" WEDNESDAY May 1, 1997 Vol. 44, No, 36 Castlegar, B.C. Sections (A, B & Cc) 75 Cents co Students fit in fine Guest have great time ue ‘ ae Zalm isn't giving VANCOUVER (CP) — Former B.C. premier Bill Vander Zalm, refusing to accept some findings of a report that forced him to resign, said Tuesday he will try to have them overturned by the B.C. Supreme Court. “I have decided that I cannot let (those) findings stand without Weak Legal Stand, page A4 making an attempt to correct the re- cord,’ Vander Zalm said after almost a month of silence since he resigned April 2. The scathing report by conflict-of- interest commissioner Ted Hughes found that the former Social Credit party leader violated conflict guidelines by mixing private business with public office in the $16-million sale of his Fantasy Gardens theme park. Vander Zalm did not mention a challenge to Hughes's finding that he “played the primary and dominant role in the 1990 sale of Fantasy Gar- dens.’” The former premier had long maintained that his wife, Lillian, was running the theme park in suburban Richmond and handling the sale. In his petition, which names Hughes as. the respondent, Vander Zalm wants specifically to overturn Hughes's findings about his role with Petro-Canada chairman William Hopper and Taiwanese billionaire Tan Yu. The former premier said he would not chalk a lusion by up in a downtown Vancouver hotel. But Hughes found that there was an ap- Pearance of a conflict in Vander Zalm accepting the money. Vander Zalm did-not further ex- Plain the transaction Tuesday, except to say he and his wife received the money ‘‘for an entirely innocent Purpose, safekeeping.”” After reading a six-page statement, Vander Zalm ended by apologizing to “‘my friends and supporters and the people of British Columbia for any disappointment I may have caused through all’ of this con- was the first time he had apologized for the events that led to his resignation. Vander Zalm termed the finding regarding Hopper as the ‘most serious”’ in the conflict report. Hughes found Vander Zalm was in a conflict when he spoke with Hop- per about the sale of Petro-Canada Property adjoining the Fantasy Gar- dens lands Vander Zalm said‘ he initially called Hopper to tell him that Fan- tasy Gardens was interested in buying the property. He said Hopper told him to have his lawyer contact Petro-Canada, and talks after that were done bet- ween lawyers: The property was subsequently ; bought by AsiaWorld, owned by Tan. Vander Zalm said Hughes was wrong in the way he interpreted two sections of the conflict-of-interest* Hughes that there was an appearance of conflict in a $20,000 cash payment Vander Zalm took last year from Gardens buyer Tan Yu. Hughes said he was unable to clearly determine why Vander Zalm accepted $20,000 cash from Tan Yu during a late-night meeting last year ing Vander Zalm’s treatment of Tan. The former premier said he i ly dealt with Tan in his capacity as owner of Fantasy Gar- dnes. The Hughes report criticized the former premier for arranging those meetings. . Clty of Castlegar employee Alan Cawte took these donations from Chang's Nursery down ro bia A inte di planted at City Hall. —< photo by Ed Mills where they became instant nature scenery when they we: Money will be major Socred election plank SURREY (CP) — The NDP budget that tripiéd Ontario’s deficit will be a major Social Credit plank in the B.C. election that must be called this year, Premier Rita John- stoh said Monday night. “They could not have given us a better plank for an election platform than they did in Ontario,”’ she told Young Socreds in this Vancouver suburb. “And that’s the example: (B.C. NDP leader) Mike Harcourt says we should be following in British Colum! Ontario Treasurer Floyd Laughren had earlier predicted his first budget would be used to try to discredit B.C. and Saskatchewan New Democrats in this year’s elections. But Laughren said tripling the deficit to a record $9.7 billion is necessary to fight the recession. While boosting taxes for the wealthy, Premier Bob Rae’s New Democrats gave breaks to the poor and handouts to help the environ ment, battered wives, the homeless, natives and Ontario’s devastated manufacturing sector The $6.7-billion deficit increase, up from $3 billion in 1990-91, will create or save an estimated 70,000 jobs. Johnston. said she’s sad that a large number of Socred supporters won't be able to vote in the B.C. election because “‘economic refugees from Ontario” will not have com- pleasee MONEY page A2 Arts Council gets act together By CasNews Staff The cloud of dissolution hanging over the Castlegar Arts Council has now passed, giving it renewed energy to tackle other matters at hand. The council has been without an official executive since last Septem- ber when terms expired and was facing dissolution if a new executive couldn’t be formed, past-president Donna Moyer said. But last week, a new interim executive was formed. President Brian O'Hara, treasurer Robert Dice and secretary Katherine Knight will carry out the council's business until the annaul general meeting in Sep- tember. “It was kind of now or never because I’m not prepared to do this any longer,’’ Moyer said. “I'm going to stay on as past president but I don’t want the responsibility anymore. This certainly solves the worst of our problems — it's the dif- ference between the arts council sur- viving and not surviving.” _ Moyer served two consecutive two- year terms on the executive. As past president, Moyer will take on an advisory role to the new executive.-She will help them become familiar with the operations of the council, hopefully, she said, to the point that they will want to stay on in September when an official executive must be formed. “I'm relieved and I’m delighted because I really believe that the arts council serves a valuable function,’* she said. ‘‘Arts and culture is very much a part of our quality of life, it’s a vital organization and I’m delighted we don’t have to face the ity of b i with all of that.”” In addition to a new executive, the council has revamped its strategy for the months ahead, Moyer said. Instead of concentrating on bringing performances to Castlegar which, without proper theatre facilities, proved to be the council’s biggest money loser this past year — its sights will be set on helping its member groups pursue their projects. “We're a coordinating body and liaison . . . we're a clearing house of information," she said, adding the please see COUNCH page A2 By BARBARA TANDORY Special to the Castlegar News The National Day of Mourning for people killed or injured on the job was recognized Monday in Trail with a march, a moment of silence and a special tribute to an early local labor activist. Organized by the Nelson, Trail and District Labor Council. in conjunction with Canadian Labor Congress and United Steelworkers of America, the activities wound up with a special ground-breaking ceremony at a park named for Albert ‘‘Ginger’’ Goodwin. Goodwin, a socialist who organized smelter workers in Trail during the first World War, was hailed an all-Canadian hero after more than 70 years of folk fame beset by controversy. As a key part of the dedication ceremony for the Ginger Goodwin Memorial Park, Castlegar folksinger Joe Irving, accompanied by Jon Varabioff, also from + paid a moving musical tribute to the fugitive labor hero in = song written for the occasion by Victoria musician Bill Gallagher. Irving — ‘a former co-ordinator of the B.C. Federation's Unemployed Action Centre in Castlegar and a well-known gctivist — said he changed some of the song's lyrics to defend Goodwin's reputation as a martyr killed for his union activism. Official history killed e @ man who had tuberculosis (when) he was re- classified for military duty because they wanted to get tid of him." Goodwin had been excused from active duty because of poor health. But a week into a strike in the summer of 1917 by the Trail Trades and Labor Council, Goodwin was called before the local con- scription board and reclassified from Class O to Class A and ordered to report for military service. The council was si ing for an eight-hour work day. Goddwin’s flight to Vancouver Island, where he began union organizing, has always hung over the Goodwin legend as a shadow of infamy despite his pacifism at a time when the labor movement in B.C. had been nearly united in its position against war ser- vice. History's divided verdict is reflected in the original version of the Ginger Goodwin song by the Victoria folksinger: “But there were some who said that evil was Ginger Goodwin's middie name, I know there's villains and there's heroes, boys, But sometimes they’re the same." But Irving said he felt justified in folk music tradition, to adapt the song to the occasion so that it would strike a happier tone: “Was he 2 villain? Or 2 coward? An’ where can Tributes, tears, triumph mark event Irving's sentiment was echoed in other tributes noted that the original song reflects the historical ambiguity surrounding Goodwin’s death, which in the accepted version had him ‘gunned down” by the special Dominion police constable “I think it’s straightforward enough,” said. ‘‘He was murdered.”’ Irving paid to Goodwin. Roy Doerkson, a representative for the Canadian Labor Congress, praised Goodwin as a superb Organizer responsible for developing the first suc- please see TRIBUTES page A2