Le,.-.acive Library, Parliament Bldgs., 501 B -* Victoria, B. C. Vav 1x4 bi Vol, 41, No, 80 t 60 Cents RSM La YN astlegar News CASTLEGAR, BRITISH COLUMBIA, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1988 Tomorrow there will be tog or low cloud in the morning changing to mainly sunny atternoon, Highs ' expected for 4 Sections (A, B, C&D) iemmennaeate Election campaign heats up By RON NORMAN Editor The Conservative party incumbent in Kootenay West-Revelstoke, lashed out at his New Democratic Party today as the leading to the Nov. 21 federal election began to heat up. Bob Brisco accused Lyle Kristiansen of a “fear campaign” in remarks Kristiansen has made about the Canada-U.S. free-trade. agreement's effect on Canada's social programs. Brisco called it “absolutely ridiculous" to suggest Canada's “social net will be imperiled” by an economic agreement with the U.S. Brisco made the comment in an interview with the Castlegar News after he was asked about voter reaction during house-to-house canvassing this week. “It's been quite positive,” Brisco replied, adding late: “There is some resistance by some people” to the free-trade agreement. He blamed that on NDP “misinformation.” But Kristiansen said the reaction he's received during his door-to-door visits is that voters want more information about the agreement. He said Conservatives have indicated to him they have no strong feelings about the pact, though “they just couldn't see what the benefit is for Canada.” He added that he has talked with many workers outside major plants in the riding who “just can't believe” that Canada will benefit from a free-trade agreement with a country 10 times its size. Kristiansen also said that his campaign is off to a good start. “We're feeling positive and upbeat,” he said, adding: “We are more prepared than we've ever been befor: Kristiansen was the first to have his lawn signs up, noting that the NDP only places signs on private property at the request of the owner. As well, he said he. is continuing his “direct canvassing”, and a final agenda for the seven-week campaign should be worked out by the end of this week. He said he has been looking forward to this election. “I think it will be a significantly better election for us than it was in 1984,” he said. The NDP lost by about 700 votes in that election. However, the newly-redrawn riding boundaries include the Revelstoke area this time. “Revelstoke has traditionally been an area that has been strong for the NDP and that seems to be holding up,” Kristiansen said. He added that he spent much of the summer visiting “every home in Revelstoke” continued on page A2 §:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. October 3 thru 8 Look at This Folks! 1988 12-TON 4x4 P/U 305 Fuel Injected 5-Speed Manual Transmission, Two-Tone Paint and More! Atan Unbeatable Price of 14,960 Stk. No. YD 1039 HERE’S OUR OFFER IN BLACK & WHITE! We're So Sure We Sell For SALE OF THE WEEK 1988 CAVALIER 2/24 Two-Tone Grey and Silver V6, Auto., Fully Loaded Performance Plus Styling *15,894°" Stk. No. CA1416 Less and We're So Sure That We Have MORE SATISFIED CUSTOMERS Than Any Other Dealer In The Kootenays, That We're Giving Away $100 To We Have 4 1988 BERETTA’S Left in Stock from Fully Loaded Down to the More Basic Model. And During Our Sale Period We Are Going to Consider Any Reasonable Offer on These Units! TEST DRIVE ONE TODAY! Take A Look at The all New CUTLASS SUPREME A sporty luxury car all wrapped up in one. We have four 1988's left to choose from! NO REASONABLE OFFER REFUSED! 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She also spoke of stren. gthening ties between the labor movement here and in Nicaragua. “We have been invited by the PPWC workers so that we could share what is going on in Nicaragua,” Silva told the Castlegar News with the help of her interpreter Irene Policzer. “And strengthen the links of Solidarity and friendship between both unions.” The Sandinista Workers Central organizes all the workers in the Nic- araguan work force, including agri- culture and manufacturing sectors. But Silva says organizing a work force in the middle of a war can be a daunting task. “The war is causing a lot of pain and we, the workers, are trying to put an end to it any way we can,” she said. “Because in the nine years of the revolution, we have already lost 54,000 victims. There has also been health centres destroyed. Same as schools, co-ops, trucks, ships, etc.” The war involves the Sandinista government, which she says was elected democratically following the overthow of the Samosa regime in 1981, and a collection of groups still faithful to the overthrown dictator. The “Contras” are a collection of soldiers and mercenaries from all over Central America. “In this Contra revolution there are paid mercenaries from the U.S. and from Honduras, and from Guat- emala, El Salvador, Costa Rica,” she said. “There are also Nicaraguan rebels fighting for the Contras in the war,” she added. Silva said the Sandinista Workers Central is doing everything it can to aid Daniel Ortega’s left-wing ruling party “Our motto is that the revolution must survive,” she said. “What we workers do is very important. We have to work.” The Workers Central is organizing a walk for peace with other labor groups across Central America next March. Workers from unions across Central America will assemble in Nicaragua and march to Costa Rica to promote peace. And despite the war, Silva says the labor movement has definitely improved in the nine years of Sandinista rule. “First they organized their unions and then they chose their leaders in a democratic way;" she said--The-tatest- nation-wide collective agreement for Sandinista Workers Central mem bers — their first — included health care, social security, transportation subsidies, new work uniforms every six months and financial help in case of a death of a relative. But the union can't focus on job security and working conditions when there is a war raging within the country, Silva said. She also added there is a way people in Canada and the U.S. can help the ndinista workers. “Canadian workers and Canadian people could pronounce themselves against the approval of additional continued on poge A2 THE CONVINCER . . educator with the Insurance Corp. of B.C., gets help from proper use of seat belts during session at Kinnaird . Bob McDonald, traffic safety Steiner to di ‘ate the Elementary school Tuesday. McDonald and “The Convincer” machine also made an appearance at Stanley Humphries secondary schoo! and Waneta Plaza CasNewsPhoto by Ron Normar CHILDHOOD CENTRE HELPS KIDS DEVELOP By BONNE MORGAN Staff Writer The Childhood Development Centre, located in what once was the Tadanac elementary school just outside Trail appears to be a normal day-care centre. But the children who mold playdough at tiny tables in the preschool classrooms can be viewed by a two-way mirror. The mirrors are part of the centre's approach to treating developmental disorders in children. Parents, teachers and health professionals use them to view the progress of the children, aged 18 months to six years, without being a distraction. , The CDC, which is operated by the West Kootenay Cerebral Palsy Association, cares for all kinds of disabled and non-disabled children. “We don’t only take in kids with Cerebral Palsy” — a disorder which effects the central nervous system — explained Lillian Michallik, executive director of the centre. “We take them all.” The CDC provides “fully-integrated” day-care and specialized preschool programs for “typical” children and those with mental, physical, emotional or behavioral disorders. Kris Weishaupt, a secretary at the school, says the fully-integrated setting benefits all the kids. The “typical kids are positive role models for the disabled kids” and become more “caring and understanding of special needs kids.” The CDC is the only local facility offering specialized health facilities for disabled children The physiotherapy program is for children up to 19 years of age with orthopedic, neurological, congenital, mental and physical handicaps. An occupational therapist teaches children fine motor skils behind a partition in the same room Staff at the centre complain that it is cramped and are hoping to do a major expansion to add classrooms and office space. “We've got a hearing impairment teacher sharing an office with an assessment coordinator,” said Weishaupt All together, 65 children take advantage of these services, some on an “out-patient basis” and some during their preschool or day-care programs. Because the closest facility of its kind is Kelowna, families from the East Kootenay also come to the centre for treatment. “We're bursting at the seams,” said Michallik, who hopes to see a government grant for the expansion soon. The centre has a waiting list of up to two years with 45 to 60 waiting for day care and eight to 10 waiting for special needs spaces. Even the “tiny tot” program which is day care for children 18 months to three years of age, is integrated. Weishaupt says the tiny tot day-care programs are not just for working mothers. “They like their kids to have the experience of being with other kids,” she said The centre has a video taping program in which a child's progress is recorded. The tapes are viewed by parents, staff and future teachers to make the transition to public school smoother. The centre has an “active” parent support group for families with disabled children and the parents are “closely” involved in the assessment and decisions involving treatment from the start. The continued on page A2 Few turn out for meetings By RON NORMAN itor The Castlegar and District Project Society has the information, but it appears not many want to hear it The society's four public informa tion meetings on the proposed $2.2 million aquatic centre have attracted small crowds, but the society is hoping tonight's meeting in Castle. gar will be different. Society spokesman Pat Metge said the largest crowd so far was Tuesday night in Robson when about 20 to 25 residents turned out to hear details about the aquatic centre. A meeting was also held in Blue berry earlier Tuesday evening, and in Pass Creek and Tarrys on Monday. Metge said the Tarrys meeting had the lowest turnout when only “a couple” of people showed up. “The turnout isn't great,” Metge said, “but we're happy with the . . . questions.” The society has a meeting in Ootischenia at 6:30 p.m. tonight and then heads to the Community Complex in Castlegar for an 8 p.m. session. Voters go to the polls on Oct. 15 to cast their ballot on the aquatic centre referendum. Metge said the society is still working hard to make voters aware of the aquatic centre proposal. “We've got a lot of campaign people going door to door and we're getting pretty good results.” Meanwhile, the Robson Recreation Society announced today that it will continue to operate the Robson. pool even if the aquatic centre goes ahead. “We feel in the summer people just can't go running back and forth (to the aquatic centre),” said recreation society spokesman Roberta Zurek, adding later: “With no ferry it really is some way to go.” Hydro holding up dams By The Canadian Press VANCOUVER B.C. Hydro is putting emphasis on a program de. signed to delay further dam con struction in British Columbia for as long as possible, company chairman Larry Bell said Tuesday But in a speech to members of the Fort St. John and Taylor chambers of commerce, Bell said another dam will someday have to be built “We will eventually come to a time when we have to move ahead on a new dam, involving expenditures measured in billions of dollars,” said Bell. “But the longer we can hold off the better it will be for all our cus tomers, who ultimately have to meet these costs.” Bell said Hydro would spend $6.7 million over)the next year on studies for the proposed Site C project in northern British Columbia. He said the company’s most recent studies show Site C will not be needed to meet domestic demand be fore the year 2000. As well, Zurek said Robson resi- dents have already seen the ferry closed and don't want to see another service discontinued. “The people of Robson are gun- shy,” she explained. “We just believe we need something here.” Metge said the Regional Ree- reation Commission will continue to offer programs at the Robson pool. He explained that the commission has no authority over whether the Robson pool operates because the pool is owned by the Robson Rec- reation Society » he said the contracts to provide Red Cross swim programs and public swimming. However, Zurek said the pool will need some improvements. It needs a new filter system, new pumps, fencing and upgraded outbuildings. She said the society has already raised close to half the $7,000 to $12,000 needed for the improve- ments. INSIDE Refugee family pege A2 Lottery numbers The winning numbers drawn Tuesday in The Pick lottery were 17, 24, 35, 39, 46, 47, 51 and 54 Island upgrading page A4 Truck crash page A2