WEDNESDAY
S I N C E
1 8 9 5
SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
KIdSport coffers grow
Vol. 117, Issue 181
110
$
Page 12
INCLUDING H.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF
ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALM SALMO
Skool-Aid helping more families this year
PICKET LINE AT ICBC
Site of electoral boundaries meeting irks local politicians
20 per cent rise from 2011
BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
Local politicians are riled up after an Electoral Boundaries Commission omission eliminated Greater Trail and the regional district from the public meeting schedule on the proposed federal riding changes. A federal plan is in place to chop the current Southern Interior riding into two—slicing a political wedge between the neighbouring communities of Fruitvale, Montrose, Trail, Warfield and Rossland—but those who wish to speak to the proposal will have to travel north to Castlegar on Oct. 3 to voice a concern. The oversight raised the ire of local politicians, “You’d hate prompting the Regional to think they District of Kootenay are avoiding Boundary board of dirsome negative ectors to send a letter demanding an explanainput but that tion of why there was no is likely what meeting planned for the they would get area most affected by the change. here.” Area A director Ali Grieve said she was not ALI GRIEVE in favour of the proposed boundary change, saying the board had asked the commission to reconsider why there was no meeting set for Trail. “You’d hate to think they are avoiding some negative input, but that is likely what they would get here,” she said. “But they need to come here and get that input, good, bad or otherwise.” The man holding down the seat in the Interior riding agreed. NDP MP Alex Atamanenko said he had forwarded the letter—and RDKB chair Larry Gray’s comments—to the commission. However, Atamanenko was not encouraged by the prospect of a Trail meeting being added to commission’s itinerary, considering one is also planned for Nelson on Oct. 2. “I don’t know why they chose Castlegar instead of Trail,” he said. “I think it was a case of trying to do two meetings without looking at the implications of where they are going to put them. The whole thing was made from afar without looking at our wants and needs.” Although Atamanenko did not believe there was any malicious intent in the move, the choice
See PREVIOUS, Page 2
BY BREANNE MASSEY Times Staff
BREANNE MASSEY PHOTO
The Insurance Corporation of B.C. (ICBC) was picketed by (from left to right) Brian Hansen, Jason Cowley, Michelle Szkica and Pam Hutchison on Tuesday morning. More than 1,500 unionized ICBC workers held strike action outside B.C.’s 55 ICBC claim centre buildings, as part of a contract dispute. Members have been without a collective agreement for two years, and are asking for wage increases to offset the cost of inflation.
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The number of families plagued by the growing cost of education in Greater Trail is on the rise. Demand for the Skool-Aid initiative— that helps low-income families buy school supplies—has increased by 20 per cent this year, up to 140 students from 112. Although the increase is substantial, said Louise McEwan, a Catholic community volunteer who recently finished working on the third annual campaign to aid local students, she could not explain why. There definitely is financial need in many areas—with demand up for food bank services—and the increase reflected that, McEwan said. “But I’m not really an expert on what’s going on in terms of people’s economic situation locally, but it just seems to me that the prices of everything are going up,” McEwan said. “Even when I go to the grocery store and I’m buying the same amount, I seem to be spending more money. Plus a lot of kids who participate in this program are also registered for our lunch programs too.” See PROGRAM, Page 3
Contact the Times: Phone: 250-368-8551 Fax: 250-368-8550 Newsroom: 250-364-1242 Canada Post, Contract number 42068012
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