OPINION ESTABLISHED AUGUBT 7, 1947 THE MID-WEEK ~ poe. Castlegar News PAGE A4, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 1991 MEMBER OF THE 8.0. PRESS COUNCH, TWICE WEEKLY MAY 4, 1900 12, IST 27, 1980 LV. CAMPBELL — PUBLISHER PUBLISHER, AUGUST 7, 1947-FEBRUARY 15, 1973 - Burt Campbell Lok Simon Birch PLANT FOREMAN — Peter Harvey. ADVERT ING MANAGER — Wayne Stolz OFFICE MANAGER — Warren Chernoff _ CIRCULATION MANAGER — Heather Hadley EDITORIAL Ministry faces tough decision Local representatives from the Ministry of Transportation and Highways now face a tough decision on where to put the new bridge across the Columbia River linking Robson and Castlegar. If the people making the decision had only to take into account dollars and cents the choice would be much easier. But this decision — like so many which governments and their representatives have to make — must weigh the social and environmental effects as well. And those effects are not so easily measured. Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Yes, when there are no alternatives. But in this case, there are several locations for a bridge from which the ministry can choose. So it seems senseless to force as many as 15 families — some long-time residents — from their homes along Ist Street in Castlegar to put a bridge at Site No. existing train bridge. 1 close to the Although it’s one of the least expensive options as proposed,-the human costs of Site No. 1 aren’t worth the monetary savings. Area J director Ken Wyllie’s suggestion of ‘‘skewing’’ Site No. 1 so that it-starts at the same location in Robson but ends at the ferry ramp on the Castlegar side seems worth pursuing, although it remains to be seen, whether that and cost perspective. is from an ing Of the five proposals, there’s no question in our opinion that Site No. 3 just west (upstream) of the ferry ramps is the best overall. Un- fortunately, it’s the most expensive option at an estimated $20.7 million. Whatever location the ministry eventually chooses for the bridge, we hope it has the least effect on the Castlegar and Robson Be) 2 00 3am DEBT... GTZ GiVeS #1273, UNG HiS Bike, TO Oe en TO HEL ReDuce io UNGIE CRNie, 2.49 R OLD LID OFF aUTO »H8S SLIGHTLY DiFFeRENT APPROACH To ee CONaDES bn seth Pa LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Sad commentary The Castlegar News editorial of March 23 (*‘Access to Information Law Necessary’’) is of particular interest to me. I am among those who have received from our provincial government polite but firm refusais to requests for certain documents. Recently, | was told that the report of the Action Group for Inland Ferries is not available to the public. This report contains the findings and conclusions of the commission headed by Dr. Kasianchuk and Mr. Yanow, a retired naval man whose title I do not recall. The two men had been asked to head up a group in October 1987 to look areas. That is by far thg most important criteria the ministry should use in making its decision. VIEWPOINT Gun law aims to. satisfy all sides By KIM CAMPBELL Gun control in Canada is a subject of concern for many people — con- cern by some that there is not enough control, and concern by others that there is too much control. In a move to alleviate those concer- ns, at. both ends of the spectrum, and to reassure the majority of Canadians who occupy the middle ground, I have introduced new gun control legislation. Gun control in Canada is by no means a new issue. We have had some form of firearms restrictions in this area for the past 99 years. The new legislation introduced last June seeks to tighten further existing areas of restrictions on firearms and to implement efficiently regulations in already existing legislation. I introduced this firearms control bill partly in response to the annual number of homicides involving firearths in Canada, about 180. Yet, of concern to me also is the ap- proximately 120 deaths a year by firearms accidents and the lamen- table number of suicides using firearms; some 1,100 annually. The proposed legislation certainly seeks to reduce the criminal misuse of guns, but it also aims to ensure firearms are not accessible to those who could misuse them, whether by design or accident. A third thrust of the bill is to encourage more respon- sible gun ownership by those who use guns for sport or hunting. My objective has always been to improve the screening of firearms owners and to restrict access to high firepower guns while at the same time taking account of the interests of legitimate firearms users as much as possible. There will always be citizens who believe no guns should be allowed in Canada, none. And there will be others who feel they have a right to carry arms if they wish. After I in- troduced Bill C-80, a special Com- mons committee was established to hear the concerns of both sides of the firearms control issue, so that the details of new legislation could meet, as closely as possible, the needs of all Canadians In February, I received the report of that committee, which clearly Supports the general thrust of the bill, and | am now reviewing the i s specific dations to see if any changes need to be made to the proposed legislation. Quite _ naturally, Canadians are. concerned ‘about weapons clearly designed to hurt and kill people. The proposed legislation prohibits, therefore, fully automatic firearms which have been converted to fire in a semi-automatic mode, that is, fire a single bullet but reload automatically. It proposed to limit the number of rounds of am- munition that handgun and long gun magazines can hold, which is not limited under current legislation. It provides better screening of those who seek to acquire guns. These proposals have been made in consultation with lawful firearms users such as target shooters and sport hunters and they respond to “rising public concern about the violence associated with firearms. The prohibition of types of military and para-military firearms comprises a major thrust of the proposed legislation. Of equal im- portance, in my view, however, is the screening of potential firearms users and their training needs. Under current gun control laws in Canada, there is no minimum waiting period for people who apply for a firearms acquisition certificate, and no need for people to supply references for this application. I Propose to tighten access to firearms by imposing a 28-day waiting period. before a certificate can be issued, by insisting on references. Current legislation provides for firearms safety training, but the regulations have never been proclaimed because of difficulties in finding national training standards to fit all gun users. Bill C-80 will help establish such standards for the safe handling and use of firearms throughout Canada. I have also set up an advisory council on firearms that had its first meeting in January in Ottawa. I asked them to take on as a first Priority the establishment of national standards for firearms safety training. Good gun control is essentially a matter of balance. It should reassure and assure people who do not use firearms are comfortable with those who do. I am confident 3 Proposed gun control package will achieve that balance. Kim Campbell is the federal into the of the fresh. ferries of our highway system and presumably to suggest changes that might be made. No doubt all expenses were paid from the general coffers, and quite rightly so. But it is far from right that we the public who have paid for this investigation do not have access to what we have paid for. It is my opinion that this report will shed considerable light on the sudden demise of our Robson ferry and will go some way in helping us to understand why no other ferry services have been curtailed. I agree with the editor when he notes that “‘If it’s bad or controversial news they (governments) tend to clam up,”’ and I make the closely related + observation that when information does not support what governments are doing or wish to do they will suppress it. It isa sad commentary on our political system that we must form a B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association to help us gain access to information we have already paid to put together. But indeed we must. ¢ freedom of information movement, now only te months old, may already be having some effect. Reading.of its activities last week has made me aware of another approach to getting a copy of the report that I have been denied. I have already, through a channel new to me, put my request in the works. Who knows what may come out? Fred G. Marsh Robson Traps cruel One of our members sent us recent copies of the Castlegar News with the articles about trapping which we found most interesting. I hope your columnist, Catherine Shapcott, learned how to protect her trees rather than kill the beavers. Though we have respect for the trap inventor, Ed Kania, we must take issue with some of his statements for he seems to be blaming the public for not purchasing the animal skins he is trapping. The public, for decades; have been most critical of the unnecessary suffering caused by cruel traps. In spite of all those public appeals, the fur industry has done virtually nothing to help end this cruelty. Indeed it seems as if the provincial governments are to be made responsible for seeking acceptable alternative traps. The leg-hold trap is still by far the main trap used throughout all of North America. About 16 to 20 million animals are trapped in the United States annually, compared to the three to four million trapped in Canada. There has been almost no interest at all in seeking alternative traps in the U.S. simply because the trappers and wildlife governments are not interested. They even regard the leg-hold trap as a humane trap and use this description just as Ed Kania uses for his new trap inventions. Humane it is not. Cruel it is! Then Mr. Kania tries to portray all trappers as “‘farmers.’’ He knows well that only a small percentage of trappers in Canada have registered traplines that they can use every year and thus care about future breeding stock. Most trappers, in fact, do not have this gift from the Canadian taxpayers for a free source of wildlife to trap. They trap on private and public property wherever they can. There is not even a registered trapline system used in the United States where most animals are trapped. Very few native people trap enough animals to support their family simply because there are There never will be a ‘thumane” or instant- kill trap commonly used in North America unless trappers themselves admit that the present methods they are using are terribly cruel and demand alternatives. It is no use blaming the trappers for the cruel traps as they are only using what is easily available. Mr. Kania knows well that his traps will never be commonly used until leg-hold and other cruel traps are legislated out of use. And they won’t be legislated out of use until enough people are made aware of the cruelty. Increasingly throughout the world people are learning about the cruelty and reacting in the only way they know to help end this animal suffering. They are simply refusing to purchase or wear the furs. And as long as the cruelty continues, fewer and fewer furs will be sold. That is the situation today, simply because the fur industry has never bothered to modernize the tools of its trade. It is fact, like many of our animals, becoming extinct. My final note is to mention that nearly all animals are in danger. Canada doesn’t have an Endangered Species Act and doesn’t even have the authority to enact such legislation. It is thus easy for politicians and others to claim that we have no endangered animals. Yet all we have to do is to look out our windows, to see ever decreasing wildlife habitats. All our animals are truly in danger! George V. Clements Executive Director The Fur-Bearers Association for the Protection of Fur-bearing Animals Hockey mom happy Firstly, I would like to comment on the excellent support and newspaper coverage that you have shown towards the Castlegar Rebels junior hockey team. As you may already know, our son, Chad Alderson, played his first Junior B season with the Castlegar Rebels. Our only communication with his progress relied mainly on his telephone calls and the newspaper write-ups and we had arranged for a six-month subscription of the paper to be mailed to us here in Prince George. We were fortunate enough to have Chad’s picture in the paper for various reasons and these have become a part of his Castlegar memories. Secondly, we would like very much to thank Don and Margaret Ellis for their time and effort shown to Chad in opening up their home and time spent with him during his season with the Castlegar Rebels. As a 16-year-old and experiencing his first time away from home, dealing with a new school and home environment, as well as the time involved with hockey, this was all made so mich easier for him because of the support and caring fel | home extended to him. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis became involved with the team this year, which was a new experience for them as well, and they were always there for Chad if transportation was required or just an excellent home cooked meal. So, thank you Don and Margaret for a very memorable first year of junior hockey experienced by Chad and by our family here in Prince George. Heather Alderson Prince George Way out of line 1 am writing this on behalf of a group of Robson residents who don’t normally cause waves or demonstrate for causes. However, when Fern Schwartzenhauer says that Robson residents should pay for the new bridge she is way out of line. When our ferry |, did our taxes go down? No. But the-value of our property did. Did the residents of Castlegar do anything to help keep our ferry? Again, no. residents had nothing to say until ‘Canada, and another 18 million in the U.S., or Jess than one per cent of the total animals trapped im North America. still, then Castlegar wanted @ bridge across the sivas ai ak Robeba could put apiwich the exten if Fern would do her homework I think she would find that Robson taxes are as high as Castlegar for what we get. We do not have city sewers, garbage disposal, a library and other services. Furthermore, our entire taxes go to the provincial government for the services we do receive, that is roads, ferries and bridges. She also speaks about the people at the coast who have to pay for their ferries. That is an entirely different matter. Those people choose to live there knowing the circumstances. Robson was established before Castlegar and people chose to live here because there was a ferry and at the time that was the only way into Castlegar. Castlegar was happy to have the Robson residents’ business. I agree with Fern’s hairdresser. Fern would probably make a good politician: She talks a lot without knowing what she is talking about. Marion Jenner On behalf of a group of angry Robson residents Board disappoints T have just attended my first Castlegar school board meeting and am very disappointed in our elected trustees. This is the first time the trustees have allowed us to speak with them although our committee has been penpals with them over the last eight months and individual families have been trying for years to have their concerns addressed. We cannot make it clear to the board that we do not want ta secede from the Castlegar school district. All that we have asked is for the trustees to provide or invite an independent panel to review the area and provide a definite legal boundary. Trustee Evelyn Voykin is under the misconception that we feel Nelson school district offers a superior education. Not true! All that we ask is that our children be able to attend the schools within our own community. The Castlegar school board has suggested we Present our concerns to the Ministry of Education. The ministry in turn replies that this is a local issue and must be addressed by our school district. We have done all we can to make ourselves clear to the Castlegar school board. The trustees are more concerned about finances rather than the welfare of our children and therefore choose to ignore us. I am sure all parents would be interested in knowing that rather than facing major issues at hand that affect our children, the trustees of the Castlegar school board spent time discussing enjoying a retreat at Ainsworth Hot Springs. Nadine Stoochnoff Shoreacres Sick of boiling Does anyone out there know if a person has to (legally) pay for water that has to be boiled before it's fit to drink? I’m sure sick of paying more and more for water that just doesn’t get to be drinkable, (We're on-Pass Creek water from the Robson-Raspberry Improvement District.) Help! E. Fraser Robson LOCAL NEWS ~ maw Fundgtor this pryect provided by Several guests join the Kootenay Columbia Child Care Society in a sign unveiling ceremony day, officially marking its kickoff. The Kootenay Columbia Child Care Society officially marked its expansion kickoff Saturday with a sign unveiling ceremony. Society president Valorie Lucas welcomed guests which included Rossland-Trail MLA Chris D’Ar- cy, Mayor Audrey Moore, Ald. Jim Chapman, Ken Wyllie, Regional District of Central Koofenay director for Area J, and Gordon Turner, chairman of the Castlegar school board. Moore and D’Arcy unveiled the sign from the provincial Ceremony marks reality of child care expansion government's lotteries branch from which the society received a grant of $88,806 for the expan- SiON project. Lucas thanked the government for its support and talked about the costs involved in the project to the gathering of the society’s friends and supporters. “For a non-profit society to obtain a facility to meet the needs of this community, the Price tag can be a bit shocking,”’ Lucas said in a news release. “The cost to acquire what we envision as having a Castlegar children’s complex is ap- proximately $300,000. So far, we have raised $202,000, of which we have received a grant of $88,806 from the lotteries bran- ch. “This wonderful grant has allowed the society to believe that our dreams can become a reality.” Lucas also asked for the com- munity’s support in raising the $100,000 left to meet the society’s goal and meet the needs of children in Castlegar and district. Please address all letters to the editor Columbia Ave. in Castlegar. Letters should be herp dea double- 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 § fs m. The writer's _ and city or Ba only will be a exceptional cases will letters 4 Published without — aioes ome. Nevertheless, the telephone numberof the writer MUST De pecee ieee et to edit letters or re bide brevity, clarity, iegetity. Forum identifies goals About 150 people used their sunny Sunday afternoon to hear 16 speakers describe their ideas about reaching the ‘‘middle ground’? on forestry at an NDP forum in Nelson. The public meeting titled Where is the Middle Ground: A Forum. on West Kootenay Forestry Issues, brought together people from every side of an issue that normally pits one group of Kootenay people again- st another. “The forum is an attempt to get together rural and city people, not all public speakers, with. vastly. different views,"’ Corky Evans, the NDP’s candidate in Nelson-Creston, said in a news release. Moderator Verle Faasse, Regional District of Central Kootenay director for Area F (Nelson north shore) allowed speakers five minutes each to State their views on how to end con- frontation and promote consultation. The speakers, including loggers and environmentalists, agreed that consensus would be possible if there were local control of the forest resources, which could allocate more land for small woodlots, create markets for selectively cut logs, and provide a voice for all forest users. Woodlot proponents and licencees Dick Branton and Jane Lake described the value of small business woodlots.. Although woodlots are miniature tree farm licences having long-term tenure and a maximum size of 400 hectares (1,000 acres), they are a ‘‘family business’’ run by people who live in the community, they said. Several speakers called for an adequate forest inventory. “There is a lack of an adequate inventory and arguing at all levels of government,’”’ said Greg Lay, a forestry consultant from Kaslo. “The current level of confusion is counter productive. We have to get a reliable inventory leading to a com- prehensive land-use strategy for the province."” Local IWA vice-president Offermann spoke about IWA- Canada’s environmental strategy which sees both jobs and a clean en- vironment as its goal. He said the production of goods from. the renewable forest is necessary and honorable. However, he added that not just harvesting trees, but plan- ting and tending those trees will sustain the forest and forestry jobs. “Timber tenures should be linked to. jobs, community . stability. and secondary manufacturing,” he said. Forestry consultant and environ- mentalist -Herb Hammond talked about the need for a change in at- titudes. “We will never make good decisions and find good solutions un- til we connect our hearts to our brains,”” he said. Sam Simpson, coordinator of the Nelson and District Women’s Centre agreed. “It’s incumbent on all the im- migrants to this country — we are all Klaus immigrants — to become indigenous people to this land. We have to learn to respect each other and the land.’” Other speakers included loggers Bernie Clover, Roy Lake, Chris Choquette and Ralph Moore, forestry consultant Greg Utzig, eti- vironmental activists Grant Copeland, Janet Wallace and Richard Allin, West Kootenay Share president Brian Hamilton, and STEP sawmill coordinator Fred Haake. Guest speaker was NDP MLA Anne Edwards who represents the riding of Kootenay. After a:short question Period, Evans made the final speech. “When we decided to hold this event ‘we believed it was risky, because we proposed to invite people with vastly different views into one room to express their opinions under the auspices of the NDP. Political parties don’t usually do that. It’s riskier to let people speak their hear- ts and minds. It’s the best thing we’ve done in this campaign. If there’s a middle ground it takes mutual respect, and that’s what hap- pened here today,”’ Evans said. March 27, 1991 * STEAKS * SEAFOOD * POULTRY HOURS: LUNCH: Mon.-Sat. 11:15 a.m.-2 p.m. DINNER: Mon.-Sat. 5 p.m.-9/10 p.m See eae OUCHERS WELCOME! 352-5358 646 Baker St,,.Nelson KOOTENAY SAVINGS CREDIT UNION 22nd ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Tuesday, April 2, 1991 COMINCO GYM, TRAIL. B 7:30 P.M. all origins and beliefs. But it is up tg us to give meaning to equality dn FA in our homes, schools and places When we reach out to our fellow of us helps ensure respect for the we all share. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! -Let’s bring these words to life. Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees equal rights for Canadians of to these words... to renew the commitment id mutual respect for all Canadians in our everyday lives... of work. 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