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Saturday, November 21, 1992 @

TheFARSIDE

By Gary Larson

a

Some wolves, their habitat destroyed and
overwhelmed by human pressures,
turn to snorting quack.

PolicCBEAT

NEWS STAFF

Lara May Sapriken has
been charged with hitting
a pedestrian in the cross-
walk at Highway 3 and
Columbia Avenue on Nov.
16.

Jean Patricia Glass, 43,
of Trail was struck when
Sapriken’s vehicle rolled
forward after stopping,
bumping Glass and knock-
ing her to the ground.

eee

Thomas Bruce Hutton,
53, of Kamloops was
charged with impaired
driving on Nov. 17 after be-
ing stopped for several vio-
lations while driving a
tractor-trailer unit.

Hutton will appear in
Castlegar court in Jan-
uary.

eee

Castlegar RCMP are in-
vestigating a breaking and
entering into a north
Castlegar residence where
asmall amount of cash was
taken.

eee

Robert David Hill of
Castlegar’s Celgar camp
was charged with im-
paired driving and refus-
ing a roadside screening
device test on Nov. 17 after
he hit a parked vehicle.

There were no injuries
and there was approxi-
mately $4,500 damage.

Cocaine use on the increase

Corinne Jackson
NEWS REPORTER

It’s no surprise that alcohol _
abuse is common in Castlegar,
but cocaine is an entirely dif-
ferent matter.

According to Dave O’Brien,
as economic development pro-
jects abound so does the cash
and the means to buy drugs.

“It’s a fact with the Celgar
expansion there’s been some
activity.

“There’s a certain amount
of money in this town at this
point and there definitely is
availability of cocaine here,”
Community Services Centre’s
alcohol and drug program
councillor said Thursday.

“I deal with a significant
number of people,” O’Brien
said, adding that his clients
range from alcohol abusers to
people on hallucinogenics.

Although he said “there's a
significant cocaine problem,”
O’Brien said “alcohol is by far

and away the most abused
drug.” 2

Looking back: over this
week’s national and provincial
Drug and Alcohol Awareness
Week campaign, O’Brien said
he was disappointed in the
community’s effort in address-
ing the problem.

“The government had a
good idea on paper but the
community had difficulty with
leadership.

“The wish was to have a
community driven activity,” he
said.

There were only two activi-
ties planned in Castlegar and
both sponsored by the centre.

The first was a theatre
troupe’s visit to Stanley
Humphries Secondary School,
and O’Brien’s talk with chil-
dren at Kinnaird Elementary.

The lack of community in-
volvement he said, “is kind of
a reflection of where the com-
munity is at.”

According to O’Brien,
adults in the community must
start acting as models for the
city’s young people.

“I would like to see the par-
ent and adult community ex-
press interest in the adult
model. There are many more
problems in terms of what the
adult models around town,” he
said.

O’Brien said he realizes
drug abuse is a difficult issue
to address but it needs com-
munity support to be effective-
ly combatted.

“We must promote a recog-
nition of the issue,” O’Brien
said.

“I think we're getting there,
but it’s a slow process because
we often don’t know how to
talk to this as a community is-
sue. I mean it’s hard enough to
talk about as a family.

“We're coming along, but
we're struggling to find lead-
ership and direction.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
LORRIE BACON
From the Verigins

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

GRANDPA, NOV.

Love Jordan & Jarred

THIS WEEK'S WINNER IS INDICATED BY TH
drop by the Castlegar News office. We will print

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

EBD ence CLAY, NOV. 24

Love Jordan & Jarred

HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY

23 JESSE KABATOFF, NOV. 17

a.m. Thursday for our Saturday paper. Our phone number is 365-7266.

Love Mom, Dad, Brother & Sister

IE DAIRY QUEEN LOGO. Phone in your birthday wish or
it free of charge. All birthday greetings must be in by 10:00

@ Saturday, November 21, 1992

3n

SecondFRONT i

CALL THE
NEWS

@General Inquiries
365-7266

OUR

Socred, MLA duke it out over Bill 84

@ Conroy says labor code will have
no impact on small businesses

Neil Rachynski
NEWS REPORTER

Elmer Pellerine is using “fear tactics” on Bill
84, according to Ed Conroy.

“The opposition is running around looking
for a chink in the armor to poke through,” Con-
roy said.

The Rossland-Trail MLA was responding to
local Socred president Pellerine’s statement
that the province’s new labor code leaves “small
business holding the bag.”

“The new labor code is going to have no im-
pact whatsoever on small business,” Conroy
said Wednesday from Victoria.

“The philosophical thrust of the act is
sound,” he said “It’s not there to beat up on
small business.”

Conroy said under the Socred government
“people were repressed under Bill 19.

“Before it was a master-servant relationship
rather than as among peers.”

Conroy said Pellerine is simply using “fear
tactics” and “fear mongering” in an effort to dis-
credit the government.

But Robson restaurateur Pellerine main-
tained his position and said small business is
taking a beating from the new labor code.

“If (Conroy) is saying small business has not
been hit, I look at my West Kootenay Power bill
and it says my costs have gone up 8.7 percent
from provincial taxes, then he doesn’t know
what he’s talking about,” Pellerine said.

The Socred president said he would like to
give his own employees a fair wage, but can’t
because of a heavy tax burden.

“T’d be the first to say that they don’t get paid
enough,” Pellerine said. .

“Last month I spent thousands of dollars in
taxes,” Pellerine said.

“Why couldn't I keep a portion, say $2,500,
to put in a trust fund for health or pension
plans for my employees.”

Pellerine said he would like to help his em-
ployees directly, but can’t keep up with unions
and government jobs.

Pellerine asked how a small business like
his can reward its employees “when we spend
tens of thousands of dollars each month into
that bottomless pit in Victoria.”

Conroy said the labor code’s threat to B.C.’s
small businesses is a “red herring by the So-
creds and Liberals.

“I think some Liberals in their heart of
hearts don’t mind the law, but they have to
stand up in the legislature or they get beat up
the next day in the Vancouver Sun for not do-
ing their job.”

CARRYING A TORCH

Jobless
Statistics
plummet

Neil Rachynski
NEWS REPORTER

There’s more work available
in the Kootenays.

Statistics Canada figures
show the unemployment rate
for the Kootenay-Columbia
region have dropped
considerably to 10.4 per cent in
October. That compares to the
August rate of 13.4 per cent —
the highest in the province at
that time.

The Kootenay-Columbia
region of the national survey
includes Castlegar, Nelson,
Creston, Salmon Arm and
Revelstoke.

Canada Employment Centre

HOURS

The News is
located at 197
Columbia Ave. Our
office hours are
Monday to Friday,
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed on
weekends and
statutory holidays.

SUB
RATES

COMMUNITY

POT LUCK SUPPER
November 26 at 5 p.m. at the Seniors Hall. 2/93

Pick Up Your Royal
Treat At The
Castlegar Dairy
Queen.

FAMILY NIGHT

Mond Thursday 5 -7 p.m.
<= Double Burger

1/2...

Reg. $2.75

information analyst Judy
McCandlish said last month’s
figures are “definitely a big
decrease.

McCandlish said the drop can
be attributed to construction
and hospitality industries that
are doing well, growth within
the provincial government and
a strong real estate market.

“I think the big thing now is
our economy is so diverse
(businesses) are now holding
their own and are doing OK,”
McCandlish said.

The unemployment average
across the province for October
is 9.5 per cent, while the
national average is 10.4 per
cent.

“That’s probably the closest
we’ve been to the (provincial)
average in the last couple of
years,” she said.

“We've always been quite a
bit higher.”

Victoria had a 7.6 jobless rate
while Vancouver was at 9.3 per
cent.

The highest unemployed area
in B.C. is the Central Interior.

Dairy
Queen,

: News photo by Neil Rachynski
lan Ross of Kelowna’s Mar-West was in town Thursday, doing some work on a two-inch B.C. gas pipeline
being installed underground near Crescent Street.

Students explore Healthy Schools

selves,” she said.

Horswill said students should now be ready to
meet with fellow classmates and set down some
ideas.

The conference was part of the Year 2000's “Learn
for Living” curriculum, Horswill explained.

Now that the conference is over and students are
beginning to meet with each other, the Union Board
of Health has begun putting grant applications to-
gether she said.

Horswill said schools should receive the applica-
tions this week.

“On Dec. 15 the forms should be back to the co-or-
dinator and on the 16th the committee will meet to
review the applications,” she said.

Horswill said funds will range from $250 to $750
and expects that if the conference is any indication,
rewarding the grants will not be difficult.

“The conference worked out really well. There was
a lot of enthusiasm.

“A lot of ideas left that place.”

WE TREAT YOU RIGHT*

CASTLEGAR FIGURE SKATING CLUB
Is hosting Kootenay Regionals Championship, Saturday, November 21.
Free skate events 1-3 p.m. 292

@ Conference generates impressive ideas as
students prepare to plan their own futures

Corinne Jackson
NEWS REPORTER

Students in our schools will soon be ready to take
control of their future.

After meeting on Nov 13 with teachers, adminis-
trators and parents at a Healthy Schools conference,
students are now looking at improving their schools,
Bonnie Horswill said.

“Some of them may have come with ideas. What
we're hoping is that they'll have gone back with ideas
on how to start setting up some projects,” School Dis-
trict No. 9’s representative to the Central Kootenay
Board of Health said Thursday.

According to Horswill, the conference — aimed at
empowering students in the decision making process
— was a success.

“The adults sitting at the tables were impressed
with the way the (student) facilitators handled them-

B.C. WINTER GAMES
Skate-Off, Zone 1, Sunday, November 22. Free skate events 9 am.-4

The News i
p.m. Admission free. 2/92 e@ News is

published by Castle
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CASTLEGAR MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY
Meets Thursday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m Woodland Park School. Agenda:
Citizenship classes and Spring Festival. Information: 365-3126.

Coming events of Castlegar and District non-profit organizations may be
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