a2 Castlégar News August 28, 1988 By CasNews Staff Another 11 West Kootenay residents have been named re- cipients of the Air Canada Heart of Gold awards for their work in their communities The 11 include Arlee Ander- son, Wilf Leduc, Dale Nielsen, Ivar Reinsbakken, Brita Haley and Vince Antignani of Castle- gar, Roberta Zurek and Lynn Chatten of Robson, Jean Friedel of Blueberry Creek, and Guy Morey and Mary Lyn Rakuson of Trail They join five other residents who were presented awards ear. lier this summer. The Heart of Gold program was run locally by the Castlegar News in partnership with Air Canada. The Canadian Com- munity Newspaper Association and its member newspapers op- erated the program nationally The program aimed at rec- ognizing the contributions , of residents in helping others and improving the quality of life in their communities. Nominations closed July 31 SPECIAL PEOPLE . . . CasNews editor Ron Norman (third from right) presents Heart of Gold pin on Dale Nielsen. Other win- ners include (from Jeft) Guy Morey, Lynn Chatten, Arlee An- They have Hearts of Gold More than 5,600 nominations were received from across Can- ada in the four months the program operated. Judging pan- els composed of community newspaper editors and publish- ers are presently sifting through the nominations to determine regional award recipients. The CCNA expects that more than 100 Canadians will receive Heart of Gold award recognition at regional presentations sche- duled for this fall. B.C. and the Yukon led all nominations with more than 1,700. Ontario produced 1,200; followed by Quebec with almost 1,000; Atlantic Canada and Al. berta each with more than 670; Manitoba with some 350 and Saskatchewan with 300. The total is expected to exceed 6,000 when the final count is in. Local winners received a Heart of Gold certificate and a gold pin Following is a brief summary of some of the accomplishments of the 11 recipients Arlee Anderson has been vol unteering for more than. 40 derson, Brita Haley and Wilf Leduc. Missing from photo are heshhid ig! , Roberta Zurek, Jean Ivan Vince Friedel and Mary Lynn Rakuson. years, and for the last 10 years visits, writes letters for and reads to a lady confined to a wheelchair. Wilf Leduc has lived in Castle- gar for over 40 years and has been active in his church, the Royal Canadian Legion, St John’s Ambulance and on the search and rescue team. Dale Nielsen is president of the Castlegar Chamber of Com- merce this year and has been president of the United Way for three years. As well, he has been actively involved in minor soccer. Brita Haley is chairman of the Rota Villa board, a member of the newly-formed Hospice group, visits the sick in hospital and with her husband helps with the Meals on Wheels program. Ivar Reinsbakken has lived in Castlegar since 1952 and is a past-president of the Nordic Ski Touring Club, which was instru- mental in completing cross- country ski trails at Nancy Greene Lake. He is a charter member of the Nordic Lodge No. 76 in Castlegar. CosNews Photo Vince Antignani coaches a bronco baseball squad, is vice- president of the Castlegar Minor Hockey Association Roberta Zarek has worked for the community for more than 20 years in the Women’s Institute, Guides, Brownies, and the Rob- son Recreation Society. Lynn Chatten has ‘‘gone be- yond the call of duty”’ in helping teens, children and adults who need counselling. Jean Friedel has devoted hours to the Blueberry Recrea- tion Commission, and has a “‘special caring’? for children, shown in her work every year at Christmas time to arrange for a “‘Santa”’ and treats. Guy Morey has been active in Trail for more than SO years in such organizations as St. An- drew’s Anglican Church, War- field Volunteer Fire Dept., Unit- ed Way, the Rossland Light Opera. Silver City Days and the Heart Foundation. Mary Lynn Rakuson has been active in the Trail Festivals Soc- iety, which is responsible for coordinating Silver City Days. U VICTORIA (CP) — Ombudsman Stephen Owen and Consumer Ser- vices Minister Lyall Hanson have confirmed that the provincial govern: ment’s file on the company that con- ducted a controversial pub plebiscite has disappeared The information on Delta Media Services, which conducted the plebi scite on the pub and is owned by Charles Giordano, apparently disap. peared before it could be handed over to the ombudsman Giordano is a former campaign manager of Premier Bill Vander Zalm Owen released a report on the pub file missing on Monday. The report concluded that the plebiscite required by law to measure neighborhood support for the pub, known as the Knight Street pub, was conducted improperly Owen also found political inter- ference by Vander Zalm’s principal secretary, David Poole, who resigned effective immediately after the report was released. Hanson, who said he was unaware the file was missing, called the dis- appearance “‘scary."’ Owen said he has not yet deter- mined if the information in the missing file would have helped him in his report Hanson also said he would not resign even though he revealed Thursday he knew Poole had inter. fered in the referendum process. Poole made a call to Bert Hick, the general manager of the liquor licen- sing branch, suggesting Giordano’s company be put on the list of comp- anies qualified to conduct pub pleb- iscites. Hick also resigned on Mon- day “I'm not going to resign and in my opinion Mike (Harcourt) should get on to some business of providing in- formation about NDP policies,"’ said Hanson A. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1988 C. KINDERGARTEN D. SCHOOL HOURS Castlegar Primary Kinnaird Elementary Kinnaird Jr. Sec Robson Elementary Special Ed Centre Stanley Humphries Secondary Tarrys Elem Twin Rivers Elem Volley Vista Woodland Park Elem Open Road (At Ootischenia Elementary) E. BUSING BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES All bus pickup/delivery times will basically remain the same time information call the Maintenance Office at 365-8331 SCHOOL DISTRICT No. 9 (Castlegar) SCHOOL DISTRICT No. 9 (CASTLEGAR) — SCHOOL OPENING — September 6 will be a shortened schoo! day tor siudents, sterting at the regular time and dismissing two hours later. Shortening the day will allow students an opportunity to become acquainted with their school, while at the same time enabling teachers to finalize their preparations for September 7, the first full day of instruction Registration of students new to the District will take place on this day 8. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1988 Schools will be in session the full day. Buses will operate on their regular schedule. If you are unsure of the time that your child will be picked up, contact the Maintenance Office at 365-8331 Kindergarten students will not attend school on September 6. Parents or guardians who have pre-registered their child for Kindergarten will be notified directly by the school regarding class assignment and hours of instruction Parents or guardians of Kindergarten students who have NOT registered their child are urged to do so at their IN neighbourhood school as soon as possible, or telephone the School Board Office (365-7731) for further information GRADES K-2 1-6 6-8 K.5 Ungraded 9-12 NOTE: Ifa p.m. session is required, the hours will 7-12 Qs in the post School Year. For specific bus stops and : KINDERGARTEN 08: 15-10:30, 11:30-13:45 At Valley Vista Full Days WA NA 08:20 - 10:45/a.m. Only at Castlegar Primary 08:30-10:45:11:45-14:00 10:45/a.m. only N/A NEW PLANT orest fires cause red evening sky By BONNE MORGAN Staff Writer Forest fires and a strong southerly wind brought a haze of smoke to Castlegar skies Thursday. The haze, which appeared in the late afternoon and carried on into the night, was responsible for a red sun- set and a red moon. The Nelson forestry office blamed the haze on 12 forest fires burning about 20 kilometres south of the United States-Canada border. Meanwhile, the Arrow Forest Dis- trict reported four new fires this week. The district has a total of nine fires under observation. The last fire occurred Thursday evening as a result of a lightning strike in Valhalla provincial park, near Silverton. The Arrow District is at a high risk for fires, with the southern areas near Nakusp a little less dry than the rest of the region. The district reports that there has been an unusually small number of fires this year. So far, 34 -fires have burned 64 hectares at a cost of $199,000. Last year there were 454 hectares burned, totalling $576,000 in firefighting costs. Mudslide traps park campers FIELD, B.C. (CP) — Almost 300 campers who were trapped in Yoho National Park on the British Colum- bia-Alberta border after mudslides caused a river to flood an access road began leaving the area Friday after the Trans-Canada Highway was re- opened. An RCMP spokesman said Friday night that the main highway near here was re-opened about 6:30 p.m. A series of slides caused by heavy Garbage messy By CasNews Staff Ootischenia has a messy problem. People going to the dump after hours, or on days when it is closed are dumping household garbage along Ootischenia Road. “Besides being unsightly and il- legal, this activity attracts bears in rains Thursday had blocked the high- way, but crews had managed to reopen one lane to traffic earlier Friday. The mud had also covered CP Rail tracks east of this tiny railway com- munity, but a company spokesman said the rail line was to re-open Fri- day. Some 20 people at one camp- ground had to be moved to the Spiral Tunnel tourist viewpoint on higher ground because ‘‘the water was actually moving through parts of the campground,”’ said David Cairns. CP Rail spokesman Jane Mudry said one mudslide covered about 20 metres of track, washing out some track ballast, and was three metres deep in some places. Work crews from Calgary and the B.C. town of Revelstoke arrived Friday to clear the tracks, she said. Tourist alert and around i at O i says the Conservation Officer Service in a prepared release. The Conservation Officer Service is asking for help from the public to stop the littering. It says that lit- tering may result in prosecution and court appearances. During the past few weeks, several local residents have been charged for discharging litter outside the dump. The site is open Tuesday, Wed- nesday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. — 4 p.m. and Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. It is closed Monday. VANCOUVER (CP) — RCMP tour- ist alert for Saturday, Aug. 27. The following people, believed travelling in British Columbia, are asked to contract the persons listed below: Daniel Haines of Stone Mountain, Ga., call William Haines. Albert Wildeman of Prince George, B.C., call Joanne Papineau. Tony McDowell of Ireland, call home. Brenda Forrest of Langley, B.C., call David Forrest. Robert Schriber of Idaho, call Ted Anderson. Cominco to supply gases August 26, 1968 Castlegar News a3 Briefly The $50 million oxygen plant currently under con- struction at Cominco’s Trail smelter will be the largest in Canada when it is completed next year, the project manager for the company building the plant said this week. Ralph Greenhalgh said the plant will supply the oxygen and nitrogen needs for Cominco's Trail and Warfield operations for at least the next quarter-cen- tury. Greenhalgh, project manager for Airco Gases Canada, a division of Canadian Oxygen Ltd., made the comments to a Rossland Rotary Club meeting. He added that the plant will not only produce gases for Cominco, but for other companies as well. The gas will be distributed by truck and rail. “An oxygen plant of this magnitude will process 6,200 tonnes of air each day in producing the 815 tonnes of oxygen and the 80 tonnes of nitrogen that Cominco will consume each day,’’ he said. Greenhalgh said the process is ‘environmentally very safe in that it will discharge nothing into the atmosphere except nitrogen, oxygen and other gases that are normally present in the atmosphere. “Impurities such as dust are captured in our filters and discarded as solid waste."’ He said since the plant will use electrical power, it won't have any stack exhaust ‘‘and the cooling water coming from Cominco will be re-utilized thereby eliminating higher water usage from the river."’ Greenhalgh said the ‘‘most notable’’ characteristics of the plant are the tall ‘‘cold box’’ and the distinctive sounds of the air cleaning process. “Impurities such as water and carbon dioxide are frozen at medium pressure and scavanged by a low pressure warm gas stream,"’ he explained. ‘‘The cleaning process adjusts automatically at roughly six-minute intervals and is marked by a distinctive thump noise.”” Greenhalgh said the noise is not as loud as a train, but about as loud as the interior of a good car travel at 90 kilometres per hour over . . . (Highway) 3B. The 4S-metre tall cold box will house the distillation columns which ‘‘rectify’’ the liquid ait at a temperature GOOD NEWS .. . Project manager for Airco Gases Canada, Ralph G halgn told the land Rotary Club that Cominco Ltd. is building o $50 million oxygen plant in Trail. shipping such a unit. A larger structure is possible but would have had to be shipped in sections and then assembled on the site, he said. The entire project has been the focus of some extensive and keen bargaining, for while the main product of the operation is cheap oxygen to be used in the soon to be operating, modernized lead smelting plant, there are valuable byproducts such as the inert The operation of the plant will be highly comput- erized and so will not generate many new jobs, Green- halgh said. However, workers — particularly supervisory per- sonnel — will be drawn mainly from present staff and their jobs will be stable through the foreseeable future. Long strike predicted OTTAWA (CP) — The national postal strike will probably last a couple of weeks, the chief negotiator for the Union of Postal Com- munications Employees said after contract talks collapsed Friday. Robert Delage said he doesn’t expect serious negotiations to resume until the flow of mail has been halted, and he predicted that will take about one week. There have been no reports of trouble on picket lines or of serious mail disruptions since office workers and technicians walked off the job Wednesday. Canada Post maintains it can keep the mail moving U.S. soldier implicated FRANKFURT (AP) — The second former U.S. soldier implicated in an international spy scandal provided information that led investi- gators to crack the espionage operation, a West German newspaper said Saturday. West German prosecutors, meanwhile, said U.S. officials first informed West Germany about the spy case a little more than two The West Germany-based ring reportedly sold the Soviets secret information wequt NATO nuclear missiles, pipeline systems and troop strength. Prosecutors i damage to the North A Former U.S. army/Sgt. Clyde Lee Conrad, who allegedly led the spy ring, ine ison S y, facing espi charges carrying a mdximum 10-year sentence. He was arrested by West German authorities Tuesday Prisoners riot RANGOON (AP) — Guards shot dead 36 prisoners and wounded 103 others who tried to escape from Insein Jail on Saturday the latest escalation of the unrest in Burma, state-run Radio Rangoon said. The radio said prisoners burned buildings and tried to scale the walls at the jail, about 13 kilometres north of downtown Rangoon. All the jail buildings had burned to the ground, the radio reported, without saying whether the rioting had ended Police use whips JOHANNESBURG (Reuter) — Police with whips chased about 100 South African blacks who staged a protest march in central Johannesburg watched by amazed Saturday morning shoppers. The march was illegal because all open-air gatherings except sports meetings have been banned in South Africa since 1983. The demonstrators protested against new labor legislation due to come into force on Sept. 1 and also demanded the release of black nationalist leader Nelson Mandela. After singing songs for five minutes in front of Johannesburg's premier hotel, the Carlton, the protesters marched through the city streets before they were confronted by police and dispersed. Bangladesh flooded DHAKA (Reuter) — Floods triggered by heavy rains have killed more than 80 people in Bangladesh and authorities ordered a disaster alert, officials said on Saturday. They said 33 people were killed on Friday when houses collapsed and a boat ferrying flood victims capsized in the Jamuna river. The official news agency BSS said on Friday night that all major rivers including the Padma, Br ‘a, Jamuna and Meghna were flowing above their danger levels and were expected to rise further. Peace talks recess GENEVA (AP) — The UN secretary general called a recess Saturday in the Iran-Iraq peace talks after negotiations faltered. Sources said problems arose when Iraq insisted on redrawing the southern border between the warring Persian Gulf neighbors. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar said he hoped both sides would be more flexible when they return to the bargaining table Sunday. He declined to comment on reports of problems “It is too early to ask for flexibility,’’ he said Friday after six hours of separate and joint sessions with both sides. ‘‘We are making Progress slowly, but we are trying.” Polish leaders meet WARSAW (CP) — Poland’s Communist leaders met Saturday to discuss the country’s worst labor troubles since martial law crushed workers unrest in 1981 The official news agency PAP said the Communist party’s policy-making central committee opened a plenary meeting to discuss the ‘‘socio-political and economic situation and the current tasks of the party.”” The meeting came after Interior Minister Czeslaw Kiszczak proposed on Friday talks with striking workers and miners, PLO state predicted NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The Palestine Liberation Organization is on the verge of p i an independent Palesti state which would recognize Israel's right to exist within pre-1967 boundaries, senior PLO officials say The PLO will also set up a provisional government to run the state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, occupied by Israel since 1967, with Yasser Arafat's old guard sharing leadership for the first time with young militants in the territories, the officials said “We have the people and we have,the land,"’ chief PLO spokesman Bassam Abu Sharif said in a telephone intérview from Baghdad. “With the declaration of our government, we would have fulfilled all the prerequisites for an independent state.”’ Soviets slam Stalin MOSCOW (Reuter) — The Soviet Communist party newspaper Pravda said that the collectivization of agriculture under Josef Stalin destroyed the most productive elements of Soviet farming and cost ing with the years 1928-30, said previous official mn suppressed important facts. “It has been kept quiet that in the course of the liquidation of the kulaks (well-off the most i i of the productive forces of agriculture were destroyed,’’ the article said. TAKING SAMPLES . . . "'Citizens” opposed to the spraying of the herbicide Spike along area rail lines examine residue found on CP Rail’s right-of- OTHERS continued from front page and congenital defects, despite being approved for use “The citizens of our regional dis- trict believe the analogy to the CPR Spike spraying is clear and evident,” a prepared release from Citizens Against Spike states. “When dealing with toxic sub- stances in our area, simple humanity itself demands that if there is to be error, that it be on the side of cau- tion.” The group says that CPR has man- aged without Spike historically and cannot financially justify the use of the herbicide for weed control along its rail lines. Leaded gas ban advanced OTTAWA (CP) — Shocking new information about lead poisoning in children has helped persuade the federal government to move forward its 1993 deadline for getting lead out of gasoline, CTV reported. The deadline, set in 1986, will be advanced by at least two years, the network said, quoting unidentified government sources. The decision was made after a report for the U.S. Congress revealed that half a million Canadian children suffer from some degree of lead poisoning. Furthermore, at least two of every three young children have what is considered to be unacceptably high levels of lead in their blood. Long- term effects include shorter stature, a drop in IQ levels and hearing prob. way in Rivervale. Selkirk College biology instruc- tor, Peter Wood takes samples Youth charged in shooting SURREY, B.C. (CP) — A 17-year- old male has been charged with attempted murder following the shooting of a Punjabi newspaper editor in this Vancouver suburb Fri- day The youth, who cannot be identi- fied because of his age, was being held in custody pending his appear- ance in Surrey family court on Mon- day, an RCMP spokesman said to- day Meanwhile, Tara Singh Hayer, the S2-year-old editor of the Indo-Can- adian Times, was listed in stable condition at Royal Columbian Hospi- tal in nearby New Westminster today after undergoing several hours of surgery Friday night. Police guards have been assigned to watch over him Hayer, who also owns the Times — B.C.’s largest Punjabi newspaper with a circulation of 15,000 — was hit by three bullets fired by an assailant in Hayer’s office shortly after noon Friday Hayer's attack came less than a week after a columnist on his paper was severely beaten by an unknown assailant at his home and just days after a report from London, England, said he was one of three men tar geted for a $50,000 contract killing Hayer has denied there was a contract out on him While he is sympathetic to the notion of a separate Sikh nation called Khalistan, Hayer has been ex tremely critical of such extremist groups as Babbar Khalsa, led by Vancouver resident Talwinder Singh Youth Federation, for their violent separatist tactics. WAS BEATEN Hardev Singh Waraich, Indo-Can. adian Times columnist and a close friend of Hayer, has stitches over his right eye after an assailant clubbed him with a kirpan — the Sikh cere- monial dagger — at his home last Saturday Waraich thinks the attack on him was related to a series of articles he wrote critical of a newspaper pub- lished locally by the International Sikh Youth Federation And he speculated that the attack was related to the Hayer shooting. ‘‘First I am attacked and then all of a sudden my best friend is attack- ed."'.Waraich said. Hayer's son, Sandeep, said Friday his father's assailant waited quite some time in the newspaper's re ception area while Hayer was in his office in the rear of the building When Hayer entered the reception area, he said, the man jumped up from where he was seated. moved toward the door, pulled out a hand- gun and fired six times BULLETS HIT He said three bullets struck Hayer in the arm, leg and back while three missed and thudded into a wall “I feel just sick about this,’’ said Surjit Madhopuri, who warles—for Hayer and pursued the g he was caught two blocks\away with the help of a passerby “The man was sitting there for quite some time,"’ he said. ‘“‘We lems. Parmar, and the PROVINCIAL PARKS International Sikh hope Tara Singh will be all right." Mineral study urged Two task forces set up in the Kootenay Develop- ment Region want the provincial government to evaluate mineral claims in provincial parks. Kimberley Mayor Jim Ogilvie, chairman of the Minerals Task Force, says the studies would help ensure that resources are not lost and ‘‘would help to avoid conflicts in the future’’ over compensation for mineral claims. Task force concerns do not centre on Class A parks. says Ogilvie in a prepared release, but rather on desig nated areas which do not yet have full park status or areas that might be considered desirable for park designation in the future He says the problem is that ‘‘there is no way to revoke Crown-granted claims’’ without negotiating compensation with the owner of the claim. If the provincial govetnment wants to prohibit mining development on certain areas in future after having granted a mineral claim, it must deal with the mineral claim holders, he said ‘But first, we have to know what's there. We don't want the the provincial government to pay large amounts for a worthless claim,"’ says Ogilvie He said that is why it is important to get the resources mapped out “We don't have up-to-date geological maps’ for all parts of the region. B.C. lags behind some of the other provinces in working towards a complete geological survey of the province Ogilvie’s Minerals Task Force also wants the pro: vincial government to work more closely with the mining industry to improve the image of mining as a whole. He says much has been done in recent years to minimize the impact of mining on the environment and there hasn't been a lot done to inform the public about it “The forest: industry is way ahead of the mining industry in getting its message across."’ Meanwhile, the Parks and Recreation Task Force, in addition to backing the call for geological surveys, is showing its approval of a study recently announced by B.C. Hydro and its U.S. counterpart, Bonneville Power. that will look into fluctuations in the levels of lakes in the Kootenays. Many of the lakes are created by dams governed under the Columbia River Treaty between the United States and Canada and administered by the International Joint Commission Wide fluctuations in lake levels are caused not only by seasonal variations, but also by water management However, according to Castlegar Mayor Audrey Moore, a member of the committee, lake level fluctuations have an impact on the recreational value of the lakes, on the fish that are in them and the commun ities that line their shores And because the system is so interconnected, no lake can be studied in isolation, says Moore. By recom mending support for the Hydro study, regional politicians hope to be consulted, have input and be kept informed of the study results, she adds. Further Parks and Recreation Task Force resolu tions call on B.C. H\dro to continue efforts to clean up shorelines along the hesewoirs created by its dams a%d urge the Ministry ‘arks to move property near Christina Lake higher gq its acquisition priority list Moore says some action is needed to save the land for a provincial park. It issone of the few remaining parcels of land available that would provide public access to Christina Lake. The task force recommendations will go to the next meeting of the Regional Economic Diversification Group tentatively scheduled for Oct. 14 in Creston. The task forces were initiated by this larger committee to investi gate individual aspects of the region's economy If the regional, group approves the resolutions, it would form recommendations to Minister of State Howard Dirks, who would bring them to his cabinet colleagues for possible action decisions. Alcan strike averted KITIMAT, B.C. (AP) — A tent- ative agreement was reached Sat urday between Alcan and about 1,650 workers, averting a shutdown of the giant aluminum smelter in north. western British Columbia About 300 management employees filled in to keep the plant operating after graveyard workers walked out Thursday night over what they said was lack of progress in contract talks. But Alcan officials said if the strike could not be settled the plant — the major employer in the community — would have to begin shutting down Saturday “It's a good settlement, a hard- fought one though, and went right to the wire,"’ said company spokesman Alan Hewitson. ‘The plant was on the verge of a shutdown this after- noon when the agreement was reach ed."* Details of the tentative pact weren't released. Ratification votes will be held Wednesday and Thurs. day The Aluminum Co. of Canada Ltd. previously offered a two-year cont ract to the Canadian Association of Smelter and Allied Workers © with increases of 90 cents an hour in the first year and S.S per cent in the second on a base rate of $17.40 an hour The union said other issues were longer vacations, shift premiums and pensions. SENT MEDIATOR Ed Peck, head of the provincial Industrial Relations Council, sent in a special mediator Friday to try to resolve the dispute. Peck said he had taken the initiative and exercised his special power df intervention because of the “‘serious ramifications” of a closure “It has not only serious ramifi cations for the parties, but for the community as well because it’s a community that depends on this plant.”’ said Peck ‘*When those things go down, they stay down for months,’’ he said “I'm just acting in a prudent way to ensure that we're right on the spot to do anything that can be done.” Hewitson lauded the efforts of mediator Darwin Benson in allowing the two sides to come to terms. Court news In Castlegar provincial court this week, Jack Benton recieved an inter. mittent 30-day jail sentence and was placed on probation for assault, caus ing bodily harm eee lan Ephron received a $50 fine after pleading guilty to speeding Aman until ~~ Services should grow Government agents should provide more services, according to a task force set up in the Kootenay Development Region. The task force looking into government services has called for an increase in the number of services provided by government agents, including © registration of births, mar riages and death certificates; © recording mineral/placer claims; © distributing Forest Service recreation area maps where there are no Forest Service offices. © providing provincial govern- ment tender results; © operating a toll-free infor- mation line in the region The task force received a number of public presentations and submissions from govern- ment agents throughout the de. velopment region. Among the suggestions was permission to use credit cards to pay for government services. However, the task force rejected the idea The recommendations now go to the Regional Services Group for approval. If approved there, they will be forwarded to the provincial government The Kootenay Development Region has 10 government agent offices which provide a variety of services for provincial ministries which don't have offices in the area ee ee