a4 December 15, 1985 ESTABLISHED AUG. 7.1947 Lv. CAMPBELL Castlegar News MEMBER OF THE B.C. PRESS COUNCIL INCORPORATING THE MID- WEEK MIRROK PUBLISHED SEPT. 12. 1978-AUG. 47, 1900 PUBLISHER AUG. 7, 1947-F68 PUBLISHER — Burt Campbell ADVERTISING MANAGER — Caro! Mago! CIRCULATION MANAGER — Heather Hadley TWICE WEEKLY MAY 4. 1980 HT: Full, complete ond vetted inond belongs to Costie Newt Lid. provided. however. that copyright in that part ond & Odvertiver ed trom repro prools. engravings. @C: Br wa ony printed ma vided by the odveriser sho! The bottom line The child sexual abuse program approved. this week by the Castlegar school board's education committee. ‘was a long time coming. Called the Child Abuse Resear- ch and Education (CARE) kit, the program will teach students from Kindergarten to Grade 3 how to prevent sexual abuse from hap- pening to them. It's the kind of necessary = even vital — life skills program in which our schools should be taking an active role because children — abused by their parents won't receive the information in their homes. That's why it's odd the program is only a pilot project qt Woodland Park-elementary. The fact that 66 of B.C.’s 75 school districts are using the kit should be proof.of the program’s worth, and reason enough to im- plement it on a district-wide basis. * The Castlegar school district is already one of. the last in, the province to consider the program. If the board is hesitant about in- troducing the kit into all the schools, why doesn’t it simply poll some of the other districts to see how the kit has worked there? Money could be another board concern. (The kit is estimated to cost $1,000 to $1,500 just to im- plement in Woodland Park.) Cer- tainly the board is facing some tough budget decisions. It has to decide if a new program like the CARE kit should be implemented before reintro- ducing other programs which have been cut. But while prices can be put on some el of jucatii how 1 Letters to the Editor does anyone estimate the price of child sexual abuse? The bottom line is, if the is worth starting “in id Park el y. it Should be worth starting in the whole district. It's turkey time A picture elsewhere in this paper showing two Castlegar residents receiving their. Cominco Christmas turkeys from yet a third Castl resident highlights the great number of sh dollars Then, in the interests of reducing costs and of efficiency, it amalgamated its turkey distribution program at Trail. Before this time next year, the Chamber of Commerce taken out of Castlegar on “turkey days.” One Castlegar resident, in Trail on Wednesday, overheard the following comment in four dif- ferent stores from four different groups of people: “Oh, you're in Trail today, too. Picking up your Cominco turkey?” At one time Cominco distributed its Christmas turkeys to its C a ployees in Cast! c and/or the Castlegar Downtown Business Association and the Castleaird Plaza Merchants’ Association should see _ if distribution can again be arranged locally. Perhaps these groups could even assist Cominco financially, if need be. “Cominco Turkey Day” in Castlegar could once again be the big day it used to be. Remark uncalled for Editor, Castlegar News: I note with wry amusement that our mayor has now appointed herself our aviation expert (“Air landing system urged,” Dec. 11 CasNews). Unfortunately; her remark that a microwave landing system might have prevented. the Dec. 3 accident is not only inaccurate, it is uncalled for. The accident site is some 800 feet below the minimum authorized — and safe — altitude for that segment of the approach. How an experienced pilot got into that situation is a question the accident investigators will presumably be trying to answer; we may never know for sure. I am one of many who fly the approach into Castlegar on a daily basis. The approach procedure is safe when flown as published. An aircraft that is 800 feet below.the minimum altitude for any segment of any in- strument approach is likely to hit something, whether they're using localizer, ILS, microwave, RNAV, air- borne radar or any other system. That’s why minimum altitudes are published. Terrain clearance for the ‘segment in question, for instance, is about 400 feet. Given this situation, then, a micro- wave system would probably not have prevented the accident, only moved it to a different location. Possibly south Castlegar or Robson, depending on how the approach was set up. One final point to ponder: The ad- vantage of a microwave system is that because of its accuracy it allows safe Pp within more icted ver- tical and horizontal parameters. The corollary of this is that the margin for error is reduced. Which makes the possibility of this kind of accident more likely than it is with our present system. Fortunately, this possibility is extremely remote in either case. I fully support the idea of a micro- wave system for Castlegar. By allow- ing safe operations in more restricted conditions than are authorized at pres- Letter ‘SOUr grapes’ Editor, Castlegar News: Dale Nielsen seems to be choking on sour grapes. Nielsen's letter to the editor of Dec. 1 accuses the Castlegar District Teachers’ Association and the District Parents Association of “pack- Having thus insulted the intelligence of parents and others concerned about the future of education in this district, id ; ly dis" Had the board decided not to con- front the provincial government at that particular time, and under those cir- covered that she had what Nielsen ing” the school trustees all ie calls “a prior. engagement” forum. The forum wasn't “neutral which pi d her from the school board forum. Under those ground,” Nielsen aii and des- \cribes the organizers as “interest ups.” I am neither a teacher nor a member of the parents association. I am, however, a parent. Nielsen may be surprised to realize that school board elections are demo- cratic exercises that usually tend to ” attract the attention of those who are most directly concerned with the oper- ation of the school system, parents, for example. Aside from the fact that teachers can be parents too — hope- fully with Mr. Nielsen's approval — they might be considered an “interest group”, but only if you accept the cynical view that teachers are any more unlikely to attend school board election forums solely to pursue their cir I think that the “sev- eral” citizens who booed at the school board forum can be forgiven if they were seized by a y spasm of this might have been de- fensible, particularly if another more advantageous strategy was put for- ward. But simply caving in-and then rushing to hide behind an “oath” i rank opportunism and not at all noble. If the provincial government con- tinues to attempt to make a mockery of disbelief. In any case, Mrs. Smecher left the task of defending the school board's | position on critical issues to the re- maining incumbent candidates who did not have “prior commitments,” and several of them went down to defeat. You might say the polls were “packed” against them. It's tough, but that's democracy. Democracy is also what the issues of the needs budget and the-fate of the Vancouver and Cowichan school boards are all about. Passing what Nielsen cunningly calls a “balanced budget” by own narrow economic interest than, for- School District No. 9 was not a noble example, members of the chamber of commerce. As for Doreen Smecher, to whose defence Nielsen leaps, the facts are as follows. A week before the school board elec- tions, Doreen Smecher had published in the Castlegar News a letter in which she waxed eloquent about how much she was looking forward to the “annual forum” in order that the voters “might be informed of the school board ac- tivities in the last year.” The board chairman went on to lament that instead of a forum shared with municipal candidates, a separate school board forum had been sched- uled. She also observed that, “in light of the response of the public to one forum in the past, it seemed to me ent it will provide safer ions for those who fly and better service for the public in this area. But it is not a simple answer to all our weather problems. With all due respect for her honor — for whom I voted and whose compe- tence as mayor I do not question — she has on this occasion departed from her field of expertise and entered mine with a public statement, the inaccuracy of which I find galling. More than'that, she appears to be using the death of a fellow aviator to promote her own cause. Very tacky. I thought better of her than that. . George Westinghouse Castlegar Quotable Quotes to expect a repr turnout to a second forum.” Speaking as an individual who at- tended both forums, I can testify that both were equally well attended, and I see no reason to question the integrity or sincere intentions of either audience. act in defense of the rule of law. It was, however, a recognition of the emas- culation of the democratic system which is supposed to distribute some of the decision-making about critical is- ‘sues of local concern to the people who are most affected. the d process, to bully their way over legitimate political differ- ences on funding, and thereby seek to turn school boards into creatures of their right-wing ideology, then we have aright to expect, and hopefully we now have, a school board that will be equal to the challenge. Finally, I wish to take strong ex- ception to Nielsen's attack on the “neu- trality” of the moderator at the school board forum. Moderating such an event, particularly in a climate of crisis and controversy, would be difficult for anyone and the moderator at the school board forum did a fine job under difficult circumstances. . I do not think Nielsen's slur against the moderator can be supported by a single example ffom that forum; it should be publicly withdrawn. Derek Todd Castlegar “— A job well done Editor, Castlegar New I would like to publicly express my thanks to all the members of the Castlegar Municipal Emergency Pro- gram Volunteer Search and Rescue Group who provided their-time and expertise in the location and recovery of the air crash victim Dec. 3 and 4. The group led by Leo Sommers continued to press up Mount Sentinel in very poor conditions and failing light and, only after two hours of darkness and minimum visibility did they reluctantly come down to proceed again at first light. The second day our group was joined by members from Trail and Rossland making the operation a truly area commitment. It is gratifying to know that we have people in our community who are willing to give of their time and, in many cases give up hours or even days wages to help their fellow man. Not all employers continued a searcher's salary uninterrupted, but those who did are as much our community benefactors. My thanks then for a job well done. Frank Steven, MEP Co-ordinator IN BUSINESS SURVEY Banks get poor rating Vancouver Sun B.C. small businesses are more unhappy with their banks than firms located anywhere else in the country, according to a Canadian Federation of Independent” Business survey. The survey of more than 20,000 REPUBLICAN Senator Slade Gor- ton clashed with rocker Frank Zappa following Zappa's testimony before the U.S. Senate commerce -committee examining censorship of records that contain explicit lyrics. Gorton told Zappa: “I found your statements to be. boorish, incredibly and insensibly insulting. You could manage to give the First Amendment a bad name if I felt you had the slightest understanding of it, which I do not.” HOUSTON Oilers general manager Ladd Herzeg explaining why he fired _coach Hugh Campbell: “Winning is the bottom line. I'm sick and tired of being with this organization and having to tell people that I work for the Houston Oilers and that we are losers. I'm tired of that.” A KNIFE-wielding mugger picked the wrong target when he closed in on a balding, bespectacled, middle-aged man waiting at a Norwich bus stop. The victim turned out to be Frederick Adams, Britain's leading instructor in Korean martial arts and the holder of 16 black belts in karate. . The. mugger fled after receiving a hefty kick on the behind. “I dread to think what would have _ happened if he’d come at me again,” Adams said. “I can break a stack of 12 tiles or an ordinary house brick with my left or right hand. It could have been quite dangerous for him.” CFIB showed that 40.3 per cent of B.C. businesses which res- ‘ponded were dissatisfied with banks and other financial institutions, com- pared with a national average of 28.2 per cent. Alberta recorded the second highest dissatisfaction rating at 34.1 per cent while Quebec had the lowest rate at 16.2 per cent. CFIB B.C. director Oksana Exell said the federation is concerned about the high B.C. dissatisfaction rate because it has risen more than seven percentage points from the last survey conducted in 1982. She blamed B.C.'s high rate on a “relative lack of competition” among the major chartered banks and said it’s no coincidence that Quebec — with a high degree of competition among financial institutions — enjoys the low- est dissatisfaction rating. “Unlike B.C., in Quebec the smaller regional banks and financial institu- tions play a dominant role in providi (30.4 per cent). The survey said 20.8 per cent of B.C. P’ with their credit unions and cooper- atives. B.C. also had the highest proportion banking services for the small and medium-sized business sector,” Exell said. She said the “big five” chartered banks hold an 88-per-cent share of the B.C. market, compared with the national average of 78 per cent. The Bank of had the of di in the country — 63.4 r cent — who feel the collateral requirements attached to their loans are excessive. The 1982 survey found that 53.1 per cent of B.C. small busi- nesses felt the requirements were too severe. Exell said bankers often fail to highest dissatisfaction rating of any bank in the country and in B.C., 45.7 per cent of small businesses surveyed said they were not satisfied with the services provided by that bank. The Canadian Imperial Bank of was next at 42 per cent, d their small business clients and treat accounts on the basis of the firm's sector, regardless of the financial health of the company itself. She also said there's a growing tendency among banks to centralize decision-making authority away from the local banker. She said this often results in reduced Remember When? 35 YEARS AGO From the Dee. 14, 1950 — Castlegar News The Lillian Killough Chapter IODE held a Christmas party before their general meeting in the Twin Rivers Hall Monday evening. The social began with a bountiful spaghetti dinner prepared by Mrs. Joseph Gabana, ably assisted by the hostesses for. the evening, Mrs. H. Sommers, Mrs, J. Deans, Mrs. Borodula and Mrs. J. Kirby. * oe Castlegar has taken ona festive look with the illuminated trees on the streets. The Castlegar and District Board of Trade and volunteer workers placed a tree in front of the Legion Memorial Hall. The work party was headed up by Mr. J.R. Elliott, president of the board. sels A number. of Kiwanis members turned out Sunday morning and start- ed preparing the rink and cabin. Sern On Monday Mrs. Sam Couch and her. two sons Malcolm and Ronnie arrived from London, England and are making their home in Robson. = etal te Twenty-seven persons were present at the Robson Amateur Society. The regular business was discussed and plans to enter the drama festival were made and Mrs. J. Webster was named director with Mrs. D. Magee. 25 YEARS AGO From the Dec. 15, 1960 Castlegar News Location of the Columbia River crossing to link the Christina Lake- Kinnaird cutoffs with the east has been more or less settled, stated D.F. Martin, regional engineer of the Department of Highways this week. From his office in Nelson, Mr. Martin said a drilling barge was now on the ~ Columbia, about half a mile south of the Castlegar airport, testing the river bottom for foundations of the proposed bridge. ac iet Le By a vote of 20-2 the Castlegar Chamber of Commerce last night went on record as opposing the construction of High Arrow dam since the value of it to southeastern B.C. has not been proved. er wie John McGilp of Castlegar was elected president of the Castlegar and District Curling Club at a_ special meeting held last week in the Marlane Hotel. Mr. McGilp. administrator of the local hospital, was put; into office by acclamation to fill the vacancy caused when C.F. Sanderson left the area. Be ee Two outdoor rinks in Kinnaird will continue to bd supplied with water by the village for flooding purposes. The decision was made at council's meeting Monday night after—hearing representatives from fire chief Rene Archambault that the rinks not be allowed to use water hydrants or fire department hoses. > 15 YEARS AGO From the Dec. 17, 1970 Castlegar News Flags over the Castlegar town office are flying at half mast in memory of Judge H.C. Pitts, 66, who died in hospital Tuesday at Nelson. One minute's silence was observed at Castlegar's council meeting Tuesday night in honor of the man who had contributed so much to this community while Kinnaird council at its meeting asked a special committee to recom- mend Suitable form of recognition in memory of Mr. Pitts. oo 8 A petition urging Highway Minister Wesley Black to proceed immediately with the construction of the Kinnaird- Salmo link of the southern Trans-Can- ada Highway has’been placed in local stores and business offices. . Castlegar and district-voters opted for experience in last Saturday's elec- tion, choosing those candidates in almost every instance who had the most municipal school board or_ re- gional district experience. : In Castlegar, former mayor R.C. Maddocks topped the aldermanic polls. He was followed by re-elected Ald. R.W. Cook. Ald. Carl Henne, who had served on council for two years was defeated. In Kinnaird, Ald. G.S. Rust and and Ald: Steve Jankola won re-election. 5 YEARS AGO From the Dec. 14, 1880 News 8 « Brian Brown, CGA, who for the past _ year has served Dunwoody and Com- pany in its Vancouver office, has transferred here as senior accountant. . 2 6 Radio stations from Luxembourg to - San Francisco will go off the air for 10 minutes today in mourning for former Beatle John Lennon and memorial ser- followed by the Royal Bank (41.9 per lines of credit, increased collateral re- vices will be h . cent), the Bank of Nova Scotia (40.4 per quirements and a greater tendency to one of the Dalene ponies cent) and the Toroonto Dominion Bank calling loans. paid upon a man’s death. MORE LETTERS Complaint clarified Editor, Castlegar News: As members of the Kootenay Coali- tion for Aid to Nicaragua which has sponsored the Tools for Peace cam- paign in Castlegar for the past two years, we feel we have little option but to write in response to the article in Wednesday's Castlegar News that re- ferred to our work in Castlegar. The article dealt with one parent's complaint to the school board about our members’ presentations to KJSS and Kinnaird Elementary students about the situation in Nicaragua and the des- perate need of Nicaraguan students for school supplies. In the press the parent was quoted as calling the presentation “overly political” and referred to us as a “political group” and as an “invasion of belligerents.” We think the words “invasion, “belligerent” and “political” (in the sense he seems to mean), are very inappropriate and we wish to clarify this with your readers. As I had already explained to the parent long before he spoke to the school trustees, Tools for Peace is a national coalition of ‘Canadian groups - representing a wide cross-section of Canadian society that includes all the major Canadian churches, major non- governmental organizations such as OXFAM, representatives from all poli- ~ tical parties, major trade unions and many, many other community based groups right across the country. Among the many well known indi- _vidual sponsors of the project “are people like Rev. Bob Smith, the. moderator of the United Church of Canada, Iona Campanola, President of the Liberal Party of Canada, MP Rev. Walter McLean (P.C.) and MP Pauline Jewett (NDP). Each year across Canada, we collect medical, education, agricultural and other equipment and supplies which is sent to a variety of organizations and groups in Nicaragua which have re- - quested material assistance. It is also important to know that both our previous and the present Canadian governments recognize the govern- ment of Nicaragua, giving very sub- stantial aid, and carrying on normal Comments ‘untrue’ (and increasing) trade relations with that country. What was said in the school Pi ions was factual, and based on personal experiences of many, many Canadian visitors to that coun- try, including those of several Castle- -gar residents. Nicaragua is a very poor country, has made it a top priority to provide education and health care to all its citizens and has asked Canadians to help make this possible. : We also think it important to put this whole matter into perspective by saying that Tools for Peace has made presentations to many Social Studies classes in the majority of the high schools in the Castlegar and Nelson area over the past two years and this is the first complaint that has, to our knowledge, been made. The young people of our communities have res- ponded very generously to our re- quests for school supplies for Nicar- aguan youth. The complaining parent has stated the schools should be “neutral ground.” We wonder why he has not then in the past objected to the of the which facts emphasized or ignored have to be made in our school system — all based on biases of those making the choices and on the values p Bennett's demands concern students — VANCOUVER (CP) — Okanagan College students say they're worried Premier Bill Bennett might be trying to “take over” a proposed meeting with them by setting in our community and society. Maybe it is time that the school trustees developed policy in this matter of who should be allowed to speak to students in the schools. Policy development is, after all, what the board should be focussing on — not the day-to-day decision making in the schools. If policy had been in place, this matter would not have had to come before the board at all. We would suggest that the new policy should encourage schools to be as open as is possible to the community as a whole and to concerns of groups which have legitimacy. and support within the community — with the stipulation that there is, in the opinion of the teacher or principal some “edu- cational value” (whatever that means) and some factual basis to the presen- tation. We think trustee Doreen Smecher’s suggestion that parents should be notified every time a group makes a Red Cross, UNICEF, Foster Parents Plan and the many, many other local and international groups that regularly help to educate our children about some or other dimensions of our world? These groups are no. more “neutral” than is Tools for. Peace. In our opinion, the requést. for “neutrality” has no-meaning in prac- tical ‘terms. “Neutrality” is impossible to achieve in human affairs and that certajnly includes the schools . . . neither the curriculum nor the teachers can pos- sibly be “neutral.” To try to promote this idea within the schools is simply being dishonest to the student and the parent. Better to admit the biases and values and teach students to analyse and understand information in this light. ‘What is “neutrality” for one person is “heavily biased” for another. We'll bet there are even people who see the math courses as biased . . . and we all know how some people feel about parts of the science curriculum. Choices about what is taught, for how long and ion so children can be ‘pulled from the classes.is ludicrous. The extra _ work involved will simply discourage schools even more from outside enrich- ment. If there's that much of a lack of trust as to the teacher's or principal's judgment and their own child’s ability to think maybe there are other edu- cational opportunities that will better fit the biases and values of that family. We hope the board will encourage input from more than the one complain- - ing parent before policy is established about how open our community re- sources our schools are to be. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in Castlegar who so generously gave to this year’s Tools for Peace campaign. a Ann and Bud Godderis Castlegar Please address all Letters to the Editor to: The Castlegar News, P.O. Box 3007, Castlegar, B.C. VIN 3H4, or deliver them to our office at: 197 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar, B.C. too many i on it. Student ion repre- students to send him a brief - about their ideas for the Spector said Bennett wants to ensure it will be a “result: sentative Jan Brewer said in Kelowna that deputy finance minister Norman Spector told him Bennett does not want to see students make the meeting a political event by bringing up topics such Expo 86 and the C hall, meeting. : The students hope to meet Bennett in January, but Spector said he's “not sure if it will be in January, but it'll OPEN SUNDAYS 10:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M Specials for you Sun., Mon., Tues. & Wed., December 15, 16, 17 & 18 SAUSAGE e....69° CHOCOLATE Resonre>” $958 600 G. ...---- staged a six-day sit-in at Bennett's office Highway. “We think they want to take over the meeting so they can insist certain ques- tions. aren't asked,” said in Kelowna in late October to draw attention to what they said is inadequate college financing, excessively high fees and a shoddy student aid Kelly-Whii 18, exter- nal affairs co-ordinator for the college’s student society. Spector said Friday in Vic- toria the premier wants the The students and Spector. have been negotiating the time and ground rules for a meeting since Nov. 11. OPEN,SUNDAYS 11 A.M. - 4P.. Now until Christmas! Look no further... ‘Cause Santa’s found the place... © LA MAISON Specials!!! Generra Collection kins 15S Y% or Gals Bunwarmers & Stirrups 10% Off! Now until Christmas LA MAISON 1114-3rd Street Castlegar 365-6265 Editor, Castlegar News: Re: Trustees forum a witch hunt in the Dec. 1, 1985 Castlegar News. It is disheartening to see such comments printed. Say- ing that the sponsoring groups packed the house and did not provide neutral ground for the candidates is untrue. The forum was ad- vertised in the local media and was open to anyone who wished to attend. Those who attended were given the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates and to express their ideas on what constitutes a good or bad trustee. Criticism of the then-existing board was not solicited by the moderator, who is not affiliated with either sponsoring group. She did her task of intro- ducing people fielding ques- tions from the floor and keeping the meeting running smoothly in a very satis- factory and professional man- ner. The insinuation that the moderation was not neutral was unwarranted. The suggestion that the trustee candidates and elec- tions. Why'not let those who are willing to get involved and contribute_to the community do so and let the chips fall where they may? F.O. Allam — member of the Castlegar District Parents Group and D. Chmara, vice-president of the Castlegar District Teachers’ Association Job openings Details of these.and other job opportunities cre available Trail Canada Employment Centre Spokane Street Phone: 368-5566 Employers interested in atten- ding information sessions regar- ding the new Canadian Jobs Strategy should contact the Em- ployment Centre at 368-5566. A certified tree trimer is required by a Trail based em- ployer. A Class 3 drivers licence End 2 years related experience is necessary. (586M) 1ada Employment Cen- king o Supervisor for the summer student olfice in Trail. Must be a recent grad from com- of host future trustee i for- bination diplomas ums because they could pro- vide a neutral moderator seems unrealistic. There is * only a small number of people around C who are open til December 20, 1985. (595E) A certified autobody repairer is needed for a temporary job in Fruitvale. (601T) willing to undertake such a difficult task. The chamber of commerce has as much a vested interest in city council candidates and elections as parents and tea- chers have in school board Ss PannaPacrion > « MONDAY, DEC. 16 9a.m. - 5:30 p.m. TUESDAY, DEC. 17 9a.m. - 5:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18 9a.m. - 5:30 p.m. THURSDAY, DEC. 19 9a.m.-9 p.m. FRIDAY, DEC. 20 9a.m.-9p.m. SATURDAY, DEC. 21 9a.m. - 5:30 p.m. - WEST’S DEPT. STORE CHRISTMAS HOURS SUNDAY, DEC. 22 CLOSED MONDAY, DEC. 23 © 9a.m.-9 p.m. TUESDAY, DEC. 24 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 25 CLOSED THURSDAY, DEC. 26 CLOSED COUPONS VALID TODAY! he be coupons ¥90 3s @ major to Safeway open Today (Sunday, Dec. 15) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.