WEDNESDAY, March 22, 1995 Serving the 10,000 people of the Castlegar Area, The Castlegar Sun ‘3 published every Wednesday by Sterling Newspapers Ltd. at 465 Columbia Ave. Castlegar, B.C. V1N 1G8. The Castlegar Sun is politi- cally independent and a member of the Sterling News Service, Canadian C: BC. Newspapers. Assocation, and the B.C. Press Council. Established ber 28, 1990. Mad 10420. PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG RON NORMAN CHRISTINE MOYER ACTING EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER KAREN KERKHOFF TRICIA LAKTIN REPORTER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT JEFF GABERT CATHERINE ROSS SPORTS REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER ADVERTISING REP. MARGE LALONDE NICOLE BEETSTRA OFFICE/CIRCULATION MANAGER «= ADVERTISING REP CARI ROHN FRED JACK CLASSIFIED ADS ADVERTISING REP. Direct Department Phones General Office 365-5266 Circulation 365-5266 Classified Ads 365-7848 Display Advertising 365-2278 Newsroom 365-5579 365-7762 editorial comment Grant not out of line Castlegar council’s decision to reduge its annual grant to the Castlegar Festival Society to $5,000 from the $7,500 that was requested isn’t out of line. There is no doubt that the society, which stages the anriual Sunfest celebrations, is a success. We need look no further than last few Sunfests for evi- dence of that President Derm Jackson and his hard-working board of directors has not only managed to put on a highly enjoyable community event, but at the same time has tumed the society's bottom line from red to the black. They have done that thanks to a generous annual grant from the city, a grant which last year totalled nearly $10,000. But the city grant isn’t the only reason. The society has produced a. Sunfest that is a money-maker instead of a money-loser. Now the society is on firm financial ground. It has a $9,000 cushion, which it hopes this year to push even higher. It should be able to do that with the $5,000 the city has offered Ron Norman Grants inconsistent Castlegar council wasn’t exactly consistent in awarding its latest batch of annual grants. Council rejected the Castlegar and District Community Ser- vices Society’s application for a $5,000 grant, while agreeing to the Castlegar Figure Skating Club’s request for $300. , The Community Services Society offers much- needed services to those in our community least able to pay. People who, in many instances, are not well spoken or assertive. People in need. It isn’t enough to say, as some councillors did, that it is the province's responsibility. As the corpo- rate representative of our community, council has a responsibility to those people. What is mystifying is how council can, on the one hand, note that the Castlegar Festival Society has a surplus of some $9,000 and so reduce its annual grant In the same manner, council noted that the Com- munity Services Society gets a half million dollars from various other sources, and so eliminated any city funding Yet the Castlegar Figure Skating Club reports a surplus of nearly $10,000 for this year to add to an existing balance of nearly $9,000 and it gets a grant of $300. Where's the logic? Ron Norman ERRORS: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable 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, whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise... and tbere 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 trom contract date No contingent orders accepted Columbia Basin Accord a great deal Gordon Campbell blowing so much political smoke The Columbia Basin Accord is a great deal for this region. And anyone who tries to tell you differently is just blowing so much political smoke. That was just what Gordon Campbell was doing Friday on his visit to the West Kootenay. In what was clearly a deliberate pre- emptive strike aimed at knocking out the NDP government's announcement about the down- stream benefits just two days later, Mr. Campbell fired salvo after salvo at the deal. That was pretty well all he talked about with the audience who tumed out at the Fireside Inn. (Which in itself was embarrassing- ly meagre. You couldn't help but draw comparisons between the Liberal gathering of 20 or so party faithful and the Columbia Basin Accord announcement Sunday at the Community Complex which attracted some 450 people). But Mr. Campbell's attacks were about as accurate as a Scud missile. His major complaint was that the Keenleyside dam generating project is just too expensive. It doesn’t make economic sense, he charged. He said his party's latest fig- ures put the cost of the power from the project at seven cents a kilowatt hour. That is a lot In fact, it is about twice as much as what B.C. Hydro is will- ing to consider from independent power producers. But it is also not right. (That sound you hear isa Scud missing its target). In facw Al Geissler, B.C Hydro’s community relations manager, says the Keenleyside dam project comes in at about the 3.8 cents per kilowatt hour range. Four cents a kilowatt hour at the outside. Geissler notes that no one would approve a project costing seven ents a kilowatt hour. Why? Simple. They wouldn't make any money. And that, after all, is the reason for putting generators in Keenley- side in the first place. It is not just to provide construction and service jobs, though those are certainly be part of the attraction of the project. It is to ensure long-term eco- nomic benefits to the region. Our children's children's children will be reaping the harvest from this accord as the power from the Keenleyside, Waneta and Brilliant dam is sold over the next several generations and the money returned to the area. Mr. Campbell's second point was that the province got the But if you listen to what the Columbia River Treaty Commit- tee, the committee made up of rep- resentatives of the five regional districts within the Columbia River Basin along with the THE VIEW ktunaxa-Kin- basket Triba} Council, has to say on this issue, you will find that once again Mr. Campbell has missed the mark (There goes another Scud). This is what Josh Smienk, chair of the Committee, had to say Sunday: “Our committee has gone through a very public process to gauge what direction the public wanted us to take in discussions with the province.” And this: . “Thirty years ago there was no public process, the people were simply told. The memorandum of understanding we will sign today, I believe, takes the direction given to us by the public and moves forward.” Does that sound like a commit- tee forced at gunpoint to sign a i i d 17 NORMAN Columbia basin ina corner and didn’t just twist our arms on the dam projects, but put a gun to our heads. He said his government wouldn't have done that. It would have just handed over a portion of the downstream benefits for our own use Letters to the Editor pa y jee Hardly. If anything, the accord is more generous than anyone in the Columbia River basin could have i ined. Not only does the Trust (read local residents) get $250 million to invest in the dam projects over the next 10 to 15 years, it also gets $77 million in cash to do with what it wants. As well, the province will match the Trust’s $250 million investment in the Waneta, Brilliant and Keenleyside dams with $250 million of its own and will give the Trust's loan guarantees of $60 million to finance the projects. The projects, costing more than $1 billion, will be owned equally by the Trust and the government and will generate $4 billion in revenue. In case, you missed that figure, it is $4 BILLION. It is easy to overlook some of the nuances of the accord, given the huge sums of money. One of the key clauses is the Trust's integral role in water man- agement in the basin. It will have a say in the water, something the residents of this region haven't had since the dams were built 30 years ago. This includes reservoir levels, watershed protection, water qual- ity and use, water flows and water rights. Hard to believe that after-30 years of having no control over water, we will now play a vital part in determining its uses. A bad deal, Mr. Campbell? Hardly. It is a far better pact than I expected, and, according to leaked memoranda from Vic- toria, far better than provincial bureaucrats and'the Treasury board expected. And everyone, regardless of their political viewpoint, should recognize that. Union dues should be Dear Editor: Those who think corporation should pay more taxes are rather reticent about another source of tax revenue: unions and union dues. Indeed, besides paying no ~ taxes whatsoever, some unions get government grants. That seems a little unfair to me, con- sidering it is the consumer who pays all the taxes. If there are three to four mil- lion people in Canada paying $200 each per year to a union at a tax rate of 30 per cent, that's $180 - $240 million that the gov- ernment can—and should—be getting. There is nothing sacrosanct about a union. If I give money to the Cancer Society, I still have to Pay tax on it The northern allow ance was brought in mainly to give another plum‘to Quebec, but some other Canadians enjoy it also, and since no one is forced to work in a remote area, let the employer pay more That's another $2’ or $3 billion on which no taxes are paid. So let's get rid of it also and bring some fairness into the tax system Closer to home, it would seem that the wife of our local MLA thinks we should pay more taxes A Liberal contemptuously declared thai he thought Canadi- ans would roll over for any tax increase It appears that some things are beyond belief. Tommy Douglas had it right: we are mice and the only choice we have is to vote for white cats or black cats. No wonder politicians kiss babies, they are screwing the general public so widely and badly that they feel they have to kiss someone. Will we ever get a government by men of conscience cager to serve justice, truth and their fellow man, rather than the lining of their own pockets? ‘ I doubt it, but it could be. What we really have when the power doesn’t belong to the peo- ple, is tyranny. One only has.to look at the new gun control legis- lation to recognize this. taxable We get tax increases, new taxes and increases in all government Services. What we really need is a 20 per cent reduction in the civil service and elimination of bilin. gualism, multiculturism, and funding for hundreds of special interest groups. The time for corrective mea- sures to reduce and eliminate our debt has passed. Major surgery is required Jim Peitzsche Fruitvale More letters, 7A Wednesday, March 22, 1995 The Castlegar Sun Letters to the Editor Page 7A Proud to be a Gold Unlimited representative | Dear Editor: The March 16 Castlegar Sun article entitled “RCMP monitor- ing company” was extremely provinces, all states, as well as in Hong Kong. I consider it good that the gov- emment has such tight restrictions aging to the Gold Unlimited Co., and as a rep ive of and system. It gives us that comnpany I must answer those negative misconceptions. Although what was said in the article holds some truth, )what was not said is that once the investigation was done that David and Martha Crowe were exoner- ated from all charges and the Gold Unlimited Co. continues to proper and grow. This company started in Cana- da, with its head office in Surrey, in February 1994 and since that time has grown to over 45,000 tepresentatives operating ‘in all Pp’ the peace of mind that we are involved in a good government and even our church structure. I for one prefer the net- work marketing type of pyramid than the pyramid of society. In my 18 and some years as an administrator for different com- panies, I can finally say to my co- because it to be licensed under the Governor Gen- eral’s Commissions Act as well as being properly licensed with the licensing bureau in Victoria. The company will be. holding its first Canadian convention April 7 and 8 in Banff, offering support and training to all of its representatives. An illegal company—hardly! A pyramid? Look up the defini- tion of a pyramid and compare that definition to your job, our IN WEST KOOTENAY who are involved with Gold Unlimited that for as few as two to five hours per week you can achieve some of your dreams that your conventional job has been unable to provide for you. The person at the bottom of the ladder can actually earn more income than the person at the top and you can finally look at improving your quality of life and have fun doing it. You can now start your own home business with very little capital CP Rail cuts service Dear Editor: On March 8, members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, who maintain the track for CP Rail, walked off their jobs®in northern Ontario to conduct a one-day informational picket. The purpése of this action was to make the public aware that negotiations between CP Rail and the BMWE had broken off, after 14 months of bargaining, with no agreement in sight. In response, CP Rail did not allow these employees to return to work and locked them out until either an agreement is reached or y legislation req them to return to work. The BMWE members, in keeping with their original plan Park . Should . by way of a referendum. This issue shall be decided by ar's residents and not over this issue, but not by idents & id of rotating informational pickets, walked off their jobs in the Kootenays on March 9. Again, it was the intention of the union that these employees only be out for one day to pro- mote public awareness of their contract situation. It was the union’s intention that these employees would be back on the job the next day with no interruption to rail traffic. CP that it continue service on its more lucrative runs in the East Kootenay than give consideration to people who may be adversely affected by the termination of service to West Kootenay indus- tries, namely, Pope and Talbot, Celgar and Cominco. The members of the BMWE Sincerely regret any inconve- niences that may have arisen as a result of CP Rail’s heavy-handed Rail diately responded by locking out these employees, as it did in northern Ontario. As a result of CP Rail’s actions, they no longer have enough personnel on hand between Creston and Trail to safely run trains and have found it ‘Ssary to discontinue service It is more important to CP Rail Airy Mountain Appliance Service call ONLY *20 For friendly service anytime call Pp to the BMWE'’s intend- ed one-day pickets and are hope- ful that an expedient return to the bargaining table can be achieved and normal rail traffic can return to the West Kootenay. David Daniel local chairman Lodge 181 BMWE 447 one FEATURING mexican & Western Disnes CASTLEGAR SAVINGS Invites Its Members To Attend;Their 46th Annual General Meeting April 10, 1995 gar lic park of year-round use to a ball park of seasonal use for special interest \ groups and non-residents of Castlegar. Who is the one who is sia’ AI ‘Leather ed BIRKENSTOCKS Every day low price. CASTLEGAR & DISTRICT RECREATION CENTRE 2101 - 6th Avenue, Castlegar, B.C Registration: 6:30 p.m. Meeting: 7:30 p.m. Refreshments & Door Prizes CASTLEGAR SAVINGS ib) Castlegar Branch 100 - 630 - 17th St Castlegar, B.C. VIN 4G7 365-7232 Slocan Valley Branch 3014 Hwy 6 Slocan Park, B.C. VOG 2E0 226-7212 The opportunities with this company are exceptional if you are open minded enough to take the time to listen. It is unfortunate that we have all been conditioned to think that the only way to acquire financial security is through conventional jobs. Well, jobs are no longer avail- able. Our economy is going broke and for those of us who work, each year we go backwards with a Maple Leaf Gold Coin as well as other wealth-building products. “Fool's gold?” I don't think the Canadian Mint would agree with your statement, as it is the most sought after coin on the interna- tional market. And for those network market- ing representatives that encounter negative people with a broke | mentality: move on and find | some positive thinking people to | work with who cap see the good | trees in the forest and choose to ‘ save those trees. Lillian Michallik « Fruitvale ; greater workload and more stress. For some of us, network mar- keting is the answer. It has been a Proven method, as more and more large corporations are seeking net- work marketing to enable them to continue operating. I am proud to be a Gold Unlimited representa- tive, marketing the Canadian Letters | Policy - Letters to#he Editor are wel- come on any topic of local or general interest. Letters should be double-spaced, typewritten, or legibly handwritten, and no more than two pages if possible. Letters may be edited in the interests of brevity, taste or legality. All letters must be signed, with an address and tele- phone number. Names may be witheld from publication, but only in exceptional cases and by the approval of the Editor. Send letters to: The Castlegar Sum, 465 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, B.C., VIN 1G8, or drop them off at the office. Poetry will not be published Thank you for the tremendous community support contributed to the success and enjoyment of our Ice Show, “Dancing ‘Around The World.” We thank all the skaters, including guest Johnnie Bevan, the parents, carnival volunteers, audiences and our sponsors: City of Custiegar Sandman inn Ainsworth Hot Springs Subway Cominco Ltd ABW B.C. Tet West's Department Store Hlookoft Bulldozing Castlegar Foods Castlegar Mohawk Hall's Stationery Maliard’s Lang Business Systems Stylish Stitches, Fruitvale UAP/NAPA Auto Parts Remax Plaza |.D.A Or. Ellis Bonnett’s Pete's T.V Zaz00 EH. Hickey Notary Public Pope & Talbot Canade Safeway Mitchell's Supply Kalawsky ‘Super-Valu Pharmasave Castlegar Mazda R Davies & Assoc Door Prize Winners: 1) 1 Night Deluxe Accomodation - Sheraton/Spokane - John Minnaert, Wintew 2) 1 Night Deluxe Accomodation & Pool Passes - Ainsworth - Bill Shay, Castlegar 3) Kootenay Prints - Kootenay Savings Credit Union - Low Cancela, Castlegar 4) $50.00 Dinner Certificate - Lion's Head Restaurant - Winnle Niminiken, South Siocan A special thank you to our coaches Jennifer Chant and Jennifer Zandvilet CASTLEGAR SKATING CLUB THE Sherator/Spoiane West Kootenay Power Castlegar Recreation Complex Midland Walwyn, Rob Trickey ‘Castlegar Pressure Wash Celgar Pulp Co. Kootenay Savings Credit Union Lion's Head Restaurant BC. Kalesnikott Lumber Co. Kel Print Castlegar Sports Centre Tullp’s Floral Valley Video Arrow Buliding Craig Gutwald, CA. o-Tow Glenger Contracting Ltd. Bel-Air Cleaners Williamson Landscaping Supplies Castlegar Medical Clinic Anderson insurance Co. Playmor Foods Kate Trophy Touch of Elegance ( Thinking about Universit y? UVicS UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA students. by email at srsad13@uvvm.uvic.ca. Think about the University of Victoria! UVic is one of Canada’s leading universities. Admission standards are high, but UVic still has room for students with a desire to learn and to take advantage of the lifestyle offered on the campus with the best climate in the country. Named by Maclean's magazine as the best comprehensive university in the country, UVic offers its 15,000 students all the benefits of a big city university on a friendly, compact suburban campus. research with a commitment to excellence int€aching. UVic professors don't just give lectures; they take the time to meet the educational needs of their Learn more about what UVic can offer you. Come to a drop-in information session Monday, March 27, 1995 TT a.m. to 9 p.m. Banquet Room, Fireside Motor Inn, 1810 8th Ave., Castlegar, B.C. 365-2128 UVic admissions officers and adminstrators will be happy to dhswer your questions about admission requirements, tuition fees, student support services, scholarships and bursaries. For further information contact UVic Admission Services at Phone: (604) 721-8119; Fax:(604) 721-6225; or ur. faculty combine award-winning a Cool Cruise <«_ —=» 7-day Alaska Sailing round trip from Vancouver Selected departures from May to September Lb < Hot Prices Warm Cruise 7 or 10-day Caribbean Eastern & Western itineraries Selected departures May 6 - Dec. 16, 1995 BCAA and Holland America have done it again. Prices too hot to advertise! OCEANS OF EXPERIENCE BCAA Travel AGENCY GA) 596 Baker Street Special offer applicable to selected Holland America crulses only, and subject 10 availabilty at the tre of booking. Some restrictions apply Phone 352-3535 “A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE