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COLUMN: Nancy Greene’s victory parade in Nelson

A look back at events from March, 1968
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MARCH 1968

Dateline: - March 5, 1968

The queen and her court of world-class skiers returned home Monday to an emotional greeting from about 4,000 Nelson and district residents. Nancy Greene, winner of gold and silver medals last month in the 1968 Winter Olympics at Grenoble France, accepted most of the plaudits during a two-mile parade through Nelson to Notre Dame University and again during a 90-minute reception at the university, home of Canada’s national alpine ski team. Miss Greene, World Cup champion last season and favored to repeat this year, drew a standing ovation from about 300 at the reception.

Dateline: - March 2, 1968

Nelson City Council decided Monday night to authorize consulting engineering firms to submit estimates on a supplemental pumping system for Nelson. The proposed system, if accepted, would use water from Kootenay Lake. Ald. Edith Van Maarion questioned the wisdom of building a supplemental pumping system drawing water from a lake in which the city is dumping raw sewage. She was informed that last year, when she was not a council member, that medical authorities had okayed water from higher up as fit for city use. The medical report had said, she was told, that filtering and chlorination would be desirable in treating the water, but not necessary.

Dateline: - March 7, 1968

Kootenay Forest Products management or supervisory personnel, many of whom had found their cars or garages sprayed with paint during the previous night, failed to cross picket lines when they found a jeering crowd of about 200 striking woodworkers at the plant gate Wednesday morning. It was the first major incident to occur here since members of the International Woodworkers of America went on strike in the Southern Interior October 4. The picket line was bolstered after the company advertised in the Nelson Daily News Wednesday that it has “no option but to begin working again with our managers, supervisors – and anyone else who wants a job at fair pay.” The jeering, whistling and singing crowd, which included plywood plant women employees, some with children, was planted solidly at the main gate just off Gordon Road when supervisory personnel walked to the gate. Told by Police Chief H.M. Tomlinson they must not block the gate and that they must keep moving, they continued to jeer and staff members turned back.

Dateline: - March 19, 1968

The formation of a Nelson Police Association, union of police officers, was announced to Nelson City Council Monday night by the Federal Department of Labor. In a letter to Council, the Department advised councillors that the Nelson Police Association had applied for certification as a bargaining agent for sergeants, corporals and constables on the Nelson City Police force. “This means another union we have to deal with,” said Mayor Louis Maglio.

Dateline: - March 20, 1968

Unlike the theme of W.C. Handy’s Basin Street jazz immortal Long Gone, Nelson’s John Houston memorial on Vernon Street is ……. still here. John’s monument was the subject of heated debate at Monday night’s meeting of Nelson City Council during discussion of a letter from Regional Highways noting that responsibility for the moving of the memorial rested with the city. They further went on to rescind the previous offer to compensate the city of moving the Houston Memorial and the Cenotaph. Alderman Terry Wayling was not prepared to accept this decision and felt that Council would be derelict if it was prepared to accept the traffic situation and not take steps to improve the flow. Recognizing that a small segment of the city’s population opposed the moving of the Houston Memorial and the Cenotaph, Mr. Wayling declared “I appreciate and sympathize with those in favor of leaving them alone, but this is not progressive.” “What will we do with this letter?” queried Mayor Maglio. Various courses of possible action were discussed but Council finally agreed to receive and file.

Dateline: - March 27, 1968

The beauty of Cottonwood Falls will not be marred by new road construction, the Regional Highways Engineer confirmed yesterday. The Department has tentative plans to build an “arch-type structure” over the falls to accommodate traffic on a proposed new interchange. The interchange would provide a new, faster access into Nelson from the new highway to Taghum, presently under construction, and from the Salmo Highway. It was pointed out that this would avoid right angle turns and school zones on both accesses. The road would be three lanes on heavier grades. Besides having scenic value, the falls are a historic landmark in the development of British Columbia. The first hydro development in the Pacific Northwest was located there in Nelson’s early years. The wheel from the plant is on display at the entrance to Lakeside Park in the City.