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SATURDAY | ~

February 2, 1901 Vol. 44, No, 10 Castlegar, B.C.

3 Sections (A, B & C)

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75 Cents

College to focus on environment

WEATHER

Tonight: Cloudy with showers. Lows near 1°. Sunday: Cloudy with o chance of snow. Highs near 5°, Outlook Continuing moist and mild, Probability of precipitation: 80 per cent tonight, 60

1+ AS per cent Sunday.

Earnings take a dive +++ A6

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Win secures first place

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| Reaction to plan sp

By DONNA ZUBER Staff Writer

The West Kootenay would clearly benefit from Premier Bill Vander Zalm’s proposed $1.4 billion reforestation plan but Rossland-Trail NDP MLA Chris D'Arcy says he doubts the premier is talking about ad- ditional funds.

“There's no evidence at all,’’ D’Arcy said. be | know that the Council of Forest ies has i d they

“It's an increase in

so it's that’s. needed," he said. ‘I think it’s a reasonable plan."’

Castlegar Mayor Audrey Moore said she hopes the area benefits from the proposed plan.

**1 would certainly hope this area would receive a good share of that money so we can get on to doing the backlog of planting in this area,’’ Moore said.

do not think it’s an increase, rather he's restating existing financing already in place. In fact, we're not even certain if it meets the existing schedule of funds."

However, Rossland-Trail Social Credit party can- didate Walter Siemens said the plan, which the premier announced in a televised speech Tuesday, contains new funds.

king forests would ate more jobs for foresters,

tree planters and silviculturists, she said.

Ed Conroy, the NDP’s candidate in Rossland-Trail, said much depends on how the plan is administered.

But, ‘‘It’s good news any time money is put into forestry in this province,"’ he said.

Details on the plan are expected to be announced next week by Forests Minister Claude Richmond.

The i proposal was part of a 12-point’ program the premier announced Tuesday. The plan is designed to protect the B.C. economy, he said. Other programs include a freeze on takes,developing new sour- ces of energy and referendums on major issues.

D'Arcy said the points “don't add up."”

“*When he’s tall about all this extra spending — social spending, capital. spending and the pension spen- ding for three areas — it doesn’t square with a tax freeze in a time of recession,’’ he said. “I’m not saying | want to see increased taxes, but you can’t have it both ways.

“That's the difficulty with the whole speech,’’ he added. ‘‘There’s no hard information. There’s promises, but they’re promises we've already heard."’

The premier talked about developing new sources of energy, including cogeneration — electricity powered by

lits along party lines

steam produced by burning wood shavings and sawdust, as opposed to coal or gas.

Conroy said generating power with wood waste is essential to British Columbia and strongly opposes gas power plants. As well, if Ceigar Pulp Co.’s moder- nization and expansion project is completed, the mill will not have as much use for wood waste from Westar Timber's Southern Wood Products sawmill Cogeneration would make productive use of the waste, Conroy said

D'Arcy said he's ‘‘delighted"’ that cogeneration is being “recognized as an option in B.C., particularly where there is wood waste.’

However, the government needs to determine how it would affect pollution, he said

please see REACTION page A3

HERE'S THE PLAN...

school.

Costvews photo by Donne Zuber

Student teacher Frank Klassen talks to o group of Primary 4 students at Twin Rivers elementary school. Klassen is one of 30 student teachers in the West Kootenay Teacher Education Program who practiced teaching a gym class Thursday at the

Municipal, rural directors clash over cost sharing of services

By SIMON BIRCH Editor

Municipal and rural directors clashed at last Saturday's Regional District of Central Kootenay board

they weren't

vices

consulted about recommendation municipalities shouldn't share the cost of they don’t

the said have to development ser-

use, such as

“There's nothing to document any of this stuff,’’ Herchmer said.

“The town (of Creston) will pay their share but we want more infor- mation than we’re getting,’’ he ad-

and

meeting over a r which calls for and rural areas to share equally the cost of development services in the district

If passed, the City of Castlegar’s share of the costs for 1991 will be $23,797.

The directors agreed to hold a special meeting this month to try to resolve. their differences.

Municipal directors argued that

costs,””

As well, provided doesn’t costs.

“We have no problem with paying our share. . . of legiti

al land reserve ded later. Hans Cunningham,

Area G (rural

director for Salmo), agreed overhead

said director Bill Herchmer of Creston. ‘‘What we object | to and think is that there's no in- put into any of these things.” he said

to’ municipal contain a breakdown of

should have been consulted.

“We really haven't given

icipal di that chance,”” he

“IT certainly think we should

some municipal input into

‘ said. have this.

Ald. Doreen Smecher of Castlegar, the city’s representative on the

information directors

Pro-choice, pro-life happy bill defeated

By DONNA ZUBER Staff Writer

The federal government's attempt to satisfy both sides of the abortion debate failed because compromise doesn’t work, a West Kootenay pro- choice activist said

Rita Moir, a member of the Nelson and District Pro-Choice women’s issues.

choices,”’ she said. ‘The majority of Canadians did not women and doctors made criminals again. It reaffirms a woman's right to control her own body."”

She said women’s groups can now concentrate on birth-control issues, such as education,

for different reasons. ,

Peter. Nachbaur, vice-president of Nelson Right to Life, said ‘it looked like a law that was made to be broken."’

However, Nachbaur said he hasn't given up on getting a law passed to protect the unborn, adding that it's easier to get a law introduced than to

want to see

and other

Group, said the bill was igh 1 defeated because having of perfor: ming an abortion should not be @ criminal offence.

*°This is @ real triumph for women and many Canadians who believe in women’s reproductive rights and

a defeat.

to put into the Criminal Code was defeated ‘Thursday by the Senate with a 43-43 tie. A tie in the Senate is

Pro-life groups arg also pleased that the bill was defeated, although

back change an existing law.

He said bis group will also con- tinue with eaycetion, with a view’ to of what

abortion is. “Most

regional district board, said the rural directors have shifted the bulk of the district’s planning activities into development services.

“*1 don’t see anything in develop- ment services that wasn’t in plan ning,”’ she said.

Municipalities were able to opt out of the regional district's planning function but won't be allowed to opt: out of development services

Figures provided at the board meeting show Castlegar paid $25,750 to participate in regional district planning in 1990 and $7,732 for development services for a total cost of $33,482.

The city’s share of development services in 1991 is $23,797, a decrease of $9,685 from 1990's combined total for planning and development services.

While that appears to be a saving, had the cost of participating in development services remained at last year’s level and Castlegar opted out of planning in 1991 as it intended to

. the city would have saved some $16,000.

Rural directors also passed a second recommendation limiting par ticipation in the district's planning function in 1991 to the Il electoral areas.

John Voykin, director for Area I (rural Castlegar) and chairman of the rural directors’ caucus, said rural directors decided to exclude municipalities from regional district pny because of the uncertainty

Oppose aboriion when they fearo the truth,” id.

pege As

Developer revives plans for $7M mall

By SIMON BIRCH Editor

A Vancouver developer has revived plans for a $7 million shop- ping mall next to the Sandman Inn but said the project won't proceed until the federal government ap- proves Celgar Pulp. Co.’s plans to expand and modernize its Castlegar mill.

Sandy Reid said Thursday the plans now call for a 60,000 square foot enclosed mall with 20 to 24 stores, including a supermarket, small department store, fast food restaurant, movie theatres and ,gas bar.

If the project proceeds, working drawings will be completed within 60 days with construction slated to start in early spring and completion of the development by October, Reid said.

“The names of the principal tenants will be released within the next 10 days and the mix of mer- chants in the complex will be a com bination” of new companies to Castlegar, together with an im provement to some of the existing merchants in the community at the present_time,"’ Reid said in_a_news release

David Daniel of Castlegar Realty Ltd. has been handling the assembly of land for the project, called Twin Rivers ma

Reid told Me Castlegat News later

Thursday he has mitments for nearly all of the stores and will be in

Castlegar on finalize leases.

The project will employ ‘‘between 100 and 200 people during and after construction,’’ Reid said in the news release

Reid planned to proceed with the project last year but held off because of ‘‘misgivings about the Castlegar economy.”

He said those misgivings have now been satisfied

Reid commended Castlegar city council for what he calls its “‘pro- gressive role.in Castlegar affairs."*

He said he feels the proposed mall

Tuesday to try to

Editorial, page A4

is a ‘‘suitable complement to the existing businesses in Castlegar.”’

“With this development and the Celgar improvement to its plant, which will improve the ecology of this area, many jobs will be provided for the Community,"” Reid said

He said he feels Castlegar is en- tering “‘into a new area of importan- ce in the affairs of the Kootenay tegion’’ and will become ‘‘the most vital community in this area, thus at- tracting more business jobs to this area.”

The Celgar Expansion Review Panel submitted its final recommen- dations to the federal government this week. The provincial gover fiment granted approval in principle tothe -Celgar project in December based upon an interim report from the panel

By SIMON BIRCH Editor

The Castlegar News offers a belated “‘welcome aboard’’ this week to the paper's newest columnist, Catherine Shapcott of Winlaw

Shapcott, who moved to the Slocan Valley from Toronto last fall, will write about life in the valley twice a month.

Her columns will appear on the editorial page of the Castlegar News

Shapcott is an experienced writer whose careet in journalism covers 17, years as a reporter, editor and critic. She began her career in 1973 on the rewrite desk at the Vancouver Sun, then worked four years as a com- munity newspaper reporter and columnist in Oakville, Ont.

She freelanced for a year in 1979 for the Globe and Mail before joining the Calgary Alber- tan as a lifestyle/entertainment

please see COLUMNIST page AS

CasNews welcomes new columnist . from Slocan Valley