FRIDAY
S I N C E
1 8 9 5
JULY 27, 2012
Photographers captured early Trail on film
Vol. 117, Issue 145
110
$
Page 2
INCLUDING H.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF
ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALM SALMO
THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT
Zellers set to close early next year BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
Zellers will be added to the growing list of major retail stores shutting its doors in Trail as its parent company announced closures of most of its remaining stores in Canada on Thursday. Tiffany Bourre, Hudson’s Bay Company external communications manager, confirmed the venerable company will close its 64 remaining Zellers stores in Canada that aren’t being converted to Target stores. Notice of the change was delivered to the 85 employees at the Trail location—and 6,400 people nationwide—Thursday morning, but no indication was given as to the future of the Trail franchise. “We’re looking at options right now,” said Bourre when contacted by the Trail Daily Times. While no firm date has been given for any of the closures, Bourre said the stores won’t be open beyond next March, 2013. Bourre said each of the affected Zellers stores was no longer considered viable, including the Trail location, which had been open in the city for over 30 years. However, the company hasn’t ruled out the possibility of maintaining some store locations like Trail and opening it under another retail banner. When several current Zellers employees were asked about the closure, as well as Waneta Plaza manager Linda MacDermid, they declined to comment. Earlier this year, Bourre quelled a rumour that Zellers was closing its plaza location after news that 84 former stores were acquired by Target. That same month Your Dollar Store closed in downtown Trail, while Liquidation World was liquidated in 2010. If the closure goes through, it will be the second HBC-owned store to exit the Silver City in less than one year. In early spring, HBC closed the downtown location of its Fields store, part of a nationwide closure of 141 stores. Fields, like the Zellers outlet, was a valuepriced merchandise store that sold apparel, home, health and beauty products. “We currently don’t have any plans to open another HBC banner (in Trail) and we don’t know what the landlord’s plans are for that store location,” said Bourre after Fields was closed.
TIMOTHY SCHAFER PHOTO
A railing rebuild had Barry Schmidt out and on the job Thursday near Jubilee Park as he welded on a new section of pipe. Luckily the shade of nearby trees shielded Schmidt from the hot, mid-morning sun that was mustering its forces to bake the city.
Soldier’s plight heard by Veterans Affairs BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
The battle has been won for a Trail army veteran after he received word from Veterans Affairs about obtaining full pension and benefits after a Trail Daily Times story brought his plight to light. When a story on Dolan Magrath was first published in late April, the 47-year-old third generation army man had been at his wit’s end fighting to secure enough of a pension for his family before his ailing body— injured while serving in the Army for 10 years—
gave out. Magrath had been clashing with government officials for 15 years since he was given a medical discharge from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1997. When he brought his story to the Daily Times he had also been preparing to meet with Alex Atamanenko, the region’s Member of Parliament. “I challenged the system for many years before I got my battle ironed out, two weeks after the article came out,” he said. Magrath received confirmation of full
pension and benefits from Veteran’s Affairs in a letter, without an explanation of why they had taken so long to do so. Atamanenko, who had been working “behind the scenes” to remedy Magrath’s situation, cautioned him not to seek an apology. Initially, Magrath sought an apology for the 1992 incident in which he was injured. “(Atamanenko) said it’s more important that I got benefits … instead of the government admitting wrong doing,” he said. “That would be a bigger fish
TIMOTHY SCHAFER PHOTO
After a 15-year battle, Dolan Magrath will be getting his full pension and benefits from Veterans Affairs. to catch.” Atamanenko took Magrath’s case up with the Ministry of National
✁
%
✁
20
OFF
ALL MOPAR ACCESSORIES Bring in or mention this coupon and save 20%
WWW.KOOTENAYCHRYSLER.COM
NO BULL
Waneta Junction TOLL FREE 1-888-812-6506 TRAIL 250-368-8295
Defence and the Ministry of Veteran’s Affairs in early May.
See NO, Page 3
Contact the Times: Phone: 250-368-8551 Fax: 250-368-8550 Newsroom: 250-364-1242