CASTLEGAR NEWS, Thursday, January 9, 1975 Sugor and Spice by Bill Smiley Former Classmates Honor Bride-Elect Charlcite Brown: “Here let the press the people's CASTLEGAR NEWS Burt Cai ) Publisher ral righta maintain, unawed by influence and unbribed by zuin” . Page Four — Thursday, January 9, 1978 High Priority for a Valley Water Supply At the time of this, our first Issue of the Castlegar News for thls new year of 1975, it is perhaps a good idea to reflect just a litte bit on the year just past and look stead into the year that lies ahead. By any standards, 1974 was a good year: © Our then new city underwent its’ birth pains, the melding of the two former towns into one comprehensive administrative unit went well, and our, council spent many long and, perhaps, unappreciated hours planning for the future of our community, © A bylaw for a new community centre and recreational complex received voter approval, ending a controversial issue that had divided our communities and the two electoral districts for several years, © A huge bylaw for a sewerage system received the approval of voters in the Kinnaird area of our new city, although only by a hair's width. e Rossland-Trail MLA Chris D'Arcy an- nounced the good news that a third (and final) contract on the Kinnaird-Salmo highway would be awarded in June, 1975, with completion of the “missing link” scheduled for the fall of 1976. © The Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce experienced a rebirth under new and vigorous leadership and undertook several ambitious projects, notably a public opinion Weare rapidly becoming an urbanized community (the stupid land freeze in the Ootischenia area notwithstanding). And as the pace of change has accelerated, our way of living has become more complex. However, now is the * time to. anticipate future problems and thelr solutions. It would be easy for our elly counctl, the Chamber of Commerce, our service clubs and, yes, our citizens, to sit back and say “we did our bit in 1974, now let's watch the results of our labor come to fruition.” ‘This Is an altitude that mustn't be allowed to develop. Asa wellknown Washington Stzty spokes- man commented not too tong ago: “We can't do anything about the past, because it's already - happened.” But, he added: “We not enly can shape our future, we have a responsihility to do so. Once we couldn't do more than react to events, Today we have the technology and the opportunity, to make history happen as we want it.” Ttappears to us that the only important big issue left to be solved In this area is that of a ~ water supply sufficient to meet the immediate and long-term needs of our valley. With the development of such a system, land presently in a state of stagnation would become available for industrial, residential and commercial develop- ment, Employment opportunities would in- crease, our tax base would be broadened, and of which, ly; are slow in belng made public), © The National Exhibition Centre adjacent to the Doukhobor Village started to tz«’: on shape as this federally-funded project became a reality thanks to the determination and dedication of a small group of local citizens, At the same time, the Doukhobor Village itself continued to grow into what is fast becoming # major tourist attraction. Selkirk College completed its first year withthe Nelson Vocational School and Kootenay School of Art under its umbrella—an apparently successful undertaking, As well, construction got underway on the long-awaited campus gymnasium. : If we can take one lesson from this past, busy year, it is this: we can no longer afford to approach our future haphazardly. pment could become the order of the day. Mr. D'Arcy ‘has introduced a private member's bill in the provincial legislature which appears to be an excellent piece of legislation, It would provide government financial assistance for community water system development where the total costs prove too onerous for local property ‘taxation. It will be a bit of a test of the regard in which Mr. D'Arcy is held by the government he. supports as to how the government decides to react to his bill, If it models legislation of its own after the bill, then a big hurdle will have been passed on the road towards a valley waler supply. In any event, at the end of 1975, let it be said that it was during this calendar year that concrete steps were taken to make such a valley water system a reality, », Ever: Wonder What Happens to: the Refund? fe it} being greedy to chase after something that’ belongs to you, even ‘tho you're already better off than anyone else? If Ottawa gives Victoria up to a million bucks a year, with the apparent intent that it be given asa cash refund to the people of the West Kootenay and South Okanagan regions, is it fair that Victoria turns around and gives it to everybody except those people? Does it make any difference that Victoria has ignored the Act of Parliament that spells out the above refund, not just once, but every year for the past nine years? A little research has uncovered Bill C-211, passed by the House of Cammons on July 1, 1966, which states quite clearly that 95 per cent of the income tax paid by West Kootenay Power is to be paid back to the province, which in turn shall give it back to the utility “for its own use and benefit". West Kootenay says that means. paying it back to the customer. Our neighbor to the east, Calgary Power, receives its money, and the refund is marked each. month-as-a.deduction-on the customer's * power bill. West Kootenay Power is still waiting for its first. penny. ‘What happens to the refund? It goes into general revenue for the province, which means * you might say we get a little back for such things as recreation projects, schools, hospitals, highways, ete. But if you like to keep things in neat categories, it makes a lot more sense to say that the money is spent on rural electrification— for BC. Hydro customers! Hydro gets two million from the province for that purpose. Let's say Victoria is getting $900,000 a year which belongs to West Kootenay Power (the amount is somewhere between $750,000 and $1,000,000). With 60,000 customers, the average refund would be $15 per customer per year, or $1.25 off each bill, Seeing we pay about half as much for power as Hydro customers anyway, maybe it’s worth it, for a buck anda quarter, to stick our collective thumb to our collective nose while facing in a westerly direction,—Trail Times KOOTENAY bid New Year's Clean-up Tius is. the time of the year for “out with tl old, in with the new, honestly did (ry to do this, Tut IL was hopeless. Tot bg down, right, up to ol. ‘ins my) first rh of the old, my year-end ny minutes of sorting and tidying, Hut you are, not ted with my writing fi : Perhaps you ‘remember, the myth about” Hercules cleaning gut the “Augean diverted the, flow of two rivers through the stables, and lot they were cleansed, ‘That was child's play compared to cleaning off my des also 1 am no eh side of my... sits a tectering stack of papers that reaches approximately to my head, when Lam sitting at my machine. Huddled between. them, like a sparrow: be- tween two huge tomcats, squats the Lypewriler, jecasionally, one of the small family) and) are: minder that 1am) due’ at veleran’s hospital fora chest Xray (whieh forget all about), f definite way af handling those piles, Mis: collanvous put back on the desk. Over The Hill, which contains anything more than six years ol, sgoes tas thy wastobaskt Olt Crank stack of fétters: from tons peaple who don't oars Noods Further Study. goes hack on the desk, right on top of Miscellancaus, | Lavok Into This goes hack on the desk on” top of Needs Further Study, Next on the pile on. the desk Th Te Dealt With — Sametime, ‘Then J lift the whole pile ant slide underneath it, Lat the bottom, if you'll ton the expression, ‘To Answered Definitely In ‘Year Ir. And then, carefully and City Names Committees (continued from page 1) (Mr. Shutek), special events and Doukhobor Historical Soci- (Mr. Selbie). Chairman Ald. Audrey and recreation piles, ike a glacier, slits My wife picks up the mess, and muttering under her breath, jams it back on the desk. She's forbidden to disturb anything there, or even to dust il.) That's the main reason the piles are two feet highe 1 do allow hy - :0 dust the front of the desk, where the drawers are. Trouble is, she's so an- noyed she piles the stuff, back in any old order. This. causes a problem when I dec to clear the desk at i the first letter. It farmer sil 4 stand for the beet farmer, a is dated 1962, That sug- gests that ‘the last time I cleaned my, desk was. in, 1961. 10 also pases” questions.” What was my stand on the beef farmer in 1962?) Il bet it was a little sweeter than my attitude: toward’ sirloin steak prices today. Was the letter ever answered? Who knows? So I put it in the stack labelled Who Knows, This turns out to he the biggest of the many piles 1 lay out on the floor. ‘The other piles bear such esoteric labels as: To Be Dealt Wil Sometime; Needs Further Study; Look Into This; Silly Old Cranks; Answered Definitely In The New Year; Compli- mentary: Over The Hill; and so on. e second largest stack is called Miscellancous because I don't know where. else to put these items. Under the fast item go such things as: a Passport application form; a hill from the Strand Palace, London, England; a Christmas card from my insurance agent: a test for Grade 11; an offer to 4o the Smiley family tree for P (Mr. Livingstone), water study (Mr. Shutek), dog control (Mr. Jankola) and archives (Mr. Mosby), Chairrian Ald. Allen Selbie —bylaws (Mr . Livingstone), sanitation, service clubs and Kinnaird Hall (Mr. Jankola), public‘ health (Mr. Rust) and library (Mr. Livingstone). Each alderman shall serve as acting mayor when required for a period of two months in the following alphabetical “or- der: Mr. Jankola, January and Fehruary; Mr. Livingstone, March and April; Mrs. Moore, May and June; Mr. Rust, July and August; Mr. Selbfe, Sep- tember and October and: Mr. ._ Shutek, November and Decem- ber. + States, asking where a copy dolieately, 1 plaee on top of the pilv the: stack labelled Complimentary. ‘This con: tains the letters TP have * received from those splen- dil, intelligent people. who ulmire my wile or kids or umn, IT know they should, thrown out. But surely you wouldn't deny a chap a Tittle ointment for ‘his. ego, any more than you would begrudge an old lady a seat inthe chimney corner, where the fire can warm her. -CALDSET ia Ltd. & 1 dre Ltd. General, Store and SPEEDQUEEN LAUNDRY — HOURS — Monday thro Saturday — 8.30 a.m. to 10.20 p.m. Sunday —9 a.m. to 10,90 p.m, 1038 Columbia Avenue — Phone 365-6534 “The piles beside the type- ww only a foot hy anil it has ike Ttome was as some. i markerl. One ond thing came out af this year's sorting, 1 re: mbered that 1 had re- ta letter frum Harry Hensilfoot, author of Ten fat Years, a compelling book about the d WANTED TO RENT. Rental accommodation including houses, apart- ments, housekeeping suites, rooms is required for Cominco emptoyees. Please telephone 364-4330, = ig “written a column about READ THE CLASSIFIED- ADS No. 1 couldn’ find his letter, Tt must have wan- dered into the Miscellaneous or somewhere. But. the memory of his letter made me remember that I'd had at east ten letters from all ‘over the country, and the. might be obtained. No, I couldn't find these letters either. Hut the memory of them reminded me of-what Barry. Broadfoot wrote In’ his letter.) He’s writing another called: The Pioneer Years, and he wondered if I would ask in my column for. the names of oldtimers who. were spry and interesting, su that ‘he ‘could ‘interview them, So there you are, every: body. Send the! names: of pry, interesting aldtners, of cither sex, Hroadfoot, care ow poubie, day” Publishers, 105. Bond * Sit, Toronto, Ont. MSB 1Y3. ‘And the same people will be happy to provide you with a Ly WY SELKIRK COLLEGE MASSAGE WORKSHOP. This workshop, designed for individuals in’. the health field, will provide’ an opportunity. to learn how to give a good massage as ‘8 means of maintaining skin integrity and promating, body | relaxation anda sense of well being. Registra tion limited ‘to forty people... Registered) !nurses will be given fitst priority. A knowledge of ana- tomy and physiology is essential. RESOURCE PERSON: Mary. Chepman, Regis: tered Masseuse. Graduate of the Canadian College of Massage and Hydrotherapy. DATE: Saturday, January 25, 1975 PLACE: Selkirk College, Room M-14 COST: $5.00 nein “unch) or $7.50 (with lunch) NOTE: Write or phone for a registration form. and’ detailed” program’ outline. Contact the De- partment of Continuing Education, Selkirk College, Box 1200, Castlegar, B.C. or phone 365-7292. copy of Ten Lost Years. PUBLIC MEETINGS AND INQUIRY INTO. GERRARD HIGHWAY ALTERNATIVES © -The Minister of Highways has commissioned an Inquiry to make recommendations on highway alternatives at Gerrard. Tavent pocuioest tote pas imbya dtothes become solled quickly, teem. Hot wat wold the i Te amazing just how much Resta aundry one small bab } id to {oad i guid use 1 ditional oben a and pautels are + wo quickly soited. i tton crib sheets, pads, i; bi and sturdy white cottons can all be washed together. Hot water and Borateem-Plus used irected will combine to Balp yonavorg that “grey look” so pennies with white cottons, colored sturdy items tcemvPlus added anton! with your favorite detergent, Heavy san be washed in luke- warm water or the warm of your washing machine. Tex- tured garments such as cordu- roy are best washed alone in & separate plo again on a “warm” Naturalists’ \ The fifth annual Christmas. bird count of the West Koote- nay Naturalists’ Association was held on Dec. 28 with 64 participants covering the area between Rossland and Kaslo, and recording more than 7,200 birds of 59 different’ species. Participants included 25 from Castlegar, under the leadership of local coordinator, Mel De ‘Anna. included Varied Thrush and Pie-billed Grebe. Highest num- bers of a species seen were ? 2,488 Bohemian Waxwinga, fol- lowed by 1,757, American Coots. As compared with 1973, counts were down for Steller’s Jay, 183 to'27; for Black- capped Chickadee,’ 493 to 191 and for Evening Grosbeak, 271 to $4, Species ‘up'in numbers and ion-