OPINION. MEMBER OF THE ESTABLISHED AUGUST 7, 1947 Castlégar News PAGE A4, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1990 PRESS COUNCIL HE MID-Wi LV. CAMPBELL — PUBLISHER, AUGUST 7, 1947-FEBRUARY 15, 1973 PUBLISHER — Burt Campbell EDITOR — Simon Birch PLANT FOREMAN — Peter Harvey ADVERTISING MANAGER — Wayne Stoiz OFFICE MANAGER — Linda Kositsin CIRCULATION MANAGER — TWICE WEEKLY MAY 4, 1980 12, 1976- T 27, 1960 ther Hadley EDITORIAL Money well spent The Regional District of Central Kootenay board of directors cer- tainly isn’t afraid to take a stand and back it up with meaningful action. After consulting with its lawyers, the board voted Saturday to challenge in court the federal Ministry of Transport’s decision to remove air traffic controllers from Castlegar Airport on Oct. 31 and replace them with staff from the flight service station. The regional district directors, like many others-in this area, have smelled the stench of a broken promise from the Conservative gover- nment to consult with local governments in the West Kootenay before tampering with the tower and we wish the board success in trying to clip Transport Canada’s wings in court. Consulting with lawyers and going to court these days isn’t cheap, but there’s a principle of fairness involved here and we feel taking on the Tories over this issue will be money well spent. The regional district board could have been forgiven for being somewhat gun-shy of another legal tussle so soon after its long and ultimately unsuccessful battle to get B.C. Hydro to pay taxes on its Columbia River Treaty dams and properties in the West Kootenay. But this board has a strong sense of fair play and justice and it’s good to see it stand up for what it thinks is right. Even if the regional district loses, taking the federal government to court should serve notice that what many perceive as arrogance from the country’s senior government, which has a penchant for acting unilaterally, will not be accepted without strong protest. Winning a majority in the House of Commons should not be carte blanche for running roughshod over services and facilities which people and governments in the various regions of Canada feel are valuable and worth saving — especially without consultation or compromise. We hope the courts agree. VIEWPOINTS Global economy here to stay By TERRY O’SHAUGHNESSY Globalization certainly seems to be the buzzword of the '90s. The complex mesh of economic and social ties among nations deepens every day, bringing with it irrevocable changes to the world economy and rewriting the history books along the way. The economic unification of European nations into a single massive trading block by 1992 is only one example of the almost startling evolution of what has come to be kn- own as the ‘‘global economy” — a new reality that will profoundly change the lives of nations and citizens alike. For delegates at the recent Inter- national Small Business Congress (ISBC) in Korea the topic of discussion was the evolution of the global economy, focusing on what this process will mean for indepen- dent business owners heading into the 21st century. John Bulloch, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, says the-global economy is here to stay as computers and ations technologies make global marketing, production and finance an integral part of working 9 to 5. irrefutably change the way we do business. It is an exciting challenge. Free enterprise, on the massive stage of international commerce, is a natural fit for entrepreneurs.” Bulloch points out, however, that globalization is a process of change that will only be successful if it is built on broad public consensus. In Canada, for example, the federal government’s economic agenda on free trade and sales tax reform is designed to remove restrictions on trade. While consensus was developed on the issue of free trade, agreement became impossible over the design of the infamous goods and services tax as soon as the needs of government and big business were given priority over the needs of consumers and small business. The result has been political chaos But globalization is not something to be feared, says Bulloch. “*We are at the crossroads of a new world where international borders and national governments become in- creasingly dbsolete and an economic system evolves where consumers are more important than producers, where competitive forces provide checks and balances on the abuse of Power, and where personal freedom is is an Process,’’ says Bulloch, ‘‘because it is fostered and driven by forces outside the control of national governments. It is a fact that technology has revolutionized communications bet- ween trans-national corporations and international cities and will ma d. And its success depends on the willingness of Canadians, par- ticularly small business, to accept and adapt to change.” Terry O'Shaughnessy writes for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. PM too hesitant By DAVID SOMERVILLE One of the problems with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is he doesn’t know a good thing when he sees it. Take privatization, for example. Here’s a policy which, if implemented enthusiastically, would help the economy, reduce the federal deficit and boost the PM’s sagging popularity. For some reason, however, Mulroney approaches privatization like a shy schoolboy approaching the homecoming queen for a date. He is timid, unsure and hesitant. His recently announced plan to sell Petro-Can is a case in point. Even Petro-Canada’s management thought the company would run better in the Private sector. Nevertheless, the Tory government waffled for six long years before finally announcing it would be willing to sell a mere 15 per cent of the state-owned oil company. Mulroney’s reluctance to embrace Privatization more enthusiastically Puts him out of step with the world, Indeed, more than 100 countries from every point in the globe are now ac- tively privatizing. Besides making the economy more efficient, privatization has the added bonus of being popular with the public. Take the Petro-Can example again. A recent national poll by Angus Reid showed that 70 per cent of Canadians agreed that Petro- Canada should be privatized Instead of dithering, he should just get on with it. As a respected authority on privatization. Dr. Mad- sen Pirie, noted recently, Privatization is like learning to swim. David Somerville is president of The National Citizens’ Coalition. _.ASHMIL PRICE To fAY'T0 GET “SADDAM OUTOF KUNAIT... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Input needed Castlegar’s Downtown Business Association, in conjunction with the City of Castlegar, has initiated a revitalization program for the North Castlegar commercial area. The geographic area being considered stretches from one block north of the railway overpass bridge on Columbia Avenue to the bottom of Sherbiko Hill, and encompasses all of the downtown core. The first step in the revitalization program is the preparation of a revitalization strategy. Urban Systems Ltd., a consulting firm with broad experience in downtown revitalization, has been retained to assist in the preparation of the strategy. The purpose of undertaking the revitalization strategy is to Provide guidance and direction to alter strengths and weaknesses, and sets goals and (which carefully avoids the word ‘‘expansion’’) could have directed some effort to promote a “*clean”’ chip transport such as barge or rail. How can this group adopt such a high-flying title and yet ignore the obviously grossly polluting chip transport by truck? Just because the mill says so? As far as I can see, CCCM goes along with anything foreign-owned Celgar proposes without questioning even the most obvious contradictions on chip supply, toxic emissions, chip transport, etc. Castlegar’s mayor, the chamber of commerce and CCCM are a fine bunch of environmentally conscious people, as is Santa Claus. Celgar’s communist Chinese and other part owners knew five years ago that the mill was outdated and needed upgrading. Where was CCCM then? How many hundreds of millions of dollars profit went‘into foreign pockets? And how much of that should have been spent on pollution control and wasn’t? It is pretty naive to think that Celgar is Proposing expansion for the sake of the local objectives to be achieved through rev It deals not only with ca: works such as roads, sidewalks, lighting, plantings and so forth, but also building facades and the marketing/ promotion of the area. The results of the revitalization strategy are not concept drawings and cost estimates. Those come later. The result is, however, a clear and firm indication of where the commercial area stands and where it is going. Of key importance to the revitalization strategy is public input — from merchants and business people, property owners, ¢lected officials and other interested parties. This i input will shape . The pany’s owners are doing it to line their pockets with short-term profits. Everyone who believes that their paycheques are secure just by agreeing to the expansion as proposed better take a closer look. Celgar has not been a good corporate citizen in the future with additional demands such as more production, more trucks, more pollution. Some scenario: ‘‘Give us what we want or the mill will close.” And again, we'll see a similar citizen group form, again nodding their heads in agreement with the Suits that all is well as long as we go the direction of all future During the week of Oct. 8, various meetings were held to solicit input from all of these quarters. A business survey was also initiated. Copies are available at city hall. Further opportunities to make your feelings known will be provided when the draft strategy is reviewed in early November. Please watch for notices of further public meetings. Active participation will ensure that revitalization of the North Castlegar commercial area fully meets the expectations of not only the area’s merchants and property owners, but the community at large. Jack Parkin President Downtown Business Association Castlegar Dirty business I would like to praise the Castlegar News for its excellent coverage of the issues involved on the question of the Celgar expansion. Yours is the one Paper in the region which deals objectively with economics versus environment. Bravo! It is clear by now that the fear of losing the Paycheque has clouded the vision of many people in Castlegar. I do understand their concern but do they fully understand the impact of over 41,000 chip trucks annually on the people and the environment? Do they have any idea of how much along with anything Celgar dictates. If you are really for a ‘‘clean”’ pulp mill you must also lobby for a ‘‘clean’’ chip transport, otherwise the title Citizens for a Clean Celgar Modernization is just a farce. Please, check the latest findings on dioxins Of course, this report was prepared by real outside experts-who must know what they are talking about. It’s too bad they never checked to see how many days a year the Shelter Bay ferry is unable to run because of ice conditions. A tug and barge wood chip delivery system is economically competitive, that is why it is employed to supply every pulp mill accessible by water in B.C. without exception. The mill at Castlegar is no different. Indeed, it was both designed and specifically sited to receive waterborne wood supply. Buried in the summary of the wood chip transportation options section of the study is a very revealing conclusion which stat “Based on this analysi concluded that 7 the use of rail or barge to move wood chips is not cost-competitive with use of trucks unless the infrastructure is provided at no cost and/or there are large rate reductions.”’ The implication underlying this conclusion is that the infrastructure of feeder roads for truck delivery of wood chips is to be paid for and provided by the taxpayer and therefore other transportation alternatives are not competitive. hatever happened to free enterprise? Surely a tug and barge delivery system makes more sense than a fleet of taxpayer-subsidized chip trucks running night and day cloggirig our ferries and roads. Capt. Brian Plummer New Denver Photos liked There is something I have wanted to tell you for many months. In my opinion, your photographer, Ed Mills, is excellent. His pictures are always so original. I find myself looking through the paper for his photos before I read anything. Keep up the good work. And maybe, some day, you could clean up the looks of the “‘For sale miscellaneous’’ column? Nel with pulp or the cancer risks for pulp mill workers or the fact that there is an ever-increasing demand for unbleached pulp. Don’t just swallow Celgar’s claims, do your own title proud and truly lobby for a clean mill and a clean transport scheme. But it is hard to think straight with the fear of losing the paycheque and Celgar knows that. Gunter Retterath Winlaw Document skewed have recently completed reading the transportation section of the modernization study of the Celgar pulp mill. I am in disagreement with this somewhat skewed document. There is an assumption that because the distance of the Arrow Lakes is shorter in relation to the total distances of feeder roads in the mill’s wood-chip supply area that the cost of operating a tug and barge chip delivery system would be uneconomic. I disagree. The projected costs of building and operating the loading/ off-loading terminals are at best inflated esti: The terminal concept is so carbon dioxide is by both the mill and the dirty chip transport scheme for purely economic reasons? We have to breathe the same air. You can’t just do a little business here and escape to a safer, Pollution-free planet elsewhere. This is i The term ‘‘greenhouse effect distant threat. It’s right here, right now! Citizens for a Clean Celgar Modernization limited it fails to consider the inclusion of a system of shuttle barges carrying loaded chip trailers. Environmental concerns are neither raised or factored into consideration of transportation routes or systems. There is an erroneous assumption that a terminal at Shelter Bay would be unable to function “*on average, for six weeks of the year due to ice conditions.”’ Robson Editor’s note: I agree with Mr. Vandergaag’s comments about Ed Mills. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the best move on quickly to bigger and better things and Ed will be leaving the Castlegar News on Nov. 2 for a job on Vernon’s daily newspaper. The news department is not in shares of the ads but Mr. ion h: been passed on to the publisher. Please address all letters to the editor to: Letters to the Editor, Castlegar News, P.O. Box 3007, Castlegar, B.C. VIN 3H4, or deliver them to our office at 197 Columbia Ave. in Castlegar. Letters should be typewritten, double- Spaced and not longer than 300 words. Letters MUST be signed and include the writer's first and last names, address and a telephone number at which the writer can be reached between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The writer's namé and city or town of residence only will be published. Only in exceptional cases will letters be published without the writer's name. Nevertheless, the name, address and telephone number of the writer MUST be disclosed to the editor. The Castlegar News reserves the right to edit letters for brevity, clarity, legality, grammar and taste. Recession could sink Tories CP News Analysis the polls, Mulroney government stuck low in budget cuts, Prime Minister Brian pap but no one wants to be blamed By Larry Welsh OTTAWA (CP) — Why are so many people making such a big deal out of whether Finance Minister Michael Wilson uses the ‘r’ word? Many Canadians already believe high interest rates have pushed the country into a recession, People who have lost their jobs and company presidents forced to put their firms in bankruptcy. But whether or not Wilson says the word, recession is also about politics — dangerous politics for the ravaged by fearful consumers and businesses. After weeks of dancing around the issue, Wilson finally said Monday the economy has slipped into a recession, but it should not be severe. “*Yesterday evening, the minister became the last person in this country to be willing to use the ‘r’ word, recession," Opposition leader Herb Gray told the Commons on Tuesday. Despite sleaze scandals, the con- troversial goods and services tax and and his have always enjoyed high marks from the public for handling the economy. But Wilson’s admission that the economy is shrinking could shake one of the last remaining sources of sup- Port for the beleaguered Tories. “*Perhaps the biggest failure which a finance minister can be responsible for is leading a country’s economy in- to a period of economic decline,”’ said New Democrat MP Steven Langdon. All finance ministers realize the economy has to slow from time to running the economy into the ground. “That's why the politics of it — despite the attempt to say ‘Well, this is just a mild recession’ — are so lethal,” added Langdon. Refusing to use the word recession for several weeks while major think- tanks, the government’s own economic adviser, banks and business groups declared the economy was shrinking, has hurt Wilson's credibility. o LOCAL NEWS PAVING THE WAY A hte from Artec, ey willl lok: ths out.a liné of ashpalt slong | Highway 3A near the Castlegar Airpo of the highway b gar and Nelson expects to the work ae a Toouple OF Weeks. —cosriews photo by td ils + 29" (68.5 cm) Monitor/Receiver + New Dome Sound System + S-VHS input + Unified TV/VCR remote control + Data Grade Square Picture Tube The heart of the New Dome | ee eee om non-resonant ich wraps” sound ind the tube, juci phe mp tine ost duotecs” [troducing PC-21V66S OPTIONAL MATCHING STANDS Ran ABLe SEE DEALE! 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