Castlegar News 1989 Review, April 16, 1989

Regionalization working

Editor's note: Minister of State for the Kootenays Howard Dirks gives the following report on the Status of regionalization.

The regionalization initiative has been active in the Kootenays for some 18 months now

I thodght it appropriate to revisit where this process started anid examine some of the very positive steps that have been taken in addressing regional concerns and issues through this process. A’ a starting point | would like to state’ that regionalization is working, it’s producing concrete decisions and results that will have an impact on the Kootenays for years to come

Regionalization started in B.C. in October 1987 with an announcement at the Union of B.C Municipalities Convention by Premier Bill Vander Zalm. It was his stated intent to initiate a process that would allow the various areas of the province a greater voice in decision-making within the provincial gover nment. The process as he envisioned it would atlow for regional input through locally appointed task forces and development groups with representation to the provin

Being from the Kootenays myself | already knew that the people who tive in the Kootenays feet thar they understand their own problems better than anyone else and that they are best qualified to make decisions about the future of their area. They've always been vocal and protective of their unique part of the province.

The initial mandate for the ministers of state was to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their regions in two key. areas — government services and infrastruc- ture, and natural and human resources as they relate to

nomic diversification

In the Kootenay region, we initially established two main committees, one responsible for services, the other for economic diversification. These have since been combined into one regional advisory group which serves as an umbrella committee for our regional task forces,

Every task force has been focussing on regional issues, identifying strengths and weaknesses, meeting with local interest groups and the public and providing recommendations to the minister of state for review and action. I have already received specific recommen: dations from a number of these task forces which | am

ministries and levels of government. The recent Free dom to Move transportation planning initiative and the Ministry of Labor and Consumer Services alcohol and drug prevention program have both relied heavily on in put from regional task forces and planning groups

I have been delighted with the way ahis organization-has-worked-in-our region. We've made every effort to be as public as possible im the process: The public, and media have been welcome at all meetings, and our task forces have worked diligently and provided excellent input and recommendations

Since my appointment as minister of state in July 1988, I have been fortunate to work with a capable and enthusiastic parliamentary secretary, the MLA for Columbia River, Duane Crandall, the many sincere and hardworking individuals that make up the many task forces and a very committed regional development staff, principally our development officer based in Vic- toria, Tom Greene, and our liaison officer in Nelson, Wally Penner

cial government through a minister of state appointed to represent each region

At that time, the premier appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs Rita Johnston as the first minister of state for Kootenay. It was my privilege to serve as her parliamentary secretary during that initial phase

Despite soine initial concernsat the time anda great deat of uncertainty about how the process would be received throughout the province, we knew we had a positive development team and a receptive and en

thusiastic region

pursuing with cabinet

municipalities ser

Today, we have 70 men and women from some 23

g on nine regional task forces. Lam

very impressed with the individuals we have attracted to serve on these task forces. Their recommendations, to date, have demonstrated their strong commitment to their communities and reflected a realistic understan ding of the needs and priorities of the region.

The excellence of these task forces and the value of their input has been acknowledged by other government

HOWARD DIRKS «+. ‘very impressed’

At the cabinet table it is apparent that there is an increased sensitivity to the regional perspective on issues® aind.initiatives. The recent budget reflects many of the concerns expressed over the past year by regional task forces. I will be reporting to the regional adyisory group in Trail on April 22 on the progress to date resulting from task force recommendations I received in October I'm confident that the advisory group menibers will be encouraged by the very positive response to their con cerns, The coming year will offer even more oppor

tunities.

BUSINESS GROUP. STRONGER THAN EVER

REGIONAL SEED CAPITAL LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM

The program’s objective is to help small businesses obtain loans from financial institutions for viable projects. Through this program the Province will provide qualifying entrepreneurs with loan guarantees of up to % of the loan amount, to a maximum provincial liability of $50,000 for a term of up to three years.

For more information on the Regional Seed Capital Program and other programs offered through your Minister of State contact

Minister of State Kootenay Region 310 Ward Street Nelson B.C., V1L 5S4 Telephone: 354-6113

Or your local government agent

aw Hon. Howard Dirks Minister of State for Kootenay

BAG Prssivce of Brtish Columbia

Kootenay euchopenentt BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES THE B.C. BUSINESS NETWORK

The series of advertisements on Regional Business Opportunities

you've seen running in this publication are only a small sample of information and opportu nities available to businesses through the computerized B.C. Business Network

The B.C. Business Network is a public data base of helpful business information including; statistics:

government procurement requirements; and extensive

The Canadian Federation of In- count but to return it to business in the dependent Business-is stronger than —way of reduced premiums —they did ever Also started in 1988 was an ongoing

It now represents the interests of dialogue with the government on the 80,000 small and medium-sized enter- proposed reform of the sales tax prises across this country

on the backs of small business, the CFIB is calling for the government to

BRIGHT LIGHT... the B.C. Winter Games is just one of the positive events which is putting smiles

on the faces of Nelson residents who feel their city is on

roll. The

value of hosting the Games in February should be felt on area tourism for some time tocome,

city officials say.

Residents feel

BOOSTING TOURISM... the Kootenay Country Tourist Association is putting out the word i i lated busi

that the Kootenays is a gr market themselves and the are:

it place tospenda (left to right) KCTA manager Roy Shields, Deborah

Helpingt

Austin, KCTA board president Charlie Cohoe and Kathryn Johnston.

KCTA successfully markets Kootenays

Four years after its creation in Mar ch 1985, the Kootenay Country Tourist Association continues to suc cessfully fulfil its goal of coordinating tourism ket sikisies uk

of attractions in the Kootenays in han dsome packages such as the KCTA’s regional golf guide.

Last year, the association also par

will exceed 300,000, Cohoe says. There will also-be-an overprint of the golf guide_ for the KCTA's members to distribute.

vices counsellor, However, just about

Nelson on aroll

West Kootenay Now with 125 members, most direc tly involved in the tourism business,

Tietpated-in-the-s Review two outdoor vacation planners published by the Spokane newspaper

Phe-KETA; wit aranmuatbudger

of about $444,000, also publishes a

regional campground guide and ac |

inthe spring and fall.

cleanup it own back yard. Federation president John Bulloch has told the government that grants

On the national front during 1988, CFIB took on the bankgand won. The banks were told that tM must give at least the samé consideration to

Rather than loading more tax burden on the backs of small business, the CFIB is calling forthe government to clean up its own back yard.

Businesses that they will give to con sumers. CFIB also released a major study on banking which showed. that collateral demands on small firms were

system. This reform poses real dangers to the small business community and will be monitored closely by CFIB. excessive and that women en Coming up in 1989 will be a major trepreneurs were not being given the same level of consideration by banks as their male counterparts. Both of these is miréd-in debi. The accumulated issues will be followed closely by CFIB+ public debt is now in excess of $300 staff billion

campaign to have the federal gover nment reduce its huge deficit. Canada

The federal government was urged The government's first target must

not to spend the surplus in the Unem: be the $29 billion annual deficit ployment Insurance Commission ac- Rather than loading more tax burden

17 YEARS POWELL's AND AUTO CENTRE

The Oldest Muffler Specialty Shop in the Entire Kootenays!'

Brian Powell, Owner

* Tires © Shocks * Headers © Brakes * 4x4 Repairs * Alignments * Mufflers © Mechanical ¢ Duals * Front-end Steering ® Custom Pipe Bending

1598 Second Ave., Trail, VIR 1M4 — Phone 368-3435 ~ “Across from Safeway in East Trail”

and handouts to business must go. He said that whether a big business or a small firm is the recipient of ahandout, the result is a distortion of the market place and a competitive disadvantage for those companies which are not on the receiving end

Other cost-cutting measures for which the CFIB will push include a consolidation of government depar iments with a break away from a system that measures political clout on the basis of spending powers as well as a reduction of 10 to 12 cabinet ministers.

On the home front, there are close to 5,500 CFIB members in British

everything from livestock r ms to worker's cOmpensation concerns can and has been dealt with. This ser- vice is something CFIB has been working toward for a long time but it took the support of its members to make the plan possible

John Scott, CFIB's district manager for the Kootenay region is very excited about this new service

““It’s great to be able to refer amem- ber with a problem to the member ser- vices office and know that every effort will be made to help the member,”’ Scott says,

CFIB recently'presented a paper to the Vancouver round of the public in-

* formation session on forestry.

Barbara Morrison, CFIB’s member services counsellor, prepared and presented the paper which basically said the government must provide for much greater participation by small firms in the harvesting and processing of B.C.’s timber fesource. This issue came to Morrison’s attention through concerns expressed by members, many

Altsigns indicate that aftera siowrecovery from the recession years, the West Kootenay region is starting to bloom again.

-Columbia, representing all sectors of

the economy and in virtually every community. By the end of 1989 mem: bership is expected to reach 6,000 in this province. .

With the opening of its member ser vices office in Victoria, CFIB is now more able than ever to help members with individual business problems.

Legal and accounting advice is beyond the scope of the member ser

of whom are from the Kootenay region

All signs indicate that after a slow recovery from the recession years, the West Kootenay region is starting to blossom again. It’s been a tough go for many firms in this region. However, with tourism and resource industries teading the way, hard times appear to be a thing of the past with the future looking rosy

There's a feeling of excitement in Nelson these days a feeling that the city is ona roll

You can see it in the smiles of shoppers at the mall, hear it in the conversations of business people on Baker Street, feel it in the warm sunshine that signifies spring and the approach of another Kootenay summer

The past year has seen three auspicious beginnings

for Nelson — the Canadian International College, Kootenay Manufacturing Company, and Insight Elec- andl one remarkable conclusion: the B.C Winter Games.

tronics

The Canadian International College enjoyed a tremendously successful first year since it opened last April. Two hundred and fifty-one students graduated from their first year of studies in Canada, all but a han dful going onto North Vancouver for their second year The students have been an important part of the Nelson community, both economically (close to 80 people ob: tained work from the college over the course of the year) and culturally

Kootenay Manufacturing Company, a division of Kootenay Tractor & Supply Ltd:, entered the big leagues this year by obtaining the exclusive North American rights to manufacture and market the FMC

City officials believe the promotional value of the Games on area tourism willlast for months to come.

(now KMC) tracked skidder, and the worldwide rights tO Supply parts and service for these machines.-The company has already grown to 35 employees, with ad ditional hiring underway

At Insight Electronics it’s a similar story. The com pany, which manufactures automatic headlight swit ches, has grown from just an idea into a firm employing dozens of local residents. Insight has recently negotiated a contract with a major car manufacturer, and its future prospects look bright

The B.C. Winter Games was not a beginning but a conclusion — an exciting end to years of preparation

and hard work. The Games were the most successful ever held in this province, as measured by merchandise sales, attendance by athletes and spectators, and of course the unsurpassed number of Volunteers who helped make the Games an event to remember. City of ficials believe the promotional value of the Games on area tourism will last for months to come.

Those were the big events, but progress has been made on countless smaller projects as well

The long-awaited Water’s Edge development, which will bring a hotel-marina complex to the

The Capitol Theatre is in full swing and has entertained 20,000 people since its grand opening in April-1988.

lakefront, is currently in the approval process. Word on financing and scheduling of the project is expected by early summer

The ski hill enjoyed a busy season, despite the February cold snap, and the Nelson Golf and Country Club is actively pursuing expansion to 18 holes.

The Capitol Theatre is in full swing and has enter tained 20,000 people since its grand opening in April 1988.

The next few months will see even more excitement coming Nelson's way. In May, a vintage car rally will bring more than 700 vintage autos to the area, the an. nual mid-summer bonspiel will return and the city will host a Shriners’ Convention of 600 to 700 people.

Work will begin on upgrading and repairing the municipal airport, the preliminary stage of the down. town revitalization program, phase III, will get under way and a 400-seat banquet and convention facility will be completed at the Savoy Hotel complex

Through it all, the citizens of Nelson carry on, unruffled. Nobody seems terribly surprised by all the ac tivity, and perhaps that’s because nobody sat around waiting for good things to happen made them happen. When the going got tough, the tough got going ... and now the tough are beginning to reap their reward ‘

they got up and

The RCTA has fed inhelping the regions tourism industry grow

Since the associations’s inception, the number of tourists from Washington and Idaho visiting Kootenay country has grown by seven per cent, KCTA board président Charlie Cohoe says. East-west and traffic through the Kootenays has increased by about 36 percent since 1985, Cohoe says

The figures are based on reports from KCTA’s members such as area golf courses and by tracking the num: ber of visits to and occupancy rates at specific tourist attractions such as Ain- sworth Hot Springs.

The success of the KCTA relies heavily on marketing the large number

west-east

The KCTA also joined in the provincial government's Partners in Tourism program in which the adver

“tising —doHars~ spent -by~ association

members’ were matched by the provin- ce

For 1989, the association is producing a 16-page brochure on the region which will be distributed in the B.C. and Alberta Automobile! Associations’ magazine .Westworld, to 295,000 Albertans. The association will also overprint the brochures for its own distribution.

Also in the works is an updated ver sion of the golf guide which will be in serted intoB.C. and Alberta golf direc- tories. The circulation of that brochure

x TajOr annual events such as Silver City Days in Trail and Sunfest in Castlegar

Travel shows also’provide the KC- TA with useful venues to promote tourism in the Kootenays.

“‘It’s a good vehicle for educating potential tourists that we have some at- tractions, they should be thinking about,"’ Cohoe says.

Earlier this year, the KCTA joined forces with the province’s other tourism regions at the huge Anaheim Sport, Recreation and Travel Show and came away with the award for best overall display

The KCTA recently moved to larger quarters in Nelson from its cramped office at the Castlegar airport

FOREST FIRE SEASON BEGINS APRIL 15th

FOREST PROTECTION The threat of forest fire becomes serious

IB/Y/E/R/Si

TRANSPORT LIMITED

domestic and international business opportunities. This information is updated constantly come available

during spells of hot dry weather. At such times the Ministry of Forests may impose restrictions |” on travel, burning and or other activity in a forest area.

The restriction may vary according to the fire dangertrating from tow to extreme CAMPFIRE RESTRICTION

Campfires may be lit anywhere at any time. in B.C. provided they are not prohibited by private notice, the Ministry of Forests, or other government authority BURNING PERMITS REQUIRED

Burning permits are required for the lighting of all open fires during the period April 15 to October 15. Grass burhing and all in- dustrial burning requires a’ burning permit throughout the year.

Burning permits are issued from the nearest Forest Service office for burning in unorganized areas.

Burning permits are free and have an.expiry date that may be adjusted as the fire danger rating changes REPORT FOREST FIRES

Should you spot a forest fire, DIAL "0", and ask for ZENITH 5555. This is a free province/wide forest tire emergency telephone number.

s new opportunities The Network can be a useful tool to assist expanding businesses and for identifying new business opportunities

REQUIREMENTS The minimum requirements to access the Business Network are: a personal computer; a modem,

Business Network accreditation; and B.C. Tel Inet 2000 Service

communications software; B.C

COSTS

Province of British Columbia Ministry of Forests

Costs of the program are $3.30 per month and $7.50

to $10.00 per hour of connection time. There are no long

distance telephone charges To register for B.C. Business Network contact: B.C. Tel Ph: 1-800-663-8825 (Toll free)

For more information contact:

B.C. Enterprise Centre Ph: 1-800-972-2255 (Toll free)

Karen Johnsson

in Nelson — the “Heritage Capital” ot the Kootenays

For further information contact Tim Barry, Nelson & Area Economic Development Commission

352-1626

NEL S.

Nestled along the shores of the West Arm of Kootenay take, Nelson is © city of many architectural contrasts and unparalleled scenic beauty as well as a thriving business and cultural centre

We are proud of our variety of recreational facilities, excellent accommodations, tine dining, extensive shopping and high quality of lite, and we are pleased to share them with you

Whether you 're planning a business location, a seminar or convention..an. unforgettable vacation or an early retirement, investigate the oppdrtunities

or John Falloon

EDMONTON CASTLEGAR — 365-6626 Head Office 440-1000 600-23rd St., Castlegar Dispatch 440-1101

Sparwood — 425-2511 Kimberley — Zenith 6051

CALGARY Office 279-7541 Dispatch 279-7531 Creston 428-7960 Golden — 344-2764 Invermere — 342-9317

Specializing in L.T.L. Service Reefer Service — Flat Decks — Dry Vans

Minister of State Kootenay Region 310 Ward Street Nelson, B.C. V1L 584 Phone: 354-6113

MORE INFORMATION Arrow Forest District 845 Columbia Avenue Castlegar, B.C. VIN 1H3 Phone: 365-2131

LM BI

Nakusp Field Office 101-6th Avenue Nakusp, B.C. VOG TRO Phone: 265-3685

— fj Hon. Howard Dirks Minister of State for Kootenay Province of British Columbia