KAREN KERKHOFF Sun staff The Castlegar Sun Candy wrap When Doug Spender and Daryl! Bojechko left on a hunting trip to the East Kootenay little did they know that they were embarking on the journey of a lifetime. On November 21, Spender, a Robson man, and Bojechko of Castlegar, found themselves in a potentially fatal situation, While driving their truck in the back- woods Flathead area near Femie, 4 severe winter storm was brew- ing. Although the men knew of the impending storm they contin. ued making their way into the woods. “We're used to quarter-sized flakes, and they were really small flakes so we didn’t think anything of it,” explained Spender. At times, winds were blowing 80 miles per hour and tempera- tures plummeted to -32 Celsius. and then the worst happened—their truck got stuck So the two men struck out on foot for a cabin Spender said he knew was only about two kilome- ters away. What should have been an easy walk took two hours with the men wading through thigh high snow—but they made it and spent that Sunday night in rela- tive comfort compared to their next two night's lodging. SUN STAFF Doug Spender The men believed they wouldn't be officially listed as missing until Wednesday, 48 hours after they were expected home on Monday. With that thought in mind they started walking, hoping to be out of the woods before they were missed. “We hiked and hiked and hiked. Before we realized it, it was getting dark.” Their worst night was about to begin. With no time to search for ade- quate shelter the men huddled in sleeping bags up against a tree trying to keep the bitter cold at bay—but it was no use. As the men lay shivering in their bags, Spender said the futility of the situation almost overcame them. pers save Wednesday, December 1, 1993 “Boj said ‘I don't know if I can make it through the night and I said to him "We're going to make it!" Through the night the two kept talking to each other, knowing if they fell asleep they wouldn't wake up. “We knew that would spending about 15 hours in their bags, the men scrounged up twigs and branches to start a small fire to help dry out their bags. “We decided we weren't getting any warmer in the bi and we knew we had another night to spend outside. So we packed our gear and started out again.” Their destination was a tarp covered cabin which Spender knew was close by—the tarp should provide some shelter. But luck wasn't with them. When they arrived all they found was the frame. “We hung up the packs and decided what to do. We went to find somewhere to sleep—a sheltered area in the trees.” Trudging through the deep snow, the two men joked around to keep their spirits up and also played a counting game by count- ing their steps after which they would take a break. Along the way they ate Starburst candies to keep their strength up. “At the most we counted to 100, but on the steep parts we Local fire department kept busy with chimneys an important annual habit, that, if avoided, could If the last week is any indic: then this will be a busy fire season. Fire Chief Gerry Rempel said that in just over a week, the department has responded to four chimney to only one chimney fire during last fires, January's cold snap that gripped the West Kootenay. Luckily, in each case this year there was little or no damage to the homes. But Rempel. wants to remind residents of Castlegar and the surrounding area that a professional check-up of their chimnies is ion of what is to come for the Castlegar Volunteer Fire Department, have dire consequences. “With the cold weather, a lot of people are really turning the heat up. Whether in their gas furnace or fire place, these have to be maintained.” Chimney fires are not unusual during the winter damage. months, but they can be avoided by simple checks to ensure that creosote build-up is not taking place. When fighting a chimney fire, firefighters will often use a dry chemical, made up of phosphates to Prevent chimney and interior home damage The latest chimney fire occurred at 739 Meadow- brooke Lane, last Friday at 8:15 p.m.. There was no WHKP passing the buck—in more ways than one KAREN KERKHOFF Sun staff Currently the Kootenays and the South Okanagan enjoy low Power rates—the lowest in North America from a regulated utility But the phenomenal growth of taxes and power purchase costs could soon put an end to that Bill Van Yzerloo, West. Koote- may Power (WKP) president of finance, said that despite WKP’s voiced concerns to the govern- ment, the costs continue to climb. “Unfortunately, the costs con- tinue to escalate and it's our cus- tomers who pay through rate increases.” WKP’s tax jumped to $23.8 million in 1993, which is due to a Provincial property tax increase of 47 per cent while their power Purchase costs jumped to $35.7 million, driven mostly by addi- tional B.C. Hydro charges The increases were. reflected by the customer's five per cent rate increase and there could be more coming in 1994 and 1995 said Van Yzerloo. “There is no question that taxes and power purchases will adversely effect customer rates in 1994 and 1995. While they are largely cost factors under the control of the provincial government and B.C. Hydro, we are not standing idly by...we are taking steps to reduce the effect on the cost of our cus- tomers’ electricity.” WKP has filed a request with the B.C. Assessment Authority to challenge the extraordinary prop- erty tax increases incurred in 1993.” A regulatory decision earlier this year established higher power Purchase charges from B.C Hydro and limited the power available from B.C. Hydro Since then WKP has searched internationally for other sources of supply. When load peaks are high, as they were on November 25, WKP has to purchase addi tional power. The cost is then Passed on to the consumer. The 603 megawatt power peak on November 25 exceeded the 523 high for November 1992 WKP is asking for consumers help in keeping the usage down thereby avoiding costly power purchases. This can be done by using less electricity between 5 p.m.-8 p.m. daily and calling WKP’s PowerSmart hotlines, which offers financial incentives and ups to help make energy effi cient improvements to homes and businesses Mike Bradshaw, WKP director of community and public affairs explains. “People can do this through PowerSmart and make sure their bills are as low as pos sible. It comes full circle back to the customer.” Local outdoor enthusiast critical of new code SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor to Manufactured Homes. Regional District of Central Kootenay PUBLIC NOTICE Manufactured Homes Please be advised that the Regional District of Central Kootenay Board has adopted the following policy as it relates Effective immediately, manufactured homes will not be Permitted to be placed on properties within the Regional District of Central Kootenay unless they are certified as conforming to the appropriate CSA Standards as Prescribed by the British Columbia Building Code. If you have any questions with: regards to this notice, you may contact the Building Inspection Department at 352-6665 You are reminded that a building permit is required prior to the placement of your Manufactured Home on site. Ron Thomas Chief Building Inspector While the NDP government is saying the recently released new Forests Practices Code will mean increased and tougher enforce- ment, as well as heavier penalties for infractions in the forest indus- try, one Castlegar resident says the government is robbing from Peter to pay Paul. Paul being the forest industry, and Peter representing wildlife and the environment Steve Davis, president of the Castlegar and District Wildlife Association, says that since the mid-eighties, govern- ment has been making cuts to staff from the Ministry of Envi- ronment, meaning less conserva- tion officers to cover large areas of land mass. With the govern- ment’s recent announcement that now, conservation officers will also be responsible for monitor- ing forest infraction, Davis is concerned that these officials will have less time than ever before to concentrate on issues that affect the environment and wildlife “The minister called it stream- lining. This isn’t streamlining, it's a bad joke,” said Davis, Club members from the local wildlife association have recog- nized that conservation officers in the West Kootenay are “tapped to the limit” and that with the added duties associated with handling forestry violations, wildlife in particular will suffer. “Once these officers are inves- tigating a forestry violation it means a lot of extra research, extra time spent in court and they are so busy right now just han- dling the wildlife cases, it really isn’t fair. You don’t see forestry officials tracking down poach- ers. The need for greater wildlife enforcement is clearly evident said Davis, not only in the West Kootenay, but across the Pprovince—especially during peak times such as hunting season. But Poachers really know no specific season, and as a result, investiga- tions are backed up or put on hold. Davis also stressed that increasing restrictions on wildlife officials due to budget constraints must be dealt with on a daily basis. “These guys are just trying to do their job, but if the money runs out, I guess they can only sit back and wait. Did you know they even have restrictions on how many kilometers they can drive in one day?” The end result of the entire scenario, said Davis, is that wildlife suffers. So much so, that Davis and other club members have, for the last few years, been consistent in writing letters to the government, asking for greater enforcement. The club is also waiting for the B.C. Wildlife Fed- eration to take a position on these latest developments that will inadvertently affect wildlife. But the worst part, says Davis, is that officers within the ministry remain silent about the problem. “They can’t speak out against the government, it’s their boss.” Castlegar MLA Ed Conroy reiterated what Minister of Forests Andrew Petter said earlier when releasing the Forests Prac- tices Code: that environment offi- cials have been given expanded powers not an expanded work load. While Conroy agrees that addi- onal court time for wildlife offi- cials might, infrequently, occur as a result of their new abilities. He added he does not think wildlife will suffer as a result “The reason they have been empowered is because they get around a lot. But it's not an expansion of their jobs. It's still up to Ministry of Forests officials to police what happens in the for- est,” Conroy said CANADIAN CONNECTIONS. Daily service to Calgary. Canadian Regional ost hunters only got to 15, It was a tough go We joked around or we wouldn't have made the difference.” Luckily the men were able to find some -split wood, plastic and plywood which they used to make a lean-to. After they got settled in their humble shelter, they celebrated with a bag of peanuts for supper While dozing, Spender heard talking, but thought he was dreaming, “The roof came flying off and I heard someone say ‘They're alive, they're o.k.." I was almost doing flips but my feet hurt too much.” Spender acknowledges that Bojecho and he owe a debt to the Provincial Emergency Plan vol- unteers. “We owe our lives to them. They did a hell of a job.” When Spender returned home, he got a reception from his two year-old daughter and his wife, who is eight and a half months pregnant, that he will never for- get. “We had a big hug and cry session.” Spenier said he intends to go hunting again, but he is already compiling a list of articles he will carry with him whenever he hunts. The only injuries the men received was mild frost bite to their toes. The men were. found by Provincial Emergency workers who followed the men's Starburst wrappers. Scammers using BC Tel name - KAREN KERKHOFF Sun staff Knock knock Who's there. B.C. Tel. If you hear these words you would be wise to make sure that the person knock- ing at your door is truly a B.C. Tel employee Recent complaints from consumers have been streaming into-the Ministry of Housing, Recreation and Consumer Services regard ing shady solicitations from ‘salespeople Consumer Services Min ister, Joan Smallwood explains. We've had several hun- dred complaints from con- sumers who have been solicited to buy long dis- tance telephone plans by door-to-door salespeople who infer they are BC Tel employees or who suggest they are conducting some sort of survey.” Claiming an affiliation a person doesn’t have or mis- representing theSpurpdse of contact with a consumer is against the Trade Practice Act and can result in fines up to $100,000 The Consumer Protection Act of B.C. provides con- Sumers with a seven day cancellation period. This allows the consumer to change their mind and can- cel contracts which have been signed at home. When making a door-to- door purchase: never sign a sales agreement until you have enough time to think a Purchase through; if it looks like a good buy ask the seller to call again, giv- ing you time to decide; find out if the seller has a licence, if they have a record with the Better Busi- ness Bureau, or have refer- ences; know the Product, if it has warranties: if Possi- ble, avoid Paying for goods OF services in full until they have been delivered ee | Wednesday, December 1 ee It was an emotionally-charged final city council meeting for Castlegar Mayor Audrey Moore (r), who received not only a standing ovation, but hugs and well-wishes from approximately two dozen friends and SUPPOrters. SUN PHOTO John Van Putten Page 3A ALOK BACK AT THE PAST WEEK BETEMPERATURE Max/Date: ............000 -..0.0/28 Normal Mean: .........66 oi OS Friday as another system ‘approaches from the coast. Relatively mild tempratures should persist. [PRECIPITATION =— ss Number of Hour: Normal Number of Hours: ........... 11.7 Forecast provided by The South - East interior Weather Office at Castlegar, B.C. ARROW LAKE RESERVOIR FORECAST - 1993 Nov. 26°425.9 ft. * Dec. 4 1425.0 ft. * TREND: Down Wyllie highly critical of what he calls a ‘misdesign’ Claims access is an accident waiting to happen SHARLENE IMHOFF _ Sun Editor Area J Regional Director Ken Wyllie is certain that someone has messed up somewhere along the line Wyllie, in referring to thé construction of the Castlegar Robson Bridge, is adamant that the intersection off Broadwater Road leading to the bridge is not correct and might prove to be unsafe “I'm certain this has been misdesigned,” said Wyllie In particular, Wyllie is critical of the left-hand turn from Rob. son towards Nelson. He feels the grade is unsafe and the visi bility is poor. The Area J direc tor is also calling for a widened access on to the bridge When told of Wyllie’s con cerns, a representative from the Ministry of Highways suggested that he contact their offic “This is the first we have heard about Mr. Wyllie’s con- cerns,” said Eliah Farrell, public informations office for the Kootenay region Farrell continued to stress that prior to any bridge con- struction, a number of highly publicized public consultation meetings were held, during and approach lisplayed which bridge plans wer Director Ken Wyllie Castlegar resident earns prestigious medal Denise Reed joins Castlegar’s elite 125 class KAREN KERKHOFF Sun staff Castlegar's Denise Reed has joined an elite and esteemed few who include Audrey Moore, Jim Waldie, Elizabeth Fleet and Deb Chmara, to name a few. Last October, Reed received a letter in the mail from Ottawa and it almost ended up in the garbage “I saw it was from Ottawa and I almost threw it away. I thought it was more junk mail.” What Reed didn’t know was the envelope contained a letter of congratulations for the many community services she has per formed and advising her that she General's Citizenship Award. the prestigious Canada 125 Anniver sary medal When Reed opened the letter she couldn't believe what she read, and so she called her broth er, a politician “I asked him ‘Is this some thing important? yes it was significant and legitimate.” Reed said the importance of the award and medal didn’t sink in until she was awarded the medal at a recent city council meeting Director of the Kootenay Region of the Canadian Red Cross, Gary Ockenden, said the Canadian Red Cross recom and he said was to be awarded the Governor mended that Reed receive the medal for her service to them “She's made a difference to the town and the whole region.’ Ockenden said Reed was responsible for the regionaliza tion of the Kootenay Region of the Red Cross, thereby allowing it to form its own regional office and become self-governing She was instrumental in our office being located in Castlegar.” As well, Ockenden commends Reed for her unfailing commit- ment towards local blood clinics and the annual Jim Young Golf Tournament.” The award is given to out- standing citizens in the commu- nity in recognition of their many contributions to society new firehall in Blueberry Creek. that a tanker and pumper will be in residence by January Last Saturday volunteers from Blueberry Creek raised the truck bay walls of the It is hoped the roof will be on by this week end and an — ss — Castlegar youth charged with theft | A 16-year-old Castlegar you has been held in custody after se a G.T. Snow Racer. The youth had apparently taken the racer from a resident on train bridge with the racer in his possession. The youth, who can't be named under the Young Offenders Act ippeared in court November 29 to answer to charges associated with the theft 7th Avenue and was later found near the Denise Reed Monro. insulting to Canada. aged forests in the world.” forestry practices. ucts. est.” practices first-hand. German article draws heat Canada’s forestry practices slammed Everyone knows if you live in a glass house you shouldn’t throw stones—especially Forest Alliance of British Columbia Chair, Jack A recent article in the November 15 edition of the German mag- azine “Der Spiegel” titled “Pillagers of the North” lambastes Cana- dian forestry practices and has left Monro fighting mad Monro charges that the article: contains false information and is According to Monro, the article claims that “only ten per cent of the denuded areas of British Columbia are reforested” after harvest- ing—a claim that Monro said is untrue “That is an outright lie. All harvested areas must be reforested by law, and there is absolutely better than 95 per cent success with reforestation in British Columbia, and all with native uee species from the same region. British Columbia has the most natural man. Munro charged that the article was due to “inferior research”, and claims that Germany shouldn't point fingers at Canadian It is incredible that a German magazine would make no men- tion of German forests which cover over 30 per cent of that coun- try. The great majority of forestry in Germany is by clearcutting and none of the original forest remains. More than 50 per cent of Canada’s original forest remains untouched.” Der Spiegel also made repeated claims that ancient trees were being felled and ground up to make diapers and other paper prod- Kalesnikoff Lumber Vice-President, Ken Kalesnikoff, adamantly denies that ancient trees are being wasted and being used for such items, claiming that to do so is an economi “It's virtually impossible for a company today to pay the price we do for timber and than make it into diapers.” Furthermore, Kalesnikoff claims the writer of the article could not have researched the subject to make such erroneous statements. “It's impossible that it was researched. We have to reforest— that’s our future. I'd be a fool to cut everything down and not refor- In fact, Kalesnikoff defends today’s forestry practices and invites the magazine to come and witness British Columbia's forestry “TL invite them to come here and let me take them into the bush.” ly unsound practice. Just looking fora little respect SHARLENE IMHOFF Sun Editor Castlegar’s Public Works Department is just looking for a little respect—and maybe even a little patience and understanding The city works crew has been preparing for the onslaught of winter, and with it, the large amount of snowfall that can be both a source or joy and real pain in the butt for Castle gar residents. Speaking on behalf of employ ees from the Public Works Department, Operations Manager Duane Monsen and Roads Fore man Coordinator Nelson Newlove are requesting that if and when a major snowfall occurs, that local residents exer cise some patience when it comes to snow removal “After a major snowfall, it takes at least 11 hours for a full crew to get all streets and parking lots open—considering it has stopped snowing,” To best deal with a major snow fall, the department has a schedule of priorities for snow removal: major traveled routes. such as Columbia Avenue at the This is followed by said Newlove top of the list all emergency routes, followed by the schools and major hills and finally, parking lots, and residen- tial areas. “Residential areas and dead- end streets are last, and if it takes awhile for us to get to you, it doesn’t mean we have forgotten about you,” said Monsen. The department is asking local residents and business owners cooperate to ensure a smoother, quicker response on their behalf when cleaning streets: park licensed vehicles off the traveled portion of roadways; don’t park in the downtown area between 2 a.m. and 7 p.m.; keep all unli- censed vehicles completely off city boulevards; in removing snow from your own driveway, don't push it back on to city streets that have already been plowed; don’t allow children to build snowforts along road shoul- ders or inside piles of snow along the driveway; and on garbage day, ensure tat cans and bins are well clear of a snowplowing blade Workers’ dayshift runs from 7 am. to 3 p.m., and nightshift runs from 11 p.m. to 6:30, a.m., During heavy snowfall however, it’s the norm to have crews work ing around the clock to clear streets and parking lots, but if the snow keeps coming, than it fur- ther delays the workers’ ability to attend to residential streets. “If it's been 24 hours and your residential street still hasn’t been plowed, then by all means give us a call. It is possible to over- look an area. But for the most part, we know what needs to be done. It just takes awhile at times for it to be completed,” Monsen said. Residents are also asked not to pile snow from their driveway next to a fire hydrant, if they are located near one. “In fact people can clear the area around a hydrant if they. It can certainly help us out when things are real- ly busy,” Newlove said. In the past, the department has been criticized for its snow removal abilities, but both Newlove and Monsen stress that if some residents realized the dif- ficulty in getting everything plowed while the snow is still coming down, they wouldn't be so quick to complain or even “throw their shovels at us.” a@imatead of getting a shovel “thrown atWs, we'd ‘really appre- ciate a smile and a wave,” Mon- sen finished