editorial comment Information seekers vs information keepers ‘surprise. ‘What does come as a surprise is the-anger with which Sun ‘were met by some Trail Chamber of Commerce officials when trying to ferret out the facts from the rumors. dodge reporter's questions is like Offering a bone toa dog and then snatching it away just as it reaches its salivating mouth. Sa Social Credit is dead, here c small Social Credit Party exploded into even tinier fragments this week, leaving the once invincible party, that gov- erned British Columbia almost continuously for 40 years, with™ only three sitting members. in the provincial legislature. It was a doctor-assisted suicide with Jack Weisgerber, Richard Neufeld and Len Fox e! js shutting down Social Credit’s life support systems by joining the Reform Party of British Columbia Anyone who has still nursed hopes that the Socreds could stage might as well forget And they most certainly don’t become intimidated by such Comments as “Listen honey, what part of no don't you understand?", which was rudely spoken by il chamber names of those involved, or are flat out refusing to say. Hf everything is all above-board, why the cloak of guard- ed secrecy? It just doesn’t make sense. So...where did the money come from to pay Gerow? When Sun Staff agreed to meet with Trail Chamber representatives, they were told that the meeting would occur under a ific set-of ci ‘One of those circumstances was that Sun Staff answer two of their questions. “Why is The Castlegar Sun taking an interest im the Trail District Chamber of Commerce Hospital Committee, and second; What do you hope to achieve by this?” We never did have the chance to respond to those questions as The Sun chose not to meet with them— since the i iently scheduled after our publication deadline. However, we're willing to answer those questions mow, even though we are not in any way obligated to justify why we question anyone or any organization, i ly when it an issue that concerns the general public and not one specific interest group's Now for the answers: We aren’t interested Specifi- cally in the Trail Chamber of C ce. H . when the chamber engages in activities that affect ALL of us in the Kootenays, we feel we have a right and an obligation to let our readers know exactly what is happening behind closed doors. What we hope to achieve is an above-board and open process in which ALL people in the Kootenays will be best served when it comes to their health-care needs. There has been enough deviousness and game- playing in the planning of health care. Why was the a it. Cliff Serwa, Harry de Jong and . Lyall Hanson, the last three Socre-_ ds, aren't likely to revive the corpse. This latest, if not last chapter in the 42-year history of the Social Credit Party, gives new meaning to the old winds-of-change cliche. Who would have thought seven years ago, when Bill Vander Zalm led the the Socreds to an incredible victory, that this powerful party would go out, not even with a bang but with a whimper in 1994? As a result, British Columbia has Canada’s most fractured legis- Liberals, three Reformers, three Socreds, two Progressive Demo- cratic Alliance b as in and independent David Mitchell. The very last chapter has, of course, not yet-been written. For starters, expect Hanson to jump into the Reform camp in the near “ future.“Grilled by reporters about his decision to remain with the Is, Hansons’ response wasn't an enthusiastic endorsement of his Party. There would always be the need for a “free enterprise, per- sonal-responsibil- ity party.” he said, but he wasn’t cer- tain yet which Party was best suited to fill the void left by the collapse of the Socreds. And the way I read his remarks, the Liber- als aren’t a viable choice for him. There is a remarkable aspect to the demise of the Social Credit Party. In terms of membership — Grace McCarthy claims it stands at 56,000 — Social Credit is still a powerful political instrument. The Reform Party doesn’t like to talk about membership numbers, but I'd be surprised if it was more than a few hundred. Why then would Weisgerber, Neufeld and Fox leave a party with a solid ip foundation for a fledgling party that,could hold a Gordon Wilson and Judy Tyabji, in a phone booth? For the same reason Weisgerber didn’t g0 for the Socred ; Weisgerber believed then and he believes now that the Social Credit Party is bogged down by much baggage. Bill Vander Zalm made too thorou they would sit as Reformers, Weis- , gerber, Neufel and Fox drew sniper fire, not from their former colleagues, but from Preston Manning. leader of the Reform Party of Canada. In a tersely- worded press release, Manning stressed that there is uv affiliation between the federal and provincial Reform Parties. “The Reform Party of B.C. under its current leadership has been trying to ride on our coat tails for some time now. This requires omes Reform Reform Party of Canada.” Understandably, Manning didn’t make mention of the fact that he originally hijacked the party mame from the Reform Party of B.C. Maybe he should find a new name for his outfit With all this political chaos going on, you'd think it would be difficult to find anyone who's happy. Not so. The NDP is very happy. deliriously happy. Not in their wildest dreams did the New Democrats dare to hope that the po! | right would be split five ways. For the NDP. the worst-case scenario is a united right. Liberal leader Gordon Campbell has failed. 80 far, to pull the opposition forces together. He might have had a chance to get one or two of the for- mer Socreds to come over to the Liberals, but he blew it by being flippant and arrogant. Instead of extending a cordial invitation to the Socreds and us to place notices and maybe ing the pot a bit with a or two of future ments ig the for genuine reform in British Columbia, but added: “The way to do that, though, is through existing Parties or to start a new party from the bottom up, with its own poli- cies, its own leader, and a name that is completely distinct from the appointments, he said he had better and more important things to do than worry about the demise of Social Credit. Big mistake, Gor- don, one you obstacles. Living with decisions of the Rarely have I had an opportunity to convey personal thoughts to such a large audience. T’ve learned through experience that personal views cannot be_con- veyed as they are so often linked by the public to the position I hold at BC hydro. So often information comes back to me as, “A BC hydro It is with sincere thanks to The Castlegar Sun that I have this oppor- tunity to at least once in a while share my thoughts with others. I am very involved with deci- { sions, made by many others, several hiring of Gerow such a deep and fi ly secret? We're sure the public would like to know the unedited answer to that question. ERRORS: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for arising out of errors in any ago. Decisi made 30 years ago which are d an altetnative. Some people strive for consensus on several alterna- a process which allows their chil- dfen to, at some time in the future, alter past decisions then a great deal could be accomplished towards sus- Decisions of the past, which seem to be written in hard clay, do not allow for a change in agreement in ition of against today's social and spiritual values sometimes do not stand up very well. * Therefore people who are truly interested in the world around them look for alternatives to past deci- sions. Some people are singie-mind- ed in their theme when suggesting ing change in social values or increased knowl- edge about our environment. “Peace and love ditiong all peo- ple” are are also words which con- Stantly go through my mind. Yct reaching the time when this will actually come true is so difficult to achieve as one needs to be forever watchful of those who wish to destroy the good work and thoughts of others. As I travel the Columbia and past Kootenay regions it is also impossi- ble not to recognize, “in the land, abundance”. , among alll people and in the land: Joy in God's abun- dance, Contentment for what we have, and pride in what we leave for the future.” I have been blessed with the time comes, may I be judged favorably in all that I've done. Thank you for the opportunity that you have given me to share these thoughts with you. Al Geissler, his wife Sue, and their four children moved to Castlegar from Vernon after B.C. hydro opened its Castlegar branch office here. Wednesday, March 16, 1994 The Castlegar Sun Letters to the Editor What about the concept of innocent until Dear Editor: The fundamental concept of Canadian justice~-in common with all other justice systems in the civi- lized world—is the idea that one is mnocent until proven guilty. Yet some major government institutions such as the Worker's Compensation Board seem to enjoy carte blanche exemption from this principle that is so funda- mental to democracy In dealings with WCB it seems that one is presumed guilty until Proven innocent. Though my own injury—a badly broken fifth fin- Air Cadet Squadron faces ger—was minor in. comparison with those suffered by others at the meeting, I nevertheless resented the shoddy treatment by this all-power- ful board, To the best of my knowl- edge [have always been an honest person. Yet I was treated very much to the contrary in this inci- dent of the mid 1960's. After being ordered to appear in ‘Trail at a given’time and place for assessment of my injury, I was con- crooked tinger would be cut off Since it would get in the way. When I quickly ruled that option out and mentioned that I like to play the piano I was casually informed that I would learn to play with four fingers. A short time after I noted a tape recorder in the room. This gadget was Operated by means of a foot pedal beneath the table—thus recording certain statements and jecting othe! at the fronted by a man in a i-soiled smock. Then after a brief inspection I was callously informed that my operator's whim. ‘This No one would deny that there are some dishonest people around. But | believe that most workers are decent, honest people who just want to do their jobs, and be treat: ed like human beings—people who in most cases are innocent of any wrong-doing/in the accidénts which brought them permanent grief. Why not assume them innocent until proven guilty for a change? Surely the resultant boost in the | rey the truth of those disturbing rumors about WCB. and client would be well worth the bn present nastiness, contempt and even vio- lence. therefore have no hesitation in joining Terry Dalton in calling for an, ii Cc i s @ pri carte Indeed the archaic policies and of the WCB smack of Royal into the operations of the WCB. Despite the fact that a much- respected former Minister of Jus- tice by the mame of Mr. Tysoe recommended WCB reviews by Royal Commission every ten years, there has never been any such review for the past thirty. Why should the Worker's effort. This rel i hard financial Cc Board be times Dear Editor: I am writing on behalf of 581 Castlegar Air Cadet Squadron to appeal to your company for assistance. We are a non-profit organization devoted to youth (ages 12-18) of our community. We work hard to instill good moral values, citizenship and leadership in our youth as well as help them to develop pride and self-esteem in themselves. Every summer many of our cadets are sent to camps start- on to air studies and pilots license camps as well as the choice of cadet exchange with other ies and camps. We work hard to keep them interested for the rest of the year teaching technical skills, drills, having weekend bush survivals, trips and gliding 2-3 times a year. we also do com- munity service work whenever we can help. Due to the large government cutbacks almost all of the funds we used to receive have dried up and have left us with few ways to get monies to afford to keep this Air Cadet going. We have looked at different ways to have a fund-raising event to help defray some of these costs and have decided to hold a giant garage sale on April 2 and 3. Could you please look around your business and see if there is anything, new or used, that you donate, perhaps you could donate a service and if not-a monetary donation would be greatly appreciated. It is 581 Castlegar Sq 's 40th A y this month, please help us keep it going for another 40 years. Sincerely yours, su Robert rton Editorial Dear Editor: We take issue with your Yan- uary 5 editorial (“No Dough Partner’’) and subsequent cover- age which contains misleading Statements and inaccurate infor- mation about the extension of coverage to all workers and employers in B.C. (Bili 63) and about the WCB in general. First, the WCB and the Insur- ance Corporation of British Columbia (LC.B.C) are agencies with separate mandates and oper- ate ind: of one anoth not appreciated by WCB officials The intent of Bill 63.is to make coverage as broad and inclusive as possible, for the benefit of all er.worker for causing an injury or occupational disease arising out of and in the course of workers and employers of B.C.. This was the original intent of the Act at its inception in 1917. B.C. is the sixth jurisdiction in Canada to extend WCB benefits to all employers and workers. This ploy + Section 11 of the Act gives the Board the authority to determine whether a person is a worker under the Act and whether a worker injury arose out of, and in the course of, change was the province as early as June 25, 1993. The WCB's health and safety standards and regulations help The WCB is not “government- Subsidized”. It is funded by assess- ments collected from employers and by investment revenue. Under the Workers Compen- sation Act, the WCB has respon- sibilities related to occupational safety and health, rehabilitation, and Compensation. - Prior to January | of this year, the WCB covered 85 per cent of B.C.’s workforce, or approximate- ly 110,000 employers and the ‘equivatent-of t:3-mittion fulltime workers, leaving approximately 18,000 employers and 150,000 workers without WCB coverage. Hospital rati Recently Dr. Perrier has been quoted discussing the reasons C ‘West Kootenay Regional Hospital. I understand that Dr. Perrier is a general practitioner in Castlegar who is iding his own opinion without reference to any other authority. It is certainly curious that he can speak on behalf of the over 35 specialists located in Nelson and Trail and suggest that they, and all their services and patients, should taining its role as the regional hos- Pital for the West Kootenay region. The District Board has supported ploy and@-workers reduce the incidence of workplace injuries and occupational disease. The WCB softens the finan- cial consequences for injured workers and spouses surviving those killed on the job, and it provides rehabilitation and com- pensation services for injured workers. Employers are provided with comprehensive, competitive coverage and the threat of a law- suit is removed. Your statements about motor vehicte-accidents and Bill 63 are misleading. Section 10 of the Workers Compensation Act pre- vents a worker from suing anoth- Onalization cost to make the Castlegar hospital ready for regional status. This estimate omits requirements for infrastructure and land acquisi- tion for adequate parking. In com- parison Trail Regional Hospital is Planning to spend less than $5 mil- lion over the next three to five years to completely upgrade and modem- ~ ize the facility. TRH could operate 150 acute care beds as the regional hospital without having to construct any additional patient rooms. Why are people from Castlegar so convinced the regional hospital would be best placed in Castlegar? ry a These provisions existed long before the introduction of Bill 63 and remain unchanged. You fail to mention the bene- “fits ‘available to injured: workers following motor vehicle acci- dents. In an accident involving two parties defined as workers under the Act, each may be eli- gible (depending on the injury) for WCB benefits including wage loss, medical, expenses, and.rehabilitationg... In the event of'a’motor vehicle accident in which a worker is injured by a person who is not a worker at the time of the accident, the worker may elect to have recourse to the WCB or to ICBC. Your analysis of the Board's financial situation is also inaccu- rate. The latest estimate of the questioned People in Trail sometimes question why thé airport was ever located in Castlegar. Many days per annum, the gar airport in i i when at the same time the Trail air- Port is open. People in Trail are not trying to change the location of the airport_and we accept that. Why cannot people in Castlegar accept the location of the regional hospital in Trail? Iam very pleased to see that the Minister of Health has appointed a facilitator, Mr. Bert to assist See REGIONALIZATION 8A unfunded liability is assessments collected from each industrial group are used to cover costs incurred only by that group, not any other group Finally, the suggestion that the WCB is not accountable is false. The governing structure of the Board ensures the work- er, employer, and public com- munities we serve are represented by Governors of the Board, who are responsible to these communities. The-WCB is committed to working with the employer and worker communities to reduce the risk of workplace injuries and disease and maintain a fair and equitable compensation sys- tem for all. The extension of WCB coverage is a further step towards that goal. Richard Woloshen Manager, Public Affairs Workers’ Compensation Board some Dickensian novel from the A Dininc Room) With A View MEN'S NIGHT SPECIALS KOOTENAY DOUKHOBOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Will be held on Saturday, April 2, 1994, 9 am at the Doukhobor Village Museum ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION Branch 170 12 pm-6 pm 2 pm-10pm 11 am-11 pm Guests with members welcomel 248 Columbia Ave., Castlegar 365-7017 RE-SEASON SAVINGS Sarurvay & Sunpay Ony } 2 % _ OFFANY 1 DINNER ENTREE I The 1%" Hole Family Restaurant & Lounge : Coupon per person. veld other . Oller ae > oad egeert bee ro PRICES IN EFFECT TIL Saturday, Mar. 19, 1994 the ongoing renewal and rec P ment of the hospital to ensure that this can continue. I do not agree with Dr. Perrier’s comments that the Trail Regional Hospital's basic structure is poor. By October 1994 every patient bed in the hospital will be serviced by both oxygen and suction as well as a new nurse call system. The CT scanner is less than seven years old and the technology is not out of Health and Hypnosis, Partners in name a few are some of the many Prevention: This h: demonstrate techniques such as medical relaxati and body scan meditation. Ailments such as migraines, stuttering, anxiety phobias, managed or eliminated using this safe, natural alternative. Fri., March 18, 5-9 pm, Sat., March 19, 9 am - 5 pm. $25 Bonus Item TIDE DETERGENT 12 tw. W/$25 order Overlimit $9.99 $7.99 MEAT 3.99 PRODUCE BC OR ALBERTA RUSSETT POTATOES... 50». 8x°6.99 National Coaching Level 2: Covers Subjects such as group goal setting, training methods, care of sport injuries, and advanced teaching skills in 21 hours of instruction. Friday, March 18, 6 - 10 pm, Sat. & Sun., March 19 & 20, 9 am - 5:30 pm. $50. date. The pi g has re-scheduled replacement on a routine basis for 1997. Our experience in supporting hospital renovation and construc- tion lead us to seriously question the $10.5 million cost quoted by Perrier as the only amount it would Computers and Fax/Modems: Topics include: What is a FAX/modem, why a FAX/modem, practical considerations, (speed, phone lines, long distance costs) installing hardware and software, common problems, using the modem and FAX. Sat, March 26, 9-4 pm. $40. Childsafe: A seven-hour, two part Red Cross certificate that generates ajvareness of home accident potential, prevention of accidents and includes rescue breathing, C.P.R., bleeding, choking, and other basic first aid Procedures. Especially designed for parents and caregivers to young children. Tues. & Thurs., April 5 & 7, 6:30 - 10 pm. $45. Spreadsheets Level 1: An ii course using Quattro Pro; a program used extensively in business. Prerequisite: DOS level 1 if taken for credit. Tues. & Thurs., March 29 - April 14, 6:30 - 9:30 pm. $110. 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