WEDNESDAY October 13, 1993 PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG SHARLENE IMHOFF CATHERINE ROSS EDITOR ADVERTISING REP. JOHN VAN PUTTEN NICOLE BEETSTRA SPORTS REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER ADVERTISING REP. KAREN KERKHOFF CHRISTINE MOYER REPORTER PRODUCTION MANAGER MARGE LALONDE TRICIA LAKTIN CIRCULATION MANAGER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT SHAUNA KATTLER OFFICE MANAGERICLASSIFIEDS: Direct Department Phones General Office med 365-5266 Circulation 365-5266 Classified Ads 365-7848 Display Advertising 365-2278 Newsroom 365-5579 Fax 465 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, B.C. VIN 1G8 IS POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT AND A MEMBER OF THE STERLING NEWS SERVICE Established November 28, 1990 Published by Sterling rs Lid Wednesda Member of Canadian Community N Ws Association. B.C. Community Newspapers Association and B.C. Press Council Publications Mail Registration pending editorial comment Is this the end of the ride? ¢ countdown is on no, not until the | opening pitch of tonight’s Blue Jays game, something a whole lot less exciting, but far more important to Castlegar residents — the munici- pal election What? You say you're sick and tired of reading yet another story or column about elections, either federal or municipal? Well, hold on tight, because stories and opinion Pieces about elections are in vogue right now or at least they will be until November 20. This particular editorial comment is designed to ask a question of the readers it serves First, some basic and well-known facts: there was no such thing as smooth sailing for anyone on city council in the last two and a half years. In fact, the political upheavals in Castlegar throughout this time have resulted in massive changes, most of them good and were a long-time in com ing From the rise of CURB to the revelations of the Price Waterhouse Report, city councillors were forced to see things differently, and most impomant, act differently. Things were so tumultuous in Castlegar, it grabbed province-wide attention. And it still does Great things are happening in the Kootenays, and the brightest light of all is shining in our own city. The mistakes, upheavals and incredible controver- Sies of these last two years have Paved the way for some good fortune. Those were the basic facts. Now the question : Still riding high on our wave of change and Progress, not to mention the controversies that kept everyone talking over morning coffee, wouldn’t it be a major let-down to have city council candidates win their seats by default? In other words, if, by this Friday, only six people have declared their intentions to run for council, there won't be an election for city councillors. It won't be needed. Everyone will just take their seats in the council chamber and the first set of recom- mendations will be under discussion Business as usual. No candidates. No tue election. No real democra- cy. No fun. It would be a disappointing end to a rollercoaster ride that lasted just over two years. So, residents of Castlegar, we have Just three days left in which to convince our Peers to run for office. It takes a lot of courage to run for office, stand up for ideals or take the heat from people who do nothing but complain. It’s a tall order: long hours, night meetings, thank- less people and the pay is nothing to jump up and down about. But if people really care about where this city is headed, then taking part in this Process should be something to seriously consider. Thumbs up to people like Brenda Binnie, Ron Amnbruster, Kirk Duff and Bob Pakula — all of whom are running for a seat on city council Now, all we need are three more People on this list and we'll have a real election for city councillors on our hands. And that will make for some great editorials —_— ERRORS: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for | damages ansing out of errors in any advertisement beyond the | amount paid for the space actually occupied by that portion of the advertsement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise... and there shail be no liability tor 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 John Why shouldn't we While I haven't ventured out for several years, it is high on my list of things to do for this, the 1993 edition of Halloween. All area houses be forewarned there will be one older trick or treater knocking on you door. The main reason for my motivation is not the candy, but the basic modern concept behind it all What's the harm in it all? | fail to see where you are coming from on this (not Surprising). Think about it Karen, for the most part each and every day peo- ple put up a facade as they lead normal ordinary lives. They get dressed, go to work at a job they can't stand and appear as if they are enjoying themselves. This is your one chance to cross that line and dress up as anything your little heart desires and get away with it If it was July 17, and you saw people walking around, dressed up as Dracula, a ghost, a witch or even 4 pumpkin you would think to yourself they have really lost it, but on this one day of the year we can get away with it The roots and historical sig- nificance of Halloween is based long in our past. These are the 90's and we have progressed to the point where we celebrate this occasion in an entirely dif- ferent light For one day each year we can dress up as anything we want and visit our neighbors. The underlying amusement comes Time out for trick or treat? when you successfully complete the task of knocking on, a door and get away with a treat, but the homeowner had know idea who it was at their door. That in itself, the successful “Trick” instills a major sense of accomplishment for any veteran Halloween participant For the most part Karen, you have portrayed the basic party- Pooper role, with your views against something as harmless as dawning a costume for an evening of innocent fun. I'd hate to see what you have to say about other highly regarded international holidays. I'd can say you are a real Grinch in the truest sense of the word. That's exactly the kind of response I would expect out of you John! I suspect the reason you feel so strongly about this is that you still get dressed up and go out begging for treats. Tell the truth now. You still do that, don't you? You know, it’s not that I'm a spoil sport or anything like that, but while trick or treating might have been an innocent and non- threatening activity years ago, (yes John, when I was a kid), it no longer is valid in these frightening times. All a person has to do is pick up a paper on November | to find out what I am talking about. There are people out there who are sick, sick, sick, and those very same people delight in spiking Halloween candy with things that were not meant to go into little childrens’ mouths, And if that isn’t enough to scare you, what about the drivers out there who, in the best of times, are a menace, on the roads? Do you really think those drivers will be dodging the little ghosts and goblins who will be making their way down the roads? When I was a kid, for the most part, trick or treating was a fairly safe activity (and we sure used to get a lot more goodies than today's kids do). But in today’s times, there really is no reason for-the kids to go door- to-door begging. Community halls, fire departments and other community organizations have begun organizing activities where kids can go and have a good, safe time. When the kids return with their bag of goodies, which have been distributed by trustworthy individuals, a parent can be assured that the candy bar inside of the bag contains only what it-is supposed to—not such dangerous items as poison or razor blades. There is also another side of Halloween which a lot of peo- ple don't think about. Where did the pagan: ritual of worship- Ping or dressing up as witches, devils, ghouls, and ghosts come from anyway? I can see the ritu- al starting in the 1800s when witches were the talk of the day—but really, isn’t it about time we started giving away rit- uals which no longer are valid? If you have any Ss orq Call the newsroom at 365-5579 or fax us your th about this week's Cheek to Cheek, feel free to send us your comments in a letter to the editor c/o The Castlegar Sun. if you have a subject that you would like to see debated in the Cheek to Cheek column, Karen and John would love to hear your suggestions. S$ and s at 365-7762 inota derails Harcourt train All it took was one meeting with the Sierra Club's hit-woman, Vicky Husband and Sihota was in the camp of those who would all but shut down the province's forest industry. Hardly an encouraging develop- ment for anyone clinging to the belief that the forest industry is still vital to British Columbia's economic well-being Funny thing happened to our new The air waves were still reverberat that he would take a stronger hand and improved “hands-on” premier on the way to his new and improved image last week. He tripped over his new and improved environment minister. ing with Premier Harcourt's pledge in the governing of this province Wednesday, October 13,1993 ene Adm datachieetad Xs The Castlegar Sun Letters to the Editor Already too many Dear Editor: en a Progressive Conservative longer than the present candi dates, My dad was a Conservative before me. I was selected to represent onal 4-H Conference in Washington, DC in les were marshalled at Ottawa where F Minister Diefenbaker met us for lunch and a short briefing and tour of character confirmed my Conservative loyalty shamed to say I voted Conservative last election When Kim Campbell was Justice Minister, I thought her bare shoul der picture behind the gown was kind of cute. I actually thought she may be all-right, but when she said that ordinary Canadians should not be allowed to vote on the recent “Meech Lake” Referendum because they were too i, horant, I dropped my lo: alty. Her utterances indicating that she would like to discuss her problems with her peers if find any further dis enchants me! I British Columbia at the N. 1959. The provincial de Parliament. This gr until now. Now I a good” for the House of Commons. Everywhere a sign! Dear Editor: Recently I have travelled through Kootenay country on route west to Vancouver and was shocked to discover the number of P.C., Reform, Liberal, etc signs on public Property and along the most popular roadsides One interesting thing that has come to my attention is that I haven't seen any NDP signs along the roadside and was very pleased to learn that the reason’ for this is that New Democrat Policy is to maintain Sign posting on private properties exclusively as signs on private ‘property rep- resent NDPers votes and those households which support ‘the party’. Is this indiscriminate placing of other parties signs indicative of anything? Robin Watson Whose deficit? The Editor: On April 1, 1993. the Conser valive government of Bnan Mul roney and Kim Campbell passed a new tax law (Bill 92)'‘which extended, for decades, a multi billion dollar tax holiday for Canada’s richest families which the Liberals established - 21 years ago In 1972 the Liberals granted a “temporary” (twenty-one-year) capital gains tax holiday for fam. ily trusts in order to “protect” trust beneficiaries until 1993 following the abolition of the federal inheritance tax This Liberal-Conservative tax holiday for the richest Canadians has cost the government - and ordinary Canadian taxpayers billions and billions of dollars in lost revenue - and higher taxes over the years. And now it will lawyers in Ottawa The cost to Canadians for MP's wages and perks is another wwyravat ing point to me, Why should an MP be able to quit or retire ‘after 6 years Of service with over $50,000.00 Pension regardless of age when the rest of Canadians have to wait for old ay ind then accept an almost sustainable amount? No wonder so many lawyers want to be MP's When Kim Campbell was asked about the 3x year old ex-MP that quit after 6 years with $56,000 indexed pension, she said she would look into it. We know what that means. It doesn't mean she Il change it! The Reform Party is the only one that wants Canada to remain democratic Canadian and eliminate the debt by ehminating the unnec essary frivolous perks MP's have continued to ¢ nyoy at such a tremen. dous tax burden on the working people Sorry, Blair | know you are a Pretty good guy, but we already have too many lawyers in Ottawa. This time I have to vote Reform. Preston Manning may not be a great speaker, but at least he is sincere Jack Williamson he could am, afraid she may be just “too Scare tactics on seniors despicable Dear Editor: As a senior I'm outr: at the blatant attack on the intellig of older: dians. Do the politi- cal parties really believe that people reach some specific age and their reasoning powers disappear and they become doddering old fools? How dare they think they can do silly magic acts or hire television actors to discuss a lot of lies to terrify us seniors into voting for them! Come on seniors, how many of us on pension have an annual income of $54,000 or more? I think most of us oldsters still have the intelligence to know the difference between our Old Age Security Isabel Gerrard cheques and our Canada Pension cheques. No one gl 1s going to touch our CPP no matier what our income, is. As for Medicare, if our government continues to spend Canada into bankruptcy it is guaranteed there will be no Medicare for anyone. The party that the negative ads are directed at has explained what must be done to preserve Medicare. " Don’t let anyone manipulate “you and insult your intelligence. Read all the facts and cast your vote in a dignified manner based on intelligent reason. ing, not out of fear based on slanderous terror- mongering ads. Green message is growing! Dear Editor There is an exciting probability that the West Kootenays will send a surprising message to the world on October 25, by voting in Canada’s first Green Party M.P! Jack Ross is eme rgmeg from the crowd of candidates as an indi vidual of immense personal stature, integrity, compassion and committment to the, values and issues which reflect the uniqueness of the West Koote nays,,and the wonderful people who live here Not since the Bert Herridge era have we seen a politician who is so attuned to the grass roots political will of the. broad spectrum of working people in our forests and villages and micro cities. The Green Party may be politi cally immature, but Jack Ross is the party’s most consummately mature representative and with a Phd in Social Psychology and Political Science, and a life time of work for world peace and social justice and ecologically ethical resource management to his credit Many of us in the Kootenays got to know Jack through his dedicated effort to ensure that | Dear Editor: For those who say we should stick with “the devil we know” during the upcoming election, reminds me of the so-called experts who urged Canadians to vote “Yes” in last years Referendum and hinted at dire conse quences in the event of a “No” vote. The Reform Party urged Canadians to vote no and truly reflected the wishes of the ordinary Canadian citizen The more that voters inform*themselves of the Reform Party's position on important issues, the more they will be inclined to vote for them. This applies across the coun try and issues such as the deficit, MP responsibility and justice reform are. not Typical roughshod prevented by Reformers limited to the West If enough voters express their displeasure with the three big parties “split” vote. A large number of Refotm MPs in the next parliament will keep the Conser. vatives or Liberals from running roughshod over the Canadian people . there will be no Chris Rehwald the principles of non-violent action and humour prevail when civil disobedience seems unavoidable in our fulfillment of the responsibilities of citizenship in democracy. If you have concern for world peace, for the right to protect your children from exposure to carcinogenic, teratogenic and fetal toxic chemicals, for secure land and resource based lifegyle At and livelihood rather than tra | Sient jobs,.and that the earth may continue to maintain the condi- lions necessary for survival, you will wit to seriously consider voting for Jack Ross. Among voters I've: spoken with all over the riding, Jack Ross appears to hold the lead in popularity You don't have to be a green party member to vote for Jack Ross. I'm not a member of any political party but I'm sure Jack Ross is the right person to represent the Kootenays and it’s unique people. Get to know Jack and I think you'll agree Canada’s first Green M.P..is certainly going to put the West Kootenays on the map! G.T. McIntyre Wine & Beer Making Centre Start your party supplies Come see us at 926 Columbia Ave. Nelson Castlegar 352-3711 365-3839 All Our Best Fr Castlegar Foods PRICES EFFECTIVE SUN. OCT. 10 TO SAT. OCT. 16, 1993 Castlegar Foods - 635 Columbia Ave., Castlegar © 365-5755 Made in store Gov't. inspected PORK SAUSAGE or sausage patties © 3.05 kg 14 kg. © Family $139 $188 Old Time Favourite PORK BUTT STEAK'| RUMP ROA 1 Outside Round ¢ 6.35 $4788 ST TURKEY BREAST lity Dale Sea Haul Canada No. 1 [7 Cpalleg when he was blind-sided by Moe Sihota. In a speech to the Juan de Fuca Chamber of Commerce, Sihota launched a scathing attack on the forest industry. Contrary to widely- held public opinion, the industry, Sihota said, was still making a terrible mess of the environment Current forest practices, he said, included large-scale clearcuts, which waste lower grade trees and damage salmon streams. “Compounding these terrible Practices is the fact that the provincial government has allowed for a system of sympathetic administration, in which they turn a blind eye to some of these terrible behaviours and Practices in the forest industry,” Sihota said To say that he put the cat amongst the pidgins would be an understatement. Just a week before, Harcourt had - done his best to convey to the public an image of being the man in charge. Mistakes, he said, had been made, but his new team of cabinet ministers had received firm instructions to follow his marching orders. And along comes Sihota, who was thought to have been safely tucked away in a ministry that, until now, didn't have a great deal of Power and influence over cabinet decision, and derails the premier's train. Asked for reaction, Harcourt tried to play down the damage done by Sihota, calling him “an impetuous new minister in the first week of his new assignment.” And saving reporters the time to call up the word impetuous in their electronic thesauruses, the premier defined it for them “Impetuous means that sometimes the minister makes statements without prepared text before him and sometimes his words don’t accu- rately describe the situation,” Harcourt said I looked it up anyway, and the definitions were a little more explicit They’ included: blind, hasty, headlong, uncontrolled, rash, unreasonable and irrational. I have a hunch that Harcourt used all of the above words and then some in his private chat with Sihota to explain how he feels about his new environment minister's statements Come to think of it, I don’t feel too good about them myself, consid- ering that upon Sihota's appointment I wrote that the militant environ- mental brigade had better hold its applause because Sihota wasn’t about to let himself be greened. So much for my predictions Next day, Sihota appeared largely unrepentant, although he allowed that “my youthful enthusiasm sometimes Bets the better of me” and that it might be a good idea “to put in check a Provocative statement.” Aside from that, he stood by what he said. British Columbia needs higher forest practices standards, tougher enforcement and heavier penalties. Sihota’s ill conceived Stalgments damaged more than the new image the premier and his pin doctors are so desperately trying to create. In one speech, he torpedoed and sank every effort the government has made to convince critics here and abroad that British Columbia is not the Brazil of the North Since he delivered his broadside at his boss and the forest industry, Phones at his office have been ringing off the hook, and the mail is Pouring in Every environmental activist in the Province appears to be pledging support and allegiance to Sihota. The problem is that the environmental vote isn’t going to carry the day for the NDP in the next election. Pandering to the eco vote, which has been feeling alienated by the government's environmental Policies in general and the Clayoquot Sound decision in Particular, won't make one bit of difference come election time . The only hope the NDP has of getting re-elected is to dispel the impression that it is a party for special interest groups, because that’s Precisely what it is right now. 5 If Harcourt is serigus about playing a more active réle in his govern- ment, he must make it clear to Sihota and any other minister who might want to step out of line that there's no shortage of candidates for cabinet on the backbench Failing to do so makes his Promise of a new approach meaningless political rhetoric Hubert Beyer is a veteran news reporter who covers B.C Politics from the Victoria legislative press gallery. Buyer, 58, takes @ special interest in issues affecting communities in the B.C. interior AS a writer, he spent six years at the Winnipeg Free Press and 12 years at the Daily Colonist in Victoria The Castlegar Sun's My Turn column will appear next Wednesday. cost you and the government even more - perhaps as much as two to five billion dollars a year Who benefits? Here’s an example: According to court records, a trust estab. lished by the late Samuel Bronf- man for Phyllis Bronfman had a value of about $70 million in 1969. In 1993, that trust alone would have a value of over $600 million even if it had been kept 213g he PINK SALMON T 29 Russett ® 50 |b. box SLICED white @ whole cat ® 570g Canada No. 1 See DEFICIT 6A CASTLEGAR JEWELLERY REPAIRS 2721 Columbia Ave (next to IGA) 365-6450 TriVe Tri V © 20kg DRY DOG Foop $9.99 CANNED DOG FOOD $6 case COOKING © 25.lb. bag 719 Baking time TENDERFLAKE LARD California Giawh Fresh 454q Quaker NOW PAYING TOP PRICES FOR PINE MUSHROOMS OPEN DAILY 3:00 - 8:00 p.m. L_ QUICK OATS Cannister ® 1.19 kg 148 Kelloggs CORN FLAKES 400 g $188 2 LITRE MILK Limit 2 remost SUNSHINE FLOUR sees Limit 1 each with $25 grocery order Overlimit Price $3.99 199 Bill Gordon 2533 Colview RD Robson, B.C. PHONE: 365-2906 We reserve the right to limit quantities. HOURS: Mon. - Thurs., & Sat. 9 - 6, Fri. 9-8 OPEN SUNDAYS * 10AM-5 PM