October 13,1990 Castlegar News AS

Cas

a.

PAGE A4, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1990

(MEMBER OF THE 8.C. PRESS COUNCH

News

ESTABLISHED AUGUST 7, 1947
THE MIO-WEEK

CIRCULATION MANAG!

LV. CAMPBELL — PUBLISHER, AUGUST 7, 1947-FEBRUARY 15, 1973
PUBLISHER — Burt Campbell
EDITOR — pia ol
PLANT FOREMAN —

ADVERTISING MANAGER “Waynes Stolz
OFFICE MANAGER — Linda Kositsin —
MANAGER — Heather Hadiey ———

TWICE WEEKLY MAY 4, 1980
12,

EDITORIAL

Second look at
park bylaw wise

Castlegar gy ay did the wise thing last week by sending back

@ prop

bylaw that would close

ae parks oreroea the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The bylaw, as proposed, states ‘‘every person who violates any
provision of this bylaw”’ if found guilty shall be liable for a fine of up
to $2,000 or imprisonment up | to six months. It is designed to give the

d clout in the that

RCMP some locally
has recently plagued city parks.

But the wording, particularly ‘‘every person,’’ and the proposed
hours of closure, had some council members worried,

Ald. Lawrence Chernoff, chairman of council’s protective services
committee which proposed the bylaw, is quite right to scoff at any
suggestions of heavily armed police swooping in on early | morning

joggers in city parks and hauling them off to jail. Obvi:

ly such a

bylaw, like other laws such as those contained in the Motor Vehicle
Act, would allow police a great deal of discretion in enforcement.

And we’re quite confident in the ability of our local RCMP of-
ficers to distinguish between a hoodlum with a can of spray paint and a
Person in a sweatsuit out for an early morning trot through the trees in

Kinnaird Park.

However, keeping the parks closed until 7 a.m. does seem a little
late in the morning and we agree with Ald. Patti Richards that on long,
hot summer days it’s likely our parks will be in use after 10 p.m.

Therefore, a reduction in the hours of closure would seem

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PERSPECTIVES

Tories have bad-news week

CP News Analysis

By LARRY WE!

OTTAWA (CP) — It was an in-
credible week of bad news for the
economy and the Conservative gover-
nment.

Three of the most powerful

leading independent
think-tank said the federal gover-
nment has created the first. made-in-
Canada recession.
And thousands of workers will
have to scramble for new jobs in a
shrinking economy after Air Cafiada

Michael Wilson and Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney have refused to use
the R-word — recession — but even

Economy slowing down

the government's economic adviser
said last week the federal fight against
inflation was mainly to blame for a
declining economy.

Wilson concedes the economy is
going through a slow period —
something he predicted in his last
federal budget.

But he said the issue of whether a
recession is under way is a ‘
question.”’

Denn

pounced on Wilson's response to
growing hog _ economic
of
Canadians losing ti their jobs, homes
and businesses don’t believe it’s a silly
q

juestion.

Canadians will be sickened by the
callous and heartless evasion of the
basic question by the minister of

finance,’’ Opposition Leader Herb
Gray thundered in the Commons.

“Canadians will want to know why
he is so unwilling to say the R-word.
They’re not going to wash out his
mouth with soap if he states the facts
and says the word recession,"’ said
Gray.

The rule of thumb among

is that a ion happens ‘

have a technical recession,’’ Wilson
said Friday.

But he won't say so until he sees a
final report on what happened to the
economy during July, August and
September.

Wilson suggested the word
recession should be reserved for when
the economy tips into a steep nosedive
and not used to describe a mild
decline.

The debate over the R-word is

when the economy shrinks during a
period of six months or more.
Statistics Canada has already repor-
ted the economy shrank at an annual
rate of 1.6 per cent during the second
quarter — April, May and June.
Wilson said in Edmonton last month
the economy may have declined again
during July, August and September,
“*If there is that decline in output in
the current quarter, then we would

to ds of
Canadians who will soon be looking
for new jobs.

Air Canada laid off 2,900 workers,
Cc ed Canadian ni
Railway announced a 20-per-cent cut
in its management staff of 7,300 and
Imperial Oil Ltd. said it will trim an
unspecified number of workers from
its staff of 15,250 through voluntary
layoffs.

REMEMBER WHEN

4 YEARS AGO
From the Oct. 12, 1950
Castle News

A meeting of the commissioners
was held at the village office on Oct.
10th. Routine business was discussed.
i permits were issued

Time to think

For many months now the majority of people
in the region have experienced much stress due to
the lengthy and Process sf with

to hear, and it is this quality in leaders that is the
primary reason politicians are held in low esteem in
society.

For the local NDP’s education, and to put

A provision in the proposed bylaw which exempts special events
from the closure is a good idea but we're disappointed to see that the
exemption is subject to a permit fee of $25. If council enacts the bylaw,
we think the use of public parks should remain free of charge, even if
an event goes beyond-the legislated closing time for the parks.

And we hope the city’s legal advisers can suggest some way around

the “‘every person’”’
under legal scrutiny.

Statement. It does sound rather
“every person without a reasonable explanation . . .’’

Perhaps

the cleanup and of the
Celgar pulp mill. Our media have been full of
criticism and innuendo. It is time to think for
ourselves.

The such an ii
to the total environment it is difficult to accept that

things i Mecch Lake, Oka and the GST
are all federal issues, and the Social Credit
government of Bill Vander Zalm is hardly
responsible for these fiascas.

What the Socreds are responsible for is the best
financial management of any province in the
country, good roads, a Progressive education

after a whole year there i is still no in
. The

would stand up

VIEWPOINT

Assessments
can be changed

Special to the Castlegar News
Homeowners who do not agree
with their 1991 and 1992 property
assessments which are now being
delivered do have recourse to action.

“If you're really not happy with
your assessment, don’t just throw up
your hands. These assessments will
Provide the basis upon which your
Property taxes will be based for the
next two years. It’s important that it
is a fair assessment and you as a
homeowner can make sure of that,”’
said Ozzie Jurock, president of
National Real Estate Service. ‘‘Don’t
be misled if the ‘actual value’
assessment reported on your
assessment notice is lower than what
you may believe to be the ‘market
value’ as of July 1990. The key is to
ascertain if the actual value
assessment on your property is fair
and reasonable in comparison with
similar properties within the same
general area.""

The ‘‘actual value’’ reported on
your assessment notice is based on the
assessor's estimate of the. most
Probable selling price for your
Property had it bees for sale on July
30, 1990. Based on this assessment,
your property taxes are calculated as
follows: gross property tax orale tax
rate times taxable value.

For most residential properties,
taxable value is the same as total
assessed value.

Most residential appraisers within
the B.C. Assessment Authority are
responsible for the ‘‘actual value’’

on several hundi
properties within their given area. As
professional and responsible as these
appraisers may be, they cannot be ex-
pected to be error-free in every in-

stance.

“Really, there is not sufficient time
to inspect each
property and to provide an objective
opinion based on local market con-
ditions, the uniqueness of a certain
Property or the varying degrees of
depreciation that may be involved or
specific to a given property or
location. This has been proven time
and again through previous successful
assessment appeals over the years,’’
Jurock said.

Lorrie Sherman, general manager
of the NRS appraisal division, agreed.

“You should be able to get your
assessment lowered, or at the very
least have your property reassessed."”

home’s dimensions are correct. Verify
the- property description, including
materials used, number and types of
rooms, and major features. The
record should include anything that
lowers a home's value, such as a poor
location, structural problems, un-
finished rooms, inadequate wiring,

* plumbing or heating, or other fun-

ctional inadequacies, such as small
kitchens or lack of an ensuite, etc.

* Recent sales prices. Properties
comparable to yours in terms of
house and lot size, architectural style,
and neighborhood may have changed
hands at or near the valuation date of
July 1990. If so, then you should
check their assessed ‘‘actual values’’
to the sale price to ascertain the in-
dicated ratio or multiplier that is most
apparent in your area. Then, apply
the assessment price ratio or the
multiplier to your assessment and if
the resultant value is not at or near the
market value of your property as of
July 1990, then you may have a strong
case for a successful appeal.

* Nearby property valuations. The
assessment of your property may be
too high compared with those of your
neighbors. Go through the assessment
records at your local assessor's office
to find out and compare what you are
paying. This information is readily
available to a taxpayer.

* Value of property additions or

Process will dictate
standards to be met. Noone is suggesting we accept
a mill that is less than the best possible. There are
times when each of us must trust.

I believe this is one of those times. Ceigar has
put great effort into a costly, comprehensive and
credible plan. The company has done an excellent
job explaining the proposal to all who wanted to
understand.

sound policy and health
care that doesn’t outstrip the taxpayers’ ability to
pay.

I have no desire to. in a saga of rebuttals with
Mrs. Stalker, so I'll end this debate with a couple of
Ed Conroy quotes and let readers decide
whether Solomon’s wisdom applies in this case: ‘‘. .
- better a poor man than a liar.” (Proverbs 19:22)
Perhaps I use too strong a reference; maybe Ed
Conroy and his party are just confused.

The i capacity provides of
scale while supplying the essential market for fibre
from local mills that is currently wasted or lost to
this region's economy. There are issues, for
example ‘‘allowable cut,’’ that must be addressed
for all our forests, but that is a separate matter that
should not delay this project.

Even if future allowable cuts are lowered
within reason, this project is feasible. The great

benefits are ied by the
significant benefits of job security. Modernization
usually means many fewer jobs but with increased
capacity there will be more direct jobs with all the
attendant indirect improvements such as service
jobs, housing requirements-and sales volumes.

The most noticeable change will be the greatly
reduced odor. Tourists will be more likely to get off
the main highway and visit this whole beautiful
region. Consider also the improved water quality.

For many years we have etperienced little or
no improvements in economic activity or
investment in our area. The Celgar modernization
is an opportunity for both significant
environmental and economic benefit. With
appropriate action from the ministries involved, we
should all be ‘‘winners.’’ Improvements to our
rural lifestyle combined with economic security
seems to me to be a dream come true.

Marilyn Mathieson
Castlegar

Flex not wanted
It’s hardly surprising the NDP would call the
exposure of the Mike Harcourt shuffle that Ed
Conroy has learned to do so well ‘“‘muckraking.”’
The truth is the NDP in its over-eager desire
for power will tell the various sectors of the
electorate what the NDP believes the people want

In ani with Simon Birch, editor of the
Castlegar News, when Conroy announced his
candidacy for the NDP nomination (Jan. 21, 1990),
he said, “‘more of the burden of providing the
basics of education is falling on the backs of
taxpayers . . . I'm of the opinion that we're almost
on the verge of a taxpayer revolt.”*

But, in the same interview, speaking about
government services, he said, ‘“There’s some things
the government has to supply that have no
relevancy to money, that are a service that people . .
- need and pay for and expect.’’

Rossland-Trail does not need this kind of
“*flexibility.””

Paul Johnston
Trail

Ogopogo trucks

Lake Okanagan has the mystery of the
Ogopogo and in other parts of B.C. people search
for the elusive Sasquatch. But those of us in the
West Kootenay and particularly those Privileged
enough to live up the Slocan Valley are on a much
more important hunt.

They are searching for that often talked about
but never caught, 104-foot-long super ‘‘B”’ train
chip truck reported by Mr. lan Austin in the
Province newspaper Sept. 30 to be travelling up and
down the Slocan Valley. Nobody seems to know
where this truck unloads since the Celgar pulp mill
dumper is only 85 feet long and couldn't handle a
truck of this size.

I'm sure the Mimistry of T:
inspectors are also looking for this vehicle as legal
length for trucks in B.C. is only slightly over 82 feet
But don’t panic, I understand some of the locals up

the valley have applied to Ottawa for a grant to hire
their own experts to research this phenomena. I

think they call it intervenor funding.

Andy Roberts

Castlegar

Signs explained

This letter is about fish and flowers.

My friends and I always wanted to know why
there was a fish sign by all drains on the roadside
gutters in Castlegar. | finally discovered the reason
when visiting the Courtenay fish hatchery. For
those who do not know about this fish symbol, it
means the water leads directly into the open river
and warns us not to dump any foreign substance
such as gas, oil, etc., that would pollute the river
and kill the fish.

While in Courtenay, we enjoyed immensely the
two-mile stretch of multicolored flowers that were
bedded beside the roads and the car parks. These
flowers are donated by the City of Courtenay and
there are numerous volunteers who plant and tend
these flowers every year. Would this not be a
wonderful idea for Castlegar?

Margaret Pryce
(Castlegar

Dog found

We are happy to report our missing Boston
terrier was located over in Penticton. Thanks to the
RCMP in Castlegar and the City of Penticton for
their co-operation as well as Terry Dalton for his
time and effort. It was all worthwhile.

Jim and Dorothy Hardy
Castlegar

Please address all letters to the editor
to: Letters to the Editor, Castlegar News,
P.O. Box 3007, Castlegar, B.C. ViN 3H4,
or deliver them to our office at 197
Columbia Ave. in Castlegar.

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 reached between 9 a.m. and
bd P m. The writer's name and city or town

only will be Only

m exceptional cases will letters be
published without the writer's name.
Nevertheless, the name, address and
telephone number of the writer MUST be
disclosed to the editor.

The Castlegar News reserves the right
to edit letters for brevity, clarity, legality,
grammar and taste.

If your is
based on the cost of having that work
done, it may be on the high side.
Many improvements add less than
their actual cost to the Property's
market value.

Sherman's advice to homeowners
challenging their property assessments
is ‘‘do it now."’ The deadline for writ-
ten appeals is Oct. 31.

“Most homeowners can do the
research and handle the appeal them-
selves. The process is reasonably
Straightforward and assessors are
usually willing to make adj if

By ALEX BINKLEY

OTTAWA (CP) — An open-
skies agreement between Canada
and the United States could
quickly turn cloudy for Canadian
airlines_and their employees, say

a claim is valid," Sherman said.

“If you fail to reach an agreement
with the assessor, then your option is
to request a court of revision hearing.
This can be a complicated and time-
consuming process. Be prepared to
make a formal presentation complete
with photographs, a formal appraisal
and other evidence. At this point, it
may be worth your while to have an
appraiser or even a lawyer present
your case if the stakes are high

experts.
Airline executives welcoming
open competition with U.S.

Proval of both countries to offer
Passenger
Canadian and U.S. cities, an
open-skies agreement would allow
airlines to fly across the border on
any routes they think will be
profitable.

That freedom should translate
into more ouvere © oa lower fares

Open skies between Canada,
U.S. could clip Canuck wings

service between

give U.S.

carriers should look at what has for
happened to Canadian trucking
companies and railways under
deregulation that has exposed
them to uneven competition with
U.S. firms, they say.

Transport Minister Doug Lewis
announced last week that Canada
and the United States will try to

officials. But the cctans say rising
fuel prices makes it hard to lower
ticket prices.

“I can’t believe that they (the
airlines) won't
probliems,’’ says Ken MacLaren,
vice-president of the Canadian

the border.
“It’s difficult

have the same

MacLaren says.

Possible for Canadian truckers to
compete with Americans.

Many Canadians trucking com-
panies have shifted part of their U.S.,”"
operations to the United States to
try to stay in business. Railways
have been freight diverted to U.S.
tracks under federal policies that

companies
in Canada
Canadian railways have south of

to see how
Canadian airlines can compete
with the U.S. carriers when they
face higher interest rates, higher
taxes and higher labor costs,”

“Under the right conditions,
there is the possibility of increased
business between Canada and the
says Gordon Sinclair, pr
esident of the Air Transport
Association of Canada.

“But we have to make sure
there is a competitive Playing field
and that means lower fuel prices
and taxes and better leasing rules
and interest rates, lower airport
charges and customs preclearan-
ce.’

more
than

Rising fuel costs and the
recession were cited by Air
Canada as the airline announced
Tuesday it will lay off about 2,900
of its 23,000 employees and cut

amounting to $7,000.
* 8 «

The Castle News had to go back to
rough newsprint this week owing to
the paper company’s inability to sup-
ply half-tone news, which has beer
used for the past few weeks. We hope
the supply will soon be i as

Beattie, a trustee of School District

No. 11 (Trail), has asked the minister

of education to appoint a conciliator.
. 8 6

Finance chairman Bob Buckley
reported to Selkirk College council at
its meeting Thursday evening that
there will be a projected surplus of
$72,000 on the books this fiscal year.

. oe .

CanCel’s pulp division here is back
in operation while production at the
company’s lumber division will

has all but promised to support the
system in cabinet.
. 8 «
An avowed anti-abortionist who
stole a suction machine used for per-
forming abortions at a Nelson
hospital was given a suspended sen-
tence Friday and placed on probation
for 18 months.

Jim Demers, 28, who was convicted
of public mischief and theft under
$200, also was ordered to pay

resume at

the reproduction is so much better.
* 8 6

The Lillian Killough Chapter
1.0.D.E. met on Tuesday night in the
Coronation Hall with 17 members
present and the Regent, Mrs. A.T.

Kinnaird council took the first step
on Tuesday night on a unanimous
vote of commissioners to present a
fluoridation referendum. to village
residents during December’s
municipal elections.

. 8 «

‘Castlegar ratepayers will vote on a
blacktopping bylaw next year.

But before they do so, council
members are going to hammer out
what type of a program should be
Presented to them and what cost
commissioners feel the ratepayers will
approve at the polls.

. 8 6

Renovations and changes costing
about $50,000 would have to be
carried out at the Castlegar arena to
allow senior hockey to be accom-
modated.

* 8 6

A former Castlegar student, Ian F.
McGilp, has been awarded a $2,000
fellowship in philosophy at the
University of British Columbia.

. 8 «

Castlegar and Kimberley are among
Canadian municipalities to be sur-
veyed to determine whether they have
the required 2,000 points of call now
required for home mail delivery.

Salary negotiation for teachers in
the West Kootenay zone is to go to
With no agreement met by Wed-
nesday’s deadline, negotiator for the
West Kootenay zone, Mrs. Marion

Visit our
Haunting
rf Grounds

Discover unearthly costume
accessories that you'll have to see to
believe. Only at the Hallmark
Boo Bazaar.

the
which ended the three-month-old
strike which had closed down the
province’s forest industry.
* 8 6

The 1976 budget for Regional
Recreation Commission No. 1
totalling $75,000 was approved and
accepted on Wednesday of last week
at its regular monthly meeting.
5 YEARS AGO
From the Oct. 13, 1985
Castlegar News

Castlegar’s proposed transit system
has gone to the provincial cabinet for
approval, the final step before the
system is put in place.

And Mayor Audrey Moore in-
dicated this week that Human
Resources Minister Grace McCarthy

ARROW LAKE
ELEVATION

1,441.92 ft. on Oct. 13
Forecast of
Elevation
1,441.92 ft. on Oct. 20

Was *17,995

REDUCED TO

*16,879

Koot: Lake District Hospital

$2,025.75 to replace the suction
machine, and to perform 100 hours of
community work.
* 6 6
Pinch hitter Al Oliver delivered his
second game-winning hit of the
American League championship
series Saturday night, lashing a two-
run double into the right-field corner
that snapped a 1-1 tie in the ninth in-
ning and gave Toronto Blue Jays a 3-1
victory that moved them to within one
win of advancing to baseball’s World
Series.

eal

A survey of 1200 urban residents of
Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal
hos turned up some interesting
results about how satisited people
are with their cities

The survey (conducted in April and
May of 1987 and funded by the Social
Science and Humanities Research
Council of Canada) found that of the
three cities, Vancouver are the
most satisfied with their housing
situation. Torontonians are the least
satistied

°Es ta te WITH BARRY BROWN

WHO’S THE HAPPIEST?

fNigd NATIONAL REAL
NRS ESTATE SERVICE

In respect to a willingness to
relocate, 35 per cent of people in
Toronto and Montreal said they'd like
to settle in another city if they could
Only 18 per cent Vancouver
residents responded the same way

The survey also asked respondents

for the most important factor in

ing the overall satisfaction

ities. Vancouverites said

the climate. Torontonians soid their

city’s educational facilities and Mon

trealers said their recreational
facilities

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° AM/FM cassette stereo

* Two-tone gray and black

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KALAWS

KY

PONTIAC BUICK GMC (1989) LTD.
—— THE KING OF CARS——

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YOUR CASTLEGAR

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BRINGS

From Our Meat Dept.

BEEF
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be vat
17,

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FRYING
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Sper Limits in effect.
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10 L. Limit 1 per family order.

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Advertised Prices in Effect Sunday, Oct. 14
through Saturday, Oct. 20, 1990

Mon. to Wed. & Set. Thursday & F
9e.m. to 9 p.m.

9a.m. to 6 p.m.

We reserve the right te limit sales to retail quantities.

FRESH
HAM

Old Fashioned

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10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

SAFEWAY

We bning tt all together

An airline industry executive
agrees with those concerns, but
still says an open-skies agreement
must be approached with guarded
Optimism.

Trucking Association.

Drivers blocked border
several times this year to
protest high taxes and government
policies that they say make it im-

Negotiate an agreement next year
to allow Canadian and U.S.
airlines to fly y
im North America.

Instead of having to get ap-

routes to Europe and the Far East.

Air Canada chairman Claude
Taylor blamed the declining
Passenger market and rising costs
for the cuts.

The way to do that is you can Prove
a in any of the "
variables:

© Accuracy of the assessor's recor-
ds. Make certain that the lot and

enough. This latter Suggestion is
highly

the case of commercial,
agricultural and other special pur-
[pose-type properties.’

365-2155 Collect
TRAIL, FRUITVALE, ROSSLAND
CUSTOMERS CALL 364-0213

($

ie