OPINION

LISHED AUGUST 7, 1

Sy...

Castlegar

PAGE A4, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 199131
MEMBER OF THE 8.0. PRESS COUNCIL
ESTABI 047 TWICE WEEKi 1980
INCORPORATING THE MID-WEEK MIRROR PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 12, 1978-AUGUST 27, 1980

L.V. CAMPBELL — PUBLISHER, AUGUST 7, 1947-FEBRUARY 15, 1973
BURT CAMPBELL - PUBLISHER, FEBRUARY 16, 1973-MAY 1, 1991

PUBLISHER — Dave McCullough
— Simon
IAN — Peter Harve)

‘News

LY MAY 4,

tolz
oft

EDITORIAL

Johnston finding
job isn't easy

Premier Rita Johnston is finding out exactly how tough it is at

the top of the Socred totem pole.

Having to fire’last week one of the party’s most respected mem-

bers of cabinet, Mel Couvelie:

whom she returned to the post of

finance minister in mid-April, could not have been an easy or

pleasant experience.

So it’s no surprise she answered with a terse ‘‘Yup”’ this week when
asked if she is reconsidering seeking the party’s leadership at the July

18-20 convention in Vancouver.

“It hasn’t been too enjoyable the last week,”’ the premier said.

“I really run hot and cold on this,’ Mrs. Johnston added. ‘I
Buess I don’t have the fire in my belly for the job the way some

people do.”’

It takes enormous commitment, stamina and a thick skin to be a
spolitician at the best of times. It’s going to take all of the above and
smore, in large measure, for someone to dig the Socreds out of the
=political quagmire they’ve got themselves into over the last five years.
-The job of premier may be “‘great,”’ as Mrs. Johnston said, but
zbeing the leader of the Social Credit Party right now is no cakewaik.
= “I would enjoy doing the work but I really don’t like all this
other garbage that’s going on,” Mrs. Johnston said.

The premier is expected to make up her mind next week whether
or not she’ll seek the Socred leadership.

Few, if any, would blame Mrs. Johnston if she said, ‘‘No

thanks,”’ to the job.

VIEWPOINT

Reviewers pan
education plans

By HELEN BRANSWELL
OTTAWA — Initial reviews on
federal plans for. educational reform
are far from favorable.
Whether the critics question Ot-

tawa’s sincerity, timing, authority to -

get involved or penchant for
imitating Washington, the message is
clear: They just don’t believe the
Promised discussion paper on
education will lead to much.

The initiative was announced in
Monday’s throne speech.

The government expressed concern
about Canada’s ability to compete
internationally when three in 10
students don’t finish high school,
and four of 10 adults can’t read
enough to do everyday tasks.

You can’t quarrel with trying to
wipe out illiteracy. You can’t argue
against trying to keep more kids in
high school. You can’t dispute the
advantage of producing more scien-
ce, math and engineering graduates.

But some do question why Ottawa
is forging into an area of clear
provincial jurisdiction at a time when

Quebec is jealously guarding the
powers it has and trying to add to
them.

Is it championing a motherhood
cause that in the final analysis it
can’t be held responsible for? _Is it
trying to be seen in English Canada
as taking on Quebec?

Jack Granatstein thinks so.

The York University history
professor — a harsh critic of the
Tory government — said the an-
nouncement has less to do with
education than it does with polls.

“This has to be seen in the light of
the opinion polls in the country on
the constitutional thing,’’ Granat-
stein said.

“There’s no doubt that English
Canada, if 1 read the polls right,
doesn’t want any decentralization.”

Quebec does, And the announ-
cement drew predictable response
from Quebec City.

Ottawa into

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister
Gil Remillard said.

Out-of-country health

By MURRAY OXBY
The Canadian Press

Canadian shoppers may be finding bargains in
the United States, but health care isn’t one of them.

People who slip across the border to save could
find themselves slapped with huge medical bills if
they are injured in an accident or become sick.

A visit to a U.S. hospital for treatment of
scrapes, bruises and wrenched backs after a fender-
bender could result in a bill of thousands of dollars
for a family of four, says David Ingram of the Cen-ta
Group, a company that offers financial counselling.

“‘If they have something serious happen, a heart
attack or whatever, one person can easily run a
$14,000 bill for just two days before they get back
across the border,’’ Ingram says from his Vancouver
office.

In many cases, provincial health insurance will
pay only a fraction of the cost. The patients will be
stuck for the rest of the bill unless they have
additional medical insurance,

It’s often difficult to persuade people to think
about health insurance for vacations outside Canada,
let alone for shopping trips across the border, Ingram
says.

‘People just don’t pay attention to that stuff in
Canada because we are so used to being in a cradle-
to-grave welfare state,’’ says Ingram, author of.
Border Book, a volume on problems individuals
might face travelling and shopping between Canada
and the United States.

Ingram offers a long list of sobering stories.

For example, a B.C. woman shopping in
Bellingham, Wash., about 75 kilometres south of
Vancouver, had a heart attack and was later billed
thousands of dollars. And one of his firm’s clients
paid $15,000 for treatment of a broken ankle in the
southern United States.

The amount of U.S. medical costs that Canadian
medicare will cover varies by province, says Robin
Ingle, vice-president of John Ingle Travel Insurance.

British Columbia is the stingiest, covering only
about five to 10 per cent of the costs a resident might
be charged at a U.S. hospital, Ingle says.

Ontario is the most generous, paying about 60 to
80 per-cent.

In an extrepre-example of the costs involved,
Ingle’s company received a stack Of invoices from a
Los Angeles hospital for a B.C. resident’s emergency

| costs can be expensive

triple bypass heart surgery. The bill totalled $350,000.

Ingram says he is covered by three insurance
plans when he travels outside Canada.

“I may be paranoid but I sure don't want to lose
everything I’ve worked for because I’m 48 years old,
weigh 300 pounds and have a heart attack in
Arizona or Texas."’

People who rely on insurance they have through
work or a credit card should check to see how much
coverage is actually provided, Ingram says.

For instance, the fine print might reveal that
coverage is cancelled after 48 days outside Canada.

The same close look should be made when
buying insurance, says Ingle, whose Toronto-based
company sells travel insurance under the Nomad
name.

For instance, many policies won’t cover injuries
suffered in sports like hang-gliding, hiking or
snorkelling.

Ingle says people should know what kinds of
tisks they might face on their trip and ask the
company if the policy covers it.

“I’ve listened to so many people’s horror stories
. . . But your hands are tied after the fact.”

Other things to watch for in buying medical
insurance:

* “Pre-existing conditions '* clauses under
which an illness resulting from a problem the person
had before a trip, such as diabetes or heart disease,
won't be covered.

* Higher premiums for seniors. Seniors usually
Pay more and some companies won't sell policies to
People over a certain age.

© War clauses, in.which injuries caused by war,
civil unrest, civil disobedience or terrorism won’t be
covered.

Medical insurance can be bought through travel
agents, automobile associations or directly from
companies like Blue Cross and Ingle. As an example,
one Nomad plan costs $15 for up to seven days
outside Canada.

Shoppers who think it’s a nuisance buying
insurance every time they go to the United States may
be able to find a package deal.

Ingle says shoppers are responsible for a recent
surge in sales of an insurance plan that his company
had designed for business executives who make
frequent trips outside Canada. A policy that covers
up to 90 days a year outside Canada costs $120.

Voters
can't
make
minds up

TORONTO (CP) — Uncertain
times are mirrored by political uncer-
tainty, a new Gallup poll suggests in
reporting that the number of un-
decided voters has reached its highest
level in 15 years.

Forty-one per cent of voters sur-
veyed this month are undecided what
Party to support, up from 37 per
cent in April, says the poll.

That figure is the highest since
February 1976 when 42 per cent were
undecided.

In party rankings among decided
voters, changes in the May survey
were slight and — like the rise in the
decided vote — within the poll’s
margin of error.

The survey of 1,040 adults, con-
ducted May 1-4, is considered ac-
curate within plus or minus four per-
centage “points, 19 in 20 times.
Changes. within four points either
way can be seen as statistically in.
significant.

Nationally, the Liberals contined
to lead with the support of 34 per
cent of decided voters, up two per-
centage points from April. The NDP
also gained two points, rising to 28.

The governing Conservatives
remained unchanged at 14 per cent
— but regained their No. 3 ranking
as the western-based Reform party
slumped back into fourth place,
dropping three points to 13 per cent

Miscellaneous other parties won
the support of 11 per cent of survey
respondents.

In regional breakdowns, party
rankings changed only slightly, save
for a five-point drop in support for
the separatist Bloc Quebecdis in
Quebec, which continues to lead with
36 per cent, down from 41 in April.

Quietly colorful life ends for postwar pioneer

Castlegar lost another of its postwar pioneers
and special personalities, a valued member of the
Senior Citizens Association, the Castlegar Arts
Council, the Royal Canadian Legion and the David
Thompson Stamp Club, and a staunch supporter of
the Castlegar and District Heritage Society, when
Axel Nielsen died.

Born on the Island of Zealand, Denmark, in
1907, he emigrated to Canada in 1929 and became a
Canadian citizen in 1936. He joined the Royal
Regiment at the outbreak of war and served overseas
for four years, then came to the Kootenays where he
remained for the rest of his quietly colorful life.

He was, in fact, as I now realize, ind of
Renaissance man. He was not only a soldier and loyal
subject of Her Majesty the Queen but a horticultural-
ist, a linguist, historian, philatelist, essayist, artist,
collector of exotica, and generous of his time to
many, particularly with his wife, Ivy, where the
heritage society_was concerned.

In her eulogy to him at the remembrance service,
Margaret Ruth quoted from one of the articles in his
extensive memoirs entitled Technical Improvements
That Have Taken Place In My Life. It reads:

“In Copemhagen I have seen the transit develop
through these stages: Horse-drawn trams, electric
trains, trolley buses, gas buses, to the underground and
electric suburban trains.

“‘Im air travel, balloons, Zeppelins like big cigars
floating by, aircraft from single open-cockpit planes
to jumbo jets.

“‘In locomotives from little chuggety chugs-chugs
to powerful steam and diesel giants and electric ditto.

Reflections
and
recollections
By John Charters

“In ships I Rave seen sizes from small schooners
to tankers the size of a football field. In 1912, 1
remember the first Danis diesel driven (no smoke
stack) Selandia leaving for an around-the-world
demonstration trip. The Danes had bought the
franchise of the diesel motor from the German,
Rudolf Diesel.

“Imagine I am so old I vividly remember the old
lamplighter walking through the side streets turning
on the gas lights by reaching his rod with 2 little hook
at the end to catch the ring below the mantel and lo!
there was light!

“The main streets in the city had arc lights which
had to be lowered at intervals to change the carbon
rods. For # little boy visiting his uncle and aunt in
Copenhagen it was excitement! Of course, nowadays
in Denmark, as in most developed countries, our
modern lighting by electricity is inkem for granted."”

Ruth then continued: 4

“Axel was @ fin Horticulturist and started his

at a nursery in suburban Copenhagen,
following in his father’s footsteps as a landscape
gardener. Also like his father he collected butterflies.
On one such collecting expedition he tells of how his
father, who had bought one of the new-fangled
bottles was at lunchtime explaining proudly
to the.group how it kept hot liquids hot and cold
liquids cold. Unfortunately Axel, 16, in hot pursuit
of a butterfly, had stumbled with the bottle a little
earlier and father’s show was a splintery bust. A
di: but common i with the old

Thermos.

“*In 1926, Axel went to Norway to look after
a big modern rose greenhouse southwest of Oslo.

It was here that he became interested in art
‘and spent ' .s first paycheque on paint and materials
for his drawings.

“*Leaving home in 1929, he headed west to
Canada to the Peace River area where he worked on
farms and got chore duties at the
telegraph office. He homesteaded there but life was
very hard in that area so he sold his cookstove and
with a few dollars saved from wages he ended up in

. There he sold his butterfly collection for $3.

“His first taste of the Kootenays was in Creston

to be the owner of one acre of virgin bush land in
Kinnaird, full price paid in cash was $350.

“‘In 1947, Axel started his future home and
business. This is about the time I met him. He
showed me the house, covered with tar paper and
just a dirt floor and said he was going to get married.
I shuddered to think of a young bride coming to that
house. However, he made many improvements to
what he named Ivy Cottage and married Ivy in 1948.
They had two children, Karen and Glenn.

“The greenhouse business flourished and lasted
for 25 years while Kinnaird became known as the
Garden City of the Kootenays. Axel did the

ing for Castlegar and District Hospital,
Castlegar Airport, Zuckerberg Island and many other
Places, including mine 42 years ago.

“He was a charter member of the David
‘Thompson Stamp Club from 1958 and also could
read, write and speak five languages fluently and
through his philately had pen pals in 18 European
countries and he was an absolute whiz in histoty and
geography. He won many trophies for his beautiful
‘stamp exhibits and also became a popular teacher in
the schools. A the most
Popular theme in stamps for show-and-tell were
past rep osepbtm nye In fact, he was always trying to
‘ rt

where he found work picking
by raspberries, red currents and early apples.

“Axel received his Canadian citizenship in 1936
at a ceremony at Toronto's old city hall.

“In 1946, Axel, wanting to start @ landscape
business, heard about a settlement called Kinnaird
which seemed to be a place to consider. He ended up

He has had a good life and is now at peace. Goodbye

A
REMEMBER
WHEN

4 YEARS AGO
From the May 17, 1951
News

Herbert Marshall, the Dominion
Stati: in who is the big man behind
Canada’s census to be taken next
month, has said that the vast
operation will be the most important
Survey in the country's history.

The reasons are not hard to find,
Canada is entering a period of what
may prove to be unrivaled expansion
and rapid population growth. With
this expansion she is assuming ever-
widening responsibility in a world
clouded by the threat of war and
sorely troubled economic problems,

Cie

A Fairchild 82 piloted by J.
Lougheed of Vancouver went into a
sround-loop as it landed at the air-
Port Monday. The plane left the
runway and ripped out 12 fruit trees
and the roof off a bathhouse before
it came to a stop. No one was hurt.

pear aes

Miss Carol Sorenson, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. V. Sorenson of Kin-
naird, has been elected May Queen
and will be crowned at the May 24
celebrations.

. . .

Captain O.L. Estabrook com-
pleted his last run on the Arrow
Lakes yesterday when he docked his
Monto at Nakusp.

Captain Estabrook joined the B.C.
Lake and River service of the C.P.R.
in 1905 and came to the Arrow
Lakes first in 1911.

25 YEARS AGO
From the May 19, 1966
Castlegar News

Castlegar and District Chamber of
Commerce has asked all local com-
mercial establishments and residents
to fly flags and to decorate their
Properties in order to add to the
gaiecty of the May Day scene this
year.

ee *

The all-Canadian union that got
its start in Castlegar has just won its
eighth local.

Workers at the MacMillan Bloedel
Ltd. Harmac pulp mill’ near
Nanaimo on Vancouver Island last
week broke away from the Inter-
national Pulp, Sulphite and Paper
Workers Union and joined the Pulp
and Paper Workers of Canada.

. .

Both Cominco and Celgar are ac-
ting speedily on the question of
pollution control and great im-
Provements will be seen shortly, ac-
cording to a-pollution control report
filed with delegates attending the
recent Association of Kootenay and
Boundary Municipalities annual con-
vention in Fernie.

s 9

Cominco Ltd. is now the official
name of the firm known for the past
60 years as The Consolidated Mining
and Smelting Company of ‘Canada
Limited.

15 YEARS AGO
From the May 20, 1976
Castlegar News

Pacific Western Airlines has in-
formed the city that it intends to
raise fares June 6 to offset increased
Operating costs.

* 2 6

Kootenay West MP Bob Brisco
has released details of a proposal
which could save Canada millions of
barrels of oil each year.

If adopted by the federal gover-
nment, Brisco’s proposal would
mean creation of a new tax class. It
would allow forest product com-
panies to deduct the cost of conver-
ting their oil and gas fired equipment
to equipment using scrap wood
Produced in their operations.

In his proposal, Brisco said the
conversion could save up to 17
million barrels of oil in British
Columbia alone each year.

ee OS

Various aspects involved in the
launching of the new junior hockey
club in Castlegar wére discussed at
the recent general meeting of the
club, with ‘guest speakers including
the coach of the Rossland Junior
Warriors, Lloyd McClelland,
manager Jim Markle and president
of Rossland’s minor hockey, Morris
MacArthur.

5 YEARS AGO
From the May 21, 1986
Castlegar News
The speed limit on Columbia

yt:

‘May 18, 1001 Castlegar

~ TUESDAY Is *

ON SALE Tuesday, May 21 While Quantities Last

Housewares
ir bay tumblers.

Te: 7/133

Flatware 4

Knives, forks & spoons.

low pricel Reg. -44 ea,
SummerGlosses 2

Great for entertaining

guests. Reg. 99¢ Ld

Lavender Serving Bow!
9% inches

Regular $7.99

Kitchen Tools
Assorted colours

Reg. 1.99

goes Nappies

Jr. Basket Filter
For terrific coffee!
lve! Reg. 1.99
Foil Bakeware
Re-useable foil.

Low price! Req. 1.97
Handi-Sink Set
Includes drainer
‘ond tray. Reg. $2.69
Coffee Mugs

10 oz. ceramic mugs.
Reg. .99 ea

h Bags 3
Poper bags’ Pack of
50. Reg. 1.49

80 Oz. Pitcher
Jeol for omy beverage:
Gloss. Reg. 5.30

Shampoo or Conditioner
Zellers. | Litre

Halr Spray
Ultra Hold
225 mi Reg. $2.62

Zeddy Care
Bubble bath or soft
wipes. Reg. 1.72 & 1.88
Alberto Hair Care
Mega spritz, mousse

or shampoo.

Reg. 2.68 & 2.98
Timotei Shampoo
300 ml. Super low
price! Reg. 3.46

2.33
2.33

Food & Groceries

Cow Brand
Baking Soda
Stock up! Reg. .67 ea

Spaghetti
Franco American
398 ml Reg. 98¢
All-Purpose
Cleaner

V litre. Reg. 2.67

Zel ow!

Value! Reg. 2.49
Zellers Wafers
Everyone’s favourite
treatl Reg. 1-47
Frult Snacks
Teenage Mutant

Boutique Bras
Style #312. Choose from
assorted colours and sizes.

Unbeatable buy! Reg. $6

Tea Towels
Jumbo sized! 22’) x
34”. Reg. 1.99 eo
Curtain Hooks
For your shower
curtain. Rea, 1.87
Facecloths

hoose

oh

“
re)
a)

-Pack
Reg. $2.26
Beach Towels
Assorted
Designs. Reg. $4.11 Reg. $2.
Rod Cover
For the shower. 5 ft.
long. Reg. 1.69
Sow! Brush Set
By Rubbermaid
Reg. $6.99

oi

Dishclothes
6-pack

po!
Special feature flavours

Wis
Ow

Pillows
Unbeatable low

rite. Reg. 3.98
Pillow Cases
Stock up now!
Reg. 4.46

bist

Shower Curtain
With 12 hooks.
Reg. 4.67

Toys & Sports

iow ,, Deeded
Inflatable vinyl. For ¥
the Summer! Reg. 1.86 e

Styrofoam Cooler
Unbeatable low price!
Reg. 3.99

1.33
With pen! Reg. 6.87 4.33
| Stationery tionery

10” Taper Candies 8
Astorted colours. Stock

up now! Reg. .25 ea. eo
Playing Cards 2

Plastic coated for easy

leaning. Reg. .98 ea. oe

ei Reg. 1.89 e' Men's

Valve Paci
Reg. $1.75

Men's
100% acrylic yarn.
175 grams. Reg. 3.99 n"
T-shirts.
Hardware Reg. 18

71.33
@'
lave some on
hand! Low price! eds
GE w Ban & Soft Whi

2-Pk. Light Bulbs
40, 60, 100 W. Reg. $2.79

Sale @

40-60-100

watt bulbs. Reg. 3.44
Extension Cord

3 meters. For indoors.

Reg. 3.69

Hardware (cont'd
Towel Bars packs.

Na’ or 18"
Rog 429 8479 2.33 pvomieerdarnae
= 3
99-$3.49 1 e 3

Bul
or 50-100-150

Greot Value at

For Ladies (conta
Ladies’ Footiets
Or anklets. 3-pair

Reg. 1.99

Assorted styles
fabrics. Reg. 2.49

Bras
Smart bra oy Asst‘d

Pets & Plants + Reg. 2

Jerky Treats
Dog treats.in asst’d
Reg. 1.99

Rose Fertilizer
6-12-6. 2 kg bags.
Reg. 1.79

Miss Mew Cat Food
170 g. can. Assorted
Flavors. Reg. 53¢. Sale

ti AZZ
cep!
a... 5.33
8 kilograms. Reg. 7.99
For Men & Boys
Men's is

Hat:
Assorted colors
Reg. $6.99
Combo Glove
Multi-coloured.
size. Reg. 2

. One
97
Boxed Briefs

Assorted colours &
sizes. Reg. 2.99
bed Men's Socks ~
3-pair packs of
sport socks
Boys’ Swimsuit:
Asst’d colours & styles.
Sizes 8-16. Reg. 3.

Sewing Needs 6 dP ipxe 4,
as © ite, py se, O

. Assorted styles an: a “
Baby Sayelle =—2 colours. Rey. 8.99 Rare § Skis’ Denim
Or spar yom, 30g e York Socks 6 33 Reg. 3.99-14.99
Phon i -pair packs a's

4 2 work socks, Reg. 9.99 oe
& crafts. 8 e'
1S
oe

Beach Pants

conly. casual wear!
Asst‘d colours.
Men’s T-Shirts

Oversized men’s
2XL-4XL
99 e'

Reg. 16.99

For Lad

Fashion styles and
colours. Reg. 19.

Girls’ T-Shirts
Or shorts. Sizes 7-14
Reg. 9.99

Kids’ Polo P.J.’s

@ Ladies’ Scarves
Fashion colours &

Accessories

les for
everyone! Reo, $5 & $6
SSeS
Assorted styles.
Reg. 4.99

Sliver Rings 4
Fata a styles.

1.33

Rechargeable Vacuum
Powertul 3.6 V Motor
Regular $23.99

and crafts projects!
Reg. 3.74

1 Lb. Poly Stuffing . ” i
Stock up for all your arts

Boys’ T-Shirts
Choose from assorted
styles and colours.

Sizes S-M-L-XL. Reg. 7.99

Dutch Bleach

Keep your clothes bright
and looking fresh! 3.6 litres.
Unbeatable low price!

Lawn and Garden Fertilizer
Nutrite 16-20-0

15 kg. bags

Reg. $3.97

33

Ladies’ Tube Tops
Assorted fashion. colours

to choose from. One size.
Reg. 2.99

Sunlight Liquid
For your dishwasher.
Brand name valve at low
prices! 1.5 litres. Reg. 2.99

delicious flavours.
Stock up! Reg., .89 ea.

Sale
Sweet Ripe Drinks 74
Choose from assorted

Avenue will remain

Castlegar council decided Tuesday

night.

Bistro Tablecloth
Chackoted folere tobloclon

Council agreed to a
dation from the works and services
committee that the speed limit within
the city be 50 km-h except on Arrow
Lakes Road and Columbia Avenue
— both of which are 60 km-h for the
Most part — and at school and park
areas, which are 30 km-h.

. 8 8

About 200 Cominco employees
whose cars received damage ranging
from-$100-to $1,500 tast month from
an acid discharge into the at-
mosphere have been told the com-
pany won’t compensate them.

in red, yellow or blue.
Assorted sizes.

Calgonite
Dishwashing detergent
1.8 kilograms. Stock up
at unbeatable low prices!

Red Rose Tea Bags
Pack of 72 2-cup tea bags:

For a great cup of tea —

every time! Reg. 2.53

Bath Towels
Choose from assorted
colours and prints. Stock

up! Reg: 3.74

Dishwashing
Detergent

Zellers own brand. Get your dishes
as clean as they can be! Reg. 2.73

1280 Cedar Ave., Trail

Camper Blankets
Li oe, warm blankets.
46” x 72”. Unbeatable low
price! Reg. 3.94

Monday to Thursday 9:30 to 5:30
Friday r
Saturday