Dini the Voice of Cassiar Country MARCH 1985 | -10cents Peter Jones promoted H. R. Snyder, Chairman, President and Chief Execu- tive Officer of Brinco Mining Limited, is pleased to an- nounce the appointment of Mr. Peter C. Jones as Execu- tive Vice-President of Brinco Mining Limited, effective February 1, 1985. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Jones has had respon- sibility for various management functions within the Com- pany over the past nine years. Most recently, he has been Vice-President — Mining of Brinco Mining Limited. Brinco Mining Limited owns and operates the Cassiar Mine in Northern British Columbia and also has interests in numerous other mineral properties across Canada. Brinco participates in s exploration program Brinco Limited announces that it will participate in the Canadian mineral exploration program of CMP 1985 Mineral Partnership and Company Limited. Under agree- ments reached with CMP, Brinco will undertake mineral exploration activities in Canada costing $3 million, which amount will be contributed by CMP against the issue of CMP or its nominee of Brinco common shares at a prem- ium over market price on the day of the closing of the public offering of the CMP 1985 partnership, which is ex- pected to take place during the latter half of February. The principal use of funds made available to Brinco under CMP’s 1985 program will be the expenditure of ap- proximately $2 million on the further exploration of the McDame asbestos deposit in northern British Columbia. Previous exploration work on the McDame deposit, which could be serviced by existing plant and facilities at Cas- siar, has indicated extensive reserves of asbestos mineral- ization of a grade similar to that of the Cassiar mine. The remainder of the funds made availbable to Brinco under the CMP program will be expended on the exploration of "a number of gold and precious metal prospects across Can- ada. : New child car seat regulations Highways Minister Alex Fraser has announced an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act regulations which makes approved safety restraints and car seats mandatory for children under six years of age. __ The new regulations took effect March | and require that youngsters be properly secured when riding in a motor vehicle. “Automobile safety should be a matter of common sense,” said Fraser. “I have always supported the use of approved child restraints, however, British Columbians have demonstrated their concern to me and after careful consideration, I believe mandatory enforcement is now necessary.” The new regulations require that children weighing less than 9 kgs (20 pounds) ride in an approved portable, rear-facing infant carrier properly attached to the motor vehicle’s seatbelt system. Children weighing between 9 kgs and 18 kgs will have to be properly secured in an approved child seat while they ride in a motor vehicle operated by their parents or guardians. Some exemptions will be allowed fi i : projec casons Continued on Page 16. Gymnasts winGold | Corrina Boyes (left) and Dyonne Zubek (right) each won a gold and silver medal in Gymnastics at the Northern B.C. Winter Games in Kitimat. More details on Page 10. The future of the Good Hope Lake School will be decided at the next meeting of the Stikine District School Board. Enrolment at the elementary school is declining. For the 1984-85 school year there are 19 children attending in grades kindergarten through seven. Projected enrolment figures for 1985-86 indicate only 15 students will be in attendance. A delegation of concerned Good Hope Lake res- idents attended the last meeting of the school board to express their concerns over closure of the school. Clairy Poitras, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse worker, acted as spokesman for the delegation. He advised the board that the community has always had the fear of the school closing hanging over its head... and if the school was closed and the younger children bussed to Cassiar there could possibly be a drop out of 80 - 90% of the students. He indicated the children would be away from home 10% hours per day which is diffic- ult for the older children to cope with now. Also, children arrive at school from half an hour to an hour late and it would be difficult for them to meet a bus leaving at a particular time. Concerns were also expressed over the problems a brown bag lunch would cause. Doug Kerr added that half of the town was living in the bush up to a few years ago and that many of the parents could still not read or write. He added that some of the children had never been to Cassiar and for them it would be like going to a foreign country. District Superintendent Owen Corcoran advised the delegation that the options for the Board were to close the school or reduce it to a one teacher school for prim- ary grades. If the numbers dropped below the Ministry’s acceptable level of 10, closure would result. Projected enrolments indicated that it would be at least the °87- 88 school year before a two teacher school could be justified. Action on the future of the Good Hope Lake School ‘was tabled until the next meeting which will be held March 7-10 in Dease Lake. David Rattray of Telegraph Creek also made a pres- entation to the board on a proposed Tahltan School field trip for 22 students, aged 12 years and up, plus three teachers. The proposed trip would concentrate on, native his- ‘tory in Canada and the U.S. and would demonstrate the changes in native life before the advent of the white man and the conflict between Europeans and natives. The trip through the western U.S. is estimated to cost $12,400 and $9,000 of this amount was on hand or could be raised locally. This left a shortfall of $3,400 and _Rattray was looking to the school board for assis- tance. In other news from the meeting the school board accepted the resignation of Jan Dale from S.D. No. 87 (Stikine). Her resignation is effective from December 31, 1984. Liard Band votes on Band Division Kaska Dena Native Council president Peter Stone, Chief Dixon Lutz, Liard Band member Dave Porter and a re- presentative ot the Dept. of Indian Affairs will be conduct . ing an informational meeting in Good Hope Lake on March 13. They will-be discussing the referendum to div- ide the Liard Indian Band into three parts: one band for Good Hope Lake, one for Lower Post and one for Liard. There are between 750 and 800 members in the Liard Indian Band at this time. Peter Stone said people have been asking for band division for the past fourteen years. He said “The various communities would be able to ad- minister their local band business more efficiently if the bands were split.”’ The voting will take place March 20 in Good Hope Lake, Watson Lake, Upper Liard and Lower Post. All band members 21 years and older are eligible to vote. The referendum must be approved by 51% of eligible votes. Stone said if 51% of the voters fail to turn out on March 20, a second vote will be held 30 days later. On that date 51% of the people voting will have to approve the split in order for it to take place. The informational meeting to explain the details of the referendum will be held on March 13 at 1:00 p.m. at the Community Hall in Good Hope Lake. In other Council news, Stone said negotiations are continuing between the Kaska Dena Council, the provin- cial government and the Dept. of Indian Affairs on the proposed reserve for Good Hope Lake. He hopes they will reach an agreement before the end of 1985. Stone added that as a sign of good faith the provincial government has agreed to set aside five acres for the Band so that the sum- mer housing program can go ahead. Two houses are sched- uled to be built at Good Hope Lake this year.