FS a Ecc FINI OpinionPAGE } Composing Room Foreman Mark Davis Advertising Manager Warren Chernoff Wednesday, February 5, 1992 OurWiEWS AdrianRAESIDE _ Wilson sounds off t appears Liberal leader Gordon Wilson is fitting into those opposition shoes nicely. Wasting no time to tie the laces, Wilson put the boots to the New Democrat government over its use of special warrants. Saying the government’s use of special warrants was a betrayal to all British. Columbians, Wilson - was’ too engrossed by his own self-serving chatter to remember one precious point — the NDP has no choice. Special warrants, you see, allow a government to finance the province when the legislature isn’t sitting or when there is no budget in place. The reason there is no budget in place is because the Socreds got turfed before it saw the light of day. Despite an obvious need for the special warrants, Wilson is prepared to waste the province’s time with uneventful rhetoric. As a rookie opposition leader, Wilson would have best said nothing. It would take a lot of convincing to have the public believe a Liberal government would do-anything different. He can blame the New Democrats for taking their sweet time to open the legislature or breaking more than one promise since their election, but it is absolutely ridiculous for him to ask a government to function void of funds. The NDP is hardly railroading the province. If anything, the new government is trying to get the province back on track — special warrants included. ih ‘aitlegar New! Potholes, potholes everywhere When I think of Castlegar, three things come. to mind: big mountains, big trucks and big potholes. The mountains and trucks I can get used to but those damn potholes are another thing. Heck, Mount St. Helen’s has nothing on the craters that this city is turning out. Columbia Avenue is a regular mine field, with tires and axels succumbing ) Harrison “Comparison | but Castlegar had opened the door to road repairs some three months ago. The referendum, though, was killed through apathy has been hurting ever since. I didn’t have a vote in that referendum. A new face to Castlegar, I wasn’t on the voters list. Had I been, though, I certainly would have endorsed the project. to the bump and grind of a { city that has allowed its roads to resemble war-torn Iraq. Now it would be easy for each and everyone of us to cock that finger and point towards city hall, but that wouldn't be fair. Granted, the city was as frugal as my grandmother by not coughing up the dough to fix our streets, but when push came to pothole, the citizens said no. It may not have been the perfect plan, Let’s take a look back now. The day is Dec. 14 and 20 per cent of Castlegar’s voting population turns out to cast ballots on a $1.28 million road referendum. Of those 20 per cent, 12 per cent vote against the referendum, leading 'us exactly ~ to where we are today — angry and upset that our roads are fast becoming the laughing stock of the free world. , please see HARRISON page 7 Heather Hadiey Circulation Manager Street TALK a Question: Do you think the Castlegar-Robson bridge will eve r be built? and attitude and the city’ Larry Glover Castlegar “] think it’s going to be built: It’s needed since the ferry’s been taken away.” Dan Friedel Castlegar “If Mike Harcourt - wants support in this Terry Dalton Castlegar “Yes, I do. The government realizes the commitment to restore the link.” Richard Sheloff Slocan Park “If it doesn’t, we'll never see another NDP. government * “here again.” AS oa Cs m Wednesday FabruaryS. Twas” dheNews OtherVIEWS Please address all letters to: Letters to the or deliver them to 197 Columbia Ave. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced and not longer than 300 words. Letters MUST be signed and include the writer's first and last names, address and a telephone number at which the writer can be Letters tohHE EDITOR Oil companies in cahoots Just try telling me the oil companies aren’t in cahoots. Directly after the new year began every gas station in the Castlegar area raised prices the same 28¢ (approx.) per gallon and all the oil companies stopped giving out discount coupons. Just try telling me the various governments aren’t well aware of the fact. And while I’m at it its my opinion that they’re “holding back” on the bridge just to divert attention from our ferry. Just try telling me we’re not being screwed, blued and tatooed. Just try. E, Fraser Robson Recycling rewarding for all On behalf of the Recycling Advisory Group ‘for Castlegar, areas I, J and south portion of H, many thanks to the Castlegar News for continually printing the Recycling And You articles in The News. It is gratifying to know that the articles are being read and interest is being stimulated in the cormaunity. ye ~_ George Marken ~— Chairman Recycling Advisory Group Revitalization has a price People may ask, how can any one be opposed to revitalization? It’s like motherhood and apple pie. Everyone should be in favor — yes, until you examine the ramifications of cost versus value, and then the picture is different. The horrendous cost to some of the affected properties will most certainly destroy a number of existing buinesses, and drive others out of the downtown area. We have been asked, why should a landlord worry about the 40 per cent additional tax load? After all, he can pass it on to his tenants be they merchants or service providers. The merchants then pass on the higher costs to their customers. The customer, inturn looks at the higher prices, and heads across the border to the U.S.A. The merchant then starts looking for location outside the downtown area, where city taxes are 40 per cent less. Should, for any reason, there be a delay in either the recovery in the price of pulp, the re-opening of the sawmill, or construction of the bridge, every taxpayer in our city and not only the downtown landowners, will feel the effect of our massive debt. ; The city is presently in default in their payments on the industrial park loan. This debt was acquired without taxpayers permission, yet every one in the city is liable. ; The city is again trying to circumvent the will of the taxpaying public, borrowing millions more without a money bylaw. I would urge all those receiving notices of their proposed tax increase, return them to city hall before Feb. 10 indicating your objections to this atrocious additional tax load. N. T. Oglow Castlegar Vander Zalm a true hero I haven’t been writing letters to the editor lately. I have been trying very hard to bite my tongue and be a nice guy despite all the mean mouthed things other people say, but I found Mr. Harrison’s article on Jan. 6 in The News the last straw. He and many other media people have been so disgusting that I just have to comment. These people must live a very negative type life that they can’t see the good in others. In my opinion they shouldn't even have the right to say Bill Vander Zalm’s name. B.C. has never had a better, kinder premier. * Castlegar and Trail are one of many fine ex- amples of the good things this wonderful man was trying to do to help the people all over the province . , . no matter what political stripe their chosen MLA was. He cared about the peo- ple. Or as my dear old friend Joe Bourgeois al- ways said about Bill “He is one of da peoples.” Premier Bill met every promise he made to the Trail-Rossland constituency and then some . ... which is much more than you can say for the present government. Not only that, Bill Vander Zalm seemed to bring an aurora of good things happening for the province he governed. Perhaps it was only the results of all the hard work he put in trying to make things hap- pen for B.C., but whatever is was, it was good for the people. Many people didn't get to realize all that was done for them because of negative reporters, cartoonists and columnists such as Mr. Harrison. To all of you that think you have finally totally put Bill Vander Zalm down in the mud with all your misguided negative report- ing Tve got news for you, you can never de- stroy the wonderful human being he is. There are too many of us that know the truth about him and nothing you can do will ever take that away. I feel sorry for you you either don't know, or don’t want others to know the truth. It was not Bill Vander Zalm that caused the fall of the Social Credit party .. . . it was that the people in that party forgot to practice their Christian principals. They became paranoid about the media stories, and even began to al- low themselves to believe the negative type garbage people like you conjured up out of your dark little minds, coupled with the things you reported from others who had an agenda all their own... and that agenda had nothing to do with the well-being of the people of B.C. Had Bill only taken the money for them- selves for the sale of Fantasy Gardens (that was arranged by Faye Leung) and not worried about trying to get Mr. Tan Yu to invest some of his millions in B.C. in order to help the people he loved, he would not have ended up with the problems he did. It was some very devious people and a cruel misguided media that turned what was mere- ly a typical generous gesture from this i man into the ugly scenario that many iene came to think was the real story. When you get down to the brass tacks of the situation, why shouldn’t Bill Vander Zalm be involved in the negotiations of the sale of their family business, which politics had all but de- stroyed? z Was he supposed to just sit there and let ev- erything he had worked for go down the drain? For what? The party, the people, including his colleagues and the opposition — media had been telling him to get rid of Fantasy Gardens, so he did. Aconflict of interest is when you use your position to gain for yourself. The deal was painfully obviously arranged by Faye Leung and had nothing to do with government con- nections. That is why Bill and Lillian wanted that personal part over with before he went on in his capacity as Premier to woo Mr. Tan Yu in- to investing a bunch of his money in B.C. , He wanted to share his good fortune with the people of B.C., not just take his money and forget about us. You might say his good heart was his undoing. But the proof will be in the pudding. You reap what you sow. Because I am a friend I have had the honor of seeing some of Bill Vander Zalms harvest and it is wonderful. The beautiful letters and calls he continually receives are phenomenal. As are the many prayers so many people are saying for him and Lillian. I wonder how much you and the others like you will enjoy your bountiful harvest Mr. Harrison? Iris Bakken Salmo residence only will be published. Only in ex i :cases will letters be published anonymously. Even in those cases, the name, address and phone number of the writer MUST be disclosed to the editor. The News reserves the right to edit letters for brevity, clarity, legality, grammar and taste. Harrison _ continued from page 6 Okay, so our roads look like some sorry backdrop for a shock absorber ad. But before we all cock the accusing finger city council’s way, where-were you - referendum day? Some 80 per cent of Castlegar’s voting population is unaccounted for. And no doubt half of them are ringing up city hall to complain about the state of their street. It’s shameful that such an important project could be killed because of apathy. I say that because I can’t believe that had Castlegar taken more than just a passing interest in the road referendum, it would have passed. Instead, I shake my head at the missed opportunity and those who felt its their right and privilege to complain. Furthermore, if the public believes that our road will be rehabilitated for $1.28 million —-as promised with the referendum — it is sadly mistaken. That price tag was a bargain-basement deal. Now, I’d conservatively guess that the figure will be inflated to some $2.5 million. Why, you say? Sure, inflation is part of it,\but the nasty winter has left several roads just as council predicted — ruined. On those roads — Columbia Avenue, for example — rehabilitation is no longer - possible. Major (costly) surgery is the only way to go. And guess who will be footing the bill? Bingo. All this leads me to believe that there are more than a few people at city hall that are having one hell of a laugh at our expense. Right or wrong, city hall pushed the referendum as a ‘must do’ project. It laid down the groundwork only to have the electorate reject a well thought out plan. In the words of Ald. Lawrence Chernoff. “it’s now or never.” ko ge the public’s choice, live