Page 2 December 1984 Cassiar Courier Passarell visits Cassiar Atlin MLA Al Passarell says he will ask the Minister of Forests to review the decision to allow export logging along the lower Stikine River. The logging decision announced in October met with an angry response in the Telegraph Creek area. Passarell said exporting logs is the most illogival aspect of the decision. He said, “You’re exporting jobs...The Forest Industry was the major industry in the province. Now the IWA says 75% of forest workers are unemployed.” Passarell is also concerned about the environmental impact of the decision. He said efforts are being made on the federal level to have the Stikine declared a Heritage River. “If they start logging along the river’s banks what effect will that have on the process to make it a Heri- tage River?” he asked. (The province of B.C. has decided against the federal Heritage River program, however, Passarell says that because the Stikine goes into the United States there are some international treaties also to consider.) Passarell would like to see the Stikine declared a Heritage River, preserved in its natural state, basically as a tourist river. “Having the Stikine as a Heritage River will be helpful for many generations to come... logging is short-term,” he said. Passarell visited Cassiar last month, while on a tour of his riding. Looking ahead to next year he said, “Hopefully things will pick up in ’85.” One possible boost for the northwest is the Gulf Klappen project. In 1985 they plan to ship about 50,000 tons of anthracite. Initial plans are to ship it through the port of Stewart. “Development of Stewart as a major port would help the northwest, Cassiar and the far north,” Passarell said, The local MLA would also like to see the government drop the provincial mining tax. He said, “B.C. has the highest mining tax in the country. The B.C. Mining Assoc- jation at their convention a few months ago, petitioned the government to drop the tax or to bring it in line with the other provinces.” Passarell said, “I would like to see the tax dropped and mining encouraged in this province...We need finan- cial incentives quickly to get people back to work and I think mining is the answer.” Bs ~ Agnes and Jerry Davis She travelled by paddle wheeler, dog sled, and pack horse. She lived in log cabins from McDame Post to Bou- Ider Creek. She knew all the old timers in Cassiar Coun- try, and now she has joined the list of pioneers who have passed away. Agnes Davis died recently at her winter residence,Las Vegas, Nevada. She and her husband, Jerry Davis, had spent the summer at their cabin at Boulder Creek, about a 45 minute flight out of Dease Lake. She came to the north as a policeman's wife. Jerry served in the North West Mounted Police, stationed at McDame Post. Later he turned to prospecting and in the 1930's, held the claims at what is now Erickson Gold Mine. One of the veins at Erickson is the Agnes vein, named for Mrs. Davis. We in Cassiar Country extend our sincere condolences to the Davis family. Fire Destroys Home A fire at 10:30 asm. on November 11th one mile north of Dease Lake completely destroyed the home of Harold and Myra Blackburn. There were no injuries in the blaze. Dease Lake RCMP said the cause of the fire is unknown, An invest- igation is underway. A collection of clothing and household goods was conducted in Cassiar, under the supervision of Pat Waldera. Anyone wishing to donate any goods to the Blackburn family can contact Grace and Willie Williams in Dease Lake. College enrolment high The local administrator for Northern Lights College, Tom O’Connor, met with the Stikine District School Board at their recent meeting in Cassiar. He reported that the college has a total enrollment of 145 students in the Stikine District. Forty five of these are full time students in the adult education program in three centres: Atlin, Telegraph Creek and Dease Lake. O'Connor said the successful advising and promo- tional tour with the mobile learning centre during the spring and fall resulted in the high enrollment. He said he travelled about 2000 miles last month. However, the van will be parked for the winter due to high costs incur- red because of the season and O’Connor will be driving his own car throughout the district until spring. The Northern Lights College Board still does not have a representative from the Stikine region. The Board of School District No. 87 will be reviewing the status of the college board’s search for a local person to fill the vacancy. O’Connor said a college board member from the Stikine area would facilitate getting things for our region. He added that community input on the vacancy is needed. Ellen Corcoran, who is the local Programmer for Northern Lights Collge, will be retiring as of Dec. 31st. As the Programmer Mrs. Corcoran was responsible for supplying the community with general interest non- credit courses. O’Connor expressed his thanks to Mrs. Corcoran for the excellent job she has done as Program- mer. He said the college is faced with a real need for cred- ited enrollment. “In order not to lose funding from the Minister of Education, the College needs students who are going to take credit courses,” he said. “Hence, the general interest area is not favored by this policy. It’s not just a Northern Lights issue; it’s a province-wide issue.” O’Connor added that the college is still open to requests for general interest courses, but these can only be offered if the courses are cost recoverable. Meanwhile, he said the Cassiar Community Club and other organis- ations have been successful in holding non-credit courses such as dancing, aerobics, macrame, that the college held in the past. “‘We’re reviewing the college extension program this fall, and we may hire someone next spring to assist me with vocational and adult upgrading instruction,” he added. Looking ahead to next year O’Connor said the GED exam will be offered in Cassiar in the spring. Preparation for it will be scheduled in the new year. He also hopes to have a First Aid Course and an Airbrakes course in Cassiar next year. OOPS! WE GOOFED! Editor’s note — The following is a letter from Lynne Thunderstorm, a spokesperson of the Residents for a Free-Flowing Stikine, regarding the controversial decision by the Ministry of Forests to allow export logging along the lower Stikine River. Now that lan Bowie has made his decision and issued his press release with the 350 hectare interim logging sale planned, it is even more urgent that people understand what is going on. It is not a question of just logging, yes or no. It has to do with the whole socio economic struc- ture of the north. _ For that is what will be disrupted if largescale dev- elopment happens all over the map. Logging can be done well. With objective field based inventory gathered in advance, and detailed planning done in advance, with attention to local concerns to a great extent, then logg- ing can be beneficial. Continued on Page 24. OBITUARY Special Constable Byron Wilfred Williams, age 22, of Dease Lake, died in a motor vehicle accident near Kamloops, B.C. on September 20. Funeral Services were conducted in Dease Lake by Pastor Al Bailey, assisted by Constable Vernon Creyke. Corporal Barry Erickson, Superintendent Williams and Tom Creyke gave the eulogy. Pall bearers were all Special Constables of the RCMP. Internment took place in Dease Lake. Byron is survived by his wife, Julia, his son Sheldon, his parents, Grace and Willie Williams, two brothers, Robbie and Stewart, and two sisters, Kitty and Colleen. Our apologies to Brad Jefferson, who was erroneously reported in last month’s paper as the driver of a vehicle | RCMP NEWS O October 12, 1984, Stanley Austin, who was moving from Arkansas to Alaska, was involved in a traffic accident at the Cassiar Junction. Austin was northbound on Highway 37, pulling a 16 foot trailer behind his car, and was followed by a pick- up truck, pulling another trailer. He passed the correct turn-off and entered the one-way section of the Junction. As he was doing so, a tractor trail- er unit, driven by William Zylstra, attempted to pass both vehicles. As Austin was making the turn Zylstra’s vehicle struck the trailer pulled by Aus- tin, completely demolishing it. This was very nearly a fatal accident as the Austin vehicle was occupied by seven persons. Both drivers were at fault and this is a reminder that the utmost caution is required in turning and passing. Dam- age was $1,700. There were no injuries and no charges were laid. On October 20, 1984, a vehicle driven by Susette Ganhao skidded on ice near French Creek, caught the shoulder of the road and rolled over on the roadway. The driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries. No charges were laid. On October 27, 1984, Shirley Vickery was at- tempting a right hand turn, approximately 6 miles from Cassiar, when the front wheel of her vehicle caught the shoulder and the vehicle rolled over in the ditch. Damage was $2,500. There were no injuries or charges laid. On November 2, 1984, Ervin Klassen was assisting Father Pauwels and Sister Claire to get their car back on the road near Four Mile when an ap- proaching vehicle, driven by Wayne Wood, lost control and hit both vehicles. Damage was $4900. There were no injuries and charges will be laid, pending investigation. On November 3, 1984,-Jarl Johansen was driving” near Four Mile when the front wheel of his ve- hicle caught the over-plow, forcing the vehicle in- to the ditch and rolling twice. Damage was $3000. There were no injuries or charges laid. On November 11, 1984, Vivian Kneller was in- volved in a single vehicle accident near French Creek. The vehicle encountered icy conditions on the roadway, slid into the ditch and rolled on its side. Damage was $1500. There were no injuries or charges laid. RM The Festive Season is almost upon us once again. The season brings with it a time of relax- ation and a multitude of parties. The Cassiar RCMP office asks that if you are going to drink, please walk or have someone else drive for you. December 2 through January 1, 1985 will bring about daily roadblocks; checking for defective motor vehicles, seat belts and impaired drivers. crn Let’s not ruin this special season by being arrested for impaired driving. : BUCKLE UP AND DRIVE SAFELY If You Drink Don‘t Drive CASSIAR Bits & Pieces Jesse and Jane Guardon would like to say hello to all their Cassiar friends. They still live in the Can- ary Islands and Jane has just had a book publish- ed called “Looking Forward To English’. This book is being used in four schools in the Canary Islands for children 6 to 8 years, and is probably already in use in Spain as well. She has been re- quested to do a second and third book in this series and is presently working on this, as well as teaching English and Art in school. Jesse is still in medicine and recently passed his exams in gen- eral pathology. The staff of the Cassiar Post Office would like to thank Pat Hickman and his I.E. class for their new display case. Why was Marg W. driving up Connell with the pas- senger door open? And who was the passenger singing “Dashing Thru The Snow’’? Can you imagine — the Cassiar Courier has a ~ courier who actually expects to be paid!!!! We hear Garry P. makes a great stuffed turkey and Pat B. a lovely sweet potato. Wonder just what does go on at this Drama Club? It’s always nice to get those goodies from our Vancouver correspondents. keep them coming. Thanks, Bob and Guess who had the cutest knees at the recent fashion show? Moe Beaudoin is off to Florida for the winter and would like to wish everyone in Cassiar Country a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Our local M.L.A. was seen hitchhiking through the area recently. Seems he had his vehicle stolen in Whitehorse.. We confirmed it — Wayne C. actually did get his lovely shiner playing hockey!!!! Midwife Marian may just hang out her shingle. Seems she just delivered another puppy family — all doing well. We hear Tweakie has been accused of ‘fowl ’ play. Congratulations to Jim Baranyk, who recently won $10,000 on the Scratch & Win. The lucky ticket was sold by the Lions Club. Bits & Pieces is shorter than usual — one of our major contributors is away. Can’t divulge who it is but we understand she’s someplace “down under”. Gor “la: Rae McGregor and Phil Hansma, their first child, Parents Advisory Council On November 7, 1984, there was an open meet- ing of the Parents Advisory Council. In addition to our regular business, Mr. D. John gave a pres- entation on Computer Literacy to explain the program in existence at the school. There were also five computers set up for demonstration. Much to our disappointment, only two parents arrived for the meeting. We, as a group, felt there would be more interest in this program. After the Christmas break, there will be another “open” meeting, and hopefully, there will be more interest from the community. If anyone has any questions, complaints, or praise, please feel free to contact one of the members of the council: Sonja Slana, Ida Walters, Roger Borsato, Alan Davies, Betty Carter, Pauline Snell, Pat Beaton. We would like to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. —— ’ ye — 2). A Note of Thanks Susette Ganhao and her family wish to express their thanks to Marty Fugere and Scott Creyke for their assistance to Suzette on Saturday, October 20, 1984. Marty and Scott drove Susete to the Cassiar ane following her auto accident at French reek. Also, special thanks to Dr. Crawford and staff as well as to all the many friends who sen their best wishes for recovery. Thank you all once again. Sorry I am sorry for making crank calls to the Schneebergers, the ambulance, Gordie Rowe, Michel Bernier, Ron Anderson and Paul Guard- ucci and I am sorry for throwing an egg at Ron Anderson’s house and I am sorry for keeping the ambulance out looking for somebody that wasn’t hurt for half an hour. I don’t know why I acted like such an idiot but I will never do it again. I sure do miss Cassiar. Terry Pearson Farewell Co-workers and friends gathered at the Lions Club to bid farewell to Alf and Hilda Guderjahn. He will be missed by his co-workers, staff, and his flying, trapping, hiking and boating buddies of the North. 5; Cassiar Courier December 1984 Page 3 Erickson Creek Column Work is continuing on the new Erickson recrea- tion centre and we all have high hopes that it will be ready for use before the end of the year or in January, at the latest. The outside of the building is nearly completed, however, there is a lot of finishing work left to be done inside. When the building is finished we’ll celebrate with a big dance! Work at the Erickson gym is now finished and we’re in the process of ordering equipment for it. The Recreation Committee is looking into the possibility of offering weight training and aerobics courses in the gym. The Erickson Hallowe’en party was a tremen- dous success, thanks to Lorraine Lanteigne and all the parents who volunteered to help. We had a scary maze, complete with Dracula, witches, and ghosts; apple bobbing; a fortune teller; face painting; fish at the ‘murky swamp’ a bean bag throw through the pumpkin’s face; food and dancing. Now we’re planning our Christmas parties. The children’s party will be on Sunday, Dec- ember 16th. All Children of Erickson Employees are invited to the party. Parents are asked to donate $15 per child ($10 per child under 2). Anyone wishing to help with the party please contact Lorraine Lanteigne, Lois McGrail or Pat Beaton. We’re also planning an adult Christmas party for December 15th. This will include a Pot Luck Dinner, music and possibly entertainment! Proceeds from bar sales will go to the Recreation Committee to help pay for the new Rec Centre. Congratulations this month to Arthur and Rose Mary Fisher who were married November 10th in West Vancouver. Arthur is the Vice Presi- dent, Mining of Erickson Gold Mine Ltd. Congratulations also to Jim Whittaker and Jacki ~ Bluschke on their engagement to be married. Jim is the Mine Technician and Jacki works in the Erickson Assay Lab. Tis the season to be JOLLY May you and yours share.a Joyous Christmas Season and a prosperous New Year. ilda & Aly Alf came to Cassiar as a carpenter in June 1970 and was promoted to Surface Foreman in Oct- ober of the same year. He was a member of the Volunteer Fire Department for eight years and a member of the Cassiar Lions Club since 1971. Alf and his family contributed to the commun- ity by helping to build the Arena and swimming pool. Alf was also an executive member of the Cassiar Flying Club and enjoyed flying his own plane. He enjoyed the outdoors and spent most weekends at one of his many cabins on the Dease River, Windy Lake and Canyon City. Hilda worked at the Library for a number of years before being employed at the Post Office. She was also a member of The Cassiar Hospital Society board prior to leaving. " Alf and Hilda were presented with a monetary farewell gift to assist them in relocating, and a Jade clock from Norm and Shelley Cosnett. Hilda expressed her regret that she can’t contin- ue discussions on political issues whereas Alf was’ extremely pleased to take his bottle of thinner for the relaxing periods he will have in their new home in Courtenay. GN a oe Se a eee a daughter Christina Elizabeth, 6 lbs. 4 0z., on November 24, 1984, in New Liskeard, Ontario. Yi EROS OLE S