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FROM THE DEPUTY MINISTER

The Honourable Neil VantMinister

Transportation and Highways

Vince Collins,DeputyMinister

Transportation and Highways

course, to the many supportstaffsuch as secretaries, accountsclerks and the countless otherswho collectively form "the team"to get the job done.I appreciate your hardwork and

commitment in carrying out thisyear's program.

pel pin and I hope you are aspleased with the endproductas Iam.Thank you for your submissions.

With the announce­ments of this year's450capitaland reha­

bilitationprojects, we arenow onour way to spending more than$566 million to build new roadsand improveexisting ones.This is a mammoth task andone

that will require a great deal ofdedication in order to completethe assignment by March 31 st.

Th is issue of the Road Runnercontains a summarized list of pro­jectssoyoucan see ataglancethework that is scheduled for the1989/90 fiscal year.

Programs of this magnitude re­quirenotonlythededicatedeffortof Project Managers, Engineersand construction supervisors, butalso theablesupportof many un­sung heroes. I'm referring, of

FROMTHE MINISTER

In the December issue of theRoad Runner, I asked for yourinputon the designof a Min­

istry lapel pin. I received quite anumber of good suggestions andcombined three submissions tocome up with anexcellent pin.Iwishto pass onmyappreciation

to Richard Voyer, ActingManager,Research and Development, JohnBullard , HighwayPlanning Techni­cian , Glen McDonald , ExecutiveDirector of Transportation Plan­ning in headquarters and Joe Va­lentinuzzi , Regional Geotechnicaland Materials Engineer in theKamloops Regional office.While the original concept of

creating a pin design may seemsimple, when the subject is Trans­portation and Highways, ideasmay not flow asquickly. To com­plicatematters, theMinistrynamemustbe easily identified on a pinof less thanone inch in length.Every employee will receive a la-

Road Runner

Messages from theMinister andthe Deputy Minister 2

From the Editor 3Traffic Studies Privatized 3Alexander Vaughan Fraser 4New System Make it

Easier to Locate Exitson Major Highways 5

Getting our Message Out 5Capital and Rehabilitation

Program 6Fraser Canyon Tunnel

Relight Project 7Environmental Services 8Unearthing Historic

Artifacts 9National Transportation

Week 10In The Field . . . .. . 11Profile: Barb Severyn 16

Directenquiries to:Road RunnerMinistry of Transportation

and HighwaysPublic Affairs5A-940 Blanshard StreetVictoria, B.C.V8W 3E6

Road Runner is the employeenewsletter for British ColumbiaMinistry of Transportation andHighways. It is produced andpublished quarterly by the PublicAffairs Branch. Published articlesappearing in Road Runner maybereprinted only with the permis­sion of the Editor.

Editor: Betty NicholsonEditorial Assistant: Sharon Lund

In This Issue

TrafficStudiesPrivatizedRichard Dixon, Directorof Planning Services (left),congratulating Sandy McMillanon hisnew venture.

FROM THE EDITOR

'l~~ Ministry of Transportation!ic.~ and Highways

BETTY NICHOLSONMANAGER, COMMUNICATIONS

The Ministry's data collec­tion program has gone tothe private sector through

an employee privatization bid.Sandy McMillan. the formerTransportation Studies Supervisor.and Ian Rapps. a summer enu­merator. made a successful bid topurchase all functions of thetrafficcounter shop. located in Esqui­malt near Victoria. The company.TransTech Services Ltd., whichemploys two full-timepeopleandan auxiliary staff of fourteen. willcontinue with all the duties pres-

Many of youmight haveseen employeessportingnewMinistry

nametags. These were designedto create a standardized ap­proach,Ministrywide. If youwishto wear a nametag please orderone through your supervisor. Weneed your choice of name. i.e.loanSmith, Mrs.] . Smith .joan S. ;and title, if applicable.

ently performed by the countershop.

Avarietyof datacollection tech­niques is used to gatherstatisticsfor theMinistry.The primary func­tion is thevehicle shortcountpro­gram which is conducted usingsolid state counters, coupled tothe familiar black road tubes androad loops. seen at various loca­tions throughout the province.The company has 140 of theseunits which are used in approxi­mately 1200 locations each year.

Nametags can be ordered fromPublic Affairs at headquarters.Turnaround time is about onemonth .Remember. this is strictly volun­

tary. If you meet the public on adailybasis. or attendopen houseson the Ministry's behalf. though.youmight findapermanent name­tag useful.

In addition. TransTech maintains35 permanent count stations, op­erating year-round on the high­way network. These counters areautopolled by telephone to thePlanning Services Branch on aweekly basis. The infomation col­lected for these is correlated tothe shortcounts to give seasonalvariations and used to forecasttrends in the road system.The Ministry has leased its pho­

tolog vehicle to TransTech to col­lect visual and digital records ofthe provincial highway network.This vehicle. using a 35 mm cam­erawhich takes a frame eitherev­ery 10seconds or 20 metres, con­tains a sophisticated onboardcomputer system to evaluate suchitems as horizontal and verticalcurvature, elevation, cross-slope.grades and long or short termroughness of the pavement. Theinventory of films from this pro­gram is kept with PlanningServices.TransTech undertakes avarietyof

manual counts and observationssuch asintersection. classificationand occupancy counts, time/speed/delay and licence platesurveys as well as roadsideinterviews.Two types of speed checks are

performed bythecompany atvar­ious locations throughout theprovince. Radar speed checks areundertaken to findtheactual vehi­cle speeds on sections of high-

way. Also. anongoing curve test­ing program isconducted. using a"ball bank" indicator which mea­sures lateral forces of the vehicle.After computation, safe drivingspeeds are assigned to eachcurve.TransTech also purchased the

pavement cuttingsawand relatedequipment to install road loops.These arecoilsof wire embeddedin the road with asealant. When avehicle passes over the loop, theinductive "field" is changed andthat triggers a detector to eitherchange atrafficsignal or count thevehicle."Thisisaveryexciting jobinrela­

tion to most." said McMillan in arecent interview. "You see thema­jority of the province while col­lecting data and that's an assetwhen discussing traffic countrequirements."In the seventeen years l've

been with the Ministry, I'vewatched traffic counters evolvefrom all-mechanical devices. tothose which will record vehiclelength. number of axles. weightand speed . This job is alwayschanging and there is an ever­growing field of opportunity forboth the staff andmyself."There are definite advantages

to have this operation in the pri­vate sector." concluded Sandy."The staff is on contract and canbetter utilize their time andequipment. "

3

AlexanderVaughanFraser1916-1989

Alex Fraser at the openingof theB.C. Hydro railwayunderpass inChilliwack, 1978.

He was well-known for being very accessibleto his constituents and would listen patientlyto their problems and concerns.

Alex Fraser with Mrs. Fraser on left and the Honourable GraceMcCarthy on the right, at the opening of the Alex Fraser Bridge.

4

Following a lengthy illness,Alex Fraser, a member ofthe Legislative Assembly

for the constituency of Cariboo,died on May 9, 1989, in hospitalat Quesnel.

FraserwasbornonJune 22, 1916at Victoria, thesonof John Ander­son Fraser (former Member of the

Legislative Assembly and Mem­ber of Parliament for Cariboo),and Lillian Fraser (nee Vaughan).At the time of his birth the familyhome wasin the Village of Ques­nel , in B.C s Cariboo region. He

married Gertrude Marjory Watt in1940. They had two daughters,Bonny joy and Louise.Fraser wasa partner in Wood IS..

Fraser Transport, which held thefirst licence authorizing publicfreight transport between Van­couver and Prince George. Laterhe became a partner in FIS..W

Trucking and Equipment Ltd., anInternational Truck and GeneralMotors Dealership.Alex Fraser began 40 consecu­

tive years of public service as aCommissioner of the Village of

Quesnel , elected in 1949. Healsoserved as Chairman, Village ofQuesnel , from 1950to 1958, theTown of Quesnel 's first Mayor

from 1958 to 1969, and the firstChairman of the Regional Districtof Cariboo 1968-69.Elected to the British Columbia

Legislature as the MLA for Cari­boo in the general election of1969, Fraser was re-elected in1972, 1975, 1979, 1983 and1986. As a result of throat sur­gery, hewasunable to speak dur­ing the election campaign of1986, butwasstill re-elected witha resounding majority.He was appointed Minister of

Transportation, Communicationsand Highways, and Minister Re­sponsible for the B.C. Ferry Cor­poration, B.C. Steamship Com­pany and B.C. Motor CarrierCommission in December 1978.He was appointed Minister ofTransportation and Highways inNovember 1979, a post he helduntil November 1986.

Air Ambulance service. Ten newairports were constructed andpaved , and another ten werenewly paved duringhistenure. Healso served on a number of legis­

lativeandCabinet committees, in­cluding Economic Development,Urban Transit andtheEnvironmentand Land Use Committee.Mr. Fraser greatly enjoyed his

travels throughout British Colum­bia, especially those occasionswhen he visited the many eventsheldin theCariboo. Hemade con­siderable effort, often sacrificinghis homelife, to attend suchevents asfestivals andstampedesin his homeconstituency, and en­joyed spending this time with hismany friends. Hewaswell-known

ALEX FRASER REMEMBERED WITH GREATAFFECTION AND RESPECT

AlexanderVaughanFraser

Official opening of the Twidell Bend Bridge - Pine River, Chetwynd,July /3, /985.

Major initiativesduringhiselev­enyears asthe Minister responsi ­ble for B.C. 's highways system in­clude: Phase 1 of the Coquihalla,the Annacis project (including theAlex Fraser Bridge), completionof the North Island Highway,Squamish Highway upgrading,construction of Highway 29 intoTumbler Ridge, and extensive im­provements to Highways 37,37A, 16,97,24 and8. Fraser hada particularinterest in theupgrad­ing of rural airports to allow forgreaterservices for these commu­nities, andin particular, access for

for being very accessible to hisconstituents and would listen pa­tiently to their problems andcon­cerns. Hisdedication to resolvingtheir problems was legendary,andheoftenclaimed that hecam­paigned between elections andnot during them. He also enjoyeda lifelong love of thoroughbredhorse racing. Thiswashighlightedwhen one of his rare vacationswas spent in Kentucky, visitingworld renowned breeding farmsand former Kentucky Derby andTriple Crown winners.

So many people have fondmemories of the man with thegravellyvoice. Hemade youfeel apart of the organization and, atthe same time, gave the impres­sion that if you didn't do what hethought you should do, watchout!!!Derek Parkes, Regional Manager,

Planning, inSouth Coast Region inBurnaby, remembers that Mr. Fra­ser hadnicknames for everybody,including his colleagues. "Hewould really keep meonmy toes,tryingto figure outwhohewasre­ferring to, when he would use hisnicknames," said Derek. "Some­times, they were not the mostcomplimentary, but they wereal­ways humorous. "

"Another figure of speech thatwascommonly used by theMinis­ter was, 'I'll look after the poli­tics'," says Derek. '" I remembersitting in his office one day andtelling him how worried I wasaboutaproblem thathadsurfacedin Williams Lake, his own back­yard. He had the Mayor waitingoutside to see both of usandtoldme 'I'll look after the politics' . Hethen called the Mayor into hisof­fice and we listened to his con-

cerns. 'Now it's my turn', said Fra­ser. He turned to me, asked metoleave the room, and he and theMayor promptly solved theproblem."

Tom [ohnson, retired DeputyMinister, remembers Mr. Fraser'sneverending concern about grav­el roads. "Every time we passedone, he wanted to make sure itwas gradedproperly. Hisconcernwas for the motorist andsetveryhigh standards for all gravel roadmaintenance," said Johnson.Oneof thebiggest tributes to his

career came in 1986 with thenaming of the Alex Fraser Bridge ­the world's longest cable-stayedbridge - in the Lower Mainland.An ad announcing its opening

said: .. By shrinking the distancesbetween British Columbians, AlexFraser has helped to make everyregion of the province accessibleto families, touristsand business.

Better than anyone else in recenttimes, he recognizes the uniqueand historical importance of trans­portation in a province of vastsize, limited population and for­midable terrain."

So true!

5

Capital and Rehabilitation Program for 1989/90

6

Last month, theMinistry an­nounced more than 450projectsthatwill becarried

out around the province thisyear.We have taken highlights fromthese announcements to bringyouup-to-date on what is happeningin other regions.

South Coast:George Massey Tunnel Counter­

f low - modifications this summerto automatically provide threelanes in the direction of rush hourtraffic in the morning and eveningby mid-September.Lougheed Highway - wideningHighway 7 from PittRiver to Har­ris Road and installing a medianbarrier, four-laning the highwayfrom Albion to Mission. Comple­tion: early 1993.Mary Hill Bypass - connection toHighway 7 - engineering designcompleted thisyear to ultimatelyextend the four-lane cross-sec­tion from Boundary Road to theLougheed Highway at the eastend of the Mary Hill Bypass inCoquitlam.Cassiar Connector - upgrading2.3 kmof theTrans-Canada High­waybetweenFirst Avenue andtheSecond Narrows Bridge to free­flow standard. Completion: late1991.Trans-Canada Highway 1- SumasCanal to Old Yale Road (VedderCrossing) - Design underwaynow. Construction to start early1990/9 1 fiscal year.Annis Road Interchange ­

Chilliwack - design and propertyacquisition to be completed thisyear and available for tenderingearly in next fiscal year.Highway 17 - Tsawwassen ferryterminal to 56thSt. - Causeway tobe doubled to four lanes andone

additional eastbound lane addedon south side from Causeway to56th St. Completion: mid-Fall ,1989.Scott Road - 80th Avenue toHighway 10 - four laning. Designupdatingand right-of-way acqui ­sition to progress thisyear.

Scott Road Interchange on the

King George Highway - to pro­vide access to theScottRoad sta­tion for Sky Train service over theFraser River as well as providingimproved interconnection be­tween King George Highway andScott road. Completion: Spring,1990.Alex Fraser Bridge - structure willbewidened to six lanes. Comple­tion: late summer, 1989.Burnaby Freeway - new, long­term project to improve BurnabyFreeway Corridor.Lonsdale Interchange - UpperLevels Highway in North Vancou­ver - construction of a full inter­change. Completion: 1991Gibsons Bypass - Sunshin e

Coast - right-of-way acquisi tionthisyear with construction to be­gin earlynext fiscal year.Brohm Lake to Culli ton Creek

sect ion - Sea to Sky Highway ­

Garibald i Highway 99 - recon­struction of 7.33 km of road.Completion: Fall , 1990.Duffy Lake Road - Mt. Currie to

Lillooet - upgrading to sealedgravel surface. Completion: late1990.

Thompson/Okanagan:Highway 97 - 86 Mile House to

94 Mile House - widening to fourlanes. Work by day labour. Com­pletion: early fall, 1989.Highway 5 - Kamloops Indian

Reserve to Heff ley Creek - wid-

en to four lanes. Construction tobegin Fall, 1989.Trans-Canada Highway I ­

Barnha rt vale Road to Campbell

Creek - reconstructionto four lanestandard and pedestrian over­pass. Tender date: early 1990.Squilax Brid ge - in Shuswap ­

construction to begin early sum­mer, 1989.Chase Bridge - in Shuswap ­

construction scheduled to beginFall , 1989.Okanagan Highway 97 - widento four lanes from Beaver LakeRoad through Winfield. Construc­tion to begin summer, 1989.Oka nagan Highway 97 - Trout

Creek to Bentl ey Road - con­struction of four and five lanehighway. Work is underway withcompletion: late Fall , 1991 .

Trout Creek Bridge - new con­struc tionof four-lane bridge. con­struction to begin summer, 1989.Highway 97 - Eckhardt Creek

Bridge to Penticto n Indian Re­

serve - reconstruction to fourlanes. Work by day labour. Com­pletion: Fall, 1989.Okanagan Connector - projectsunderway. Completion: Fall ,1990.

Kootenay:Trans-Canada Highway 1- Gold­

en to Edelweiss - propertyacqui­sition and design underway towiden to four lanes.Elk ford Bridge - newbridgecon­struction on Fording Mine Roadacross Elk River. Construction tobegin summer, 1989.Cape Horn Bluffs - onHighway 6- widening the highway to twolanes. Construction to begin sum­mer, 1989.Highway 22 - relocation of high-

wayon theTrail Smelter Hill. Con­struction to begin late summer,1989.Trans-Ca nada Highway 1 ­

Canoe - Annis (near SalmonArm) - property acquisition thisyear to widen to four lanes.

Central North East:Beat ton River Crossi ng - nearFort St.John - constructionwill be­gin thisyearonabridgeacrosstheBeatton River, with roadconstruc­tion following on the three yearproject.Nechako River Bri dge - Vander­

hoof - newbridgeconstruction tobegin early summer, 1989.Highway 97 - John Hart Highway

- Red Rocky to 42 Mile Creek ­

gradeconstruction thisyear, pav­ing next year.Highway 97 South - Prince

George - widening to four lanesfrom Simon Fraser Bridge to Sin­tich Road. Planning and designonly thisyear.Highway 97 Sout h at Buckh orn

Road - construction of a pedestri­an underpass, intersection im­provements. Completion: Fall ,1989.Heritage Highway improve­

ments - from Dawson Creek (Ar­ras) to Tumbler Ridge. Comple­tion: Summer, 1990.

Highway 97 - East Pine Bri dge ­

east of Chetwynd - widen andredeck.Highway 20 - Chilcotin Highway

- from Anahim to Nimpo Lake ­paving gravel surface over twoyears.Highway 97 - Junction Highway

24 southward in Cariboo - pavingnew roadbed. Completion: Fall ,1989.Highway 16 - between Vander­

hoof and Fort Fraser - Engen

Fraser Canyon TunnelRelight Project

overhead - realignment of roadandconstruction of newstructure.Completion: late Fall, 1989.

Northwest:Highway37 - Hanna Road North- reconstruction of 13 km fromHanna North Bridge. Tender dateset for early 1990.Highway 16 - Inver Quarry toAberdeen Creek - reconstructionto two lanes. Project has justbeencompleted.Highway 16 - Khyex River toAberdeen Creek - constructionand paving. Completion: Fall ,1989.Highway 16- Carnaby Crossingto Kitsequecla River - new con­struction to eliminate level cross­ing. Construction to begin latesummer, 1989.Highway 16 - Esker Overheadand approaches - 32 kmwest ofTerrace - replacing existing CNRlevelcrossing with two lanestruc­ture and approaches. Construc­tion to begin late summer, 1989.Highway 16 - Hazelton - four­laning I km of arterial highway.Design and engineering will becarried out thisyear.Wathl Creek Bridge - KitimaatVillage - new bridge and ap­proaches. Construction to beginsummer, 1989.Haguelgate Bridge - Hazeltonarea - extensive rehabilitation ofsuspension bridge. Project to con­tinue into the next fiscal year.

Vancouver Island:Highway 4 to Port Alberni ­Canoe Creek - bridge replace­ment and approaches. Comple­tion: early 1990.

Vancouver Island Highway ­Parksvillearea- construction of anew four-lane freeway. Tenderdate not yet set.Vancouver Island Highway ­Trans-Canada Highway I - Bam-

berton to Mill Bay, upgradingroad to full four-lane cross-sec­tion. Included is the constructionof necessary frontage roads to re­movedirect access from this ma­jor provincial highway. Tenderdate not yet set.Vancouver Island Highway ­Ladysmith area - two projects ­upgrading road to full four lanecross-section with necessaryfrontage roads. Tender date notyet set.

Crofton Road access - near Crof­ton - reconstruction and align­ment. Design work and propertypurchase are underway on thispossible two year porject.

Highway 14- Colwood to Sooke- four-Ianing a3.5kmsection fromAwsworth Road west. Construc­tion to begin early 1990.

Highway 14· Circo &.Pat PhillipsBridge, Jordan River Bridge - de­sign work proceeding this year.

Highway 1A . CraigflowerBridge - design work proceedingthis year.

Trans-Canada Highway I - Nan­aimo- Nicol Street - converting athree-lane section to four lanes.Construction to begin Fall, 1989.MarbleRiver Bridge - Port AliceRoad (north Island) - reconstruc­tion of bridge and approaches.Construction to begin summer,1989.Keogh River Bridge - Port Hardy- replacement of Bailey bridgewith permanent structure and ap­proaches. Construction to beginsummer, 1989.

Sachts and Hammond Bridges ­Sayward - replace bridge onSalmon River andfloodchannel aswell as construction of new ap­proaches. Construction to beginsummer, 1989.

Durrance Lake Road - Victoriaarea - relocate a4.13 kmsection.Jointly funded by federal and pro­vincial governments. Completion:summer 1990.

The following note andaccompanying photoweresent to the Road Runner by

Ray Reekie, Electrical DistrictManager, South Coast Region.The lighting project is to include

Yale, Farrabee, Alexander andChina Bar Tunnels onHighway1inthe Fraser Canyon. It is longover­dueasthe road lighting is the lastof the fluorescent type, and en­tailsvery highmaintenance costs.To keep this lighting operationalhas been a never-ending and ex­pensive draw on our preventivemaintenance program over thelast 10years.

All thedesign work wasdonebythe Ministry through HighwayEngineering Branch by PeterBoudreau under the direction ofTrevor Bagot, Senior ElectricalEngineer.

The Yale Tunnel job was carriedout by South Coast Region, Elec­trical Branch electricians RonDejager andWeiWong under thedirectionof Trades Supervisor Bob

Wayne, from the satellite shopbase in Rosedale. The use of Bob 'screw on this project took a gooddeal of planning and dedicationon the part of the regular SouthCoast Electrical Branch out of Co­quitlam, as the Rosedale part ofthemaintenance and repair had tobe scheduled and done by us onan interim basis.The picture of the office facility

shows, this was a low budgetproject.The completion of the project

will allow for a safer and morepleasant drive through the FraserCanyon. The cost of maintenanceof the tunnel lighting will behalved for many years to come.All BC Hydro revisions have

been completed and thenewsys­tem at Yale Tunnel was turned onJune 7th.Two other tunnels, Farra­bee and Alexander, will also becompleted by theendof the Sum­mer 1989.The lastpartof thepro­ject, China Bar Tunnel , is plannedfor completion before fiscal yearend.

7

EnvironmentalServices

Mike Kentand Angela Abrams ­Environmental Services

The largest component of the department'sarea of responsibility involves impactassessment studies on new or ongoing majorprojects.

8

Impact AssessmentStudies...And MuchMuch More

Mike Kent, Manager En­vironmental Services,and Senior Environ­

mental Co-ordinator AngelaAbrams, covera lot of territory intheir section in headquarters,

They are responsible for all ofthe Ministry's environmental is­sues: from preliminary designthrough to maintenance, and theenvironmental impact of high­ways projects in B.C. - includingfisheries , archaeology or com­munityj social concerns.

"We handle problems ina num­berof ways", Kent says. "There isan internal referral process be­tween branches, regions and dis­tricts. Projects are reviewed byother government agencies ­Ministry of Environment, FederalFisheries, Coast Guard - andthey give us their comments. Iftherearenone, the project is ap­proved. If there is a problem, weget involved as resource people

to help solve it. If it's beyond ourscope, wehireconsultantsto helpwith mediationor ideas. "

The largest component of thedepartment's area of responsibil­ity involves impact assessmentstudies on new or ongoing majorprojects. "We hire consultants ona multi-disciplinary basis", Kentsays. "Five or six specialists wecoordinate do preliminary designand feasibility studies on projectssuch as theCoquihalla, OkanaganConnector, Annacis, Island High­way, Howe Sound. We are nowmanaging 23 consultant con­tracts, and have had about 30 inall in '88-'89 workingin fisheries,agriculture, wildlife andlanduse, "

The Environmental ServicesSection has received many acco­lades and won the first environ­mental design award fromthe As­sociation of ProfessionalEngineers of B.C. , for its work ontheCoquihalla River diversion de­sign. It iswidelyacknowledged asthe " lead agency" in its field inwestern Canada, noted for the in­tegrity of its environmental andengineering work.Other areas of involvement in

the section 's broad mandate maybe briefly described as follows:• Helping the regions and dis­

tricts asconsultantson particu­lar problems. In May, for in­stance, a series of bridgesalongthe DuffyLake Road , be­tween Lillooet and Pemberton,

was assessed by a group thatincluded representatives of wa­ter management staff, federalfisheries, fish and wildlife andtwo regions, Lower Mainlandand Kamloops.

• The Wildlife Vehicle CollisionProgram that documents andrecords collisions, then deter­mines where warning signingfor motoristsshould beplaced .The program includes speciallarge signs ("Watch For Deer"with suggested night speed),wildlife reflectors (which stopanimals momentarily until the

vehicle passes) and, if neces­sary, 2.5 metre protectivefencing.

• Funding for archaelogical re­search in conjunction with theArchaelogy and Outdoor Rec­reation Branch of the Ministryof Municipal Affairs; to assess

the impact on archaeologicalsites of road building pro­grams. Impact isavoided total­ly if possible; if not, archae­ological consultants oruniversity staff arehired to digand salvage the site. The pro­gram has worked well, andlarge explanatory signs at sitesareinteresting to the public.

• Acting as representatives onMining Development SteeringCommittees and Energy Re­view Process Committees,where the Ministry has an in­vestment in public road issues.

Unearthing clues from the past at Tsawwassen.

UNEARTHING HISTORIC ARTIFACTS ATTSAWWASSEN FERRY TERMINAL IN THELOWER MAINLAND

• The management of the road­side development section,whichisresponsible for therestareas, viewpoints, floral dis­plays and landscaping on free­ways and highways. Essentiallymaintenance management, thisarea of Ministry operations hashada very positivepublicrela­tions impact.

Mike and Angela areoften con­tacted when something outof theordinary arises inproblem-solvingareas. They split most assign­ments, managing between themaseries of consultants, Abrams hasspecial expertise in communitystudies, and the impact of pro­jects on towns and residentialareas. She is, says Kent, "verygood in public forums." Both actasrepresentatives of the Ministryat frequent publicmeetings to lis­tenand respond to environmentalissues and concerns."It's been working well" , Kent

says. "We seem to have achieveda nicebalance."

Consulting inIndonesiaIn 1987, Mike Kent took a three­

month leave of absence (April­July) fromhiswork inenvironmen­tal services for the Ministry andtravelled to Indonesia as aconsul­tant to that nation 's vastMinistryof Public Works, located in thecapital of Jakarta. Hewasasked tohelp a team from Dalhousie Uni­versity in Halifax, working to de­velop a major environmental im­pact program for Indonesiathrough CIDA (Canadian Interna­tional Development Agency) .

Four Canadians wereselected towork with various Ministries, andKent was assigned to PublicWorks, which includes three ma­jor departments: Highways; Wa­ter Resources, Irrigation andSwamp Reclamation; and PublicHousing and Planning - with a

total of over 600,000 employeesthrough the country!"I workedwith their majorplan­

ning department" , Kent says."They run about 900 projects ayear. I tried to understand how thesystem works, where they shoulddo studies. The communication inthe Ministry was poor; it was achallenge to figure out how to im­prove it. ""I wrote a manual on how to do

environmental impactassessmentin relation to their projects. I hadto consider highways, all waterresource projects and the publichousing group, and put it all to­getherinto aprocess. It wasa fas­cinating and stressful threemonths."I saw a lot of the country, and

many dam and housing projects,areas with horrendous waterqual­ity and sewage problems. In Bali,for instance, there is a potentialwater shortage in tourist areas inthe dry season, and landfill prob­lems. Toxic materials had beenleaking into and killing the man­grove swamps. I helped writeterms of reference for environ­mental impact studies. It waschallenging, and sometimes a lotof fun." I certainly got an in-depth look

at theproblems of thethirdworld.I tried to do good practical envi­ronmental work, using the sameapproach I do here in B.C. and Itried to make an immense bu­reaucracy a little moreefficient."It's a huge country, with a pop­

ulation of 150million - 60 millionon Java alone - spread over13,000 islands. It's vast geo­graphically, as wide as Canada.They have major problems withair and water pollution, pestspraying, industrial and humanwaste, disease."It wasagreatexperience, a real

eye-opener. Although it wasn'tal­ways easy or fun, I wouldn't havemissed it. "

A project to widen Highway 17from theTsawwassen Ferry Termi­nal to 56th Avenue in the LowerMainland was still in the designstage when an environmental as­sessment was carried out on anearby midden, which is essen­tially an ancient refuse disposalsite."Our new access road, connect­

ing to the Highwayat the endofthe Tsawwassen Causeway, im­pacts quite a bit on this middenand, under the Heritage Conser­vation Act, we must salvage thissite," said Mike Kent.

When theyinspected thesitelastDecember, Arcas Associates, con­sulting Archaelogists andAnthro­pologists, under contract to theMinistries of Municipal Affairs,Recreation andCulture andTrans­portation and Highways, recov­ered four native Indian burialswith the aid of the TsawwassenNative Band. "We arenot sure ofthe age of these remains," saidMike, "but we should know moreafter they areexamined."

According to the report, fourother burials were previously re­covered from the same mound.These were determined to befrom either the Marpole culture,dated 1500-1100 years ago and/or to the Gulf of Georgia phase,dated 1100-200 years past."We are proposing a $260,000

salvage of the midden before ac­tual work begins because I amsure we will findmoreremains andsome artifacts," outlined Kent.While this delayed the start of

construction on thewidening pro­ject, it should not pose a problemto thecompletion schedule. Workcan begin assoon asthesalvage iscompleted on each area of themidden. "In other words," ex­plains Mike, "the salvage andconstruction crews are workingside by side to carry out their re­spective projects."Most of the artifacts recovered

here will begivento theTsawwas­sen Indian Band. The remains, aswell, will be returned to them forburial.

9

JUNE4-11, 1989

Bob Culver's submission is a watercolour, highlightingthe various modes of transportation throughout theprovince.

Rodney Sanches' poster, depicting recreational activitiesusing transportation. Rodney 's ambition is to be acartoonist.

NationalTransportationWeek

judging theposters, were Ken Hughes, Director of Design/ Media forthe Emily Carr College of Art in Vancouver; DanMurray, Art Directorandjohn Leonard, President, both from Walker, Leonard Advertising,Vancouver.

crowd. Rodney Sanches, a Grade8 student at Thornhill Junior Sec­ondary School inTerrace, andBobCulver, in Grade 9 at Kimberley'sSelkirk Secondary School, wereflown to Victoria to meet theMin­ister and their MLAs, tour the cityand visit the Legislature.This trip wasthe first to Vancou­

ver Island for both Bob, Rodneyand their mothers. They assuredus it would not be the last.Congratulations to both artists.

BAITIS••,.,..

National TransportationWeek was celebrated alittle differently this

year.The Ministry approached Junior

Secondary School art teachers toask if their students would like toparticipate in a province-wideposter contest to visually explainthe importance of transportationin British Columbia.Morethan50 masterpieces were

received and all were winners.Two, though, stood out from the

10

IN THE PASTW ith the construction season upon us, these photos may re­

mind you of how far we've come in the last 80 years.

NEW SYSTEM MAKES IT EASIER TO LOCATEEXITSON MAJOR HIGHWAYS

This typeof system allows for fu­ture exit identification to be add­ed as new interchanges are builtwithout disrupting those alreadyin place.Green and white exit numbers

will be attached to the top rightcorner of directional signs, usually2 km, I kmand 500 m in advanceof exits.The program should becomplet­

ed by early summer.

Ministry ofTransportation andHighwaysHonourable Nell Van. Minister

From Left: Sharon Goddard, £IT, South Coast Region, Betty Nicholson,Manager, Communications, Honourable Neil Vant, Sandy Watson,Communications Co-ordinator for Transporta tion Planat the Pacific International Auto Showin Vancouver earlier thisyear.

A new numbering system hasbeen introduced along HighwaysIand 5, between the lower main­land and Kamloops, so that trav­ellerscan easily identify their cor­rect exit.Exitswill be numbered fromkilo­

metre "0" at Horseshoe Bay inWest Vancouver and will end 375kilometres later in Kamloops.Each exit number along the routewill correspond to its distance inkilometres from Horseshoe Bay.

GETTINGOUR MESSAGE OUT

Construction of the Trans Canada Highway near Jackass Mountain,early / 950s.

Motoring on the Malahat - Mill Bay, /9 /8 .

11

MIKE TRASK:

IN THE FIELDAn amateur paleontologist finds the big one

A schoolgroup views theElesmoseut, ondisplayin theCourtenay Museum.

Surveyor and draftsmanMike Trask of our Cour­tenay officehas hadapas­

sion for fossils since childhood.Heoftenspends hisweekends ex­ploring the fossil rich Comox val­ley for the ancient remains of in­vertebrate creatures preserved inrockandsoil. Last November 12,he made what may well be thefindof a lifetime- the80 million­year old remains of a hugeswim­ming reptile called an "elasrno­saur ", the largest creature fromthe Dinosaur Ageever found westof the Canadian Rockies.

" I hadspentthe weekend on myhands and knees looking for fos­sils" , Mike said . " I wasaware im­mediately that I had found some­thing tremendously significantand contacted Richard Hebda ofthe Royal British Columbia Muse­um,who told meto quietlycontin­ue my work. I uncovered aboutfive metres of neck in the follow­ing weeks, with about 40 verte­brae, before I decidedto stopandcallinsome professional help.Theodds against finding more than afew vertebrae are enormous, so Iknew I was on to something."

Trask 's find, confirmed by scien­tists from the Museum in Victoriaand paleontologists in Alberta,providesa rare glimpseof the an­cient Pacific Coast. It dates backto a time when the Comox Valleywas a hot, steamy, shallow,swampland .

" It's a snapshot of eastern Van­couver Island 80 million yearsago, that's what I find so exci­ting", says Hebda.

It appears that the elasmosaur, aspecies of long-necked pleiosaur,was in a shallow bay or lagoon

12

along the coastwhen it died. Theelasmosaur, which resembled ahuge turtle with a long snake-likeneck, had many sharp serratedteeth, and is believed to havelived on fish, which it caught bypropellingitself through thewaterwith wing-like limbs. The Comoxcreature may have weighed asmuch as four tonnes and been 14metres long.Trask found the remains along

the bank of the Puntledge River,which runs right through Cour­tenay. The find itself was veryclose to town, inanarea much fre­quented by fishermen and other

Mike beside his "find".

people. On April 17th, the prov­incedeclared the area a heritagesiteunderthe HeritageConserva­tion Act. "We don't want peopletaking this stuff home to put onthe mantle," Mike says."Life has been incredibly hectic

since the find was announced,"Trask comments. " I havedevotedhundreds of hours to the project,and now am frequently asked tospeak at schools, with variousbusiness groups,service clubs andthe general public. Paleontolo­gists have been crawling out ofthewoods to do anassessment ofthe site."

" It just won't cool off. I've goneout with several teachers andgroupsof students to show themhow to locate and collect fossilswithout damaging them. Theyhaveto belocated exactlyand theprocess executed meticulously,extricating the fossils from out ofthe overburden or the strata."" In this area, thereare lotsof re­

mains of the ancestors of clams,crabs, oysters andsea urchins, butuntil recently, there had been vir­tually no professional investiga­tion. It's incredibly rich with fos­sils, from the Nanaimo River totheOysterRiver, and thewholeofthe North Island."Trask has acquired an unlisted

phone number inorderto slowtheflood of requests, devoting hisspare time largely to scientistsand teachers. And, wheneverpossible, he is still out looking formore fossilized remains. "Theelasmosaur was such an extraor­dinaryfind,with somuch valuableinformation packed into it, it reallyhas stimulated me to keep sear­ching," hesays. " It waslikea fan­tasycometrue, I'm sure therearelots more to be found."

IN THE FIELDIAN SMART: Marine Manager

We need to start training more of our ownpeople and working with new technology,such as natural gas and fuel monitoringprograms.

IanSmart" I t's important to seethat. the tra~itions ofrnanne services are

continued. "

IanSmart joined theMinistry asMarine Manager four years ago.Hispositionrequires the"safe, ef­ficient, effective operation of themarine fleet." He likens his job tothat of a "built-in auditor" whoseresponsibilities include "makingsure that the life of the ship isgo­ingin therightdirection"bymoni­toring such things as machineryand lifesaving systems, generalmaintenance andcrew conduct.

Smart travels a lot in' order totouch base regularly with the 21ferries in the Highways fleet, op­erating on 15 different routes.These include"seven majors, fourcable, sixreaction andfouraerial "ferries. The seven "majors"arecarferries, and there are two in theWest Kootenay, two ontheArrowLakes, one on Francois Lake andtwo on the Fraser River. The latteris the 2000 metre Albion route,the busiest in the system, with

"both vessels banging back andforth all the time."The Fraser River ferries - the

KIa tawaand theKulleet - arethefirst natural gas ferries in Canada.

"We've had inquiries aboutthem from allover the world",Smart says. "They'vebeenagreatsuccess story. We estimate thatwe will save $120,000 a year onfuel costs between them, with sig­nificant maintenance savings aswell. With natural gas, they runcleaner and quieter; it's mucheasier on the engines."Smart emigrated to Canada in

1969 from Scotland, where hehad trained as a marine engineerandworked for 10 years for anin­ternational passenger and ship­ping company. Upon arrival inVictoria, he joined a naval archi ­tecture/marine engineering con­sulting firm for whom he workedfor 15years, rising to the positionof president.During his tenure with the firm,

hehelped design eightvessels fortheHighways fleet, aswellaspar­ticipating in "a fair amount of re-

engining andmajormodifications.Healso performed similar kinds ofwork for BC Ferries, and was in­volved in solving problems forvessels working in the Arctic, aswell as coastal vessels such asdeep sea tugs and fishing boats.Recently, Smart was elected

Chairman of the Canadian FerryOperators Association, an organi­zation whichincludes asmembersallmajorferryowners across Can­ada, such asCrown Corporations(BC Ferries among them) andpro­vincial governments. He de­scribes theassociation as"almosta lobbygroup.""Wearehaving moreregulations

thrown at us that havemajor im­plications for ferry boat owners",hecomments. "Someof themcre­ate majorproblems. For instance,if a vessel is operated beyond 50degrees latitude in certainmonths, it must carry immersionsuits for all passengers. Thatmeans that one of our memberswould have to have 1200 suitsaboard - an absurdly expensiveand impractical situation.

"There has been a lot of falloutin the international marine com­munity from ferry disasters suchasthe British ferry, HeraldofFreeEnterprise. These are starting toaffect Canadian operators, andsome of it is unwarranted; wehave excellent systems in place."AsChairman of the(FaA, Smart

directsseveral committees and is

a focal point for correspondenceand communication with govern­mentat all levels. The (FaA isof­teninvitedto participate in formu­lating regulations and to attendinternational conferences to en­sure standards throughout theworld. As the Ministry of Trans­portationandHighways isamem­ber of the CFOA, he also acts asour representative at these occa­sions, such as the Canadian Ma­rine Advisory Council which willhold its next meeting in Ottawathis fall.

In his positionasMarineMan­ager for the Ministry, Smart sayshe feels it is important to ensurethat younger people progressthrough the system.

"I've been encouraging an ap­prenticeship program", he notes,"and our first marine engineer hasjust graduated; there are otherscoming along. We need to starttraining more of our own peopleand working with new technol­ogy, such as natural gas and fuelmonitoring programs.

"I think it's important to see

that the traditions of marine ser­vice are continued as well, rightdown to properuniforms. It givesour peoplean importantsense ofidentity, and is reassuring to thepublic. Our staff members arehighly professional and compe­tent, and it is vital that they beseen to be so by the people wetransport."

13

IN THE FIELDNEW APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS

Walter Cheveldeaw receives a 25 year award from Rodney Chapman,

Directorof Construction and Project Director on the Okanagan Highway 97,

Walter started with Construction Branch in 1960asa student. He has

worked on severalprojects throughout B.c.. including Phase I of the

Coquihalla. He is currently working on Phase III. Okanagan Connector.

Ken Matthias receives a 25 year award from Rodney. Ken has been involved

in a number of major projects in B.C. including Tumbler Ridge and Coquihalla

Phase I and II. He is presently working on Phase III.

Don Ranta, Construction Branch, receives a Level I Certificate, Technical

Skills Program. from Rodney Chapman.

14

VICTORIAC. McLachlan.Financial Systems Administration .8903 19G. Denike,Pay Leave Management Clerk.890529E.F. Brouwers,Financial Systems, 89 03 05Wj. Barnswel/,Contract Administration,8905 15M. Stebbing.Budget. 89 05 01L.M. Pengelly,Compliance, 8904 30D.M. Robinson,Accounts Payable, 89 04 03WD. Chappel/,Budget, 89 04 20M. Laverty,Training, 890401R.D. Cooper,Engineering Assistant, 89 05 15M. T. Poruini,Engineering Assistant, 89 04 24}. Hilts,Engineering Assistant, 89 03 01B.G. Decorte,Regional Liaison Assistant,890301K.R. Johnson,MO 3, 890501j. Kirk,Clerk Stenographer 3, 8905 015. Griffith,Word Processing Clerk, 89 05 01G. Stringer,Assistant Supervisor ­General Office, 8903 13I.M. Deluz,Typist, 89 05 10}. Glasier,OA2,890501G.A. Tronrud,Manager Maintenance Programs,890406M. Godo,Engineer in Training, 8905 15

D. Lee,Highway Safeway, 890501G.lwoskow,Maintenance-Engineer inTraining,8904 17A. Keo,Bridge-Engineering in Training,890417

FRANCOIS LAKEtc. Christensen,Marine Engineer, 89 04 16

MARGUERITE FERRYR. W Kelly,Ferryman, 89 03 05

USK FERRYR.A. Gold, Ferryman, 89 04 19a .G. Karlsen,Head Ferryman, 8904 19

NELSONP. Barnes,Laboratory Supervisor, 89 04 16M.A. Frederiksen,Project Supervisor, 89 05 0IG.F. Walter,Project Supervisor, 89 05 01F. Bailey,Laboratory, 89 05 01

PRINCE GEORGED.R. Beal,Laboratory, 8905 14T.N. Hetbtcbt.Regional Geotechnical Engineer,890320H.R.}. Bottle,Beam/Drill Helper, 89 03 05R.A. Fredrickson,Regional Operations, 8905 15j. Harrison,Regulator Stenographer,89 0320L.A. Iegmenn,Maintenance Systems, 89 03 19

CRANBROOKD.}. Morrison,Project Supervisor, 89 05 0 I

IN THE FIELD

RETIREMENTS FOR MARCH (15-31),APRIL AND MAY

j. Whitnack,Regional Construction, 89 03 09

C Demmings,Engineering Assistant, 89 04 II

SMITHERSE. Ryan,Project Supervisor, 89 03 16D. Bontron, EmployeeRehabilitation, 89 05 0 Ij . Class, Engineer AssistantRegulatory , 890403F.M. Seychuk,Regulatory Engineering, 8903 13

TERRACEP.C. Taylor,Project Supervisor, 89 03 28A. Evenchick,Avalanche Technician, 89 03 05D.K. Bentley,Engineer Assistant-Field,890410WC. Taekema,Engineer Assistant, 89 04 03

QUESNELH.F. Chamberlin,Employee Rehabilitation,8905 15l.H. Trueman, MO 7 8905 14D. Young,Maintenance Systems, 89 03 18V. Schmautz,DistrictStenographer, 89 03 18

SQUAMISHW jonat,Road Area Manager, 89 05 23

GIBSONSA.t Popp,Area Manager, 89 03 01

POWELL RIVERR.C White,AreaManager, 89 05 23

NEW WESTMINSTERM.L. High,Secretary to the DistrictHighways Manager, 89 04 03

HOPER. jones,Area Manager, 89 04 01

KAMLOOPSD.j. Lincoln, OA 2, 89 03 06

N.E. Parkes,Traffic Engineer, 89 04 10CR. Osbourne,Project Manager, 89 05 15CB. LeBlond,Project Manager, 89 05 05D.T. Schleppe,Engineer Assistant, 89 05 05

PENTICTONG. R. Gobolos,Engineer Assistant, 89 03 06M.j. Woodcock,Branch Area Manager, 8905 0 ICG. Hutchins,Road Area Manager, 89 03 19

MERRITTWo. Metzger.Road Area Manager, 89 04 I 7

unOOHD. Duplantie,OA 2, 890401l.C. jeyes.Road Area Manager, 89 05 14

100 MILE HOUSEC.A. Irving,Engineer Assistant, 89 04 03

NEEDLESK.j. Siemens,MarineMate, 8905 15

REVELSTOKEI.A. Rayfield,DistrictOfficeManager, 890402

DAWSON CREEKj .G. Dahlen,District Stenographer, 89 03 06M.j. Mineault,Regional Construction, 89 03 06N. W Schier;Branch Area Manager, 89 04 03

FORT ST. JOHNA. Armstrong,OA2.890501A. Peck,Regulator Stenographer, 890501B.j. Deakin,Road Area Manager, 89 03 19

McBRIDES.K. Brimacombe,Regulator Stenographer, 890320A.F. Young, OA 2, 890403

SAANICHM.A. Donald,Engineer Assistant, 8904 10

Lome Pagliaro, start date No­vember 18, 1985 - retirementdateMarch31 , 1989(3 years ser­vice) located at Fraser Valley Dis­trict (Chilliwack) classificationMachine Operator I .

Clyde Smaaslet, startdateFebru­ary 1, 1960- retirement dateMay3I , 1989(29years service) locat­ed at Central /North East Region(Prince George) classification Re­gional Manager of Finance.

Bob Standen, start date April 8,1957 - retirement date April 30,1989(32years of service) locatedat Central/North East Region(Prince George) classification Re­gional Manager of Design andSurveys.

Walter Blair, start date Septem­ber 15, 1980 - retirement dateMarch31, 1989(8 years service)located at Sunshine Coast District(Gibsons), classification MachineOperator 3.

Fred Chambers, startdate Febru­ary I , t956 - retirement dateMarch 31 , 1989(33 years of ser-

COURTENAYu: jensen, Regulatory, 8905 01R. Mochizuki,Branch Area Manager, 890403

PORT ALBERNIj.C Robertson,Engineer Assistant, 89 04 12

NANAIMOM. Menzel,Professional Services,Engineer in Training, 89 05 08

VERNOND. Sloat, Mechanic, 89 03 13

vice) located at North Peace Dis­trict (Ft. St. John), classificationRoad Foreman'A'.

Ron Dash, start date May 18,1954- retirement dateMarch 31 ,1989(34years service) located atVancouver Island Region (Nan­aimo) classification RegionalManager of Construction.

Gary Galbraith, start date Octo­ber 26, 1972 - retirement dateMarch 31. 1989(16 years of ser­vice) located at Fraser Valley Dis­trict (Chi lliwack) classificationRoad Foreman" A".

Bill Kortegaard, start date July22. 1958- retirement dateMarch31 , 1989(30 years service) locat­ed at Central Kootenay District(Nelson) classification MechanicForeman "A".

Kaare Nilsen, start date March17. 1975- retirement dateMarch31. 1989(3years service) locatedat Fraser Valley District(Chilliwack) classification Ma­chine Operator 1.

15

PROFILE

"I appreciate the responsibility andaccountability. I've had a wonderful receptionin Karnloops: people have been very warmand friendly."

Barb Severyn:"I love workingwith people"

Keith Besptlug. Regional Director.Thompson/OkanaganandBarb

Severyn.

Barb Severyn took up hernew position as RegionalPersonnel Officer in Kam­

loopsonJune I , 1989, Barb joinedthe Ministry 12 years ago as anauxiliaryclerk/typ ist intheregion­al office in Nelson, and workedherway up to the positionof Re­gional Personnel Assistant. Hercareer has been marked by hercharacteristic enthusiasm anden­ergy, which have carried her upthrough the ranks ,

Barb has never satback and rest­ed on her laurels, and has alwaystaken steps to further her trainingand education, After working fortwo years asclerk-typist, she be­came regional secretary to the Di­rector, aposition she held forato­tal of six years,

"For the first three years, Iworked solely for the Director",Barb said , "But I realized that Ineeded morechallenge in the job,so I was offered the management

16

of the office staff. I could thentake on several new responsibil ­ities, such as reassigning duties,job evaluations, employee evalu­ations - whatever I could learn, Iwanted moreexposure to a widerange of experiences, and I waslucky enough to get it."In 1985, the Personnel Assistant

at Nelson moved to another job,andBarb won theappointment totheposition, "I gainedexperienceand knowledge through accept­ing challenges frommy boss, vol­unteering to substitute for the Re­gional Personnel Officerwhenever possible, taking addi­tional courses - going beyondthe job expectations, In order fora person to do this, they have tohave bosses who will recognizeand challenge their ability, andgive them the opportunity toprove themselves, After my bosswasconfident I could take on theadded responsibilities, weworked well as an effective

team,"

Inhernew positionat Kamloops,Barb 's responsibilities include la­bour and employee relations,staffing and recruitment, safety

(from meeting WCB standards inindustrial first-aid, to thenew Fed­eral Workplace Hazardous Mate­rials Information System, to thetransportation of dangerousgoods). As well, she will be set­ting up and participating in train­ing programs in areas such asmanagement development, la­bour relations, women's pro­gramsand contract management."All this, of course, is designed

to meet the Ministry's and the

employee's needs" , she says,"Training has become very impor­tant in the lastyearaswe movetodeal with the shift in emphasisfrombeingdoersto becomingad­ministrators and inspectors."I'm looking forward to my new

job, It's excitingforme, a big pro­motion. It's a challenging andex­citing time, with all the changesgoing on in the Ministry."I appreciate the responsibility

and accountability. I've had awonderful reception in Karnloops.peoplehavebeen very warmandfriendly."Barb says that she will miss Nel­

son ("it's so green and gor­geous! ") and it will take time toadjust to the much drier environ­ment of Kamloops. But she willcontinue to enjoyher favourite af­ter-hours activitiesof skiing (wa­ter and snow), cycling, slo-pitchsoftball and walking her goldenretriever.And asalways, therewill be the

satisfaction of herjob. "I reallyen­joy personnel work", she says.

" It's ever-changing and has greatvarietyto it. It's asdifferentasthepeople you deal with. I like thechallenges of problem-solvingand the positive aspects of staff­ing, recruitment and training.There is the downside of griev­ances and the aftermath of priva­tization, but these things have tobedealtwith andseen through tocompletion. I love working withpeople, and that's what it's allabout. "