WEDNESDAY
S I N C E
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APRIL 18, 2012 Vol. 117, Issue 75
110
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Zumbathon draws colourful crowd Page 2
INCLUDING H.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF
RICK HANSEN
ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALM SALMO
SCOOP OF STUCCO
Ports of entry staff spared in border cuts, says agency
Anniversary relay rolls into Greater Trail next week BY BREANNE MASSEY Times Staff
The 25th anniversary of the Man in Motion World Tour kicked off last summer and the countrywide journey will be bringing the Rick Hansen relay team to Greater Trail next week. Hansen’s relay team embarked on a nine-month cross-Canada tour last summer, and the organization created partnerships with a number of local participants and visiting over 600 communities. On April 24, the relay is scheduled to leave Castlegar at 11:40 a.m. and finish with an End of Day Celebration in Trail at 3:30 p.m. Although Hansen will not be present at the event, he distinctly remembered visiting the Greater Trail area during the first tour in 1987. “One of the big highlights for me was going up that big hill out of Trail, up the Rossland hill. That was one of the biggest physical challenges on my journey,” said Hansen. “And, of course, it was lined with thousands of people who were encouraging me to get up that hill and get one step closer to home.” The 25th anniversary has encouraged locals to get involved in the relay. The Rick Hansen Foundation has identified “global champions,” who live their lives by creating examples for other people. “The world is smaller and more connected so we can build a global community and people from the Kootenays can be a part of that,” said Hansen. Kaeden Magner, Ian Lockey, Marylynn Rakuson have been dubbed as a group of notable medal bearers because of personal achievements. “It’s bringing back memories from the first tour, I still have a box of clippings from the Trail Daily Times about the event,” said Rakuson.
See RELAY, Page 3
Southern Interior MP skeptical over claims that axe won’t fall locally BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
BREANNE MASSEY PHOTO
Steven James, a contractor from All Weather Stucco, scoops up a ladle full of stucco on Tuesday as part of a makeover for the Arlington Hotel.
With 250 jobs cuts expected within the Canadian Border Services Agency over the next three years the axe likely won’t fall on the region’s U.S. ports of entry, an official with the national agency said Monday. Waneta, Patterson and Nelway border crossings are to be spared from a bloodbath involving over 1,000 people, despite an ominous tone emanating from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) head office heralding job cuts. In order to reduce their budget by $143.4 million by 2015, the nation’s border agency issued “affected” letters to approximately 1,150 employees. Affected does not necessarily mean layoff, said CBSA senior media spokesperson Esme Bailey. And “these are not people staffing the ports of entry,” Bailey said. Most of the surplus positions identified will be found through streamlining internal services in national headquarters. But B.C. Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko was not convinced. He felt the federal government was planning a cut back of border officers, regardless of the message conveyed. “We should be increas-
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ing staff at border crossings instead of slashing jobs,” he said. “I’m hoping that none of (the cuts) are touching the border crossings in our neighbourhood.” Atamanenko criticized the border officer cuts at a time when Canada is introducing comprehensive changes on “perimeter security,” with the United States. Bailey said the health and safety of Canadians would not be compromised through the implementation of any of the budget reduction initiatives. “There will be little to no impact on front line services for travelers and traders who are crossing our borders,” he said. Bailey went on to say CBSA would also be required to issue additional letters as the workforce adjustment processes continue, hinting at further cuts to the workforce. The notion irked Atamanenko. “To be faced with a reduction of personnel at our border crossings is ludicrous. “It seems a contradiction to the government’s so-called tough-on-crime focus,” he said. “Let’s also not forget that border service officers and their families help contribute to the local economies of our rural communities.”
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