WORDS TO LIVE BY

'Tve learned that the most creative ideas

come from beginners - not

the experts. Age 6^

SUNDAY

Sunday; Marc)i 26,1995 70? + G.S.T. Vol. 86. Issue No. 61

L

THealth pare

Hospital won't close says Ramsey - Page A3

This is Spring?

is it Spring yet?: Zachary Newman, two, takes a peek from behind his sung/asses and hopes to find more Spnng than Winter. Tuesday was the first official day of Spring, however, Quesnei residents got a shock from Old Man

Winter who dumped some of the whitestuff Thursday night and Friday mor^- '^'

. •'>f ••.( "^s-i i j i j^U

QUOTE OF THE

WEEKEND If you look up irony in the dictionary there may be a picture of gov­ernment. G.R. Baker Hospital this week re­ceived an e^tra $W0,000 to ease its budget ^ woes. But what's the money for? To explore ways to save money! See page A14.

BOYD WIMS

SILVER

GLOVES

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I

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Page A 2 Quesnei Cariboo Observer Sunday, March 26,1995

NEWS

POLICE REPORT g p j Q J

the line

BREAK AND ENTER ON RICHBAR ROAD

Thieves broke into a ga­rage on Richbar Road and m a d e off with m o r e than $4,000 in tools and equipment.

RCMP say the break-in oc­c u r r e d s o m e t i m e between March 21 and 22. The culprits made off with a variety of tools. All tools, however, are e n g r a v e d with the init ials G.R.L.

Any informat ion can be relayed to police at 992-9211 or anonymously to the TIPS line at 992-8477.

STEREO THEFT Police are seeking informa­

tion concerning the theft of an Alpine s te reo , c a s s e t t e / C D player and Pioneer speakers. The equipment is valued at $1,600.

T h e theft o c c u r r e d on March 16. The s tereo com­ponents were taken from a.yel­low 1981 (3MC pickup that was parked on Pedcrsen Road. S e r i a l / m o d e l numbers are: 3554 on the amplifier; KEH 3000 QR on the CD.

Information can be relayed to the RCMP.

VEHICLE VANDALIZED Sometime during the night

of March 15 and morning of March 16 a vehicle on Wilson S t r e e t was the t a r g e t of vandals.

The culpr i t s pou red oil over the vehicle. Anyone with any information can contact police, anonymously, at 992-8477 (TIPS).

...for now No more pretending you

are a c o n d u c t o r , no more pretending you are riding the ra i l s , no m o r e caboose in LeBourdais Park.

The caboose has been a landmark in the park since 1989. Six years of admiration from children, adults, visitors and residents.

It was proposed that the Billy Barker Days Building be moved to the site that the Caboose occupied.

The Billy B a r k e r Days building now sits on the site for the proposed Senior build­ing so it must be moved.

City Planner Bruce Simard -sgid, " T h e caboose will be moved to the City W o r k s Yard. We don't want too many structures to clutter the park so one had to be moved and the caboose was the one."

In the future, the caboose will be incorporated into the park on Johnson Flats, when­ever the development schedule will allow it."

Is it the end of the line for Ouesnel ' s caboose or will it b e c o m e s i t u a t e d in a permanent home soon?

On Wednesday, March 22, a large crane and flatbed truck came to remove the caboose.

It's temporary home will be the City Works Yard. It will remain in limbo until the new rec rea t ion site on Johnson Flats is finished.

No m o r e p r e t e n d con­ductors, no more rail riders, no more kids climbing all over i t ,and no more admi ra t ion from res iden ts and visitors alike.

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1.The Uon King

2. The Speciaflst (new)

3. Stargate

4. Angels in Outfield (neir)

iTheffiverWId

Critics' Average

• • • •

• • • •

* *

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MPAA Rating

PG

R

PG-13

PG

PG-13

Tltenie

Animation

Action

SdFi

Drama

Tliriler

Violence

Mild

Much

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jyfld

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Coarse Lang.

None

bats

Some

MQd

Some

Sex & Nudity

None

Much

Mild

None

None

6. Only You (nev)

7. Clear & Present Obnger

S-Tlmecop

9. Nature Bom Killen

10. The Mask

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• • •

PG

PG-13

R

R

PG-13

Rom^km

Thrila

Acfai

Thriller

Comedy

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Some

Mid

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Some

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Mild

WEEKLY SPECIALS

m:hiommmm Rent Now Rolaass :8:<j«i'^«i;iifc:;g:;: mmi'fVEmmm

TUESbAV ' mM^mm ;•:•:•, :;:-:-K|-^vvi:.:-:•:.;:•:•:•;•: .x:;:x;i;;:|WffW;;:;:f;::>o;j:;;

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::i:ai;:;x;i14UBSDA¥;;:;i;:i ;:S;;KfiB«:NaW-8o<ii»a^ Got R«9. ehlM's FREE FREE Porkwm W^

c 459 NORTH FRASER DRIVE )

I i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 • • • ' • " • " ^

Observer photo by JoAnne Hazen New location: City workers watch as a crane loads the familiar Caboose on a flat bed truck. After six years of being in LeBourdais Park, the Caboose has been moved. It's final resting place will be the proposed park on Johnson Flats. For now the Caboose will stay at the City Works Yard until the park is developed.

10 years in Quesnei and now located

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• New aerodynamic headlani|>s

• New 16" chrome steel wheels standard on Expedition 6r Eddie Bauer

• New luxury cast aluminum wheels standard on XLT

• New centre high-mount stop lamp

• New tri-coloured tailiamps

• New driver and right front passenger air bags supplemental restraint system standard

• New adjustable-height front shoulder belts

• New rear scat head restraints

• New ergonomic instrument panel design

• New scat trims and sew styles

• New door trim panels

• New large bezel radios

• Revised slide bar for new scat^acks

• 12-volt power point added to instrument panel

• New illuminated entry system

• Midden fasteners on various com|K)nciils

• Colors added Medium Graphite, Willow Green, Saddle

• r-our-wheel disc brakes standard

• New short and long arm front suspension (SLA sus|iension)

• Pneumatic hood lift assist struts

• 7S) liire fuel tank (4-door), 65 litre fuel tank (2-door)

• New automatic ride control standard on Limited 1x4

• New rack-and-pinion steering

• Solar limed glass standard

• Rear tow hook (Expedition)

• New speed sensitive Ironl windshield wiper

• Battery saver feature added

• Brakc/sliilt interlock with automatic transmission

• New electronic automatic overdrive transmission (A4LDE)

• Eitgine cooling upgraded

• Cioss-car beam

• Body on frame construction

• Interval rear wiper

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Quesnei Cariboo Observer Sunday, March 26,1995 Page A 3

NEWS/BEAT Ramsey promises to keep hospital open • Health Minister Paul Ramsey says he wants to assure area residents that G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital will not be closing.

JERRY MacDONALD Observer Staff Reporter

in a .statement released on Thursday, Ramsey, (MLA for Prince (}eorge) , .said Qiies-nel's hospital ha.s a key role to play in the pro\isit)n of essen­tial acute care services. Said the Minister:

"The Ministry did not ask G.R. Baker Memorial Hospi­

tal to reduce bed numbers, nor have we requested they do so in t h e n e a r f u t u r e . T h e projected number of beds re­quired in your community was based on provincial trends and population growth estimates.

The projected number of acute care beds required in your area is 33. This figure is a guideline to assist the facility in long term planning."

Ramsey repea ted claims that his ministry has not re­ques t ed ihe local hosp i t a l decrease its bed numbers from the curreni 44. He said what the hospital board has been asked to do is to look at more efficient ways to provide care by working within the com-

Paui Ramsey: GR Baker won't close

munity and within the region. Ramsey said that in 1994

the hospital board submitted a plan to close eight beds. He said that plan was approved because from 1990 to 1993 the average number of empty beds was 25 per cent.

" T h e hospi ta l had been successful in decreasing the number of inpatient surgical cases and increasing the num­ber of day surgical cases," ^aid Ramsey. "The total number of surgical cases performed at the facility has cont inued a gradual increase over the past three years."

According to G.R. Baker statistics, however, the total

number of surgical cases has, in fact, declined. In 1990/91 there were 2,388 surger ies; 2,417 in 1991 /92 ; 2,445 in 1992/93; 2,521 in 1993/94; and 2,251 in 1994/95.

R a m s e y c o n c l u d e d his statement by pledging to sup­port the hospital in meeting its financial commitment. For the first time in its history, G.R. Baker is projecting a deficit of some $500,000.

Said Ramsey:. "The health ministry will

continue to support the board and administration of the hos­pital in developing plans that will ensure the ongoing provi­sion of appropriate services to our community."

On the move

Observer photo by Ross Mitchell

Moving day: The Lazzarin House will be moved from it's present location on Kinchant St. to the West Side, Sunday beside the Marsh House. There the house will be res-sembled and fixed up. The bridge will be temporarily blocked while the house is moved.

44 beds the minimum says Garden; bypass, Dunrovin on line • Frank Garden says G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital will not be cut back to 33 beds.

"I got a commitment today from senior bureaucrats in the health ministry ensuring me that there are no plans at this time to cut back our hospital to 33 b e d s , " t he C a r i b o o N o r t h M L A said in a tele­phone interview on Wednes­day. "What I'm saying to you is that this government and this MLA will not downsize any fur ther at G .R . B a k e r Memorial Hospital."

G a r d e n m a d e the s ta te­ment following Wednesday's Throne Speech. He went as far as issuing a "personal guaran­tee" that services at the 44 bed hospital would not be reduced any further.

G a r d e n a l s o r e p e a t e d statements that Quesnei will get its $4 million expansion to the Dunrovin Lodge interme­diate care facility as well as the Highway 97 bypass. Dunrovin has a 90 pe r son , th ree-year wait list o£ clients.

T h e b y p a s s p r i c e t a g is Estimated at between $25 mil-

F r a n k G a r d e n : Won ' t downsize GR Baker.

lion and $50 million. He said the NDP govern­

ment wiir focus on building in­frastructure in the province;. Said the MLA:

"Unl ike the Liberals and Reform parties, we will com­mit t o inves t ing in Br i t i sh Columbia . But we will only build what we can afford .yfJ^ we can't affford it, #.ia jprbject

isn't necessary, then it won't get done."

Garden said the main focii's of the government in 1995 will be "jobs and medicare" . H e said the NDP will not buy into a two-tiered system for health care.

"In five years from now we won't be getting a pickel from the f ede ra l g o v e r n m e n t to

fund medicare ," he said. "At one t ime heal th care was a 50 /50 cost shar ing split be ­tween the two governmeiits. Now it's down to 80/20.

"We ' re saying that heatth care must be accessible to all. We won't have a system that allows the rich to afford good quality health care while the poor t a k e the i r spot in the back of the line."

The MLA concluded that j ob c r e a t i o n s t ra teg ies will come from government p ro- -grams like Skills Now, new jobs in the value-added forest sector, a n d ^ r o i i g h the $2 bil-Upn Forest Kenew^^fSnd. The botitbni l i ne ^ n p e p P ^ f 3 o b creatioh effoirtS/ jbe'said^f^v^iH be to get BntiSh Columbians off of w ^ f a ^ ^ ' ^ I ^ ^ M l W i l ^ work force.

Weather CLOSE TO HOME JOHN MCPHERSW : > . * • ' • • - •

DATE

SUNRISE

SUNSET

RECORD HIGH For HUt diiB (Imp/yew)

RECORD LOW For Ma dila (koip/ynr)

TEMPERATURE Lnt yetr (highnmO

FOUR DAY OUTLOOK

HIGH/LOW TEMPERATURE

CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION

GENERAL FORECAST

SAT. MAR. 25

6:03

6:31

19.4/1960

-294/1955

15.6/-5.4

i 9/-5

30

Mix of sun & Clouds

SUN. MAR. 26

6:00

6:33

17.2/1966

-222/1965

152/-4.7

c ^ ^ 10/-2

50

Mainly cloudy

• — • " ' ' " - •• •• • • ' . . .

MON. MAR. 27

5:58

6:35

182/1994

-172/1965

182/-3.3

S"^^

, : ."• 9 / <

3d

, Cl(3udy w/ sunny breaks

- -v'^t-jliSiM-^;-^ • • ^ • \

TUES. MAR. 28

5:55

6:37

17.4/1994

.20.6/1965

17.4/-3.

< ' ^ ^

, - 1 , . . • . ; - f - "•

, ; - •10/-7 \ ;

^

siniilr^bteaks 1

• . ' . . ' • , t

Page A 4 Quesnei Cariboo Observer Sunday. March 26,1995

NEWS

C L O S E TO H O M E JOHN MCPHERSON '993 Mnr Mc^**wrVJ^boI ' iOulro 9* jruwr**^ f^rvi -ir'^Onuu

(c 7 ^r^^SJtW

"My babysitter wanted double-tirDe."

Government backs down on $6.50 wage for babysitters

The provincial govcrnmcnl has backed off a controversial proposal to pay baby sitters minimum wage.

The reversal came Tues­day. Proposed was an amend­ment to the Employment Stan­dards Ac! which would have made mandatory a $().50 ht)ur-ly wage for s i t ters working more than 15 hours a week in one home.

The package also called for time-and-a-half after 40 hours and d o u b l e t ime a f te r 48 hours. Benefits such as holiday pay, unemployment insurance and workers compensa t ion would also be included.

Cariboo North MLA Frank Garden said the pending legis­lation was withdrawn after a s teady public backlash. He

said Labor Minister Dan Mil­ler was grilled on ilic issue by fellow NDP caucus members at a sess ion in Victoria on Monday.

(jarden said the legislation was created to try and address the exploi tat ion o{ nannys, (live-in sitters), in areas such as the Lower Mainland. Said Garden:

"I guess people felt it was too all-inclusive and I think they felt it was going to hit a lot more people than it actual­ly would have."

G a r d e n said he did not foresee the proposed legisla­tion resurfacing if the NDP government is re-elected.

" T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s heard from the people and I think that's the end of it," he concluded.

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THealth forum

Ramsey won't be here • Health Minister Paul Ramsey says there is no way he can attend Quesnel's March 30 forum on health care.

The minister, who has not returned calls to Tlie Obscr\'er, relayed through his office that he must be in Victoria on the night oi the 30lh [o defend his budget estimates. Earlier this week Ramsey's appointment sec re t a ry said the Minister would be in Vancou\er to at­tend an NDP function.

According to the agenda for the N()rtheasi/N\)rthwest council meetings of the B.C. Hospital Association, Ramsey i s s c h c d i; Ic d to ni a k e a prcsenlalion in I'rincc (ieorge on Thui.sJay from \.M) lo ^^,0 p.m

Instead ol the health minis­t e r , C a r i b o o N o r t h MLA

Frank (jarden said there will be three senior representatives a t t end ing on behalf of the Minister.

Also attending the forum are : Car iboo-Chi lco t in MP Philip Mayfield; MLA Garden; r eg iona l hea l th chair Ivan Bonnel l of Will iams Lake ; Ouesne l communi ty heal th council chair John Pritchard; MLA G a r d e n ; (LR . Baker

Memorial Hospital chair Les White, as well as resource per­sonnel from the government.

The meeting, sponsored by the O u e s n e l and Di s t r i c t Chamber of Commerce and the Cariboo Observer, is the second part of a public fact­finding exercise geared to ex­plore the future of health care in Ouesnel under New Direc­tions.

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QUESNEL SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES

NOTICE TO ALL POTENTIAL SCHOOL FIELD USERS

The early use of School Playing Fields during the Spring thaw will cause considerable damage to the playing surface. The grass requires time and warmth in order to establish a root system capable of withstanding the rigors of competitive play. The use of wet fields causes extreme compaction and gouging which results in holes and uneven surface.

For the ultimate benefit of the users, the Board of School Trustees requests the cooperation of the public in NOT USING any school playing fields until further notice

BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES QUESNEL SCHOOL DISTRICT Leann Dawson Chairperson

Quesnei

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Quesnei Cariboo Observer Sunday. March 26.1995 Page A 5

NEWS

I'User pay' means hefty building fees at CRD

Adopling a page out of the user-pay book of business, the CRD is raising its fees by as much as 325 per cent.

Rezoning fees will increase 84 per cent, from the current $650 rate to $1,260; proposed zoning amendments to the of­ficial community plan will in­crease by the same amount, as will a l a n d use c o n t r a c t amendment; a temporary com­mercial/industrial permit will

cost $1,180 - an increase of 205 per cent; the once-free Board of Variance request will now cost $250; and development permits will cost $290 - up 325 per cent from the former $60 charge.

CRD chair Ted Armstrong said the board is looking at ways to make the CRD more efficient as well as to br ing costs down. He said fees have not been increased in 10 years.

$80,000 less for school board

TLand use

• School District 28 will have to make do with significantly less money this year, after the Ministry of Education announced its funding allocation this week.

NEIL HORNER Observer Staff Reporter

The District has had its al­location chopped by $80,000 from the previous year.

Overa l l funding for the Quesnei School District has

Coalition pleased with Plan • The B. C. government's implementation program for its Cariboo land use plan, announced on March 3, passed a key test viewed by a Cariboo citizens' group in a meeting on March 21195.

Natasha Wasmuth Student Contributor

"Now tha t we 've had a chance to analyze the govern­ment ' s implementa t ion prq-gram, we feel it reflects the broad public interest of the people of the Car iboo Chil-cotin," said CCC Chairman, Walt Cobb.

"I think it's unprecedented.

It essentially protects workers' jobs and lays out a plan that protects the major economic, social, and environmental in­terests as well," said CCC Ne-g o t i a t i n g C o m m i t t e e Chairman, Wade Fisher.

Ranch ing represen ta t ive Grant Huffman said the ran­ching community is pleased with the plan overall.

"It appears that ranching has the access it needs," said Huffman.

"We ' r e p leased the land use plan contains firm access to t i m b e r in t h e form of targets," said forestry repre­sentative, John Stace-Smith.

" T h e c o n t r a c t o r s a r e pleased that concerns that they had have been dealt with," said C o n t r a c t o r r e p r e s e n t a t i v e Diane Wallers.

"The plan gives security to

the mineral industry; govern­m e n t a p p e a r s to have in­tegrated our interests with all the others," said Mining repre­sentative Rudi Durfield.

"We w e r e happy to get recognition for ouri sector's in­terests, when we haven't been recognized before," said Wild-craft representat ive Stewart Mckenzie.

The next step, according to Wade Fisher, is to hear from government how they will be d e a l i n g with the R e g i o n a l Resources Board.

"We believe the govern­ment has honored their com­mitment to the people of the C a r i b o o C h i l c o t i n , " s a i d Fisher.

"And we have every con­fidence that they will continue to honor that commitment.

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been set at $33,262,126 for the 1995/96 school year.

Board members say the full impact oPnext year's budget has not yet been determined, and trustees will continue to m e e t w i t h t h e B u d g e t Stakeholders group to review all budget information.

F ina l a d o p t i o n of next year 's budget is required by May 10th, 1995.

Interviewed Thursday, Dis­trict treasurer Tim Klotz said the announcement came as no terrific surprise to the district. " W e w e r e n ' t h o l d i n g our breath," he said, "but we are disappointed."

Klotz said the district has a meeting scheduled with Edu­cation Minister Art Charbon-neau along with several other districts which have been hard hit by the funding changes.

A l t h o u g h he h o l d s out some hope that the meeting might change the minister 's mind , Klo tz was rea l i s t i c . "Last year we were able to get

them to reconsider and ended up with over $200,000 in extra maintenance funding," he said. "We are hopeful."

The funding allocation is par t of near ly $3.5 bil l ion being distributed between the 75 school districts in the pro­vince. This is an $84 million in­crease over last year's budget.

This increase was designed to account for higher student enrol lment in the province. However, last year's $302 mil­lion funding cap for adminis­t r a t ion budge t s r emains in place, meaning boards around the province will have to find savings of $7 million in their administrative budgets.

The new funding formula, announced in November of 1994, was designed to recog­nize rapid growth in some dis­t r ic ts . This new system has been vigorously opposed by severa l d i s t r ic t s , inc luding Quesnei, which have seen their funding cut substantially under the new regime.

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Page A 6 Quesnei Cariboo Observer Sunday. March 26.1995

ENVIRONMENT

Most support Alcan decision says poll

An Angus Reid survey says 40 per cent of British Colum­bians believe Alcan should not be compensated for the scrap­ping of Kemano II.

The poll, commissioned by the Burns Lake based Ches-latta Carrier Nation, says that 54 per cent of British Colum­bians agree with the N D P government's decision to kill the project.

Said Cheslalta Chief Mar­vin Charlie:

"I have said all along Alcan doesn't deserve compensation since taxpayers weren' t in­volved in the decision to aj)-pro\e the project."

The poll quest ioned (>()() Br i t i sh C o l u m b i a n s fr(.)m March 1 to 9. it is considered accurate within four per cent 19 times out of 20.

Support for the Jan. 2?> de­cision lo cancel Kemano II was s t ronges t in the Van­couver areas, with 63 per cent of respondents in favor. In the Interior, 46 per cent of those polled said they did not believe Alcan deserved any compensa­tion.

Eight per cent of those po l l ed said B.C. is so le ly responsible for compensation while another three per cent

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said Ottawa should be the only responsible party. Forty one per cent said that if compensa­tion must he paid, it should be paid equally by Victoria and Ottawa.

Seventy-seven per cent of those who identified them­selves as NDP supporters said they agreed with the cancella­tion. Fifty si.x per cent o( Lib­erals said the\ too supported the decision and M per cent of Reft)rmers said it was the right decision.

The Rcid survey concluded that i)p[n)silion to Kemano II was broad based throughout B.C.

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Quesnei Cariboo Observer SurKlay. March 26.1995 P a g e A 7

ENVIRONMENT

TA natural asset

City life along Baker Creek • Baker Creek enhances our life in West Quesnei.

J O A N N E c. LOAN Observer Contributor

Our large picture window looks out acrt)ss our street , over an undeveloped city park, to Baker Creek, and beyond to the newly d e v e l o p e d park a long Lewis Drive and the River Walk extension.

Our two boys arc drawn lo the waters of Baker Creek lo see what new wonders and challenges are offered ihrough ihe changing seasons.

A walk a long ihc banks with ihe dogs is refreshing among the natural growth of trees and bushes. During the summer the murmur of ihe r u s h i n g w a t e r s d r i f t s in through our opened bedroom windows to soothe us to sleep.

We felt such relief when we moved It) our hc»me along Baker Creek, in the summer of 1 9 8 6 , f r o m an o v e r -populalcd condominium site in Port Moody. The boys were aged 7 and 4 1/2 at the lime. Fo r thwi th , they were soon busy sp lash ing in the cool wa te r among the colourful dragon-flies and exploring the wooded banks and cliffs up and down the creek.

For several summers we developed our muscles, build­ing up a dam with the many rocks in the creek. With rocks cleared we had a deep sandy-b o t t o m e d s w i m m i n g hole which even my husband used after work to cool off.

As winter approached the boys watched and sampled the ice as it crept towards the cen­ter to cover the rushing waters. Baker Creek Iro/en over pro­vides a snow-covered roadway for a frosty hike or a race track for a laughter-filled dog-sled r ide. S(.)me winters provide s m o o t h ice p a t c h e s to be shovelled clean for skating.

T h e b o y s l e a r n e d lo respect and be aware o[ the dangers of Baker Creek, too.

One winter their friend be­came a hero when he saved our new puppy, Cosmo, who had slipped into an open hole and was being swept away un­der the ice. Then spring brings a r o a r i n g to r ren t of water racing ihrough the creek bed to the Fraser River. When the boys watched a branch thrown into ihe wild waters zipping past them, they knew this was not a force to reckon with. However, now, once the cur­rent sett les down, out conic the rubber inner-tubes for a while water thrill ride down the creek.

When the nights b.ccomc warmer, our oldest .son with his best friend have only a slight distance lo travel up the c reek lo find woods for a camp-out. Cosmo follows and is thrilled with ihe adventure.

With a rubber raft filled with t h e i r p rov i s ions they battle up-s t ream or portage around rock-filled rapids until an ideal and isolated spot is found. The lent is pitched, firewood is gathered, and soon a warm fire is burning to cook their meal.

Meanwhile Cosmo being a ( i e rman Shepherd Pincher-cross blends into the shadows and warns if there are any prowlers about.

The [)resence oi the creek is ideal lor ouv two Luge dogs who splash in to chase a stick or drink iheir fill ol' the fresh cool water.

Our first dog, Samski, a (iolden Retriever had a great time worrying a beaver that for a t ime kept the sapling trees trimmed along our creek pathway to build his short­lived Fraser River lodge.

We feci a touch of country in the middle of the city as we sit along the ever-changing current of water fiowing over the rocks of Baker Creek.

Finally, for mc I here is al­ways the being-callcd-oulside to see the trout when they are jumping or to see a pair of ducks with their young pad­dling by in the gentler pools a long the edges . Why, just today at this writing a young moose sauntered by towards the nearby mall only to be chased back out lo the country by the game warden.

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Observer file photo Baker Creek: Local family has grown up on Baker Creek.

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• Page A8 Quesnei Cariboo Observer Sunday, f^arch 26,1995 •

TEditorialiy Speaking

Thanks for the Thunder Cheers to: Ouesnel's pee wee Thunder hockey

club. The hometown boys played their hearts out during the Provincial AAA championships here this week.

The Thunder rolled to a fourth place finish in an exciting 4-3 loss against Burnaby, a game that could have easily have been a Ouesnel win. The upshot is the pee wee hockey club gave hundreds of area fans an exhibition of the best minor hock­ey we've seen in years.

The best part is these kids arc onlvjusl begin­ning. Watch for these young men in two years from now at what will then lie the Provincial AAA bantam championships.

With the coaching calibre ol Duanc Ko/lovvski and (jlen Walton these young men may vet prove to be provincial champs. In the meantime, they'll always be champions to their home town fans

Thanks for the memories boys.

Ramsey poor excuse Jeers to: Health Minister Paul Ramsey for

refusing to attend the March . 0 health forum in Ouesnel,

We venture to speculate that the Minister would have made alternate arrangements to at­tend a similar forum had it been scheduled in his home riding of Prince (ieorge or in Lower Main­land.

We suggest the Minister is simply taking the easy way out. New Directions is his baby. He us responsible for implementing its programs, its succes.ses and failures.

Mr. Ramsey should gel his priorities straight. Votes are won where the voters are. And in the ca.se of Ouesnel, more than S()() of them will be expecting some answers on March M).

By his failure to attend and to address the many concerns area residents have, the Minister is casting an ill-timed shadow over a political con­cept that many in the Cariboo believe will cause pain, suffering and, possibly, cost lives.

Come election time, this is one 'no-show' that voters will likely not forget.

A question of free speech Nowhere in any of the editorials that have ap­

peared on these pages has the Observer appealed to its readers to write directly to Judge Jakob de Villiers concerning his decision to release an al­leged rapist on $1,000 bail.

But that is the assertion put forward in provin­cial court this week by Judge Nick Friesen. With the utmost of respect to Judge Friesen, we deny his inference that we have "attempted to interfere with judicial independence."

What we have attempted to do is criticize a judicial ruling and the Act it was based on, that, in our opinion, has served only to endanger the general public. We have attempted to appeal to our readers to speak out, to write to their MLA, their MP, to the Justice Minister and to the At­torney General. The intention was, and will con­tinue to be, to encourage our law makers to change the bloody law.

Indeed, our appeal is to return to the bench the "judicial ^dependence" to allow judges to in­carcerate alleged criminals whom they feel may well pose a threat to society ... regardless if their alleged criminal act is a "first offense".

The bottom line is that we will continue to criticize judicial rulings that we feel pose a threat to the safety of law abiding citizens and which ultimately threaten the integrity of the judicial system itself

Freedom of expression, the judiciary obviously needs reminding, is al.so a part" of the Charter of Rights in this country. We stand by our editorial comments and will fight any systcm'that threatens our freedom to express them.

OPINIONS Tfie QUES7To l 15 ... WitL Xii^Y tAr ir WrrM A FORK ?... OR. A SPOOM ?!

tJ^Af

The government creates a monster VICTORL\ - We have a monster on our hands, and

it's getting bigger and meaner. Conflict of interest legisla­tion is begging to destroy, or at least render impotent, the very political system it was to purify.

When the NDP hauled out the conflict of interest bandwagon in the last election campaign and promised the toughest legislation in the know universe, little did it known that three years later, it would be on the verge of being hoisted on its own petard.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Premier Bill Vander Zalm had been forced out of office. A scandal-ridden Socred government had reached the end of its life. The image of politics and politicians had plummeted to unprecedental lows. Voters were cynical as hell. The time had come for a new beginning.

To its credit, the NDP was quick to deliver on its p r o m i s e . The legis la t ion govern ing the conduct of politicians under the watchful eye of conflict of interest commissioner Ted Hughes was widely hailed as the toughest in North America.

At the same time, the new government brought in one of the best freedom of information legislation packages of any jurisdiction in North America. The stage seemed to be set for better, more open, more accountable and more responsible government.

But none of the afore-mentioned happened. Instead, the combined effect of access to information and conflict of interest legislation is revisited and made workable.

Let's look at the celebrated conflict of interest in which Premier Harcourt allegedly finds himself A long-time NDP supporter and failed candidate, Ron Johnson, owns a communications consulting firm.

Over the last three years, NOW Communicat ions has received $5 million ucirth of government contracts, which represents roughly five per cent of the government's total communications budget for those three years.

Several firms in competition with NOW, firms which have no connection with the NDP, have said they see nothing wrong with the amount of work NOW has done for the government.

And yet, based on the fad that Johnson is a long time NDP supporter and has wcirkcd on Harcourt 's election campaign, a radio reporter asked Hughes to investigate the premier foi^a po.ssibic ciinflict of interest.

In past rulings, Hughes has defined conflict of interest fairly broadly. He could well rule, in this ca.sc. That be­cause of Johnson's connection with the NDP, it would

VICTORIA REPORT

Hubert Beyer

have been more prudent for the government not to do business with him. That might be enough to force Har­court to resign.

But does all this stand up to an even rudimentary test of fairness? I think not. Should a company be excluded from doing business with the government because its prin­cipal supports one party or another? I think not.

Such an arrangement would, in fact, force government to do business only with people who hate it, or to put it into more polite terms, who are politically opposed to it. I couldnt' think of anything more bizarre.

The trouble with our conflict of interest legislation is that it defines conflict too broadly. Taking the NOW con­troversy as an example, the premier would be in a clear conflict of interest if his wife or maybe even his second cousin 55 times removed had shares in NOW.

But don't tell me that he is in a conflict of interest be­cause Johnson is a friend of the NDP. That's ludicrous.

John Langford, a professor at the University of Vic­toria's school of public administration, has some interest­ing observations on conflict of interest charges. He says they have become a tool of political terrorism.

"Anyone can describe something as a conflict of inter­est and it tends to bring the whole political agenda of the government to a crashing halt. We've created a disease. It's a terrorist tool."

Even Jes Ketchum, a communications consultant and former Socred official says, "I think we've gone overboard. It's a political football." And while the contracts awarded to NOW may smack of patronage, they don't add up to a conflict of interest, according to Ketchum.

If the Liberals win the next election, they will be em­broiled in conflict of interest charges within 12 months, and so will any future government, unless the legislation is changed. No government, however, will dare change it.

And like the sorcerer's apprentice, the NDP will have created a monster that just won't go away.

"mserver The Voice of Gold Country Since 1908

Publisher - Jeny MacDonald

r 7 ^ ^ Advertising Manager - Pattle Paull

ESTABLISHED AUGUST 1908. Copyright Canada No. 33 Serial No. 132934. Reproduction of contents, either in whole or part are not pennitted without prior consent Publications Mail Registration No. 0752. Member of Audit Bureau of Circulation British Columbia and Yukon Community Newspaper Asociation, Canadian Community Newspaper Association, Western Regional Newspapers. EDITORIAL STAFF: Jerry MacDonald, Neil Horner, Ross Mitchell, Dale Sleeves, JoAnne Hazen. ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Pattle Paull. Steve Bertram, Marilyn Allin, JoAnne Hazen. FRONT OFFICE: Joan Hardick, Ellen Jonasson, Laree MariasH. PRODUCTION: Bev Weig'htman, Denise Lybeck, Tanya McTaggari PRESS RUN: 5,150. Published at 188 Carson Ave., Quesnei, B.C. V2J 2A8.

Quesnei Caritxx) Observer Sunday, March 26,1995 P a g e A 9

FEEDBACK 'We are entitled to have doctors, nurses & a hospital

Editor: An open letter to Health

Minister, Paul Ramsey. Have you in Victoria lost

your collective minds? Do you have any idea that there are people beyond Vancouver Is­land the Lower Mainland who, despite what you may think, are about to lose any sem­blance of health care thit we have left.

Our 100 bed hospital has been cut to 44 beds and now may have to be cut to 33. What in the world are you trying to prove?

This hospital is in Quesnei, 75 miles nor th of Williams Lake and 75 miles south of Prince George. If you would kindly take the time to glance at a map you will see that not only does this hospital service the City of Ouesne l with a population of some 12,000 to 15,000 people.

Now tell me , would you like to have a hear t attack here? Would you like to drive these roads in the win te r , knowing that if you had an ac­cident, you would likely die -for lack of m e d i c a l c a r e brought on by your govern­ment. If you don't do some­thing very very soon, all our doctors will have gone and we will be left high and dry with no medical facilities. Do you care? Of course you don't. If you did you would never have let it get this far.

My husband and I retired

Editor: I am writing on behalf of

some of the students at Project S .T .A.R.T . conce rn ing the Federal governments cut backs to programs such as the New Focus Society.

We strongly feel that Pro­ject S.T.A.R.T. has given us the chance to open doors to our future. We, as students, have learned many valuable skills including how to express ourselves and be assertive.

We have also learned vari­ous computer skills and many of us have started upgrading our academic education. We have all worked very hard in our classes and perhaps the most valuable asset "we have gained is self esteem.

In conclusion, we feel that without Project S.T..A.R.T. we would be at the same place we w e r e b e f o r e we s t a r t ed --Nowhere!

Kari Park, Dianne Connol­ly, Susan Bidder, Pat Leciair, Dawn Bueckert, Neal Ander­s o n , Al B o u d r e a u l t , J o n P a r k e r , Er in Cafferky, Liz Pope

lo Quesnei 8 years ago, when things in the medica l field were good. There were doc­tors here and a 150 bed hospi­ta l , s u r g e o n s and v is i t ing specialists and if needed we could be referred t a Prince George for more specialized care.

We really thought that we would be looked after in our golden years. Then in came the NDP and things started to deteriorate. How dare you and your government do this to people who have worked all their lives and never cost the

government anything. My husband spent his late

teens overseas during the sec­ond world war to make Cana­da a bet ter place to live. He lost those years just to make your life, yes "your" life, bet­ter. He then decided to stay in the Canadian Forces and spent 30 years in de fence of his beloved Canada. For what? So you and you government can t a k e e v e r y t h i n g , even our health care, away.

Believe it or not we are enti t led to have doctors and nurses and a hospital, even in the farthest outreaches of B.C. Take a good look Mr. Ramsey, look what we had before your government and look what we have now, then you decide what was better.

And please don't talk to me about finances. The money wasted in government would pay for any amount of health care, what has been wasted on so-called "Public Relat ions" would keep our hospital going for years.

Come on Ramsey - Get a life. If your government did its

job there would be no need for s o m e p a i d f r i e n d of the premier to tell us what a good j o b the N D P was do ing . I mean, you don't need to be a brain surgeon now do you?

So get y o u r p r i o r i t i e s straight. We didn't need a gas line to Vancouver Island. We don't need a bypass in Quesnei

r ight now. We have lived without it for years and can continue to do so until things get better . We definitely do not need a convention centre here, but the money has been given by your government for one. Why didn't they give us money for a badly needed ex­tension to our Intermediate C a r e F a c i l i t y , D u n r o v i n

Lodge, where the waiting list is 3 years, people are dying to get in there.

Oh, why bother going on, go ahead, do your thing an election is not far off; my only hope is that the next govern­ment can see beyond Hope.

Y o u r s f rom " B e y o n d Hope", Lenore Domanko

', brevity; (egllJty, Uni|n||: l|p ^ ^ ^

IBli^ii^B^H^^llililSIIPH

We need our hospital Mr. Ramsey An open letter to Health

Minister Paul Ramsay.

Editor: I am writing to you about

the future of our health care in Quesnei. This is a concern that many of us in Quesnei have. We understand that our local hospital may be downsized to 33 beds as of April 1. This will give us 22 beds for acute care patients. The other 11 beds are currently being used for Long T e r m Care pat ients . This is certainly not sufficient to ser­

vice an area of 25,000 people. We have been told that

Wi l l iams Lake will be our Regional Hospital instead of Prince George. It appears to me as though you are trying to c l o s e o u r h o s p i t a l d o w n permanently.

We need a hospital in this cominunity. We have a large number of accidents in this area and we need to have a hospital in close proximity, not 75 miles away.

Without an adequate care f ac i l i t y we w o u l d have a

g r e a t e r n u m b e r of d e a t h s . Why should peop le die be­cause of inadequate medical care. We are having trouble keeping doctors here. Those that are here now are talking about leaving. We pay taxes here, too.

We're telling you we want this hospital to stay open and working to it's full capacity at 60 beds ( the way it used to b e ) . N o t h i n g e l se is good enough.

Concerned Quesnei resident

Neighbors of dump not satisfied witli environment Editor: We would like to comment

regarding the article "The En­vironment" which appeared in the Wednesday, March 15 edi­tion of your paper.

There are lots of environ­mental issues but the one that concerns us the most, is the one in our front yard. The city of Quesnei landfiU.

It upsets us that Steve Wal­lace as Mayor of Quesnei puts his name and picture on. the article " T h e only one of i ts kind in the Cariboo". He likes to look l ike he ca r e s . This commit tee does deserve ap­p r e c i a t i o n , bu t the M a y o r cares very little about quality of our lives when he can allow the landfill to operate within 200 feet of our home. Some

Environment!

We do not see a whole lot happening to change the situa­tion and there is no committee worrying about our health and welfare.

We have m a d e our coa-cerns known to the city many times in the past and nothing has been done about this situa­tion. So don' t make it sound

like you have a unique com­mittee that satisfies everyone, b e c a u s e you ' re a long way

from satisfying us. Our Invironment stinks! Armand & Georgia

McKinley Residents on Carson Pit Road

Not hap^y: Armand McKinley and his famiiy 2d6^feet^f their front yard.

P a g e A 1 0 Quesnei Caritx)o Observer Sunday. March.26.1995

TAXES

Old political spending habits die hard W c k n o w t h a t o u r tax

money pours through Victoria and Ot t awa a.s easily as water runs out t)f an onion sack but only a lew taxpayers kncn>. ihc spec ia l g r a c e and ease with which the government depart­ments spend in the mad, merry month of March.

T h e e n d of M a r c h is the end of the gt)vcrnment 's fiscal year . Any d e p a r t m e n t fails to s p e n d its a n n u a l budge t by March . 1 must return the un­spen t por l i i )n to the genera l government accounls.

The c i l i /enry , which tends lo wild ignorance in these mat­ters, is prone to the belief that m i n i s t r i e s w h i c h t h r o u g h p r u d e n c e or s o m e o the r un­expected quality save money in a fiscal year a re p ra i sed and that the p e o p l e who accom­p l i s h e d t h e s a v i n g s a r c r e w a r d e d . Rea l life is exactly the opposi te . The grievous of­fense is to fail to s p e n d all your budget by year ' s end. A wise adminis t ra tor spends it all and , if he can , s p e n d s more than the budget, thereby prov­ing the vital need for his de­p a r t m e n t a n d , m o r e i m p o r ­tant, for himself.

Each year, one or two min­i s t r i e s will d iscover they are a p p r o a c h i n g yea r ' s end with funds they have carelessly not spen t . It 's then that they are apt indulged in panic spending, b u y i n g j u s t a b o u t a n y t h i n g from just about anybody al just a b o u t any p r i ce , anything to avoid end ing a year with un­spent funds.

T o fail to s p e n d all your b u d g e t p r o c l a i m s t h a t you didn' t need it and in the fol­lowing year, you are likely to have your budget cut for that reason.

It's one more way in which gov^-rnment s p e n d i n g differs f r o m f a m i l y s p e n d i n g . A budgeting family, which ended a year with more money to put in sav ings t han they had ex­pec ted , ( s o m e t h i n g that hap­p e n s w i t h r e g r e t t a b l e in -frequency to mos[ of us) con­s iders itself to be lucky. The savings can be applied to buy s o m e t h i n g i m p o r t a n t in the following year . Wha teve r ihc ar t ic le , it s t ands as a reward for [)rudence and saving.

A govcrnnienl J c p a r t n i e n i is not rewiirded lor saving. It can not af)ply its saving i)f one year to i)rudenl p u r c h a s e s or p r o j e c t s in a i t) l lowing year. Every M a r c h M it must give away every cent it saved.

T h i s r e v e r s e incen t ive to saving by g i n e r n m e n t depart­ments may puzzle some of you but be assured it is a custom sanct i f ied by years of d e m o ­crat ic g o v e r n m e n t in Canada . The federal government went t)nc s t e p fu r the r in the dis­i n c e n t i v e m o v e m e n t . It has one min is te r to spend money (F inance Min i s t e r ) and a dif­fe ren t m i n i s t e r to c o l l e d it (Revenue Minis ter ) , thus em­phasizing the separat ion of in­come and expenditure.

N o b o d y can dt) a n y t h i n g alxHil this s i tua t ion , it s eems but all readers within reach of (his c o l u m n w h o a r c t)ver-slocked with pewter stove lids or bu l t i i n h o o k s for l a d i e s ' boiUs should be reminded that Iheir best chance o( unloading Ihem on some government de­partment has only a lew more days lo run in 1W5.

The ft)olery iif this arrange-nienl of government finances, a s tupidi ty so lt)wcring thai il altains a lorm of grandeur , ap-

Are you ready for....

THE INTERNET SHOP INC Travel the information highway

Retail Outlet Opening Soon!

991-9423 164 Front Street Above United Carpet

Philip Mayfield will be in

Quesnei at the Tower Inn 10:00 a m - 1:00 p m

Friday, March 31

OBSERVER CLASSIFIEDS 992-2121

STRAIGHT WRY Paul St. Pierre

plies in olher, rekiled mat ters , as f 'eace River South School f^istricl discovered this year.

T h e d i s t r i c t b o u g h t an ahandt )ned school building in the defunc t town of Cas s i a r and planned lo disassemble it and move it 7.% mi l e s a long the Alaska Highway on flatbed t r u c k s d u r i n g t h e s p r i n g or

s u m m e r . T h r e e d a y s b e f o r e Chr is tmas , the provincial Min­istry o{ Educa t ion warned the district that the moving money had to spend before the magic dale of March 31, 1995.

U s i n g the e m p t y C a s s i a r s c h o o l b u i l d i n g in D a w s o n C r e e k was ca lcu la ted to save the school district $3.3 million, but savings m e a n n o t h i n g in Victoria, where the only thing t ha t m a t t e r s is t h a t m o n e y being spent on fixed schedules.

B e c a u s e t i m e was s h o r t , ihe school district itself acted as gene ra l c o n t r a c t o r for the w o r k . T h i s gave s o m e loca l contrac tors hea r tburn because of t he way the b i d d i n g was handled and caused quite a bit of a l a r m a m o n g t h o s e w h o wondered if such a project was

b e s t c o n d u c t e d in t he d a r k depths of a Yukon winter.

The school buildings are at t h i s ve ry m o m e n t h u m p i n g down the Alaska Highway in a midwin te r move tha t may or may not succeed.

As R e f o r m P a r t y l e a d e r Jack W e i s g e r b e r says " T h i s rooted in the silly ministry re­q u i r e m e n t t ha i m o n e y b e spent at the end of the fiscal year."

R e s ! a s s u r e d t h a t if and w h e n M r . W e i s g e r b e r b e ­c o m e s p r e m i e r , he won' t be able to do anything about that rule . T h e bureauc ra t s will ex­plain why to him but , alas, he won't be able to explain why to us . O u r tax dol la rs will flow down the same old ratholes at the same old pace.

SENIOR'S

FOR PEOPL & OVER!

YOUR T01AL GROCERY PURCHASE UP TO $100.00.

On a maximum purchase of $100.00.10% discount does not apply to prescriptions tobacco products

inoP*T^*'*®*^'5'""P^f ®^?* ^^^*^' ^S°"°'"y photofinishing services and electronic equipment.' lU/o otter cannot be combined with any other Safewoy or competitor coupon or promotionoloffer

(5)SAFEWAY [MasterC^Rfj

Ig*" r

W5M"

Quesnei Cariboo Observer

COMMUNITY

Sunday, March 26,1995 Page A11

Observer photo by Ross IVIitchell

Donat ions to Dun rov in : Quesnei \I\G\N and Dragon Lake Women's Institute donated cheques of $100 each to the resi­dents of Dunrovin Park Lodge. (Front row, left to right) Rosie Gassoff, Janet Forsyth and Inez McColl, of Dunrovin and Helen Dick and Bea McLean. (Back row) Justine Kozecher, El­len Rogers,- Evelyn Cash, Bonnie Stowards. Marilyn Evans, Nettie Geofrpy and Helen Nome were at the presentation

representing the two institutions.

Women's Institute aid Dunrovin's 20th celebrations • Two Women's Institute groups carry on the tradition of giving to home and country by donating money to Dunrovin Park Lodge.

JOANNE HAZEN Observer Staff Reporter

O n W e d n e s d a y , Q u e s n e i V iew W o m e n ' s I n s t i t u t e a n d D r a g o n L a k e W o m e n ' s In ­stitute donated $100.00 each to Dunrovin.

The money was dona ted to c o m m e m o r a t e t h e 20th an­niversary of D u n r o v i n L o d g e and for the 85th year of W.I . in British Columbia .

The Dragon Lake W.I. was fo rmed in 1941 and was suc­c e s s f u l in p e t i t i o n i n g t h e government for the first public H e a l t h N u r s e for t h e com.-munity.

They have been in te res ted in H e a l t h C a r e for ove r 50 y e a r s . G . R . B a k e r H o s p i t a l ,

B a k e r L o d g e a n d D u n r o v i n a r e all rec ip ien ts of vo lunteer t ime and donat ions by the W.I m e m b e r s of D r a g o n Lake.

Q u e s n e i V i e w W . I . w a s formed in 1951 with 12 m e m ­bers . Since then it has grown to 16 m e m b e r s .

M a n y of t h e p ro j ec t s un­de r t aken by the Quesne i View W.I . a re for h o m e and country. Th i s g r o u p p r o m o t e d the ex­t e n s i o n of t he p h o n e line to W e s t Q u e s n e i and they w e r e ins t rumenta l in get t ing the U.I . Office for Quesne i .

S o m e o n - g o i n g p r o j e c t s that Quesne i View under t akes are donat ions to the B.C. Chil­d r e n ' s H o s p i t a l in Vancouver a n d t h e Q u e e n A l e x a n d r a Hospi ta l in Victoria.

T w o Q u e s n e i V i e w W . I . M e m b e r s were on the original B o a r d of D i r e c t o r s for D u n ­r o v i n P a r k L o d g e . T h e s e m e m b e r s h e l p e d w i t h t h e m a k i n g a n d h a n g i n g of the original d rapes for the Lodge.

T h e W.I. g roups are a very p o w e r f u l vo ice in t he issues that c o n c e r n h o m e and coun­try.

992-2201 500 Reid St. Downtown

ig

MARCH SPECIALS

i R ^ Z

MAR. '95 LUNCH $5.95

Chicken Rngers/Caesar

Monte Cristo/Wafile Fries

Seafood Melt/Green Salad

Chicken Burger/H-made Fries

Shepherd's Pie/Salad

Menu Selections

Menu Selections

Also available dally Soup i

MON.

TUES.

WED.

THURS

FRL

SAT.

SUN.

DINNER $14.95-$16.95

Steak & Chicken

Veal Parmesan

Curry Night

Steak & Fettuodni

Teri Chicken & Prawns

Prime Rib

Sweet & Sour Prawns

Sandwich Specials

ALL STOCK AND

INVENTORY AT AUCTION

PRICES /

MANY UNITS

BELOW MARKET VALUE

MAXIMUM TRADE-IN VALUES

MAR. 25 -APRIL 1-ONE FULL WEEK OF SPECIAL

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Page A12 Quesnei Caritx)0 Observer Sunday, March 26, t995'

NEWS

CRD budget tops $19.9 million; costs up by more than 13 percent

NO INCREA.St FOR WATER & S t W t R

The C R D will hold the line on water and seue r charges.

The 1,605 proper l\ owners e o n n e c l e d to the R e d Eiluff sewer se i \ ice will pav Sl ' '7 m parcel I.ixes and Si Ml in user fees, the s.iine .is their IV'M rate. Ihe 147 j)roperl\ ()\'viKrs in Wel ls conr iee led to sev'.er services uill ().!) $2HI in [).iii.el t axes and SMS in user L i s W a t e r u i l l cost \ \ e l l s ' I 1 users S244 in p.ircel I.ixes and $157 in User lees lor a total of $808 for both water and sewer.

C R D S F E N D I N C ; UP 13.6 PER C E N T

T o t a l s [ ) e n i l i n g ft)r t he C a r i b o o Regiona l Distr ict in 1995 is [irojectei l to to[) the $19.S million mark.

The increase is a I Vd per c e n t j u m p o v e r hist \ e a r ' s $17.5 million budget.

T h e l a rges t b u d g e t i tem under the C R D is r ec rea t ion at $4.7,S million. The Ouesne l a rea por t ion ol that function will ct)st '!>2.()(i mil l ion, a net decrease of Sld.OOll or -.S [ler cent.

Fire fighting services will cost a tota ' of $1.27 million, an i n c r e a s e o I O S [i e r c e n t . F i r e I igh t i ng is p a i d on a coverage area basis.

T h e Red Bluff V o l u n t e e r Fire Depar t ment is butlgeled at $235,()()(), an I l..s p e r c e n t hike over l<>'M; Rouchie Lake Fire services will cost $124,.V)()

CRD BRIEFS

ii Of $19.8 million,

$7.1 million goes

to debt and/or

reserved, and

$2.9 million

capital

purchases! 53

- the same as last year; Wells fire protection is also the same as in 1994, costing a projected $ 9 , 4 0 0 . I t s o v e r a l l b u d g e t , h o w e \ e r , i nc lud ing a $5,C)()() surp lus c , i r r \ o \ e r and S5,.^()() form other sources, is $20,.150; Bar low C r e e k vi i lunteer ser­v i c e s wi l l c t)s i t a x p a y e r s $87,500 - a decl ine ol' .1 per cent. The f U ' F D will carry a $34,()()() sur[ i lus and r ece ive

Ted A r m s t r o n g : 13 9 budget hike approved.

$56 ,500 irom o t h e r sou rce s ; West Fraser volunteer services are budgeted at $67,100, an in­c r e a s e of 21 p e r c e n t ; a n d Kersley fire service will run a b u d g e t e d $65,400, r ep re sen t ­ing an 8.S per cent hike.

C i e n e r a l g o v e r n m e n t , or the administrat ion of the C R D will cost a projected $2.2 mil-ion, r e p r e s e n t i n g a 5.9 pe r

cent increase. In actuality, gen­eral government will cost $3.3 millit)n, which includes a sur­p lus of m o r e th.in $345,000 and $712,000 in non tax-based revenue sources.

Of the C R D s $19.8 million budget, some $7.1 million will go towards debt reduction and reserve; S2.'^ million in capital purchases; and S'^7 million for actual o[)er.ilioiis.

K E E P H A T C M E R V O P E N T h e C R D has a d d e d its

support to efforts to keep alive t he O u e s n e l R i v e r .Salmon Hatcherv.

The hatchery, located near U-il<ely, is expected to (K- closed d u e l o f e d e r a l b u d g e t cu t s . The City of Williams Lake and the C R D have noted their op­position to the closure.

In a l e t t e r 11) f e d e r a l F i s h e r i e s M i n i s t e r B r i a n Tob in , the Car iboo-Chi l co t in F l y f i s h e r s S o c i e t y s a id t h e hatchery is a viable and neces­sary operat ion.

T h e M c L e e s e Lake , B.C. based society said in its letter c o p i e d to the C R D tha t the hatchery could be successfully privatized.

Indeed , the society has of­fered tt) coordinate an operate the facility. Society spokesper­s o n P a u l C a r n e s s a i d t h e Society wttuld lm)k at provid­ing free lalH)r to maintain the chinot)k sa lmon enhancement p r o g r a m s as well as come up with a business plan and fund­ing.

SERVICE CLUB

ANNOUNCEMENT

Ttie Lions meet evei^ 2nd Monday of the month at 7:00 pm in the Golden Age Centre. For information please call Ron Silver at 747-3758.

Bfought 10 you by the Cariboo Observer

I T h a n k You! The Correlleu Grads would like to thank the following sponsors for their continued support of Correlleu's Annual Spring Grad Fashion Show. RoundTop Table Production Group - Doug Koyama (Music & Sound) Christine's Bridal - Christine Gehl Ricki's/Bootlegger - Kathy Pugh Peail's Fashions - Diana Allen Outlaw - Marnie Nazaruk Royale Male • Heather Groves Ouesnel's Maple Park Mall • Fashion Show Risers McDonalds, Outer Limits Hair Styling, Mr. Eugene's, Top ol the World, Hair Plus, Gladys" Beauty Boutique and the many Ouesnel businesses who donated door prizes.

Thank you very tnuch. We appreciate your support

Correlieu Grads

'95

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Quesnei Cariboo Observer Sunday. Marcfi 26,1995 Page A 1 3

INDUSTRY

Keep Mining in Canada members like Chretien government • The federal government received an overall grade of "B" on its first report card on its performance on key mining issues.

The rcporl card, issued by ihc Keep Mining in Canada c a m p a i g n , r a l e s g i i s e rnmen l aclion on six "suhjecls" includ­ing the recenl lederal hudgel , comple t ion of llie Wliiieliorse Min ing In i l i a l i \ e .ind, a lead­ing objeel i \e ol ihc mining in-du.s l ry , i h e r e l o r n i of m i n e r cc Iamal i tHi la.ves lo c r e a t e "envi ronmenta l RSPs ."

Mining conlr i lnues $20 bil­lion a year to ihc C'an.idian e c o n o m y , a n d a c c o u n l s for 14.S per cent o\ Canada ' s lolal exports . Mining and related In­d u s t r i e s e m p 1 o \ a l m o s t 400,()()() C a n a d i a n s and sup­port approximately 1. 0 mining-, commun i t i e s aeiDss ihe coun- try. Ycl C a n a d a has droj)ped from first lo R)urih place in its ability lo attract investment lor new m i n e s and o \ e r 1W2-9.1 saw the c l o s u r e t)f 44 mines whi le only 24 o p e n e d . As a resul t of th is ongo ing t rend , between 1990 and '1993 the in­dus t ry saw a loss of approxi ­mately 20,000 jolxs.

"A year and a half and two budgets have now |)a.ssed since the g o v e r n m e n t unve i led its election platform for mining," George Miller, Mining Asst)ci-alion o{ C'anada President said "While there are signs that the g o v e r n m e n t u n d e r s t a n d s the p r o b l e m , lack of concrete ac­tion means we are mi.ssing im­portant oppor tuni t ies to create jobs and encourage investment in C a n a d a . "

" T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s t u r n e d in a n u n e v e n p e r -f o r m a n c e " was the lead com­m e n t o n th i s y e a r ' s r e p o r t c a r d . " W h i l e it is s t r o n g in s o m e a r e a s s u c h as de f i c i t f ighting and its p e r f o r m a n c e on the Whi le horse Mining In­itiative, o lhe r impor tan t a reas

-i««^~:sK»

Keep Mining in Canada: Government passes first test.

such as explorat ion H^centives a n d " E n v i r o n m e n t a l R S P s need more at tent ion."

Tlie government received a " C " for its failure lo make fur­ther changes to the lax treat­m e n t of m i n e r e c l a m a t i o n t rus t funds . " W e have s e e n p r o g r e s s on this issue in the provinces and the 1994 federal budget m a d e a .^mall s t ep in the righl direction, but we are still w a i t i n g for the f e d e r a l government to establish a fair t a x a t i o n r e g i m e fo r m i n e r e c l a m a t i o n . " Mil ler said. In o t h e r a r e a s the g o v e r n m e n t received;

- An " A " for de l iver ing a strong dencit-fighting budget;

- An " A " for j o in ing with i n d u s t r y a n d o t h e r s takeholders in complet ing ihe W h i l e h o r s e Min ing Init iat ive (WMI) consultat ions aimed at t h e r e n e w a l of C a n a d a ' s m i n e r a l s a n d m e t a l s s e c t o r , and for deve lop ing an ac t ion plan lo implement the goals of the WMI , including regulatory s t reamlining and the clarifica­tion of land use decision pro­cesses which respect mine ra l tenure;

- A " B " for promis ing ac­tion to r educe the paperwork

and red lapc burden; - A ' D " lor failing to ad­

dress the issue o^ an incenti \e to boos t g r a s s r o o t s explora­tion;

- A ""D'" for p i )or p e r -l o r m a n c e in u.s-ing in l ras l ruc-Uire sup[)orl lo encourage in-\ es lmcnl in ncu' mines.

Miller no ted lh;il l ead ing re | )or ts and [)olicy s ta tements have also called lor aclion on the l i \e mining issues idenl i -fied by the K e e p M i n i n g In Canada campaign, including;

- The Whi teht ) rse Min ing I n i t i a t i v e w h i c h g e n e r a t e d recommendalicMis for action in a n u m b e r of a r ea s inc lud ing la.xalion, regulalory s treamlin­ing and investment i.ssues;

- T h e g o v e r n m e n t ' s own Liberal Red Book and election policy pla t form which recom­m e n d e d t a x r e f o r m f o r reclamation funding, measures It) e a s e t h e e n v i r o n m e n t a l r egu la to ry b u r d e n and be l t e r

i n f r a s t r u c t u r e for e c o n o m i c grt)wlh; and

- The Standing C o m m i t t e e on N a t u r a l R e s o u r c e s p r e -budge l r epor t "Lif t ing C a n a ­dian Min ing Off the R o c k s " which r ecommended that both explora t ion incentives and tax changes for reclamat ion fund­ing s h o u l d be i n t r o d u c e d in the 199.5 federal budget.

The Keep Mining In Cana­da campa ign is a nat ion-wide c o m m u n i c a t i o n s c a m p a i g n organized by the mining indus­try in response l o a decline in the n u m b e r of active m i n i n g opera t ions and falling levels of m i n i n g i n \' e s I m e n t . T h e cam|)aign calls for government a n d i n d u s t r y a c l i o n on key p o i n t s a s o u t l i n e d in t h e campaign 's K)-Point Plan. T h e c a m p a i g n will be delivering a copy t)f the report card to the Honourab l e Paul Martin, Min­i s t e r of F i n a n c e , a n d t h e H o n o u r a b l e A n n e McLe l l an , Mini.sler of Natural Resources , as well a s s e n d i n g cop ies to poli t ical and indust ry l eade r s lhrt>ughout Canada .

QUESNEL SCHOOL DISTRICT

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION Monday, March 27, 1995 to Friday, March 31 , 1995 and

Monday, April 3, 1995 to Friday, April 7, 1995

The Quesnei School District will enroll beginning students (including French Immersion) in district schools for atfendance for September, 1995.

To be eligible for attendance, a student must turn five years of age by December 3 1 , 1995. In order for the Board of School Trustees to finalize enrollment projections for September 1995, it is IMPORTANT that parents enroll their children at their neighborhood school as soon as possible after March 27, 1995. ~ Kindergarten classes are limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Please bring your child's birth certificate at the time of registration.

Parents who choose to educate their children at home must register them at their neighborhood school in accordance with the School Act.

For Information telephone your neighborhood school. «^ ,

BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES QUESNEL SCHOOL DISTRICT Leann Dawson Chairperson

T r o p h i e s • P l a q u e s Ei igravi i igs - M e d a l s

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