ri Page 10 June 1981 Cassiar Courier Mine Rescue Team in Training The Cassiar Mine Rescue Team, comprised of Steve Hanley(Captain), Glen Compton, Sid Tschritter, Danny Harrison, Darren DeCecco, Larry Prince and Cary _ Frazer has entered full time training in preparation for the regional mine-rescue and first aid competitions to be held in Smithers on June 6th. If successful at Smith- ers, coach Don Toth will accompany the team to Kam- loops to attend the provincial competitions on June thirteenth. We’re sure that the whole town joins us in wishing the team the hest of luck in the forthcoming competition. Cassiar took the regional trophy in 1978 and 1979 and only missed taking the provincial title by a narrow margin in both those years. Although the team has only recently started full time training, they have been meeting on a regular basis all year. It is certainly reassuring to know that should an accident occur we have a team trained and equipped to perform a rescue. To win the competition is in reality a big bonus. GOOD LUCK GUYS! SAFETY BINGO Congratulations to P. J. CONNOLLY, ‘st line win- ner of Bingo Game Number 24. He chose a Coleman Cooler as his prize. The Rod >- and Reel FISHING AND HUNTING LICENSES AVAILABLE NEW STOCK OF FISHING TACKLE AND ACCESSORIES HAS ARRIVED NEW HOURS — MONDAY TO FRIDAY NOON TO 3:00 P.M. 6:00 TO 8:00 P.M. SATURDAY NOON TO 4:00 P.M. SUNDAYS & HOLIDAYS CLOSED “EVERYTHING Ee THE SPORTSMAN” a 2 = ae ee ee ee ee ee eee ee Pride of the Valley Cassiar Lioness Club The Lioness Mother’s Day Ice Cream Parlor was a great success. We would like to thank everyone who attend- ed and hope you enjoyed putting on five pounds. We will be closing for the summer and would like to take this opportunity to wish you well and thank all those who took their time to help us in our many functions. A new executive has been elected for the fall:— Rita Brown — President. Ida Walters — Vice-President. Chris Auric — Secretary. Grace Kurian — Treasurer. Darlene Creyke — Director. NOTICE DON'T THROW AWAY ANY PRESCRIPTION GLASSES — EVEN IF YOU HAVE ONLY THE LENS. THE LIONESS CLUB COLLECTS THESE TO SEND TO UNDER PRIVILEGED COUNTRIES IF YOU HAVE ANY PLEASE CONTACT RITA BROWN 291 CARMACKS ST, PH. 778-7216 i , HELP THE CASSIAR BROWNIES ARE LOOKING FOR A BROWN OWL TO TAKE OVER IN SEPTEMBER IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE CONTACT MARY ELHORN — 778-7452, KERRY JONES — 778-7371 OR LEE CORAN — 778-7456. KLONDIKE HIGHWAY OPENS On Saturday, May 23, 1981 John Munro, Minister of Ind- ian and Northern Affairs for Canada, the Governor of Alaska, Jay Hammond, and Yukon Government Leader, Chris Pearson participated in the official opening of the Klondike Highway which links Alaska and the Yukon. Yukon Commissioner, Doug Bell was master of ceremon- ies. The ceremony took place on the outskirts of Skagway at 10 a.m. This was a realization of an eighty-year goal of the people of Skagway, Alaska and for the Yukoners , it provides a second access to the Pacific Ocean and increas- ed opportunities for tourism from the coast. The 157.3 kilometre southern stretch of the Klondike Highway follows closely along the route once taken by gold seekers of the Klondike Gold Rush. Starting at Skagway, it passes through three jurisdictions: the State of Alaska (24.1 km), the Province of British Col- umbia (57.0 km), and the Yukon Territory (78.2 km), joining the Alaska Highway at km 1455, approximately 20 km south of Whitehorse. From Whitehorse, the high- way continues north-ward to Dawson City. “= The first step towards construction of this route was. taken in 1898, when Minneapolis businessman George Bracket started work on a wagon road from Skagway through White Pass. White Pass and Yukon Corporation brought him out, and used his route as the start of a nar- row gauge: rail route to Whitehorse. But the desire for a ‘road remained, and in the 1950’s and ‘60's, Skagway volunteers and the Alaska Road Commission built four miles of a new road towards the Yukon. Canada also had made an early start on a part of the route: a 19-km stretch between Caribou Crossing ( now called Carcross ) and Venus Mine on Windy Arm of Tagish Lake has been in existence for about 75 years. Agreement was made for completion of the road in 1972- 73 between Governor Bill Egan of Alaska, Yukon Commis: sioner James Smith, and B.C. Premier Dave Barrett. Fund- ing for the Canadian sections of the highway was provided by the federal Indian and Northern Affairs Department; in the U.S. construction was paid for by the Federal High- ' way Administration: and the State of. Alaska. The total cost was $12.2 million in Canada, and $14.4 million in ~ Alaska. The completed highway has been turned over to the State of Alaska in the U.S., and the Yukon Government in Can- ada, for maintenance. Significant features along the highway include the section between Skagway and the international border, which — ‘rises so steeply that emergency truck ramps have been built in several places, Dead Horse Gulch, a unique cantil- evered bridge over Captain William Moore Creek, Pitch- fork Falls, and at km. 87, the Venus Mine site which serv- ed as one of the earliest spurs to road building on the Canadian section of the Carcross-Skagway route. The highway is a very scenic route for the motorist travell- ing between Skagway and Whitehorse, offering excellent views from the White Pass and also follows the contours of many beautiful lakes. Oooo oo oo > CONCERT SOCIETY cont'd. from Page 2 was needed was mentioned. However, in the past question- naires have not been a too effective way of communicat- ing with the public. Two people agreed to join the executive — they are Terry Farrell and Walter Comper. This brings the number of the executive up to ten. However, this can change in the near . future. In order to be eligible for government grants the Concent Society will have to be registered under the Society Act. To do this a constitution will have to be drawn up, a pro- cess which«has begun already. This means that there will be an elected executive and the roles of the executive members will have to be clearly defined. For the time be- ing the present executive will continue. In conclusion, most members of the executive have had some members of the public express concern over various matters — and yet these people could not turn up for a meeting. The Concert Society executive will be meeting — again on June 5, when hopefully there will be some solu- tions to the problems put forward. At that meeting the ‘executive will be taking a long hard look at whether the Society is filling a need in the community or whether it - should fold. pee: ont 2. Cassiar Courier June 1981 Page 11 COMMUNITY CLUB NEWS| Rectang Happenings by John Wong May is a relatively quiet month compared to the hectic days in March and April. At the end of April, Cassiar hosted the Northern B.C. & Yukon Recreation Conference. Representatives from both governments, as well as community recreation staff, were present. ; A new proposal put on the floor was the idea of clinics/ workshop circuit. Instead of sending our athletes or local talent out for workshops and clinics, why not bring the resource people in? However, due to the high cost of trav- elling, it would be more sensible to bring the resource people not just to one town, but to make a plan and have them tour a series of towns. This idea has two advantages: 1. | The ones that you want to send out would still bene- fit from the expertise. However, there may be more talent whom you didn’t pick but the resource people probably can. This way, you are giving the commun- ity a better chance. 2. We are going back to the grass roots. In order to plan the tour, we have to ask the communities what do they like to see happening? The money would be used primarily at a local level instead of spending within the bureaucratic level. Of course, the possibility of the tour circuit happening is far from reality — a few things have to be worked out; the co-operation be- tween governments and between communities is def- initely needed. The idea needs to be polished up.. It is hoped the sooner it happens the better for the isolat- ed communities in the north. Swim Pool Yes, in case you have not noticed, Cassiarites are walking on solid ground again (in town). The slippery stuff has _disappeared through the gentle persuasion of the warm sunshine. Beside the Arena you can hear laughter, mixed ‘with the splashing sound in the Swim Pool. Some good news for Cassiarites who will be staying in town during the Company shutdown — the Swim Pool will be in full operation. Back for another year (after many encores) is Ms. Laurie Malcolm. Red Cross and Royal Life Courses will be taught again, as well the Clipper Swim Team will also be practicing again. The Swim Pool members is broken down as follows: Season Family Memberships — $75.00 Season Single Membership — $40.00 Monthly Family Membership — $20.00 Monthly Single Membership — $10.00 Daily Adult Admission — $1.75 Daily Student Admission — $1.00 Daily Pre School Admission — $0.50 All the programs will commence May 18. For information regarding the Pool and/or the programs, please call 778- 7565. Car Wash Notice that there is a long line-up by the side of the Rec Centre lately? That is where the car wash is. It is once again open to serve the public and is operated by a 25 cent coin meter which is good for five minutes for every 25 cents deposited. Sad Happening Due to the high operating cost and relatively low revenue, the Cassiar Theatre has been operating at a deficit. For- seeing that the town population will drop during the July shutdown, the Community Club has decided to shut down the Cassiar Theatre during the months of June, July and August. This also applies to the Cassiar Arena. The Roller- skating program will be re-scheduled in the Rec Centre. The Arena complex, with the exception of the Arena Lounge, will be shut down during the summer. The re- opening dates for these facilities will be announced in ae future: We regret that we have to hold this position and we apol- ogize for any inconvenience caused by this decision. 1981 B.C. Recreation Conference The conference was held in Vernon, B.C., and com- menced Thursday, May 7th, and finished on Sunday, May 10th, 1981. There were seven modules to choose from, and each module consisted of four sessions. These sessions were two hours and forty-five minutes each, and consisted: of a moderator, plus two provocateurs. | chose two sessions of fiscal restraint, one session of by G. Periard ‘adolescent programming, and one session of citizen partic- ipation. Friday, May 8 — Morning The morning session dealt with budgets — how vari- ous communities and municipalities dole out the monies, and the problems encountered with politics, and their de- cisions. Some recreation people expressed their feelings that decisions made by politicians were for their own ben- efit, and not the communities. Areas of the budget were discussed, and a general consensus was that facility costs overruled programming costs, due to inflation. Another consensus was that the community recreation delivery sys- tem, and the sports delivery system would have to come closer together, in order that the services become more practical. It was obvious that inflation costs played a maj- or role in the morning session, and overall both provac- ateurs proved very worthwhile in their deliveries, and pro- vided each of us with an in depth look at recreation prob- lems in 1981, and what to expect in the very near future. Friday, May 8 — Afternoon Because of the problems that we are encountering with high costs in our Club, | decided to remain with the fiscal restraint module, and took in the afternoon session. The provocateurs for the P.M. session, that were scheduled to speak, were very much involved with the to- pic. Basic concerns pertaining to pelea preparation were clearly defined. One thing that interested me the most, was the fact that the majority of budgets were done on a cost plus infl- ation percentage. The trend, and both speakers insisted on it, was zero budgeting. Our.club has been on a zero budget since they were started three years ago. The following points came out from the P.M. session: a) zero budgeting — foolproof, if done properly b) aclear statement of criteria c) legitimize the service — knowing cost d) define a clear limit ‘e) fiscal responsibility in place of restraint f) too much time can be spent on budgeting — find out what's happening in the community g) recreation commissions should act as consultants to the recreation staff h) all programs should be charged for — user fees should be 50 — 50 with government grants or company grants. As stated in the morning session, the group was much aware of inflation costs, and showed ways to help us out when setting up a budget. These were as follows- a) shorter seasons for various facilities — such as the winter season b) better utilization of the buildings c) volunteers (a must) — with an orientation program d) close up loose ends — such as tabor, service and get a clear picture of all costs e) surveys should be done where possible to find out - community needs f) priorize Both sessions were an asset to myself, and gave a clear picture of some areas that we are lacking, such as labor costs and services. User fees for all programs were definite- ly for, however, some feelings were expressed as to what the tax payer was receiving for his/her dollar. One of the provocateurs expressed that all of our re- creation departments needed some clean up with respect to loose ends, that the day of the easy money was over, and clear pictures had to be made in order that we spend our moneys to its fullest value. Communication breakdown, and little programming are some of the problems that lead the adolescent to al- cohol and drugs. Backed by surveys done in various recreation facilities showed that these problems ate on the increase, and the session dealt with ways to try and overcome the problems. These ways were as follows: a) spend more time listening instead of talking b) provide a room or facility whereby the adolescent can ‘expand their ideas, and look at providing material to . see that this happens c) create an interest and use personal happenings to pro- vide a high ‘ d) check the community and see where resource people can help, such as getting a canoe trip together, a camping trip, etc.. e) show an interest in their projects, and use these pro- jects to create interest in the other adolescents who are problems in the community. A brochure was handed out to the people attending, showing some of the drugs that are on the market today, and their effects on adolescents. The session was very interesting; as it pinpointed some of the problems that we are having in our area, and showed where we can improve. Saturday, May 9 — Afternoon : ~~ | attended the afternoon session on Citizen Particip- ation , and this session was not what | thought it to be. Two speakers told us of the setup in their respective com- . nuties, and we were asked to compare ours with theirs. The first mistake was that both speakers spoke of communities that were far larger than ours, and jn some respects didn’t refer to any problems that we had. Follow- ing the speeches, we were to ask questions, however, the people who were attending this session were from small towns, and didn’t have much to ask, as these communities far exceeded any expectations of the smaller ones. — This was one good point with the afternoon session, and that was that we managed a workshop for approxim- ately one hour and expressed our feelings with regards to the session being very disappointing. This was taken to the committee and changed for the next conference. We did ~ manage to discuss problems amongst ourselves during the workshop, and the leader of the shop showed concern with regards to our problems, and also passed these along to the committee. ¥ ‘SUMMATION OF THE CONFERENCE Objective — To attend the conference and find out where the Cas-. siar Community Club sat as far as status with the rest of- the recreation communities in British Columbia. Results — One of the main problems with attending the confer- ence is that people in the lower mainland and the island ‘feel that there is no existence beyond Prince George, and were surprised to find out that there are many commun- ities that were of a good size out and beyond. At one point, | was asked how things were in the Yukon, as they thought that our town was in the Yukon. Although the Fiscal Restraint Sessions were of value to me, | felt that most of the sessions dealt with problems in major centres, and at times were out of our ball park. | cannot help but stress the importance the Fiscal Restraint sessions had on me, and am only sorry that | couldn't at- tend the final one. The Conference Committee were made: aware of ses- sions for smaller communities for the next Conference, and hopefully these can be initiated. The Conference Committee were also made aware that the sessions should have been over three days instead of two, and forget the golf tournaments and racquetball tournaments that were scheduled for the Thursday. This . would have made the outlying communities more happy as the costs incurred in travelling to Vernon would have been more fruitful. For Cassiar, advertising about the town should be ex- tended, so that people in the south are aware of where the B.C. boundary lies. This can be done through the Prince George office, and through the various reports that are ms spread out in the Province by the Provincial Recreation Saturday, May 9 — - Morning | attended the morning session on Teen Pro- gramming and this session dealt with alcohol and drugs. The moderator proved very interesting, as his area deals with these sort of problems in West End Vancouver. offices. ‘ In closing, there is a definite purpose for us to attend the Provincial Recreation Conferences, as eventually de- centralization is coming, and areas in recreation and sport will be drawn by us to suit our needs.