Dave McCullough Publisher Scott David OurWiEWS Winds of change hat started as a one- woman fight for the preservation of Castlegar’s postal service is slowly catching on. Castlegar businesses and city council appear to be jumping on the Sandra Groepler wagon as she tries to beat the truth out of Canada Post. The B.C. director of Rural Dignity Canada has taken it upon herself to warn this community of the fate that lies ahead for our post office. Don’t mistake Groepler for another Chicken Little, though. A Robson resident, Groepler cringed when she saw that post office permanently boxed up. She’s_ hellbent on preventing the same from happening to Castlegar. On June 16, Groepler and the rest of us should get a glimpse of what’s in store for our homey little office when a Canada Post representative appears before city council. At that time, you can bet that nothing will be said about “streamlining, relocating or reshuffling.” Instead, Canada Post will ensure us that nothing is up. One merely needs to take a look at one government report to see that is not the case. According to a 1990 document prepared by the Standing Committee on Consumer and Corporate Affairs and Government Operation, ‘Canada Post (should) discontinue retail postal business and devote its resources to the collection, processing and delivery of mail.’ The latter is just one of 39 recommendations outlined in the report... one of 39 planned changes. WOU)! 50 THIS (0 THE ZALM TRIAL... \ \ SAN WS SW KW ASE SMA POY N N N LY \ < As we saw last week, WE TOASTED Hit IN OCTOBER. (1 HERETO SEE FAYE LENG. WN N SX OY N millions of dollars. growth costs money. The City of Castlegar is looking at spending $10 million over the next decade — or about $1 million a year — for things like a new police station and to upgrade the water system and roads. That.‘leaves two big questions: can we afford it and if we can, who’s going to pay for it? That’s where the city’s strategic financial plan on NORMAN R __.} Comments from the | works, but I can get a good Voters were rightly hesitant, because when governments start spending, the first place they usually reach is into our wallets. Not having seen the city’s financial plan, I can’t say for sure how council intends to finance its $10 | million worth of public idea by looking at the Crossroads |Comprehensive comes in. This is the plan Councillor Kirk Duff : mentioned in those public meetings earlier this year with CURB. The plan, scheduled to be released in the fall, will lay out for taxpayers just where the city is going to get the money to pay for all its projects. _ Castlegar council’s failure to provide a strategic financial plan prior to the road paving referendum last year was a major blunder — especially because council was also bandying about other projects worth | Development Planning Study prepared by Urban Planning Systems. The study says that increased taxes from Celgar Pulp Co.’s $700 million expansion will pay for most of the capital projects and improvements. When the mill is finished and on the tax rolls it will add more than $1 million a year to the city’s coffers. I’m no whiz with numbers, even I can see that the increased taxes from Celgar alone please see NORMAN page 7 Streef TALK Question: Do you avoid the Melissa Klingler Castlegar “No.” Cynthia Bartsoff Castlegar “Yes, definitely.” Nelson Latta Castlegar “You bet your,sweet life I do.” Cara McArthur Kevin Postnikoff Castlegar Thrums “Definitely.” “Yes, I do.” iin atti Ne ee nn enecoumramntitin canmnneimecnnanannannsn sienna m Saturday, May 30,1992. AThe News Please address all letters to: Letters to the ditor Castlegar News P.O. Box 3007 Castlegar, B.C. V1N 3H4 or deliver them to 197 Columbia Ave. 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. and5 p.m. The writer's name and city or town of residence only will be published. Only in exceptional cases will letters be published anonymously. Even in those cases, the name, address and phone number of the writer MUST be disclosed to the editor. The News reserves the right to edit letters for brevity, clarity, legality, grammar and taste. Other VIEWS Letters tcoWHE EDITOR We’re writing to thank Castlegar residents for their enthusiastic and thoughtful support of the volunteer recycling project and to remind people that the next collection day is Saturday, June 6. The Regional District of Central Kootenay Recycles truck will again be located on the Safeway parking lot from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On June 6 we'll be accepting newspapers and flyers — separated please— magazines, brown paper bags, cardboard egg cartons, phone books, corrugated cardboard and aluminum cans (not flattened). Unfortunately we won't be able to accept catalogues because no market exists at this point for the paper. The following is written in response ito Canada Post spokesperson Ilona Beiks comments in the Castlegar INews, May 23, 1992: In Penticton, Canada Post gave one month’s notice of closure of federal postal wicket service. Therefore, I am not reassured by Canada Post’s Ilona Beiks’ statement “If there are any changes ... we'll let ithe public know like we always do.” To call my concern over potential changes in Castlegar “premature” and depict it as “spreading rumors” is inappropriate in light of the very short notice given in Penticton. Sandra Groepler B.C. Director, Rural Dignity Canada Robson Norman Everything should be clean and dry. . . newspapers or other goods that are yellowed, old, wet or dirty just can’t be used for recycling purposes. Last month, volunteers from the United Church received 6,000 pounds of papers and other goods from approximately 150 people. That’s as strong support as we received on the first collection day and it is a good indication that Castlegar supports recycling. Hopefully we’ll soon have our own depot in town and recycling will become a regular part of our lives. Meanwhile, we’re very grateful to Safeway for allowing us to use their parking lot for the collection and commend their good citizenship. Also, we appreciate being able to use the regional district recycles truck for the collection. Recycling efforts getting support On June 6 volunteers from the USCC will provide the labor to receive and pack the goods. The Recycling Advisory Committee will again be on hand to talk to people about recycling and to pass on information. Composters will be on sale for $45 (including taxes). : Unless another group steps forward soon, we'll be taking a break over the summer and hopefully resume the project early in September. We are still looking for local churches, service groups, school groups or others to “lend a hand” on a first Saturday of the month to keep Castlegar recycling! Ann Godderis, Nina Koodrin, Alice Maloff Castlegar Make Canada nuclear free An open letter to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney: B.C. has been declared to be a nuclear ~ weapons free zone. On April 23, 1992, by a 51-1 margin, the B.C. legislature passed a supporting resolution demanding a full public environmental review of nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable warships in the province’s ports and waters. For years, there has been great public concern about the significance of the potentially adverse environmental effects of the berthing of nuclear-capable and nuclear-powered vessels in Greater Victoria’s urban harbor. This concern has been expressed for over 10 years by the thousands of people that attended peace walks and by their federal, provincial and municipal representatives. Now, on April 23, 1992, citizens throughout British Columbia expressed their concern through their elected representatives in the legislature. B.C. MLAs voted 51-1 to keep our province nuclear free. The issue of the continued berthing of nuclear-capable and nuclear-powered vessels is in essence an issue of survival. Such an issue transcends traditional ideological barriers. As Liberal leader Gordon Wilson stated “this is not a movement that is dedicated to those on the left, the right or the centre. This is a movement of those who wish to stand and speak out for humanity” The people of British Columbia have used the democratic process to voice their concern through their elected representatives. They are speaking to you Mr. Prime Minister, and to your government. We urge you to undertake immediately a full public environmental assessment review of the continuation of the berthing of nuclear-capable and nuclear-powered vessels B.C. waters. ote Joan Russow Vancouver Island Peace Society continued from page 6 could pay for all the improved ser- vices and capital projects planned for the next 10 years. There’s just one hitch (it’s never THAT easy): the new mill won't be completely on the tax rolls until 1995 and increased taxes from Celgar will dribble in one year ata time. That has prompted some in the community to suggest council should proceed cautiously with its spending — perhaps paying for the projects as it goes. However, the study says some of the improvements and capital projects can’t wait that long. “If Castlegar is to accommodate the growth associated with the ex- pansion of the mill, it must put in place new infrastructure in the very near future,” the study says. The study recommends the city borrow money for some of the pro- jects and points to the police build- ing and the road paving as suit- able for going to referendum. But Celgar isn’t the only method for financing improve- ments. The study also suggests the province could pay half of the cost of a second access road paral- lel to Columbia Avenue under the Major Road Program. That would save the city about $664,000. (But the city has been thrown a curveball since the study was completed last August. The New Democrat government in Victoria has clamped a lid on all spending — particularly highway spending — so don't hold your breath that we'll get funding for a second accegs in the next year or two.) Should the second access road go ahead, the study suggests council get developers who subdi- vide property along the new road pay for part of the costs of the cost charge of $1,000 to $3,000 a lot could generate more than $650,000 for the city. There’s just one drawback: the city would have to make the initial investment and then wait for the lots to be de- veloped in order to collect. The study also proposes that the city sell of some of its land holdings and other assets to help pay for the projects. The study recommends that users should pay for improve- ments to the water and sewer sys- tems. But in order to recover the $900,000 cost for upgrading the water system the city would have to hike frontage taxes by 50 per cent. The study says that’s too large an increase for taxpayers to ab- sorb over the short term. It suggests the city bring in a new tax — one based on the as- The study says a develop t d value of the property re- ceiving the water. This would be in addition to the frontage tax each property owner pays. Over time, the city would re- duce the new tax and increase frontage taxes so that the water system would be self-sufficient. The study recommends the same approach with the sewer system. The north end needs some $680,000 in improvements. If council tried to recover it all from frontage taxes, north end frontage taxes would double. So the study suggests bringing in a sewer system tax based on the property’s assessed value — in * addition to the frontage tax. Now if all this sounds pretty bleak for property owners, there is a silver lining. The study says any increase in water and sewer rates because of the new tax would be offset by a corresponding decrease in overall property taxes because of Celgar’s contribution.