OPINION Wednesday, January 27, 1993 The Castlegar Sun Page 7A Letters to the Editor Wy The ea etlogar Sun PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG SHARLENE IMHOFF CATHERINE ROSS EDITOR ADVERTISING REP. MARGE LALONDE CIRCULATION MANAGER: JOHN VAN PUTTEN SPORTS REPORTERPHOTOGRAPHER KAREN KERKHOFF REPORTER c MELODY SEMENOFF \ ADVERTISING REP. \ ( Direct Department neral Office onesies Circulation 0.0... Classitied Ads Display Advertising Newsroom * ~---365-5266 365-5266 365-7848 365-2278 365-5579 Fax . one 365-7762 editorial comment Of governments, budgets and secrets... Last Thursday, Premier Mike Harcourt announced a generous increase of three per cent towards education and heath care. When the increase was announced, three per cent sounded generous...to those of us who don’t have to work wonders with an already strained budget. What was neglected to be mentioned, was that specialized services, and costs for expensive drugs, would be deducted from the three per cent before it was distributed among the already financially stretched budgets of the health care system. Although one can argue that because_we-live-in-a time of financial constraint, it's up to all of us to tighten our belts. True, people have to recognize the fact that there is only so much money to go around, and our increasing demands might in some cases bankrupt a company that is already financially Strained. Gone. are the days when Canada (and B.C.) were riding high on the wave of prosperity. It's up to each and every one of us to help direct this province, and this country, back into times of prosperity But the provincial government’s continued tight- fisted attitude towards our two most precious ideals, health care and education is unreasonable. A gov- emment which doesn’t comprehend that adequate funding is essential for health care and education, is doomed to address that need, if not now, then later. Later might be more expensive—and too late ee. While on the subject of the NDP government, why not mention something known as Information Rights Week, which is upcoming in this province. While the NDP have campaigned on ‘openness and honesty’ in government, they have failed to live up to those very same standards. Soon after its landslide election victory, the Har- court government commissioned two major opinion polls. At this point no one outside of government is fully certain what these polls were hoping to discov- er—-since the Harcourt government will not divulge that information. Currently a veil of secrecy sur- rounds not only the summaries, but the very ques- tions themselves— even though the entire exercise was paid for by taxpayers’ money. The polls, carried out by Viewpoints Research of Manitoba, and Decima, a company based out of Toronto, were approved on Dec. 18,1991. At a cost of $49,500 and $92,750 respectively, guesses are the surveys were testing the waters: finding out where it would be safest to raise taxes and cut programs and whether people would sup- port a cut in payments to doctors. None of these were mentioned during the NDP campaign. Last spring, Attorney-General Colin Gabelmann brought in his widely praised freedom of informa- tion legislation, and among the many clauses was the one that promised to make all govemment-spon- sored opinion polls available to the public—every- one of them except these two of course. If the NDP government prides itself on being so honest, open and accountable, why are the contents of these sur- veys still locked in the NDP vault of secrecy? WY The ¢ gar Sun iS IS POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT AND A OF THE STERUNG LIKE THIS... SEA. keep it in power. The UNO, after all, is not an elécted body and is not accountable to anybody, One wonders whether those countries with valuable natural resources, such as ourselves, should not be taking a very careful look at this and how far we would want to see the UN's new policy extend There are sore spots in our old which could be stirred up Nigel Hannaford Syndicated Columnist No doubt the hungry people of Somalia are duly grateful to the US Marines and their allies and in the nearly fifty years of UN operations, there are few instances where pub- lic support has been more forth- coming or more justified. The only thing which should concem a relatively weak country like Canada is the precedent which has now been established, that the UNO will in fact invade a country to impose a government and then maintain a permanent force there to into civil strife. How many could our ever-shrinking armed forces cope with? In all probability, other countries would see it before we would; places like South Africa spring to mind. Still, we should do well to pon- der the question: ‘Who controls the United Nations Organization?” +e. There comes a point in the life of any corporate entity, whether it is a business or a country, when its pio- neer vitality is replaced by a stodgy burgaucratism and all that goes with it A very small manifestation of this came to light last week, when it was revealed in the press that Cana- da had bought a new kilogram stan- dard. This is a cylindrical block of a platinum-iridium alloy which weighs precisely one kilogram. It is used-as the ultimate standard in trade and commerce and will reside on velvet under two crystal bell jars in the care of the National Research Council. Now, here's the rub. It costs $45,000 and replaces one that is made out of the same material and which has served, more or less faithfully, one supposes, since 1950. It cost $565. Why the invest- ment? Claude Bertrand, acting manag- er of weights and measures engi- neering at Consumer and Corporaté Affairs says that having a standard kilogram is vital to trade in the country. His group must check the accuracy of scales across the country and relies on kilograms calibrated from the NRC's specimen. Apparently, the mass of the old one varies because the alloy batch from which it is made is ever so slightly porous and on a humid day will absorb moisture. How much moisture? Up to thirty-five micrograms, or roughly the equivalent of half a millimetre of aluminium foil. Now it's not that Canada can’t afford $45,000 every forty years and there are some scientific applications where this degree of accuracy is necessary. One won- ders though what branch of com- merce would require such fine tolerances and the fact that we have managed quite well without it all these years suggests that there should be some limits to what we are prepared to spend in the quest for excellence There is something ironic in a government department taking such infinite care to establish the true weight ofa unit of measure ment while other branches of the same government blunder about the economy with almost crimi- nal imprecision. Half a percent either way on the bankrate is going to affect far more people,. far-more profoundly and immedi- ately than every kilogram weight in the dominion being off by the amount of a tiny fragment of alu- minium foil One can only assume that the PP of Kim Campbell to the post of minister of defence means that the government, having disarmed the public, now wishes to disarm the military. What this country needs is a right to bear arms hot to bare shoulders Choices in housing—a need for every season! Now that we've got the Chinese “Year of the Monkey” off our back, perhaps we can embrace the new “Year of the Rooster” with some verve and Optimism. After two succes- sive quarters of modest economic growth, Statistics Canada tell us the recession is over! This is good news, particularly for those who have suffered indignities caused by lost jobs and opportunities. We Canadians have been too depressed about our economic woes. So depressed, in fact, that we've kept our sav- ings in our socks, along with our low spirits. In the early 1980's, as mortgage rates rose to all-time highs of +20 per cent, the building boom continued. Housing units were being thrown up on every available lot in the land but, particularly in the Lower Mainland around Vancouver. I remember it well for we were, at the time, negotiating to purchase ties, or a condominium with privacy, because these, too, do not exist locally in sufficient quality or quantity. Those available do not offer what people want wish to live away from young families and their attendant noise levels. There are long waiting lists for all units suitable for seniors. Seniors are not given to loud complaints but they are worried about their future ability to first step along the path toward economic, Many older adults cope with unsuitable housing. A Suitable, affordable and secure place to live is, for i many, the Cheap housing does not exist, for the costs of land, land development, labour, materials, and the meeting of codes and standards have been escalating every year. It pays to keep your home up to date! However, we should look ai ‘why building costs per square foot in Castlegar are so. much higher than, say, in Grand Forks or Creston, where they are having a housing con- struction “boom”™! The citizens of Castlegar, should have avail- able an adequate supply of housing of all types, providing choices in location, style, size, quali ty and price. How one manages one’s personal finances is a personal decision, which has some bearing on what choice of housing each individual can afford. If income is spent on expensive, non- essential items such as cigarettes, liquor, luxu- ry vehicles, jewellery and holidays, do not More letters on Page 8A © Review Dear Editor: The Kootenay Post-Secondary Education Review Project has received much publicity in recent weeks. ‘Questions have on such issues as the necessity for the Review, the that the Review Panel's decisions will have on Selkirk College program and the appointment of Dr. Margaret Pulton as Chair of the Review Panel, Ihave already met with Doctor Fulton, and found her to be profes- sional in her app and ing ih obtaining inf from a wide range of sources before making her recommendations. My con- bene im a Lenape the Kootenay, is that we have a tendency to when are not right, but to f to say am when _ lbp ight, forget to say anything Almost 800 students from different parts of the Selkirk College Region, and beyond, are enrolled in university courses at the Castlegar. of Selkirk College, A ly 2500 fe Wen Kootenay region benefit from the the College's wide range of programs offered in its three campuses and five centres. It is panel should be taken seriously college is higher in Castlegar than anywhere else in the province. “An its own wi wide range of people in the y Region. great importance that ions and individuals in this community “respond to the Panel's invitation to submit written briefs expressing their views. A submission outline is available. Submissions need not be lengthy, but most reach Dr, Fulton by March 1. Public ings will be held throughout the Kootenays in late March and carly April. The Review Panel may be contacted by telephone at 775-0285 or by fax at 775-0291. The address is 1404-555 West Hastings, P.O, Box 12081, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 4N5.- I chaired the Selkirk College Board until May of 1992, and, undoubtedly, I do have a bias in favour of the College. At the present time, however, I-am simply a concerned member of this conamunity and a parent who has been well satisfied with the post opportunities offered in this area. This letter is written on my own ink tiative and in that capacity, let us be sure that the Review Panel hears Thanks for sharing an important new move Dear Editor: especially to the friends.of Julie believe that it is of We would Tike to thank all of you who came to the’ house warming party for Julie and Becki. Your friendship; love, gifts and obvious happiness for the ladies was wonderful to see This move into semi-indepen- dent living for our daughters, marks the beginning of a new era for them and there are many peo- ple to thank for their continued support and interest over the years. A special thank you to Nancy and Dave for making all this hap- pen. A special thank you to Muriel Walton who is an advo- and Becki who have been a con- stant party of the ladies’ former lives. A special thank you to Den- nis and Andrew and staff at “Community Options” for the lovely cake and best wishes. A Special thank you to Dear “Mrs. M who came to help us celebrate this special event with the ladies. David and Kaye Jones Selkirk that the UBC Bachelor's and Master's in Ed aioe he eee Program in Administrative Studies are made s 0! f stud from a local high school tg.4 local from our Yours sincerely, Elizabeth Fleet Dear Editor: It's with a mixture of hope and concern that many West Koote nay residents are closely watch- ing this week's organized return to Guatemala of close to 2500 people who fled army repression and terror to a ten year long exile in Mexico. If the accords governing this first return are honored by the Guatemalan government and army, the estimated 40,000 remaining,in UN funded camps and the over 200,000 scattered throughout Mexico will follow in months to come i The returnees crosséd the Mexican-Guatemalan border ~ accompanied by a number of vol- unteers from Canada, the U.S. and Europe. Their presence gives some measure of protection against the still very powerful Guatemalan military. Waiting for them at the border were Canada's Ambassador to Guatemala, Brian Dickson, together with two M.P.'s Dan Heap and Rory! Gaffney and Nobel Peace Prize Laurcate Rigoberta Menchu Over the past 10 years severa) West Kootenay residents (from Nelson, Castlegar, Grand Forks and Balfour) have visited the Guatemalans in the camps in Mexico. They travelled under the auspices of a B.C. based inter church coalition, the Christian Taskforce on Central America This group has maintained con- tact and communication with the refugees since they fled Guatemala and has helped to build a solid network of support for them in B.C a network that certainly includes the West Kootenay. This support has now expand- ed across the country under the Dear Editor: Most people. have vehicles Although some people don’t Strangely enough, we pedestrians DO have a back seat, which we are forced to take every time it snows. I’m talking about the side- walk snow removal on Columbia Ave. The snow removal system in general is a disgrace, and I realize it is a big job, but I think name “Project Accompaniment”, with many church and communi- ty based groups working together on behalf of the refugees and of the people inside Guatemala who continue to suffer terrible repres- sion. The support includes lobbying the Canadian government to closely monitor the human rights record of Guatemala and to respond directly as well. as through the UN Human Rights Commission to encourage the Guatemalan government to gain control over its army and to respect the fundamental right of its citizens. The level of repression, espe- cially of the Mayan majority has noet-changed-much-since-the refugees first flooded across the border in the early 80’s. Howev- er, because the funding from the Canada should continue to monitor Guatemala situation UN to the camps is ending and poverty and pressures on land in Mexico are increasing, the Guatemalans feel they have little choice but to risk the return home : On-going monitoring and sup- port from-the international com- munity is extremely important and may make the difference between life and death for these people. There certainly is reason for grave concern. There are reports that the army has recently built bases in the region where the returnees are to resettle. Also, the President of Guatemala is appar- ently reluctant to guarantee the physical safety of the returnees. Those reading this tetter are urged to write Secretary of State for External Affairs the Hon. Bar- bara McDougall asking that Canada continue to closely moni- tor the situation; to strongly sup- port the return, and to pressure the Guatemalan government to protect the safety and well-bein; of the refugees. Her ssaregf (postage free) is House of Cor mons, Ottawa, Ontario, KIA OA6. For more information about Guatemala and the return, why not attend the “Guatemala Soli- darity Day” event in Nelson on Sunday afternoon, January 31 from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the Waldorf School..There are activi- ties for all ages of family mem- bers. You could also call a member of your local Central America Support group or myself at'365-5077. Yours in Peace, Ann Godderis Upcoming construction of Blueberry Firehall a total waste of money Dear Editor: I wish to draw the attention of Castlegar residents to the upcoming construction of a fire hall in Blue- berry Creek. I feel that this is a complete and total te of money and a duplication of resources that are already existing The facts are that Blueberry Creek is within the five mile diameter response area of not one but TWO existing Fire Departments. These two depart- ments are the Kinnaird and Genelle Fire Depart- ments. These fire halls are both more than adequate for the needs of Blueberry residents. The problem is that the City of Castlegar refuses to supply this much needed protection. The Genelle Fire Dept (Regional District of Kootenay Boundary) was will- ing to cover Blueberry Creek if the City of Castle- gar would provide mutual aid, as they do with the airport, and other local fire departments. Someone pal boundaries. The residents of Blueberry are spending most of their money within the City and are already supporting city-merchants. As well Castlegar seems to be overlooking @ possible source of revenue, the cost to provide fire protection to Blueberry residents. within the City of Castlegar due to ignorance, or some other personal political agenda refuses to pro- vide this assistance to Blueberry. The City of Castlegars’ only concem is to expand their munici- Pedestrian tired of taking a back seat when it comes to the sidewalks, Priority should be put where it is due, and that is Columbia Ave. It should not be 8th Street, where I saw the city’s only sidewalk snow blower this afternoon, (Jan. 20/93). From the time I left home, (near the Midtown Plaza), at 12:30 p.m., to walk downtown until I walked back at 3:30 p.m., the sidewalk of Columbia Ave PROPOSED SILVICU Notice of Pre-Harvest Silvicul Silviculture Regulations The following areas have a prc working hours prescriptions for an area to logged, pursuant to Section 3 of the If approval to log the area Is obtained from the Ministry of Forests. The proposed prescriptions, will be available for viewing until March 12, 1993, at the location’ noted below, during regular LTURE PRESCRIPTIONS Iture Prescriptions or silviculture >posed prescription that will apply had not been touched. I think it’s about time the “City of Castlegar” stopped forc- ing pedestrians into putting their lives in jeopardy by having to walk on the roadway of our, busi- I have spoken with my regional district representa- tive, members of the Blueberry Creek Fire Commit- tee, and with the Genelle Fire Department and all Point to the City of Castlegar as the ONLY stumbling block in providing Fire protection for Blueberry. Isincerely hope that this letter will make some residents talk to their city or regional representatives and stop what I perceive as a waste of over one hun- dred thousand dollars by the residents of Blueberry Creek. Again, I bring to your attention that there would be “three firehalls” within a 5 mile radius of Blueberry Creek. cate not only for Julie and Becki but for all our local “special needs” adults. A special thank you to Shirley Saliken and her staff at the home of Julie and Becki for their generous hospital- _ ity at the party to all of us but »| CASTLEGAR REBELS % (BINGO Sunday, January 31 c gar Arena Compl 60% Payout $500 BONANZA [ieaes Aiea : eases CASTLEGAR REBELS Decor Prizes License #764833 —tk : START AT THE TOP Perk yourself up with.a perm! PERMS 20: (does net include partials} Ontn. CA? annibointmeds wl XX co” yy eZ Star, Barb, Chartene or Nadine Wayne Nedjelski Fairview Subdivision Castlegar, BC est street, “Columbia Avenue.” Robert Meredith “Pedestrian” Castlegar Question - senswer - What do you do when you run out of room? You move... So we did 741 08 of February lat 1993 oun new location (a 2305 - 6th Avenue Castlegar, B.C. VIN 1W9 (one block down from Arrow Building Supply) Heirloom 1 (8x10), 2 (5 x 7) Phone & Fax stay the same and I6 friendship NEWS SERVICE Established November 28, 1990 Published by The Castlegar Sun 465 Columbia Ave.. Castlegar, B.C_V1N 1G8 ERRORS: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be hable for 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, All advertising subject to publisher's approval Contracts must be completed within one year from contract date. No contingent orders accepted property. Every P ever-escalating selling price. Advice we heed- ed was that one should never fall in love with a piece of property. Many gave up and plunked their cash into savings plans, which proved to be the better investment decision at the time. In Castlegar, we have a housing shortage Residents and people moving into the area can- not find suitable housing at a price they can afford. Singles and single parents are in dire straits. Seniors are living on in larger, family- * sized homes,’ unable to make a desired move into smatter.and easier to maintain units because what they want does not exist Suitable units exist elsewhere but people are reluctant to move away from family, friends and familiar surroundings. “Empty nesters” cannot find an “adult” townhouse with facili- catt brought an 5 and soctatand-p g Castlegar, unlike many of our neighbours, has recently enjoyed a relatively buoyant econ- omy. You need only look to the East Kootenays to see how much better off we are. Local com- panies are exercising good fiscal judgement by improving infrastructure and expending capital while labour and materials are available and relatively affordable. At a time when mortgage rates have been falling, the economic climate should be ripe for developing all types of hous- ing-in out area. When more citizens of all ages require affordable housing, we have to ask “Why is the supply not increasing?” The term “affordable” is a subjective one What is “affordable” to one individual may not be to another. The definition has as many varia tions as there are people in the general popula- tion. Affordable housing is not cheap housing EXPeCr housing. We constantly hear that more “social hous ing” is required. Some believe that low cost _ housing is a right, yet it seems few, given 4 choice, want to live close to it. The people of Canada, (The Government), do not “owe everyone a decent place to live, and particular- ly if they have never made the continuing effort to contribute to its cost. However, each individual should have the right to choose their own lifestyle It is the lack of choice that is deplorable As spring approaches, renewed optimism in our economic future will make more choices in housing available. This is a vibrant year for “roosters”, and a gaod year for investments. It is time to put our savings to work for us. Some of us will inevitably decide that housing choice is a good investment To ensure wiitten Talbot Ltd. date Box 2000, Castlegc Cutting PermitC ut Block Amendment Cayuse Cayuse Cayuse onsideration before logging commences, any comments must be madg to Geoff Bekker, RPF, Pope & TREE FARM LICENCE 23 Castlegar Castlegar Castlegar POPE & TALBOT LTD. In B.C VIN 4G4, by the above Location Area (ha) (Yes/No) Creek 56.5 No Creek 28.0 Creek 12.0 (604) 365-8289 TROPHYS & ENGRAVING wallets (2x1) for only + $2.00 Sitting Fee for eact + Advertised package is + Personality portrait, prog not available in advertise bject in portrait ckground (poses our e selection) ack backgrounds c white an i package LIMIT ONE SPECIAL PER FAMILY By appointment only for your convenience. Offer avaitable onty at Sea: Stores on the date indicated below. Call today to book an appointment 349 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar February 4: 9:30 - 1:00 / 2:00 - 5:30 February 5: 9:30 - 1:00 / 2:00 - 4:30 SEARS ™.