new base and a

\ Cassiar Courier

the Voice of Cassiar Country
November 1989

15°

Leadership Candidate for District Three U.S.W.A.

Candidate

Ken Neumann

Cassiar Runway
Improvements

Cassiaxr airport is getting a
LL,

Construction to upgrade and
extend the 3,500-foot dirt strip,
which now serves as the only run-
way in the area, is underway. A
500 foot extension
complete this year.
Blacktopping is scheduled for
next summer, making the airport
an all weather facility.

Funded by a $130,000 Air
Transport Assistance Program
(ATAP) grant, the work is being
done by volunteer labour. and
equipment donated by the
Mine, Said. Cassiar Flying
president John Minnaar.

The ATAP grant was
by Transportation and
Minister Neil Vant, after the
Minister of Sigateus Regional
Transportation Planning Committee
identified the upgrading as a
regional priority.

But the gravel runway was at
the mercy of the weather, and was

will be

Club

awarded
Highways

often rendered unusable in
springtime and during heavy
rains, he added. By next summer,

that will be a thing of the: ees tans

Cassia’

Ken Neumann, campaigning for
the position of Director for Dis-
trict Three U.S.W.A., moved
through Cassiar recently and then
went on to meet members in other
mining communities. The down to
earth Neumann with his grass
roots approach explained that the
Steelworkers vote every four
years for International Officers,
District Directors and National
Directors of Canada, ina “refer-
endum vote." "This means," he
explained, "that every member in
the Union is entitled to vote.
The vote wiil take place on Nov-

ember 21st."

"Hitting the campaign trail
is important," Neumann commented,
"in attempting to. reach as many
“members as possible in this, the
»largest geographic district, cov-
ering all of Canada west. of
Ontario and containing 23,000
eligible voters."

The steelworker, presently
serving the Kimberly region, has
come up through the ranks.
Starting as a teenager, he has
worked in steel-making at Ipsco
Regina; as .a driller. at Inco's
Thompson mine and as a layout
person at Westank Willock in
Regina. He has held numerous
positions O£ responsibility,
including shop steward, grievance
chairman, safety rep, CWS commit-
tee chairman, vice president and
president. In 1977 he was ap-

The Adventures of a
Little Owl

Pictured here are Don Loverin and
Carole Whiteside with the owl as
he leaves on the first leg of his
journey to recovery.

OWL UPDATE

been advised
little friend arrived
Burnaby. The broken
be an old wound
time

We have
that our
safely in
wing appears to
and it's not - known at this
if it wast heal properly.

. See story on Page 2

interview,

staff of the
transferred

pointed to the
Steelworkers and was
to Kimberly in 1983.
Neumann said his priority
is to maintain contact with
and
door

PSSue a0
the rank and file membership
to operate with an open
policy.

' Other issues pointed to in
the candidate's campaign litera-
ture include:

- opposition
trade agreement;
- Campaigning
pensions;
- co-ordinating of
ing goals;
- preserving “jobs;
fighting for workers
pensation reform;
- improving safety laws;
organizing the unorganiz~

to the free

for indexed

bargain-~

com

ed.

Neumann's whole approach can
probably best be summed up by the
last ps tatementy? in «sone (aotveslimss
brochures ‘which states: "Western

steelworkers are entitied to this
kind of activist program and much
to the

We need more acce

more. eS
communications,
search services of our union.
Expanded educational opportuni-
ties for members and officers
must be offered. All it takes is
new leadership, committed to im
PrLOVANG. Chess PigitGing risks ls 2 o-0f
our “activists, not. to holding
them back."

Erickson
Underground

Shutdown

Approximately twenty miners
have been displaced by the recent
shutdown at the Erickson under-
ground work site. Until recently
#10 adit, the 2400 metre (7900
feet) underground drift had been
their number one priority.

Company officials in Van-
couver announced recently that
the shift has been to above
ground exploration, which is
expected to be more cost effec-
tive than continuing the adit.
Paul LaFontaine, ina _ telephone
stressed the fact that
the Erickson property is still
the company's best bet to get
back into the gold mining busi-
ness.

Exploration work this summer

wap: ae

has identified 27 areas to be
trenched and 9 areas as diamond
drill priorities. Two large

backhoes and two diamond drills
are presently working on site.

Spokesman for Total Energold
Corporation declined to make any
statement as to the future of the.
underground operation.

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