TUESDAY
S I N C E
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MARCH 13, 2012 Vol. 117, Issue 51
Goreski makes waves in U.S. Page 8
110
$
INCLUDING H.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF
ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALM SALMO
Spring break halts local teacher job action BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
It will be all silent on the academic front this week while spring break imposes a brief hiatus from escalating teachers’ job action. Unlike last week, there will be
no teacher job action planned for the two weeks of spring break in SD 20, despite a Labour Board ruling allowing for one day per week of demonstration. Last week teachers walked out of classrooms for three days and held a
rally Wednesday in downtown Trail with about 200 teachers and other union members in attendance. But by the time teachers and students head back to the classrooms it is expected legislation to end job action — known as Bill 22 — will
have been passed. The bill is still being debated in the legislature, and indications are the NDP will use procedural tactics to extend debate, but it could still pass by March 16. See TEACHER, Page 3
Japanese ‘quake anniversary felt from Trail BY VALERIE ROSSI Times Staff
PUTTING SPRING IN THE STEP
A similar plan was undertaken in Rossland in 2005 but Trail’s digital result will enable the city to update its map continuously. “Having (Rossland’s) map has been great as an educational tool when I do public displays and people come and find where their house is and they can then look and say, ‘OK, I understand now why I have bears in my yard and here are some the things that I can do,’” said Wieder.
Relief efforts came pouring into Japan this time last year, after the powerful earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the country’s northeast triggered the world’s worst nuclear accident in 25 years. The first anniversary of the devastating event is a tragic reminder of what the Japanese went through – even from as far as Trail, where a 20-year relationship has kept the city connected to sister city, Sagamihara. “Many people in Trail and Warfield have family-type relationships with these people,” said Trail Mayor Dieter Bogs. “Certainly our city has done the best we can within the financial limits we have to continue the relationship.” To represent one dollar for each of the approximate 8,000 residents of Trail, the city donated $8,000 last year to Sagamihara, the Japanese city 40 kilometres south of Tokyo, with Trail Operations matching these funds. This gesture was done without question, said Bogs, noting the bond between the two communities has grown strong since a relationship was originally established in 1991 with the neighbouring community of Tsukui, which is now a suburb of Sagamihara.
See BEAR, Page 3
See QUAKE, Page 3
VAL ROSSI PHOTO
City crews are taking advantage of warmer weather this week and dipping into spring cleanup but have to keep the forecast in mind. City worker Mike Wert flushed away winter sidewalks around Gyro Park Monday, well before a glimpse of spring fell with a light snowfall into the late afternoon.
Trail digitally maps out bear activity BY VALERIE ROSSI Times Staff
Trail will know where to greet its furry friends when they come out of hibernation this spring with a digital map of bear activity soon to be released. Barry McLane, a second-year student of Selkirk College’s Geographical Information Systems course, used digital data collected with a GPS unit while touring city neighbourhoods last summer to create a map that illustrates bear hazards such
as fruit trees and residential garbage along with wildlife corridors. The map will then assist in creating a bearhazard assessment report, which will provide suggestions for human-bear conflict management, according to Bear Aware coordinator Sharon Wieder. The approximate $5,000 project kicked off last year with funding from Teck, following a restorative justice agreement in relation to a mercury spill in 2010.
Spring Sidewalk Sale on now
Open 7 days a week Thursdays & Fridays until 9pm
Over 30 stores & services • Free parking
• Food court
• Free kids playroom and ball pit
250.368.5202
5 min. east of Trail on Highway 3B
Contact the Times: Phone: 250-368-8551 Fax: 250-368-8550 Newsroom: 250-364-1242