December 30, 1989 Year recalled The Castlegar News takes a look at the major events of 1989 in stories |and photos D section CasNews reporter Sports wrap-up sports Ed Mills packages the top local sports stories of 1989 LOTTERY NUMBER The $1,000,000 winning number in Provincial lottery draw is Friday's 4113684, The winning numb Friday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 23, H lederal government . . AS 27, 30, 33, 34, 39, 43 and 56. S Tax ers drawn ases from hikes The new year brings with it a bevy of tax in- the Sauve makes pitch for unity OTTAWA (CP) — Outgoing Governor General Jeanne Sauve put aside the traditional impartiality of her office Friday to make a veiled pitch for passage [of the Meech Lake con- stitutional accord In her -finat-New Year's message, Squve urged Canadians to follow through on the commitment of the founding peoples — French. and English — to solidify Canadian unity “The country is no longer in its in- fancy; no longer must it ask whether to be or not to be,’ Sauve wrote in the statement. ‘We have gone beyond the stage of constitutional experimen- tation and compromise.”” National unity is an illusion, Sauve said, unless it is\ based on a defined foundation that is durable and can be tested . “Such testing cannot be undertaken unless we accept, once and for all, the inevitable compromises, and unless the parties involved ratify their pact and do riot let Canada drift into an un- foreseeable future.” Although Sauve, a longtime Liberal MP and former Speaker, avoided the phrase Meech Lake, the references to the constitutional accord are obvious She mentions “the pact,”’ the “‘distin- ctiveness’’ of the Canadian identity and devotes a paragraph to how aboriginal and founding peoples are in the process of acquiring a guarantee allowing them to practise their culture Alderman says letter shows ‘intolerance’ By CasNews Staff Castlegar city council has yet to take a stand on possible changes to the RCMP’s dress code but Ald. Doreen Smecher has made it clear she disagrees with the city council of Enderby, B.C., which opposes allowing members of the Sikh faith to wear ceremonial tur- bans’ should they join: the national police force. DOREEN SMECHER not select what we're going to allow and what we're not going to allow,” Smecher said. ‘*We're all here because we want all of the freedoms that Canada offers us and one of those is freedom of religion.”’ Fergus, in a letter to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and RCMP Com- missioner Norman Inkster, says En- derby council ‘‘was somewhat incen- sed’’ by Inkster’s suggestion that the RCMP dress code could accommodate minority groups. “Our council felt that it is about time that Canada held some things sacred, rather than changing for every minority group that comes along," Fergus writes. In a separate letter, En- derby council-asks B.C. municipalities tasupport its position Mayor Audrey Moore said council received the letters for information since chairman of Castlegar council's protective services committee, Ald Lawrence Chernoff, Nas not yet discussed the matter with Staff Sgt Doug Hall of the Castlegar RCMP detachment. However, Moore added that she has spoken to Hall about the issue of the dress code.and said Hall indicated he thinks the subject is a matter for the RCMP to deal with, not local gover- nments. Briefly L In memory Betty Hostetter Betty Hostetter of Castlegar passed away. Friday, Dec. 22, 1989, at age 78. Castlegar in 1941 Mrs. Hostetter was born July 15, 1911, at Lethbridge, Alta. She grew up and married Arthur Hostetter there. They came to Trail in 1936 and to Mrs. Hostetter is well known in Castlegar and area as a music ... doesn't like letter a" Smecher told the Castlegar News ON GUARD .. . lifeguard Chris Briggeman and her colleagues go into action Tuesday morning as the new Aquatic Centre opens its doors waters st at to the public. Seniors wilt be the we 11:30 a.m. followed by a full day of public swimming sessions for everyone. tot yesterday she had no interest in sup- porting a letter written by Enderby Mayor Terry Fergus which states ‘‘we shoutd—keep—our— Canadian.” Such statements reflect “‘alot of intolerance,’’ Smecher said. teacher. She served as organist for the Anglican Church for 42 years, and as the organist for the Castlegar Funeral Chapel since it opened. She took an active part in the community through her music by teaching piano to many of the children and by serving as a guide leader, Sunday school teacher, playing piano for the Rossland Light Opera, Castlegar Male Voice Choir and for many weddings, and assisting with the many music in the area. She was also one of the co-founders of the Thrift Shop. Betty will be lovingly remembered by all her famities and-her many Doug Harvey remembered MONTREAL (CP) — Doug Harvey was remembered as a superstar of hockey history at a crowded funeral Friday attended by many of his sepeammate from the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens of the 1950s. “It's a very sad day for everyone in hockey,"’ said National Hockey League vice-president Brian O'Neill, one of about 700 people at the sim- ple, 30-minute service in the greystone Trinity Memorial Anglican Chur- ch, in the west end Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighborhood where Harvey grew up **He’s one of the superstars in the history of the game."” Harvey, who died Tuesday at 65 from cirrhosis of the liver, was one of the dominant players of his era, a rushing defenceman who led Mon- treal to six Stanley Cups, including five in a row from 1956 to 1960. Ruling could encourage VANCOUVER (CP) — The acquittal of five Greenpeace demon- strators for mischief in the spray-painting of a U.S. nuclear-capable war- ship probably won't encourage similar activity, says a spokesman for the environmental group. But Catherine Stewart, regional director for Greenpeace, says she hopes the judge's position on the Greenpeace protesters “encourages other Canadians to get out there and exercise their right to protes:. Canadians need only look to Eastern Europe to see how effective public protests can be in reforming countries and Canada is not without its problems that need to be fixed, she said. Provincial court Judge Wallace Craig said in finding the protesters not guilty Thursday that it was remarkable that nuclear-armed ships would be invited into Vancouver harbor. City council has designated Vancouver a nuclear-free zone. Brings says mistake made VANCOUVER (CP) — The Brink’s guard -shot during a pre- Christmas shopping mall robbery should not have collected a large amount of money by himself, says the president of Brink’s Canada. Although police won't say how much money was stolen during the Dec. 18 holdup at the Woodward's department store, a spokesman con- firmed the amount was between $300,000 and $700,000. “There are some facts here that I really can’t let out as far as that goes,’’ Frank Hartshorne said from the Brink’s head office in Toronto. “It was something that we didn’t expect. Ree named Queen's Counsel VICTORIA (CP) — Former provincial cabinet minister Angus Ree was among 29 lawyers named Queen’s Counsel by Attorney General Bud Smith on Friday. Ree, who represents North Vancouver-Capilano, was solicitor general from July 1988 until he was dropped from cabinet by Premier Bill Vander Zalm ina shuffle last month William Rogers Mcintyre, former Supreme Court of Canada justice, was also on the list that entitles lawyers to put the initials Q.C. af- ter their names Poles cap transformation WARSAW (Reuter) — Poland has wrapped up its historic switch to y, stripping the Ci party of its leading role and Macy's restaurant in Castl in the Castlegar Chamber restaurant Arthur Konkin for the d or picked up the $75 first prize in the com: of C 's annual C! d g his home on P mercial category contest. In the residential category, judges Patti Richards and Dwayne Mills gave the nod and the $75 to di lace. Resolution Romania keeps Communists BUCHAREST (CP) — Romania’s new leadership scrapped harsh food and gasoline rationing rules enforced by executed hardline Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu but invited other Communists to join in reshaping the eastern European country The governing council of the National Salvation Comit- tee, which took power on Dec. 22 during a popular uprising backed by the army, moved to take full control of the coun- try Friday and to prepare it for free elections set for April. It promised to remain in the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact military alliance, to honor other international commitmen- ts and added four new ministerial portfolios Meanwhile, the army said it has begun to try Ceausescu loyalists who waged fierce battles against army forces and citizens during the revolt. Romania’s interim president, lon Iliescu, signed decrees to lift rules allowing motorists only 30 litres of gasoline a month and another that eliminated food rationing that kept people from eating meat for months at a time The government algo halted food exports — a key part of Ceausescu’s harsh economic policies — and citrus fruits, coffee and other items have appeared on store shelves for the first time in years. Millions of Romanians preparing to celebrate the new year packed into once-empty shops filled with food and “Many Communist party members are indispen- sible."” Ionescu told a news conference that several thousand fighters loyal to Ceausescu have surrendered or been cap tured. However, several hundred other members of Ceausescu's dreaded Securitate remained in hiding, defying an order to surrender or face execution, said Cazimir Ionescu, a vice-president in the National Salvation Committee's 145-member Governing Council. ORFACEDEATH The council has ordered the Securitate holdouts to surrender by 5 p.m. Thursday or face death Anarmy statement said its forces are “‘in full control in all parts . . . of the country’” and that military tribunals set up to try the special police forces have begun their work “and will continue to try all acts of terrorism.”” It gave no indication of how many trials have been held Romania's uprising began on Dec. 15 with demon- strations in Timisoara. The protests spread and Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, fled their palace in Bucharest on Dec 22after the army sided with the citizens. The couple was captured a day later, then shuttled about in a constantly moving armored car for the last three condemns U.S. action UNITED NATIONS (Reuter) — The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution Friday deploring the U.S. invasion of Panama.as a flagrant violation of international law By a vole of 75-20 with 40 ab- stentions, the assembly endorsed a document similar to one vetoed by the United States, Britain and France with the backing of Canada in the more politically powerful Security Council last Saturday. The 75 countries voting in favor represent less than one-half of the membership of the 159-nation assembly. Twenty-four countries did not participate. The United States and other major powers have no veto rights in the assembly where 102 non- aligned countries, including Latin American countries, form the biggest voting block The United States received sup- port from Canada and most western European countries. The resolution ‘‘strongly deplores’? the’ intervention in Panama by the United States as a and language friends until the end of time. ~~ proctaiming itself ‘e cstate ruled by law other produce. days of their lives, Britain’s Independent Television News Sauve would not comment later When asked to explain the unexpected pronoucement, her press aide Marie Bender said the Governor General’s reference to a pact was a |generality only “There's no reference to Meech Lake,"’ she said VANDER ZALM AGREE British Columbia Premier Bil] Van der Zalm said he agrees with Sauve’s call for unity and ratification of the Meech Lake accord “I think this is a very appropriate time’ o@year to talk about Canadian unity, is what's at stake and obviously what the Meech Lake accord is all about."” The Meech Lake accord, designed to bring Quebec into the Constitution, will expire on June 23, 1990, unless it has been ratified by all provinces and the federal government Manitoba and New Brunswick have to date refused to approve the accord and Newfoundland has said it will revoke its support unless substantial changes are made. he said in an interview. **Unity Trees can go in trash By CasNews Staff Castlegar residents will once again be able to have their Christmas trees picked up with the regular garbage this year under certain conditions. The discarded trees should not be longer than four feet and the stumps of the trees should not be larger than three to four inches in diameter Longer trees should be cut in half to assist in their disposal Residents should place their discar ded trees with their garbage in the usual spot on the regular pickup day Canada Safeway Overwaitea Shop ‘N' Save Shoppers SuperValu Zellers Not all flyers receive full distribution Mf you did not receive one of these flyers and would like to do so, please phone our Circulation Department at 365-7266 Council briefs “If we're going to welcome these people into our country then we'd bet- ter be prepared to welcome them and Council backs proposal By CasNewsS! Castlegar council has expressed approval of B.C. Hydro’s proposal to build transmission lines to send power-to a Washington state utility from the Selkirk substation near Trail. Council gave its support to the so- called jntertie proposal provided that Hydro consider using existing transmission line corridors whenever possible, minimize the effects on the environment of new transmission line corridors and consider upgrading existing generating or potential generating facilities before embarking on new construction Permit. extended Castlegar council has extended First City Development Corp.'s development|permit to June 30, 1990, to allow the company time to apply for a building permit. The city issued the development permit to First City in June 1983 when the company expressed an interest in building a shop- ping mall on vacant property south of the Monashee-Selkirk subdivision on Columbia Avenue, Mayor Audrey Moore said “We're going to find out by June 30’” whether the company is still in- terested in building the mall, Moore said. City to send reps Castlegar city council will be represented at the 1990 convention of the Association of Kootenay and Boundary Municipalities in Trail April 26, 27 and 28 council members to attend if they wish For the first time next year, an executive meeting of the Union of B.C.-Municipalities will be held to coincide with the AKBM’s annual general meeting : 7 Licensing info received Castlegar) council has received additional information from the Union of B.C. Municipalities on the changes in liquor licensing laws affec- ting local governments. Effective Nov. 17, municipalities now have the responsibility for determining the views of local residents on any liquor licence application or significant changes to an existing licence. Under the new rules, a local government is free to determine whatever method of obtaining public input it deems appropriate, whether through a council meeting, public hearing, mail drop or referendum Mayor Audrey Moore said the city’s budget includes funds for all- Lottery numbers The winning numbers drawn Thur- sday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 3,7, 9, 15, 18, 23, 46and 52 The winning numbers in Wed- nesday’s Lotto 6/49 draw were 7, 26, 28, 34, 38, 47. The bonus number was 18. The jackpot of $1,831,591.60 was divided into four prizes. The four Ex- tra winning numbers for British Columbia on Wednesday were 14, 40, 89, 93. The winning numbers drawn Wednesday in the B.C. Keno lottery were9, 15, 18, 21, 26, 36, 37, 42 The winning numbers drawn Tuesday in the B.C. Keno lottery were 1, 15, 27, 28, 32, 38, 44. and 54. The winning numbers in Saturday's Lotto 6/49 draw were 3, 5, 10, 36, 42 and 45. The bonus number was 28 The four Extra winning numbers for B.C. on Saturday were 22, 34, 65 and 78 The winning numbers drawn Satur- day in the B.C. Keno lottery were 1, 15, 16, 19, 21, 29, 43 and 52 The winning numbers in the Express draw for Jaguar cars were 811257, 946925, 936258 and 222464 The winning Lotto BC numbers were 13, 17, 34, 37, 39.and 40 These numbers, provided by The Canadian Press, must be considered unofficial Transit She is survived by one son, Fred of Ottawa; two daughters and sons- in-law, Grace and John Nixon of Castlegar, and Joan and Ralph Gordon of Richmond; nine grandchildren; two sisters, twin sister Nina Kloppen- borg of Lethbridge and Dorthy Tetzlaff of Sherwood Park, Alta Funeral service was held Thursday, Dec. 28 at 11:30 a.m. at St David’s Anglican Church with Rev. Art Turnbull officiating. Cremation followed. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Castlegar Funeral Chapel Lucy Relkoff Lucy Relkoff (Popoff) of South Slocan and, Winlaw passed away Wednesday, Dec. 27, 1989, at Boundary Hospital in Grand Forks at age 89 Mrs. Relkoff was born Oct. 20, 1900, at Arran, Sask., and moved with her parents, John and Polly Kinakin, to Thrums when she was 12 years old. She lived at Thrums until 1935 when she moved to Proctor and in 1937 she moved to Winlaw where she lived for 43 years For the past nine years she resided in South Slocan. She married Louis Popoff in 1918 at Thrums. He died in 1944, She married Nick Relkoff in 1947. He died in 1957. She enjoyed gardening, sewing and crocheting Mrs. Relkoffis survived by two sons, Eli Popoff of Winlaw and Peter Popoff of Nelson; two daughters, Mary Padowinikoff of Slocan Park and Grace Filipoff of South Slocan; 11 grandchildren; 21 great- grandchildren; and one brother, John Kinakin of Thrums. She was predeceased by one granddaughter, Mary Zaytsoff in 1976. Funeral service was held at the Appledale Hall on Friday and Satur- day with burial at Perry Siding Cemetery Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Castlegar Funeral Chapel Tina Swetlikoff Tina Swetlikoff of Glade passed away Saturday, Dec. 23, 1989, at age 83. Mrs. Swetlikoff was born June 20, 1906, at Kamsack, Sask. and she moved with her parents to Glade as a young girl. She married Alex Malahoff in Glade in 1921. He died in 1947. She married John Swetlikoff a few years later. He died in 1976 She resided in Glade most of her life, living at Thrums from 1962 un- til her passing. She was a life member of the USCC and actively par- ticipated in the Doukhobor faith. She was devoted to her family and home life. She is survived by three sons, Alex and Pete Malahoff of Vancouver Island and Andrew Malahoff of Nelson; two daughters, Olga Anutooshkin of Kelowna and Tina Corbett of Blueberry Creek; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren The cost of gathering public input will be charged to the licence ap~~ rides Funeral service was held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Castlegar plicant Tories place third TORONTO (CP) The federal Conservatives are in third place in par ty popularity with the support of only 23 per cent of decided voters, suggests a poll released today In th Angus Reid poll, published in the Toronto Star, 40 per cent of decided respondents said they would support the Liberals and 30 per cent said they would support the NDP Three per cent said they would vote for the Reform party and the rest sup ported other parties. However, 30 per cent of those sur veyed said they were undecided about which party they would support if a federal election were held tomorrow The proportion of undecideds is usually around 20 per cent In last month’s poll, the Liberals had the support of 41 per cent of decided respondents, the Tories 27 per cent and the NDP 25 per cent ‘A Gallup poll released last week also placed the Tories in third place in popular support free By CasNews Staff The Castlegar regional transit system will once again provide free rides on its regular routes from 8 p.m on New Year's Eve until 2:30 a.m. New Year’s Day The free rides are sponsored by Ban- jo’s Pub, the Sandman Inn and the Hi Arrow Motor Inn in Castlegar For more information on the New Year's Eve service, call transit infor- mation, watch for the ads in the Castlegar News or pick up a schedule from a bus driver There will be no bus service New Yeqg’s Day. Regular service resumes Jane Funeral Chapel with burial at the Glade Cemetery Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Castlegar Funeral Chapel Fred John Poohachoff Fred John Poohachoff of Slocan Park passed away in Kootenay Lake District Hospital Thursday, Dec. 21, 1989, at age 59 Mr. Poohachoff was born in Blackie, Alta., on March 6, 1930, and came to Slocan Park when he was one year old. He worked in orchards, the mill and construction until his retirement seven years ago He loved fishing, hunting, cooking, camping and talking to people Mr. Poohachoff is survived by his wife Shirley; sons Ted of Slocan er Tina Carrick of Toronto; brother nd many nieves, newphews and cousins He was predeceased by three sisters and five brothers Funeral services were held Thursday and Friday from Thompson Funeral Home in Nelson followed by interment in Slocan Park. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Thompson Funeral Home By a vote of 374-1 with 11 abstentions, parliament abolished on— Friday constitutional clauses defining Poland as a socialist state, dropped the title Polish People’s Republic introduced in 1952 and restored the pre- Second World War name Republic of Poland Ina further gesture of immense symbolism to Poles, it also gave back to the white eagle, the national emblem, the crown removed by the Com- munists when they seized power at the end of the war $500M loaned to Poland WASHINGTON (Reuter) — Industrial countries have finalized an emergency loan for Poland of as much as $500 million US to help cushion the blow of a tough economic austerity program, the U.S. Treasury said The United States, as previously announced by President George Bush on Dec. 13, will provide $200 million of the money, which will tide Poland over until it receives a longer-term loan from the International Monetary Fund. Final agreement on the bridge loan, of which aout $225 million will be released initially, became possible after Poland signed a letter of intent with the IMF last weekend, spelling out what steps it will take to reform its economy in return fora $710 million IMF credit Dead body explodes NAIROBI (AP) — The body of a French citizen, killed when a relief plane was shot down in southern Sudan, exploded in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, just before it was to be flown back to Paris, sources said. The sources, who spoke on condition they not be identified, said medical personnel at the scene did not believe the blast Thursday was caused by a buildup of natural gases and feared the corpse was booby- trapped If the body was sabotaged, it was unclear if it was meant to explode on the UNICEF flight that carried the corpse back from southern Sudan to Khartoum, or on the flight to Paris, the sources said. Ads irk white house CORPUS CHRISTI, Tex. (AP) — The White House objected Friday to advertisements for a decongestant featuring U:S: President George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev “Heads of state don't endorse cold medicine, Marlin Fitzwater said. Fitzwater registered objections to ads for Drixoral, an over-the- counter head cold remedy made by Schering-Plough Corp. The ads, in both newspaper and television versions, show Gorbachev and Bush shaking hands at the superpower summit in Malta earlier this month. “In the new year, may the only cold war in the world be the one we're fighting,’’ the advertisements state. But the ails are giving the White House a headache. “We do not approve or sanction or acknowledge any of these com- mercial endor and we iate the two networks that declined to run the: said Fitzwater. ABC and CBS have refused to carry the spot ““Some ad man gets high marks for imagination and ingenuity, but he may have to pay for this one himself," Fitzwater said. He did not elaborate. Bush spokesman China mad at Brits BEIJING (AFP) — China attacked today Britain's decision to grant passports to about 225,000 Hong Kong residents and warned that London would have to ‘‘bear a series of consequences” unless it reversed the decision “The Chinese government is greatly surprised at this action by the British government,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted by the official Xinhua news agency as saying He called the decision a ‘gross violation” of Britain's own ‘‘solemn commitment’ under the 1984 Sino-British agreement on the return of the British colony to China in 1997 citizens from meeting with foreigners or from offering them board and lodging. Earlier in the day, the new government changed the country’s official name to just Romania from the Socialist Republic of Romania and removed the Communist symbol from the flag. However, Budapest radio in Hungary quoted Iliescu as saying in an interview that Communists will have a role in anew democratic Romania. “We are in a situation in which we have to ask all of our society’s forces to act in unity and to join forces,” Niescu said World leaders praise se-did-away_with_a rule that banned private said. It Lupoi, identified-as-a-senior army official, as saying that Ceausescu was kept in the moving car to prevent rescue attempts. The Ceausescus were executed Monday after they were convicted at a secret trial of crimes against the state during his 24-year rule. Romania’s former defence minister was given a hero's funeral on Friday. Gen. Vasile Milea died of a gunshot wound Dec. 22, senior officers have said. Before fleeing, Ceausescu had denounced Milea and claimed he had committed suicide. But Romania’s new leaders say he was executed for refusing to order army troops to fire on demonstrators | ‘flagrant. violation of inter national law and of the indepen- dence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.”” U.S. troops invaded Panama Dec. 20, ousting Gen. Manual An- tonio Noriega from power in an at- tempt to éxtradite him to the United States on drug-trafficking charges. He sought refuge in the Vatican Embassy and the Vatican has refused to hand him over to the United States. avel By The Associated Press Both Communist and non Communist leaders of Poland, the country at the vanguard of the east bloc’s democratic revolution, joined in cheering Vaclav Havel’s election as president of Czechoslovakia on Friday. Western European leaders hailed the move as another step in Czechoslovakia’s march toward democracy The Bush administration said the election of the playwright, once a jailed dissident, ‘“‘marks a fitting end to a year of astonishing change in Economy worries OTTAWA (CP) — Canadians are ending the year deeply concerned about the economy, their own finances and the free-trade deal, results of a national survey indicate. “Not only do most Canadians now oppose the free-trade agreement, but almost one-half believe the new bilateral trade agreement has already taken a toll on the Canadian economy,”’ the Winnipeg-based Angus Reid Group says in an analysis of the survey it conducted in the middle of this month. The results Southam News. Fifty-three per cent of those sur- veyed oppose the deal, 31 per cent strongly, while just 39 per cent support it and only 14 per cent strongly, the survey results show. The poll of 1,501 respondents has a 95-per-cent chance of being accurate to within 2.5 percentage points. There's no question that news of thousands of layoffs which began early this month has helped sour Canadians on the agreement, Reid said in an in- terview. were reported by Sy Eastern Europe Havel, an internationally acclaimed playwright and opposition leader, was elected in @ unanimous vote of his country’s Parliament as the first non- Czechoslovakia in 41 years. Solidarity leader Lech Walesa in Poland welcomed the choice of Havel “with great joy’? and wished him strength in carrying out his new responsibilities, the official Polish PAP news agency said. Communist President Wojciech Jaurzelski and Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, a former activist in the Solidarity labor union, also sent While 44 per cent feel the deal has hurt Canada, only six:pér cent think the country has benefitted. The rest said they didn’t know Canadians are more pessimistic about the outlook for the economy than they’ve been since the Conser- cables of congratulations to Havel, PAP reported Mazowiecki was elected as the east bloc’s first non*?Communist head of government on Aug. 24, paving the Czechoslovakia,”* Kohl said. In London, a Foreign Office spokesman said of Havel’s election: “We greatly welcome it. His commit- ment to the ideals of democracy has way for a wave of reform in Eastern Europe Chancellor Helmut Kohl of West Germany sent a telegram to’ Havel promising that West Germany is ready to support Czechoslovakia in its pur- suit of reforms. “The new Europe of freedom needs democratic and dynamic been rep and demonstrated.”” In Texas on holiday, President George Bush pledged U°S. support for the changes in Czechoslovakia, Bush said Havel’s election ‘tis living proof of what Mr. Havel has called the ‘power of the powerless’ to bring about peaceful democratic change,” White House spokesman Marlin Fit- zwater said uragi ly us, says new poll “The disquieting,”’ Reid said, especially for the Conservative government vatives came to power in mid-1984, the results suggest “Consumer confidence in the outlook for the Canadian economy is far lower than even in the immediate aftermath of the October 1987 stock market crash,”’ the analysis said results are extremely Most Canadians expect inflation will not stay low, that interest rates will rise and unemployment will worsen. Ottawa, Via mum in ruling VICTORIA (CP) — Officials with the federal gover- nment and Via Rail stayed mum Friday after the B.C Supreme Court ruled that Ottawa is obliged to keep run- ning passenger trains to Nanaimo from Victoria. Federal Justice Minister Doug Lewis had not yet seen the ruling, spokesman Helene Ouellet said, so he hasn't decided on whether to appeal it, ' “Once officials have had a chance to review the judgment and once Mr. Lewis has had a chance to see it, he will be making a decision, ”’ she said. The 220-kilometre Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway from the Victoria suburb of Esquimalt to Courtenay, on the east coast of Vancouver Island, was slated to shut down Jan. 15 as part of widespread national cuts in Crown owned Via’s service But Mr. Justice William Esson, in a decision handed down Thursday, upheld a B.C. government argument that Ottawa had to maintain the service in perpetuity because it was part of the agreement that brought British Columbia into Confederation in 1871 B.C. Attorney General Bud Smith said he was sending a letter to Lewis demanding that an October cabinet order authorizing the cut be rescinded immediately Via sidestepped the development “This is really a matter between the province of British Columbia and the federal government," said spokesman Marc-Andre Charlebois from Montreal. ‘The federal government is our shareholder and we'll wait for-instruc- tions from the shareholder.” But an E and N employee was less reticent “We're going to call her The Cat,” said train conduc tor John Cooper when he heard the news. ‘She has at least nine lives, maybe a dozen