December 17, 1989 A4 Castlégar News OPINION Result the same Well, folks, here it is another weekend after another byelection in British Columbia and yet another loss, the sixth in a row, for the Social Credit government This time, during the campaign leading up to Wednesday's vote in Oak Bay-Gordon Head, Premier Bill Vander Zalm did not so much as set foot in the riding and admitted that he had, in fact, been asked to stay out of the campaign But even that strategy didn’t work as the traditionally conser- vative riding opted for moderate New Democrat Elizabeth Cull over Socred Susan Brice who desperately tried to distance herself from the unpopular premier during the campaign Ms. Brice differed from Mr. Vander Zalm on several key issues during the campaign, notably abortion (she’s pro-choice) and the government's AIDS video (she thinks it should be reléased to the public). But she couldn't convince voters she could work for change from within the Social Credit Party as an MLA. The latest loss surely has stoked the fires of discontent among Socreds fed up with Mr. Vander Zalm’s leadership. Clearly there is nothing he can do short of stepping aside and letting a new leader try to put the party back together again in time for the next general election and hope the voters will buy a revamped version of the Socreds If we were a betting newspaper, our money would be on Mr. Van- der Zalm quitting well before the spring, followed by a summer of fen ce-mending among the Socreds and between the party and the elec torate and a fall election called in the hope of capitalizing on the honeymoon period between the public and the new leader NDP should worry Last Wéinesday’s beyelection loss may be a blessing in disguise for the Socreds and a Pyrrhic victory for the New Democrats If the Socreds had won Oak Bay-Gordon Head, Premier Bill Vander Zalm would have had something with which to silence his critics within the party and perhaps salvage his leadership and take the Socreds into a general election. That would have been good news for the NDP because the Socreds have no hope of winning a general elec tion with Mr. Vander Zalm as their leader But the Social Credit loss means the party will inevitably have a new leader going into the next general election. That leader may have time to patch together a party now in disarray and boost its popularity with the voters enough to.snatch yet another election victory from what at present appears to be certain defeat Public discussion of projects needed Traffic levels on through routes in the Castlegar area are already too high for many local residents Parents of elementary school children in Kinnaird and Tarrys are ex pressing their concerns about the traf fic, on Columbia Avenue and High way 3A and lobbying for safer crossings for their children People whose homes and businesses are beside these routes are experiencing increased noise and fumes, long waits to exit on to the roadway and reduced contact with neighbors who live on the opposite side of the road cent. Small businesses closed and-targe organizations cut back. Many of our friends and neighbors were unem ployed or underemployed. Our children had to leave the area or be prepared to eke out a meagre living as best they could if they stayed here. Af ter such time, it is tempting to welcome any development initiative with open arms and uncritical minds! But if the concept of sustainable development, (now embraced by world leaders from all ends of the political spectrum) has any validity, we must as a community, assess the I say, old chap...do you need assistance ? Oh no, I'm just maintaining a low profile... Letters to the editor Signs confusing 1 am referring to an article in the Castlegar News (Dec.3) where Tarrys parents say Highway 3A is still unsafe. The school-zone crosswalk area will never be safe until clearly explained permanent $0 km-h speed limit signs are erected. The signs restricting the speed limit to 50 km-h when children are on a highway are the most con- fusing signs the ministry has erected in British Columbia. What do they really mean? Can a motor vehicle pass through that zone at 80 km-h on a school day at 8 a.m., 12:05 p.m. and at 3 p.m. if one clearly cannot see one child on the highway? Ona Saturday when a child might be standing near the highway in Tarrys does that mean. it is legal to drive through that zone at 80.km-h, whether itisa school day or not? School hours as listed in the driver's manual are from 8 a.m. to S p.m. At 4:30 p.m. in the winter it is dark and what driver would be able to see a school child on the highway with the lights from an approaching car shining inhis faceandalighid Anelderly friend in Thrums waits by the roadside for long periods before she dares to cross to visit her children. People who use these routes to travel to work, school or stores find in creasing delays as more and more raw materials and finished goods are moved along roads instead of railways and as more frequent patch-up jobs are needed to repair the deteriorating road surfaces. The .great and heavy-truck traffic connected with the proposed construction of the pulp mill expansion and the installation of the Keenleyside dam generators, together with the ongoing increase in truck traffic to serve the ex panded mill, will only exacerbate these problems Plans to divert traffic and bypass congested areas (paid for by taxpayers) are band-aid measures The problem is not solved; its locus is simply moved along. Sooner or later the trucks are disgorged on to the regular roadways Our region was hit harder than many by the recession of the 1980s. If we were lucky enough to be homeowners, our homes devalued by up to 40 per Shooting On Saturday, Dec phone call from a distraught lady in Brilliant informing me about duck hunters killing birds from a “‘hide"’ off the river side of the sewer lagoons Sunday morning my wife and I went to investigate the site. We were horrified to find a hide constructed at the end of a trail that was made this summer for birdwatchers. Two over turned plastic bottle crates were in the hide and lying on one of these was a dead grey jay (Whiskey Jack) killed by gunshot. The dead jay summed up the mentality of the hunters because any knowledgeable Canadian knows that hese are the tamest of birds. couting around, I found empty 12 ncrease in automobile power I presume 9 I received a Sustainability of the goodies dangled before us. Is this development going to damage the environmental resources which in the long run are the bases for sustained human and socio-economic well being? For us to be able to participate in such crucial decisions, we need access to information and a recognized route for ensuring that our concerns are in corporated into the planning process A good start would be a meeting where local people, including Celgar and government officials, could come together to discuss concerns and share information As far as transportation is concer ned I would like to see the following discussed at such a meeting * a realistic assessment of increased traffic flows during construction and afterwards; * plans in relation to shipment of raw materials and output for the ex panded plant I would encourage people to list their concerns, perhaps using letters to the editor and to lobby for a public forum for open discussion Wendy Hurst Castlegar ignorant gauge shell boxes, empty shell cases, and a live No. 6 shell. The latter I picked up realizing that some youth finding it could be in danger Canadians have had enough of ignorantly ~ in municipal areas. I would like to call on the community to immediately sup. gunmen shooting port me in designating the sewer lagoons, and the land and water areas toward Brilliant as a wildlife san ctuary. Also, we should require the Regional District of Central Kootenay to make it illegal to discharge firearms within the precincts of any built-up area in the Castlegar district Colin Pryce Castlegar RS Castlegar News MEMBER OF THE B.C. PRESS COUNCIL PUBLISHER EDITO! PLANT FOREMAN Burt Campbell Birch ADVERTISING MANAGER OFFICE MANAGER CIRCULATION MANAGER Heather Hodle According to the posted school signs, you may drive at 80 km-h but that is foolish. Dan Williams, the district. manager for the Highways Ministry, says the ministry doesn’t see any justification for a’ permanent speed reduction to 60 km-h since there is no school during the summer or at night. Has Mr. Williams taken. into con- sideration that school children con stantly cross the highway at all times of the year to the school playground and to the playground west of the school? We have a community hall in the general area where traffic is heavy at times, we have a new business, a mini mart, that opened recently and an auc- tion yard nearby where a large number of vehicles park along the highway when sales are on. And Mr. Williams has the nerve to say that a reduced speed limit would inconvenience drivers! Playmor jun- ction in South Slocan is another area where our highways manager has sim ply ignored the safety of our school children, students, pedestrians and regular vehicle traffic. Here we have a itaren and students crossing the highway in the early mor ning, at lunch, after school and during school hours. How many times have we seen students from Mt. Sentinel school jogging on the shoulders of our high- way for physical education classes, or dges Mr. Williams not consider the shoulders of a highway as part of the highway? At this junction, we have two restaurants, two schools, a credit union, a heavy-duty truck repair shop, a propane filling station, a Highways Ministry gravel yard, a paving com- pany, another gravel yard and all other trucks that use the intersection hauling products in and out of Slocan and Revelstoke. Remember, Mr. Williams, the jun ction at South Slocan will encounter even more traffic as the Cape Horn Bluffs section of Highway 6 is im- proved. What do we have for safety at this junction Mr. Williams? A 60 km-h speed zone and flashing orange and red lights are essential. We had fatalities and serious injuries at this junction before Remember When? 4# YEARS AGO From the Dec, 15, 149 News Baby-sitting is one, among many, of the standard symbols of these muddied years of this Twentieth Century. A new term! A new occupation! A new phrase (and such a so-called ‘‘cute’’ one) of our teen-age, teen-minded, imbecillic era, Baby-sitting is so taken for granted today, both in name and accomplishment, that it is looked upon as a quasi-necessity in an age when parents regard themselves as heroic for just being parents, or as doing a favor to society in belabor- ing themselves with the thwarting trouble of having children at all. Baby-sitters are supplied for par- ents who simply MUST get out to the old ballgame, hockey game, parties, etc. And in som¢ of the more plush establishments | parents can have this convenience thrown in with no extra charge, while they tax their wit and luck at the weekly The Castlegar-Robson ferries are to be taken out of service when the road.is completed over the Arrow Dam. This information was given to the Castlegar Chamber of Commerce's meeting last week by roads and bridges committee chairman Art Anderson. Mr. Anderson said this informa- tion was provided Colunibia River J.C. Enevoldsen by Tommy Miard, deputy minister of highways. The decision means, said Mr. Anderson, that traffic will have to cross either the Arrow Dam or the Kinnaird bridge over the Columbia River near the airport. cee * Castlegar does not have to be- come a town as of January 1. (Council) was told this on Tuesday night by Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Campbell at a special meeting. Castlegar’s not having to become a town is contingent on further development of steps presently un- derway for the possible establish- ment of a district municipality in this i dé December'!7, 1989 Castlegar News es ' Ronald Planiden Crescent Valley Involvement wanted The proposed Celgar pulp mill expansion has induced us to write a letter expressing our deep concerns with the ramifications of this expan- sion Other people have written letters to the editor expressing concerns such as increased truck traffic — both in Coates and on all Koote- include increased noise and pollu- tion from the extra truck traffic, in- creased carbon dioxide emissions from the mill and trucks which will contribute to global warming, and zens, they would initiate this public participation. Their track record in the past; plus present indications, seem to |show that they have little concern in this direction. Although energy i to run the expanded operation. The latter concern may put additional for ii i and the associ- nay hig pressure on the atea’s forests for pulpwood, increased noise, the impact on the community of the influx of more than 1,000 construction workers, air and water emission standards, the cost to the taxpayers for road construction and maintenance, and services such as the police and hospital We have heard others bring for- ward additional problems. These ated with greater fuel consumption These issues worry us Because of their potential effects. Many other people in this area probably share these concerns as well as other ones. Because so many people will be affected by the consequences of the planned expansion, we feel that those affected should have a say in the planning processes. If the mill officials were good corporate citi- not ing the p of mill officials taking the initiative to hold a public hearing, we find it incum- bent. on all our—politicians, — focal, regional, provincial and federal to demand that the public be involved in this matter. This area is where we choose to live and raise our families. We should all have a say in matters that will effect us now and in the future. Call or write your representatives and let your voice be heard. Libby and Frank Ruljancich Deer Park Reduce demand It’s a foregone conclusion that elec trical rates will go up and up. Maybe they should In order not to be affec- ted, we captive clients have only one way out — reduce our demand. Im possible for most, but consider this. A single 100-watt bulb burning constan- tly costs you $30 a year To satisfy the apparent ever increasing demand of electricity, West Kootenay Power might end up placing those infamous gas turbines in someone’s back yard, like it or not WKP stubbornly rejects the only sen sible way out, which is to hook up to the B.C. Hydro grid without further delay for the needed peaking power WKP desires to save us $1-2 a mon th, so they say. That's B.S. of course. They want to export more of our loonies to the parents in the United States, that’s all. Wasting finite resources, adding to the pollution of the atmosphere, increasing the noise level and so on does not concern them Everyone knows all that by now, or should What bothers me immensely is the atrocious waste of heat that could be used to generate electricity at prac tically every sawmill site in the provin. ce. The mills could produce enough to satisfy their own demand and maybe even to supply the surrounding areas by proper hook up into the system. Burning all that refuse uselessly in giant burners is a crime. When I showed a recent visitor from Europe this senseless waste, he could not believe his eyes. Every sawmill in Sweden is obligated to produce elec- tricity with its refuse material. Why can’t we do the same? Are we less smart? Of course not, just lethargic, spoiled and sinfully wasteful Industry uses 37 per cent of the elec tricity generated overall, Through co generation of electricity, more ef- ficient industrial motors, reducing iMumination where not needed, better insulation, house heating with heat pumps if possible where gas is not available, vast amounts of energy could be generated or redirected. New environmentally hostile power generating installations could be avoided or delayed Higher rate structures are maybe the only solution to bring about change The present system provides no incen: tive for industry to conserve — the more they, use the less it costs. To give the wanton wasters of resources — the mills — the proper initiative to get of f the fences, the government (we) should give them two years to come up with definite plans to cooperate to save this province from having to.dam every remaining creek. If they refuse to see the light, double or triple their rates until they understand To get hit in the pocket book for bad behavior is unfortunately the only way to get anyone’s prompt attention, myself included. I didn’t mind getting three demerit points a year for speeding, but pay $75 on top of that, no sir Kurt Rott Electric Consumers Association Oliver 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 Letters should be typewritien double spaced and not longer than Ju0 words Letters must be signed and include the writer's full name and address. Only in. very exceptional cases will letters be published without the writers namie Nevertheless, the nome and address of the writer must be disclosed to the editor the Castlegar News reserves ine right to edit letters tor brevity. clarity, legality ‘ond grammar doesn’t occur within a year, then Castlegar will become a town on Jan. 1, 1966. 15 YEARS AGO From the Dec. 19, 1974 Castlegar News The city is in excellent financial condition. This was stated by fi- nance chairman G.S. Rust at Tues- day night's council meeting when third reading was given to the revised budget showing a surplus. While the figure was not spelt out to the cent, it is estimated to be in the vicinity of $20,000. eee Dr. Bruce Fraser is resigning as principal of Selkirk College and returning to the faculty. eee Amalgamation is to take place between the Kootenay Savings Credit Union and the Nakusp and District Credit Union effective Jan. 1. eo ee Colorful toques were presented to the captain of the Castlegar Bantam Reps, Steve Bozek, by Selkirk Lions club representative Marsh Johnson. . The 1975 Regional District of Central Kootenay provisional bud- get, which shows an increase in spending of almost $500,000 over 1974, was discussed at the meeting Saturday. 5 YEARS AGO From the Dec. 19, 1984 Castlegar News Selkirk College must cut more than $1 million from its 1985-86 budget in order to overcome a 10.4-per-cent reduction in provincial funding Fire broke out at the Celgar pulp | mill Tuesday night but was under control by the time Castlegar fire department arrived on the scene. oe Sour grapes? Not if you asked more than 500 hockey fans who turned out Monday night to the Cominco Arena to| hear former Boston-Bruins hockey coach and TV commentator Don “Grapes” Cherry. Cherry captivated his audience with gems such as ‘‘Eddie Shore was the Darth Vader of hockey."* owe Do They Know it’s Christmas? a record made by the top names ir British rock and pop to raise money for Ethiopia's famine victims, has sold 1.25 milliow copies around the world in one week SITTING POOLSIDE . ove cp sae of the Castlegar Lions Club were at the nearly complet aquatic cent we Fair, that will “eg whee to ; Leo lub p Project Society and fo it ol tho aquatic contre building comentite k to hand over i: 000 raised from the annual West Kootena pool Hugh Wilson (I director. Seated: Bob Sorenson (left) and Ron Ross, president of the Castlegar ), tre « CasNlews phot: Vander Zalm ould kill party, dissidents say DUNCAN (CP) — If Premier Bill Vander Zalm leads the Social Credit party into the next B.C. general election it could kill the party, says a dissident Socred member of the ° legislature. Graham Bruce made the state- ment to about 200 people at a Social Credit $100-a-plate fundraising din- ner the day after the party suffered its sixth consecutive byelection loss under Vander Zalm. The 0-6 record doesn’t mean Vander Zalm should be forced out of office, he said. “(But) if the permier decides to Stay, we must also understand that the risks to free enterprise will be very, very great. To go to a general election could mean to us the end of the government and it could very well mean the end to this party.”” priority over concensus in caucus meetings. “We were to be nothing more than a burich of sheep with nary a dissenting baa to the wishes of the leader."’ While the caucus was meeting in Powell River in February 1988, he said, ‘‘a major policy statement on abortion was announced by the leader even before we had discussed it in caucus."* “With so little abortionist — said then that British Columbia would not pay for ‘‘abor- tion on demand”’ regardless of what new federal legislation was intro- duced. His attempt to prevent provincial medicare from paying for abortions was rejected by the B.C. Supreme Court. The party should not have lost all six byelections, Crandall told the now is to deter- concensus was not only not achi- eved, it wasn't sought.” The Supreme Court of Canada struck down federal law restricting access to abortions in January 1988. Vander Zalm — a staunch anti- LETTER Bruce (Cowichan-Malahat), Dave - jercier (Burnaby-Edmonds), Duane Crandall (Columbia River) and Doug Mowatt (Vancouver-Little Mountain) resigned from the Social Credit caucus Oct. 3 in the wake of the party’s byelection loss in the Cari- boo riding. STILL SOCREDS They said they would sit as Independent Socreds. The Cariboo riding, like the Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding in subur- ban Victoria the Socreds lost Wed- nesday, had been considered Social Credit strongholds. Neither riding had elected New Democrats until this year. Standing in the legislature now is Social Credit 38, NDP 26, with five Independent — all disgruntled So- creds. Vander Zalm — who led the party to victory in the October 1986 pro- vincial election — said Wednesday night he would spend Christmas mulling over his future. He said he would make his plans known in @ provincewide television address in January. When the four resigned, they did not tie their decision directly to Vander Zalm's leadership, but ex- pressed concern ‘‘about the likeli- hood of an NDP government after the next general election.” Mercier told the audience that Vander Zalm's personal style took I was returning from Trail with my family Thursday evening Dec. 7 when I lost control of my car and slid into the ditch Three people stopped to help. The first person, after ascertaining that no one was injured and that he could offer no further assistance, con- tinued on his way The second vehicle was a truck. The driver offered to tow us out, which he did — most efficiently. The third car was equipped with a mine those steps which must be taken to make us re-electable,’’ he said. ‘More importantly, when we've decided what those steps are, we must have the courage to take those steps.”’ two-way radio. The driver offered to stand-by and call for assistance, should it be necessary Since I do not know the names of these three ‘‘good Samaritans,” 1 would like to use the services of your columns to express, on behalf of my family and myself, our appreciation and thanks to each one Truly we can sing ‘Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”” Frederick Ross astlegar SUNTREE 8 INN $.123 Post, Spokane, Washington rom? 29.90 Expiry Feb. 28, 1990 FreeC Free Cable TV w Free H¢ ntinental Breakfast Showtime t Tub/ Jacuzzi *& x FREE COSTCO DAY PASS x & Call now to make reservations! 1-800-888-6630 U.S.A. 1-800-421-1144 CANADA I CRTC touted as postal regulator OTTAWA (CP) — Regulation of Canada Post should be turned over to the Canadian Radio-television and C Says a spokesman for a major man- agement consulting firm. ‘Most decisions regarding HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY TESTS General Ed (G.E.D. }Testing Schedule The G.E.D. testing program, offered by the Examination Branch of the Ministry of Education, is available in the Selkirk College region, The G.£.D. tests provide ‘on opportunity tor individuals to earn an oficial document Stating that they have secondary school equivalency standing G.E.D. test sessions for the winter will be held on the following dates Sat., Jan. 20, 1990 at Selkirk College Castlegar Campus Sat., Mar. 17, 1990 at Selkirk College Castlegar Campus and at Selkirk College Grand Forks Centre, Kasil Centre and Nakusp Sessions ar6 from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Canada Post are still political because they must be ap- proved by the federal cabinewt,”’ David McKendry, director of con- sumer affairs consulting at Price Waterhouse, told a Commons com- mittee. The consumer affairs committee is reviewing the role of the post office, particularly whether it should be pri- vatized. But post office privatization is a red herring, McKendry told MPs. “I don’t see privatization as a consumer issue on. . . vided efficiently by private or public companies; political philosophy.” Giving the CRTC, which approves rate setting by many telephone and telecommunications companies, reg- ulatory control over Canada Post would be appropriate, McKendry id. sa The post office is competing with private-sector firms in electronic in- mission has regulatory experience in that area, he told MPs. APPROVE CHANGES Cabinet now has final approval over changes in the prices of postal services — for example, increases in the cost of stamps. But regulatory control should be held by an independent, quasi-judi- cial body like the CRTC because the post office offers services where it has a monopoly — the sale of stamps and delivery of first-class mail — and services where it com- petes with the private sector. “Canada Post may lose its mono- poly status by default because of changes in the telecommunications industry. It must get into telecom- munications transmission of inform- ation into people’s homes. P is required. rms must be received by the Ministry of Education 21 days prior to the ‘cating dote of your choice. There is © registration tee of $13.00. For application forms and further information contact G.E.0 — -7292, Local 256, Casti or the Selkirk College Cer rest you. CASTLEGAR CAMPUS Box 1200, Castlegar, B.C, VIN 34! Calkirk &% ollege + COMPLIMENTARY COFFEE & COOKIES * FRESH GRADE A YOUNG TURKEYS ARRIVING THURSDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 21!! 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