Profiles in Logging Behind the Wheel for SFP by Katrine Campbell operator using either a front-end As with any job, there are SLOCAN VALLEY loader or a hydraulic loader, then good points and bad points. The Despite rising at 5:00 a.m., batt- he heads down the hill again. best thing about his job, Lyver ling bad weather and mud, and It sounds simple, but a neigh- says, is that the time goes fast. risking his neck to bring 32 tons bour who recently rode with Lyver "It's not like an eight-to-five of logs down narrow, twisting swears no ground was visible job where you're watching the roads, Rosebery trucker John below him when he looked out the clock all day. The scenery's al- Lyver says of his job, "I enjoy it.' passenger window, and he's posi- ways changing, you meet dif- Lyver, father of five and tive that on some of the tighter ferent drivers, and there's been a grandfather of eight, has hauled corners the back wheels were run- few good scares to get the logs in the Slocan Valley since ning on a cloud. adrenalin going," he says. 1955, starting with a . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . The worst part of single-axle truck and driving is putting on tire REGIONAL DISTRICT OF CENTRAL KOOTENAY trailer the brakes of chains in lousy weather. and the which had a tendency to "You're mud from B.C. AGRICULTURAL LAND COMMISSION burn out when they over- head to toe. The chains NOTICE OF PUBLIC heated. He has seen are reasonably light, but INFORMATION MEETINGS many changes since you've got icy water then, most importantly in dripping down your neck SLOCAN VALLEY ACRICULTURAL LAND safety practices. off the load and every- RESERVE REVIEW STUDY "The Workers' Com- thing you touch is pensation Board has im- covered in mud.' plemented a lot of chan- Among the changes The Provincial Agricultural Land Commission, at the request of the ges," he says. "There's he has seen over the Regional District, has oompleted a report containing recommendations on changes to the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) boundaries of the not as many men injured years are improved Slocan Valley. The study area encompasses all ALR lands from the or killed now." equipment, fewer people Crescent Valley/K.restova area to the Village of Slocan. His day starts early. doing the same amount He's up at 5:00 a.m. and of work due to increased warming his truck by mechanization, and im- 6:15 so he can unload proved logging practices. when the Rosebery "There have been a Two public discussion meeting will be held so residents and land- Scales log dump opens • lot of bad logging prac- owners can voice their concerns and thoughts about the boundary at 7:00. At that, he's , tices in the past, but changes. Present at the meeting will be the Area "H" Director, Bob Barkley, members of the Area "H" Advisory Planning Commission, sleeping in; Lyver brings people have to realize a nd staff from the land Commission and the Regional District. down a load the night that companies and in- before and parks at the dividuals have come a No decision will be made without substantial public discussions. The dump, ready to go the long way in cleaning up Regional District and the Land Commission need to hear your views, so p/.ease plan to attend one of the meetings. next morning. If he their act. Ninety-nine didn't pre-load, he'd per cent of the bad prac- have to be up at 3:30 to John Lyver in his cab; another tices have been cleaned MEETINGS be at the logging site by trip safely completed up, but for some it's 5:30. At the dump, the never enough. 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Open House load is weighed, then the wood is The 18 truckers hauling for "I wish environmentalists 7:00 p.m. - Public Meeting sorted by species and size and SFP are independent contrac- would change their attitude November 27, 1991 boomed down the lake to the tors, not employees. Lyver ex- towards working people. We're Slocan Park Hall Slocan Forest Products mill at plains the company has a not out here to destroy the Slocan. seniority list; those who are top forests, because if we do we're November 28, 1991 After unloading, Lyver heads of the list get called first. How- only cutting our own throats.' Appledale Hall up the mountain again. The site ever, he says, "you can't build Is there a future for the he's hauling from at present is seniority; you have to buy it" by industry in the valley? Yes, says private land about 27 kilometres buying a truck from someone Lyver. from Rosebery, the last 15 km on who's retiring. The driver-owners "Due to reforestation, it'll be a logging road. The round trip pay into Canada Pension Plan here forever. It's just like a farm takes two and a half to three and WCB; they could pay into - it'll keep people working. hours, and Lyver makes three Unemployment Insurance as "They'll be growing trees AFFORDABLE trips a day. At the site, the logs are well, says Lyver, but they can't here long after I'm pushing lifted onto his truck by an collect when they're out of work. daisies." HOUSING In small communities with ~ll~l!l !l fl l l l l l a population of 2500 or less CANADA MORTGAGE & HOUSING along with :-:-:-::~:::::::~:;::·•••••••• :::::~❖-•: by Lyle Kristiansen, M.P. B.C. NATIVE HOUSING Did you know that the assist low income households: head of Canadian National - to obtain adequate and affordable housing Railways receives $396,000 a - who own and occupy existing substandard year, plus a bonus? How about housing and require assistance to extend that the head of Canada Post has received in- the life of their home creases totalling $105,000, bringing his salary to $300,000 per year, and a bonus on top of that? - to undertake emergency repairs Probably not. The Conservative government of Brian Mulroney has not been anxious to reveal its TO DETERMINE YOUR ELIGIBILITY vision of "fair" wage treatment for employees. But FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE PROGRAMS, tis hidden unfairness is what public service workers CONTACT: B.C. NATIVE HOUSING CORPORATION in Canada face as they return to work with a legis- lated zero-increase contract! P.O. Box 399 It is difficult to find any logic in the level of sal- Clinton, B.C. VOK 1KO aries, increases and bonuses given to senior staff of Telephone: 459-2234 government and Crown corporations. Usually, perfor- mance standards are applied. But even when perfor- mance is abysmal, the big-time money flows to the top. CMHctiscHL - Take the case of CN Rail, paying its head Helping to house Canadians $396,000 annual to run a company recently found by its own accounting department to be one of the least efficient in North America. In fact, CN's over- l lllfl~H COlVMILA NAIIVf HOUSING COR,OU.TION Canada Page 12 THE KOOTENAYWEEKLY EXPRESS NOVEMBER 20, 1991