Saturday, February 15, 1992 @

Dave McCullough
Publisher

Scott David
Harrison
Editor

Mickey Read
Composing Room
Foreman

Mark Davis
Advertising Manager

Warren Chernoff

OurViEWS

AdrianRAESIDE

Shoppers
‘paradise

> ri have to wonder exactly
; where Revenue Minister

Otto Jelinek gets his ideas
from — the family pet?

Wednesday, Jelinek announced a
bold new plan aimed at helping
Canadian businesses combat the
multi-million dollar industry of cross-
border shopping.

In all his apparently-absent
wisdom, Jelinek announced that the
government would remove import
duties on 25 consumer goods as a
means of supporting the nation’s
ailing-economy.

In theory, the removal of the tariffs

been continually kicked by consumers
who see Canada as a great place to
live but:a lousy place to shop. The
plan allows businesses to lower prices
on items like microwaves by as much
as 12.6 per cent.

In practice, though, Jelinek’s plan
is as flawed as the government he
belongs to. In his zealous attempt to
conquer the cross-border shopping
problem, Jelinek only opened the
door to more suffering.

By removing the import tariffs for
businesses, Jelinek also removed it
for consumers. That means goods like
microwaves; soccer balls and
cameras — to name a few — are now
that much cheaper south of the Ole’
49th Parallel:

If this is the strategy Jelinek plans
to employ against cross-border
shopping, it’s a cruel joke that will
have even more Canadian businesses
forever locking their doors.

Another Valentine’s Day
has come and gone.

It’s an odd day, really.
There’s no other day to
match it in the calendar
year. The one day set aside
specifically for love.

T’ve never liked it.

Now, I’m all for love: We
could use more of it in this
world. If-we all loved each
other a little more, maybe
we’d treat each other. better.

But Valentine’s Day isn’t

Ron NORMAN

Comments
from the
Crossroads

girlfriends for some
reason like Valentine’s
Day).

On this particular day I
must show some kind of
tangible proof of my love.
And we're not talking just
about a kiss and a cuddle
here.

Tangible means
something you buy with
cold, hard cash.

A card is a start. (But
nobody gets away with

about love in general. It’s
about romantic love — love
between a man anda
woman (at least in our family).

What’s wrong with that you ask?
Nothing. It’s just that more and more,
Valentine’s Day is taking on the overtones
of compulsory love. People feeling
compelled to do something on Feb. 14, not
because they want to, but because they are
forced to. :

I must admit all of these people are
husbands or boyfriends; (wives and

giving just a card
anymore).

Chocolates are fine.

Flowers are good. Preferably roses.

A romantic dinner for two is better still.

An overnight stay at an out-of-town

“resort is bound to make any past
transgressions melt into thin air.

‘But surely these are all things that can
be given at other times of the year. Why
does it seem they. are restricted to
Valentine’s Day.

e

please see NORMAN page 7

Heather Hadley
Circulation Manager

Burt Campbell
Publisher Emeritus

L.V. Campbell
Aug. 7, 1947-
Feb. 15, 1973

Street TALK

oF 7

Question: How do you

Clark Houston
Castlegar

“] think they'll do
pretty well.”

Colin Glendenning
Castlegar

“They'll do
excellent.”

Kathryn Dice
Castlegar

te David Haslebacher
New Denver

“] think they'll do
alright.”

“They'll do a great
job. They’ve picked
things up already.”

ahaa hr

@ Saturday, February 15, 1992

dTheNews

Other VIEWS

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Castlegar News
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Castlegar, B.C.
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The News
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legality, grammar
and taste.

Letters tcoWHE

EDITOR

Canada Post being cruel

The arrogance of Canada Post
Corporation officials reached new heights
on Feb. 7 when they closed the Penticton
post office with only one month’s notice

The closure came despite widespread
protest and a petition signed by more than
10,000 in this community of 27,000.

Additionally, Canada Post broke its
agreement with Penticton postal workers
who are supposed to have 120 days notice of
such a change.

All B.C. municipalities — in fact, all
municipalities across Canada — can now be
fore warned of similarly undemocratic
closures of the postal services they have
come to rely on.

Canada Post is instituting a two-tiered
postal system in Penticton: only the largest
businesses have access to a commercial
postal outlet and full-service by experienced
postal workers, while small businesses and
all other’ Pentictonites will have to use the
inferior, non-standardized service offered in
four postal franchises — a grocery store,

flower shop, pharmacy, and gift shop.

Typically, a postal franchise is only a
sideline business which the shop owner
takes on to increase the number of
customers to his store.

Across the country consumers can expect
the following problems with these postal
franchises:

1) many more mistakes in. postal
transactions by clerks with minimal
training and support and a fast turnover
because of the minimum wages earned in
many franchises.

2) less security for packages, often stored
within easy access of anyone tempted to
steal.

3) no guarantees for continuing service
because shop owners can go bankrupt,
decide not to renew franchise contracts with
Canada Post, or sell their stores.
Sometimes communities are left with no
wicket services.

4) Longer waits in lines as postal
customers queue up with people buying. gas,
milk, flowers or what have you.

5) Difficulties in peak periods like
Christmas, when franchise outlets don’t
have. the facilities or experience to handle
volumes of mail.

6) Misleading claims by Canada Post
that postal franchises are an improvement
because they offer longer hours.

This claim is irrelevant because pick-up
and delivery times remain the same, and
there is usually no advantage.

For example, to have access to buying
stamps at 10 p.m., when the mail goes out
the same time the next day!

In response to letters such as this,
Canada Post typically responds with a news
release stating that customer surveys show
a more than 90 per cent favorable response
to postal franchises.

The impression given here is that
Canada Post really cares what people want.

If this were the truth, I ask you to
consider the following: would Canada Post
close thousands of post offices across the
country as they have already done, despite
the near unanimous protests of the
communities involved?

Communities wishing to retain their

federal postal service can do so by refusing-

to accept the postal franchise outlets.
Otherwise Canada Post will be successful
in its plans to privatize our postal system

by 1996.

Sandra Groepler
Robson
B.C. Director for Rural
Dignity of Canada

House assessment baffling

I recently went before the Panel of
Revision regarding the 1991 assessment of
my home on 9th Avenue.

The house, with basement suite, was
built in 1957 and no*improvements have
been done to the house or property for the
last six years.

I received an assessment of $47,000 in
1990, but that rose to $65,800 in 1991 —
an increase of $18,800 or 40 per cent.

I had copies of 14 assessments on 9th
Avenue from 5th to 6th Streets, two of
which had basement suites rented. One
property — one and a half lots and 1,000
square feet larger — was assessed at
$20,000 less. Another with two lots, two
suites, a work shop and a large garage was
assessed for $12,000 less.

All of the homes were built around the
same time and were in good condition.

I wonder where the panel’s mind was
allowing an increase of $18,800 in one year?

To me, these people have well-paid, soft
jobs and they don’t really care about
assessment as long as it doesn’t affect their
pocket books.

In closing, I am sorry for wasting
taxpayers money because I certainly didn’t
get any satisfaction from it.

Otto Andersen
Castlegar

Tax incentives needed

There should be tax incentives for
individuals and owners who wish to restore
or keep land for the benefit of wildlife.

Apparently, it is now the case that if one
puts out barbed wire and keeps a few cattle,
one can claim to be a small farmer and pay
less in taxes. ;

Soon the meadows are overgrazed.

Knapweed grows in to replace the diverse
natural grasses.

The forest itself is unfit to provide for
aging grasses for fenced-in bovine
creatures.

Supplementary hay is required.

These large animals muck about in the
watersheds.

The creeks downstream smell foul. One
wonders about water quality.

As more conscientious people learn about
the impact of too many beef on the planet
and turn to a meatless diet, we may
consider changing policies. _

Why are we subsidizing cattle when we
should be helping to preserve whatever
greenbelt corridors we can for vanishing
wildlife?

Why do we encourage the poor rural
landowner to litter the woods with barbed
wire when we should be pulling it out?

Why must organizations like Nature
Conservancy spend tonnes of money
outright buying land for wildlife when the
ordinary rural person can be given
incentives to do his-her part? ‘

Barbara Murdoc.
Castlegar

Norman

continued from page 6

Oh, you say, they can be given
at other times of the year?

Sure, anniversaries and birth-
days. But those are different.

Maybe I’m being too hard on
Valentine’s Day.

Maybe we need a special day to
recognize romantic love.

Too often people (read men)
don’t place enough importance on
showing their love. '

Maybe if this is the only time of
year they are required to do it, it’s
better than nothing.

Still, there are other aspects of
Valentine’s Day that I find odd —
like the way it plays such a promi-

nent part in our school system.

In the schools Valentine’s Day
is completely different.

It has very little to do with the
kind of love the flower shops and
chocolate makers are selling.

Rather, it’s simply a chance for
children to exchange cards with
other children.

When I went to school, cards
were exchanged only with mem-
bers of the opposite sex. And you
didn’t have to give everyone a
card. 5

You would only give cards to

those members of the opposite sex -

you liked.
Of course, for six-year-old boys

there weren't any members of the
opposite sex you liked.

So our mothers made us sit
down and print our names on the
cards and put them in the en-
velopes and made sure we didn’t
“forget” them on the kitchen table.

The cards were then distrib-
uted at the end of the day.

Invariably, someone would end
up without a card and someone
else would have their desk coy-
ered with cards. Then they would
all compare how many cards each
got.

It was an unsophisticated pop-
ularity contest.

Thankfully, it is not like that to-

day.

Instead, children give cards to
every student in the class — boy
and girl.

Everybody gets the same num-
ber of cards.

Of course, by the time you read
this, Valentine’s Day will have
come and gone. I will have taken
my wife out for a special lunch.
Just the two of us.

And I will have reconciled any
problem I have with Valentine’s

Day. I do every year. ;

How do I manage to do that?
Easy.

My wife would kill me if I
didn’t. :

a Rk ktare Soe