Wednesday, January 13, 2016
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Volume 96 - No. 02
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www.ldnews.net
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$1.30 GST inc.
BURNS LAKE
LAKES DISTRICT NEWS
Huckleberry Mine suspends pit operations
Snowmen
Local photographer Carla Lewis captured this spectacular photo by Tchesinkut Lake. The snow on fallen trees naturally made them look like snowmen.
Approximately 100 employees were laid off FLAVIO NIENOW Burns Lake resident Charlie Rensby had been working as a truck driver for Huckleberry Mine since May 2012. Rensby was one of the approximately 100 employees who received a phone call on Jan. 5, 2015, notifying they were being laid off. Imperial Metals Corporation, which holds 50 per cent interest in Huckleberry Mines Ltd., announced Jan. 6 that pit operations at the Huckleberry Mine were suspended, affecting approximately 100 of its 260 employees. Rensby said that although the person on the phone gave him hope that the company could be hiring him back in three months, in the end, market prices will decide when or if he will be hired back. According to Rensby, Huckleberry employees were warned in early December that layoffs were a possibility. “The company notified all staff at the beginning of December that something had to change to lower our operating costs and that layoffs and temporary shutdowns were all possibilities,” he said. “I feel as though they gave us as much notice as a company can.” Even though Rensby knew layoffs were a possibility, he said the Jan. 5 phone call still left him “speechless.” “This greatly affects the wellbeing of my family,” he said. “This takes me from being a productive employed member of society and puts me on ...see HUCKLEBERRY ▼ P2
Baker Airport resurfacing costs over a million “It’s just a matter of time before we face difficult decisions,” says Reg Blackwell
FLAVIO NIENOW In the story “Resurfacing of airport means tax increase” published in the Lakes District News’ Nov. 25, 2015 issue, a public referendum - planned for Feb. 27, 2016 - would seek the public decision on a proposed tax increase. Lakes District residents will be asked
FREE for eligible participants!
whether they approve raising the tax limit of the Village of Burns Lake and Electoral Areas B and E to resurface the runway at Burns Lake’s Baker Airport. According to Reg Blackwell, President of the Lakes District Airport Society (LDAS), not resurfacing the airport’s runway could cause the airport to close. Blackwell explained that although the current condition of the runway is safe, large pieces of asphalt are cracking away from the main runway. “The normal cure for this is to seal the cracks with a tar and sand mixture, but in this case, the subgrade has been compromised and the tar mixture seeps away under the asphalt,” he explained. “We have been advised
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by two professional firms that crack sealing is no longer an option and rebuilding the subgrade and resurfacing the runway is the best way to go to ensure the longevity of the runway.” Blackwell said that due to extreme weather and temperature fluctuations in Burns Lake, frost can cause these large pieces of asphalt to “heave,” causing an uneven surface on the runway. “If this happens, the airport would have to be closed due to safety concerns,” he said. “The cracking problem is becoming worse every year and it is just a matter of time before we face difficult decisions.” The total cost of the runway resurfacing ...see BAKER AIRPORT ▼ P3
Starts January 18
Phone: 250.692.1700 • Fax: 250.692.1750 • Toll Free: 1.866.692.1943 545 Highway 16 West • PO Box 5000, Burns Lake, BC • V0J 1E0 Email: lksdist@cnc.bc.ca • Website: www.cnc.bc.ca/lakesdistrict