A4 August 14, 1988 STABLISHED AUGUST 7 CIs Castlégar News *AEABER OF THE B.C, PRESS COUNCH INCORPORATING THE MID WEEK MIRROR PUBLISHED SETPEMBER 12, 1978 AUGUST 27, 1980 PUBLISHER, AUGUST 7, 1947. FEBRUARY 15, 1973. Burt Campbell av TWICE WEEKLY MAY 4, 1900 TRUCK TRAFFIC . . problem in Castlegar . Transport trucks are becoming more of a Truck problems It's a glorious day in Castlegar and the sounds of summer are everywhere. Birds whistle, squirrels natter, the wind rustles through the birch trees and jake brakes screech as another truck rumbles Those jake brakes aren't just a simple annoyance, they're in- dicative of a growing truck problem in Castlegar. The city is being inundated with transport trucks. And it isn't just the nearly 100 logging and chip trucks that make their way along Columbia Avenue each day to the Celgar Pulp Co. mill and the Westar Timber i at the other end of town (200 a day if you figure that those 100 trucks must return through town.) Remember when 4 YEARS AGO From the Aug. 12, 1948 The Village Milk By-Law No. 17 has been approved by Order in Council, Department of Health, A snowplow has been ordered, which can be attached to the Village truck for clearing of streets in winter. The purchase price is $700. 7 8 e@ GAS TAX — Everyone who has ever kicked about bad roads will have a chance to sign the B.C. Automobile Association's petition asking the gov- ernment to spend all the taxes from motor vehicle owners on roads and maintenance instead of on general government costs. . ee Badge work is going ahead by leaps and bounds as the inter-patrol competition is strong. Three hikes have been taken and some boys took “advantage of this to pass some of their outdoor tests. . ee e The Legion Ladies Auxiliary Fall Fair Committee held a meeting last Tuesday night at the home of Mrs. R. Kerr. Among things discussed was the Baby Show section of the Fair. 25 YEARS AGO From the Aug. 15, 1963 News Gwilym Hughes, Castlegar and District's citizen of the year for 1961, won election to Castlegar council last Thursday in his first bid for munici- pal office. . 28 A five-watt television rebroadcast- er to bring CBC television to Castle- Letters to the editor gar is exp to go into in December. eo 8 A SHSS student, Elaine Hirtle, has won the grand award for all of the job Move ‘grave insult’ I am concerned over the proposal to establish an agency liquor store in Robson, when we already have a government liquor store in Castlegar. The community on the east side of the Columbia River is estimated to be about 3,500 population, including Raspberry, Pass Creek and Brilliant. Does this meet the criterion for “‘small"’ ? If not, then I There are hundreds of other trucks serving bulk oil facilities, truck distributors and other businesses. Castlegar likely has more trucks than any other city in the Kootenays because of its central location. We call ourselves the service centre of the Kootenays — and with some pride But while there is no doubt that we want to see that service in- dustry grow, we are also starting to realize that as more and more trucks come into the community, they are presenting problems for our road networks Truck accidents at one time a rare occurrence — are becoming more frequent. This week's accident that closed Celgar Road for two hours was just the latest in a series of mishaps involving trucks. (This last one could have been much more serious had a vehicle been travelling in the opposite direction. The truck flipped, skidding com- pletely into the oncoming lane) We have seen residents along 6th Avenue near the Community Complex complain because of the number of trucks parking in that areg. The Castlegar Ambulance Service has expressed concerns about a possible accident congestion in the area because of the traffic Castlegar council is attempting to tome to terms with the problem. It has suggested a new bypass to reroute the logging and chip trucks away from Columbia Avenue. As well, the city held a meeting earlier this year with residents and businesses along 6th Avenue to discuss truck problems But the city should look at the overall truck issue and what to do about it. What is needed is a comprehensive report recommending various truck routes through town. While the options for those routes are obviously limited because of the way the city is laid out, the routes might go a long way to resolving some of the current and future problems resulting from the onslaught of these trucks, Library a delight I would like to show my appreci- ation of the Castlegar library services by writing this letter. The library facilities are delightful with more room, and an airy, lighted building. The staff, both professoinal and volunteers, are always pleasant and helpful There is minimum waiting time for requested books and some of the latest published books can often be obtained quickly. Often this would take months in a city. We are extremely lucky to have such a good library. Thank you to the staff! Margaret Pryce Castlegar Support for Turner We support the move by Opposi- tion Leader John Turner to have the Senate delay the passing of the free-trade agreement until a general election is held. It is our view that the Canadian people must be provided the oppor- tunity for a full discussion of all as- pects of the free-trade ag LA servative government has seen fit to tie implementation of the free-trade agreement to an American political timetable. We do not accept that this is a proper or necessary way to negotiate any agreement between our two countries. By endorsing Mr. Turner's actions general election held at this time will allow the fullest possible dis- cussion on what may be the most far-reaching change facing Canadi ans since Confederation. We are concerned that the Con- we are senators to give all Canadians a say on the accep- tability of the free-trade agreement. Helen and Maareen Mitchell More letters A5 assume that the Liquor Distribution Branch is considering the proposal on the basis that we are a ‘‘remote’’ community. (The quoted words are terms used in the LDB notice.) Before the Ministry of Highways, against our wishes, closed the Rob- son ferry the liquor store in Castlegar was within walking distance to many, as were more i iti the transportation link with Castle- gar. We anticipate the matter to come before the B.C. Supreme Court in the near future. It is, therefore, premature to assume we are a remote community at this time. It would be a grave insult by the such as schools, libraries, medical facilities, recreation and shopping centres. The community of Robson is still in the process of re-establishing ee B.c. to close Robson’s vital link to essential services, then attempt to placate the community with a liquor store in its-place. George Stein Good news, bad news B.C. Hydro chairman Larry Bell brought both good news and bad news on his visit to Castle- gar this week. The good news is that the Keenleyside dam gener- ating project is high on the Crown corporation’s _ priorities list, behind only the Site C project on the Peace River. A double bit of good news is that Murphy Creek is just be- hind Keenleyside. And even more positive is the news that Hydro is getting all its ducks in a row so that should it decide to proceed with a new hydroelectric facility, it can begin construction within two months and complete project within six years. To that end came news this week that Hydro has put three B.C. engineering companies on its short-list of candidates to act as consultants to the Crown cor- poration. Hydro says each will submit detailed proposals by early September and final selec- tion will be made in mid-Octo- ber. Despite the flurry of activity, Hydro says it still can’t see building a major hydroelectric project until after the year 2000. But it says it is “‘prudent to maintain the option of earlier de- velopment."’ Gone are the days when Hydro would take years to complete a plan. Instead, under the direction of Bell, former chief executive officer of Van- couver City Savings Credit Union, Hydro will have plans for several projects completed and sitting on the shelf ready to be dusted off and put into action when needed. All that is good news, especia- lly for Castlegar because Keen- leyside will be one of those projects ready to go at a mo- ment's notice. What isn't good news locally is Hydro’s shift in policy away from major genera- ting facilities. In the old days, Hydro’s res- Norman Ponse to increased demand for energy was to build a dam, usually the bigger, the better. No longer. Bell has shown in recent statements that Hydro will turn to other sources for energy before constructing its own dams. A good example of this came Wednesday with Alcan Alumin- um Ltd.’s announcement of a $600-million expansion project for its Kemano dam near Kiti- mat. Under a 20-year agreement with Hydro, Alcan will sell 2,500 gigawatt hours a year beginning in 1995. The new project will add 520 megawatts of new capacity to Kemano — slightly more than half the 950 megawatts proposed for the Site C dam. Hydro says it will save $500 million between 1995S and 2015 by buying electricity from the Kemano expansion instead of proceeding with Site C, consid- ered the next best least-cost alternative. Bell said in the wake of the agreement that Hydro's strategy of not having to build major new dams before the end of the century ‘‘remains intact.’ But that’s not all. Hydro has also commissioned studies of the Waneta and Brilliant dams, owned by Cominco Ltd., in the hopes it may be able to use power from those dams if they are expanded. As well, this week Hydro an- nounced that it has joined the Power Admi n studies by students in high schools throughout B.C. in the Job Study Competition sponsored by the Vancouver Board of Trade and the Pacific National Exhibition. - 28 Columbia Cellulose has announced that aproximately $600,000 will be spent on the installation of a new power boiler at its Celgar pulp division here. oe A brief on Kraft Mill Odor Control prepared by Sandwell and Co. and suggested for study by Celgar. by Comm. R.C. Maddocks was des- cribed this week as ‘‘detailed but elementary.”” - 28 The provincial government does not make monies available to assist areas in making surveys of possible i or i of district municipalities. 5 YEARS AGO From the Aug. 16, 1973 Castlegar News The strike against CanCel’s pulp division here enters its 16th day today with no end in sight. And the number of men affected by the shutdown now totals 1,010. . ee e It would cost $5 million to upgrade Selkirk College's facilities here to in studying possible changes to reservoir operations on the Col- umbia River system. This will have a direct effect on Castle- gar-area residents because the study will look at ways to increase power by making better use of storage in the Arrow Lakes. Hydro said that improved coordination between the Arrow Lakes and Kinbasket Lake res- ervoirs could increase the annual electrical output by 1300 giga- watt hours — about half the amount Hydro will get from the proposed Kemano expansion. All of the alternative sources are impediments to Keenleyside. But the single biggest obstacle to Hydro installing generators in Keenleyside is the dam’s num- ber two position on Hydro’s priority list. Bell pointed out to his Castlegar audience this week that the Crown corporation has already spent $50 million pre- paring Site C, and another $10 million would bring it to the con- struction-ready stage. With Hydro apparently inves- tigating every alternative to con- structing a major new dam, and with the huge Site C project in line ahead of the Keenleyside dam, things aren't as bright as they might at first have seemed. Still, Hydro’s plans call for Keenleyside to come on stream after the turn of the century, but in order for that to become real- ity the dam may have to vault ahead of Site C on the priority list. And that is what Castlegar council and the Castlegar and District Development Board should be focussing their ener- gies on — not an early start to the project. an of 750 students. . . . A DC-6 from the Northwest Ter- ritories has joined the forest fire- fighting fleet stationed at the Castle- gar Airport. 7. ee e Kinnaird’s postponed council meeting didn’t take place Tuesday night because of lack of a quorum. . 8 6 The British Columbia government is prepared to spend up to $1 million for a pavilion at Expo '74, provincial Trade Minister Gary Lauk announced last Thursday. . © The Castlegar Fire Department is considering cancelling all burning permits because of the extreme fire hazard. 5 YEARS AGO From the Aug. 10, 1983 Castlegar News B.C. Hydro has decided to con- tinue planning for the proposed Keenleyside and Murphy Creek power projects despite current load forecasts that point towards a de- crease in the demand for electricity. °. 8 The Doukhobor Historical Museum will be featured, along with various other West Kootenay beauty- spots, in a television show documentary being filmed this weekend. ° 8 A one-day-a-week employment ser- vice, provided by the federal govern- ment, was cut in April 1981 because citizens of Castlegar had ‘‘ready ac- cess’ to the Canada Employment Centre in Trail * 8 The West Kootenay Women's Association is holding its fifth annual Women's summer festival on Sat- urday at the Vallican Whole Com- munity Centre. _ 14, 1988 Castlegar News AS MORE LETTERS Tariffs serve purpose Largely missing from the “Great ‘on this road while England and y simple Free-Trade’’ debate is any app’ tion of why we have customs and tariffs in the first place. They are some of the instruments used by gov- called, free- market or Chicago School, Using this theory it. could be shown that there is something inherently wrong for a ernments to manage the y in the best interest of the country. All the. world’s major economies were established with government assis- tance and behind tariff barriers. The most notable example from recent times being the world’s largest econ- omy, that of Japan. to in the econ- omy on behalf of its citizens. If you bought that, privatization, contract- ing out and free trade all followed from the resulting abdication of power and responsibility. We may or may hot be better off under free trade. Indications from Japan's man- aged. Despite tepested requests to dismantle its stringent controls on imports and foreign investments, the government of Japan has politely but firmly operated in thé best interests of the country. The Japanese are not willing to relinquish the very powers which brought Japan to its present pre-eminent position. Many European and American companies have grown beyond the needs of their own domestic markets. The government policies which nur- tured their growth as national in- dustries are now seen as impedi- ments in their new role as trans- national corporations. Free trade. has replaced patriotism in the board- rooms and a new breed of politican was required in the legislatures of those which have ed to the transnationals are that a wealthy elite will become wealthier while low wages and poverty are in store for most. The Philippines is far and the, United States are showing the same trend. In any case the de- cision will not be made in Canada and we will only find out later what role the transnationals will have Canada play. Those who support free trade should keep their fingers cross- ed; the rest should work to retain Turning back the tax clock The Fraser Institute published a tax summary of the average taxpayer in July, 1987, which stated that the first tax-free day was then July 8. This day had moved back one day each of trevor penis TRAVEL INSURANCE without! it" CASTLEGAR SAVINGS INSURANCE % CASTLEGAR SLOCAN PARK 601-18th St. Hwy. 6, Slocan Park 365-3368 226-7216 the preceding three years and the policy is continuing on small tax- payers. Cc i even during profit- what remains of our d In this debate we hear much of ‘how we are just as good as the Amer- icans. That is hardly the point. The real question is: Are we as clever as the Japanese? Castlegar Thanks for helping support the Moyie We hope we may take up a little space in your letters column to say a very big thank you to the many people of Castlegar for their support of our campaign to Save Our Ship, the S.S. Moyie sternwheeler, beach- ed at Kaslo, and badly in need of who are willing to hand over the management of their countries’ ec- onomy to the transnational corpor- ations. We were at the recent Riondel Daze, selling tickets for the S.S. Moyie model ship raffle where pro- ceeds went to the S.S. Moyie Pre- The were not amendable to the simple imposi- tion of a Colonel Armas (Guatemala), a Marcos (Philippines), a Pinochet (CHile) or a Mobuto (Zaire). More subtle methods were called for in a democracy in order to induce the people to vote away their power. So we had the development of a new Fund, and the response from visitors from Castlegar was wonderful. This kind of support from the people and media in the communities of the Kootenay area has made it possible for us to get a $175,000 grant from the federal government for the preservation program for the Moyie, which we hope will get underway before the end of the year. The Moyie is the oldest of only six surviving sternwheelers in Canada and the last passenger-freight stern- wheeler that operated in Canada and western North America. She survived an era that saw more than 200 stern- wheelers in British Columbia and several hundred more in the Yukon. In 1958, after nearly 59 years’ service on Kootenay Lake, the people of Kaslo pulled the Moyie up on shore at Kaslo Bay and they have main- tained her as a museum ever since. The Moyie is the only passenger sternwheeler museum in British Col- umbia, an important tourist attrac- tion for the whole Kootenay area. Questions answered Highways Minister Neil Vant’s July 27 response to my July 15 telelphone inquiry has been the only fesponse on the same request to sev- eral and the premier. How- even further to town. In a letter dated Aug. 5, I outlined my very specific concerns regarding the CPR train bridge. Mr. Valentine ever it indicates to me that there are some major gaps in his information. Prior to the Brilliant Bridge being constructed (completed) in 1967; there were two ferries operational on approximately the same landing as the current ferry now uses. One ferry was left in place to maintain service to pedestrians and those who were not able, for whatever reason to drive the additional 10 miles to town. In Mr. Vant's letter he mentions two alternative routes. The second one is the Hugh Keenleyside dam route. The dam is owned by B.C. Hydro and it is my understanding that turbines will be installed this fall to generate power, effectively closing that road. In any case, that road has extremely heavy truck traffic, and the dam itself has five 90-degree corners to negotiate. That may be fine now, but what about when it starts to ice up? The dam route is, coincidentally, from: told us that the main- tenance and upkeep of the approa- ches is that of the ministry. My ques- tion is, when will the upgrading be done? As for regular bus servcie, I have included a copy of the bus schedule for Mr. Vant to see. Forty minutes to town? The earliest run was placed in effect to service students, ations fail to satisfy either myself or the ad hoc committee of which I am a member. Our invitation for him to come to Robson and view the situ- ation personally still stands. He did say in his letter that to meet with us was premature because he had not yet heard from the City of Castlegar or the Regional District of Central Kootenay. Since the local press has run several stories stating that both groups are disinterested in the ferry, may I ask if a meeting would still be and will be removed this fall. The bus currently goes only as far as the post office in Robson, which leaves nearly half of the community without service unless they are prepared to walk up to three miles in some cases. The entire matter does not make sense to me. If the plan of gov- ernment was to discontinue the ser- vice, would it not have much better sense to make the necessary road and pedestrian access changes, and then discuss the matter with the persons affected — us! I must say that Mr. Vant’s explan- There are many questions that need answers. I wonder just how many cabinet ministers were in at- tendance when the initial decision to close the Robson-Castlegar ferry was made? Darlene Schultz Robson Our Action Ad Number is 365-2212 Na F ade HT ad Large Selection NORCO, BRC, PEUGEOT RALEIGH, CANNON DALE, ' ® Mountain Bikes ® Speed Bikes © BMX Bikes BACH TO SCHOOL SALE Castlegar Bicycle Shop now has a large selection of bikes on sale. So if you're in the market for a NEW BIKE. . - Shop with US! You'll feel confident in purchasing a bike from us! We not only sell you a bike specialize in servicing it you've bought it! BEST STOCKED SERVICE DEPT. able years, continue to defer their decreasing tax burden and get treated with reverence. Jeanne Paling being harassed by a beligerant tax collector is returning to medieval times. Mrs. Paling’s request for just an apology is very modest. For her to have to go to this extent of informing Elmer McKay, Minister of National Revenue, of the B.C. debt collection act is indefens- ible. Kootenay West MP Bob Brisco should pick up the telephone and have this straightened out — with an explanation — especially to the officer, even if he needs an explan- ation in two languages. I'm dropping a note to the tax man. Mel McMullen Castlegar AGENCIES LTD. CENTRAL FOODS SPECIALS SEA HAUL ® 113.6, THN CLOVERLEAF 284 ral TIN REGULAR OR DIET ‘2 LITRE BOTTLE We reserve the right to limit quantities rices limited to stock on hand. sit | CENTRAL FOODS Community we ‘we G17 Columbla, Casdoeer 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 Ave- nue, Castlegar. Letters must be signed and include the writer's full name and address. Only in very exceptional cases will letters be published without the writer's name. Nevertheless, the name and address of the writer must be disclosed to the The Castlegor News reserves the right to edit letters for brevity, clority, legality and grammar RUBBER STAMPS Made to Order CASTLEGAR NEWS 197 Columbia Ave. Phone 365-7266 Per Month OAC ar NOTICE Speedy Auto Glass is now relocated to 191 Baker Street, Nelson. We will continue to provide service to the Castlegar area from our Nelson location. Our phone number will remain the same: 365-2195. SPEEDY AUTOGLASS wee” AZDAS COST LESS IN CASTLEGAR Super Financing A Brand New Car or Truck for Less than $200 Per Month? Im- possible You Say . . . Not at Castlegar Mazda! Through a Special Arrangement with Our Finance Institutions We are Able to Make You This Incredible Offer . . . Choose the Vehicle of Your Choice . . . All Credit Inquiries in Strictest Confidence. Brand New Mazda 323 From. . . 7 New 323's In Stock for Immediate Delivery! IU 17 New 1988 Mazda Pickups in Stock for Immediate Delivery! FROM PER ' MONTH OAC B2200 4x2 Not Exactly as Illustrated 365-7241 COURTESY CREDIT CHECK HOT LINE Castlegar MAZDA “This is the Mazda Way” “PURCHASE PLAN PAYMENTS BASED ON 60 MONTHS BANK FINANCING ye hype oye PRICING DOES NOT INCLUDE DEALER PREP, FREIGHT OR DEALER INSTALLED ADD-ONS. SUPPL TOLL FREE 1-800-332-7087 Ve Block North of Maloney Pontiac Dl. 7956 ¥ LIMITED.