@ Colin Gablemann puts 200 more roadside screening devices in the hands of RCMP as battle against drunk driving continues Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER If you drink and drive in British Columbia — you will pay the price. Attorney General Colin Gabel- mann has announced that an addi- tional 200 roadside screening devices will be put into RCMP hands this week. ; But Castlegar may not be sharing in the alcohol-sniffer windfall. “Roadside screening devices have proven to be a remarkably effective weapon in the fight against drinking driving,” Gabelmann stated in a news release Wednesday. He added that his goal was to have the alcohol breath testers in every po- lice car in the province. And Insurance Corporation of B.C. manager Jan Enns thinks that’s great. . “The more tools we can provide po- lice with to assist in the enforce- ment,” Enns said, “the more we will be able to keep drunk drivers of the road.” Enns said that 21 cents of every in- surance dollar goes directly towards covering costs incurred by drinking drivers. “And then there is the cost of life. That can’t be calculated in dollars and cents.” Enns said that ICBC tries to de- crease the number of drunk drivers by sponsoring awareness programs, but added that they alone can’t stop the problem. “These awareness programs have to be backed up by enforcement,” she said. “Extra enforcement such as the roadside screening devices work to- wards that common goal of getting drunk drivers off the road.” However, Castlegar Cpl. Al Hude- ma said he doesn’t think local RCMP will be getting any more of the hand- held breathalizers. “We've got three of them in action here,” Hudema said. “We've had a number of prosecu- tions from the result of people failing them and prosecutions from people refusing to blow in them. “The program seems to be running pretty successfully in our area.” But when it comes to roadside screening devises, more isn’t neces- sarily better. “It’s very seldom we have more than three cars on the road during a particular shift,” Hudema said. “Right now three (screening de- vices) pretty much satisfies our needs.” And local RCMP will keep up their assault on drunk drivers with the three devises they currently have. “Drunk driving is a social disease that is affecting everybody,” Hudema said. “I don’t think you will ever wipe it out, but it’s certainly our mandate to decrease the carnage created on the highways by people who drink and drive.” News photo by Glen Freeman RCMP officers Larry Oster (I eft) and Peter Redekop demonstrate the roadside screening device which is already in use on Castlegar's streets. Another Sex- case filed in courts related anal CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH 809 Merry Creek Rd. - Ph. 365-3430 PASTOR: BOB MARSH SUMMER SCHEDULE: PLEASE NOTE: Copy changes taken once per month only. Deadline is Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER Castlegar will be the site of yet another sex-related court case. A 45-year-old Castlegar man has been charged with three counts of sexual assault and seven of indecent assault. The charges stem from ac- tivities which allegedly took place from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s. Local lawyer Ken Wyllie will enter a plea for the man on Sept. 1, and a trial is sched- uled for Nov. 2 through Nov. 6. Dana Urban will act as Crown counsel. A media ban has been Morning Worship 10:00 a.m. Includes Beginner and Junior Church Nursery provided Evening Service 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7 p.m. —EVERYONE WELCOME — Aaa 847115, the last Tuesday of each month, for the following month. ST. DAVID'S ANGLICAN CHURCH 614 Christina Place placed on further information SUMMER HOURS until a verdict has been hand- ed down. 9 a.m. Family Service The Rev. Dorothy Barker 365-2271 or 365-6720 ERAS SARIS SAE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 1471 Columbia Ave., Trail 364-0117 Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. Divine Worship 11:00 a.m. Pastor Leonard Andrews 365-5197 CHURCH OF GOD 2404 Columbia Avenue Family Worship Hour 10:30 a.m. August only Pastor Ira Johnson + 365-6762 @ Saturday, August 8, 1992 AroundTOW | 365-7266 METIS MEETING The newly- formed Van- couver Island Metis Assoc- iation is hosting a powwow at the Qualicum Indian Reserve on Vancouver Island on Aug. 15 and 16. They invite all First nations people and Metis to come and enjoy their ceremonies, bar- becue, dances and business. Call 1-248-8817 or write #103- 435 Morison Aye., Parksville B.C. V9P 2M7. RAD GRADS The Burnaby South Secondary School “Rebels with a Cause” are looking for students from 1922 to 1992 to celebrate the opening of a new school in 1993. Call 1-299-7964 or write to the Burnaby South Alumni Campaign at 5325 Kincaid Street, Burnaby, V5G 1W2. THERE’S HELP If you or someone you know has OurPEOPLE Para @ e foun Students from Japan are touching Castlegar families, bringing friendship and culture to our cozy community Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER Some people think that Castlegar is lacking culture — a traditional hinterland of sorts... _ But the Selkirk College International Department has an exchange program which is making that school of thought ancient history. “This program started in the summer of 1987,” said department head John Armstrong of the Selkirk-Aoyama student exchange. “We wanted'to promote a cultural exchange between people from Japan and people from Canada.” So in the late 1980s, the folks at Selkirk contacted the Aoyama Technical College in Tokyo and arranged to have students sent | to the Kootenays for the educational experience of a lifetime. And on July 20, 22 foreign students touched down in Castlegar and embarked on a three week class Canadian style. “These young men and women have English language classes in the morning,” Armstrong said. “And nm they have a variety of social, cultural and recreational activities that we plan and staff in the afternoon.” Aside from learning the language, the students have gone horseback riding at the D Bar D Riding Stables, swimming at the Community Complex, had gol and tennis lessons, went on a Champion Lake marsh crawl — they even got a lesson in softball from the Woodland Park Co-eds. But experiencing the true north strong and free in three weeks is an impossible task, something Selkirk realized they could not teach alone. “So the students are living with home- stay families,” Armstrong said. “The families provide a lot of opportunities for students to find out about the area and meet people. This way (the Japanese students) find out a lot of different things about the area.” However, the home stay program does not benefit the Japanese students exclusively. Take for instance Castlegar’s Batchelor family. This is the second year they have hosted foreign students and feel they would do it again. “We're originally from Winnipeg,” said host mother Chery] Batchelor. “We went to Japanese film festivals, flower arranging classes, Japanese cooking — we really enjoyed the culture.” And now they are enjoying the culture by proxy, through their Japanese born and bred boarders. ° “Last year we had two girls and we really grew close to them,” Mrs. Batchelor said.“They called us mom and dad, they told us all about their families and they still write to us today.” For the last two and a half weeks they have a young man under their roof, Hidetaka Oki. “I like him a lot,” said son Kirk Batchelor, adding that when Hidetaka arrived in Castlegar he was rigid, probably because of his strict Japanese upbringing. “But now he’s starting to act more like a normal person in Canada would. He’s more outgoing and he’s starting to loosen up.” And daughter Christi-ann Batchelor says she will never forget the time she has spent with the overseas students. “Just the little keep-sakes they've left us, the pictures, the little funny things we’ve done. I think (hosting a student) is great for us and great for them. Canada is so different to where they come from.” However, with all the positive experiences they have faced, host dad Wayne Batchelor says there has been a difficulty. “Language,” he said. “That’s the big one. f Fun is key as the Aoyama students experience Canada. Here volleyball at Syringa breaks the language barrier. There’s communication, but you never really know if you’re getting your message across.” For instance, Mrs. Batchelor remembers when Hidetaka first arrived. She wanted to make him feel comfortable in her home so she sat down with him and a dictionary to let him know. “I said in a few words ‘I'll help you and you help me,” she said “Well he thought we needed help in the kitchen, so he jumped up to lend a hand.” But Mr. Batchelor said his family is better for taking part.in the Selkirk- Aoyama exchange. “Nothing has been bad at all,” he said, adding that the exchange kids have taught his family something about this neck of the world that they may not have learned otherwise. “When you’re exposed to another culture you get to find out not only what there culture is like, but how good where you live is, too.” Castlegar? Good? Of course it is. But sometimes it takes a student from . ; bell wer areas De + gg to remind us - 3 # : f . Pe t life in Canada is fine. Weare fe ee * | News photos by Glen Freeman And culture, like so many things, is in CHRISTIAN ACADEMY Hidetaka Oki, centre, here surrounded by his new-found family, the Batchelors, says Canada’s great. the eye of the beholder. 365-7818 GRACE PRESBYTERIAN 2605 Columbia Ave. Morning Worship 11:30 a.m. Rev. Murray Garvin 365-2438 1-226-7540 FULL GOSPEL FELLOWSHIP 1801 Connors Rd. Phone 365-6317 PASTOR: Stan Block - 365-7201 — SUNDAY SERVICES — During Summer no Sunday School Moming Worship 10:45 a.m. Evening Celebrations 6:30 p.m. Ankylosing Spondylitis (a division of arthritis) and would like to meet with others with A.S., join their support group by calling 1-531-8307. To know Christ and Make Him Known SUMMER CELEBRATION Sunday 10:30 - Morning Worship - Kinder Church & Super Church 6:30 - Evening Service Home Fellowship Meetings Billy Graham Video Series Hope For The Family Call for location 2224-6th Avenue 10 a.m. Worship 10 a.m. Sun. School Mid-Week Studies & Youth Activities COMMUNITY BAG SALE St. David's Thrift Shop Bag Sale. $2 bag, Aug. 11-21, 1992 2/63 Ph. 365-8337 REV. ANN POLLOCK heres 2329-th Avenue Phone 365-5818 PASTOR STUART LAURIE + 365-3278 Sunday Moming Worship 10:30 a.m. Nursery & Children’s Church provided Mid-Week Service and Study Wednesdays 6:30-8:00 p.m. Bible teaching for all ages. A non-denominational family church preaching the word of faith! only half price for the two of for one, two or three times, turday’s paper and 5 p.m. sana be brought to the Castlegar News at 197 Columbia Ave. COMMUNITY Bulletin Board Pastor Rankin McGougan Pastor Rick Popoft