Drea sel re i ete ewe ee Socreds on the rebound Newly elected Social Credit president Dave Mercier issued a statement to party members outlin- ing some_ operational 5. “I made a commitment to the members of our par- ty that I would keep them fully informed of all mat- ters that were of impor- tance to the future of Social Credit. Improving commu- nication, reaching out and making every effort to keep the membership fully in- formed, is a goal that I in- tend to fulfill,” said Merci- er. Mercier, explained that since his election as presi- dent Jan. 11, he has met with former leader Rita Johnston, the board of di- rectors, the volunteers and staff at head office, and the chairman and directors of the B.C. Social Credit Fund Ltd. “I have also reviewed all party matters and as- sessed our future rebuild- ing plans,” he said. “Obvi- ously we have a lot of work to do in order to achieve re- election, but if the atten- dance figures and positive attitude of those at the con- vention are any indication, we are certainly well posi- tioned to re-gain our politi- cal strength. “Our most pressing issue is our provincial election debt which totals $1.2 mil- lion including the few re- maining election expenses outstanding or in dispute for the campaign and head office accounts,” he said. Mercier added that the debt only represents the current financial position of the party itself and does not reflect the financial position of any of the 75 Social Cred- it Constituency Associa- A. T [eo] 2067 sA TH oon see aes” ‘Brown. CERTIFIED GENERAL ACCOUNTANT 270 Columbia Avenue Castlegar - 365-2151 NEVINS EQUIPMENT * LAND DEVELOPING * SUBDIVISION SERVICING Hourly Rates & Contract Prices Available! 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Invitations, Napkins etc. @ Saturday, February 1, 1992 Nine toOFIVE POLITICAL PAYDAY Paying out politically incorrect public servants will cost B.C. taxpayers $2.3 million — and the bill could climb even higher, according to a finance ministry ~ spokesman. Nearly half that money will go to five deputy ministers, in accordance with severance guidelines recommended by former B.C. Court of Appeal Chief Justice Nathan Nemetz. TAKE OFF The Boeing Co. had a 26.7 per cent increase in fourth-quarter earnings, bolstered by strong commercial jet sales and a long- sought profit in its defence business, the company said Wednesday. For the quarter, Boeing had record profits of $403 million US, or $1.17 a share, on sales of $7.75 billion. In the same period in 1990, the company had net earnings of $318 million, or 92 cents a share, on sales of $7.02 billion. AWAITING PAYMENT Doman Industries Ltd, has avoided repaying two ~ banks nearly $90 million while at the same time acquiring complete ownership of Western Forest Products Ltd: Had a deal not been worked out with both the Royal Bank and Toronto- Dominion Bank, a senior Doman executive said the company would have been hard pressed to meet a $89 million repayment later this year. WorkPLACE ’s a dog ’s life Mae Perepolkin Says grooming business going to the dogs Jonathan Green NEWS REPORTER Go watch Mae Perepolkin work and you'll see the fur fly. For almost 10 years, she has been a dog groomer, working on “every breed of dog imag- inable”. But what separates her from other groomers is that she doesn’t have a lavish shop in the big city, but rather a set-up in the basement of her home in Tarrys.’ *T like it here,” she said.“This way I'm at home when the kids come home from school” A lifelong love for animals propelled her into the pet business after graduating from a groom- ing school in Burnaby in the summer of 1982. BED y ‘Most of my dogs are really good. I don’t like to, but on some of them I have to use a muzzle.’ — Mae Perepolkin Perepolkin groomed as a hobby while working as a waitress in the Okanagan, eventually meet- ing and following her future husband to Castle- gar in 1983, where she continued her hobby. a figured my grooming could go with me,” she said. She worked for the SPCA in Trail for a while, and later became a veterinary assistant in Castlegar, all the while putting her diploma to good use. “I started to build my business through work- ing at the vet,” she But word of mouth polkin with two options. “It got so busy that I had to make my choice between the vet and here,” she said, adding that the evenings and weekends didn’ t allow her enough time to fit all her clients in. Now, a year-and-a half after making that de- cision, Perepolkin has seen her initial client base jump tenfold. “My 20 dogs are up over 200,” she said, adding that about 150 of them are regulars. “It seems like every week, I’ve got a couple new cus- tomers.” Working a conventional business day, Pere- polkin likes to start around 9 a.m. and call it quits some eight hours later, though she does make allowances. _ “I enjoy doing it, so depending on the circum- stances, my hours are pretty lenient,” she said. ut her work left Pere- YA News photo by Jonathan Green Mae Perepolkin has turned her love for dogs into a full-time business. Some 18 months after jumping into the dog grooming business, Perepolkin is as busy as ever. And under those hours, Perepolkin has found that some customers are coming from as far- away as Grand Forks and Creston. With clients ranging in size from Yorkshire Terriers to St. Bernards, the number groomed in any given day can vary. Perepolkin said that small dogs, like poodles, will require around two hours of work, while a shaggy collie that needs to be de-~ matted ¢ can take in upwards of eight. Ina world where a lot of businesses slow down in the summer, the dog groomer is a maverick. With the exception of January and February, Perepolkin said the average dog is brought in ev- ery two to three months. “It’s fairly steady right up until the end of Au- — gust,” she said. And during that time, Perepolkin said the odd dog will be brought in after an encounter with the dreaded skunk. “You feel like putting a clothes peg on your nose,” she said. . With a clientele in excess of 200, Perepolkin admits that some dogs aren’t as "fond of the grooming process as others. “Most of my dogs are really good,” she said.“I don't like to, but on some of them I have to use a muzzle.” “They go nuts when you try to clip their nails.” And with that, Perepolkin added something she learned in school. “It’s better to be safe than bitten.”