OPINION SS Ky The és stl idar Sun AS JON JARRETT ADVERTISING MANAGER DONNA JO JORY CATHERINE R¢ = ROSS NICOLE BEETSTRA PRODUCTION RAY PICCO PUBLISHER NANCY LINGLEY EDITOR GRACE SHAULL OFFICE JOHN SNELGROVE PRODUCTION MANAGER DENISE GOLDSTONE CIRCULATION MANAGER FRANK ISERNIA REPORTER Display Advertising -nvwc:so---365-2278 365-5579 Fax . ~365-7762 “Pure” politician a figment of imagination but of whole “loth: Sane ened, recycled, warped and woofed, man- made cloth. He’s a pure — if that’s the word I want — a pure figment of my imagination. But then, so am L He speaks fluent Politicanto, and be’s known nationally as the consum- mate master of the cliche, the self-evi- dent truth and the battered linguistic The ion went this editorial comment Right here in our very own backyard People leave the city for many reasons — to escape the hustle and bustle, the hassle, the frazzle of major-urban everyday living. They come to an area such as the West Kootenay, still a bustling and exciting place to be, especially now, but on a somewhat quieter plane, to savor the joys this kind of community offers. One other aspect of city living that is generally left , behind is that of the gentle pursuit of culture; the live theatre, the art galleries, the concerts. We here in our more relaxed, small ‘out-of- '-the-way urban community have the best of both worlds. The theatre and the concerts come to us. Maybe not on a daily basis, but they come. What we do have ona day-to-day basis, except for Mondays this after all isn'r the big city, is an excellent exhibition centre. Because of the West Kootenay National Exhibition Centre and the dedicated employees and volunteers that miake’it"go around, this entire area has access to exhibitions of art, history, and science second to none. The recent exhibition "A Family Affair: Making Cloth in Taquille, Peru” was the most successful in the 16-year history of the NEC drawing over 1,000 viewers. The exhibit, which originated with the Uni- versity of British C i of A Pp gy, was shown all across the continent. Upon its return to the museum, it will be broken down and stored away. This type of unique exhibit is becoming the norm at our own NEC. Of the ten exhibits scheduled for this year, four will come from the National Craft Museum. In conjunction with these major exhibits local artists are given well-deserved recognition. There is no admission charge to the NEC. Only a donation i is asked. ships and corp ips help with the costs of providing the exhibits at the NEC. One- time corporate sponsorships for specific exhibits are also sought. It's hard to d why, in this ity par- ticularly, sponsorship could not be found for the upcoming show which features art from paper. At the end of this year, a woodworking exhibit is sheduled for the NEC. Here again, in this area any- way, corporate sponsors should be coming out of the woodwork (pun intended) to take part. There's an old saying that goes "if you don't use it, you'll lose it,” The West Kootenay National Exhibition Centre has it. But there are an awful lot of people in this town who could make it a whole Jot easier to keep. . way: I’m Ron, be’s Con. Roa: Good moming and welcome to the show. Mr. Con. Con (deep, soothing, patemalistic voice): Hi there! Hello! Bonjour! Guten Tag! Buenos dias! Buon giomo! Or, as we say in Dutch, goeden dag! And I’m working on my Swedish and Tagalog. I’d like to make this multicul- vote-collecting, okay? Se iisgial: ch! (Homeric laugh- ter). We feds have a little joke about that, Ron! Bilingual: speaking twice with forked tongue out of both sides of the mouth. Get 1? Bi... two. Ling. .. Ron: I get it, already! But let me ask you about the Senate. After that farce, that opera bouffe, in Ottawa last fall, do you really think it will still exist in Ron: So, the voice is an attempt to reassure, to console the Man on the Street? Con: I wish you hadn’t said that! ‘What with the recession, free trade, the GST, tngeseet rates ane ad ie Mn oe the Sueet now means some hungry, des- perate, homeless guy slecping under the Georgia Viaduct. Watch it, will you! Ron: You're low in the polls these days, Mr. Con. Only 18 per cent of of what you're dog How do you plan to recover there's life after death. So have a care! Ron: I see. But before we go on, do Right out of your acid-washed, design- er-labelled blue genes, if you'll permit the pun. Some people find it, well, just with the job! The higher the position, the lower the voice. Actually, I was a mezzo-soprano before I got into poli- tics. Now I’m the Voice in the Whirl- wind. . . Prophetic, commanding, cajoling, inspiring, Roo: ce Lome Greene of the polit- ical scene’ Con: 1 Yet Burton from the Baie, actually. Con: Damned if I know! I think maybe there's an left out. Should be husiling. Ron: And with all the current malaise and disaffection, what's hap- pened to cabinet solidarity? Con: No change. Same as ever. Cabinet solidarity. . . that’s a ter’s term, y'know. Mcans “heads of hardwood, balsa for brains”. Just kid- ding! That's another little joke we have on the Hill. Ron: I notice you're spending more than 10 million bucks on the Spicer Cc ission. That's a Jot of trips to months. They'll forget. They always do. Anyway, I’m ing that Inuvik! ‘Con: And treks to Quebec, But I say it's worth it: finally, at last, after Wolfe there’ll be an uptum in the downtum by the end of summer. That’s a sea- sonally-adjusted summer, of course. Ron: And if that doesn’t work? Con: I'll re-appraise agonizingly, consult the official PigTory books, wet a political finger, bold it up to the winds of change, test the waters. . . indepth, of course. . . put seats up for grabs, throw my hat into the ring, stump the country, and take to the bustings. Ron: What's a husting, Mr. Con? Does a husting feed at the public trough or is it just another strange political bedfellow? and im, after 200 years, to fine Canada. Ron: I'll do it for less, Mr. Con. Canada is a discontented, hybrid milk cow, with its head in the Maritimes, hors in Dilemma, cud in Quebec, udder. in Ottawa, moo in Manitoba and netherbutton in B.C, That'll be $5.95 for my professional services. Plus the GST. . . Rounded up, of course. Make it $69, even. Thanks for being on the program. Merci mille foist R.R. Jeffels is a Richmond free- lance writer and former principal of The Open Learning Institute. far too much going for it for us to ever actually lose © THE NEXT THING You'll BE PROPOSING 1S" THE PRIVILEGE To Uve iN CANADA TAX" And for this we pay GST? Slings and arrows Nigel Hannaford Syndicated Columnist Have you ever thought to yourself, “What this country needs is an organi- zation to assess, review, fund and carry out statistical and other studies Telating to Canadian cultural indus- tries and policies?’ No? Me either. What, however, if such an organi- zation were to also to ‘provide com- parisons on an international level and to exchange information and ideas with comparable organizations; to examine the existence and applica- tions of new technologies on arts and culture, such as computer graphics, computer-generated animation, spe- cial effects, videotex and desk-top publishing, creating new ones as needed and making them more readi- ly available to creators and to ensure the circulation of results from various studies to interested parties.’ Does that seem a little more neces- 7 Let’s make that a thetorical ques- tion. ‘The fact is that the above coagulat- ed gatherings of governmental ver- through the Department of Communi- cations, (minister Marcel Masse) to the tune of $45 million over the next five years. $45 million! For cultural navel- gazing! Only in Canada you say? Dreadful pity! country.” Oh. In passing, one wonders what the mandarins of Ottawa wish to ‘cor- rect’, whether it is our recalcitrant opinions or our taste for American tv. They don’t say, but the idea that the By way of exp a press release from the minister’s office states, ‘For more than 25 years, task forces, fact-finding and ZI should have an agenda of its own with regard to culture is repugnant; culture is something that numerous research studies have pro- vided us with data on cultural phe- nomena. However, it has not been possible to put these data together or find a common thrust and indications as to just As for this being ‘imperative’, no matter how long a list I made of things which were imperative for Canada, this wouldn't be on it. Two things that would be, however, would Consequently, 1 now believe it is imperative to provide Canada with an institute that can remety this glaring bea d budget and a govern- ment that actually was in touch with what the public thought was important (as opposed to being a captive to the biage describe the role and of a new agency, the Canadian Insti- tute for Research on Cultural Enter- prises. Described as a Private, non-profit (I bet!) body, it is funded lack of obj ledge with * regard to culture by creating data banks and developing research themes in co-operation om from bh I elite of Ottawa). “If we had those two, I don’t think we would be having any more of this kind of thing. Watch out for “re-confederation” Watch out! Here comes the “R” worl! It’s made in Ottawa, and like it or not, it’s destined to become part of And I’m not referring to that other “R” word - recession. No, I’m talking about “re-confederation. You take your car in to have the brakes re-lined. Brian } Toronto Canadian Club: “We have become so addicted to extreme ploy by t and retain contro} and division that we have become almost immune to the damage being done to our country.” He wants us to moderate our Jan- guage, “Let's stop throwing around careless statements like ‘Let them go!’, or “Quebec is already gone, so lets te the : ™ “If the moderates on both sides regain control of the discussion, if there are no more Brockville flag- bumings, no more booing French at hockey games, and if Quebec federal- ists do the same, it will deny ammuni- tion to extremists on both sides. In‘a calmer atmosphere, Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa and the iers would be able to seri- wants to take Canada in to be “re-con- © 1911 Cryatons Syren, re It. will be a delicate operation, but if we English-speaking Canadians play ball; if we get help from federal- ists in Quebec; and if we're blessed Pt Ae ie ecline an onion trey (Allaire’s supporters) want to peel the with a little luck, “ ‘might just work. fis But first, the Prime Minister believes we must lower the tempera- ture, of the debate. As he told the away layer by. "d Of the debate himself. Officials bere concede, in the even- tual federal-provincial talks, there would be an exchange of powers. They say some changes would be real, others merely cosmetic. For weeks senior bureaucrats have But in drawing up those lists, they’ve been given firm guidelines. Not surprisingly, they match those must be soseeney not stifled.” But, then comes the catch: “we need to maintain certain national standards in the interests of all Canadians. Pen- sions must be portable .- - health care must be accessible for all.” Quebec can complain all it wants, but Ottawa won't hand over complete authority in areas like the environment. The key power Quebec wants is. protection of the French language and culture. Quebec. already uscs the ”” clause in Pierre Trudeau’ 's Charter of Rights to dis- against English. Quebecers in the guise of protecting French. Mulroney said, “We already have one notwithstanding clause in the Charter. That is one too many and . . we will have no more.” - Robert Bourassa also knows noth- ing rankles TROC — the rest of Cana- da — more than Quebec's French-only sign law. And so on the eve of the prime minister's Toronto speech, Bourassa was offering vague assur- ances that Anglo-Quebecers would not be targets for further discrimination. Quebec’s Engli g minori- ty, like many other Canadians, remains skeptical of the whole pro- cess. But at this stage, their reaction is not all that important. a f Tt is the response of the provincial premiers which is, important. Interest- ingly Newfoundland’s Clyde Wells, “whose opposition to Meech Lake was critical, agrees with the approach out- lines in the Prime Minister's ‘Who knows? Maybe the “R” word will become an enduring part of the Canadian lexicon. Wednesday, February 27,1991 ’ The casters Sun Letters to the Editor Red Cross keeping us up to date To the Editor: As Regional Director for the Red Cross, I want to keep local res- idents up to date on what is happen- ing in the Persian Gulf with effons to assist victims of the conflict. First, I'd like to thank the people in the Kootenay area that have con- tributed several thousand dollars (to date) toward supporting this work. Your paper has been helpful in let- ting them know how to ] provide food, shelter, ‘basis medical care and will help with repatriation, Medical teams and supplies entered Iraq through Iran by con- voy on January 31, Working with the Iraqi Red Crescent, intemation- al medial teams are assisting casu- altics of the bombing. Another medial team is now in the Gaza Strip to provide surgical care to the local Palestinian population in the Camps to assist displaced persons and refugees are now up and running in Jordan, Iran, Syria and Saudi Ar- bia. hundreds of thousands have passed into Jordan and recently thou- sands have begun to arrive at the Ir- nian border. In these camps workers Medical staff are also in Saudi Arabia. Prisoners of war on both sides are protected under the third Gene- va Convention. To date, more than 800 Iraqi prisoners have been visit- ed by the Red Cross, Unfortunately, the coalition prisoners in Iraq have Questioning fur facts To the Editor: In response to Bernice P. Gar- gus letter: The domestication of various animal species has made farm ani- mals dependent on humans. The accepted moral and ethical stan- dards of our society require that humans respond to this depen- dence with responsible steward- ship. Canadian fur farmers are strongly committed to-the ethic of humane conduct toward farm raised furbearers, and to the pre- vention of avoidable suffering at all stages of their lives. Canadian family fur farmers have adopted a rigorous program of standard guidelines to assure the humane care and agement of furbearing animals. Fams complying with those stan- dards are certified after inspection by an independent veterinarian. More than 85% of current domes- tic fur production comes from these certified farms. Most fabrics including GOR- TEX are made from petroleum- based chemicals, and carry with them the environmental risks of other petroleum products. Acci- dents in the transport of petroleum products have led to disasters like the 1989 incident in the Bay of Valdez, Alaska. The safe disposal of synthetics is equally trouble- some. They are generally not | biodegradable; if burned, they may, affect air quality. If landfilled, they can contaminate groundwater. There is an alarming shortage of space for landfill disposal. Every time we use synthetics instead of natural alternatives, we make that problem worse. Animals rarely die of old age. nature’s way of controlling animal over population is starvation and disease. As civilization has encroached further into areas which were formally wildlife habi- tat, the management of animal has become ii i ly vital, not only for man’s protec- tion but for the survival of the animal species themselves. That's why trapping is an important ele- ment of wildlife management, and one that is recognized, endorsed and regulated by the govemment. Real fur is a renewable resource produced in an ecologically sound manner. They by-] products of fur farming are used in the production of animal feed, pet foods, and in the making of fine quality hypo- ‘ic soaps and Even the manure produced on mink farms is in heavy demand as a natural and ecologically safe fer- tilizer. Animal by-products play a vital tole in our lives, Think about wool, silk, goose down and leather as well as fur. Think about the food you eat - beef, pork, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products. Think about the medical technology that saves” human lives - not only medications but surgical techniques as well. Animal activists now seek to deny us the freedom to choose fur, or to eat, wear or use other prod- ucts of animal origin. They oppose the use of animals in medial research. They view pet ownership as a form of slavery. and, most frightening of all, their goal is to impose that value system on all of us, In a free society, lifestyles deci- sions are a matter of p not yet been made available. Red* Cross workers in Iraq are appealing for POW rights to be honoured, Two Canadians are working with the, Red Cross in the Gulf (in Bahrain and Syria) and 32 more are briefed and on standby to go. Blood supplies are topped up and will be provided ' upon request. Extra clinics are not yet needed, but . we hope the public will fully. sup- To the Editor: We were quite surprised by the quick response Tan Hamann, of the Arrow Forest District, gave to the Letter to the Editor of February 6, 1991, concerning Cayuse Creeks watersheds, In less than a week he wrote a response in the form of a Letter to the Editor. It took him almost three months to give us a response to our concems and pro- posals presented to the Ministry of Forests, (MOF), and Westar in November, 1990. After a promise given by Mr. Hamann and two reminder letters sent by our Com- mittee, we finally got a reply, inad- equate as it may have been. In his Letter to the Editor, Mr. Hamann said that his office, “will Preserve the suspension bridge To the Editor: With the restoration of many his- torical things on the go, throughout the Kootenays, and all very much worth while, I am wondering why no attempt has been made to pre- choice. The decision to eat meat or wear fur or natural fibers or to use animal-based cosmetics or media- tions, is and should remain an indi- vidual one, Rick and Donna Smith Alderman welcomes. us to city To the Editor: Just a little note to say hello and to welcome your new business to the City of Castlegar. It is inspir- ing to see new business in our community and it is my sincere - _ desire that you are successful with your new venture, Best of luck in the future and thank you for your confidence in the City of Castlegar, Sincerely yours, Lawrence D. Chernoff Alderman, City of Castlegar "The Government Agents Office will be relocating to the: B.C. Access Centre 1050 Eldorado Street Trail, B.C. V1R 3V7 Tel: 364-0591 & Thrum resident: may call toll free Tel: 365-8247 Effective Monday March 4,:1991 Er, Si hee eae sully, uexaIy S| auIAuY, serve the susp bridge built over the Kootenay River at Brilliant by the Christian Community of Uni- versal Brother hood, prior to the Ist World War. (1911-127) It has certainly played a part in the history of this area, and there it sits, slowly rusting away. Prior to the automobile, it car- tied the teams, with people,and with all the orchards matured, the fruit to the jam factory at Brilliant. ‘West Kootenay Power and Light Co. Ltd. used it for accessto. _| the line crossing at-waterloo, and during winter plowed the highway from South Slocan to Brilliant, across the bridge to the line cross- ing, using a Holt Caterpillar, oper- ated by D.J. Davis (one of the first in the area). It carved the pipe line from the head of the falls on Norms (Pass) Creek, to Ooteschenia to the orchards and villages. Water was a must. With the opening of the Air port, it was the only means of access to there to catch the flights operated by Canadian Pacific in the late forties. With the building of the Kin- Peale eleieelanatanlantantonienaheniententantentantentanieniahenanianianiensan hia eee ee ee ee ee eee eee = lives, The Red Cross does not take i 4 . quantity as the number one priority Letters to the Editor are welcome on any topic of local or general | interest, Letters should be’ dow- |’ ble-spaced, typewritten, or legibly hand-written, and'no more: than two pages If possible. Letters will |; be edited In the Interests of brevity or taste if necessary, All letters must bo signed, with address and phone number, although names may be witheld from publication for valld reason by approval of the Editor.’ Send letters to: The Castlogar Sun, port current clinics, In one way, cach of us are vic- tims of this war — as images of suf- fering reach us, each of us can feel for those in pain. However, the direct victims of this war are those who are killed, wounded, displaced or live in immediate fear for their — with cach individuals who need help being our concem. Humanity in the face of organized inhumanity, If you want to help, make a dona- tion to the local Red Cross or through any chartered Canadian bank — matk it “Persian Gulf Crisis.” 46! Ave., &C, VIN 1G8, or drop them off at the office. sides in this or any conflict. We offer c Gary Ockenden assistance impartially to all victims Regional Director Cayuse response “surprisingly quick” | continue to treat water quality and hectare, (98 acre), clearcuts consid- ered water as the number one prior- in all domestic consumptive use _ ity? watersheds.” (Why not all water- If pictures could be shown of sheds?) the logging in our watersheds, the I would like to ask Mr. Hamann _readers could see the detrimental when was the last time his office effects to the water resource; did a measurement of the quality effects that happen with or without and quantity of water in either Mr. ge. If he Cayuse or Little Cayuse Creeks? could see the machinery being ‘When was the last time his office winched out of the mud when it got took the initiative to ask the water —_ mired down in the spring, or of the users if they were having any prob- _rivers of mud flowing through the lems with their water supplies? cut blocks, and down skid trails ‘When was the last time the logging and roads, etc., then maybe he method selected for a site was the would have knowledge. one that would have the least dis- If, according to Mr. Hamann, turbance one the quality and quan- _—water quality and quantity are the tity of water.Since when has the —_ number one priority, why, during approval of approximately 37 _ our meeting of November 3, 1990, did he imply that we should not expect a twenty-five dollar domes- tic water license to be as important as a multi thousand dollar logging operation. It is hard for us to understand public get jaticonte about be very water they drink. If water is truly number one in importance, why can’t they work with us in achiev-. ing this goal? As a group we are not opposed to logging in our watershed; we just want it to be done with the least amount of dis- turbance. It should be noted by the Forest Service, Westar, and the public that the Cayuse Creeks Watershed committee is not made up of a bunch of troublemakers, but of people from all walks of life, ‘Westar employees, local business people, a former forester, retired people, a woodlot owner, etc, We have tried to be cooperative with the MOF and Westar, and we will continue to do so. However, cooperation is a two-way street. ‘We must get beyond our interests versus their interests and get a truc sense of cooperation, one where there is as much give on their side as there is on ours. naird bridge the Highways Branch used the suspension bridge, along with lights, for it was only capable of single lane traffic, to the Columbia River bridge, until the Kootenay River bridge was built. It also played its part in a mur- der, for it was where a weapon was disposed of, by throwing it from the centre and , recovered by diver Fed McKim an employee of West Kootenay Power, At its building, to my knowl- edge, there was no monetary assis- tance from the government of the day, and the labour, money and material was provided, by the ian Community of Universal Brotherhood, in a day and age when there was not the equipment that we have today to assist in its building. Truly a pioneer, and an example of co-operation. W.D. MacDonald Frank and Libby Ruljancich Spokespersons CCWC — ANNOUNCEMENT — Mr. J.F. Hipwell, real estate agent and proprietor of Hipwell Realty, Salmo is pleased to, announce the, appointment of gs Jackie Stefoniuk A long-time local resident, as his Castlegar District Sales Represen- tative. Jackie is hoping that her many friends and acquaintances will cull her for real property ad- vice, tips, listings and sales assistance, or rental offerings. Home owners and purchasers will find Jackie a most reliable, friendly and accomodating realtor. She is hoping for your early call to a busy spring season. JACKIE HOME 365-6642 OFFICE 357-2141 PHONE EVES. - 365-7514 OFFICE 357-2141 a] \ 479ung HSid ++ gones PUB Bony] ‘OYEUO} ‘uayalyo Ase} Jo ayoxeays JapuaL wayyy sno uy 4ayeq pue yno OM USE, YFDYNE NIMIIHD “+ gones ejoads UMO JNO YM Saws pue “AOIAUAS ONIMSIVO SLTIdWOo S.\3WLL NAYOIHO 13904 L.NOG 7 e Byxg 8S80U0 9B UODeG ‘SWOOJUSN e * gones pue sajyoid ‘saojewo) ‘suaddad uaa ‘swoorysn ‘sanya| ‘suo|uO 4z5uNng FID9ZA gones pue sapjojd ‘80n}}9} ‘suojuo ‘uoveq ‘anyed ea. 4zOuNd NOOVE © “" gones pue sajyoid ‘oyewoy ‘aonye} ‘suojuo ‘sapyed yeaw OL 4794uNg FENG “" gones pue sapjid ‘sonye} ‘suojuo ‘amjed yea OUD 4a9uNd FIONIS YANNIG OGWOD GO0svaS ** [Jou UL] YSadj ‘Me[sajoo Ayse) ‘sayy Yous) uapio3 ‘sones poojeas ‘dwyys uapjos snojo}aq YANNIG dWIdHS {101 2oUUIP Ysey ‘eones eye} ‘me|Sa/O9 Ase} ‘SO}} YINNIG HSH “JOd & “-* Seu) YoUal) UApiOd ‘saajasuno s9yeq PUB OWNS HSI “F0d 7 “+ gones Jee) pue Seuy YoUay UApjos ‘ysy) 9148 ys|fBug Jo a0a]d eu SdIHO N. HSId “Od T Jo4 JOUUIP Ysayy ‘me]SA/00 AYSey ‘SaL) upuayy \ uapjo3 ‘dwyys snojoiiap ‘ysy ays ysyisuq youay uapjos ‘ysy ays ysiBug Jo saoa]d OML ho 9m YOM Usy als YsiIBua Ase Jo Saaid OM 66° 63's" ier vOES-G9E *** soquisuiey }no-oye| 40 Ul-}e3 Jegajysed unos -fanuary BIQUIN|OD 9T8z S$ ¥Od avahv ANOHd IFDIAUTS LNO-ANVL isv4jdadn punose uayolyo 3S9q ay}