C8 © Januar

Mid-Winter
Clearance

Sidewalk

SALE

Our Biggest Sale Ever
30 Participating Stores

Think fun! Imagine all the wonderful
things that could make your winter

complete. An avalanche of savings are headed

your way at our centre-wide clearance.

Jan. 12 to 21

Thursday to Saturday

1150 Lakeside Drive
Nelson; 8.C.

(CIELAIBNKO

Wee OR MALL,

Rebels
lose

The Castlegar Re
bels dropped a narrow
4-3 decision to the
Trail Jr, Smokies Fri
day at the Complex

+. BI

Tentative
contract

Castlegar and Dis
trict’ Teachers Asso.
ciation president Joyce
Adams announced this
week the CDTA has
reached a tentative
contract agreement
with the school district

++ +A2

LOTTERY
NUMBERS

The winning numbers in Saturday's Lotto
6/49 draw were 10, 25, 29, 31, 39 and 49. The
bonus number was 43.

The winning numbers drawn Friday in
The Pick lottery were 8, 9, 12, 24, 37, 38, 42
and 52.

The $1,000,000 winning number in
Friday's Provincial lottery draw is 6682649,

=

Merger
worries

B.C. Federation of
Labor president Ken
Georgetti is concerned
about a loss of jobs
following the merger

of brewing giants i
Molson and. Carling § ‘
Oeete... A3 4

unday

Castle

Vol. 42, No. 7

60 Cents as Sa

en \\UA

CASTLEGAR BRITISH COLUMBIA, SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 1989

WEATHERCAST

Today ‘and Mondey: Cloudy with
sunny periods... Highs to 1

3 Sections (A, B& C)

Ferry users
make
emotional plea

By SIMON BIRCH
Editor

After losing its case in the Supreme Court of B.C
the Robson-Raspberry Ferry Users Ad Hoc Committee
has made an emotional appeal to Premier Bill Vander
Zalm to reinstate ferry service between Robson and
Castlegar, citing the hardships to elderly and disabled
residents since the provincial government shut down the
ferry last April.

In a Jan. 19 letter to Vander Zalm, Castlegar
lawyer Terry Dalton, who represents the ferry users.

ROLLING ON . . . Whéelchair athlete Rick Hansen.
shown here on his visit to Castlegar, made use of
the Robson ferry to cross the river.) The Ferry
Users Ad Hoc Committee has asked ‘Hansen to
write to Premier Bill Vander Zalm stressing the
hardship the closure of the ferry is causing the
area's disabled News tle ph
also cites the impact the loss of the ferry service has had
‘on business and tourism in the area

“We believe we've always been dealt with only on
an emotional and philosophical basis and never on a
rational level,’’ Dalton said in an interview with the
Castlegar News. ‘We feel that, rationally, we have
shown conclusively that the ferry should be re-started
But if the government is prepared to deal with us only
on an emotional basis, we're prepared to do that as
well

“It is for that reason that we've emphasized-the
hardships the ferry closure has created for the elderly
and the ill, the children, and most particularly, the
handicapped and the-disabled,"’ added Dalton, who-has.

appointment of.an advisory council on the disabled and
Vander Zalm's appointment of disabled athlete Rick
Hansen as the council's honorary chairman, along with
the premier’s comment that the government is commit
ted ‘‘to improving the quality of life for the disabled in
B.C.""

“I appreciate that Premier Bill Vander Zalm has a
concern, for .all those individuals* and a genuine
concern — but the statement seems entirely
inconsistent with the actual effect of the ferry closure on
the handicapped and disabled citizens of Robson,”
Dalton said in the interview

Dalton said the ferry users have written to Hansen
asking that the wheelchair athlete write to Vander Zalm
encouraging the premier to consider the effects of the
ferry closure on the area's disabled people; including
the elderly and the ill

“We all suffer various forms of handicaps but for
many of us it’s much less visible than for others,’
Dalton said

With the committee's letter, Dalton includes letters
from a Robson couple written to the premier and his
wife, Lillian, recounting the story. of the Robson
couple’s son who; accidentally swallowed a straight pin
on Dec. 20, 1988, and had to be rushed to Castlegar and
District hospital. The trip took 23 minutes — twice
the time the trip would have taken using the ferry

The boy suffered no serious consequences but
Dalton — along with a sworn affidavit from Dr. John
Hall of Castlegar — points out that minutes saved by
using the Robson ferry could mean the difference
between life and death

“I hope it will not take a death in Robson to
demonstrate the importance of our ferry," Dalton
writes.

Finally, in a powerful appeal to Vander Zalm’s
concern for the disabled, Dalton includes with the letter
excerpts from Christopher de Vinck'’s book, The Power
of the Powerléss: A Brother's Legacy of Love, which
tells the story of Oliver, a baby that was born blind
mute, crippled and helpless.

The child was cared for by his family and lived his
entire 33 years in an upstairs bedroom

Aaron Mack (left) and Ed Lukkan of B and N
Blasting in Rossland survey the debris following
the second rock slide this week which temporarily
closed the Castlegar-Salmo.highway. Workers

blasted away the first rock Friday morning only to
have another huge boulder come crashing down
Friday night. Crews were still removing the debris
as the CasHegar News went to press

Rock slide
closes highway

By CasNews Staff
A huge rock the size of a truck, $2,500
and other smaller boulders broke

Damage to the vehicle is estimated at move the rock which

down on fhe highway at about

Fre-REMP-atso brought a pore —p-m., said Walter Miller, Castlegar

appealed the B.C. Supreme Court decision to the B.C

Court of Appeal

Datton—has~assured Vander Zalm, through the
government's lawyers, that information contained in the

On an economic level, Dalton points out to the

premier that two Castlegar businesses — Lion's Head

committee's letter — or any response from the premier of closing.

— will not be used in the Court of Appeal proceedings.

Dalton notes in the 11-page letter the government’s

Sports and Bun City — have ceased operation since the
ferry closure, and a third, La Maison, is in the process

In each case, they were the closest businesses of

continued on page A2

Hospital expansion
delayed until fall

By CasNews Staff

The construction of intermediate
and extended care facilities at Castle
gar and: District’ Hospital has been
delayed. the hospital's administrator
said this week

Ken Talarico said the construction
probably won't begin now until Sep.
tember

He said the planning stage is
taking longer than expected with ar-
chitects and engineers putting the
final touches on preliminary designs
of the unit

Hospital officials were hopeful that
construction would begin in April or
May

The project calls for a new 25-bed
extended care facility and facilities
for 35 intermediate care beds. The
Project includes renovations to the
existing acute care facility. Also
included is a new dictary department
to serve the long-term and acute care

units and a 65-space parking lot

The project will cost aprpoximately
$4.9 million, including all the fur-
nishings and equipment and fees for
the architects and consultants. Sixty
per cent of the funding for the project
is provided by the provincial govern-
ment while the remaining 40 per cent
comes from the Regional District of
Central Kootenay

Talarico said the hospital applied
for funding for the project several
years ago but architects didn’t begin
working on the project until last
September

He said the architect had to deter
mine how the new facility could fit on
the available land

“We have selected one of the de
signs and they are now working on
further development on it,” Talarico
said

The new facility will be joined to
the existing acute care unit on the

west side of the building

Talarico said the new. facility is
“much-needed."’ He said there is
always a waiting list numbering in
the 20s for extended care beds at the
hospital. The only intermediate care
beds available are at Raspberry
Lodge

Talarico said he expects it will take
12 months to complete the facility
once construction-begins

Meanwhile, Castlegar Mayor Aud
rey Moore said she’s glad the project
és going ahead, adding that she
knows that it takes a long time to
plan new hospital facilities

“TL wish them every success?’ she
said. ‘*I hope that it is ready to go to
tender in September

“Tam sure the local people get
very frustrated... but then we want
our hospitals well planned,"’ Moore
said

away from the bluffs and tumbled on ‘dog up to the site to sniff the area to

to the Castlegar-Salmo highway Fri
day—night. resulting ina closure of
the road
The rocks camé town less than 24
hours after an eight-metre rock fell
from the same area on to the high
way Thursday near the viewpoint
elling eastbound hit
the rocks shortly after they tumbled
on to'the highway, Castlegar RCMP
reported
Jason Jeffrey Rutter of Lumby
driving a 1979 Chevrolet 4x4 pickup.
skidded over the rock debris., the
RCMP said. His vehicle collided with
the largest rock at about 6:30 p.m

BOB BRISCO
federal appointment

see if anyone was buried under the
focks bet ne-one eae found under
the debris 2

A Bel Maintenance worker said a
specialist was brought in from Van
couver to assess the situation before
blasting could begin. |Bel Mainten
ance took over highways mainten
ance in the Castlegar area under the
provincial government: privatization
program

The rock that landed on the high
way Thursday night was blasted off
the road Friday morning

Three loaders were on the scene

Thursday night but were unable to

supervisor for Bel Maintenance

Wayne Benton of Trail was driving
chip trick for NDB Transport when
he came across the rock on his way to”

Castlegar Thursday night

It just. blended. in’ so well TI
couldn't see it,"’ Benton said. “It's
hard to believe sométhing that big
can hide in the middle of the road

He said the rock came down after
one of the company's other trucks
had passed by the site but before he
arrived on the scene. Another NDB
truck stopped and put flares near the
rock so it could be seen by other

veliicles

Brisco gets
new job

By CasNews Staff

Former Kootenay West: MP Bob
Brisco has a new job

Brisco, defeated by the NDP’s Lyle
Kristiansen in the Nov. 21 election,
has been appointed to the federal
government's new Refugee. Board
whose two-member panels will re
view applications for refugee status
in Canada

Brisco: who will be based in Van
couver, begins his new job at the end
of the month when he will be given
three weeks of intensive instruction
in-his new post

Brisco told the Castlegar News on
Saturday he doesn't consider the new

job a patronage appointment

“Tthink probably as much as any
thing else it's not a reward but a
recognition of my contribution
Brisco said in a telephone interview
from his home in Ottawa. “‘I'm proud+
of my contribution and I have no
hesitation in saying so

Brisco said he doesn't consider his
appointment patronage any more
than the appointment to the board of
defeated Liberal MP Aideen Nichol
son of Toronto

Brisco said the “bottom line’ of
his new job will be to determine

continued on page A2