Wednesday, November 29, 1995 >. ——_—— [ESS s=s ICBC sets the record Straight Please recycle Serving the 16,000 people of the Castlegar area, The Castlegar Sun s every by Ste Lid, at 465 Columbia Ave. Castlegar, B.C. VIN 1G8. The Castlegar Sun is polit caly independent and & shomber of te Staring Nowe Service, Cane- dian C A t Cc. & it Newspapers Assocation, and the B.C. Press Council. Established 28, 1990. Mail 10420. PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG CHRISTINE MOYER PRODUCTION MANAGER editorial comment Backward attitudes may stunt our growth Other than fine scenery and a temperate climate, Castlegar is a fine little city because it's alive and things are happening here. Unfortunately, some folks hereabouts seem to pine for the “good old days” and wish the city’s current growth spurt would come to an end. You know, next year should be 1950. A great example occured during last week's public hearing concerning the new neighborhood pub being proposed for Columbia Plaza. According to Pat Rilkoff, the man behind it, it's a pub unlike any currently in town and will be a somewhat upscale, quiet place to imbibe. After Rilkoff had given his pitch, it was the public's turn. Lots of letters and comments were posi- tive about the new development, while some wish Rilkoff and his pub would go somewhere else. Two of the naysayers really stand out. One was a resident who wrote in that another pub is not needed in our city and “Castlegar is growing too fast and I don't like it.” It's fine to be against a particular development, but why would anybody be against all development? Should Castlegar shrink? Should peo- ple here have fewer places to work or shop? One need only take a tour through parts of rural Alberta or Saskatchewan to see the results of this type of thinking. Usual- ly, there is a powerful old guard in these type of towns who “Tike things just the way they are and no young whippers or any Outsiders with big ideas are going to-rain-our town.” ‘Well, the old guards have certainly got their wishes in dozens of prairie towns. Nobody comes to set up a business nor to live there. The young people leave because there's nothing left for them. Pretty soon, the store fronts start getting emptier, more people leave, service levels go down because the tax base evaporates and houses are abandoned. What's left is a decaying corpse where a community once was. Strange how folks who “like things just the way they are” can create something totally different from what was. Is this the type of Castl the abo d resident ing pair of naysayers were the owner er of a competing i Both said the city has enough watering holes already and if the neighborhood pub goes in, one of the existing ones will certainly die. For starters, the proposed pub and its “competitor” are com- pletely different places and appeal to totally different segments of the market. One is not going to steal the others customers. Secondly, why do both the owner and the manager of the existing bar seem to believe no one else should have an oppor- What are the benefits, Art? When I moved back to Canada over 19 years ago from the U.S.A., I did so for many reasons, one of which was the outstanding education being provided to children. Being bom in Abbotsford, but mostly edu- cated in American schools, I have come to fully appreciate the fine quality of Canadian education. But it wasn’t until I became a reporter and took up the school board beat I fully began to uaderstand what it takes to make a good student Sitting in on countless board meetings has been educating in itself. Despite the some- times opposing views of trustees, | have found all trustees, without exception, to be unequivocally and totally committed to stu- dents and education. I’ve watched our local administration work doggedly towards education reform. The Benchmark, Navigators and Entrepreneur Projects have come about because of the dedi- cation towards education reform - something we, as Canadians, sorely need. As wy chi our strug- gle with a system which is archaic and out- dated at best. Our trustees, school administrators, edi Ss. i people namely Art Charbonneau and his cabinet, has made a decision for the Kootenays which could be devastating. I have to. wonder if they even looked at a map before they decided seven districts in the region would become one, Mr. Charbonneau, have you ever travelled the West Kootenay/Boundary area by car? Are you aware of the geographic vastness which encompasses the seven districts you Propose to amalgamatic’?? Do you know about the unique rich qualities each community has which might be lost duc to this desperate decision? AN INSIDE LOOK KAREN KERKHOFF I think not. If you did, you would see your ision is asinine at best. b and parents know drastic educational change has to happen in order for the students of today to become the workers of tomorrow. That's a given. It seems the only faction which doesn’t know how important quality education is the very government sector we believed, incorrectly_it now seems, was our ally in education reform. I'm referring to the Ministry of Education. How myopic this ministry has become is Tell me, please, how you think this amalga- mation will benefit the people of this area. You say this disgraceful decision is neces- dog and pony show, are the members going to receive the standard government stipend of up to $250 per day in addition to expenses? And what about the costly, but neccessary, Projects which have been undertaken by dis- tricts, such as the Castlegar School District $200,000 facility plan that will likely have to be cast aside because of the proposed amalga- mation? What a monumental waste of time and moncy thanks to you and your govern- ment! Do you know what an infusion of $200,000 into our district could mean to our students who have to do without because’ of an already lean budget? If we had only known! What about the cost alone of long distance Phone calls to media outlets where you gener- ously offered to answer questions about the Proposed amalgamation? Let's be honest, Mr. Charbonneau. The Purpose of those phone calls wasn’t to further educate the public via the media, but to sway Public opinion on an already unpopular and potentially di decision. Who pays for that in the end? We do! It’s kind of ironic that we pay in a roundabout way to get snow- balled and finessed. But most of all, you’ve forgotten the ulti- mate cost of all of this - the lengthy delay of education reform while boards and govern- sary because of lack of transfer pay to the province. You say the other alternative is to raise, taxes. What reasoning! I say there are other ways to stretch a bud- get. One of those ways is to think carefully before spending and utilize what you have already spent money on. How much do you i Mr. Charb it will cost to clearly evident in the h: d and sh: way it’s gone about school district amalgama- tion. With little or no input from those it’s sup- Posed to serve, this segment of government has gone about slashing and hacking at our future without any foresight Someone sitting way oVér in Victoria, send a steering committee throughout the Province gathering input after the fact? I wonder if committee members will stay at cut-rate hotels or eat budget meals when they travel on government business. Then there’s the cost of flights, taxis and other such expenses. And Mr. Charbonneau, during this ment to set up yet another level of bureaucracy your ministry has created in all its dubious wisdom. Our children, our future, deserve better. Do I sound angry? You bet I am! Kids should and MUST always come first before Political agendas. I might only be one small person, but I’m putting you and your cabinet on notice - for- get my vote, you haven't earned it. Oh, one last thing, Art. I was just thinking with our huge deficit maybe we should amal- gamate ministries instead of raising taxes next year. Yeah, I think that would work! Dear Editor: Re: Chicago-style car insurance (Nov, 22 Castlegar Sun), I would like to take this Opportunity to wel- come you to British Columbia and respond to some of the issues raised in your column of Nov. 22, 1995, You indicate being annoyed at needing your t-of-province vehicle P . You sug- gest this is some sort of draconian measure, Vehicle inspection requirements are in place in most provinces in Canada and will be in place in Alberta very shortly, Surely you aren't find- ing fault with a program that helps ensure the vehicles licensed and insured to Operate on our roadways meet some basic mechanical and emission standards? This registration issue is irrelevant to the type of sys- Monies collected from B.C. drivers Stay in B.C. Interest earned through investments goes directly into covering off operating costs and reducing insurance premiums. Private compa. nies send investment income to shareholders and operate with an “at profit” vent, ICBC's Operating costs are the best in the business and average around 11 per cent compared with the over 25 per cent by most private insurers, Rates are set in any province to cover the amounts needed for all costs of operations and to include profit for private insurers, A recent study conducted by the United Nations shows B.C. has an injury crash rate that is 27 per cent above the national average, 24 per cent higher than Ontario and a whopping 78 per cent high- er than Alberta. This alone may help you diffi tem. Inspections are required in areas that have private insurance also, Premiums differ in every province, regard- less of whether the system is public or bari B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba have pub- licly-owned insurance companies and several other provinces are examining the option. the p In B.C., we offer our best drivers coverage options, payment plans and discounts up t 40 Per cent, depending on how many years they are “at-fault-claims-free." All insurance com- panies that offer discounts, public and private, would insist you obtain a claims-free letter if you want the claims-free discount. Once obtained, the premium will be adjusted accordingly. We simply owe it to our policy- holders to ensure new customers who say they have claims-free records can prove it. In closing, I'd like to point out ICBC also has one of the most aggressive road safety Programs in North America. We dedicate sig- nificant resources to prevention in every com- munity and are recognized as leaders in the automobile insurance industry for our preven- tion efforts. Our road safety department works with police, municipalities, schools, media and many other community groups and busi-. nesses On programs designed to reduce crash- es. Programs like CounterAttack and Speed and Occupant Restraints are perhaps the most familiar. I hope this helps you ease your adjustment KELOWNA, BC Safari ANN coves une 2706 Located near Costco & Orchard Park Mall ki package * Of Hwy/2 bdrm. suites/cable & 1-800-989-9399 1651 Powick Rd., Kelowna The Castlegar Sun ise ter dots emeatcay oraos ce to B.C. Please feel free to call us any for further information or explanation of any of our insurance options or road safety programs. 4 1 Geoff Koganow Kootenay Regional Manager ICBC Public Affairs and Road Safety < AILS "by Carrie Lee (Licensed Nail Technician) Opening Specials Go back to Alberta, Dear Editor: Re: The column of Nov. 22/95 “Chicago-style car insurance,” Ihave saved enough from gov- emmoent car insurance over rogue companies in the last 15 years to Pay this creep’s way back to Alberta. But on second thought, Column expounded ignorance Dear Editor: I did not at first quite know what to make of Trent Bancarz’s rant on car insurance (Castlegar Sun, Noy. 22). After the first three or four paragraphs, I thought it might be an exercise in satire, although not very well done. Further reading made me reject this hypothesis and consid- er, whether the article might be a sincere expression of belief enhanced a little with journalistic hyperbole; an attack on Insurance Corporation of B.C. launched from the impregnable bastion of ignorance. But on further reflec- tion, I had to discard this unchar- itable assessment. The most simple explanation for this perplexing column is that the writer, as a newcomer to our province, does not understand how our present insurance system came into being. When I came to West Koote- nay in 1951, we had the type of automobile insurance system Bancarz believes we should have now: a multiplicity of private-sec- tor companies among whom we were free to choose. It did not work very well. I recall whenever a few people got together to shoot the breeze, you could be absolute- ly certain conversation would he evidently drives a real rattle trap and that could cost a fortune. But to show my heart is in the right place, I'll buy him a one- way ticket on the Greyhound. I liked a bumper sticker I saw while travelling in the States. It read “Help California out. When soon get around to stories of how abominably his insurance compa- ny had treated the raconteur. One insurance company—which shall remain nameless in order to pro- tect the guilty—was notorious for cancelling policies after the first claim. Another problem was the difficulty of ensuring every driver on the road was carrying public liability insurance, the type that affords some recompense to the innocent party in a vehicle acci- dent. Many drivers did not have such, or any, coverage. It was largely to address this problem that our present system was organized and, by and large, it works quite well in the eyes of someone who can recall the pre- ICBC days. Bancarz's reference to ICBC as a “socialist, monopolistic insur- ance racket” is neither accurate nor fair. Yes, there is some ele- ment of protection for all of us in Autoplan, and there is an element of compulsion, too for those who wish to use cars on our highways. A licensed vehicle must carry basic compulsory coverage which provides third-party legal liability coverage up to $200,000. If the Operator wants more public liabil- ity insurance to protect him from lawsuits in excess of this amount you leave, take somebody with you.” The same applies here. Incidentally, the last tine I saw the word “Kremlin” used in such a manner was in the McCarthy days of the 1950s. The steel workers’ union often used the term to discredit the mine-mill or if he wants collision or com- prehensive insurance on his own vehicle, he is free to purchase it from any company licensed to do business in B.C. Bancarz’s irritation over hav- ing to spend more than $500 to have his car put into roadworthy condition does not elicit any sym- pathy from me. Speaking as one who must share the road with him, I am pleased to know he has, at least for the time being, a car in good operating condition and I hope he will assume responsibili- ty for keeping it so. As for his complaints about inspection fees and application creep union they were raiding in Trail, B.C. What part of Alberta did you find this guy? Thank you for the space. Bill Gattrell Blueberry Creek Acrylic, Gel or Fiberglass .. Manicure with Pedicure with massage (Expires Dec. 30/1995) 529% $420 oe | 24% Manicure/Pedicure with massage ........ siboians Phone: 365-7742 for appt. ingly complex, some of the rea- sons for this being rooted in human nature. Maybe The Castle- gar Sun can help us by looking into the insurance industry and publishing a few articles to help us understand how it works and why costs are what they are. Fred G. Marsh Castlegar fees, again I have no sympathy In the real world, nothing comes free. For everything, there is a cost whether it be hidden or overt. These fees represent charges for services provided to Located Playmor Junction Ph: 359-7770 Bancarz and have absol ly no connection to Bancarz’s bogey- man, socialism. They are mani- festations of the user-pay principle advocated by the Chicago School of Economics and which is now being put into Practice in Klein’s Alberta as well as in B.C. and in other parts of Canada. , Insurance is in principle rather simple, but in practice is distress- tunity to run a similar business? What-de they fear so much (even though competition really won't exist)? It's a common business attitude found in the aforementioned dead prairie towns which explains why they are dead prairie towns. Yep, I've got my store and I have a God-given right to all the customers and the money because it's my town and I've lived here 100 years. A consultant said it best at the downtown business meeting last week. He said never fear bringing competitors to the com- Speaker’s Corner Castlegar student Tamara Terry is pounding the pavement in search of answers to questions that correspond with news stories that have appeared in The Castlegar Sun. If you see Tamara, it could be your opportunity to appear in Speaker's Corner, which is published each week. Does Castlegar meed the sludge treatment plant? munity because it enhances choice and brings more p Customers around for everybody. You'll find folks who don't believe this living in the dying prairie towns. Selfishness is the root cause of regressive attitudes. People who don't like growth or Progress usually “have it made” and don't believe anybody else should have the same opportunity. Certainly, there are Negatives to rapid growth. Increased crime, perpetual construction and expensive housing are prices to pay for growth and progress However, the cost of “keeping things just the way they are” is far higher. TNB ERRORS: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the amount paid tor the space actually occupied by that portion of the 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 I'm 100 per cent for anything that deals with cleaning up our environment. It's some: thing Wwe can't afford to lose and has to be looked after no matter the cost. — Toni Zimmerman With the way Castle- gar keeps growing everyday, it is a neces sity to keep up with sewige treatment trol the — Janice Lowes | Sure, Castlegar needs a better treatment centre With more people mov- ing in, we need to con- growing amount of sewage before we flood our rivers with it — Jean Deptuck It's always a good idea to have a higher level of sewage treatment, but I don't know if this is the time for the taxpayer to be spend- ing money on it — Sally McKenzie For envrionmental pur- poses, Castlegar does need this treatment cen- tre. The more we recy- cle our waste, the better. — Frank Watson More mailbag pages 8-9 ~/ Free Motorola Flip or Nokia 101! V Free first year License Fee! / Free Activation Fee! Free $50 TicketMaster Gift Certificate! Gift Certificate available only until November 30, 1995 PETE'S TV wo. 279 Columbia St. 6465 B.C. 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