade- quate for Castlegar Hospital, but did say that staff reductions. and bed closures might have to be considered if funding were not enough, and the hospital was unable to reduce expenses in any other area “This is something we might have to do. We would probably have to look at bed closures and reduced staffing * Castlegar Hospital's 1993/1994 budget is still being drawn up, and therefore Talarico is uncertain if the funding will be adequate for the upcoming budget “At this time it is difficult for me to be precise. I don't know what our needs will be.”