“Breakthrough announced

Northwest Community College will offer its first four-year degree program beginning in September 1987. The Bachelor of -
Social Work degree studies are being made available through the University of Victoria schoo! of social work, Announcement
of the new program was made recently by (left to right)-Doug Foster, chairman of the Human Service Worker (HSW) advisory
committee; Jake Muller, MSW coordinator for the college; Marilyn Callaghan, director of the University of Victoria school of
social work; and Lynn Hughes, MSW practicum supervisor. .

Four- -year degree program offered

continued from page 1

assessed on the basis of
their academic
backgrounds, work
history and personal
suitability: for the social
work field. The course will
be. self-paced, and
Callaghan said completion
generally requires from
two to four years of study.
She attributed part of the

-program’s success to

a large component of
‘‘mature and motivated”
‘students attracted to it.
Doug Foster, chairman
of the Human Service

John Jansen.

Worker Advisory Com-
mittee, said the program
will also offer an oppor-
tunity for people already
employed in social services
fields to extend their
credentials,
speculated that offering

‘the four-year degree pro-
-gram locally may solvé a

number of persistent pro-
blems in delivery of social
services in the Northwest.

A large proportion of
social work professionals
who come to work in the
Northwest return to

Foster.

metropolitan areas after a
relatively short period of
service. Workers commit-
ted to remaining in the
region are frequently put
in positions for which they
lack qualifications and ex-
perience.
BSW degrees to residents
of the Northwest, Foster
said, NWCC will not only
improve opportunities for
local students but also
enhance delivery of social
‘services in the region. -
Lynn Hughes, practi-
cum supervisor for the

By offering:

HSW. program, indicated
that new practicum set-
tings will be made
available for NWCC and
U. Vic. students through
an exchange program.

Entry applications for
the course will be process-
ed through U. Vic. with
March 31 as a deadline for
the course beginning in
September. Further infor-
Mation is available
through the HSW prog-
ram office at Northwest

Community College.

“Cay Agen?

"Suggestions heard

Northwest residents concerned about labor relations in B.C. had an opportunity recently to address a government panel, As
part of a review of labor legislation, pubtic hearings took place at Northwest Community in Terrace. Panel members were (left
to right) Skeena MLA Dave Parker, Nelson-Creston MLA Howard Dirks, Minister of Labour Lyall Hanson and Chilliwack MLA

Log hauling

continued from page 3

to be removed by Nov. 30,
1987, and the company
has indicated other means
of getting the logs out are
uneconomical. Takhar
said the timber slated to be
removed is infested with
bark beetles which may
spread during the ap-

‘proaching summer.

Cooper emphasized the
importance of making a
decision soon because a
warming trend in the
weather will make the en-
tire issue an academic one
- the log hauling requires
frozen road conditions.

Depite Cooper’s argu--

ment, however, Mayor

Jack Talstra strongly and
repeatedly urged the coun-
cil members present to
table their decision until
the next meeting of coun-
cil.

Ald. George Clark and
Doug Smith were both ab-
sent from the meeting,
and Talstra said both
aldermen had expressed
opposition to allowing the
log haul,

A tabling motion by
Ald, Ruth Hallock and
Bob Jackman carried,
with Ald, Cooper record-
ed opposed,

WORD POWER .- retro-
grade: a reversed direction,
going backward.

Swimmers

continued from page 9

15 to 17 boys — Mike

Hagj, Kitimat (49); Monte

‘Kitimat (34);
Kitimat

Bromley,
Sean Rutsatz,
(23).

In court

On Friday, Jan. 16 in
Terrace Provincial Court
Carol Clayton was fined

$25 for theft.

. On Friday, Jan. 16 in
Terrace Provincial Court
Michael Kurek was fined

$450 for operating a

motor vehicle while his
ability to drive: was. im-
paired.

coordinator

Bill Goodacre,
for the Terrace Unemployed
Action Centre, spoke to the

Labor. Legislation . Review
panel recently about. short-
comings In parts of the labor
code applicable to seasonal
silviculture workers. The
review panel held hearings in

‘Terrace as part of a province-

- wide tour to gather sugges-
“tions .. for amendments to
‘labor law... :

“Lloyd ‘stated “t at il
numerous : logging . camps.”
throughout the’ Northwest” :
he has observed. labor |:
codes, Workers’ Compen-

sation rules and health
regulations ‘ ‘being
breached steadily’?

In an interview after the

hearing, Lloyd sketched.

several examples-of unsafe

and illegal conditions he’

has personally experienced

in logging camps. One.

50-man operation lacked

Sanitary facilities, another

isolated 30-man camp had

no industrial first-aid at-.

tendant. ‘After I arrived,
I asked them who the first-

aid man was. They looked
. at me like I was from -
outer space,’’ he said.

In. another operation;

Lioyd ‘said he was told
that, as a condition of be-

ing hired, he would have -

to wait six weeks for his
‘first pay cheque. Disputes
over oral agreements con-

cerning wages are not un-—

common, he said, and it is

not unusual for a worker ©

to quit or be dismissed

with no wages at all.
‘Some loggers have got- -

ten so accustomed ‘to it
they just.shrug and go off

looking for another job,”

hesaid, ,

Conditions vary widely _

from one camp to
another, Lloyd said.
‘‘There are still .good
employers out there, and
there are others who don’t.
pay consistently but run
safe operations,”’ he said.

Lloyd estimated less

than 10 percent of viola-.

tions are reported to the
Ministry of Labour.

Lloyd pointed out: that
he is able to speak freely
on the situation because,
after a decade of working
in the bush, he has quit
logging for
career.
ment to the review panel
was necessary because

‘“‘people are suffering out

there, unjustly and te.

gally’’.

Bill Goodacre, coor-

dinator for the Terrace .

Unemployed Action Cen-
tre, addressed the panel
with concerns about work-
ing conditions and cir-
cumstances encountered
by silviculture workers in
the Northwest. Goodacre
pointed out that tree

another.
-He said his state-

basis for ‘contractors’ have.

‘only ‘minimal:.p

. “against ‘siibstandard: work-

ing ‘conditions -and. unfair
employer practices: fae

: Goodacre. stated he: has
handled . numerous. com-
plaints’ through. -the
Unemployed Action Cen-
tre, and he told the panel,

“The local office-of the .
Ministry of Labour could
provide the Minister with

some horrendous ex-
amples. of abuse of

workers by contractors in
_ this region. Most of these

projects are short-term in

nature and different con-.

tractors are brought in
with each new contract.
The money for the pro-
jects, however,. comes
from the public purse,”’
Encouraging these
workers to organize,
Goodacre said, would

result in’ benefits to the
themselves, .
employers ‘and the forest .

workers

resource in general.

Silviculture workers are
a large, low-wage
workforce, Goodacre
said, and it is virtually im-
possible to organize the in-
dustry under the present
labor code. Panel member
John Jansen, MLA for
Chilliwack, asked
Goodacre if he thought
the present code is inade-.
quate. Goodacre replied
that the portion of the
code dealing with
wrongful dignissal -can
only be used oy workers
who have a minimum of
six. months with an.
employer.

thatlong,

‘'The Ministry of
Labour is the only. agency
to which we can refer
these people for satisfac-
tion and even then, there
is very seldom any protec-
tion regardless of the
merits of the complaint.

When two individuals of .

unequal financial standing

‘are pitted against one
another it is very unusual

for the person without

“money to prevail.

According to ministry
representatives the labor
legislation review has until
Feb. 28 to complete its
recommendations. In ad-
dition to public hearings

in nine B.C. communities, ©

the panel also received
more than 150 written
briefs.

Kermode Knit Wits, a club for all persons interested In‘tur-
thering machine knitting. Regular monthly meetings will
be held on the 2nd Tuesday at noon and the 4th Thursday
at 7:30 p.m. For further information call Audrey 638-1335,
Jan 635-7517 or Nancy 635-5319. Everyone welcome.

Mountview Bakery & Delicatessen
SKEENA MALL

Every. Friday evening from |
5:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Smorgasbord
for only $5.95

over 20 items to choose from! .

. Silviculture © -
jobs, he said, rarely last

ae we»

FE ar ee Ee a EAD APO

te.

Coane

Lega pint ages SoMa Al ae peut