Saturday, September 5, 1992 @ OurWiEWS Let’s not make a deal -AdrianRAESIDE @ Saturday, September 5, 1992 AThe News Letters coWHE EDITOR Your recent editorial entitled “Conroy’s triumph” was off base. Bridge announcement just more devious manipulation How’to turn a Howard Sure Ed deserves credit for his How to turn a Howard Whatshisname initiative into Whatshisname initiative into an Art Charbonneau initiative? Simply cancel the project and bring it back at a politically : -_ appropriate moment. Never mini George Stein the exasperation of the people. This community received five years of devious manipulation under the past administration. It deserves better. an Art Charbonneau initiative? Simply cancel the project and bring it back. untiring efforts to make the crossing a reality. But to think that he single-handedly resurrected the project would require immense naivety The Social Credit regime proposed the Castlegar-Robson bridge in Jan., 1990, and Just when West Kootenay Power seemed likely to sign a deal with the Office and Technical Employees Union Local 378, talks fell through. The reason? Well, officially it was because. the two sides just couldn't When the NDP formed the next government, naturally they weren't too PAGE On iN iron out final details. But cynics can be forgiven for wondering what went on at the union’s strategy meeting. You see, OTEU leaders knew their co-workers in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 213 were settling in for a long strike. They also knew their members would not be returning to work as long as IBEW pickets were up. Hardship, in the form of a meagre $125 weekly allowance for honoring the IBEW line, seemed inevitable. Solution: double your take-home pay by going on strike! Not following? Don’t worry, you're just not tuned into the wacky world of labor relations. New bestseller lacks credibility More over, Stephen King. Make room, Danielle Steel. Castlegar has a new bestseller. And get this: it’s not a book, and it’s written by accoun- tants, of all people. I’m talking, of course, about For example, in its list of people interviewed, the re- port cites Mayor Audrey Moore and Ald. Doreen Smecher, but spells the may- or’s name More and the al- derman’s name Smecker. Then there’s the findings: } OtherVIEWS right up to election time. In keeping with the rising need for quality care for children under the age of three years, the local Kootenay Child Care Society is opening an infant/toddler centre in Castlegar. The centre is a reality because of strong community support and local fundraising efforts. The centre will be an asset to the community, not only for the quality care it will offer but also for the local employment opportunities it will provide. continued to milk it for all it was worth Socred promise. eager to complete what many saw as a To our disappointment, the position was filled by an early childhood educator from out of province rather than a qualified and experienced local early childhood educator. During the summer an Infant/Toddler certificate program was offered at Selkirk College in Castlegar. Training was funded by the Canada Employment Center under the Developmental Uses of U.I. Fund. Funding was based on projected local employment opportunities. In late August, the position of coordinator for the center was filled. However, to our disappointment, the position was filled by an early childhood educator from out-of-province George Stein Local people deserve first shot at local jobs rather than a qualified and experienced local early childhood educator. With a 13 per cent local unemployment rate it is our concern that the remaining positions may not be filled by locally qualified early childcare educators. It is our opinion that these positions should be filled locally by trained and qualified professionals. Concerned Early Childhood Professionals met Comments from the In this case, union policies gave WKP's office and technical workers a big incentive — $120 per week, in fact — to go on strike. That’s how “Staff have been instructed not to deal directly with the Major and Council mem- bers”. And again: “The Major the 35-page study of the city’s operations prepared by Price Waterhouse. (Aren’t they the same ones who tally up the S Thanks, Art |News coverage appreciated Please address all letters to: Dave McCullough Publisher Scott David Harrison Editor Mickey Read Composing Room Foreman Warren Chernoff Accountant Mary Ann Fullerton Circulation Manager Burt Campbell Publisher Emeritus L.V. Campbell Aug. 7, 1947- Feb. 15, 1973 much their international affiliate pays them in addition to the $125 they were already receiving. So the choice was simple. Sign a contract, honor the IBEW picket line and collect a grand total of $125 per week; or go on strike and collect $245 per week. Now, you decide. Are OTEU members on strike because WKP’s offer was unacceptable? Or was it merely inconvenient? votes for the Oscars?) Since Castlegar council re- leased the study, officially called Report on Organization and Management Review, on Monday afternoon, residents have been snap- ping up copies like they were printed on the backs of 20-dollar bills. But the accountants at Price and Water- house aren't Dostoyevsky, and the report isn’t Crime and Punishment. You only have to look as far as the report’s spelling to see that. In fact, there are so many spelling errors, I have doubts about the report’s quality. This cost the city $24,000, after all. Crossroads requires that mail addressed to her and/or the Council not be opened by City staff.” The Major? Who’s the Ma- jor? It was after a few moments that I realized the report’s writer meant “the Mayor”, not “the Major”. In light of the two findings and the percep- tion that Moore has excessive influence at city hallk, some may see it as a humorous Freudi- an typographical slip. ; Overall, though, the impression anyone reading the report gets is that things at city please see BESTSELLER page seven Streef TALK Brad Zaytsoff Castlegar “Yes. But the summer went by too quickly.” Evan Eglinton Castlegar “Yeah. I went to Alberta to see the dinosaurs.” Question: Did you enjoy your summer break? How did you spend it? Jamie McKendry Castlegar “Yeah. I just hung out and partied.” Darrell Dutton Castlegar “Yes. I went bungee jumping.” Trish Briggeman Castlegar “Yeah. I worked. I love having time off and making money.” sae Letters to the Editor 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 an include the writer's first and last names, address anda telephone number at which the writer can be reached between 9am. and 5 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. Open Letter to Art Charbonneau, Minister of Transportation and Highways The Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce would like to thank you for the announcement made on Thursday, August 27 regarding the Robson/Castlegar bridge. The construction of this bridge is essential to our community, and we look forward to its construction in the near future. Thank you again for your announcement and the government’s pledge to stand by your commitments. Steve Pelton, President On behalf of the Castlegar and District Her- itage Society, I would like to thank Corinne Jackson and CASNEWS for featuring the CP Rail Station Museum, our excellent supervisor Deb McIntosh, and our part in the downtown revitalization program in your August 28th edi- tion, “Our People” section. The article'was interesting, timely and ac- curate. We encourage everyone to drop in at the museum downtown and view the changes and improvements made over the season. Admis- sion is free. After Labor Day weekend, the museum will be open to the public from 1-5 p.m. to permit staff time to work on restoration and building the collection, among other things. Zuckerberg Island Chapel House hours remain as they are. The Autumn Season windup is scheduled for Saturday, September 19th at the Rail Station Museum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Leonard & Doreen Howe’s famous bake table and space for flea market sales out on the platform ($5, or free to members). Donations of baked goods, volunteer help and suggestions are always welcome. Proceeds of this event to be put toward fur- nishing the stationmaster’s living quarters up- stairs. New displays and entertainment are be- ing planned for this event, and we hope to see everyone there. Carolee Fitz-Gerald Secretary, Board of Directors continued from page 6 hall needed a thorough restruc- turing — in particular the senior management team. Perhaps it’s here I should place the study in context. Remember that this report came out in Feb- ruary, 1990 - 2 1/2 years ago. Three of the present council were serving then: Moore and Smecher (or More and Smecker as the report would have it), along with Alderman Lawrence Cher- noff. Marilyn Mathieson, who re- cently resigned her seat, was also on council then. There were three key manage- ment positions: Dave Gairns was the city administrator, Kevin La- gan had just resigned as director of engineering and public works and Bob Mann was the fire chief. It is interesting to note that none of those people is there today. The report said city staff was “inadequate in both numbers and capability” to meet the needs of the city and that “present managers appear unable to bring municipal administrative operations up to acceptable standards”. The report recommended hiring a treasurer (to help with the city administrator’s load), a superin- tendent of public works (to help the engineering director), and a deputy fire chief (to reduce the fire chief’s workload) — all of which the city did, In effect, it doubled the man- agement team. The report also recommended hiring more staff, such as a bylaw enforcement officer, a second building inspector and a munici- pal planner. I suppose this is where I have the biggest difficulty with the re- port: too often its solution to a problem is to spend money. Certainly, more staff was neces- sary — especially with the $700 million Celgar expansion looming and all the anticipated activity that would accompany it. But there are many local busi- nesses that can use more staff to operate at optimum levels, yet have to make do with what they have. And it’s not just with staffing that the report tends to throw money at problems. Here are some of the other recommendations: * upgrade the public works equipment © upgrade the sewer and water systems ° replace the city hall comput- er system * relocate the engineering and public works department © build a new city hall within five years. It seems if the city follows through with all of the study’s spending recommendations we'll end up with the Cadillac of munic- ipal governments. Now I'd like to drive a new Cadillac if I could afford one. But that’s my money. When it comes to public money we have to go a step further. We have to ask ourselves not only if we can afford a Cadillac, but if it’s really necessary? Or can a Chev do the job?