a2 _Castlégar News April 6, 1990 | NDP plans strategy over accounts VICTORIA (CP) -— The NDP hopes to use the province's financial statements to support its claim the Social Credit government is taking care of its friends out of public cof- fers. Three volumes of public accounts for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1989 were tabled in the house Friday, the first regular day of business in the new session. The NDP argued the statements should have been made public 34 months ago. “From the limited evidence that ‘we've already been getting through our brown paper envelopes (leaks and tips) there’s plenty of reason to ask some solid questions,’’ said New Democrat Darlene Mazari, chairman of the public accounts committee. “*I think there is real evidence but right now we have to call it speculation." She said she will particularly scrutinize who received lottery grants to see if Socred supporters received any special treatment. with With an election expected in the next'18 months, the NDP is banking that a scandal over lottery grants — which cost Socred member Bill Reid his cabinet post — is not isolated. And that would support their claim the Socreds aren’t running an open, ethical government, the New Democrats say. The provincial comptroller general found there were irregularities in Reid’s handling of lottery funds when he was tourism minister and provin- cial secretary. s eo oa to » Cavtloger bearing ove: the new Aquatic Centre. Accepting the cash, along cheque of more than $10,000 for the artwork and water sculpture in the pool, are society president Ron Ross and soclety treasurer Alexia Turner. —CosNews photo by Clouderte Sondecki Speech called vague By CasNews Staff The provincial government’s throne speech was surprisingly vague and insubstantial for a government in its fourth year of a term of office, Rossland-Trail MLA Chris D*Arcy said. Although he noted throne speeches typically do not contain a lot of details, D’Arcy said he expected more from the Socreds because 1990 is likely an election year. However, the New Democrat said the speech contained ‘‘some good references’’ such as a possible plan for wage equality between men and women employed in public service, although D'Arcy questioned why that ” goal couldn’t be achieved through the bargaining process. D’Arcy said he is disappointed there is little in the speech dealing with natural-resource and health-care issues. “They (the Socreds) don’t seem to be moving very fast on toxic waste disposal,’’ noted the MLA, who said that is an ‘immediate need.’’ D’Arcy listed several other en- vironmental concerns such as recycling, air pollution, and the disposal by the public of other poten- tially hazardous material such as ballast from fluorescent lights which contains toxic PCBs. a “IT was hoping the government would take some initiative in that regard,’’ he said. D’Arcy also noted there was no mention of plans to alleviate the lack of rental housing, already a problem on the Lower Mainland and a growing problem in the. West Kootenay, especially in Castlegar. D’Arcy said he ‘anticipates the government will provide more details of its plans and programs in the up- coming budget April 19, likely the last budget before the next provincial elec- tion. Socred poll spending up $160,000, records show VICTORIA (CP) — The provincial government paid almost $400,000 in 1988-89 to five companies that con- duct public opinion polls, up almost $160,000 over the previous year’s spending on polls, the latest public accounts show. The government also paid more than $11 million to three of the major advertising firms it uses, an increase of about $1 million over the amount paid the previous year, the accounts show. Celgar continued from front page the project could still proceed in the meantime. “An administration building will be needed whenever they get the go ahead,”’ he said. ‘‘Foundations could still be laid. It is a voluntary decision by Celgar to halt construction just as it was their unsubstantiated claims to be building a ‘world-class’ pulp mill that has forced the (review com- mittee) to create this delay.”’ Lawrence said CIPE is waiting for the terms of reference the review committee has promised to supply for the next stage of the review. He said he hopes the review will satisfy all the concerns raised in the area about the project. Canada Safeway Overwaitea Shoppers SuperValu Woolco Work Wear World Zellers distribution. ne of these 1d like to do s0, please ovr Circulation Depertment at 166. New Democratic Party finance critic Glen Clark said he was not sur- prised to see the provincial gover- nment trying to improve its image by spending more money. “They are pumping millions of dollars into advertising and market research in a desperate attempt to regain popularity,’ said the Van- couver East legislature member. Inquiry concluded By CasNews Staff Castlegar coroner Paul Oglow has not issued any recommendations as a result of his inquiry into the Jan. 22 motor vehicle accident which claimed the life of 42-year-old David Vernon Batke of Crescent Valley. Batke was the driver and sole oc- cupant of a 1983 Renault sedan which Protest continued from front poge vice they would prefer to have when the post office is shut down, Armstrong said. A majority of those who an- swered the survey opted for a mini-park, she said, which would involve the federal government constructing at least one, and perhaps several, lighted, heated buildings to house post boxes and lockers to store parcels. The buildings cost about $100,000 each to put up, Ar- mstrong said, and are the most costly of the survey options which included outdoor mailboxes. was westbound on Highway 3A at Shoreacres when it collided head on with an eastbound 1986 Toyota pickup truck driven by Norman Earl White of Slocan Park. The two vehictes collided in the westbound lane of the highway which Oglow notes in his report was ‘‘extremely slippery at the time of the accident.’’ Conroy continued from front poge “It’s exhausting (but) I feel fairly Positive about it. I’ve got a chance. There’s no doubt about that,’”’ he said. “‘If I’m unsuccessful it won’t be from lack of effort which is impor- tant to me because that’s one of the things that I’m trying to tell the people is that I'm prepared to put in the effort to win the nomination and in the event that I’m nominated I’m Prepared to put in the effort to do the job.”” Approximately 400 new party _Members have been signed up since January, Conroy said, putting the party membership list at 1,067 in the riding. Lottery numbers The winning numbers drawn Tuesday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 15, 18, 24, 28, 33, 45, 48 and $1. The winning numbers in Wed- nesday’s Lotto 6/49 draw were 7, 10, 31, 37, 46 and 49. Bonus number: 24. Jackpot of $1,885,391 goes to the holder of a ticket bought in Quebec. The four extra winning numbers for B.C.: 31, 41, 46,61. The winning numbers drawn Wed- nesday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 6, 10, 30, 32, 37, 41, 42 and 48. The winning numbers drawn Thur- sday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 6, 9, 14, 16, 18, 32, 46 and 50. These numbers, provided by The Canadian Press must be considered unofficial. * Although the RCMP recommended criminal charges be laid against Reid, the ‘attorney general's department decided there wasn’t evidence to sup- port a successful case. Reid resigned in September. “*We're looking for situations where individuals who are basically Social Credit hangers-on are getting lottery grants,’’ Marzari said. Finance Minister Mel Couvelier said he doesn’t think there are further irregularities in the awarding of lot- * tery grants. He said the guidelines have been tightened to prevent similar problems. The statements show the gover- nment had an operating deficit of $329 million. The province had gross revenues of $12.5 billion, of which 56” Per cent was raised in tax. If figured per capita, every man, woman and child in British Columbia paid $2,302 in provincial tax that year, up from $2,167 the previous . year and $1,994 in 1984-85. The province spent the most on health — more than $4 billion or about $1,325 per person. Ed o and. social services were the ne biggest budgets. CLAIMED VICTORY The NDP claimed victory in ha the accounts released. “Darlene Marzari got tough yesterday and demanded that the arr. ogant minister of finance not disob the legislature which asked that that} report be tabled at the beginning ot! the year,” said Opposition leader Mike Harcourt. WKP strike hits 16 ra St After 16 days the status of the strike at West Kootenay Power remains unchanged — no talks and no talks scheduled. But WKP spokesman Jack Fisher said Friday he had heard ‘‘rumors’’ about activity by the union but couldn’t specify what that activity is. “I understand that there are rumors goii round the picket lines . . . Fumors about what the union might do . . . but I’m not in a position to comment about that. I'd suggest you phone the head of the union about that,”’ he said. IBEW spokesman Al Oliver couldn’t be reached for comment but on an answering machine at his Kelowna office he said he would be out of the office Friday. There was no answer at the union’s head office in Vancouver. The 180 members of the IBEW “voted 92 per cent in favor of strike ac- tion March 20 and walked off the job March 23. Money is the key issue in the strike as the IBEW is seeking wage parity with workers at other utilities. The union also wants-a health plan com- parable to that of other workers, such as office staff, at WKP. Another 35 WKP workers joined the strike when the Office and Technical Employees Union refused to cross IBEW picket lines. Fisher said WKP will not reveal what it has offered the striking union because of a company policy not to negotiate in the media. The two sides haven’t talked since negotiations broke down and the strike negotiator was sent home a few ys — and counting days before the walkout. The company’s management staff has taken over all essential services, such as billing, since the strike began. Fisher announced Wednesday that customers were billed for March on an estimate of power use because there were no workers to read the meters. As a result, Fisher said, some bills could be higher or lower than the actual amount owed. Fisher added that the company will handle all complaints on an individual basis. Salmo to review decision SALMO (CP) — Salmo village council plans to review its earlier decision to declare the Kootenay community of 1,014 unilingually English. Ald. Phil Berukoff said Friday the resolution — passed unanimously March 27 — will be brought back for discussion at Tuesday's regular coun- cil meeting. “The mayor (Merle Hanson) wants to bring it forth again because of the impact it’s created,”’ said Berukoff, who voted in favor of the motion along with the village’s other three aldermen. ‘We didn’t realize there would be this much uproar, so we're going to take another look at it just to make sure, We'll see what happens.”” ourt news In Castlegar court, Peter for jon of a nar- S. Kinakin was fined $300 for driving while impaired and prohibited from driving for one year. 8 Chad Wayne Carr pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to two mon- ths in jail and given six months probation. . Bruce Lajeunesse was sentenced to three days in jail for trafficking nar- cotics. + 8 6 Dean Gordon Paetkau received a conditional discharge and two months cotic. . # 6 Darren Gene Dudley was fined $25 for driving in the left lane. * #8 6 Gerald Alexander Gleboff was fined $100 for careless driving. . 8 6 Steven Brian Simonen was fined $300 for careless driving and had his drivers licence suspended for 14 days. . Richard Warren Paulson pleaded guilty to driving with a blood alcohol level over .08 and was fined $550 and a $50 victim surcharge or, in default, sentenced to 14 days in jail. Paulson also had his drivers licence suspended for one year. * 8 6 Jeffrey Johnson pleaded guilty to driving over a solid double line and was fined $50. . . 8 Richard Tyce Rogerson pleaded guilty to driving while impaired and was fined $900 and a $50 victim sur- charge or, in default, sentenced to 21 days in jail. Rogerson also had his drivers licence suspended for one year Apriis,1990 € ‘astlégar News a3 Briefly | Referendum continued from front pege be $32.48. For property assessed at 43,400 the increase will be $43.28 and for property assessed at $54,500 the in- crease will be $54.36. The increase will be a direct tax and will not be eligible for reduction by the homeowner grant, Brummet said in a news release. * “The homeowner grant will apply as before to taxes required to fund the block allocation in each district,”’ he said. Brummet also made clear his opposition to school districts going to referendum for the 1990-91 school year. “*Since the block funding in each district now provides for all current expenditures, plus a generous in- crease for the next school year, boards need go to referen- dum only for extra spending beyond existing programs. ‘‘Frankly, there is little or no reason for any board to go to referendum this year,’” Brummet said. But Turner said Wednesday the board has deter- mined it needs about $1 million more than its block allocation, which is calculated as a set amount times the number of students in the district. Castlegar needs more money for everything from implementing the primary to hiring i i workers, he said. The government has ‘‘come through in a ‘middling’ Turner said, by providing enough money to main- tain the status quo in the district but any extras such as new equipment or computers will have to wait. The trustees do not want to ‘“thammer the gover- nment”’ over the funding issue but ‘‘the board feels it should not sit back and let this happen,"’ he said. A letter has been sent to Victoria registering the board’s op- position to the referendum system which eliminated the board’s power to tax, he said. And holding a referendum for funds for the primary program will be ‘somewhat of a message’’ to Victoria that more money is needed to implement the new curriculum, Turner added. The $200,000 is needed for the start-up of the program which will “‘upgrade”’ primary classes and may not be needed again the following years, Turner said. If the funding is needed again another referendum would . have to be held. However, Turner pointed out the intermediate continuation of the primary program intermediate grades, and the graduation program, which encompasses what are now Grades 11 and 12, will be implemented in the following years and ex- tra funds.for the start-up of those programs may be needed, he said. Program, through t! The primary program, which includes dual-entry kindergarten, is new territory for teachers and, the $200,000 will be used to hire extra teaching and support staff to help teachers in the classroom and free them for lesson and material assistant superi: of schools Lach Farrell said. No one is sure what the Program will look like, Farrell explained, except that it will not be the old model of one teacher and 25 students confined to one room. Teachers will likely need help working out the new system where there may be more than one teacher in a classroom, students may move from room to room or teachers may move around, he said. Turner said the way the funds will be spent will be decided after consulting with the primary teachers on what type of help they feel they will need. The board made the decision to go to referendum Tuesday during a closed meeting. The debate was held in camera because trustees’ views on the issue were not yet known and the board did not know what the outcome of the discussion would be, Turner said. ‘a “We didn’t know how far we were going to go,”’ he said. As well, the board was only considering a request for public money, not determining how taxpayers’ money would be spent as in previous years when the board set its own tax rate, Turner explained. However, Turner added if the board considers a referendum next year he feels the discussion should be conducted at a public meeting. Evelyn Voykin, the only trustee besides Turner to at- tend the news conference, said the board’s support of the referendum was not unanimous and she would have Preferred the $200,000 be used to address the cronic space shortage and the problem of large classes in the district rather than“the entire amount being tagged for the primary program. ; “Is the value of education for all children in the district being fairly addressed by this package?" Voykin ag noting Smaller class sizes are considered necessary or the successful im; i prcbraan: plementation of the primary Calling the primary program a “‘critical program,” However, the funding that will be provided will be earmarked for conferences and study sessions for teachers and the board will not be fi money staff, Turner said. ~~ ao ous Poindexter convicted WASHINGTON (AP) — Former national security adviser John Poindexter was i y o i and lying to Congress in the Iran-Contra scandal that marred the last two years of Ronald Reagan's Presidency, A federal court jury found Poindexter guilty on all five felony Charges against him. He could face up to 25 years in prison and $1.25 million US in fines when he is sentenced June 11. Poindexter’s lawyers said they would-appeal. In reaching the verdict, jurors rejected Reagan's claim in videotaped testimony that no crimes were committed in his ad- ministration’s secret arms sales to Iran and diversion of profits to help the Nicaraguan Contra rebels. Nepal protestors gunned down KATMANDU (AP) — Soldiers and police patrolled the Nepalese capital in trucks Saturday to enforce a curfew confining people to their homes after security forces fired on protesters, killing or wounding Scores, in the worst day of violence in the seven-week-old campaign for greater democracy. Security forces hurled tgar gas and opened fire Friday after about 200,000 pro-democracy demonstrators set government buildings afire and put up burning barricades in Katmandu. The Himalayan kingdom's official radio station said six people were killed and 107 were injured. However, one doctor said he saw soldiers carting 200 corpses from the city. 75 dead in ferry tragedy OSLO (CP) — A fire swept through a Scandinavian ferry before dawn Saturday in the frigid North Sea, and rescuers said at least 75 people died and about 50 others were missing. Hundreds of people were rescued. Officials said arson was believed to have caused the blaze which broke out on separate decks within a short time of each other. Fire swept through the ship as people slept, and a survivor said fire alarms were not heard. Helicopters and boats rescued the survivors from the ferry, the Scandinavian Star, and from life boats. Early news reports said Passengers jumped into the near-freezing waters. An early estimate of 500 passengers and crew aboard the ferry was later revised to 450. Soldiers in critical condition FREDERICTON (CP) — Four soldiers from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ont., were in_critical condition with spinal injuries Friday after the military truck they were in skidded on an icy patch of highway and overturned. The four men were among 21 members of the 2nd Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery who were taken to nearby hospitals in Fredericton and Oromocto after the accident south of the city. Two of the critically injured were later transferred by ambulance to Saint John Regional Hospital; another was flown by military helicopter to Halifax. The larger hospitals are able to perform neurosurgery, said Jackie Steward, spokesman for the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Saint John. Art vandal is freed AMSTERDAM (AP) — Dutch polich have released a ‘‘confused’’ man arrested for spraying acid on Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. The 31-year-old jobless man, freed late Friday, still faces a charge of vandalizing the Netherlands’ most famous painting at the Rijksmuseum, police said. The maximum penalty would be a year in jail. South African turmoil continues JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Black factions in South Africa battled police and each other in fighting that left 20 people lead, including txo infants, police reported Saturday. - Also Saturday, the African National Congress and South Africa’s government announced that they would hold their first discussions on the country’s political future in Cape Town on May 2. The meeting, origi: for W was by the ANC to protest against the police shooting of protesters in a black township on March 26. In Saturday’s violence, police said they fired shotguns at a crowd in Kokosi i of after bs and stones were thrown at a police vehicle, injuring one policeman. Infant car seat unsafe TORONTO (CPy — Hundreds of Fisher-Price child car seats are defective and could break in a crash, the company said Friday. Fisher-Price will send owners a free kit to repair the problem, which it said was discovered during testing. There have been no reports of injuries as a result of the defect, the company said. The metal tongue which secures the shield to the seat may break in an accident and ‘‘the likelihood of a child being injured in a moderate to severe crash may increase,’’ Fisher-Price said in a release. Bouchard to visit dam LETHBRIDGE, Alta. (CP) — The Oldman River dam will come under the direct scrutiny of federal Environment Minister Lucien Bouchard next week. Bouchard will fly over the dam site Thursday morning by helicopter and then visit Lethbridge for a dinner meeting with the Southern Alber- ta Water Management Committee. Don LeBaron, chairman of the committee which plans to go to Ot- tawa Monday to lobby in favor of the dam, said most of the delegation will arrive back in Lethbridge in time for Bouchard’s visit. A planned meeting with acting Liberal Leader Herb Gray in Ot- tawa Thursday will go ahead with a few of the Lethbridge lobbyists. The commission is going to Ottawa to impress on federal gover- nment leaders the need to continue construction of the Oldman River dam. A recent Federal Court of Canada ruling quashed construction permits under the Navigational Waters Protection Act and the Fisheries Act. Environment warning issued TGENEVA (AFP) — The environment is deteriorating dramatically and posing grave health problems for the world’s population of five billion, the World Health Organization says. In a report issued for World Health Day, the WHO stressed that over the last few decades the degradation of the environment had become a sword of Damocles hanging over.a world in which a collective effort is needed by all g to manage the i rather than destroy it. The United Nations body singled out for blame the destruction of the tropical rain forests, seen as a major factor in the heating of the planet, known as the greenhouse effect. In a few decades, the report said, our natural heritage of priceless ecological resources has literally been plundered for immediate profit. Border congestion addressed BLAINE, Wash. (CP) — The U.S. government must beef up customs and immigration manpower to combat the congestion at Washi from M Centre Thursday to view the NEC's latest i school visited the West Koote: National Exhibition exhibit, a look at Canada’s fur trade from the 11th century to the 19th century. The exhibit continues through April 29. —cosrews photo by simon Birch Latvian Communists suffer split RIGA, U.S.S.R. (Reuter) — Lat- via’s Communist party split Saturday over its links with Moscow, while 200,000 Lithuanians demonstrated in the neighboring Baltic republic in support of its declaration of indepen- dence. Nearly one third of the 792 delegates to the Latvian party congress, seeking independence for the Latvian state and party, walked ‘out_when-the conservative majority tried to defer the meeting until mid- year. The radicals, mainly ethnic Lat- vians, had called on the party to follow the Communists in the Baltic republics of Lithuania and Estonia by forming a party independent of Moscow. The 242-member group said they viewed the conservative proposal as an attempt to postpone discussion of Latvian irtdependence. They immediately went to another hall in the building and one of their leaders, Juris Rosenwald, said, ‘‘We will go ahead now and discuss the par- ty program ourselves.” The split, in defiance of appeals from the Kremlin, raised potitical ten- sions between Moscow and the three formerly independent republics by yet another notch. But, unlike the Communist parties in Lithuania. and Estonia, pro- independence radicals represent only a minority in Latvia where immigrant Russians make up more than 30 per cent of the population. In the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, 200,000 people crowded into a city park to back their parliament's defiance of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, witnesses said. NO RETREAT Radio Vilnius reporter —Audrius Braukyla said Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis told the chan- ting crowd that there would be no retreat on the March 11 declaration of independence, dismissed as illegal by the Soviet parliament and denounced by Gorbachev Superpower summit planned WASHINGTON (AP) — George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev head for a superpower summit in seven weeks divided over arms control and apprehensive about the impact of in- dependence movements within the U.S.S.R But officials hope that lower-level talks next month will produce ‘‘hard decisions’’ needed to weld agreement U.S. State Secretary James Baker said Friday he used three days of meetings this week with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevar- dnadze to give Moscow “‘very serious ‘and cAndid warnings’’ against using military weight to crush Lithuania’s fervor for independence The two sides also took another look at how a unified Germany will fit into Europe. Baker said Moscow has Meech hit with double blow By ERIC SIBLIN' The Canadian Press Reeling from a double blow delivered by the Newfoundland and Quebec legislatures, the Meech Lake constitutional accord looked like it was down for the count Friday. z in the small hours of Friday morning, Newfoundland formally revoked its support for the accord.-A-few-hours earlier, the Quebec legislature voted to reject any i i to the which powers for all provinces and brings Quebec into-the Constitution as a distinct society. And upping the ante in the debate, two senior politicians suggested Friday that either Newfoundland or ‘Quebec may have to pack their bags and leave the coun- try. “You can think of many hypotheses, but you can imagine a situation where English Canada will have to choose between Quebec or Newfoundland,”’ federal En- vironment Minister Lucien Bouchard said. ‘Canada can survive very: well without Newfoun- diand,’’ Gil Remillard, Quebec’s intergovernmental af- fairs minister, added at the same news conference in Quebec City. 78 DAYS AWAY Uniess all 10 provinces approve the agreement by June 23 —78 days away — it will be retegated to the dust- bin of Canadian constitutional history. The deal as it now stands is also opposed by Manitoba and New Brunswick. Bouchard, who is Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s Quebec li even the possibility of a constitutional deal being struck without Newfoundland, in much the same way the 1982 Constitution was patriated without Quebec. Newfoundland Premier Clyde Wells dismissed such remarks as silly and irresponsible. “4t’s—an-—attempt to brand Newfoundland as somehow the one province that is stopping the Meech Lake accord,”’ Wells stated “It’s not just Newfoundland."’ However, backers of the embattled accord were in- censed over Newfoundland’s act **A useless provocation,”’ was how Mulroney termed ‘Wells’s move. Referring to Wells's statement that he hopes Newfoundland’s action won't seriously damage Canada, the prime minister said grimly: ‘‘He better hope he's right.”” But if the prognosis for Meech looked gloomy at week's end, it was not exclusively Newfoundland’s doing. The vote in Quebec’s legislature =a rare ocassion where the separatist Parti Quebecois and the governing Liberals joined forces — all but shut the door on a com- proimse proposal being peddied by New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna. ‘SPLITTING OFF’ In Winnipeg, provincial New Democratic Party leader Gary Doer, an opponent of the accord, said a lack of political leadership in Ottawa was resulting in “regions of Canada splitting off."" “We're at a very critical juncture and the lack of federal leadership distressed me greatly,’’ Doer said. Jim Horsman, Alberta’s deputy premier, said he ob- jected to talk-of splitting up the confederation. ‘‘It’s very harmful. I hope that we can get back to a more reasoned approach,”’ he said. But on the other hand I can see how frustrated Quebec must be, a province reneging on an signed by the premier and then rescinding it — it’s a very dangerous move Mr. Wells has undertaken.”” -PM calls GST election help OTTAWA (CP) — The goods and services tax will help the Conservatives win the next election, Brian Mulroney said Friday as Albertans’ complaints about the measure still rang in his ears. The Tories have sunk to record lows in public opinion polls — 17 per cent of decided voters.as of March 22 — and polls suggest up to 80 per cent of Canadians oppose the tax. But the prime minister said the Liberals have no proposals of their own to replace the existing 13.5 per cent manufacturers’ tax. “Given the choice during an election campaign between a party that took the tough decisions and a party that chose to hide'its head in the sand, Canadians will vote for the Conservatives,"’ Mulroney-said -in the Commons. Murloney had just returned from _a-visit-to-Alber- ta, home of some of the most bitter and widespread criticism of the tax. proposal. “We were elected by the people of Canada to lead and not to follow,’ he-said as the federal government gets ready to terminated Commons debate on the tax. PLANS TO LEAD ““We are going to lead even though it means the government accepting a substantial degree of un- popularity, because doing what is right for the nation often times means doing things that are difficult and unpopular.”’ The government has restricted debate on the tax lo two more—days, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday Thert the legislation will go to the Liberal- dominated Senate where it is expected to get a rocky ride The new tax, to replace the manufacturer’s sales tax, isto take effect next Jan. 1 While the government plans to hustle the tax through the Commons, a group of unions, churches and lobby groups will canvas almost 10,000 shopping plazas, transit stops and plant gates across the country this weekend. Canada, Poland sign economic agreements WARSAW (CP) — Deputy Prime Minister Don Mazankowski erided a three-day official visit to Poland by signing a wide-ranging series of other officials during his visit Mazankowski said Canada wants to increase trade with’ Poland and thus help the Poles earn the money Projects also will be initiated to modernize the Polish dairy industry, including the establishment of a model Canadian dairy farm in Poland economic agreements Friday between Poland and Canada. “Canada’s presence here reflects our interest in Poland and in dropped its insistence that a Germany be neutral, but still insists that Germany not be in NATO. Baker and Shevardnadze lowered Europe,"’ Mi i told a news conference at the Council of Ministers building after signing a $30-million package of guarantees for Canadian Washington border points into Canada, the g of state said Friday , ““We have a commitment as a result of the free trade agreement and out of negotiations we’ve had with our Canadian friends that we will try to have as open a border as possible,"’ Gov. Booth Gardner told repor- ters outside a congressional hearing on border crossing delays. that presi Bush and Gorbachev will sign a treaty sharply reducing intercontinental nuclear weapons xhen they meet in Washington beginning May 30. But they held out hope that all or most major issues will be resolved by then. Mazankowski, who was accom- panied by 29 Canadian businessmen, held talks with Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, President Wojciech Jaruzelski, Finance Minister Leszek Balcerowicz, Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and they need to repay their $40-billion in foreign debt “*The more trade with Poland, the better chances are for rescheduling of Poland's debts,"’ he said Canada is Poland's fourth-largest creditor, he said Mazankowski also signed an agreement on co-operation in agriculture aimed at modernizing Polish farms. It provides $2 million for training 100 Polish farmers in management, starting in June Another project, involving the Canadian company Semtex, is aimed at upgrading Polish cattle herds The Polish company Unitra, which produces radios, signed a contract with Memotec Data Inc. to produce sophisticated electronic equipment under licence. Memotec will also offer the latest telecommunications technology to the Polish market. “This agreement will bring the newest technology to Poland, said Adam Bardach, Memotec’s vice president Polish Radio and Radio Canada n- ternational also announced an on a daily ange of programs. aa SN Ne maa ae