A4 October 9, 1968 fii. ai Cas Sar News ARAABER OF THE B.C, PRESS COUNCH ESTABLISHED AUGUST 7, 1947 TWICE WEEKLY MAY 4. 1980 INCORPORATING THE MIO WEEK MIRROR PUBLISHED SETPEMBER 12, 1978 - AUGUST 27. 1980 LV, CAMPBELL —— PUBLISHER, AUGUST 7, 1947. FEBRUARY 15, 1973 PUBLISHER — Burt Compbell EDITOR — Ron Norman CIRCULATION MANAGER — Heather Hadley NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT: Full, compl Lid. 8 vested in and belongs 10 Cosi Ld.; pe hon hat copyriny in shar ml Om fepro proats. eng We can afford pool Castlegar voters head to the polls next Saturday to decide whether they want to spend $2.2 million on an indoor aquatic centre. The question they will be asked will be simple: yes or no. But there's much more to the decision than that. For one thing, we have to ask ourselves if we want an aquatic centre at all. According to a survey undertaken several years ago, we do. When area residents were asked what kind of community facility they would like to have, the clearcut favorite was an indoor aquatic centre The reason for the aquatic centre's overwhelming popularity is that it offers something for everyone: a whirlpool for the handicapped, seniors and those who just like to relax in steamy, frothy water; a sauna or steam bath; a children’s wading pool with spray fountain; and. a six-lane, 25-meter pool for both the recr al and the comp: . And it can be used year- round. Given that we want a centre, the next question is whether we want it now. Shortly after the results of the survey were made public the Castlegar and District Project Society started work on a design for an indoor aquatic centre. That was about two years ago. But the Society held off on proceeding because it felt it was not the appropriate time. There were concerns about the economy. The Society couldn't see asking the public to spend $2.2 million — even if it meant $40 or so a year per household — when the unemployment rate in this area hovered around the 20 per cent mark. . Since then, the jobless rate in this area has fallen to around 11 per cent even lower in the Trail area. At the same time, the Society saw other positive economic indicators: Celgar Pulp Co. embarked on a $100-million, 10-year modernization program, Westar Timber completed a $25-million upgrading of its sawmill and Cominco Ltd. began work on its multi-million dollar lead smelter project The Society decided — and rightly so - time to build a new aquatic centre, it is now That leads us to the last question: Can we afford it? That's a question each homeowner will have to answer for his or herself. Some compare the $36 a year cost for the average homeowner to the price of three cases of beer, or three months of basic cable TV service. Others say it amounts to just pennies a day. But the real question is whether we can afford $36 a year. (In fact, it could be far less if the provincial and federal governments contribute the $700,000 requested of them) Remember that Beaver Valley could afford its indoor pool. Westbank near Kelowna recently built a $2.1 million pool that -is virtually identical to the one planned here. Nelson could afford its pool. Grand Forks could afford its pool Certainly, at $36 a year we can afford our pool. that if ever there was a Some questions — and an swers — that might help you make up your mind about the Oct. 15 referendum on the indoor aquatic centre How much will it cost? It will cost a total of $2.2 million, which includes both the capital cost and debt, and the net operating cost. The capital cost — or the cost to construct and equip the facility — will amount to 49 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for residential taxpayers. If your home is assessed at $50,000, you would pay 50 x 49 cents or $24.50 a year. The total cost of operating the centre is expected to be $215,000 a year. Anticipated revenue from admission fees is anticipated to be $93,000 a year. The total net operating cost is expected to be $122,000 a year. That amounts to 23 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for a residential taxpayer. If you home is assessed at $50,000 you would pay 50 x 23 cents or $11.50 a year. Thus, the total cost for a homeowner whose house is assessed at $50,000 would be $36. The cost could drop significantly should the provincial government come through with a lottery grant. As well, the federal government has been approached for funding through what is called Section 38. Kootenay West MP Bob Brisco has indicated he will seek funds through that, and has pointed out that other communities like Kindersley, Sask. have received some $300,000 in federal funds for an aquatic centre. In addition, NDP candidate Lyle Kristiansen has stated that Ottawa should “immediately” provide a grant for one-third of the cost of the centre — or about $700,000. Where would it be built? Adjacent to the existing Community Complex. The complex and aquatic centre would have a common entrance. The facility would include a six-lane, 25-meter pool that is three feet at the shallow end and nine feet at the deep end. There would also be a wading pool with a spray fountain, sauna/steam room, whirlpool that seats 20, a weight room, a fitness aerobics area, and a viewing/concession area. When would construction begin? Final drawings would be finished January, 1989 with the contracts going to tender in January-February. Construction would begin in March, 1989 and the facility would open in January, 1990. Why not have an Olympic-size pool? There are only two Olympic-size pools in the province — one in Vancouver and the other in Victoria. An Olympic-size pool is 50 metres long and eight lanes wide — nearly twice the size of the proposed pool. It would also cost nearly twice as much. It is felt a 25-meter pool would more than adequately serve the needs of both recreational and competitive swimmers. The Grand Forks pool which opened last year is only four lanes by 25 metres. How much would it cost for admission? There are no firm figures on this, but recreation director Pat Metge estimates the admissi Letters to the editor Vote ‘yes’ for pool As one who is very concerned with our community's well-being, I am very much in favor of the proposed swimming pool in Castlegar. I appre- ciate the dedicated hard work of the pool committee in bringing together the necessary information regarding the proposed facility and the costs and benefits involved. We have all been watching the Olympics and seen what excellent specimens of humanity are both the swimmers and divers. Swimming is truly a lifetime support. It is also one of the most healthful exercises for the human body. Swimming is an activity which is available to even the smallest child up to our oldest seniors. We are fortunate that Castlegar has nearly every sports facility available. We have a magnificent golf course, downhill and cross-country skiing, excellent sailing, boating, fishing and hunting. Our community is also very involved in hockey and figure skating. However, there is a segment of our population which Premier deserves support There are rumors that some Socreds have plans to cause trouble and embarrassment for our premier at the October convention. I hope these rumors are unfounded. We elected Bill Vander Zalm to be our party leader and the people of B.C. elected him to be the leader of our province. He has done that trem. endous job well and with honor. He has courageously gone out on a limb and faced great controversy to bring in programs and policies that will be beneficial to all people in B.C. The premier deserves our support and loyalty and most importantly, the alloted amount of time to show how well these initiatives will work. People are afraid of change, but once they see that things will be even better with the changes that have been made they will be glad to have a premier with the guts to do what is right, regardless of the consequen. ces. The province is booming under Bill Vander Zalm's leadership and will do even better since some major labor problems have been resolved. For the doubting Thomases, there will be other conventions before the next election. Please let's give our unanimous support at this one for a man who has given his all for us. Remember “united we stand!” Iris Bakken Salmo Free-trade ‘giveaway’ lam writing regarding the current free-trade debate. Opponents of the Mulroney deal fees would be comparable to those charged in Grand Forks and elsewhere — $2 or $3 for adults with reduced rates for students, seniors and children. The admission fees are over and above the taxes referred to in the first question. , Will the pool use be dominated by the local swim teams, the Robson River Otters and the Castlegar Aquanauts? No. The Aquanauts and Otters are members of the B.C. Summer Swim Association and by regulation cannot practice more than a certain number of hours each week. As well, there is no reason the facilities cannot be used at the same time swim teams are practicing. The pool will also be used by the Stanley Humphries secondary school swim team, which currently travels to Beaver Valley or Nelson to practice. are not obj to the concept of free trade. They are, however, ob- jecting to the deal as it presently stands. We who live in the Kootenay- Columbia rivers valley are daily re- minded of how easily natural re- sources can be sold without guar- antees of appropriate payment. We consider that the same give- away may occur on a national scale under the proposed trade deal. Castlegar cannot participate for various rea- sons in the above activities — or would also be actively involved in swimming all year round for both exercise and recreational reasons. The benefit to the ity in An indoor pool is the one facility our community lacks. I feel the design of the pool is very good. The proposed whirlpool beside it (es- pecially good for those with arthritis and rh ism) is to be d having an indoor pool for all ages cannot -be emphasized enough. We are in an era of more leisure time. A good way of using some of this available time is by making use of an excellent indoor, all-year swimming pool in our own community. Swim ming is known to be one of the most beneficial and healthy exercises available. ed. For those in our community who are disabled or handicapped in any way the pool would be very ther- apeutic and enjoyable. I would certainly urge all those who are eligible to vote to come out and vote “yes” for the pool refer- endum on Oct. 15. Roy V. Ward, M.D. Castlegar Ottawa's ‘insane’ policy challenged I had a conversation with Kootenay West MP Bob Brisco aboiut ozone depletion recently. My concern was why does Canada continue to allow the production of substances that damage the ozone layer in the face of the in the scientific eom- I made the point that when you are faced with the unprecedented threat- ening the consequences of global nuclear war that the public has the right to expect that wiser heads in authority will act in advance of public awareness to do what is right. munity that the of ozone depletion could be outranked only by global nuclear war? Full production continues, and no government regulations have been introduced. Bob said that industry was coop- erating in‘an.effort to stop produc- tion as soon as possible. This is not correct. I am an advisor to the panel created under the new Canadian En- vironment Protection Act on sub- stances that damage the ozone layer, and am intimately familiar with the rearguard action being taken by industrial lobbyists designed to div- ide and confuse people interested in having production stopped, so that industry can continue to produce as long as they can. If this is cooperation, it is the type of cooperation that a murderer shows his victim when he allows him a last cigarette. Bob said bring him evidence. For a study of past industrial resistance to controls I suggest now that he read the June 9, 1986 article in the New Yorker called “In the face of doubt,” which is available at the DTUC library. For the current situation he could call Carole Rubin in Sechelt, the member I was advising on the panel. , Bob made the point that this system responds to public concerns, and that, for instance, his standing committee on the environment can- not focus attention on substances that damage the ozone layer because the public is more concerned about pesticides. Council acted fairly Contrary to the views expressed by Mr. Jim Gouk in his letter to the editor of the Castlegar News on Sun- day, Sept. 25, the city council planning and development commit- tee and city staff have on this issue acted fairly and in a manner that was and is consistent with the interests of all the citizens of Castlegar. Terry Rogers, Lawrence Chernoff Aldermen Bob ked me for smoking a cigarette in front of him, as my dh smoke p da hazard to him. I guess the point was that if I wanted an industry to stop threatening all life on the planet, I had better stop threatening Bob in this way. This is too low of a level for debate to take place. He said that the regulatory process takes a long time to move into action. How long does it take to decide that life as we know it could continue without aerosol cooking oil, or foam food cartons? The intensity of my concern was showing on my face, and Bob at- tacked me for being too emotional. I've heard the arguments Bob was making given by politicians at all levels in this system. I have studied the evidence, and I find it difficult in the extreme to believe those that make them are sincere. I was introduced to the Changing Atmosphere conference in Toronto by Stephen Lewis, recognizing the contribution I made to that con- ference, and am recognized by many in Canada as being capable of seeing this problem as the ordinary person would be able to see a house on fire, and I would challenge Bob to be serene in the face of his own house burning with his children inside. Nevertheless I apologize to Bob for what may have seemed like a per- sonal attack. This situation has gone beyond worrying about personal or party differences. As a representative of a govern- ment allowing an insane policy to continue I would be interested in what Bob might have to say after careful consideration about how this policy .can be justified. David Lewis Crescent Valley Please address all Letters to the Editor to: The Castlegar News, P.O. Box 3007, Castlegar, B.C. VIN 3H4, or deliver them to our office at 197 Columbia Ave- nue, Castlegar Letters must be signed and include the writer's full name and odd in exceptional cos published without the writer's m Nevertheless, the name and oddre: the writer must be disclosed to the editor The Castlegar News reserves the right to edit letters for brevity, clority legality and grammer more letters A5 Remember Castlegar The garbage dump was reported on fire and with quick action on the part of the local Fire Dept. and the Forestry Dept. it was brought under control quickly. The Fire Hall has a new concrete floor and a new tilt-in door for quick action that has been installed. aor. . The last report from the West Kootenay is that the transformer has not yet been delivered. They will take, immediate action as soon as it arrives. The Castlegar Street Lighting by-law was reconsidered and adopted after being submitted to the In- spector of Municipalities for appro- val. * . The Kinnaird Women's Institute held its regular meeting recently. A group of Robson WI members at- tended making a total attendance of 2 * . A meeting of the St. John Ambu- lance Association, Castlegar Centre, held Friday evening, Oct. 8 at the home of Mr. Ken Rigby, it was decided to commence Fall First Aid Classes in Castlegar at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22. 25 YEARS AGO From the Oct. 10, 1963 jar News The Village of Castlegar, par- ticularly its business section, is “lit- erally sitting on a cesspool rective action is “imperative,” ac- cording to the medical director of the West Kootenay Health Unit. . * 8 * . Three water services that froze last winter were lowered in Kinnaird during August and September, works foreman Curt Waterman re- ported to his council Tuesday night. * . Hon. Phil Gaglardi, minister of highways, has asked his department for a full report on a request by Crest View subdivision residents for a reduction in the speed limit on the new highway in Kinnaird and the provision of a pedestrian crosswalk. * . The chief commissioner of the Canadian Girl Guides, Miss E. Hen- rietta Osler of Toronto, arrived at the Castlegar airport Tuesday for an official visit in, this area. . . Kinnaird council is to petition the provincial cabinet requesting per- mission to vote to allow beer parlors in Kinnaird. On Nov. 21 it will be three years since voters in the village turned down the last vote on the subject. 15 YEARS AGO From the Oct. 11,1973 Castlegar News A resolution authorizing the Re- gional District of Central Kootenay admnistrator E.T. Bodard to prepare a bylaw for refuse disposal for Castlegar, Kinnaird and Areas I and J has been accepted in principle by Kinnaird council. * . Departmental approval has been given a $633,090 money bylaw re- quested by School District No. 9 to cover its next three years’ capital expenditures. * . The water study committee set up to investigate the possibility of a future water system that would supply the twin towns of Castlegar and Kinnaird and portions of elec- toral Areas I and J from the Arrow Lakes above Keenleyside Dam has held its first meeting. 5 YEARS AGO Residents near the new city works yard who are upset about the por- table asphalt plant operating there, won't have to put up with the inconvenience much longer. A city spokesman said Friday the plant will only be on site about another week. * . Mail pickup from city postal boxes will be reduced, Castlegar Post Office announced this week. Assistant postmaster Roy McNeil said beginning Tuesday mail from postal boxes will be picked up only once a day at 4 p.m., except Sunday when there is no mail pickup. ee * The Castlegar and District Teach- ers’ Association ‘is embarking on a campaign to inform the public about the effects of government restraint on education. * . . Vi Island ‘kers agreed to end their strike Friday and pulp workers removed pickets from the BC Timber Celgar mill in Castlegar as management denied earlier threats to impose a lockout. Seaiuaiaenemimnmmaammeenenemmeaet MORE LETTERS Pact not about trade The “free”-trade deal is b ‘ (and rightly so) a very important part of this federal election cam- paign. But the agressively conflicting statements by the candidates can be very confusing to people because few if any of us have actually read the document. Most of the led i access to of our hos- pitals, our social services, our senior citizens homes, I began to get very angry. After this deal goes through our federal government won't be able to encourage the development of Can- adia-owned industry, nor keep the we are getting has been written by the government — paid ads, glossy handouts and the like — which only gives us what the Conservatives want us to know. When I learned that one of the provisions of the deal will require that U.S. companies operating in Canada would have to be treated as though they were Canadian, I started to wonder what was going on. When I then learned that these companies would be given equal Trade The Conservative government claims in its official summary of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Treaty that this “agreement will eliminate bar- riers to trade in goods . . . between the two countries.” How will this be done when the treaty will leave untouched the ex- of our social and health services in Canadian hands. That is only one very small glimpse into the so-called “free"-trade accord which isn’t about trade at all, but is about creating a unified economic stem in North America in which Canada will quickly be absorbed by her southern neighbor. We only need to look at what happened to Hawaii, to Israel, to Puerto Rico and to Central America under “free trade” with the U.S. to be concerned — at least those who still want an independent Canada would be concerned. If your readers want to learn more factual details about this deal they are welcome to come to the Capitol Theatre in Nelson on Tuesday even- ing. A video pr entitled Setting record straight The Ministry of Social Services and Housing is currently receiving a lot of criticism about the changes to Guaranteed Available Income for Need (GAIN) that we are currently Free Trade: Canada Under Attack, featuring David Orchard will be shown followed by a discussion led by Liam Grayer, from the History Department of Simon Fraser Uni versity. David Orchard read and re- searched the agreement and is cur- rently on a cross-Canada tour to talk about his findings. The video was made at one of his talks in Sep- tember. Suggestions for further reading about the deal will also be available Oct. 11. Ann Godd i I weleome an oppor- tunity to set the record straight for- your readers. Those critical of the changes have lost. sight of our major objective — breaking the cycle of welfare depen- dency by providing the maximum in- centives to independence. There is not a person on welfare who would not applaud these objectives because they want to be contributing members of their community, they want to feel good about themselves and. they want to improve their situation. This is a positive and Castlegar deal all show What we got was much show and little substance. The binding disputes mechanism will consist of a tribunal, jointly appointed by Canada and the U.S., that ean only decide if trade laws like those above are faithfully and correctly applied. The value: of this tribunal to Canadian exporters is indi: d by a summary, made a few isting U.S. pr which has been used so effectively against the import of many Canadian products? And, as indicated below, it will do nothing to prevent additional discriminatory trade legislation from béing passed. Gaining secure access of our prod- uets.into the U.S. market was the stated reason the Tories initiated negotiations. Before and even during the trade negotiations, the U.S. De- partment of Commerce and its Inter- national Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that Canadians were subsidiz- ing or dumping into the U.S. a wide range of goods: potash, raspberries, softwood lumber, Atlantic ground fish, shakes and shingles. Then they punished these producers with coun- tervailing duties, or intimidated Canada -with threats of tariffs to “voluntarily” restrict exports, as with certain steel products, or to impose domestic taxes, as with soft- wood lumber. Where is the new set of mutually- accepted trading rules — your binding disputes mechanism — that would prevent the Americans from pounding exporters like these with clubs as those shown in the following hypothetical example? Suppose a Canadian firm makes 10 sales to American customers; five of these sales have U.S. prices higher than Canadian prices, and five sales have U.S. prices lower than domestic ones. American law states that if an American company or industry for- mally claims it has been injured by the sales, the Department of Com- merce must examine only the lower prices. Now suppose that the Department of Commece finds that the difficulty or injury the American firm or in- dustry is experiencing can be par- tially attributed to the imports from a Canadian firm, then all the diffi- culty, even that self-inflicted through reckless management or incpt sales. manship, must be attributed entirely to the imports. Anyone would be hard pressed to find anything in the agreement that will give our exporters “secure ac- cess to the U.S. market,” for the Americans have surrendered none of their existing trade laws, nor their power to impose new and arbitrary conditions on our exporters. Karl Hager Limb & Brace Ltd. Othotic & Prosthetic MONTHLY CLINIC © Artifical Limbs © Sports Injury Bracing * Foot Supports * Orthopedic Shoes * Body &leg Bracing EXT CLINICS TRAIL Mon., Oct. 17 NELSON Tues., Oct. 18 FOR APPOINTMENTS OR INFO CALL KELOWNA Collect 861-1833 days after the agreement was signed, by a U.S. trade representative: “De- cisions of the Department of Com- merce and the ITC can be overturned only if they are unsupported by sub- stantial evidence in the adminis- trative record, (are) arbitrary and capricious, or otherwise not in accord with U.S. law.” Only if the American government has misapplied its trade legislation in the most recknless manner would the tribunal be empowered to overturn a decision. The Americans have conceded nothing of substance. Their trade agreement allows them to retain all their legislative powers to define what constitutes dumping or subsi- dies to Canadian companies. More importantly, their enabling legisla- tion states that U.S. law, both present and future, will take prece- dence over anything specified in the trade treaty. With the stroke of the president's pen, any section of the treaty can be abrogated. Little wonder, then, that the U.S. government hopes that the Canada: U.S. Free Trade Treaty will be a model for trade treaties with other countries. Oh yes, there is Article 1907, which provides for a five-to-seven- year period during which new and mutually-agreeable trade legislati Everyone who is reclassified and has their benefit rate reduced by $50 a month will, at the same time, be eligible for additional benefits and services to assist them to become self-supporting. Many: of these reci- pients are young, single, mobile people. After three months on GAIN, recipients who are designated as em ployable can more than make up the $50/month with part-time work. The first $50 (for a single person) or $100 (for a person with dependents or on GAIN for the Handicapped) earned per month does not affect their GAIN benefit rate and 25 per cent of addi- tional earnings is not deducted from their benefits. This encourages reci- pients to find part-time work which not only I their income can be negotiated. But what have we left to negotiate with? From the first day this government took office it began to concede, with nothing in return, every demand the U.S. was making of us: the abolition of the Foreign Investment Reveiw Agency, the patent drug legislation, and the National Energy Program. To these can be added the concessions in the trade treaty, particularly secure ac- cess to our energy supplies. When Uncle Sam can rewrite the rules whenevet he feels he is losing, what sort of a game are we agreeing to play? David Clark Nelson but also provides work experience. There are babysitting jobs, and casual and part-time work available. We are also providing training and employment opportunities, help with daycare and transportation costs and we assist single parents with the transition from assistance to employ- ment. I am determined to make all pos- sible efforts to help recipients be- come independent and self-support- ing and the changes we are making to the-income assistance program will help to do this. Claude Richmond Minister of Social Services and Housing Financial Assistance use in your home. Your home may not be insulated to an adequate standard and our WRAP-UP program will help you finance the cost of Insulation lower power comfort. bills If you would like a FREE in-home in to proceed, return your postage-pai i “[; f- WEsT KOOTENAY POWER improvements and A TS to Weatherize S\¥ Your Home interest at bill. 1. GRANTS Financial assistance is available for qualifying projects. Kootenay Power 50% towards the first $200 of cost of weatherizing your home. 2. LOW INTEREST LOANS The cost of qualifying projects from $200-$2700 may be financed by West Power over a five-year period. The monthly cost, including will be added to your electricity West will provide Kootenay % Srnum WHO QUALIFIES? This initial Program is restricted to certain parts of the service area and to homes built before 1987. The program energy is open to customers who own a single family residential dw primary heat source qualify for a loan the applicant must hev blished @ satistactory credit npr s. result in increased history with West Kootenay Power. The home inspection will identity qualifying projects for your home. ction no obligation card today or call... 365-8212 or 368-3321 — reserve the ri Prices limit FFEE # to limit quanti: to stock on hand. si CENTRAL FOODS - HOn.. OPEN SUNDAYS rated UN. . TUES., WED. bensdiad 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Community Owned & Oper 2717 Columbia, C legor We've got great film developing all sealed up! We've joined the KODAK A it ‘You can see our As: standards inthe balanced, brilliant color of ‘of the KODAK COLORWATCH System, we're com- * FREE Double Prints at time of film developing or FREE 1-5x7 Color Enlargement FREE Second reprint from same negative PORTRAITS 1106 - 3rd Street, Castlegar 365-7515