Ominayak visits U of A classrooms

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Interest in the Lubicon Lake land claim issue is growing on the University of Alberta campus.

In the past few weeks the chief of the landless band has met with U of A students and has been invited into the classrooms of Native Studies and sociology. Teachers taking their practicums have also asked for information about the band.

A student support group at the university organized a protest during the Olympic torch relay run and also held a public forum which was attended by Chief Ominayak.

On April 10, Helen Caldicott, an anti-nuclear war activist will speak at the Jubilee Auditorium on local issues including Lubicon Lake, however, the main theme of her talk will be nuclear disarmament.

Chief Ominayak may attend.

'In the nightsometimes I do the work'

Golosky starts small, now employs over 100

By Shelley Shehinski, Fort McMurray, Alberta

Doug Golosky and his wife Carol have taken one holiday, four days long, in the last four years.

The pair work 12-hour days, sometimes through the night, seven days a week. But Doug Golosky, the Cree owner of Clearwater Welding and Fabricating Ltd., isn't complaining. A successful contractor who started just four short years ago with three workers and a tiny shop, Golosky now heads up a large plant with an average of 100 employees.

Either Doug or Carol, the bookkeeper, can always be found at the shop. "We've had four days off since we started this. We were going to go to Vegas last summer but we never made it. Work comes first."

The business is a family affair. Golosky's four brothers all work with him and are one of the oldest families in Fort McMurray. All were raised just a block from Golosky's Fraser Avenue shop.

The profession of welding also runs in the family. A welder by trade, the final decision by Golosky to open his business came after working for too many others who went bankrupt.

"I decided if they could run a business, I guess I could."

With the mainstay of Clearwater's work for oil and sulphur companies, and mending the odd garbage truck, Golosky admits there's strong competition for welding jobs. He's quite willing, however, to part with his secrets to success.

"When you do get a contract, you have to look after it. We have 140 employees and I finally got an office," he chuckles. "And you have to live up to your word. I treat all my guys like I would like to be treated."

Business integrity and just common sense have forced Golosky to actually turn down jobs, like one in the Yukon last summer.

"We had opportunities to go places but I've always held back."

That doesn't mean this businessman is willing to just sit back and watch things fall behind, or worse yet, fall into a rut. "There's room for improvement but it takes time. You've got to learn to walk before you run."

He's never considered moving his business to a large Alberta center. He and his family, including mother Eva, still run traplines in the McMurray area. But welding work has taken Golosky to at least 320 km from McMurray to Chipewyan Lakes. He remembers driving to the bush where his men were working at 4:30 one morning to deliver a piece of needed equipment.

"I feel guilty sometimes calling my guys out in the middle of the night so sometimes I go out and do the work," he said.

His commitment to good business practices and equal opportunity were recognized by a major Fort McMurray company when Clearwater maintained a 50 per cent Native workforce on a contract job.

The commitment to hiring Native isn't a deceptive move on Golosky or his fellow employees' parts. "If we have to hire four people, we try to hire two Natives and one woman. We don't have to, but everybody's equal." On an average working day, Golosky's shop has a 25 to 30 per cent Native workforce.

With a flourishing business, everything seems to have fallen into place for Golosky. He's pleased with his success but points out his beginnings were humble.

"I just made up my mind one dayI said 'this is what we're going to do.' Its still a risk; everyday's a risk. Before I just had one boss and now I've got all kinds of people working for me that are bosses.

Does he plan to continue to work hard and retire early?

"I don't think that'll ever happen. You just get addicted to the work after you're here seven days a week."