Page 2 July 1984 Cassiar Courier Report from the __ Legislature. by Bill Bennett : It’s commonplace, in tact it’s a fact of life in public life,-to receive criticism and negative com- ment On most major public issues. It’s correspondingly rare for a politician to re- ceive positive, overwhelming support as was the case in early April, during the debate and contro- versy which swirled around the fate of Expo 86. The response I received on that issue, was simply unprecedented in my years of experience: The message, which came from all points of the Province, was clear: British Columbians did not—and do not want—anything to stand in the way of Expo. In thousands of letters, phone calls and telexes, they insisted that Expo go ahead. What was probably most significant was that this support for the exposition cut across partisan lines and positions and came from a cross-section of society in our Province. British Columbians of all political persuasions and professions, workers, housewives, business- men and students, had in fact, united with one voice to urge that the fair be held. That support was a compelling factor as we -weighed carefully the recommendations that Expo be cancelled because of the concern that lab- our problems could impede construction and op- eration of the exposition. If there were any doubts, any indecision, among British Columbians, they were swept away in that tidal wave of endorsement. As a result, two short years from now, British Columbia will salute the future—and in the pro- cess—place our Province front and centre on the world stage. Expo, which will bring technology, transport- ation and tourism together, will without doubt be one of the most exciting events in British Colum- bia’s history. Its direct and immediate benéfits will be enor- mous. Sixty-thousand man years of employment, twenty-eight million visitors and the opportunity for our Province to host the people who make key investment decisions. And its stimulative effect in terms of strength- ening our economic recovery will be virtually in- calculable, with benefits extending to the entire Province. It will be our century’s equivalent of Britain’s great International Exhibition of 1851. As the people of that era flocked to London to view the wonders of the Crystal Palace and the astounding technology of that age, so too will they come in their millions to marvel at Expo. And just as the Great Exhibition helped revo- lutionize attitudes towards engineering, manufact- uring and transportation, Expo will serve as a new” and stunning benchmark of 20th century tech- nology. For Expo’s importance can’t be ‘over- estimated. The eyes of the world, including those of our most important trading partners, will be - focussed on Vancouver. In Expo, they will see a concrete and tangible symbol of British Columbia’s determination to in- vest in the future, a demonstration of our deter- mination to invest in the future, a demonstration of our determination to venture beyond tradition- al constraints and limitations and our willingness to face the challenges and opportunities facing - our Province and our people. In short, proof to the world that British Ge. lumbia makes good on its promises and commit- ments and has the capacity and the will to deliver a quality product on time, and on budget. Expo will go ahead and I am confident in giv- ing that assurance. The reason is simple: The people of British Columbia will make it happen. Bob Skelly - Leader of the Opposition — As an introductory column, -I thought it would be worthwhile to outline some of my own and my party’s concerns and the approaches we will be taking in addressing. those concerns in the months to come. First a little baékground. I -was installed of- ficially as Leader of the Opposition the last week of May, following my election by convention vote May 20th, as the fourth leader of the provincial New Democratic Party since its inception in 1961. There were three leaders of the Co-opera- tive Commonwealth Federation in B. C. before us. My predecessor, Dave Barrett, served in the post for' 15 distinguished years, including more ~ than three as premier. The mandate given to me by our party con- vention is,to build more links to all British Co- lumbians and open new lines of communication between us so that we can achieve a reconciliation of the confrontations that torment our province . at a critical time in our history. As a province, we must pull together or we will pull our society apart... To help commence a process of reconcilia- tion, the New Democratic Party will make a con-’ scientious effort to consult with all the various groups that make up our society whenever we, as a party, are forming political positions on specific issues or developing policy on broad concerns. The process itself will increase understanding, encourage co-operation and increase the relevance of constructive al action to overcome our problems. As a first step in this positive direction, I al- ready have met with spokespersons for the min- ing industry and other groups in my office. And I will begin’ extensive travels within our province this month to meet individuals and groups in faoh own communities. To begin with, my visits will take me to sever- al communities in the Okanagan and the lower mainland, but I intend to undertake. a more com: prehensive tour this fall. I look forward to visiting British Columbians where they live and work to hear of their con- cerns and to discuss opportunities for making this a better province. But you don’t have to wait for a visit. If you want to contact me please sent me a letter directly to my address: Leader of the Op- position, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, +B. C., V8V 1X4. As leader my movements likely will be more visible but the process of widening: and strength- ening communication ‘and consultation will be greatly intensified by both the NDP caucus-and the party as well. My colleagues will be travelling more too, to hold private and public meetings on- a variety of issues and to meet first hand with - British Columbians who do not have access to the capital. Our party convention also defennincd to es- tablish a number of NDP task forces on such questions as technological. change, _ self- government for native communities, human rights . and the problems of poverty. — You will be seeing more New Democrats in your community, seeking your views, exchanging ideas and trying each time to find the path to rec- onciliation. I hope you will help in that process. I would also like to announce the selection of - the Caucus Executive: Chairperson: Karen Sanford, (MLA—Comox) ‘Vice-Chairperson: Lorne Nicolson, (MLA— Nelson-Creston) House Leader: Frank Howard, (MLA—Skeena) Secretary: Barbara Wallace, (MLA—Cowichan- Malahat) Treasurer: Robin Blencoe, (MLA—Victoria) Whip: Gordon Hansen: (MLA-— Victoria) also: Randy Potts as my Executive Assistant and Joan McKinty as my Executive Secretary. Letters to the editor THANKS TO THE VOLUNTEER: A most enjoyable six years of life in the north is coming to an end for our family. In that time our children have had numerous opportunities to participate in activities outside school which were sponsored by various groups and run by volunteers. These people gave up hours of their time and provided their expertise and guidance for the youth of Cassiar. Year after year, the same faces, plus some welcomed new ones, start off the hockey, basketball gymnastics, ball, guiding, and scouting seasons and we take for granted that coaches and leaders will organize activities to entertain and teach our children. A special thank you to the Lion’s club for their spon- sorship over the past years for mini-basketball, T-ball, and softball amongst all their other projects. To Merv Prier, a bouquet of roses, for his tireless energy in setting up and running the programmes and for his encourage- ment of participation and sportsmanship. The Community Club and Gary and John are to be com- mended for the numerous events and fun days that they organize for the children throughout the year. There are often times when our children forget to say _ thank-you, but please know from the parents and the children that we appreciate your generosity. We will miss the smiling faces of the volunteers that have worked with our children this year and to all of you a very big THANK YOU. Pat, Rick,Norm, Jan, Eldon, Roger, John, Sue, Pauline, Darren, Rolf, Mery, Liz, Shir- ley, Chuck, Donna and all the others. Andrew,Jeremy, Dick and Sue Chambers. 0000000000 COCOOOCOCO Dear Editor, | would like to thank and compliment the residents of Cassiar, Dease Lake and surroundings for the friendly and encouraging reception we received on our tour through the area this week. We spoke to a lot of people and heard a lot of concerns. Some of the more frequently voiced concerns had to do with unemployment, Highways 37 and lack of C.B.C. radio coverage. The Progressive Conservative Government in waiting has a five point job creation program which | feel will restore most of our unemployed to dignity and self sufficiency. It will also improve the _bleak “outlook for our young. people who are presently coming out of school with \ very little to look forward to. The P.C. Program is as follows: 1) Create jobs in the private sector for youth, women and others who traditionally have a tough time find- ing work, by using targeted tax credits as incentives. 2) Revitalize our industries and. create new jobs by doubling our commitment to research and develop- ment within a five year period. 3) Attract foreign investment needed to create jobs by restricting F.I.R.A. and the national energy pro- gram. 4) Improve Canada’s trading position in the world and create more jobs by launching a national product- ivity enhancement program —_ in co-operation with business and labour. - 5) Retain a diminished public sector job creation program for areas and groups which suffer from chronically high unemployment and which have few employers. If elected | will also encourage a new Federal/Provincial agreement to bring Highway 37 to completion in short order so it will become the main Alaska route. | believe strongly C.B.C. should be’ available to all Can- adians, and especially in isolated areas and | will work to that end. It looks like there may be a summer election with the present Government barely keeping pace with the polls with the P.C. Party, even during all the leader- ship race hullabaloo. It is quite obvious that the P.C. party will be forming the next government. It is of paramount importance this riding be represented in the new govern- ment. We have elected minor opposition members in Ot- tawa for too long. It is time we had a voice in our destiny and someone working on the inside, on the side which makes the decisions and sets the priorities and the side which has new ideas and programs to reverse the econom- ic nose dive we are in. If you want to help or if you want further information, please phone Marian Craft (778-7773) in Cassiar. It is time for a change and | am willing to fight for that change for a better break for Skeena and for Canada. Pete Weeber Progressive Conservative Candidate for Skeena. oC SSIAF We hearsmat that SnoMaee: schools has something special in the way of cheerleaders. They even throw in a few extras - or should we Say spit Pespte who have tea with PB. should invest in some asbestos pants and a first aid kit. Seems she’s graduated from spilling coke to pouring tea all over her guests. Congratulations to Adolph Penno, Sieoren Le and Joe and Mirella Saro wha, received Canadian Citizenship recently. Congratulations also. to all the successful Cassiar graduates. As well, we understand ex-Cassiarties Judy Monaghan, Tom Labelle, Denyse Whalen and David Storoschuk all graduated in Logan Lake this year. Also Jayne Clements has graduat- ed in Port Coquitlam this year. We hear that Marie has been told to invest in some stronger glasses. We think that if she just Kept her eyes Een Adolph would not be so frustrated. Which assistant Safety Supervisor provides holes for his guests to fall in???? Tall people should be very careful with their elbows .- there just might be a first base man in the way eh Merv!! What's happening to everyone’s lawns. Seems there are an awful lot of HOE dying off. We need a lawn doctor fast. Smiles _ To the kids who did such a good 308 cleaning up around town, Scowls | To the parents who watch ball gamés while their children vandalize the tennis courts. Maybe if they were billed for damage and for clean-up they would take better care of their offspring. To people who ride motor cycles through other peoples gardens at 1:30 in the morning. They may think it’s neat but when the crunch comes a lot of people will suffer because of the Sstu- pidity of a few. | Farewell The Courier staff would like 1 to bid a fond adieu to our Vancouver correspondent - Bob. While he moaned about our impossible deadlines and trudging through rain storms (not snow) for pic- tures, he usually managed to come up with the goods and even the occasional lunch - thanks Bob! !!! , FAREWELL TO: Brian and Kristi Toews who have moved to High Level A lberta. Wally and Muriel Cameron and Jessica who will be moving to Vancouver Island in the near future. Betty & John Blezard, Eli and Erica who have moved to Deep Cove.. Nada Carin, Irene and. Edo who are moving to Delta. The Carins will be coming back on a regu- lar basis as Dale will be staying here in Cassiar. Denyse Tavener who is going back to school for a year. Jan Dale who is also going back to school Donna Knowles who has been transferred to the Royal Bank in Whitehorse. Danny Dimitri who is retiring and moving back to Italy to join his family there. ‘Bill and Joan Jeffries who are moving to the East Kootenays. Bursary awarded locally Tim Carew, Supervising Mine Engineer at Cassiar Mine, has been successful in his application for one of two Atlas Copco travel bursaries awarded annually in collaboration with the Swedish Mining Association.The bursary was open to engineers in any country who have at least three years practical mining experience. The bursary covers travel and accommodation costs in Sweden and the airfare to and from Sweden. It was advertised through the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Bulletin, from London England. Tim will hopefully spend a week-end in London en route to Sweden at which time he will meet various people as- sociated with the award as well as the second recipient who is a student at the Royal School of Mines. The Swed- ish tour will be drawn up to suit the individual bursar’s field of interest, and will inc: ude visits to several mines. Atlas Capco MCT Sweden is a product division for the manufacture and marketing of mining/construction tech- niques and equipment. The tour is scheduled to take place some time in Septem- ber. Tim will be required to submit a written report on the tour to the IMM by December 1st, 1984, and a copy of this and additional information will be submitted to Brinco-Mining Ltd. President B.C.S.SA. Congratulations to Keith Lanphear, Principal of Cassiar Secondary School, who was elecied President of the B.C. Sports Association at their Annual General Meeting in May. Keith has been a member of the Association for many years. He first served on.the Board as Boys Physical Education Rep. and for the last two years was the Ist Vice President. We wish him luck in his new position. All Saints Anglican Community Church Summer Service Schedule: Sunday: 11:00a.m. Family Service _ Wednesday: 7:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist Our Lady of Lourdes Shission Simmer Service Schedule: Sunday: 11:00 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. Good Hope Lake: Saturday at 7:15 p.m. Cassiar Courier July 1984 Page 3 © Erickson Creek Column. by Pat Lewis Boston People are on the move again at Erickson! The company has completed an agreement with AGIP Canada Ltd. to drive an entry adit at AGIP’s Mount Skukum gold deposit, about 55 miles southwest of Whitehorse. Following prelim- inary work this year, Erickson may develop the mine for production, earning up to a 45% interest in the project. The prospect of Erickson operating two pro- ducing gold mines has everyone excited. Already several employees here have asked for transfers to the Mount Skukum property so as to be part of the mine start up. Jim Bondersen has moved to Whitehorse and is Project Superintendent at the new mine site. (Carmen, Shelley and Sam will be joining him soon). Cary Moffat has resigned at Erickson and will be going to Skukum as a shift boss. Also several of the Whitehorse miners who moved here when Whitehorse Copper closed down are anxious to retum to their families in the Yukon. In a press release about the new venture, Kris- tian Ross, President and Chief Executive Officer of Erickson Gold Mines Ltd. said, “The Mount Skukum gold deposit comprises 477 claims (ap- proximately 45 square miles). . . At least three ore zones have been identified in the small.area that has been investigated to date. One zone has been drilled, resulting in the delineation of more than 165,000 tons: of ore at an average grade of 0.73 oz gold/ton and 0.63 oz. silver/ton.” — Meanwhile, there’s a lot of activity around Erickson itself these days. The company is ex- tending the adit at the Table Mountain mine site and also plans to do some open pit mining on the Vollaug Vein. We havea large geology crew in for the summer and the exploration program is in full swing. It’s nice to welcome back Richard Bassnet and his family, Wendy, Calib and Caitlin. Richard is in charge of the exploration program on site at Erickson. He spends his summers here and his winters in Vancouver deciphering the information gathered during the exploration season. It looks like an exciting summer at Erickson. Hope yours is a good one too! Born to Pat and Nuala Rowley on May 25th at the White- horse General Hospital - a daughter Nicole Sam- antha; 6lbs. EUs On May 18th, 1984, Shelley Overton and Norman Cosnett exchanged vows in the Government Agent’s offi ce followed by a reception in the Curling Club Lounge. The bride was beautiful in a grey dress with lace in- serts. Maid of Honor, the bride’s sister Marlene, compli- mented the bride in a pale pink gown. The mother of the bride wore blue, the colour of our beautiful northern skies Joanne Nielsen, step daughter of the groom completed the picture in a lovely cream dress. The reception was attended by 45 friends and relat- ives of the bride and groom. We must compliment the cookery on the lovely buffet supper they provided and Garry Perriard for his help in organizing. The bride’s bou- quet was caught by Sandra Andrews, the garter by Jimmy Hearty. The bride and groom took a short trip to Prince Rupert and Terrace and then back to work.