PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG SHARLENE IMHOFF CATHERINE ROSS EDITOR ADVERTISING REP. MARGE LALONDE NICOLE BEETSTRA -CIRCULATION MANAGER PRODUC TION/OF FIDE JOHN VAN PUTTEN LINDA ANDERSON SPORTS REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER PRODUC TION MANAGER KAREN KERKHOFF CHRISTINE MOYER REPORTER ART DIRECTOR MELODY SEMENOFF ADVERTISING REP. Direct Department Phones General Office 365-5266 Circulation 365-5266 Classified Ads 365-7848 Display Advertising 365-2278 Newsroom 365-5579 Fax 365-7762 editorial comment Restoring human dignity Hand shakes, pats on the back and a round of applause aretfi order for Castlegar resident Bud Godderis, who must have breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon arriving at the Castlegar airport, last Friday In case this first paragraph is way over your head, tum back to page 3A and read the story titled Happy hometoming for Bud Godderis. If this story doesn't relate the anxieties which this man felt during his brief visit-to.the oppressed country of Guatemala, than simply look at the photograph taken by Sun Photographer John Van Putten, which accom panies the story. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and in this case, it's probably worth a lot more If the editorial space in this newspaper wasn't limited, it's likely that Bud could fill each page with examples of the oppression that ordinary Guatemalan people face every day of their lives. Imagine a country where, as a resident, you have no rights. In Canada we enjoy fundamental freedoms such as the freedom of conscience and religion; freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression; freedom of the press and communication; freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association. If you were a resident of Guatemala, chances are you would keep your thoughts, beliefs and opinions to your self—or risk serious consequences if those opinions wer not deemed ‘correct. or ‘appropriate’ by those in absolut power. If you lived in Guatemala, the only way to ensure Peaceful assembly would be to hold it in secret. But after speaking with Bw, it was the realization that the-press in ly gagged— it is harassed and intimidat blatant facts, or assisting in covering them up, that makes Oye realize the conditions under which people are forced to liv When Bud was in place which could have' Since the Guatemalan a series of events took ly put their lives at risk dia is suppressed, it would have press to relay events surround emalans. Hence, the reason for raged, was placed under untry was given a war. It's impossible to imagine such ha Canada, where free speech and. free given, and considered an éssential fia Process. Think about what could happen if taken away from us. Think of the power that gontrol over information. And most importantly, t oppression that strikes those who are kept ignorant The feeling of power that comes from control ovr infor mation is visible at an early age. How many times hye seen a child smirk and say, "I know something you ¢ know." Take that small child's innocent secret, magnify it a thousand times over so it has the potentialto control mil- lions of people. Then, add intimidation and fear to avoid questions of corruption. Don't bother adding oppression, fear, and suspicion, those will fall naturally into place on their own. What you Nave is a situation similar to that in Guatemala—but as a result, you also have people like Bud Godderis who are spending their lives fighting against it And since the people of Guatemala can't rely on their own press (journalists have a habit of disappearing), they rely on international media As a weekly newspaper serving this small city, we're proud to say we've helped—in our own small way— in Bud's efforts to restore human dignity the democratic rights were SZ The Gastiégar Sun 7 IS POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT AND A MEMBER OF THE STERLING NEWS SERVICE Established November 28, 1990 Published by The Castlegar Sun Weekly on Wednesdays Member of Canadian Community Newspapers A B.C. Community Newspapers Associatic and B.C. Press Council 465 Columbia Ave., Castlegar. B.C. V1 ERRORS The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable tor damages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the amount paid for the space actuaily occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error to the negligence of its servants or otherwise and there shall lability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the az paid for such advertisement All advertising subject to publisher's approval completed within one year from contract > contingent orde John I am all for ‘giving the local guy a chance’ spicl, but if-he can’t compete on a even playing field, should he be given the contract just because he is local? For me that is an easy question to answer-—NO. I don’t know about you Karen, but I think we elect our local gov: emments with the intent that they make the most our of tax dollars. The general public loves to bitch and complain about every red penny that is spent at the local, provincial and federal level Most, if not every, Canadian feels they are taxed up to their eye- balls—and they let their views be known. have even heard you, Karen, gripe about the increasing tax burden that is being placed on us, the lower income sections of society I find it hard to comprehend that the average Castlegar taxpay- er would willingly volunteer to ‘donate’ more money into the pot for the city to spend. So why is there a big deal being made about city politicians doing.what is the norm and going with the lowest competent bidder in order to save money? Every year the issue about rais- ing local taxes resurrects itself from the deep dark dungeons {every local politicians worst nightmare) of the city's money chest. People from all walks of life complain that jhey are being gouged for every cent they have Can you relate to this common activity? Now do you sull really think the contract should be awarded 10 the local guy?- Think about th price difference, $49,397.82 just phase two of Castleyce ization alone Take into consideration number of tenders the city deals with yearly. If every one of thow tenders were dished out to local bidders (even thouyh the bid was slightly higher), think about the total when all those differences were added up The concept of a five per cent grace for local contractors is the Award con tracts locally? most absurd thing I have ever heard! That is like automatically giving the local guy a license to over calculate his bid by a little less than the five per cent allowance they have already been given. Let’s just say Merry Christ- mas, have an extra five percent profit. Talk about favoritism! Award the contract to the out- of-town bidder and the entire area benefits. Think about it. The out- of-town workers have to stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, and SPEND LOTS OF THEIR MONEY. The added bonus is that the city (taxpayers) saved in the cost of the contract. Wow! What a Deal! If vou look at the bidding pro- cess as Il is set up, and factor in the five per cent local contractor kiuse. you instantly force out any REAL competition. The out-of town builders need to come in at keust’ Six per cent lower than any local outlits—just to have a hope in hell of getting the contract If anybody! out there really has so much money that they are will Ing to give it away, I am more than Willing to help you out. Just con tact me and I can take care of any extra money you might have! I guess in some ways I'm prejudice, but it still doesn’t change my opinion—local employers have an obligation (yes—obligation) to hire local- ly. My husband is a Robson contractor, and it is gratefully appreciated when the Robson Irrigation District sends him the specifics of a job to bid on. I'll tell you this, if I ever found out that the tender went to‘out- of-towners first I would raise bloody hell! Although five per cent seems like a small amount of money, when you are talking millions' of dollars it CAN add up to a considerable difference I can appreciate that difference and I agree that the city has an obligation to be thrifty with the taxpayers” dollars However, I think there is an answer to the dilemma, and it is very simple. If a local con tractor bids within five per cent of the lowest out-of-town bid der, then they should-be given the option to counter bid. If their counter bid can challenge the out-of-town bid within one or two percent, then I say the city should be REQUIRED to accept the logal bid if the con: tractor is reputable and able to do the job to specifications. Of course, it is up to local contractors to make sure their bids are based on the cost of doing the job, not on greed, It is a logical and fair assumption that a local contractor should be able to do the job for less, and their bid should reflect the definite advantage that they have. I also feel that other busi- nesses in Castlegar (such as a lumber supply, or electrical company) should then be pre pared to sell supplies to the local contractor at COMPETI TIVE prices. If we want to keep money in the community, then that is one of the things that businesses will have to do. The old saying “you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours” definitely applies here The argument that out-of- town contractors wil help boost our economy, (especially in the hospitality industries) is true in part, but the majority of the money is going to go home to their families—and therefore their home town. But, by hiring locally we will see a good por- tion of those wages being spent right here in Castlegar. All you have to do is talk to the local businesses and ask them what happens when a local industry lays off workers. I guarantee that most of those businesses will tell you that they in turn have to lay off workers. It 1s a simple equa- tion, even for you John, but T'll spell it out anyway. Hiring locally = money spent locally = more jobs locally = prosperity locally Let's face it, the City of Kelowna or Vernon is not look- ing out for our best interests. It 1s up to us, and those who sit on city council to see that our interests are protected The way I see it, hiring locally is a win-win situation if you have any ry " org about this week's Cheek to Cheek, feel free to Call the newsroom at 365-5579 or fax us your send us your comments in a letter to the editor c/o The Castlegar Sun. If you have a subject that you would like to see debated In the Cheek to Cheek column, Karen and John would love to hear your suggestions. ts and t ts at 365-7762 —___] What is happening to our economy? Just what is happening to our Canadian economy? Are we all convinced that our national ' debt is our worst economic problem? We believe this in spite of the fact that our debt as a propor- tions of gross domestic product was twice as high after WWIL So what are we doing about the debt? Weil_we maintain high interest rates that make it just about impossible to manufacture anything in this country. This in turn keeps the unemployment at a high level that nobody seems to be able to determine because of government number manipu- lation High unemployment costs us directly in U.L.C. and social assistance payments—but even more Clearly in terms of lost potential. Interest rates are kept high to encourage foreign investnent in a country that already has the highest level of foreign ownefship of any developed country in the world and which has a bur. ip labor will become the determining factor in where manufactur Cur, since it is the single largest cost in production or Canadians this simply means that our raw materials will flow tofcheap labor and we will lose even more jobs and have less ability to rvice our national debt Does this sound like an economic strategy for Canada? If it is a strategy to restor yur economy, it is so bad that 1s almost defiebe lief It is hard to imagine that any reasonable competent human being ould develop an onomic plan such as this. If we assume for a moment that our national leaders, as bumbling as they are, are not that stupid. then what ts the purpose of such a plan? Let's suppose for a moment that we lived in the- second largest country in the world with such unimaginable wealth in natural resources that cach member of that country could easily be a million Airc Let's imagine also that this country was wealthy in a resource that is essential to life—like, say, fresh water. Now let's Suppose there is a large and greedy country on our border, which, in spite of its greed, it is deemed politically unacceptable to invade neighbours Now suppose this large and greedy country needed access to resources, in particular those essential to life. How could they get those resources? I suppose they might engineer an economic situation like the one we described earlier, be: use that scenario is a recipe for a country to lose control of its own resources and its ability to exploit them. Talk about your grand conspiracy theories, The stakes are unimag- inably high. It's ridiculous! Or is it? Jim Chapman is a Castlegar resident, and a city councillor. STICKG ‘N'STONEG ie oia NEVER Wednesday, June 2, 1993 Letters to the Editor The Castlegar Sun Page 7A Televised mind Dear Editor: Several weeks ago Karen Kerkhoff wrote a column supporting the freedom of television to broadcast The producers and advertisers have been indiscriminate with their Her opinions made. me angry because I believe that television is one of the cornerstones responsible for the increase in violence. in our society, and is reflected mainly in our youth Television has regressed so far that children who watch a lot at early ages no longer realize there is a difference between real life and “TV life”. That invisible but distinct line separating the two worlds does not exist for too many kids raised on an unlimited diet of television It's recycling collection time a Dear Editor: The last recycling collection organized by volunteers in Castlegar will take place on 4. Gl Saturday, June 5 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The site has been moved back to the Safe way parking lot because of the construction in the downtown area This month, the Catholic Women's League and the Knights of Columbus are jointly providing the volunteer labor for the collection. Those wanting to bring items for recy- cling will greatly help the volunteers by preparing and sorting the materials at home pollution to occur have not always exerc our sociely write Telecommunications grams which offend y flatten: some types cannot be opened at one end, but these can he crushed. jars and bottles: Wash lids or caps. No other glass accepted 5. Aluminum cans: (pop and beer cans, etc) - empty, but do not flatten. Clean alu minum foil and other products welcome 6. Corrugated cardboard: We can use a lot of boxes. Flatten out the very large boxes No waxed surfaces or light cardboard (cereal boxes, etc) 7. Magazines, magazine quality paper, phone books, pocket books, etc. We do not take catalogues— return these to the compa remove before bringing them down to the RDCK nies. Recycles truck. This includes 1. Newspapers and flyers: separate and place in separate bundles or bags. 2. Office paper: sort into three piles bleached white, coloured and unbleached; and computer. No envelope “windows”, car- bon paper or large metal clips. (staples OK) 3. Tin cans: wash, open both ends and $1,000 reward for address of "two fine young la Dear Editor: On May 28, 1948, I was riding a bus home from Alaska and made a stop in Grants Pass, Ore- gon. In Grants Pass, Oregon I met these two young British Columbia women who were on their way to Disneyland. They told me that they had graduated in 1947 and had to work for a year before they could take their senior trip. These two young women were employed at a box factory that was located next to the high school that they had graduated from the year before I am trying to locate these two young women to reward them for being so nice to me. Because of them my life was saved Just after these two young women and I parted our separate ways my life was almost taken in Los Angeles, CA. I was still thinking about these two young women while sitting on a park bench in Los Angeles. There were three young men that approached me and held me at gunpoint and requested my money. I told them that two British Columbia women had already taken my money. They were distracted with something and I had time to run These two young women told me that they were the Anderson women, I think their names were L and Virginia Anderson. They told me that they lived so far from Alberta but were closer to Idaho than Washington. They also'told me that if I ever came 120' x 130' lot with a 14 x 68 mobile in Raspberry. Needs skirting, sundeck & some landscaping. A steal at $45,000. cai 365-0020 HEARTFELT THANKS to Doctors & Nurses for their Special care given to my daughter Elaine in her last weeks of being amongst us To family and friends for visits, flowers gifts and cards. To Father Anderson who gave such a lovely service and the the C.W.L for the lovely refreshments Bless you all. Hermina (Hyde) and husband Don Gouldie Terry Hyde & family Bev Alden & family Edwina (Ron) Riche & family Last month a joint effort by the Vintage Car Club and City Councillors netted over 10,000 pounds of recyclable materials. The truck was loaded!!! The Ad Hoc Recycling Committee which has helped to coordinate the work of volun teers since April 1992, is very. much hoping that recycling will become part of the Regional District infrastructure by the fall of through New Denver that I wouldn't go through their town but I would be close by. While talking with them they mentioned several towns. which were San- don, Houser, Rosebery, Silverton, Poplar Creek, Duncan and New Denver. They also told me that ladies. they were the Anderson girls There may not be a a place the person who gives power by allowing negativism and false valu fabric of this media form. Those charged w from a pldte called Anderson Anderson but they said that it was There is a $1,000 reward for address of these two fine young If you know the whereabouts pollution responsible for increase in violence Adults have been negligent to society ou-—or better yet, write Karen! Barbara Rainville gain in Castlegar \ this year. This would mean that there would be a permanent recycling depot in Castlegar available to residents of Areas I and J as well as Castlegar citizens An on-going education campaign to encourage more and more residents and businesses to recycle also needs to be sup And finally, a well planned campaign to reduce and elimi nate the waste must be developed as soon as ported by local government possible And one final note: The next hazardous waste collection in Nelson is scheduled for August 22 and 23. That's where one can safely dispose of small household batteries, paints, pesticides, and many other chemicals and materials which will damage the envi- ronment if simply “dumped”. Call the Min- istry of the Environment‘in Nelson for more information about hazardous waste disposal. Hope to see you on June 5 Ann Godderis for Nina Koodrin and Alice Maloff, Ad Hoc Recycling committee town called me the right in allowing this form of mind to pervade the entire ith the care of children ised their responsibility ay media gatekeepers If you feel that television and its makers are doing a disservice to The CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Commission) the advertisers who present pro of these two fine young ladies, please write or call Jess Ridge, Site 3, Comp 1, RR }, South Slo- can, British Columbia VOG 2GO or call him at 1-604-359-7506. Mr. Willard Morris Rt. I Box 137 Montreal, MO 65591 Castlegar & District Hospital MAY BABIES Born to Terri Miner *May 18 Born to Desmond + Boy & Val Fipke + Girl . be) nt Congratulations to all! The name with a baby rattle receives a free Mm plant from Tulips! 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