OPINIO WEDNESDAY, December 22, 1993 A SS! { Ky The Castlegar Sun or NSN’ Zii\\S published every Wednesday by Sterling Newspapers Ltd at 465 Columbia Ave. Castlegar, 8C_V1N 1G8. The Castlegar 1s politically independent and a member of the Sterling News Serv Canadian Community Newspa A 1, BC. Community Newspapers Assocation, and the B.C. Press Council. Establishec November 28, 1990. Publications Mail Registration 1042¢ PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG SHARLENE IMHOFF CHRISTINE MOYER EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGE F JOHN VAN PUTTEN TRICIA LAKTH SPORTS REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT KAREN KERKHOFF CATHERINE ROSS REPORTER ADVERTISING REP. MARGE LALONDE NICOLE BEETSTRA CIRCULATION/ACCOUNTING ADVERTISING REP SHAUNA KATTLER LISA ANDREW OFFICE MANAGERVCLASSIFIEDS TELEMARKE TING Direct Department Phones General Office 365-5266 Circulation 365-5266 Classified Ads 365-7848 Display Advertising 365-2278 Newsroom 365-5579 Fax 365-7762 editorial comment Christmas spirit throughout the year It’s that time of year when editorials all seem to read the same—that same old peace on earth, good will to men sort of blather which is easier to write about than to attain. What a world we would live in if, with the stroke of a pen, we could stop the hunger, the pain, and the escalating violence that touches us all at one time or another. But, unfortunately, that sort of Utopia can never be attained What we do know, though, is that without a dream or a goal we are simply a rudderless ship drifting lazily by. And without compassion for those who live beside us in this ever-shnnking word we are simply lost souls who reside \wathin a frame-work of skin and bones With the harsh realities of today’s world tac ing us, we know it can be hard at times to stop and consider for one moment how lucky we really are compared to others around us It’s easy to focus upon our own everyday problems, forgetting in our strife that there are others in this world who would be pleased to only have to shoulder our problems, which in comparison to theirs seems minute. This Christmas, while sitting around the table after gorging on a scrumptious “Yuletide feast, take a moment to reflect upon how very lucky we in Canada truly are We are lucky enough to live in a nation with one of the lowest crime rates in the world. We are lucky to experience daily the cultural diver sity for which we are known. And we're lucky enough to follow our religious inclinations without persecution All Canadians have the privilege to follow their religious, or non-religious beliefs as they so desire. But that is not so in every nation As Christmas dawns upon us, we can’t help but think about the true meaning of this holi day—not gift-giving, not huge dinners, not par ties, not any of those things, but the birth of Christ. That is the true meaning of the spirit of Christmas As you scurry through town trying to find just the right gift for a loved one, take a moment to stop and reflect upon the true spirit of Christmas. The spirit of Christmas doesn’t demand that the gifts you give are the most expensive, nor the prettiest, nor the best. Nor does it mean that Christmas dinner must have certain foods, and come complete with wine It doesn’t mean that you must have that cute little black mini-skirt which shows your legs off to perfection, or that silk tie you saw in the window We know that children learn by example, and so this Christmas, show your loved ones what Christmas is really about. But more important than that, if we all had the Christmas spirit and good will all year through, maybe, just maybe we could get a glimpse of that elusive Utopia Merry Christmas! ERRORS at the publisher frors in any advertiser Gifts for all the good little boys and girls This is a time of year that truly does affect people in different ways. While there are some who plan to celebrate the Festive Season in a religious sense, there are others who find that collecting lots of loot can be a highly spiritual experience as well I'm not certain where our city councillors and their staff at city hall would place themselves on the materialism versus spiritualism debate, but | am sure of one thing, and that ts something at Christmas. Mind you getting what you want, and getting everyone deserves what you truly deserve are som: times two very different thing After consulting wath st ch ly knowledgeable an credible sours mewhat I list of what I belies bers of city hall stft ouncillors, should be receiving thi Chnstimas mornin First, 1 don’t believe the ity hall have enough about. | mean, with all the com plaints they receive and such, their fays must be filled wath tension and locked up aggression So to lighten up the mood around ther 1 would install direct fa Investing Where does our future lie? There are many answers to this question but few would disagree that our future lies in our children. How our young are cared for today will have a direct impact on how they will respond to and function in the world tomorrow We recognize this in our society and yet, more often than not issues pertaining to young children get put on the back bumer. A case in point would be the status, or lack thereof of regulated, accessible, affordable high quality child care for all those who need it In today’s society there are more than 3,000,000 children under th age of 13 who need child care, but there are only 340,000 regulated child care spaces in Canada. Wh taking care of the other 2.66 mill hildren while thei r Tk Many are in unreg ments where parent their fingers and trust thei that their dren are being ly cared for Thi t y t uch wrrangemen or quality 1 know of many ving individuals who take other's children into the home a ovide a nderful en nfortunately, this 1 ASC frighteni he fact iren are left t r after school When I[ Toronto there were sever yraduatin ir da ) bragged t vk they after: schoc simile line between city hall and our local RCMP station, since the officers there have a real talent for sending outrageous cartoons across which, after all is the true purpose of the machine's the fax machine function I would then replace the current decorations that grace our city hall with something that doesn't show the yellowed signs of age. Don't get me wrong, I can be nostalgic too. but this Santa and reindeer fixture looks like it was part of the movie set ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. Maybe the city could donate the reindeer to the new archery club in town Then, to our illustrious mayor Mike O'Connor, 1 would personal pay for his admission and full atten the Mother TI School of Tact and Diplomacy Now, when Mike disagree wh cu editorial or the facts ina ne tory, our telephones won't go ink nuclear meltdown. [think he'll get much more ¢ this than th paper shreddc hich he origi nally asked. To Kirk Duff, I'm wrapping up a new mantle. It ll be the perfect place for the new bear rug he recently acquired. As an added bonus, I'd drop off a truck load of McCain Juice. Boxes. Now that I think of it, I'll order each box to contain grapefruit juice. Now Kirk | was will have a reason to scrunch up his face when looking at our new mity of To Ron Armbruster, a pair of platform shoes. Hey T know it’s a Short yoke, but since he has to work ith City Treasurer Jacquie Hamil ton, hell be needing them To Brenda Binnie, | would allo her the opportunity to produce her wn workout video | hear workout tapes bring in big coin, and because Brenda is the generous type, I just know she'd donate a portion of the profits to offset the costs of water ind sewage infrastructure upgrades I can see it now: all of Castlegar a rockin’ and a-groovin’ to Biceps and Bylaws. of Castlegar To Doug Green, I would provide a satellite dish and a lazy-boy reclinér. Why? So he can relax in the utmost of comfort while watch- ing the rising careers of his two hockey-playing sons. Unfortunately for his wife Linda, | think Doug invented the lic, “The game's almost over honey—honest!” I'd also enroll Doug into swimming lessons. After all, there has to be a reason why he voted against raising the water taxes of swimming pool owners To “aw-shucks” Bob Pakula, I would provide a complete western outfit, which would compliment, of course, Bob's now-famous cowboy hat. Bob would be able to swing his tussles in defiance To any recom- mendation to which hetdisagrees. | vould also wrap up a ‘Hooked on Phonics’ book. Now Bob will be ible to read his reports that much faster! To Jim Makonotf, | would give a py of Brenda Binnie’s Biceps and Bylaws Jim is about to be lobbied heavily tor a new firehall. He'll need the workout video so he can flex his muscles against the best of them Merry Christmas to all! in children, our national future per cent of women in Canada work and of those, 68 per cent have chil dren who are under the age of five Do these women work for self satisfaction, or is it the reality that most women work just to make ends meet? Two parent families are finding it impossible to provide their families with the essentials on one salary. Even tougher is the fact that the majority of children being raised in single parent families are growing up below the poverty line Providing working parents with child care is a necessary component of an economic strategy which reduces the need for reliance on social assistance and allows every- one equal opportunity to participate in the workforce We have in our country an excel lent publicly funded education sys tem which children enter at the age of five. Who decided that at the magic age of five, education becomes a public responsibility? Anyone with knowledge of children will tell you that a child's first five years of life are the most important in their development. At no other time in our lives do we acquire such 4 vast amount of knowledge as dur. ing these years If working parents are a reality hould we be trusting our children’s rmative development to unregu lated, unsupervised arrangements It wpuld seem we are setting our selves up for even higher social in the future. Children who ared for in bigh quality env t. centre or home-based ly to exhibit Competent ind adult relations. enhanced language acquisition and ultimately better academic performance than hildren who are cared for in poor quality child care. High quality hild care programs ensure the ulthy development of children who will be more able to meet the challenges of the future If a child's most important yéars of learning are birth to five, then the care and education they receive during these years is of utmost importance. The most important factor for child well-being and development is the amount and quality of the interaction between the caregiver and the child And what of the caregivers? Today there is in every community a group of caring, well educated, hard working individuals which society still fail to recognize as essential to our economy. Many see the Early Childhood professional as nothing more than a babysitter. Although they are highly trained and provide an indispensable service, most work for below aver- age wages and receive little recogni tion for the work they do. In a recent wage survey it was determined that the majority of zoo keepers earn a higher wage than most Early Childhood educators. I do not wish to take anything away from those who maintain the wonderful zoos we have in this country. But haven't we got our priorities just a little mixed up if those caring for ani mals earn better wages than those who care for our children As with most things these day, the bottom line is, of course, money Who will help pay to ensure that all children receive the care they need? The government's answer is that their money is stretched to the limit, and orry. but child care will just have to get in line with everyone else We as taxpayers and parents must question this. There always seems to be enough money for what politi cians decide is important. When th Canadian government decided to become involved in the Gulf War did we hear anyone say that there wasn't enough money in the national purse to afford $5.8 billion on military heli- copters? Our future economic success and social well-being will depend on a competent workforce capable of adoption to changing realities. Achieving a publicly funded child care system which supports parents’ nights to be a contributing part of the workforce 1s an important step As parents we must push this issue to the forefront of our politi- cians’ agenda. If you have ever found yourself desperately searching for child care you will understand this dilemma Investing in the well being of our children now will be an investment in our future Should we pay now or pay later? Kim Adamson enay Co clety where he Youne Moms Program and Tender Care Wednesday, December 22, 1993 The Castlegar Sun Letters to the Editor Kootenay Championships coming soon Dear Editor ind seventy-five competitors,-Tanging in The Castlegar Skating Club is excited — age from 5-20, and representing 15 differ about hosting the 1994 KOOTENAY ent skating clubs and communities from all CHAMPIONSHIPS on January 2%, 29, and 30, 1994 For many years the East and West Koote nays held separate Championships. In 1992 the East and West joined together to form over the province P the first "Kootenay Championships” which The 1994 Kootenay Championships will 1994 Kootenay Ch were held in Trail One hundred and fifty to one hundred for the participants, and a top level skating event for spectators. Watch for more details closer to event time, and remember to set over the Kootenays will be in attendance these dates aside on your calender for one Joining the athletes will be their Club of the best skating competitions to be held Coach's as well as judges, accountants, and in Castlegar in many years their assistants who will be coming from all Hackett be open to the public free of charge. This promises to be a challenging competition Castlegar Canada Post delivers! Dear Editor, moved from 2 years ago (new himself to locate me at my place My sister-in-law in the United mother, sleepless daze, no of employment and deliver this States recently mailed a Christ- . doubt) package. He was also attempting mas package to me. However, Albert Baker from the Castle to find several other recipients of she mailed it to an address I gar Post Office, took it upon mis-addressed parcels. So, a big thank-you to Albert Baker of Canada Post C. Ross Castlegar thanks to residents Dear Editor: On December 12, the Ootis. chenia Volunteer Fire Depan ment canvassed door to door in the Ootischenia area in support of the Legion Christmas food hamper. The response we received from the residents was tremen dous. The community should be proud of the amount of food and money that was donated to assist those less fortunate this lume of the year | Food drive successful On behalf of the Ootischenia Volunteer Fire Department, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making our 1993 food hamper drive such a success. Merry Christmas and the best of the season to all Gordon Grieves, Fire Chief Ootischenia Volunteer Fire Dept. SELKIRK COLLEGE GYMNASIUM COMPLEX CHRIS AS HOURS The Gymnasium complex will be closed from December 24, 1993 to January 3, 1994. Regular hours will be in effective starting January 4, Letters Policy Letters to the Editor are welcome on any topic of local or general interest. Letters should be dou- ate Call now for an 1994 Witch Re coond Overlay Drop in to the Sclkirk College complex before December 23 and purchase a Gymnasium Complex Pass for a Christmas gift kj @ Castlegar Campus s Box 1200 HleQe@ Castlegar, B.C. VIN 31 Ph: (604) 365-7292 Fax: 365-3929 142 Columbia Ave., Castles: 365-2616 ble-spaced, typewritten, or legibly handwritten, and no more than two pages if possible. Letters will be edited in the interests of brevity or taste if necessary. All letters must be signed, with address and tele- phone number, althongh names may be witheld from publication for valid reason by the approval of the editor. Send letters to: The Castlegar Sun, 465 Columbia Ave., Castle- gar, B.C., VIN 1G8, or drop them off at the office. Poetry. will not be published. Castlegar Regional Transit System December 24 Regular service December 25, 26, 27 and 28 Noservice December 29, 30 and 31 Regular service January 1, 2 and 3 No service CASTLE BREW Wine & Beer Making Centre Christmas Ideas Gift certificates available 926 Columbia Ave. Nelson Castlegar 352-3711 365-3839 ©) 365-3100 Regional District of Central Kootenay City of Castlegar OPEN BOXING DAY 10 am - 5 pm ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY FOR UNBELIEVABLE “SAVINGS ONLY AT THE SOURCE SOURCE MALLARD’S #2 Castlegar Store ONLY 365-5588 BC Transit BY FIND IT IN THE CLASSIFIEDS ALL IN-STOCK ITEMS 15% OFF Individual Portions or Case Lot ef NL APPETIZERS — OS ISH AND SEAFOOD 2 DAYS ONLY December 23 « December 24 Quality Gourmet ¢ Convenience Foods a ae ENTREES = = Gift Certificates Available a Holiday Hours Dec 23 — 9:30 - 9:00 © Dec 24 — 9:30 - 5:00 Dec 25—— Closed * Dec 26— 2 pm-5S pm 630 - 17th St., Castlegar 365-3411 Mid Town Plaza (behind Hi Arrow) Service and Quality Guaranteed ATTENTION CITY OF CASTLEGAR RESIDENTS SNOW CLEARING ADVISORY The City of Castlegar would like to advise the residents of our current snow contro! procedures and policies. The City has 80 kilometres (50 miles) of roads to maintain throughout the City and has 10 pieces of equipment (such as loaders, sand spreaders, snow plows, sidewalk cleaner, snow blower, grader) to accomplish this task From mid November to February, the City has at least 4 employees on night shift (11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.) and 10 employees on day shift (7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.). The number of employees involved in snow plowing or sanding operations is dependent on the quantity, severity and duration of the snowfall. Under average snowfall conditions, all roads can be open within ten hours. Snow ridges deposited across driveways are an unavoidable result of snow Clearing procedures. When available angling plows are being used to prevent or reduce the quantity of snow deposited City streets safety concerns) which Is as follows: #1 Priority» Collector Streets (high traffic volume such as Columbia Avenue and Arrow Lakes Drive) * Access to emergency service buildings * Hospital * Fire Halls * Ambulance * Police * Access to Schools ¢ Commercial and industrial areas #2 Priority + Residential streets * Snow hauling from central business areas (2nd, 3rd, 4th Streets & Columbia Avenue) Street Widening Access to Water and Sewer facilities #3 Priority + Lanes Sidewalks City owned parking lots Bus stops Hydrants Snow hauling, general Cttizens can greatly assist plowing and sanding operations by adhering to the following requests: 1. Remove all unused vehicles, boats, trailers, etc. from the streets This will assist snow plowing and reduce the possibility of vehicle damage by city equipment Vehicle owners or operators are requested not to park on City streets while snow removal operations are in progress Refrain from shoveling or plowing snow onto the roadway from driveways, etc. Snow cleared from driveways should be stored on left side of driveway (facing house from the street). This will help reduce the quantity of snow deposited across driveways due to plowing Stay well back from sand trucks and plows On streets without curb and gutter, wooden stakes can be placed marking the edge of lawns. Upon notification to our office, any boulevards/lawns damaged will be repaired in the spring. Parents should advise their children not to play on snow banks adjacent to roadways and to stay well away from approaching snow plowing equipment The City Works Department office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m Monday to Friday and snow related enquiries or concerns should be directed to this office at 365.5979 (or after hour messages at 365- 3341) Thank you for your patience and antici operatior Barry Comin, A.Sc.T Superintendent of Public Works maintained on a priority basis (based on health and