Page 4 December 1986 Cassiar Courier

By Sonja Willits

Lil’s eldest daughter recently visited Cassiar after eight years since last in her home town. Dr. Larry Otto almost swallowed his tongue depressor when he was intro- duced to this young lady. Dr. Otto was most disappoint- ed to find out Barb was married. Who’s lighting Larry’s “lights” these days? It’s a mystery to us and we don’t even have any clues. Next week this dynamic doctor is off to Hawaii to the land of sand and sun. No doubt there’s a marathon and Larry has been practicing even in -25C weather.

We’re pleased to have Lil back after a recent accident on her icy front steps. Lil must be taking her calcium supplements as there were no broken bones after her tumble, but plenty of aches. Lil is a walking vitamin/ mineral encyclopedia and knows what to take for what- ever ails you,

Sue, Ethel and Pam ventured to Terrace some week- ends ago and spent the majority of the trip tackling icy roads. Did Mrs. Swift leave her wedding/engagement rings at the motel room while these three wild and crazy. gals went cruising the night life in Terrace? You can’t miss Ethel these days, walking down the street in her fashion- able bright pink snowsuit. She’ll definitely stay warm and cozy in this hot number.

Sonja recently attended a C.P.R. conference in Van- couver. She managed to keep the charge cards under con- trol this time. Judy is off to Edmonton to do some Christmas shopping and visiting. Did she manage to keep her charge cards under control? It’s so tempting to buy, buy, buy, when you’re out.

Our new handyman, Mike Jackson, has had a busy first week putting the hospital back in order. There were numerous small repairs and replacements on his list of jobs. We welcome this new addition to our staff - never again will we have to contend with leaky faucets or drip- ping taps. Keep us the good work, Mike!

Dr. M. Crawford is enjoying her anesthesia work at Vancouver General Hospital, while hubby (Dr. T. de la Mare) assumes role of Mr. Mom with the two children in Whitehorse. Dr. T. de la Mare will be back for 2 weeks (Nov. 26 - Dec. 14) to relieve Dr. Otto.

McKENNA: Steve and Lisa are pleased to announce the birth of a son, Shamus Patrick McKenna, born on Oct- ober 25th at 6:45 p.m. at Whitehorse General Hospital. Shamus weighed in at 6 Ibs. 4 oz. and is a fine brother for sisters Erin and Glynnis. Congratulations to the

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Erickson Creek Column

by Lorraine

Lanteigne

The snow swirls about as the new portal off the Trout: line Road is prepared. Not much fun for the men working in the wind and the cold - but quite a challenge, just the same!

Some new faces are seen around camp. Welcome to all of you and we’re glad to see you at Erickson Gold. A special hello to ‘Handsome George” and to_our new sur- face foreman, Rosaire Auger.

Off to Hawaii are Karyn and Jim. They are sure to have a good holiday in the sun. Lots of cool drinks will soothe sun-burned bodies! I hear Netonia and Albert are heading to the tropical islands too: we are sure to see some sun tans in mid-winter! }

Antoine has been making himself known not only in camp, but also in town. He is an avid bridge player and a very good singer. beac

The Sisters of Table Mountain are now a fact. Those women of Erickson who wish to know more about the group should contact Joyce, Georgina or Rosemary. We have sweatshirts available and Joyce will arrange for initial- ling to be done. As of now, the gals are meeting in each other’s homes. There is lots of knitting going on, as well as a fair exchange of handy information. The Sisters will all be helping with our camp social functions.

Our Christmas festivities have been finalized. At 9:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria on December 13th will be the Erickson adult party. This is for Erickson employees and their guests only. Music is by Dave Chapple. It is a BYOB affair - no bar service will be set up. At midnight a buffet will be served and dancing will go from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Christmas Eve at 6:30 we will have a bonfire and carol sing in the playground area. Following this we will gather at the kitchen for a family social. The children of Erickson will be visited by Santa (I’ve already talked to him) and we will have a Christmas Eve program followed by hot chocolate and punch. For those of you with very young children, we expect the activities to be over by 9:00 p.m. Any of the single people in camp are invited to

join in on the Christmas Eve activities.

Slippery conditions of late have caused a few red faces in camp. No human injuries (other than egos) have been recorded. In all seriousness, let us wish those who manoever vehicles on our mountain grades a safe winters driving. |

Pleasant journies to all of you going home for Christ- mas. We will see everyone in the new year! winter’s driving.

I will end the column with a Christmas wish to all of you from myself, John, James and Katherine.

The mountains that surround us, at Erickson Gold Give to us our livelihood, and our stories told

To all of our dear ones many miles away

Of our lives as they are lived from day to daye

As we send Christmas greetings to family elsewhere Telling them of experiences and the lives we share May we all find good things in what we say

And in realization come to understand that our stay In this camp in the mountains called Erickson Gold Is truly an adventure, one daring and bold.

So a Merry Christmas to all our neighbors we send, Pleasant memories we hope the new year will lend.

PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

By Deb Gabel

The Parent Advisory Council met on Wednesday, November 10th following the debate between the two candidates for School Board Trustee. The meeting was well attended by all but one of the members. It was de- cided not to form two groups, one for each school as not many names had been put forward for a new election. Deb Gabel has assumed the role of chairperson and Louise

_Clark that of secretary. The next person from last spring’s election will be invited to fill the vacancy created by Dar- lene Larden’s resignation.

We were able to obtain a copy of a letter from Mr. James J. Hewitt, Minister of Education, regarding the raise in mill rate. This raise is directly reflective of the budget submitted by the Board of School Trustees for this area. Although the rate is the highest in the province, the low assessed values of the area properties make the actual dollars paid in school taxes on par with those in the rest of the province. ;

Judith Knapp, Director of Instruction and Curricu-

-lum for the Stikine School District gave us some reading material on the Whole Language Program. It is hoped that .2she will be able to attend a future meeting and give us all

‘an introduction to this new method of teaching currently being brought into our schools.

The next meeting of the Parent Advisory Council will be held in the Secondary School Library-on December 10, 1986 at 7:30 p.m.: Hoje to see some of. you there.

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ERICKSON GOLD NEW MANAGER

Anne and Antoine Beursken

New to Erickson Gold is Antoine Beurskens, the new Mine Manager. He brings with him a wealth of experience in mining.

Graduating in 1965 from the Technical University of Delft in Holland, Beurskens was first employed by the Messina Transvaal Development Company in Southern Africa. Before immigrating to Canada in 1976, he spent two years with Union Carbide in Rhodesia.

Employed as a Mine Captain for Brunswick Mining & Smelting, Beurskens began his Canadian career in Bath- hurst, New Brusnwick. Before accepting his position with Total Erickson Resources, he was Principal Mining Engineer for Westar Mines at Sparwood, B.C.

His wife Anne is a French teacher in Fernie, B.C. and will be joining her husband at the end of June. The couple have four children, three of whom are attend- ing the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Willemijn is a fourth year Mining Engineering student, Joep is in third year Mechanical Engineering, and Anne Marie is a first year nursing student. Hans is a grade twelve stu- dent at Fernie Secondary School.

Beurskens began work at Erickson Gold on Nov- ember 3rd, 1986. 3

Earth Moving at the Finlayson Portal

The “Finlayson Portal’’ is the new business at hand at Erickson Gold. Work commenced November 5th and the company is heading into mining in No. 3 Zone.

The intent is to drill and blast the face (jackleg or air track) immediately, after which a trackless 1] x 9 decline will be driven 400 meters or 1200 feet. The de-

cline will then reach the ore zone after which a flat drift —

will run along the vein. There are no specific numbers to report on the expected tonnage at this time, but according to Mine Superintendent, Frank Kollar, there is enough to warrant the new portal.

Production could begin by February, 1987, if they have a solid face by early December. Presently this project is employing four men, but as the development increases so does the number of men needed in the oper- ation.

Scheduled operations including Cusac, the Valog

Portal, main drift development and the-Finlayson Portal

will employ fiftv-one underground miners. Total onsite employees expected by early February are between 90 and 100. This includes the local office, underground and surface personnel, as well as the cafeteria and bull- cooking staff.

There is excessive geological work being done at this time to lay out diamond drilling in the Cusac over- ation, and a diamond drill program is being laid out

for the main mine which should go ahead in the early

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Cassiar Courier December 1986 Page 5

GOOD HOPE LAKE SCHOOL TO REMAIN CLOSED

At a meeting held November 17th in

“Good Hope Lake, the Board of Trustees of

School District No. 87 (Stikine) advised that the Good Hope Lake School would remain closed. Joanne Voss, Chairman of the Board, delivered the following statement:

“Due to a decline in student enrolment and severe financial cutbacks, the Board agonized and finally made a decision to close the Good Hope Lake Elementary School in June, 1985. This decision was made after careful deliberation, a great deal of debate, and a great deal of soul searching on the part of individual Board mem- bers. It was a decision that the Board did not take lightly, was reluctant to make, but one that had to be made.

Once again we have carefully reviewed all of the factors involved in reopening the Good Hope Lake Elementary School.

1. The Ministry of Education must give their ap- proval if the school is to be reopened.

2. The student enrolment figures are almost id- entical to those used to justify to the Ministry that the school should be closed in June of 1985. It would be very difficult for us to use those same figures to now justify that the school should be reopened.

3. At the time the school was closed, the Band wanted to purchase the building for use as a Band Office and Community Centre. The Board indicated that. we would not sell the building at that time as it may be needed as a

_ school in the future.

4. We have attempted to address the problem of

the kindergarten children in a couple of ways:

a) Firstly, we offered to bring the children into school on the regular school bus and also pay transportation assistance to the Band to return the children after school.

b) As the offer of transportation assistance was refused, the Board offered to pay to have the children returned home on the regular Watson Lake Bus Service run. This offer was also refused.

c) It is interesting to note, that when the Principal and the Kindergarten teacher from Snowridge Elementary School met with all the Kindergarten parents «last it was their impression that the parents were very excited and quite willing to have their children attend Snowridge Elementary School. However, we were in- formed at our June Board Meeting, by re- presentatives of the community, 3 or 4 days later, that the parents would not send their Kindergarten students into Snowridge Elementary School under any circumstances.

d) The Band made a proposal to lease a teacherage in Good Hope Lake in order to run a preschool for the Kindergarten stu- dents. The Board agreed to this proposal and the Kindergarten students are facili- tated within the community.

5. It is recognized that the bus ride presents a long day for the primary students. However, it must also be recognized that students all over the province are transported to school by school bus and many of them are on the bus a

great deal longer than are the students of Good Hope Lake. We have attempted to fac- ilitate these students by allowing them into the school when the bus arrives and also changing the bus schedule so that the children are returned home earlier than in the past.

6. It is the feeling of the Board, supported by your community representatives of Vic Wells, ‘Clary Poitras and Joyce Poitras, at the Board Meeting of November 7, 1986, that the child- ren attending Snowridge Elementary School are receiving an excellent quality of education,

This is supported by the fact that the children have access to the following services that can- not be facilitated by a school at Good Hope Lake.

a) At the present time the students are recei- ving instruction in single grade classrooms which is advantageous in the fact that greater attention can be devoted to those students who are having difficulties.

b) The students have regular access to a full- sized gymnasium and a regular physical education program.

c) The students have access to a computer literacy program.

d) The students have access to a good library with an extensive reading selection match- ing their individual reading levels.

e) The students have access to a specified learning assistance program to assist those students who are having learning difficul- ies.

f) The students have access to a regular in- tramural and extramuralprograms which provides activities and competition both within the school and between other schools in the District.

g) The children are integrated into a multi- cultural situation at an early age.

It is the feeling of the Board, that the quality of education being offered for the students of Good Hope Lake at Snowridge Elementary School is superior to anything that we could offer in Good Hope Lake at the present time.

7. Over the past three years, the Board has seen the Government grants for education severely curtailed. We have received indications from the Minister of Education that this pattern will continue. . With reduced student enrol- ments across the district, we will be looking at a further significant reduction in Govern- ment grants for the 1987-1988 fiscal year.

8. As it is felt, by all parties, that the quality of education being received by the students is excellent, the Good Hope Lake student pop- ulation has not increased significantly, and the level of Government funding is not suffi- cient, it is with regret that we must inform you that the Good Hope Lake Elementary School will not be reopened for the 1987- 1988 school year. However, we will retain the building in it’s present state for consider- ation at a future date when a significant in- crease in student numbers may warrant re- Opening the school.

GOOD HOPE LAKE

By Clary Poitras

Good things are happening at Good Hope Lake! If bad things happen in bunches, do good things also happen in bunches? Such seems to be the case in Good Hope. Three fantastic things have happened for Good Hope Lake residents. The first would be the opening of Good Hope Services, Gas and Grocery Bar. Gas and groceries can be purchased from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, seven days a week. Area residents greatly appreciate the extended hours of service as well as the ready smiles of the four very lovely ladies, not to mention the hearty grin of you know who and the always available free customer coffee. The prob- lem the store seems to encounter is not how to get the customer back, but how to get them to leave.

Number two of the fantastic happenings is the five foot ball of energy..more commonly known as Elaine Adams. Elaine, our new store Manager, comes to us

| from Iskut, where she and her husband operate the A

& E Guest Ranch. Words cannot describe the affection area residents have come to bestow on this lovely ded- icated community builder.

Fantastic happening number three is none other than the forming of the Good Hope Lake “Rams” hockey team. Although the team is still three losses, no wins, players and fans alike are enjoying every game to the hilt. As is commonly expressed in the dressing room, “They

may have out-scored us; but they sure never out-worked us!” Two young men, Steven Johnny and Willy Porter are also playing with the Cassiar Bantams. We under- stand in a very exciting game the Bantams defeated a certain unnamed senior mens hockey team 6 to S in overtime. “Go get ‘em guys!”

On the sad side, the community 1s sorry to see the resignation of Bryan Carlick from the Presidency. Bryan has contributed greatly to the oft times very difficult early development of the community. Word is that Bryan will remain on until a new President can be elected. Ex- tensive travel and the desire to be closer to his young fam- ily is Bryan’s motivation for resigning.

Smiles of gleeful bliss are forthcoming these days from Mary, the School Bus Driver, partly due to the much reformed behaviour of bussing students. A Bus Conduct Workshop was conducted in the Cassiar High School by none other than our newly hired Home-School Co- Ordinator Joyce Poitras and assisted by Mary Ryan, school bus driver. We understand there was an appearance by some unidentified Green Dragon.

Joyce comes to us from Prince George where she worked many years in the field of addictions and as an Alcohol Counsellor for the Fort Ware Indian Band. Her many years of working with people is a resource we hope will benefit the community for years to come.

When contacted for a comment about the decision to keep the school closed, Vic Wells, Band Manager stated, “The position of the Board of Directors of United Native Nations, Local 167, is to proceed.to open up our own school in Good Hope Lake.’”” In the hopes of being open for September, 1987, meetings are being initiated with the Ministry of Education and the Depart- ment of Indian Affairs.

“Everybody was really disappointed”, said Wells. “‘One parent has already indicated an intention to keep his children out of school in Cassiar."” “There are a lot of strong feelings re- garding this issue,’* Wells noted. He went on to say, ‘There is a feeling of positiveness in the community at present; things are happening. Some people would like to move back to Good Hope Lake, but the lack of local schooling is a barrier.”

CLARENCE QUOCK ELECTED PRESIDENT

OF U.N.N. LOCAL 167

In the election held November 25th, Clarence Quock was elected Band President of United Native Nations in Good Hope Lake.

A relative newcomer to the community, Quock comes with experience, having served in Telegraph Creek for two years. His wife, Louise, is a former Good Hope Lake resident. The family relocated to her former home during the past year.

In an interview, Quock indicated three areas of concern in which he plans to act. The reopening of the Good Hope Lake school is uppermost in his mind (see story this page). As well, he sees the need for more hous- ing. With support from a C.M.H.C. program, and the Department of Indian Affairs financing, it is hoped that up to five more units can be built in the next year.

There is continuing concern about the level of

long-term unemployment. Quock hopes to make some progress to reverse the trend.

Polls closed at 8:00 p.m. and the final count was received within 20 minutes. Vic Wells, Band Manager was pleased with the voter turnout. Of the 78 eligible voters, 61 cast ballots. The final.results were: Clarence Quock - 36, and Dwayne Dennis- 25.

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