OPINIO WEDNES August 11, 1993 : PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG CATHERINE ROSS ADVERTISING REP NICOLE BEETSTRA ADVERTISING REP CHRISTINE MOYER PRODUC TION MANAGER SHAUNA KATTLER OFFICE MANAGERCLASSIFIEDS Zi) 465 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, B.C. VIN 1G8 1S POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT AND A MEMBER OF THE STERLING NEWS SERVICE Established November 28, 1990 John Karen, I can understand why this particular subject is such an issue to you. After all, you are getting close to retirement age. The recent provincial govern ment ruling that forces people to pay more for quality care in their later years i$ so out-to lunch it makes me ill Why should people with extra cash in their hands be penal ized? Some folks spend their entire lives working hard and can barely make ends meet, while others have the benefit of being born with a silver spoon in their mouth. I think it’s the job of our tax system, not the stem to bring the’ amount people contribute into our health care programs to rea- sonable levels. health care s Pa ying their fair share ‘By Storing Ue. Weekly on Wednesdays Member of Canadian Community Newspapers Association B.C. Community Newspapers Association and B.C. Press Council editorial comment A prime example of the need for openess It was Sir James Callaghan who said, “A lie can be half way around the world before the truth gets its boots on.” Left unchecked, rumors, innuendos and half-truths can have devastating and costly consequences. An example of that can be found right here in our front yard, involving the Central Kootenay Community ‘s Committee. Rumors of conflict-of-interest involving some people affiliated with the committee have been active for the last five years. Finally, something has been done to set the record straight A recent audit claims no wrong-doing and defi- Rishi ne ggnflict-of-interest. If the sayings, ‘percep- reality? or where there's Stoke: there's fire” ‘held“any weight in this particular case. then those people targeted as ‘pulling a few fast ones’ over the last half-decade should have been extremely ner- vous. But if the results of the audit are in fact the truth, once and for all, then a great injustice has been handed to people who have been working hard for the benefit of Castlegar and area Chalk it up to a community still grappling with pettiness, jealousies and ongoing suspicions. Or maybe, the truth just needed to get its boots on, but couldn't find them under all that secrecy. It all points to the need for legislated openess when dealing with the public's money and trust Rethinking business ethics? Most cities in Canada realize the importance of tourism dollars which can help revitalize a shabby town—and Castlegar certainly has spruced up, and, in fact, now actively encourages tourists However, there are some Castlegar business owners, who, for some reason, have still not real- ized that if they want a guest to visit they must first open their doors and be a genial host. They contin- ue to steadfastly hold onto a ten per cent exchange rate on American money during a time in which the going exchange rate is a whopping 27 per cent. Some of those same business owners justify their actions by saying that handling American takes time; and they consider the difference as “money for their time” But, how much time does it really take to handle American money? It is time that those businesses which give such a paltry rate of exchange rethink their business ethics and give our American neighbours a fair rate of exchange—after all, if Trail and Nelson busi- nesses are doing so why can’t all Castlegar busi- nesses do the same? What sort of message are we sending our visi- tors when we refuse to recognize the value of their tourism dollars? And what is to stop those very same visitors from taking their business to Nelson or Trail instead? For those who are astute enough to realize that the time spent giving a fair exchange and counting their US dollars and cents at the end of the day will increase their profit tenfold, keep it up . For those who insist on being unneighbourly, we urge you to re-examine your exchange policy The business you save could be your own ERRORS The advertiser agrees that the publisher shail not be liable for damages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the amount paid fer the space actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the erfor eocurred. whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise and there shall be no Sability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement All advertising subject to publisher's approval Contracts must be completed within one year from contract date. No contingent orders accepted ith-the-growing-poputarity of RRSP's, people are starting to save so they can have a comfort- able retirement Why should they be pun- ished in the long run? Why should somebody who has saved their hard earned money be forced to pay for their health care when somebody who has been a spend-thrift will be subsidized? You may think I have just fallen of the cherry’ truck, but think about this; someone who has frivolously spent all their money is eligible for a free ride from the government The government should contin- ue with a fair and unbiased system that has worked fine for years Canadians have pride in the quality of their health care system. one that is looked upon by every other country as being the best Karen: we all know your stand Here is a new twist fer your on cross border shopping, the next time you need to visit a doctor or hospital, why not visit one in a country you consider to be so great, the United States of America? I'm sure you'll quick- ly have a longing to be back in Canada, where health care is not delivered on the basis of ability to pay I recently had a conversa tion with a friend, who hap- pens to be an citizen. He couldn't believe how high our income taxes and border duties were He almost lost his lunch when I answered his questions on the American prices of cigarettes, beer, and gasoline taxes. My closing remarks on this subject to him were But look at our health care system All he could say was your point Karen care dollars. The bells of impending bankruptcy are tolling loudly, and you and many other Canadians are simply ignoring the warning signals. I think that if some kind of health care reform is not under- taken, and soon, you won't have to worry about whether you will have to pay your fair portion towards health care—because simply put, we won't have a viable health care system in which to rely on. You tell me why the average hard-working Canadian should have to pay the same amount of money as Mr. Daddy Warbucks does towards health-care Would you like if Daddy War- bucks only had to pay as much taxes as you do? Our system is Wednesday, August 11, 1993 The Castlegar Sun Letters to the Editor Page 7A Dear Editor, that the B.C, Bravo for Harry Killough and his letter of concern amid rumors nt and the C.P.R. are contemplating the demo. lition of the abandoned Kettle Valley Railway trestles, Trial balloons are a standard tactics in these organizations and their record of short- and casual destructiveness all too common, while public indif- ference nage essa of our history and heritage does little to ‘The list is a long one, even in the tveneer of our own local historical heritage. The destruction of the stemwheeler “Minto’, for example, severed one of our few links with the past and benefited no one, but the junk of our oldest building, the old Killough house was burned as a fire fighter’s éxercise and the Robson ferry snatched away from under our noses. One of Castlegar’s now prime tourist attractions and public recre- dealers. Mote recently, one ation sites, Zuckerberg Island and Chapel House was saved, initially by the action of a few individuals and a responsive council, then developed by a service club and heritage society specially Trestles and other historic artifacts need to be preserved None the less, they are a part of our fragile history—reflections of the past on the waters of the present, the legacies of the future, It is time therefc for the purpose. The nucleus of the town, the now popular Railway Museum was saved from the bulldozer by the space of a weekend; and the unique Doukhobor culture is due to the dedicated efforts of such people as Pete Oglow. During my first years of residence in Castlegar, I, and many oth- ers, travelled via the Kettle Valley line between here and Vancouver. It was a long trip, but the scenery, the beautiful landscapes, the mag- nificent trestle work and and mysterious tunnels throzgh the. moun- tains compensated richly for the difficulties. ‘They were beautiful, They are still beautiful, but with the advent of the new highways, less accessible, more readily forgotten, more exposed to the danger of indifference and destruction. that we demand an accounting and an accountabili- and ty from g by all accounts, These trestles, among many other artifacts, represent not only tourism dollars—but doorways to a wider education and recreation facilities and objects of beauty and action to ensure their safety we are in dangex of leaving our and our children’s children, a legacy of tittle but a barren and unacces- * sible landscape and a massive public debt. A bleak prospect. ee Ae officials, corp man-made and natural assets from our past and present we have a responsibility to the future—a potentially rich and exciting feture i) These If we fail to take John Chartets Utmost folly to destroy Kettle Valley trestles Dear Editor, About the time I first heard the rumor about the taking out of the old Kettle Valley Railway trestles (HLF. Killough’s letter, Castlegar Sun, August 4) I learned through the Globe and Mail of the Trans Canada Trail Foundation. This’ organization brings soon be recouped, although not directly by those proyiding the money and doing the work, through the estimated $25 per day of economic activity engendered by each of those suing the trail A Kettle Valley trail of course may not fit in 1 Reform Party ahead of other opponents Dear Editor, In a recent news article, the President of the Conservative Constituency Association for this riding stated that he expect- ed the election to be a hard fought contest between the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP in this riding. The reason that the Reform Party wasn’t mentioned in this lic input and then distributing Spent hed copies of/those poli- cies to lic Distributtoh has taken place at public meetings held throughout this riding and also by way of door knocking carried out by myself and vol- unteers working with me in the riding Our door knocking involves directly involved in all door to door canvassing, I will not reach every home. I hope that there will soon be some public forums where the vot- ers of this riding can directly com- pare the various party policies. The NDP candidate stated “I look forward to meeting with Jim Gouk, anytime, any place” last To date, despite not responded. The recently nominated Con- servative candidate also indi- cated a willingness to attend public forums. The Reform Party is ready. Anyone wishing further information can reach me at: Jim Gouk Ref Party Candid: Let's get something straight John, this is not an American ver- sus Canadian issue, and the soon- er you and many other Canadians wake up to that fact the better off we'll all be in the end. The biggest misconception is that Canadian health care is free In fact, we all pay a portion of our health care costs, and the escalating cost of health care is far exceeding the revenue which is collected towards it. While the concept of “free” health care sounds great, the sad reality is that it is. NOT working. Health care costs are spiraling out of control. All you have to do is read the news and watch Canadi- antelevision to understand that the Health Minister's newest mandate “New Directions tor a Healthy B.C." ts. in fac. a wak up call for financial restraint, and bid for valid direction of health not made that way, and T firmly believe that health care should be based on the ability to pay. That ALSO means that if you cannot afford to pay for health care you shouldn't have to. Right now, patients in long term care are only paying a minute portion towards what it costs to care for them. What do you think is going to happen to baby boomers, (who, by the way, are living longer than any other previ- ous generation) when it comes time to enter a facility and they find there is no room for them? We've got to plan for that inevitability, and if we-don"t-_pay. as we are able, then Generation X will most assuredly be carry- ing the heavy financial burden of caring for their predecessors And John, that means instead of me paying for my care you Kind of iromic isn't it? There is justice will be paying for it after all! Call the newsroom at 365-5579 or fax us your If you have any comments or questions about this week's Cheek to Cheek, feel free to send us your comments in a letter to the editor c/o The Castlegar Sun. if you have a subject that you would like to see debated in the Cheek to Cheek column, Karen and John would love to hear your suggestions. ts at 365-7762 ts and req Health care is a right, not a privilege I had an experience recently that reaffirmed my belief Cana da’s medical system is one of the greatest in the world. My girlfriend and I were driving along theveast shore of Koote- nay Lake when she began suf- fering an allergic reaction. She was having trouble breathing, so I turned the car around and started driving roughly 50 kilo- meters to the nearest hospital in Creston It quickly became apparent Patti wouldn't last the trip and we stopped at a house and called for help. As luck would have it, an ambulance was just down the road attending to an elderly man who had suffered a stroke Within minutes, Patti was given an antihistamine and taken to hospital. Never once did we stop to consider the cost of this lifesaving service. Nor should we have to When life is threatened, no one should be burdened with financial considerations Yet if Pattitived in the Unit ed States, the treatment she received could have cost us hundreds of dollars. Unlike mil lions of people in that country, Patti can afford insurance because we have socialized medicine in Canada How many times have we heard stories of American fam- ilies wiped out by serious ill- ness or injury because they couldn't afford the cost of —____—is| medical premiums. We must never allow that to happen here. The American system is morally bankrupt. Health care is a right, not a privilege But every right carries the burden of responsibility. Quality health care is expensive and we all pay for it through taxes. In fact, the system is getting more and more difficult to sustain despite steady funding increases over the years. We are all obliged to do everything we can to keep costs down. That means we should save visits to the Emergency ward for genuinely critical situa- tions; it's much cheaper to make a doctor's appointment for less serious complaints. We must take care of our- selves by eating properly, getting enough rest, and exercising reg- ularly. An ounce of prevention always beats a pound of cure Regardless, injury and sick- ness are a part of life. That's why I'm proud to pay a bit more tax to live in Canada. It's some- thing every Canadian should consider before slipping across the border for a cheap tank of gas, carton of smokes, or block of cheese On one of my vacations, an Idaho shopkeeper asked how I could stand all the tax we pay Feeling both defensive and patriotic, T said it was worth it to have affordable medical cover age. You can't put a price on Peace of mind David Horth ts the news director for CKQR radio, and has lived in Castlegar for ten months. David.was born and raised in Prince George B ( together people who intend to build a continuous Trans- Canada trail from St. John's to Victoria, with a branch run- ning north from Calgary through the Yukon and on up to Tuktoyaktuk. An ambitious plan, yes, but a plan that will most likely suc- ceed given the level of plan- ning, the determination and the common sense exhibited by the group—and all at the most modest cost of $400 million, Even this small amount will Ad should Dear Editor, In your August 4th cdition, the City of Castlegar advertised a Public Hearing Notice scheduled to be held on Monday, August 16, 1993 with tespect to pro- posed Bylaw 651 Within this ad only a general statement is made that “the intent of Bylaw 651 is to update the City's Official Community Plan” without providing specifics with respect to any of the changes proposed therein. Unfortunately, readers have a tendency to pass over such an ad with only a fleeting glance without further investigation and consequently are unaware of the changes until they sud- denly find that their neighbour- hood has been rezoned for multiple-family dwellings The public would have been better served if the City had pub- Dear Editor, On behalf of the Recycling Advisory Group and the Direc- tors of RDCK for the subregion including Castlegar, Areas I, J, and the south portion of H, we thank you for your initiative in organizing the once a month recycling program in Castlegar. The 101,000 pounds collected between April 1992 and June 1993 represents a great achieve- ment. Also, many thanks to all of the volunteers who helped with these events. The job was well done by all . The Recycle Advisory Group is optimistic that the “recycling HUGH KEENLEYSIDE SUMMER TOURS Hugh Keenleyside Dam is located 8 km upstream from Castlegar. Guided tours through the Hugh Keenleyside Dam gives visitors an opportunity to see how the dam and lock system operate. To arrange for a tour cal: 365-5299 Please call ahead to book your tour Tours are free of charye We look forward to seeing you BChydro & with the present plans of the Foundation, but there will most certainly, in a very few years, be a place for it as an auxiliary or a complimentary trail With planning for a 15,000 kilometer Trans-Canada trail already well in hand, it will be the utmost folly now to destroy the still sound and safe Kettle Valley trestles. I hope that we have a government, that will assure us that this will not be done Fred Marsh lished the more significant changes which I am confident would have captured more atten- tion; however it would. probably have generated more opposition to some of the proposals For example, all of the resi dential zoning designations have been changed with the elimina- tion of SF SINGLE FAMILY DWELLINGS and a new desig nation has been added SR INNOVATIVE HOUSING (Spe cial Residential) which allows for a mixture of the following forms of housing types Compact or cluster housing Mixture of single, two-family and multi-family units Stacked townhouses. In the proposal, three areas of South Castlegar have been scheduled for this new zoning designation From 2032 Columbia Avenue a success pilot project” for our sub-region will be in place by early fall Announcements will be made as developments occur. Thanks again George Markin, Chairman Recycle Advisory FROZEN FRESHNESS AT ITS BEST statement is because we are clearly well ahead of all the other parties in this riding. What I can’t understand is why he is concerned with who comes in second. Perhaps he is looking at it as an indicator as to which party may be able to restore the voters confidence in it at some future date The Reform Party has been busy doing all the things that the other parties only talk about We have been drafting detailed policies by use of pub- be further investigated to Kinnaird Hall 2800 to 3216 Columbia Avenue including 8th and 9th Avenues. West side of 10th Ave. starting from 2504 I urge all residents of both North and South Castlegar to inspect the relevant background documents which are available at City Hall between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. although these hours may not be conve nient to those who are working Robert F. Wright DINING LOUNGE Open 4 p.m. Daily 365-3294 Located 1 mile South of Weigh Scales, Ootischenia. Celgar, Westar and Cominco vouchers accepted DANISH BACK RIBS PRAWNS Headless * Shell on + 31/40 $4 9% $ 3°° = PRAW Cooked + 41/50 $10” RED SNAPPER FILLETS 72/1009 $325 KRINKLE CUT FRIES SUMMER HOURS Please note that Polar Pantry will be closed on Sunday's until September 12. $349 PIZZA FINGERS © ORANGE ROUGHY © SHRIMP STUFFED SOLE © BEEF WELLINGTON © SCALLOPS © ESCARGOT Prices in effect Aug. 11 - Aug. 18 Mid Town Plaza (behind Hi Arrow) 365-3411 Monday - Thursday — 9:30 - 6.00 Friday — 9-30 - 9:00 Sat. « 9:30 - 600 STIL UILSIOT © SdOHD © SIYANIO.C SHOH © SHIDUNG 1398 © INIMOTIVIS TWIA © SEIY WOW © dWIMHS a real committed effort. We do not hit two towns in the same day with a token knocking on doors I have spent several weeks of my time knocking on over 3,500 doors throughout this riding. The level of support that I am receiving is almost double the amount that indicates winnable, strength. I plan to continue with this personal style of canvassing and will be active with it right up to election day : Due to the size of this riding and my intention to remain 6:00 pm City Centre Square Sun., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 365-3752 up to ALL SALES FINAL! numerous attempts by us to set up such a meeting, they have Reform Party of Canada Kootenay West-Revelstoke ATTENTION SEARS CUSTOMERS “In our Sears flyer, the “Don't Pay For 1 Year” event running August 11 - 14, the phrase “On Approved Credit” was inadvertently omitted. This offer is available through your Sears account only. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.” SEAIRS - ICBC Claims Handled Promptly Auto CLEARANCE 65% Open Monday to Thurs. 9 am’- 5:30 pm Friday 9 am - 9 pm Sat. 9:00 - 5:30 pm 1217 - 3rd St., Castlegar 365-7782 Auto Body & = Complete Boat Repairs and Paint Refinishing ull Painting ~ Boat Detalli ~ Refur - Gel sory, | Boating