Page 2 May 1982 Cassiar Courier Ottawa Viewpoint JIM FULTON MP Dear Friends: As you know, Bill C-568 received first reading on May 2 1980 and has now been drafted and printed. The changes that | propose in the Bill are intended to remove certain provisions brought in by the infamous Bill C-51. The major parts of C-51 were declared to be in force on Jan. 1, 1978. The section dealing with firearm acquisition certificates (FAC) and business permits came into force on January 1, 1979. As a long time gun owner and handler, | have serious reser- vations about two of the provisions of C-51, the screening program (FAC) and the search arid seizure provisions without warrant, part- icularly as they relate to a Dwelling House. My first intention in Bill C-568 is to gather support in the House of Commons to eliminate the requirement for a firearms ac- quisition certificate in rural Canada, It is a serious bureaucratic ims pediment to the general gun handler and ower throughout Can- ada, It is my view that rural Canadians are hardest hit by the red tape of the FAC’s and as a first step | intend to find support for removal of this section from the Criminal Code. 1 am (as | am sure you are) a firm supporter of proper gun handling and general firearm safety course. “Historically, approximately 7 out of every 10 firearm deaths in Canada are self-inflicted. “ 7 These courses are quite separate from the philosphy behind FACs which is to deny the right of possession of a firearm to any indiv- idual. “subtle pressures are used to eliminate potentially unsuc- cessful candidates. Firearms officers frequently claimed they could ‘sense’ poor candidates. They will usually attempt to dissuade then from making formal application. One juris- diction estimated that informal refusals were approximately 150 times greater than formal ones.......” Also the effectiveness is questionable. “Due to a general lack of data, it is difficult to assess the ef- fectiveness of the FAC system in reducing firearm incidents. An analysis of the number of firearm incidents involving in- dividuals with FAC’s would probably provide an indication of the influence of the system. However, none of our data sources, including police occurrence reports from the local jurisdictions, record whether involved individuals have a FAC.” 3 The second provision of C-568 is the removal of the power to search and sieze without warrant in the case of a dwelling house. | am aware of abuses by the police of this power since it came into force in 1978. There are, in my view, adequate safeguards of the TO THE ENESDITOR This is a letter C P Air sent the Province’s Action Line in answer to the letter written by Terry Farrell, which was printed in the last issue of the Cassiar Courier. Dear Angelina: Regarding Mr. Terence M. Farrell, Box 399, Cassiar, B.C., VOC 7E0. While the difficulties outlined by Mr. Farrell were rooted in a weather problem, it’s apparent the matter could have been bet- ter handled by CP Air. ; We apologize for the inconvenience and will certainly cover Mr. Farrell’s out of pocket expenses while overnighting in White- horse. A record of these expenses should be sent. to CP Air Cus- tomer Relations, One Grant McConachie Way, Vancouver Inter- . national Airport, Vancouver, B.C., V7B 1V1. We'd also like to thank Mr. Farrell for bringing the matter to our attention. Understandably, CP Air endeavors to provide expedient and courteous service but every once.in a while, for. various reasons, things don’t always run as smoothly as we would like. ; It’s not much comfort, but perhaps worth mentioning that overflying Watson Lake due to weather conditions is a relatively rare occurrence, On such occasions, a special stop there on the public in the Criminal Code without this additional power, just as there are for the “hot pursuit” of criminals and for the general “checking” of firearms stored or in transit. The Liberals imposed Bill C-51 despite opposition from the NDP. The Clark era Conservatives made no attempt to remedy the shortcomings of C-51 while in-office. In fact | am not aware of any initiatives from the Liberals or Conservatives to improve these sections of the Criminal Code. A three year study into the “effectiveness” of “firearms con- trol” is underway, directed by the Solicitor General. This study will be completed this year but the following quotations from the “Interim Report” add to what | have already said. “ We cannot make a direct casual connection between these provisions and any reduction in the number of firearm in- cidents....” 4 The search and seizure powers without warrant (Sec. 107 (2) Criminal Code) are new to Canadian law and apply to situations of “apprehended danger” rather than criminal activities per se. The problems created by C-51 in relation to the protection of personal privacy and redress through the Courts are confirmed by the Interim Report. “ To safeguard against abuse, the legislation requires that following any s.101 search, with or without a warrant, a re- port or return shall be made forwith to the magistrate. How- ever, we have found that in most jurisdictions, returns are made only if a seizure has occurred and a request for for- feiture is intended. Since returns are made only in those in- stances where the evidence is strong enough to support a for- feiture application, any protection afforded by having a mag- istrate review all s. 101 searches, is non-existent... LS) “..lack of returns on all searches means that we cannot com- pletely endorse the opinion that s. 101 (2) is not abused... “ 6 “__.we have found that the return procedure is not followed, except in cases of forfeiture applications. This defeats the pur- pose of having a judicial review of the circumstances of all __ Searches and! seizures au leaves this section uopet to possible ee abuse i in ne future... 7 While 1 agree that the desire to reduce the injuries and inci- dents involving firearms is a good one, | strongly believe the means to attain that goal should be through education, training and at- titude, rather than bureaucracy, red tape and removal (or abuse) or personal rights. It seems clear from the Solicitor General’s own study and my personal observations across Canada that C-568 is a good start on the road to appropriate gun law. | look forward to your support in this matter. Sincerely, Jim Fulton, MP. Skeena NOTE: All quotes from “Evaluation of the Canadian Gun Control Legislation, First Progress Report, 1981.” next southbound flight is always considered. However, if weath- er forecasts indicate little or no change, the Watson Lakebound passengers will not be boarded at Whitehorse eee an- other overtly only creates further inconvenience. In the circumstances of Mr. Farrell's flight, standard pro- cedure is to bus passengers to their destination, however, over- nighting in Whitehorse and transportation on our flight the next day, at CP Air expense, is an alternative. Again, we apologize for the mix-up. Handling procedures at Whitehorse have been review ed without airport agents. Sincerely, Peter Golding, Public Relations Representative. ©00000000000000008 Dear Cassiarites: Just dropping a note to say that we are fine and that we haven't for- gotten you, Our family now resides in Prince George, where we are getting settled in. New surroundings and people can be a refreshing change, but like most of us, we value the relationships of the past. Good friends do not just come but they grow and we miss many of you people.in Cassiar. Our five years in Cassiar were good years and we have many good memories. We haven’t forgotten you. Hopefully we will visit again in the near future to clear up loose ends, Then you can see Jonathan, who is now 4 months a) Hope to see you soon. Mark, Anita, Rachael and Jonathan Glaab, 179 McIntyre Crescent, Prince George, B.C. V2M 4P4, Clinton Creek Update by B. Pewsey and D, Acason The Clinton Creek program of promoting sales for dismantling and removal of remaining buildings, machinery and equipment will con. tinue during the 1982 open water season. We will have a minimal crew of three fulltime, plus casual contract services as required. Other crews will be on site as necessary. Min- imal services are provided and communication is by radio-tele- phone. ‘ Final removal of.items sold to the end of 1981 should be complet- ed in 1982 and additional cleanup areas will then be possible. At this time, major items remaining available for sale and removal are: $ Mill Building and Machinery in Place Primary Crusher Building and Machinery in Place Tramline Powerhouse Building Administration Building ~ 21 Modular 3 bedroom homes (Doublewides) Cafeteria Complex Staffhouse Bucyrus-Erie 110B Shovel and 2X 40 R Drills Some items were previously sold, but repossessed in 1981 due to the failure of the buyer to fulfill his dismantling and removal ob- ligations within the prescribed time limits and periods of extension offered, Additional items will likely be repossessed in 1982 Sales and removals have been slower than expected, due to the re- moteness, seasonal restrictions and the economy not favoring the development of new mining operations. There continues to be some advancing of the waste and tailings dumps. Survey monitoring .is being maintained. Considerable work has been completed on the drainage channels of Wolver- ine and Clinton Creeks near the dump. Toes and rock barriers (weirs) have been installed to restrict the erosion process during high run-off periods, Water sampling continues. and the quality is very satisfactory, considering the area natural background levels. ~ Ongoing exploration in the district was done by Archer, Cathro and Associates Ltd. in 1981, under a joint venture arrangement whereby Brinco had one-third participation. There will be ad- ditional exploration in the. general area in the future before. abandonment of mining claims. . Serious exploration is continuing by others on the Slade Creek or ‘Eagle’ prospect in Alaska. 1981 was a busy placer gold mining. season in the Dawson area, but the current lower gold price will curtail most local gold min- " ing in 1982 There is no official ice bridge or maintenance of the road from Dawson City during the winter. A caretaking presence is main- tained at Clinton from late October to May, coinciding with freezeup, breakup and summer ferry operations at Dawson City. Since when can people living on the very bound- ary of Boya Lake Provin- cial Park, use the park as a garbage dump??? Picture taken 29th March 1982 CASSIAR Bits & Pieces to believe! Orchids to. the kind bus driver who keeps the front seat for preg- nant ladies who suffer from travel sickness. We hear that Fiona’s new theme song is ‘Swing low sweet chariot — we're not telling why. A certain well knovm person around town.thinks that included in Northern Benefits should be a skin allowance that is supposed to pay for all the extra skin cream required in the dry winter months. However, we're almost certain that the Minister of Fin- ance won't ‘buy’ that. It was nice to see ex-Cassiarites, Gil and Mary Leathley in town for the Easter weekend. It’s rumored that Gil and two prominent residents of Cassiar had such a great time sampling the scotch “made for royalty and the favored few” that they were in a del- icate state for most of the weekend. It’s a good job Dale drinks rum and coke. y Does Brian think there’s asbestos / in this ion Vane? is a whole lot greener since Pat B. went to visit!) Le Ooops!! Sorry Pat - we forgot we weren't supposed to tell!!! Congratulations to Helen Joseph, the first woman to win the “A” fent in the Cassiar Annual Curling Bonspiel. Also congrats. to Bubs Crossley who won the ‘buxom wench’ contest and Robert Duri; who won the ‘chivalrous knight’ contest. Birthday wishes to Martin Godin, Marie Penno’s grandfather, who celebrated his 100th birthday on April 16th. His wife Marie- Jeanne. celebrated her 100th birthday last August 5, 1987 and they both look forward to celebrating their 79th hace Anni- versary on July 25, 1982. Lorraine Henyu won the ‘Trip Around The World’ raffled by the Curling Club. Maybe its her reward for looking after cousin Norman Day’s children while he and Jan went on this same trip last year. We understand that the Police Office in Dease Lake was sold by Century 21 to an unknown party!! Cpl. Waite, we hear you had another visitor in your office. Thank you to those who returned 4 of the 78 linen napkins taken during the ‘Prelude To Spring’ dinner. This leaves only 74. -more!! Town Council regrets that no plants will be brought in this year due to the Summer Shutdown. however, watch out for notices concerning this years “Big Sweep”. Condolences to: Ciro Guarducci and family on the passing of his mother in Italy. Woody and Pauline Woodrow on the passing of her mother in Ontario recently. Louis and Maria Molan and family on the passing of her mother in Yugoslavia. Glen Tooke and family on the passing of his mother. Good luck to the new C.C.C. Executive recently elected. They are: President - Walter Comper, Vice-Pres. - Joan Cass, Secretary - Gayleen Connolly. The two Company appointees are Frank Zubek - Treasurer and Eugene Puritch. Some people will go to great heights to find enough snow to ski! Welcome to: Elwood and Judy Price and their children Ken and Stephanie. Ben and Agnes Bennett and their children Ada and David. Mr. & Mrs. Harold Nicholas and Family. Susanne and Mike Dodson. . Farewell to: Bay and Rae Tracey and Debbie. Mel Brown and Family. o> > << > Thank You ! would like to thank Alan Davies and Steve Hanley for the ambu- lance ride to Watson Lake. They sure tried to make the ride for me as comfortable as possible. Alan tried very hard to avoid the pot- holes and Steve sure tried to keep the swelling down on my foot wth the ice bags. Too bad my foot outdid Steve's hard work. Thank you, boys. Rita Brown —> 2. ooo om am Who's News. SUSANNE DODSON Susanne Dodson joined the Human Resources office in Cassiar on April 1 as a social worker. Her work will involve family and child services, income assistance, and social services such as arranging re- ferrals to different agencies, etc. The area covered by the Cassiar Human Resources office includes Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, Good Hope Lake, Atlin, Liard, Fireside, Lower Post and Iskut. Susan comes from Vancouver, where she recently graduated from UB.C. She will be joined in Cassiar shortly by her husband Mike, after he graduates from Western Pentecostal Bible College. OBITUARY On March 19, 1982, a long time employee of Cassiar Asbestos passed away. George Hanley, age 68, died at Surrey Memorial Hospital, Surrey, B.C. He is survived by wife Irene, three sons - Wally, Ed and Don and 3 daughters — Joan, Kathleen and Laurie. George also had 10 grandchildren. George Hanley lived and worked in Cassiar from June 19517 to October 1973. He did many things in the 22 years he lived in Cassiar but his one pet project was the building of the Cenotaph across from House 130. This was built with the aid of other World War I veterans in the community. A memorial service was held at the Surrey Funeral Chapel on March 24, 1982, Among other family friends attending the ser- vice were Mrs. & Mrs. Charles Bronson, Mr. & Mrs. Chuck Caroh and son Paul, Mr. & Mrs. Ken Scrimger and Mr. Jack Berry. All were employees of Cassiar Asbestos. In lieu of flowers, donations were sent to the Canadian Cancer Society. : Cassiar Courier May 1982 Page 3 Erickson Creek Column ee S by Pat.Lewis Beaton It must be spring. My houseplants are. beginning to grow again. My cat will now stay out all night. My kitchen floor is the scene of muddy bootprints...and I’ve got an itch to travel, to go where the flowers are in bloom and the grass is green. Spring fever, | guess! The beat goes on at Erickson. There's a rhythm to the move- ment of Bob Sethan’s ore truck as it rolls up the road to the mine and roars back down to the mill. From my kitchen window, open now to the fresh air of the Northern Spring, | hear driver Chris Creyke dump the ore into the mill crusher. Then he’s off again up switchback number one, number two... to 28 and 27 Levels. And there’s a rhythm to the ore as it moves along the convey or to the ball mill to the float tanks to the concentrate barrels. Mill Super. .Jasman Yee has to set the beat. He must determine how many truck loads of ore the mill needs each day to keep the mhythm smooth. The mill runs seven days a week, 24 hours a day; it seldom misses a beat. Erickson’s beat goes on; now slowly, now more quickly, while other mines in the province and in the Yukon announce cut- backs and layoffs. It sobers us all. Times are not good for the min- ing industry. The crisis in the Falkland Islands also sobers us — al- though it causes the price of gold to.go up. | shudder when people say we need another war. Need it for what? To add to the human suffering in the world? There was a lively beat at Erickson over the Easter weekend when we held our 2nd Annual Snow Bar-B-Que. Dave George did the honors as head chef and the Easter Bunny brought candies for the children. Special thanks to Elsie and Doug Skaife, our cook- house staff, for their extra efforts to make the bar-b-que a SUCCESS. Welcome to Jan Anderson, who has joined Erickson as our office secretary-expediter. Also, welcome to soole Johnson, our new bullcook. And goodbye to Mike, June and Christoper Hawkins Smith, who are leaving Erickson after three years here. Mike was our mill- wright and June was the office Se until last fall. The » Smiths are moving to Atlin. Congratulations to Jeannie and Bill Elsner on the birth of their son, Jem Cory, ’, born April 6, in Cassiar. Bill has worked at Erickson as a mechanic. My apologies to Gerry Davis wiio | referred to as Charlie in ny last article. Names are important. Sorry, Gerry. bosptital Two pairs of glasses have been left at the hospital. Please check at the reception desk if you think they may be yours. Dolly Kodituwakku has left Cassiar for Vancouver. Dolly was re- lief nurse at the hospital. We wish you well in your future endeav- ors Dolly. Glad to see you back and feeling better Martha. Martha was off sick for a couple days. These were her first sick days during her employment with Cassiar. Over 10 years. Pretty fantastic record!! The leprechauns were around the hospital on St. Patricks Day (other than Ann that is) to put up a few decorations and drop off some tasty shamrocks. The hospital snowshoe baseball team was unsuccessful in defend- ing its title this year but they would like to thank the ladies from the Community Club who helped in making up the team. If the present trend continues with this “Sport” | think it will be an asset to be on the hospital team so arrangements for bruise and bone repairs will be convenient to make. Perhaps this event should be changed to “Snowshoe Wrestling” so we know what we are getting into! During our “coffee break” discussions it was noted that most of the Schmoo Daze events were enjoyed very much and our “Hats Off” to the organizing committee. Gor “la: Jeannie Giesbrecht and Bill Elsner, a son, Jem Cod, 7 Ibs. 93/4 ozs. on April 6, 1982 in Cassiar, B.C. { “> nad 255 ee a ae ae a I oR Re ea re ee SS en PS Se : 2 ee ace = z ae — Se ee ee en ens ee SS SS —s — Se ee — ie aie ge