PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG SHARLENE IMHOFF CATHERINE ROSS EDITOR ADVERTISING REP. NICOLE BEETSTRA PRODUC TION/OFFICE LINDA ANDERSON PRODUCTION MANAGER: MARGE LALONDE CIRCULATION MANAGER JOHN VAN PUTTEN ‘SPORTS REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER KAREN KERKHOFF REPORTER CHRISTINE MOYER ART DIRECTOR ’ MELODY SEMENOFF ADVERTISING REP. Direct Department Phones General Office 365-5266 Circulation 365-5266 Wednesday, February 17, 1993 The Castlegar Sun Letters to the Editor Local reader feels concern for Blackman relatives Dear Editor: 1 would like to have the, enclosed letter published as an Open Letter to the BC. Board of Review. It comes as a response to Karen Kerkhoff's article of January 27 in your paper, an article I felt to. be well written and thorough. Because of the Sensitive nature of the contents, and because I do not wish to put at risk my family. (in the event Bruce Blackman is released), | do not wish my name or address published Dear Sir I write concerning the possible release of Bruce Blackman, who shot and bludgeoned six members of his family in January of 1983. While Mr, Blackman's rights are understandably of concern to the B.C. Board of Review, I urge you to consider first the rights of the public — and par- ticularly his family — toa peaceable, safe life. If Mr Blackman is granted absolute discharge, he will be free to live and work outside the haspital/parole situation where * he has been monitored closely. He will have no further obliga- tion to report his activities or whereabouts to anyone. This places am intolerable burden of fear upon the surviving mem- bers of his family, who have reason to believe he may search them out to murder. The Blackman Family's rights, surely, are at least as important as Need help with your advertising? Phone our sales staff at 365-2278 the accused's. Consider this: first, the Blackmans are already inno: cent life-long victims of his atroc ilies, second, they are entitled to peace and protection under Cana: dian law; third, the well-being of several people is being threatened by the release of onc For these reasons, please do everything possible to ensure Bruce Blackman is not dis- charged A local reader Theft leaves new resident in the dark Letters Policy VILLAGE OF NAKUSP Request for Proposal Acquisition and Development of the Nakusp Court House Site The Council of the Village of Nakusp invites proposals to carry, out and ping the financial analysis of the of Nakusp Court House site within the Village of Nakusp. The purpose of this analysis will be to provide accurate information to the electorate of the Village of Nakusp in order that they may make a decision by means of a referendum to be held on November 20, 1995 as to whether the Municipality should acquire, develop and operate the Court House site for public purposes. Proposals will be received up to 4:50 p.m. Monday, March 8, 1995 and the lowest or any proposal will not necessarily be ccepted. Letters to the ‘Editor are wel- come on any topic of local or gen- eral interest. Letters should be double-spaced, typewritten, or leg- ibly handwritten, and no more than ROWED” my bike light; I need it back! I know that complaining over a bike light might- seem trivial to some people. But.whenever a theft occurs—big or smafl—it still hurts. I've never stolen and I just wanted to say “It’s not very nice” Classified Ads . 965-7848 Display Advertising 365-2278. Newsroom ..... 365-5579 Fax eobe on . 365-7762 Dear Editor; On Wednesday, February 3, miy bike light was Terms of reference may be obtained from the undersigned: stolen from in front of my work place, which is Sub h ime b 7 p.m. and It H.C. Ellens, CMC 12 p.m., and this really has me upset. ‘ Clerk/Administrator Village of Nakusp Lenny editorial comment Admit it, then deal with it No matter how hard a person tries to solve a math prob- lem, they will never arrive at the correct answer if a piece of the equation is missing Several pieces of the equation were missing Monday evening when Stanley Humphries Secondary School prin- cipal David Hogg, and Vice-principal Jack Closkey out- lined a plan to curb violence at SHSS during the School District No. 9 board meeting. But despite the fact they were before the board, they still refused to publicly admit that there is an escalating prob- lem of violence happening at the school. However, they both made mention to recent coverage of events, and allud- ed that the problem is not as large as the media has por- trayed it to be. ‘ “Since this has become such a big issue in the press and the community we decided we needed to address it,” said Hogg, who also said that most of the incidents involved students who were new to SHSS and had moved from other districts. This strain of thinking is very dangerous. To blame the media for highlighting such events is one thing, but to lessen the situation by saying ‘locals’ aren't to blame is another. Where the problem comes from doesn't dismiss the fact that it still needs to be dealt with—quickly. When Sun reporter Karen Kerkhoff was invited to observe the school’s initiative to have police interact posi- tively with students at the school, she was told at least six or seven times that police-presence in the school was for public relations only, and had nothing to do with current problems involving violence. When officials from SHSS pounced upon this fact relentlessly, the age-old saying, ‘perception is reality’ almost held true During thertficeting with school board trustees, parental or public discussion was not allowed for, and Hogg and Closkey were able to bypass the gauntlet of parents and ity who ded the meeting in order to listen and find out “exactly what. the school intends. to do about the violence” After their courteous, but weak and uriconvincing pro- posal, the two left the board room without allowing an opportunity for public or parental input. This however, could have been made possible if trustees had realized beforehand that parents do have questions to ask. It's time that SHSS and the school board understand that its first line of support and defense when it comes to dealing with violence at school is with parents. Since the issues sur- round student behavior, shouldn't parents have the oppor- tunity to be heard? It concerns those parents children, and those very same parents should have an opportunity to be part of the solution There was also a great deal of discussion about the obli- gation to provide violent students with an education, con- flict uti lling, and c g when they return to school. Well, what about the obligation to provide a violent-free education to other students? Will the victims of the violence also get extensive counselling so they feel “comfortable while learning? It’s time to wake up and accept the fact that Castlegar is not in a sterile glass jar. The insidious tentacles of violence are reaching even -us. We need to admit it's happening before we can fix it. Is there increasing violent acts occur- ring at SHSS? Yes, there is violence in the school. No, it is not little school yard scuffles. A young girl was not just punched out, she was severely beaten. And yes, The Castlegar Sun intends to keep reporting incidents of vio- lence when they occur. And.no, we won't minimize what is happening just so Castlegar can keep its rural non-vio- lent image. \\ The ¢ gar Sun AS IS POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT AND A MEMBER OF THE STERLING NEWS SERVICE Established November 28, 1990 Published by The Castlegar Sun Weekly on Wednesdays Member of Canadian Community Newspapers Association; 8:C. Community Newspapers Association and B.C. Press Council 465 Columbia Ave Castiegar,B.C.VIN1G8 7} ERRORS. The advertiser agrees that the publisher shail not be liable far damages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise... and there shall be no fability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. All advertising subject to publisher's approval. Contracts must be within one year from contract date. No contingent orders accepted ens To the Land o We were leaving Vancouver on a@ sunny summer's day, on a Canadian (then CP) flight that included four Fijian couples. At Vancouver International, we had recogrized them as Fijians, for we were on our way to build a sawmill on the island of Viti Levu, the largest island in the Fiji Group. The Fijian cou- ples had caused a bit of a stir as they strode through the terminal Several young girls in the ladies’ washroom had been giggling over the “men wearing skirts” They did not realize that those “skirts” are actually formal “sulus”, proper dress for Fijian males. The Fijian women, tall and proportionately wider, were no less stately and impressive in their long, colourful sulus and magnificent haircuts Our flight was much delayed due to a faulty engine. We com- forted ourselves during the long wait while the engine was repaired, that we did not wish to attempt the long Pacific flight in an ailing aircraft. When we final ly took off, it was well after mid night. Most passengers went promptly to sleep, so that Hon- olulu was a scarce-remembered short interlude, before we droned on through the night southward to the Fiji Islands. Roused for breakfast, we awoke with piercing Pacific sun in our eyes. A large Fijian man was sitting close by and we began to chat over our morning juice. As we had only been to the Fiji Islands once before, and then for only a short time, we did not recognize Manoa Rasigatale. He told us he was the director of the “Fiji Dance Group”, who had been invited to perform at the Calgary Stampede as guests of CP. Following their perfor- mances, they had been sight-see- ing while the rest of the group had gone home on previous flights. These four couples ‘were the last of the group on this their homeward journey. After six weeks in Calgary and Vancouver, they were all homesick and look- ing forward to seeing their fami- lies once again I was later to see this group again at the Dance Theatre of Fiji in their home facilities at the Cultural Centre near Suva, where they, and Manoa Rasigatale are famous. But at this first encounter, I had no idea that they were national treasures. Manoa took pity on our ignorance and told us much about his country, its history, their government and his people. This was far better than read- ing a book! He was knowledge- able, well-read and articulate, and he obviously ‘loved his Islands. Before long, the whole cabin was enjoying the impromp tu lecture and joining in the queries and answers. Someone asked him about his hair, worn in a large “Afro” style He was happy to demonstrate with his “comb” made from bam boo (or wood) with a design on the back. There were good natured sallies back and forth between the other passengers and the group of Fijians, so that we were truly entertained throughout breakfast As _ we neared Fiji, an air of excitement and anticipation became apparent as the Fijians bustled about getting their pos- sessions organized. They had been impressed with Canadian shopping and were well-supplied with souvenirs for friends and families. As we flew over the western coast of the largest island, Viti Levu, Manoa pointed out the town of Lautoka, where we would be living. He indicated the Fiji Sugar Mill and the jetty, thé international class resorts along the black sand beach at agoons! Denarau, and the reefs and lagoons of the off-shore islands of “Treasure” and “Beach- comber”. We even saw the famous ketch, the “Tui Tai”, its many red sails furled as it trans- ported tourists out to the island resorts. All of these landmarks would become very familiar to us over the course of the next two years. From the air, they looked incredibly mysterious and romantic As we were lined up at Cus- toms and Immigration at Nadi, sweltering in the dense heat, Manoa caught my eye and I could see the glimmer of wet ness. He was certainly glad to be home! Impulsively, he reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out his afro comb and handed it to me, in a gesture of friendship “Here”, Take this as a gift from me.” I gave him my best, widest smile and replied “Why, thank you! With this humidity, I will certainly neéd it!” Later, as we were climbing into our leased vehicle, I saw him again, sur- rounded by aarge group of chat- tering and laughing Fijians of various ages and sizes The comb Manoa-gave me forms the nucleus of a collection I now treasure, for we have many fond memories-of-his Land of the Blue Lagoons he said SSS — SS Aa sea HASSE ~ I just moved here from Ottawa four weeks ago and never have I had anything stolen from me. I work night shifts and bike home to Robson using the “train bridge”. Now I know I see my bike light again but I would however, like to anake this plea to the person who “BOR- will never when someone takes y = Maybe The Castlegar Sun should write an article on stealing—you could call it, “City or Town: Stealing knows no bounds” from you. Joanne Nuttall City council could face tax revolt Dear Editor: It"was a sad day for many long time residents of Castlegar, when, after 47 years; the Castle- gar News had to close its doors. In addition to the loss of jobs for their employees, the landlord now joins the ranks of the ever growing list of business premis- es looking for new tenants. I have made inquiries from the B.C. Assessment Authority and other sources, which indi- cate that excessive and punitive levies, fees and taxes by the City, are a contributing factor to a weak economy in our busi- ness sector. Scarce dollars that should have been used by the business community for adver- tising and promotions are siphoned off by the City in Fees, Levies and taxes. My recommendation to the owner of the-Castlegar News Building and others in the same situation, where possible, is to convert their premises to Resi- dential Use The savings would be quite significant City taxes would be reduced by two- thirds or more. School taxes would be reduced by 20 percent; water and sewer rates would drop by 50 percent or more. Garbage collection fees presently paid by the owner, would be fully paid for by the City. If the present exorbitant gouging of the business commu- nity continues, we could very well face a tax revolt. We will find places like gas stations, ser- vice areas, restaurants’and oth- ers, who barely survive on a minimum wage, joining the list of the unemployed. If this is the long term plan for our city, we will be seeing more boarded up windows, and people moving to other areas. It is small wonder that many of our senior staff in City Hall prefer to make their home out- side the boundaries of Castlegar. Nick Oglow Crystal Eyes wae | Crystals Rocks + Jewellery sd POLLAINE E. EMDE 1480-COLUMBIA AVE. CASTLEGAR, B.C. VIN 3K3 (604) 365-7616 Res 365-3253 Ex-reporter mourns loss of competitive news-gathering Dear Editor: The following is an open letter to the City of Castlegar. Wednesday, February 10, was an insignificant day for Canadi- ans in general, but one that resi- dents of Castlegar should never forget. It was then the last edition of The Castlegar News rolled off the presses, and your fine city lost a friend. As a one-time reporter with The News, I was naturally upset upon learning its fate — it was though a chapter of my life was coming to a close. The paper my wife delivered as a child was no more. The paper I poured my heart into, developing pictures and writing stories until the early hours of the morning, had been laid to rest. Initially I felt a little sorry for myself. But now I feel sorry for you, Castlegar. As a political scientist I understand how important infor- mation is. Truth is the life-blood of knowledge, knowledge is power. Now that The News has been shut down, The Castlegar Sun has a licence to get fat and lazy, no longer competing and no longer staying on top of events — after all, with no competition the fear of gétting “scooped” is removed. The winners in a situation like this are those with power, those with something to hide. The losers are, you guessed it, Joe and Jane Castlegar, the ordinary per- son on the: street. The Castlegar News reporters had the guts to ask your civic leaders tough questions, not merely throw them ° softballs that could be hit for political home-runs. As ex-News reporter Ed Mills once told me, “If a reporter makes people mad, chances are he's written a great story.” I hope the people at The Sun have the courage to make some people mad. Journalism isn’t about getting and giving pats on the back. It's about acting as a check and balance on your com- munity. For your sake, Castlegar, I wish the fine folks at The Sun good luck. They have a mighty big shoe to fill * Glen Freeman Editor's Note A "fear of getting scooped" is not what has kept The Castle- gar Sun on top of community issues and events since it first rolled off the presses two years ago, but rather, the commitment to provide our readers with, unbiased, accurate and up-to- date information in every edi- tion. The licence to become "fat and lazy" is not one.we can afford to purchase—ever. two pages if possible. Letters will be edited in the interests of brevity. or taste if necessary. All letters must be signed, with address and Bok 280, Nakusp, B.C. - VOa_1RO Phone: 265-3689 Fax: 265-5788 telephone number, although names may be witheld from publ for valid reason by the approval of the editor. Send letters to: The Castlegar Sun, 465 Columbia Ave., Cz + B.C., VIN 1G8, or drop them off at the office, Poetry will NOT be published. . @ CANADA LIFE THE Ricut RSP!! A High Impact Program to DIVERSIFY YOUR INVESTMENTS Helping You Plan For a Comfortable Retirement Come in or call. We'll talk about your retirement. #2 — 560 Baker St. (above Mallard's Sports) 352-3515 (call Collect) MONEY MATTERS Cliffe Churches @ CANADA LIFE (since 1847) Planning your insurance needs under your terms. ° Life Insurance _ e Pension Planning e RRSP's ¢ Disability Income Protection e Annuities & RRIF's ¢ Group Insurance 365-6136 POKER FTF pr Sun., Tues. ,; Thurs., Fri. Sew What? Dressmaking -THANK YOU I would like to thank my valued customers who showed their loyalty while I was employed at Courtesy Towing. I have recently changed jobs and can serve you from my new position at Twin Peaks Towing, I'm looking forward to hearing jrom you. 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