OPINION WEDNESDAY, January 20, 1993 NY | ly 7 The Castidgar Sun TW / PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG SHARLENE IMHOFF CATHERINE ROSS EDITOR ADVERTISING REP MARGE LALONDE NICOLE BEETSTRA CIRCULATION MANAGER PRODUC TON/OFFIPE JOHN VAN PUTTEN LINDA ANDERSON SPORTS REPORTERPHOTOGRAPHER PRODUCTION MANAGER KAREN KERKHOFF CHRISTINE MOYER REPORTER ART DIRECTOR MELODY SEMENOFF ADVERTISING REP. Direct Department Phones General Office 365-5266 Circulation 365-5266 Classified Ads 365-7848 Display Advertising 365-227 Newsroom 365-5579 Fax 365-7762 editorial comment To reveal—or not to reveal? Is it the result of excessive backroom politicking? Or could it be that personality conflicts between some directors and the chair on the Regional District of Central Kootenay exist in a severe way? Possibly it's.a combination of both. Or maybe it's none of the above Whatever the reasons, (and they must be real doozies folks), RDCK chairman George Cady has found himself in a rather uncomfortable position During last Saturday's RDCK meeting in Nelson, Cady was pegged by two directors for doing some not-so-very-nice-things. We do know that two of these accusations include: allowing his personal opinion to be reflective on the entire board; and oming involved with and attempting to influence the municipal politics of another community. The meeting in Nelson started off quite normal enough—directors discussed, voted, and passed a variety of different resolutions, most of.which were related to the everyday management of the RDCK While slowly working down the list on their public agendas, the directors came across an ifem that was to discuss the type of coverage that had been appear- ing in a local paper. So big deal right? Everyone has their opinion:on what constitutes a fair and accurate story—it usually depends on what side of the fence you're sitting an at the time of publication After the item on the agenda was read, the discus- sion which followed barely touched upon the issue of news reporting—instead it quickly developed into accusations by Directors Wyllie and Voykin that something was amiss in the chair. If there is'a con nection here—no one said anything publicly. Soon it was revealed that the chairman had written 4 letter to the two directors, criticizing them for w Titing a pre- vious Letter to the Editor, which he felt not only questioned the reporting of that paper—but of possi- ble leaks to the press by politicians Are you confused yet? If not, you would have been after listening to the entire ordeal during the meeting—at which everyone was very careful about what they said and basically tiptoed through real issues. Can't reveal TOO much about what's REALLY going on afterall! To top it all off—the directors decide to play it safe by taking this uncomfortable scene in-camera That. way, everyone can say what's REALLY on their minds—and-because the media has been told to get lost—no one's any worse off for it There's a major problem going on here. And due to the masked conversations, instant in-camera meet- ings, and downright bad vibes, one can only assume that it's far from over. So who do we look to for answers. How about Directors Ken Wyllie and John Voykin? Obviously there's a point to this entire exercise or they would never have requested it be raised in the first place Or how about George Cady—who seems to be at the very centre of some very serious allegations? It appears that these and possibly other directors are currently facing a real dilemma—to reveal, or Not to reveal? That's the question Any takers? SIZ The Gastidgar Sun ak IS POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT AND A MEMBER OF THE STERLING NEWS SERVICE Established November 28, 1990 Published by The Castlegar Sun Weekly oft Wednesdays Member of Canadian Community Newspapers Association B.C. Community Newspapers Association and B.C. Press Council 465 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, B.C. VIN 1G8 ERRORS: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable tor damages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of its. servants or otherwise and there shall be no liability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement All advertising subject to publisher's approval. Contracts must be completed within one year from contract date No contingent orders accepted YOU POOK THING... HAVE YOU CONSIDERED CROSSING THE BORDER AND COMMITTING Well, it is the season for cold weather The weather has decided to make fools of us all! Not being a native of the Kootenays, I natural- ly believed those who are, who told me that the Kootenays have a benign climate and moderate win ter weather. Well, they did say “usually” This is moderate winter weather? I have been telling all and sundry what a marvellous climate we have, but lately I have been rather quiet on the subject. Since about the middle of November we cer- tainly cannot say we are having a mild winter. We have enough snow already! I have, in the past, remarked on the vagaries of life which place us in moderate climates, only to dis- cover that we have arrived during an unusual year. We once were assured that the absolute minimum winter temper- ature for a particular area was no more than -20° and so concrete was scheduled to be placed, with all appropriate caution, during mid-winter.. The temperatures dipped to -50° and all efforts went into simply keeping pumps and motors running, making up exten- Sion cords so cars could be Plugged-in and start, never mind actual construction work. Another time we were told the rainy season never arrived before November and always ended by February, but, in fact, the rainy season arrived much earlier and stayed with us. The site was awash for months. Perhaps it is just my good fortune that the weather is unusual wherever I am. After a recent Boxing Day din ner, we were sitting with good friends of long standing, enjoying some excellent port and reminisc- ing about another Boxing Day in the Cariboo, many years in the past We had found for lease, not far out-of town, an old log house which had once been a fishing lodge, on several acres of trees and fields, with many outbuild- ings in various stages of disrepair, and a double garage in reasonable shape. All this was located on the shores of a small, shallow lake, from which motorized boats should have been banned. Nevertheless, it was paradise to us having just spent almost two years in Kitimat! We had invited our friends to spend the Christmas holidays with us and had. spent countless hours making a skating rink so the children-could skate on the lake. This is ‘no easy feat, to which anyone who has ever attempted this can attest! However, by the time our friends had arrived by PGE from the Coast we were duly-proud of a gleaming expanse of-snow- banked ice. We even had orga- nized-a hole for ice fishing, for I had spotted trout in the laké while out with the canoe stalking our resident loon. Boxing Day we all bundled up and donned our skates for the “Hockey Challenge Cup”. Someone remarked that it sure seemed cold out there! We were snug in our lodge, with the great stone fireplace, with venti- lators, roaring through our stock of wood, but a check of the exte- rior thermometer registered -55°! Obviously, it was giving a false reading! We clumped out in our skates-and enjoyed several min- utes on the ice, under a bright blue cloudless sky. The plumes of smoke from fireplace chimneys across the lake rose straight up in towering columns. There was not a breath of wind. There were no chirpy bird sounds, the birds being far too clever than to be out on such a-day! On the far side of the lake the snowmobiles made faint growling sounds, while the dogs chased them, yapping happily. It was a beautiful day. But was it cold! We lasted less than fifteen minutes outdoors. Within a very few minutes little white began to appear on cheeks and Nose tips. We gave up and fled to the warm fire and mugs of hot chocolate That thermometer was accurate! We should have realized how cold it was, for the well was freezing in its little heated hut by the lake. I have never forgotten how cold it was that day, nor have I experi enced a colder day since Some twenty years later, we raised our glasses in a toast to our friends, now new grandparents, courtesy of the little girl who had once frozen her pert little nose on Boxing Day on a lake in the Cari boo. We were spending Christmas on a small island in the Gulf of Georgia, whereupon snow falls only rarely This year, over a foot of snow had fallen, and stayed, while the temperatures plummeted. The Islanders were grumbling about how cold it was! Everything is relative. Compared to the Koote nays, we thought the weather was only moderately cooter than normal. Now, back home in the Kootenays, I say it is darn cold out there, even if it is the season for cold weather! dots Wednesday, January 20, 1993 Letters to the Editor The Castlegar Sur Page 5A Things do not always gO as planned » Dear Editor: free from the car within ten T have just read your article minutes and off to the hospital. concerning the automobile acci- The rescue crew were working dent at Fairview and Mr. Hamil- to free Mr. Hickey when T left. I ton’s criticism of the rescue have nothing but praise for crew and bystanders, everyone involved. I presume it T arrived at the scene imme- was at this point Mr, Hamilton diately after the accident — decided to Tespond. occurred and I witnessed May I suggest that the bystanders pull the dash, wind- Hamiltons' utilize their obvious shield and steering wheel clear _ superior knowledge of machin- of Mr. Hickey. Another ery and volunteer for their bystander ran to a nearby house local rescue crew but be for scissors to cut seatbelts,, warned that things do not someone else phoned for the _ always go as smoothly as prac- ambulance, another person tised and planned. Remember assisted by holding Mr. Hick-. that if you do, you will be y's head to facilitate his breath- exposing yourself to public ing until help arrived, and many _ scrutiny and criticism. others offered their assistance, The ambulance arrived and the crew had the lady passenger Your Respectfully, Robert Martin Slings and arrows template the wording of an ad in the New York Times, placed by leading environmental groups and critical of B.C. forest practices. Is this B.C. they talk about the same province we live in, you ask? ‘While global concern has. been mainly directed at the alarming destruction of tropical rainforests in Brazil, few people realize that an even greater lével of environ- mental devastation has taken place in British Columbia." ment almost seems superfluous. Living here, we know that logged areas are replanted; we know, especially on Vancouver Island that today’s clearcut is tomorrow's growing forest. If you go flying in this area, you will see lots of sec- ondary growth and even some third growth, where two harvests have taken place and a third one will years hence. So far from being a ‘magnificent rainforest legacy’ to be lost forever I don't igel Hannaford Syndicated Columnist Us provincial scribes do from time to time end up Covering some local story of wider national inter est. It is not unusual to find that when the big-city media types arrive and do their stuff, we won- der whether we were all working on the same story The generat public can now empathize, I daresay, as they con or throw the doors wide open to the eager chainsaws of MacMil- lan Bloedel and Interfor, two Canadian companies notorious for their flagrantly destructive logging practices British Columbia, which increasingly appears to visitors flying overhead to be suffering from a catastrophic attack of mange, with ugly bald spots spreading where dense primal for- est once stood?” ‘Canada's dirty, secret war against its forests is about to reach a critical watershed." To a British Columbian, com- know how you would stop trees growing on Vancouver Island. If we closed off Argyle Street for twenty years, we'd have cracks in it sprouting six inch alder. We also know, furthermore. that from time to time nature does more thoroughly in a few weeks what we do in part over scores of years. In the past, catastrophic for est fires have caused damage on a wider and more intense scale than present day clearcuts over huge areas of the province; for instance around three hundred years ago, two million acrés on the east side of Vancouver Island was devastat ed by a fire from Victoria to Courtenay. And if you're concerned about soaking up carbon dioxide and replacing it with oxygen to com- bat that greenhouse effect, well, a twenty year ol forest does a lot more transpiration than one that's five hundred years old People believe what they want to believe and I've no doubt that a quarter page ad in the New York questionable rhetoric it might be is going to have more effect on policy than a humble recitation of the facts. I daresay we shall see a lot more of this nonsénse before the fog clears For all that I have been critical of the NDP in the past, I am quite sure that the people who count know the facts. We that they have the tude to withstand well-organized and emotional enticism Incidentally. does not New York seem to you an unlikely place from which to receive moral stric tures on the environment? can only hope intestinal fort Sun congratulated for taking the initiative Dear Editor: Congratulations! I've just read your story and photo on the Kootenay Columbia Child. Care Society receiving a provincial government grant that pays off the debt incurred in the renovations of the Tender Care Variety Centre. The story reminded me of my travels to the West Kootenay just about a year ago and an earlier story in your newspaper about the KCCCS, It also reminded me that it was your enthusiastic Tesponse to a suggestion to get your newspaper and the Variety community together with resources from the Variety Club, Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities of Canada and the provincial government to provide Castlegar with a very valuable and lasting resource. The end result is a great trib. ute to the community. focus of The Sun — and your readers should know that Best wishes for a wonderful 1993. J. A. Peacock President Peacock Public Relations Voykin's loyalty to USCC and Verigin admirable Dear Editor Re: “No Need to Resurrect a Troubled and Tragic Past.” (Dec 30, 1992) Harry Voykin should be com mended for his wonderful letter condemning the’inhumane gov emment abduction of Doukhobor children, and questioning the integrity of the CBC for digging into this. painful, cancerous wound. Many thanks, Harry! Mr. Voykin's loyalty and con cern for the reputation of his organization (USCC) and its Honorary Chairman, Mr.’ John J Verigin, is most admirable indeed. While sincere dedication may influence and colour the opinions and beliefs held by Voykin, it cannot change histori. cal events and facts experienced” and witnessed by so many others. Voykin admjts his limited knowl edge of the facts and, as an out sider, could not possibly have known all the hidden evidence all the ocities executed by the authorities; or the extremes that they stoop to for the sake of exerting their power By strong faith and also fate, I happened to be in the midst of the so called ‘Doukhobor Problem’ since 1947. I knew and worked with John Lebedoff a few years before he was proclaimed ateader of the Sons of Freedom. It is. common knowledge amongst the Sons of Freedom that J. Lebedoff was initiated by J.J. Verigin. The Sons of Freedom never regarded Lebedoff as THE Leader, but only as a messenger from Verigin; they proclaimed Lebedoff as A leader in order to hide and protect Verigin Personally, at the present time. I too believe that J.J. Verigin would not naw a ist the authori as the of Doukhobor children r hom ties In such inhumane act Abduction froma th ind families for no one would do in his right mind However Voykin thust recall (it is a matter of public uch a thing ord) that both Verigin and Attorney General Bonner had a bad alcohol problem at the time when the atrocities of abduction They both drank from the same bottle and both belonged to the same transpired Organrzation, the Council of Christians and Jews, of which Verigin was the chair man. There can be no doubt that they were not always in their or they would ne yer have stooped to that level “ Attorney openly vowed to Backs of the once and for all. Emmet Gulley, a right minds Bonner Break the Sons of Freedom’ General professiona} government advisor who had been instrumental in the displacement of thousands of people from their homeland in order to accommodate the State of Israel advise the new was hired to government as to how it could best achieve its goal. Gul ley accompanied Verigin and his youth tour hoir on a grand concert vhere Verigin made pas sionate speeches in support of public school education for all Doukhobor children. With J Lebedoff in place as an agent for the police {Bonner’s Ministry) and instructing the Sons of Free- dom, the circle: was complete These facts and many more, are all a matter of public record. ‘In it would take a lot more than the loyalty and dedica- tion of one concerned member of the USCC to clear Verigin of his direct involvement with other words. Bonner and Emmet Gully. There is no doubt that they did “combine, conspire and confederate to will fully and unlawfully abduct the Sons of Freedom children The Doukhobor Declaration States: “Every political party Struggles one against the other; not for the welfare and benefit of the people but for dominance over them, with all the conse- quences of the works of the Devil”. Harry Voykin and his organization should not be too proud of Verigin's decorations, for God does not decorate anyone with worthless pieces of metal. Only man-made governments buy souls that way, as a reward for services rendered. Verigin has put out the call for unity and brother. hood; to let bygones be bygones; to forgive and forget; to be thank- ful to this country for the tempo- rary haven it has given us; etc Suddenly another award has come forth, again from the gov- ernment in Ottawa. It grieves me to know that we have no true Doukhobors. A doc- umentary on Man Alive, “Spirit Wrestlers”, showed the first trek in 1902, of 2000 Sons of Free- dom, and portrayed the plight of the Doukhobors to this day. Grad- "Qo - { ually the fundamental principles of all Doukhobors have been eroded until this day when all Doukhobors have succumbed to private ownership of land, regis- tration, and finally state schools (the main culprit that robbed us of Spirit Wrestlers.) Now, as a Mr. Orris stated hey are no differ- ent from us.” In other words, no Spirit. Wrestlers means no Doukhobors. Mr. Voykin: I also read the Lord's Prayer and believe in its message. I do not have a bid of rancor or bitterness in my heart and do completely forgive those who trespassed against us, for whatever reason. However, I can- not keep quiet when I sense more evil forces conniving for more dirty work “Know the truth; and the Truth shall set you free”. Anyone who is in denial of the truth cannot be true to the Doukhobor faith. Only when we can acknowledge and accept the truth with love and brotherhood in our hearts, can we truly live the Lord's Prayer and become True Doukhobors. Mike E. Chernenkoff ¥ < an sos ANNO uUN CEN Ewe WE ARE RE-OPENING Frida’ » Jan. 22/93 All flooring secured we welcome back all our valued friends & neighbors Sincerely: Gabriel & his staff hia Avemse ° 365-6028 Yr =A. = Club involved in fund-raising for the Society last February that triggered a series of events which led to MLA Ed Conroy's deliv- ery of the latest cheque. You and The Sun should be congratulated for an initiative that ultimately brought your stlegar Foods ' PRICES EFFECTIVE HURS. JAN 21 TO WED. JAN 27, 1993 Castlegar Foods - 635 Columbia Ave., Castlegar * 365-5755 Does NDP stand for Never Deliver Promises? 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