rer ee ° RL e seni sari cet Pe etme Tee eek mR eat “Cepererns pea LS Wai Aes sina Wan Gihp In 1962 the Federal Government, in conjunction with the Provincial and various municipal governments of British Columbia formed the Auxiliary/Reserve Police Program, The program was initiated to supplement reg- ular police officers in the event of nuclear war or civil disaster. Their duties would include traffic control, crowd control, the manning of barricades and the pro- tection of property. Citizens from each community were asked to contribute their time and services to the program. Until recently, the program followed no par- ticular training standard and in fact, there was no mini- mum educational requirement set. The program was set up under the auspices of the “Civil Defence Act” (now the Emergency Program Act, 1979) and additional auth- orities set out in the “Police Act”. In 1986 the Commis- sioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police withdrew RCMP responsibility from the B.C. program and it is now rea tee by the Ministry of the Attorney General. Due to the fact that B.C. did not suffer the ravages of nuclear war or civil disaster, the program has gradually evolved into its present form; that of assisting Regular Police Officers on routine patrols. The rising cost of police work and the establishment of unique police enforcement patterns also contributed to the role change in the program. The Auxiliary is primarily required to provide assistance on weekends during extreme hazard hours by ensuring each patrol car is manned by two men. The present day Auxiliary Police Officer is re- quired to complete 140 hours of classroom instruction, studying a variety of topics, including the different as- pects of law, authorities granted a peace officer, and self- defence techniques. While on duty he is required to “carry a badge and a photograph to identify himself. To qualify for this service, the applicant must attain a 60% mark in each block of four block series of exam- inations. He must have Canadian citizenship, be of good character, mature and responsible, possess a: valid B.C. drivers license, and be medically fit. Each applicant will also meet height requirements of 5’6” for men and 5’2” for women and be proportioned to height. He will have no conflict of interest and be security cleared. Once the applicant has satisfied these requirements, he must volunteer a minimum of 160 hours per annum to maintain his acceptance level. In 1986 the Attorney General announced that all Auxiliaries must qualify to carry a firearm. Failure to achieve the annual provincial standard of 192/240 points will disqualify the Auxiliary from his service. Although in some regional areas, these volunteers are subject to remuneration for extraordinary service, the local volunteers and those in other unorgan- ized areas are exempt from this benefit. Executive Changes at Cassiar J. D. Little, President, Cassiar Mining Corporation, recently announced that on February 20th, 1987, C. A. Smith resigned as a Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Winslow W. Bennett has been appointed Chairman of the Board and James C. O'Rourke will take over the position of President and Chief Executive Officer as of March 13th, 1987. BUDGET ‘The 1987 Provincial Government Budget, released on -March 19th, arrived at the Courier office just as the paper was completed. Unfortunately, space permits printing of the highlights only. Cuts in the sales tax and more money for health, education, student assistance, welfare, forestry and job creation are major features of Finance and Corporate Re- lations Minister, Mel Couvelier’s first budget. “It represents a fresh start,’’ Couvelier said in pre- senting the budget documents to the Legislature. “This Social Credit government is determined to balance the budget and, further, to reduce the outstanding debt with- in the next several years.’’ said Couvelier. “We are making the tax system more equitable while maintaining a positive climate for development. And we are doing all this within the context of a lower deficit.” > wo eS Cont. on Page 10 ‘AUXILIARY POLICE OFFICERS BRYAN LUNDALE AND BOB KNELLAR PROUDLY WEARING THEIR NEW UNIFORMS In. Cassiar, three Auxiliary positions have been allotted, two of which are presently filled by Bryan Lundale and Bob Kneller with a third applicant cur- ently training for that position. As Auxiliary Police Officers they command identical powers as Regular Members in exercising the role of a peace officer. However, this privilege is restricted to the time they are under the direct supervision and instruction of a Regular Police Officer. In addition to their badge and identific- ation, they also carry a firearm while on duty. In 1986 Bryan and Bob volunteered well over the required 160 hours to the community with unmatched dedication and enthusiasm. Auxiliary Police Officers are seldom appreciated by other members of the public and their services rarely recognized for what they are; a valid and necessary community service. Since the inception of this program, the Auxil- iary force has evolved from supplementing the police during disasterous situations to complementing a Reg- ular Officer in the course of his duties. The Auxiliary Police volunteers are currently becoming an organized and cohesive group throughout British Columbia, pri- marily through participation in group functions and the publication of their own Provincial Newsletter. To ensure that Auxiliary members enjoy their ‘off-duty’ hours, members of the public who have quest- ions concerning Police/Community matters, are request- ed to direct their queries to the Reg is members. Cassiar pOurter the Voice of Cassiar Country APRIL _ 1987 RCMP GET THEIR MEN 10 cents SHOPPING CENTER OFFICIALLY OPEN The grand opening of the Cassiar Shopping Center was kicked off with a “‘wine and cheese party”, Thursday, March 12th. Several invited guests gathered at the store, discussing the new operation and enjoying the hospitality of owner, Bruno Koch. Koch spoke to the gathering outlining his back- ground and how. his business has evolved since arriving in Canada five years ago. He thanked Cassiar Mining for their co-operation in the store take-over and stressed that his staff would welcome customers’ opinions regarding service, quality, operating hours, etc. Bill Zemenchik welcomed Bruno and the new staff to Cassiar and extended best wishes on the new operation. Friday and Saturday were busy days at Cassiar’s “shopping center”. Many items were on sale and prizes drawn throughout the day. me Grand Prize Winner - Albert Quinn, Manager, presenting Dusko Vranjkovic with a VCR donated by “The Grocery People’ DEASE RIVER Recreation - Proposal The Recreation Corridors program, announced in September, 1984, was designed as a procedure for citizens and government agencies to work together to identify protect and manage the recreation values of significant trails and waterways. The initial requirement of the Recreation Corri- dors Program was to prepare a system plan listing corridor candidates known to have significant potential for inclu- sion in the program, The Dease River has been identified as a potential recreation corridor candidate due to its wide range of rec- reational opportunities. It provides approximately 300 kilometers of navigable water through semi-wilderness setting and is assessed readily in many locations. Camping, fishing, hunting and historical sites also provide an array of recreational opportunities. The primary purpose of registering an area as a “Recreation Corridor” is to emphasize the recreational significance of that area and to formalize where possible methods of protecting the recreational qualities and pro- viding for public recreational use. Commercial and industrial activities not compat- ible with the objectives of the recreation corridor may be excluded from the corridor area or in some instances, controlled to minimize their impacts upon the recreation values of the corridor. It is not the intent of the Forest Service to preclude mineral exploration and development or compatible timber harvesting within the proposed Dease River Corridor. However, mining access and forest harvesting applications will be evaluated on the basis of whether or not such development will meet the desired recreation management and visual quality objectives. The intent of the Forest Service is to recommend Recreation Corridor status for the Dease River. The Forest Service now welcomes comments from the public, by April 15th, 1987 regarding corridor status, proposed corridor boundaries and the contents of the draft plan. Further information may be obtained by contacting: J.G. Snetsinger, Regional Recreation Officer, Ministry of Forest and Lands Bag 5000, Smithers, B.C., VO} 2N0._ .