Legistative Library,
Parliament Bldgs.,
Victoria, B. Cs
V8V 1X4

50L Belleville

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1 fp

Vol. 40, No. 48

CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1987

3 Sections (A, B & C)

Postal strike spreads

By The Canadian Press

The national letter carriers’ union accused the post
office today of using agitators posing as job applicants to
provoke picket lion violence as the first major postal strike
since 1981 spread to five cities.

About 5,000 postal workers were reported off the job in
Montreal, Cornwall, Ont. Calgary, Edmonton and Victoria.
Robert McGarry, head of the 20,000-member Letter
Carriers’ Union of Canada, made the allegation in Ottawa
and said the post office appears to feel violence will turn
public opinion against his members.

“When you see people getting hurt . . .
change peoples’ opinion,” he told reporters.

Harold Dunstan, general manager of labor relations for
the post office, called the charge preposterous.

More scuffles, arrests and injuries were reported as the
strike moved into its second day.

it tends to

In Montreal, striking mail carriers pried open a back
door of a post office in Old Montreal and scattered three
bags of mail.

Post office officials made no effort to pick up the letters
as hundreds of strikers milled around outside the building.

More strikers forced another door later and went to a
room where about 20 non-union workers were sorting mail.
They persuaded them to leave.

Police reported no arrests.

Two people suffered minoir injuries and another was
charged in Edmonton when a scuffle broke out as 500 letter
carriers linked arms and tried to block a truck from entering
the city’s main downtown post office building.

Meanwhile, John Caines, chief media spokesman for
Canada Post, said the agency was encouraged by the amount
of mail it moved Tuesday, despite walkouts jn several
Canadian centres.

McGarry said virtually no mail was delivered and that
mail volume in the system has dropped 40 per cent because
the public fears mail will not get through.

Contract talks at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa
resumed today after an overnight break but neither side was
optimistic of a quick breakthrough on the major issues.

Canada Post wants the union to accept reduced job
security, longer routes, lower wages for new workers to help
eliminate a $132-million operating deficit by next March.

The union is trying to preserve its existing contract and
gain a wage increase large enough to offset the impact of
inflation on its basic $13.43 hourly rate.

UNDER ORDERS

Canada Post is under orders from the Conservative
government to eliminate 8,700 jobs at the post office,
privatize most counter services, elose hundreds of rural post

continued on page A2

LOCAL POST
OFFICE OPEN

By CasNews Staff

Despite a campaign of rotating strikes by postal
unions, it's “business as usual” at the Castlegar post
office, according to postmaster Roy McNeil.

Speaking to the Castlegar News today, McNeil said
there have been no disruptions with the postal service in
Castlegar and all employees are on the job.

He added that he “has no idea” if or when Castlegar’s
post office could be behind picket lines.

Tony Guglielmi, president of the Castlegar local of
the Letter Carriers Union of Canada, confirmed that post
office employees were on the job today.

He said he could not give an answer at this time as to
whether or not. there would be a -problem with
replacement workers crossing picket lines in Castlegar.

Residents

line track

for protest

EXAM TIME . . . Stanley Humphries

secondary school students began

year-end exams this week. The students are writing the exams for the

first time in the newly-r

TO IMMIGRATION RULES

Rally opposes changes

By SURJ RATTAN
Staff Writer

About 20 people gathered in front of
Kootenay West MP Bob Brisco’s
Castlegar office Monday afternoon to
protest the federal government's new
immigration legislation, Bill C-55.

Critics of the bill argue it will be
harder for immigrants to enter Canada
and will make it difficult for those
wishing to come to Canada due to
political oppression in their homeland
to be granted refugee status here.

Rev. Ted Bristow of the Castlegar
United Church and-a member of Am
nesty International, told the crowd
many of whom sported back armbands

that while he agrees with the federal
government's aim, he does not agree
with the legislation

“On my reading of this (government
press release) I had to agree with their
aims and with their sentiment because
I understand that refugee and church
groups with the aims that we have
(have) to find some way to keep out
those who aren't true refugees and to
speed up the hearing process,” said
Bristow

But he said he talked with a United
Church official in Toronto and learned
that the proposed legislation is much
different than the information con
tained in the press release from
Ottawa

Bristow said that a major problem
with the legislation lies with the
screening process for immigrants at
entry points to Canada.

“Who does this screening? An officer
of the immigration department and a
representative of a refugee board who
could be Joe Blow citizen — one of you

briefly trained on all such matters. A
government official and a government
appointee; that starts to make me feel
just a little uneasy already, because
officials and appointees tend to agree
with those who put them there,” said
Bristow.

He added that the screening process
“is not a friendly hearing.” The two
officials are given a list of questions,
and if an immigrant answers any one of
the questions wrongly, that person is
deported, Bristow said

He noted that if an immigrant man
ages to answer all of the questions

satisfactorily, they may provide a brief
explanation as to why they want to
come to Canada.

“There is an appeal on legal grounds
only. That is if they (screeners) haven't
kept their own rules, then you can
appeal on that basis. But you can't
question their rules which are set out
n the legislation,” said Bristow

He added that the immigrant is
represented at the appeal but is not
vllowed to be there.

“That doesn’t sound quite right; you
have to know the people who help you
to find a representative to be there for
you,” said Bristow

He said another drawback to the
legislation is that the applicant is re
turned to wherever he came from or
detained while awaiting the appeal
process to be completed.

“The legislation says they're going to
send you only to a safe country. Well,
that sounds pretty good because I'd
hate to come to Canada, as a would be
refugee, and be sent back to some
where where I'm less safe already,”
said Bristow. “What are the criteria for

continued on page A2

Board adopts AIDS policy

By CasNews Staff

Castlegar school board Monday
adopted the provincial government's
regulations aimed at protecting stu
dents and school employees from AIDS
(Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome)

Some of the recommendations in
clude that a school-age child who has
the AIDs virus should be allowed to
attend school without any restrictions
“unless there are significant risks to
others from the youngster's atten
dance.”

School staff do not have to be told
there is an infected student within the
school unless the school’s medical offi
cer and an attending physician feel it is
necessary and then only “those officials
who need to know” should be told

In addition, an uninfected child who
is a family member of an infected
student should not be excluded from
attending classes.

Routine screening of children for the
AIDs infection is not required and local
school boards, along with the help of
the public health units, should be

encouraged to develop education pro-
grams to inform children, parents and
teachers about AIDS.

Preschool children who lack full
bladder or bowel control and drool or
show signs of aggressive behavior or
have uncoverable skin lesions should
be placed in a restricted care envir
onment “and generally should not be
admitted to a preschool or day care,”
according to the policy

The Ministry of Health report indi
cates that the majority of children who

continued on page A2

Ron Norman

Celgar rules
out speedier
upgrading

By CasNews Staff

Celgar Pulp Co. does not plan to
accelerate its 10-year pollution upgrad
ing program despite the fact the mill is
making “lots of money,” a company
spokesman said Tuesday.

“You can't throw money all around to
solve all the problems,” Ashok Narang
told about 30 members of the Castlegar
Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon.

Narang is senior group vice-presi
dent for Consolidated-Bathurst and
chairman of an eight-member joint
management committee which over
sees the mill's operation.

However, Narang said Celgar Pulp
Co. is committed to an “aggressive” $48
million program to “fix up the environ
ment.”

“We realize there is a problem,” he
said, adding later, “It is not that we
don’t want to spend money here, but
that we want to do it properly

Narang did not disclose any figures
about the mill's performance, but
noted: “We bought this mill nine
months ago and we haven't looked
back We are making lots of
money.”

He credited both the mill manage
ment and workers for the strong finan.
cial performance.

He pointed out that the “extremely
good work force” is “doing things with
the 27-year-old assets which some of
the newer mills are not doing.”

Narang and the other committee
members were in Castlegar for a quar
terly meeting. Mayor Audrey Moore
presented each with a baseball cap
with the slogan “Hooked on Castlegar”
stencilled on the front, and a “Cas”
fishfly

Celgar Pulp Co. is jointly owned by
the Chinese government through the
China International Trust and Invest
ment Corp., Power Corp. and Consoli
dated- Bathurst

By RON NORMAN
Editor

Dozens of West Kootenay resi-
dents lined railway tracks from Nelson
to Castlegar and up the Slocan Valley
today to protest CP Rail’s planned
herbicide spraying.

The demonstrations coincided with
an on-site inspection of the track by
Stuart Craig of the provincial Pesticide
Control Branch in Penticton.

Craig was joined on the tour by
Wayne Peppard, representing con
terned focal residents, and ‘« CP Rail
representative.

The tour began at 6:30 a.m. in
Nelson. A group called Kootenay Citi-
zens for Alternatives to Pesticides held
arally at the Taghum crossing about 7
a.m. during which two prepared
speeches were given.

The tour travelled up the Slocan
Valley by rail and returned to Taghum
by car. It then continued by rail to
Castlegar and out to Coykendahl.

Residents posted themselves all
along the route to voice individual
concerns about the proximity of the rail
line to private property and water
sources.

Opponents estimate that 90 per cent
of the track lies within the area
designated as unsafe for spraying
under permit conditions.

Under the conditions of the railway’s
permit, no on-site inspection was
necessary before spraying, originally
scheduled to begin Friday, could start.

However, the Ministry of Environ:
ment agreed to the inspection after
strong public opposition to the spray-
ing, including an application for a court
injunction by the Regional District of
Central Kootenay.

CP Rail agreed to postpone the
spraying until after the inspection and
a report is filed. The report is
expected to be completed June 24 at
the earliest

Meanwhiler,

the permit will be

appealed to an Environmental Appeal
Board at a public hearing slated for
July 22 in Castlegar. Deadline for
registering for the hearing Thursday.

Spraying could officially continue
before the appeal board hearing. How-
ever, the appeal board office advises
that board chairman Frank Hillier will
likely recommend spraying be halted
until after the hearing.

A total of 14 formal protests have
been filed with the appeal board.

CP Rail proposed to spray the her.
bicide Spike 80W along its raitway
right of way for three years to combat
noxious weeds and underbrush.

Storm
hits area

By CasNews Staff

A thunderstorm accompanied by
high winds and heavy rains created
minor problems Monday night for
Castlegar area residents.

Cable TV service went out shortly
after the storm started and traffic
lights on Columbia Avenue were
knocked out briefly.

In addition, the storm blew part of a
tree down on Ivy Street across from
Stanley Humphries secondary school
and was blamed for a fence falling over
beside the Castlegar News on Col
umbia Avenue.

Only 15 millimetres of rain fell
overnight Monday, “which isn't a great
deal,” says Castlegar airport weather.
man Jim Richards.

Richards said winds gusted up to 52
kilometres an hour, which didn't reach
the maximum recorded earlier this
month. However, the mean winds for
Monday hit 33 kmh “which is fairly
high for Castlegar,” he said.

—jinside=

UP IN SMOKE: Outgoing chair-
man Kay Johnson lost a debate
on smoking in the workplace
Monday night at her last
Castlegar school board meeting.

...A2

GOOD BUY: GRANISLE, B.C

$25,000.
But it isn't
small-town environment
Noranda Inc

located on tully-serviced lots

SWIM TIME: Castlegar Aquanauts and Robson River Otters kicked
off the swim season over the weekend with a meet in Nelson

north-central B.C. for its two copper mines
and Bell Copper, fo be closed in 1989
The houses are all modern units with full basements and

SUNNY SKIES: Thursday will be mainly sunny with highs in the mid.
20s and lows around }2. Chance of precipitation is 10 per cent
Outlook for Friday and Saturday is more sunshine

The offer sounds too good to be true
two: and three-bedroom homes on lake front for $15,000 to

it you are prepared to adjust your tastes to a

is selling off the homes it built in Granisle in

Gronisle, now closed.

The town, about 260 kilometres northwest of Prince George,
was literally built from the ground up by Noranda in the 1960s, and
it does not intend to become a ghost town