Wednesday, April 3, 1991 ‘Letters to the Editor The Castlegar Sun “Page 7A, OPINION | Nil Zee The 3 Stl idar Sun Ci ; PUBLISHER RAY PICCO NANCY LINGLEY EOITOR JOHN SNELGROVE PRODUCTION MANAGER DENISE GOLDSTONE CIRCULATION MANAGER, FRANK ISERNIA REPORTER BRENDAN HALPER REPORTER JON JARRETT ADVERTISING MANAGER DONNA JORY ADVERTISING REP, CATHERINE ROSS ADVERTISING REP, NICOLE BEETSTRA PRODUCTION CLIFF WOFFENDEN PRODUCTION Direct Department Phones General Office . seseneee IBS 5268 Clreut, 365-5266 965-7848 Classifled Ads Display Advertising .... Fax oescesssees oseseeneaeeee A burning issue In a story a couple of months ago about the birth of the Ooti: ia Fire Dep it was incorrectly Stated that Ootischenia was the last local residential, area lacking organized fire protection. A number of residents in the Blueberry area called to say it wasn't so. There is no fire protection in Blue- berry Creek, a community of over 200 homes, a num- ber of them in the $100,000 range. - . An innocent probe into the current s ding fire p in the small outlying nity of Blueberry Creek seems to have opened upa whole can of worms. Blueberry Creek has been actively seeking fire pro- tection for almost ten years now. There is dissension in the community. Some want their homes protected from fire. Some are content to pay higher fire insurance and take their chances — preserving their rural lifestyle. There also seems to be a certain amount of animos- ity between communities. "If Blueberry wants protection from us, they would have to be d,” stated Castlegar Admini: Gary Williams unequivocally. "City policy states that they must reside within the city boundary." What everybody seems to be missing here, is the fact that fire p ion is serious busi It's not a matter of, "do it my way or I'll take my marbles and go home." ae 3 "If, by some mischance, a house should bum down all hell would be popping here," said a Blueberrian. If, by some mischance, someone were seriously injured or killed in that fire, the situation would be a whole lot worse. Maybe somebody should light a fire under those responsible for setting up that fire protection service. I wonder who would put it out. editorial comment tate of affairs By Don Addis © 1991 Creators Synacate, ine. —) ; about the Canadian ip in 7 she war, it will not make for pleasant 2 Ag Ron Jeffels Syndicated 6g Columnist for Canadians, Try... let's sec. .. try “nation of Part-time bookkeepers and full-time clerks”, And he'd be right, of course, right with a heavy French accent. Because that's exactly what we've become — each of us, all of us: book- . keepers and clerks. And by formal act . of, Inamoment of curied-lip arrogance | and contempt, Napoleon slurred away at his enemy, the British, and called them “a nation of ”, Now, that's not only untrue, it's downright cruel, degrading and uncharitable, The Nap must have been in a bit of a Left Bank snit that day. Who knows? . Perhaps an attempted coup de palais by a few insurgent monarchists who the last tumbrel to the guillo- tine. Or trouble with wolves and win- ter on the Russian steppes. Or perhaps a minor but squalid encounter with the booted Wellington or the brittle-spined Josephine. Both could be nasty when’ they wanted. : ‘Well, if the Little Corporal were alive today, still mean and malicious despite the long passage of the years, and if we flew him tourist class Elba- Ottawa, I'm morally certain be’d find an even more di ing descripti H in case you've forgotten. I belped Napoleon with that acerbic description, and I’ll tell you,why, April, the cruclest month, is upon us, so each day, every day, a blizzard of Paper swirls, howls, then gusts directly into my mail box. It’s tax time in again. : How many T’s in the alphabet? ‘There used to be only one when I was learning to avoid the misplaced modi- fier and the participle that dangles. Now, thanks to the master grammari- ans in Ottawa, there's a T1,-T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7.. . Add to the list if _ you want. I’ve lost count. I swear that every agency, institu- tion and organization in Canada, with the possible exception of the Fund for the Advancement of Siamese Cats, sends me a T slip. I don’t like cats, never have. Banker and brokers sen tons, Even the government itself docs, now that my annual purchase of bonds is the last, best hope for the nition’ and its economic survival. Each arrives'in an envelope at 40 cents, plus that iniquitous three, Each admonishes me, in. smudged and _ diminutive print that cannot be read, to open the envelope with extreme care and caution lest I destroy the content. And that's not a bad idea. Some unzip to the right, some to the left. Some cannot be unzipped: I: need surgical scissors, scalpel and an RN’* (read wife) for that incision. Lapsed time to handle cach incoming missive: two minutes to read the instructions, three minutes to open, five minutes to file, followed by seven hours of blind fear at what that one will do to the final tribute I'll render to Ottawa. And that’s by way of preliminaries only. I haven't yet started to fill in that many-folio’d.tax retum with its Nia- Sara of attachments, annexures and appendices, Anyway, that’s quite beyond my part-time bookkeeping and full-time clerical skills, I tum the whole sodden, sullen mess over to that nice man on East He has a CA in number them. So do employ ii ities and chari 'P work and a gold medal for standing BO aIAL, 1S FRIES Ioy on PART driver licensing in this province is hardly a precise science with one new driver in five likely to be involved in an accident in his first year. Any attempt to stiffen up the pre- sent-system is likely to be met with howls of protest from the 16 year olds. As a tite of passage into young man- hood, it easily surpasses the first date and nicely for lingeri acne. The idea that it is subject to review once granted is an insult to a young ego.of staggering proportions - sort of like having to walk on the same piece of sick as your mother. “As for the road test, don’t worry about it. They may as well do it over the phone.” Such was the advice tendered to myself as a new immigrant some years ago. Like any rhetorical flourish, it was an exaggeration but held a kemel of truth. This week, statistics released in BC have reminded us orice more that “The Newsweek cover story was billed as “The Secret History of the War.” ad : it offered readers some tanta- lizing inside stories. Stories about secret missions by special troops, and insights into some of the behind the scenes political bat- tles waged in Washington. | If and when such a book is written Although there is an argument for regularizing driver training, it’s proba- bly that inflated ego which is the biggest part of the problem, actually, inasmuch as the to show off, lay rubber, spin wheels and broadside around comers a la Dirty Harry, is never as compelling as it is between the ages of 16 and 20. That’s why the accident statistics show such clear evi- lot to answer for. \ We were in the Gulf all right. But mostly for public relations purposes. It wasn’t because of any ‘Jack of courage on the part of our troops — they were gung ho. No, the lack of guts was at top, here in Ottawa. - In allowing even our limited par- ticipation ‘in the war, Brian Mulroney certainly went farther than any of our other so-called “political leaders” was prepared to go. Indeed he went » father than ‘any Canadian Prime Min- ; ister has gone since Korea. But-in comparison with the gov- emments of the other large Westem democracies our role was tiny. : Our military bad drafted plans to send 12,000 ground troops to the Gulf. Gen.:Kent Foster of Mobile d tol B- 3 a 4 ’ Our troops carried out the tasks “assigned to them with skill and : But if even.a fraction of the sto- ries now being told privately by. our. retuming troops are true, Canada's military and political leadership bas a _ Cc ep about it. Insiders say it-was a leak, designed to _ Set the government to’ approve the deployment: But. if that’s the case, it didn't work, Ottawa refused to act.’ ‘The closest our infantry got to the action was guarding. our Gulf mili- tary HQ. and Canadian air installa- tions, ance, seems reasonable enough in the circumstances. Driving should be regarded as an eared privilege, not a birthright. However, what would be wrong with simply raising the age limit to 17? Or 18 even? Other countries find it works quite well. One must remember that when our driving laws were framed, there were some valid reasons to keep the age limit low. Seventy years ago, a far higher proportion of Canadi- “ans made their livings on the farm than do so today. It was a considerable advantage to them to have their young- sters able to drive and ‘help Maw and * Paw git the hawgs tae market’. The intention of setting the driving age to sixteen was never to facilitate adolescent fun and games. Another possibility would be to limit new drivers to small engine sizes until after the second test. It is perfect- ly legal for a youth to pass his test in the moming and take a 350 bhp mus- cle car onto the road in the aftemoon. Legal, but not smart. Anybody passing the places where teenagers gather will have observed that they frequently can afford more car than Newsweek offers tantalizin Why was the federal government so reluctant to jump into the fray? Insiders say at the beginning the politicians could detect no groundswell of support for military action. Ultra left wing anti-American groups had taken over much of the anti-war movement, and were domi- nating the media. \ * And by the time polls showed Canadians were, supportive of mili- tary action, it was too ‘late. There wasn’t time — let alone the money —— to muster the forces you, would il and that means taxes first in his class, He also practices psy- chiatry without a license, A couple of hours on his arithmetic Freudian couch ° and all the fears and phobias go away — more or less, temporarily, partially, except at night, until next year. : And government isn't the only agency casting me as a Scroogian clerk, complete with sloping desk, quill pen and green eyeshade, There is a vast, international conspiracy to tum my too, too solid flesh into fragile, fluttering paper. That cascade of credit card receipts, for example: what's a man to do with them? And bank state- ments? And bills? And junk mail? Small wonder that the Douglas fir is an species. There must be a simpler, way. So why not the system used by that French baker who had a shop near Caen? Behind the counter he had a collection of sticks hanging on leather thongs, You bought a baguette, be cut a notch in the stick. At the end of the month, you settled up: you were franc with him. Now, if only Michael Wil- son had a notched stick with my name. - Na, wouldn’t work! ; RR. Jeffels is a Richmond free- lance writer and former principal of The Open Learning Institute. NA... agit ‘the Gostlegar Son they can safely handle. (We're talking Prudence and judgement here, not the purely mechanical functions.) Limit- ing new drivers to a motorized roller skate would keep speeds down and therewith limit damage. And yes, a stiffer driving test might be helpful. The other thing which might well be addressed at the same time, is the matter of insurance, Under BC's fair insurance laws, the low risk group, mature accident-free drivers, subsi- dizes the high risk group as identified above. In any other actuarial enter- prise, premiums are based on risk but for political reasons, this is not the case with motor insurance in BC. Making it impossibly costly for a new driver under twenty to insure some snorting behemoth would not only save lives, but re-introduce a measure of natural justice into the system. As I said above, measures like these are not going to be universally acclaimed by the But we should do it pi ocr Remember, they may be able to drive when they’re sixteen, but they can’t vote until they're eighteen. g tidbits and escort" missions, When officials were asked why the Canadians weren’t bombing, reporters were told it would take weeks to switch our fighters from air-to-air to air-to- ground roles, Canadians are among the best air- to-ground pilots in NATO, and our techs can change armament in hours. In the final days of the conflict, Canadian pilots were allowed to take a small part in the bombing of Kuwait. But sources say even that limited action was carried out using need for a serious ground op But) what} was :really lacking ywasn’t time nor money. The WILL to act was missing. yaA 1 Consider the qi of Canadian from the Ameri- cans, Canada had months to ship the necessary bombs and other heavy to the Gulf, but didn't, air support for the allied action. ._:We sent our CR-18s and our world class pilots to the Gulf, but they. were restricted to’ flying “top cover” over the Gulf, while American, British, French, and’ other members of the NATO comrades were ‘in’ the middle of:the action, the' Canadians were miles away. ~~ Eventually they were allowed to fly over Iraq and Kuwait on “sweep The brass back at HQ knew it wouldn't be needed. , 2 : 2500 were sent. 2500 returned home safely. fy es fan rn Me ATE: Proud nd thank. The politicians and their cage Servants the military brass are anoth- er matter, ‘ Mike Duffy hosts Sunday Edition” nCTV. se Edition~ i sere ves Nikon heh sg ae Potential brid Tothe Editor: 2; In planning the Castlegar/Robson bridge we would like to urge that all full.consideration be given to all aspects of pedestrian and cy¢list safety, especially school children. :. ‘The school bus circles through Robson over the dam and down Arrow Lakes Drive and picks up children at numerous stops along the way including the “Water Fountain”, It is a major school ‘bus stop encompassing large num- to be in direct conflict with this major school bus stop. We are very concemed with the threat to our children's safety which this intersection would appear to pose. Arrow Lakes Drive also has its fair share of cyclists, joggers and pedestrians, In. the proposed upgrade of Arrow Lakes Drive we hope you will include wide paved shoulders to promote pedestrian and cyclist safety. Ideally, we would like to see Celgar provided with their own thoroughfare for the bers of children from the Ferry Avenue Ap and ing neighbourhood. The preferred Site #3 bridge exit'on the Castlegar side appears To the Editor: |’ We would first like to apolo- gize for the delay in conveying our thanks to you for your Febru- ary 13,1991 article on the “Castlegar & District Develop- ment Board.” : We found the article to: be a use of Celgar/Westar traf- fic placed on the North side of the railway tracks, This would ensure the least social disruption and haz- ge site raises | Safe ‘ard to safety especially to the many houses along Arrow Lakes Drive that will be subject to 300 trucks a day driving in front of their homes, ‘Thank you very much for your consideration of the safety of our fety questions | children, A shat Sincerely, . Concerned Residents of Arrow Lakes Drive Kris Stanbra ‘Sarah Fry The best park in town To the Editor: It always was a “park”, I parked at it in 1966, and many others did before and after me. You all know who you are. So tell me something new, the city is going to upgrade the park, great! But don’t give it a totally i inal and d name. positive Positive portrayal of the Castlegar &-District Development Board and our efforts to promote and assist growth in Castlegar. Yours truly, Richard Maddocks April brings daffodils ‘To the Editor: “Look for the Daffodil!” The Canadian Cancer Society is the only national organization in Canada supporting research, edu- cation and patient services, for those: whose lives have been touched by cancer, As our April campaign ap- proaches, volunteers go from door- to-door for our annual appeal. They are frequently asked about other agencies raising money for Be oe % people have the impression that by giving to these other agencies their money will go to the service pro- vided by the Cancer Society. This is not the case. The Canadian Cancer Society funds more than 50% of all com- petitive cancer research grants in Canada; it produces and distributes the most comprehensive educa- tional material on prevention and early detection; and CCS patient services programs bring financial and emotional help to cancer patients and their families. So, when the canvasser calls in April, we'd like to ask your read- ers/audience to “look for the daf- fodil,” our symbol of hope for over 50 years. The Castlegar contact is. Ruby Marsh, Castlegar Unit, President. 365-6498, Yours truly, Anneke Rubingh (Volunteer) Praise from primary school To the Editor: The students, parents, and staff of Castlegar Primary School were. extremely pleased, proud and.-flat- tered with your newspaper's revent expose on Castlegar Primary school during Education Week 91. We believe your articles and the demonstrated by you and your newspaper, goes a long way in nur- turing and fostering improved com- ity.awareness abaut,aur school and, most-importantly, community support for our schools. Friends of our school are always welcome guests, and we phs truly world of primary education; colour, sight, sound, movement, social _ interaction, and meaningful activi- ties, We are very proud of our stu- ge you to visit us again. Yours in learning, J.A. Eggleton, Vice-Principal Please be careful how you improve the “Best Park in Castle- gar.” : A lot of us grew up there. It is the last frontier in the North End. I think it should be designated a Cul- tural Heritage site. Thanks Sun staff To the Editor: Just a note to thank you and your staff for the excellent Women in Business supplement. Our Regi y of Cr i tions, Lois Campbell, thought it ‘was great (as we all did) and sent it on to the Ministry of Women's Pro- Ss. T think it went a long way to contributing to the great success of the conference. Yours truly, Barbara Peabody gibly: hand. than two 1, Its a dirt biker's best track, 2. A fisherman’s favorite spot. 3. A scroungers dream, 4, And last but not least, the most romantic parkside around. If you don’t accidentally drive up the wrong dead end and disturb a couple. Ss. ~Your/Castlegar EW. Bringing You The Finest in Quality! OUND BEEF Coe bee Regular Quality. 10 Ib. bag. Limit 1 with family purchase.. g * COHOE SALM or Spring. From B.C. Average 2 - 4 Ibs. .88 / 100 g. a Kerby MacDonald Neil W. Kalawsky, President and General Manager of Kalawsky Pon- tinc, Buick GMC (1989) Ltd, is Proud to announce the appointment of Mr. Kerby MacDonald to our sales organization. Kerby has exten- sive experience in sales of General Motors vehicles. He has developed a reputation of extraordinary service to his customers. He has recently moved to this region and has settled in Nelson, therefore he will concen- trate on expanding our customer base in Nelson and area. Contact Kerby to arrange a look through our inventory of over 135 new and used vehicles, He is truly a professional in this industry. Give Kerby a call, col- TOWNHOUSE APPLE JUICE From Concentrate. 1 L. Limit 12 with family purchase. Over IImit price: .78 ea. 68. 999 3 a LIGHT TUNA In water. Sea Trader. 184 g. 98. MJB COFFEE Reg., Fine or Extra Fine. 300 g. Limit 1 with family purchase. Over limit price: 2.18 ea, 498 ORANGE JUICE Scotch Buy. Frozen Concentrate. mi. 344 Lj 4 8. lect, you won't be di dents and their and community reporting as Are you ready for gigantic CANCER PREVENTION You Can Have A Hand In It The Canadian Cancer Society says that a well- a garage sale? The final for the gigantic Garage Sale to be held April 13, were made at the recent executive meeting of Zone 6 BC Seniors’ Games. The sale will be held in the Kinnaird Hall io Castlegar to serve all surrounding districts. This will be on April 13, 1991 from 9 am to 5 pm. All inter- balanced, varied and dietmay £ CORRECTION Lyle’s : Hot Tubs Pre-Trade Show Special extended to April 12 “Look for our ad in the Home Improvement Sup- plement of today's paper” ested persons and are asked to donate goods. The Proceeds thereof will be to help \ cover expenses to attend the Games in September in North ‘Vancouver. Well over 100 partici- Pants are expected this year, Ms. Joan McClair, from Van- couver, Field Representative for Social ices P New Hori: — Seniors’ Independence, spoke to the executive. She helped Zone 6 to apply for funding for the Seniors’ Games. Air BC have donated airline tickets and BC Tel donated gift certificates, which will be raffled at the Garage Sale. The play-off dates for each of * the disciplines have been set. . The more persons who try out, the happier it is, so, persons 55 and over are invited to consider trying- out in one of the activities: bad- minton, bagpiping, bicycling, : bridge (duplicate or social), carpet bowling, chess, cribbage, darts, five-pin bowling, floor curling, golf, horseshoes, lawn bowling, one-act plays, ‘slo-pitch, snooker, ' swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field. 5 $ For. information regarding par- ticipation, the contact person is : Molly White — 365-5805, Selling something? Phone 365-5266: Be BCH é The Motor Vehicle Branch Driver Examiner will be relocating to the: B.C. Access Centre 1050 Eldorado Street Trail, B.C. VIR 3V7 Tel: 364-0591 ' For Castlegar & Thrums Residents Call toll free: 365-8247 Effective Monday April 8, 1991 KALAWSIKY JATIAC BUICK GMC 11985) LTO, ING OF CARS—— ce Ceatenee | 365-2155 Collect TEAM, FEUTVALL, ROSSLAND CusTOMtEs CALL aueo219. : KAU VALUE DEFENDER. ‘assenger Performance $63¢ 175/70 SR13:. SPORTY ~Pettotmance Tire For Iniports = STARTING AT” So? “'P178/70, R13 OUR PRICE INCLUDES Customer Protection Policy Call or See Us First! 2141 COLUMBIA AVE., CASTLEGAR PHONE 365-3311 IMPORTED © BANANAS » Chiquita. From Central America. 1.08 kg. TROPICAL | ‘PLANTS. | Assorted Varieties. B.C. Grown. 4 inch pot. ROAST BEEF Kohler's. With or without Barlic. Sliced or Shaved. 4719 100 g. MAPLE ROASTED HAM rimm’s. Sliced or Shaved. 429 100 g. RAISIN BREAD Sliced 450 g. Loaf. 99. GLAZED DONUTS Yeast. 6 99 for ea. Advertised Prices In Effect Monday, April 2 through Saturday, April 6, 1991. Mon. to Wed. & Sat. Thursday & Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 9 am. to 6 p.m, Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. We reserve the right to limit sales to retall quantities. SAFEWAY | AGS We bring itall together %.