ee

ONE MAN'S trash is truly another man’s treasure. Here, Keith Ols

eat

ons

2g:

hows off some of his rebuilt finds,

thrown out by the Northwest Community College. He hopes to donate them to families and children in need.

Dumpster diver comes up
with computers at college

Theft charges are

still contemplated

By ANITA DOLMAN
KEITH OLSON just couldn’t Jet the
opportunity pass.

When he heard in June that North-
west Community College was throw-
ing its outdated computer equipment
into the trash, he headed straight for
the college dumpsters.

When he found two dunipsiers full
of old but salvageable computer
equipment and software, he started
loading the items into his mini-van.

“T knew families that desperately
needed computers,’’ says Olson.

Seven years ago Olson started what
he calls, ‘‘the electronic orphanage.’’

He restores slightly damaged or old
computers to donate to charities or
families in need.

Olson was caught nmaging through
the dumpsters full of monitors, hard

Big year
for fires

THE SKEENA region is
seeing more forest fires than
it has in a number of years.

“Tt’s been pretty hectic,’
says forest protection officer
Tony Falcao.

A rash of lightning strikes
and a bumper crop of arsons
has boosted the number of
fires in recent weeks but
most were easily controlled.

Forest fires in the region
so far this season already
number over 50, compared
to a total of 30 for all of last
year’s fire season, from
April 1 to October 31.

Richard Forget, also of the
Fire Attack Base, says that
much ofthe problem with
fighting fires this year com-
es from the light snow pack

‘in the winter.

That means the ground has
been dryer than past years,
and fires have the potential
to start above ground, be
doused and instead of going
out bum into the roots of
trees, to spring up again
when it becomes dryer.

“Tt makes the mop-up
more difficult,” he says.

Although the number of

‘fires is up this scason, most
have been spot fires, often
involving only a few trees.

There were no fires burn-
ing in the region as of last

-Friday and, with the recent
wet weather, the fire hazard
has been moderate.

The spring started with a
serles of man-causcd fires
when people burning gar-
bage saw their fires get out
of control with the help of
dry, windy weather.

Sympatico
now here

SURFERS now have an-
other option when it comes
to Internet service providers.

The. newest arrival is BC
Tel Interactive's Sympatico
service, which opened shop
for Terrace last Wednesday.

The company is offering a
variety of packages 10 any-
one living In areas where
phone numbers start with
615, 635, 638, 798 or 633, .

Sympatico will be the
fourth internet provider
available to Terrace users. '

The company will. com-.
pete- with RGS Intemet,
OSG | - Interactive  - and
Uniserve Online.

drives, motherboards, keyboards,
printers, software and other equip-
ment, by college works director Peter
Crompton.

‘We are still deciding whether to
charge him with theft,’ says Cromp-
ton.

Olson says Crompton told him to

- leave the equipment in the dumpsters

and threatened to phone the police.

“Peter Crompton said the stuff in
the dumpsters was college business
and to put it back,” says Olson. “‘T
just couldn’ do that.”’

Olson says that Crompton wouldn't
give him an answer as to why the
equipment was just being discarded,
rather than sold, auctioned off or
donated.

“Our policy is garbage is garbage
and we throw it out,’’ says Crompton.

“We would normally put a hammer
to it,’”” he added. ‘‘It’s useless.”’

Olson says the computers had all

been for student use and contained
nothing more sensitive than
homework assignments from the early
1990s, so he doesn’t think the college
needed to throw anything out for
security reasons.

He admits there may be a licensing
issue with some of the software,
which was all licensed to the college,
but says that that can be worked out
with the software companies.

Olson has been busy restoring the
computers that he managed to salvage
before a waste disposal crew was
called to take the remainder away.

He says several peopie, including
needy families and a youth organiza-
tion, have already asked for some of
the equipment.

He knows he may eventually face a
penalty for bis actions, but doesn’t
seem too worried,

“Pm one of these people who is
more interested in justice
legalities,’’ he says.

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