As November 29, 1987 — ESTABLISHED AUG. 7, 1947 Lv, CAMPO ADVERTISING smasanan OF THE 8.C. PRESS COUNCH 1900 neCORPORATING TM MD. WERK MAMROR PUBLISHED SEPT. 12, 1978-AUG. 27, 1980 PUBLISHER AUG. 7, 1947-F€8. 15, 1979 PUBLISHER — Burt Compbell EDITOR — Ron Norman PLANT FOREMAN — Peter Harvey OFFICE MANAGER — Mina Kositsin ING MANAGER CIRCULATION MANAGER — Theat er Hadley WICE WEEKLY MAY 4 leming MOTICE OF COPYMONT: Full led in fond belongs 1 proded Neweves a pro ry soericomars propered emote cis ose rt and thot part only of SSS tna cavertaer chet Study a good idea Outgoing Ald. Nick Oglow’s proposal that an independent body be appointed to study Castlegar council indemnities deserves more than the cursory nod the sugges- tion seemed to receive this week at council. A study would be helpful in determining if our council mem- bers are properly compensated. Are we paying them enough? Too much? A study could let us know just what our annual indemnities are compared to surrounding hi and c ies of a similar size and tax base else- where in B.C. A study might also come with a satistactory system by which coun- cil can award itself increases. That isn't the case with the present system. Certainly no one can argue with the increases granted Mayor Audrey Moore and her six alder- men. Mayor Moore will receive only $215 more this year and $308 in 1988. That's just $18 a month this year and $25 a month next year — not an outrageous amount by anyone's imagination. And the aldermen’s raises are even le: $126 ($11 a month) this year and $182 ($15 a month) in 1988. Nevertheless, the way council gives itself increases just doesn't seem right. It borders on conflict of interest. Council tags its increases to the wage increases given city workers. Some on council seem to think this is a hands off approach to a dif- ficult issue. But is it? Under the present system, if city workers get a small wage ra Letters to the Editor ike, council jb correspondingly small hike. But it city workers get a large increase, council members receive the same large increase. And it is ultimately council which approves city workers’ wages. The problem isn't so much that council might abuse the system, but that the system is open to abuse. Surely, a study by an indepen- dent’ committee made up of several local residents would be a solution. CP Rail ‘unethical’ Thad a telephone call from a sales agent for CP Rail. He was trying to arrange “piggyback” contracts for freight going east. I mentioned the short line concept and he said that was another avenue that they are looking at. After removing ‘all possible sid- ings, snowsheds and the Midway turn- around, as well as trying to sign up all possible customers for their reload operation, it is doubtful if a small entrepreneur could make a go of what was already a marginally profitable line. There is no way that the CPR should be allowed to unload their responsibilites, nor should they be allowed to hide their CPR assets in Marathon Realty. It should all be shown on one ledger, as it originally was. These assets were presented to the CPR to cover the cost of con- Ron Norman It’s been over a week now, and in another week nearly everyone will have forgetten it as they turn their attention to preparing for Christ mas, but I couldn't let last Sat. urday’s municipal election pass without a few final comments. It amazes me how people's views of the mayor's race changed before and after the election. Nearly everyone I talked to before the vote said it was too close to call. But in the days following the election no one was the least bit surprised incumbent Audrey Moore easily beat back the challenge from Ald. Nick Oglow. So how come I was? It wasn't so much Moore's victory that was the surprise, but the nearly 400 votes by which she won. Granted, she had beaten other chal. lengers by wider margins, but this year was supposed to be different. This year she was facing a popular alderman; this year she had been in ‘office a decade. On Oglow’s side, he had a solid campaign team coordinated by local PR person Marilyn Strong. And he had plenty of volunteers — people who make those telephone calls to voters asking them to support their candidate. So what went wrong? A number of things, not the least of which were unfounded rumors about Og low’s past dealings on city council But the rumors weren't what lost him the election. It was a combin ation of things. For instance, he made persistent attacks early in the campaign against Moore. A number of older voters told me they didn't like that. And Oglow seemed to sense it as he let up in the cam. paign’s latter stages. struction. This is shown in the agree- ment that they have with the govern- ment. If the CPR wants to back out of their agreement, it should at least negotiate a buyout agreement and set up a short line rail with all the necessary spurs and rolling stock to get the short line operator rolling. They should not be allowed to do as they are doing now in the case of the Castlegar to Midway line, stripping all possible trackage and equipment, and contriving an unreal loss figure. All interested parties from the Alberta border west should get in- volved and work to maintain this nec- essary rail service and to put an end to this unethical behavior by the CPR. Write to the Ministry of Trans portation and Highways in Victoria. That’s just the way municipal elections are; they are sophisticated popularity contests. That’s not to say Moore didn’t get in her digs — she did — but in a nicer way. For instance, at the public forum the Monday before the election, she pledged to represent all the people in Castlegar, thereby suggesting Oglow doesn't. But she never came right out and said it. Perhaps Oglow's biggest mistake was letting himself become ‘the major election issue. He became the focal point of the election, instead of his platform to properly manage city finances — or instead of Moore's record. Still, as one political observer noted, it's. doubtful anyone would have beaten Moore this time around. She is a solid politician who commands a hard working campaign team. And she knows her stuff. . 8 « The emergency debate on priv- atization goes tomorrow in the pro- vincial legislature. If anything, timely, as unions and govern) workers have started to campaign against privatization with several meetings, press releases and letters to the editor (see elsewhere in this issue). The thing about privatization that worries me is that it will mean user fees without any reduction in taxes. Take the Castlegar-Robson ferry. Victoria is considering turning it over to the private operators along with the other inland ferries. One of the possible options is implementing a fee for people using the ferry. If they do, will that mean a drop in my taxes? Somehow I kind of doubt it. Privatization stirs fear I recently attended a forum on privatization, one of the many of such forums being held all over the province. The general feeling of the speak- ers and guests was one of anger and fear, based on the fact that our province and standard of living will be reduced if privatization occurs. The legacy we will leave our children will be a province of broken unions and lower wages, leading to job insecurity. People in the K: need only ber 1987 to recall the impact of what less cash flow in our community means. What will this loss and further perm- anent decrease in wages do to the economy of not only the Kootenays, but the province as a whole? We, the people of British Colum- bia, have already told the premier we do not want the liquor industry pri- vatized. We did this by way of 16 days ~ of public hearings, 400 presentations and a further 1,300 letters, written i and petitions, at the cost remember May 1987 through Septem- of $3 million. Why wasn't paper at skating event? As you may have been aware, Trail Figure Skating Club recently hosted the B.C. Section Figure Skating Competitions, which was a chance to observe B.C.'s best figure skaters competing to qualify for the Western Divisional and Canadian Champion- ships. It was a wonderful display of skating talent from many dedicated hard working young skaters. Guest skaters Christine Hough and Doug Ladret, a dynamic skating couple who recently won a gold medal at Skate Canada and are currently ranked eighth in the world in pairs skating, were an added bonus. It was great to see that many Castlegar families were able to attend this event. But where was Castlegar News? As a group of people working hard to promote the sport of figure skating, we.find it very disappointing that there was no coverage of this event in our local paper. It will be years before a figure skating event of this magnitude will be held in our area again. Sorry you missed it! Castlegar Figure Skating Club Executive Editor's note: To set the record straight, while it is true the CasNews the which don't invelve local residents are a lower priority. Now, more than ever, it is impera- tive that the people of British Columbia unite to maintain and improve our standard of living, rather than allow- ing our province to be sold out from under us. Joan Retnits ‘Trail Giving up way of life Privatization means paying the same taxes for fewer public services. Privatization means watehing some rich friends of the government rip off our taxes while telling us we can't afford the services we need. On a small scale, we've all seen it before. We've seen private contractors come into our workplace and take our jobs. Then we've seen the service go down and the price go up. But more than all that, privatization on this scale means giving up your way of life in British Columbia. That's what it really means. Privatization says if you're out of bucks, then you're out of luck. Make no mistake about it, priv- atization is a whole new way of life. Privatization puts economics ahead of ethics. That's not the British Columbia we have all been working for. That's not the society we've been striving to build. Bill Vander Zalm may not like that kind of society but, is that the British Columbia we want to turn over to our children? Castlegar More letters, AS BRAUN, JMAEFF No outcry for fasters By NICOLE PARTON The Vancouver Sun A world record of dubious dis- tinction is about to be shattered in B.C. Tomorrow the ifamous Tina Jmaeff and Mary Bragn will smash the Guiness Book of World Records entry for the-lengthiest-ever hunger strike. What? No cheers or drum roll? True, the event takes on a sombre note considering the women are slowly starving themselves to death. Cup your ear for the oucry of protest, then — the pleadings on the open line radio programs, scuttle-butt in the streets. You don’t hear it? Me neither. Passionate letters to the editor, then? No. There are none. The Sun has not received a single letter for at least five weeks about Jmaeff and Braun, who tomorrow start the 95th day of their fast for freedom. As you'll recall, the 63-year-old Jmaeff and 67-year-old Braun are in the clink, serving eight-year terms for arson. Members of the Sons of Freedom Doukhobor sect, they say their religion compels them to honor God by burning “opulent” structures to show their renunciation of material goods. For IJmaeff and Braun, a fireplace does not do the trick. Theirs is a long-established pat- tern: torch a building in the name of God (fire is a “spiritual cleanser”); get tossed in the pokey for it. Stop eating until corrections officials or the solici- tor general grants parole; torch another building. And so on. The ladies’ current incarceration stems from a breach of remembers Mary Astaforoff, who in 1985 ghucked this mortal coil after re- scopic examinations requested by their doctors. . 8 @ Unless major contributions are re- ceived, very little in the way of capital projects will be carried out at the Castlegar arena for the next few years with all proceeds required to meet existing debts, the recent annual meeting of the Projects Society was told by president Johnny Clarke. * 8 « Twenty residents of the Sopow parole given to them a year ago on the promise that they would remain on their best behavior. Unfortunately “best behavior” means different things to different people. To Braun and Jmaeff, it means flicking their Bic. Both have long records for arson. The women believe their actions are defensible on religious grounds and that their imprisonment is wrongful. They say the will break their fast only when they receive an unconditional pardon. ‘The public isn't exactly beating its breast in sympathy. Braun and Imaeff's fires might have killed some- one. Any tolerant society has room for many cultures, customs, and beliefs. But when such practices have the potential to injure or kill innocent people, then those who espouse them should be removed from society for the public good. To pardon the two women would be giving in to blackmail. So they intend to starve to death? Let them. It’s a curious gesture they're making: their wilful self-destruction betrays their own Freedomite faith, which con- siders suicide a sin. If their religious conviction then rings hollow, one might examine other motives. Religious martyrdom, per- haps? The Freedomite community still peated hing: aa hunger strikes. She was bunking in the same institution as Braun and Jmaeff at the time, but while she was pro- moted to glory for starving herself, all they got was sprung. By my, what a heady way to gain attention! Arxious pleas to Ottawa from relatives and friends, a nurse on standby 24 hours a day, daily visits from a doctor warning of the perils of starvation, ‘The sad fact is, the media's chron- icling of Braun and Jmaeff's mental and physical deterioration is routine back- page of unfolding news, Only other Freedomites are hand-wringing. Solicitor General James Kelleher’s Ottawa office has had “five or six letters at most” (none from outside the F the women’s release. Attorney General Brian Smith's office and the B.C. regional office of the National Parole Board says the women have received neither letters nor phone calls Fa public support. nd the Service of canede will not force feed them while they have the mental capacity to refuse nourishment, although efforts continue to coax them to eat. They will be fed if they slip into unconselousness, but may refuse food when they revive. The ladies have taken the position that their fate is in God's hands. May He have mercy on their sad, mis- guided souls, Max} 9 your readers will be EL a ny Help save al Babs challenge injustice, insensitivity and bureaucratic indifference on behalf of themselves or their communities. Excluding the Lower Mainland, the program presents a uniquely wide, rather than regional view of B.C., reflecting accurately that smaller communities at opposite ends of the province have more in common with each other than with their own regional centres. Bob Sharples's incisive interviews, based on well-researched background information, have enlightened and in- time early in 1988, Here is where we, the listeners, could make a difference. I have drawn up « petition pro testing the cancellation of Daybreak which could be circulated amongst Blood testing for everyone? Three years after the technology was generally available to the world to identify AIDS carriers, public health officials in Canada are still reluctant to advoeate finding out who carries the virus. Faced with an unp are. No one else knows who they are either. Thus the AIDS epidemic con- tinues to spread, because infected in- dividuals are the disease. Ce have the di disease, and the beginnings of what sober medical researchers call a gigbal pandemic, they don't want to use all the tools at their disposal in the control effort. Very few would want to knowingly infect another person with the AIDS virus. Most symptomless carriers of the AIDS virus do not know who they the wealth, and the technology to escape what is ahead, but our culture holds us back. The enlightened among us believe almost as a group, that to identify AIDS carriers would cause more problems than it would solve. On the one hand, some epidemiologists are predicting now that in the absence of a vaccine, or a cure for the disease, or Does Cominco have feds over barrel? Two months ago you published my letter to-the editor un the heading “Rally raises questions.” I had a few questions that I hoped could be answered by anyone who was able to think — someone who had an idea of what to make out of current events that did not make any sense to me. So far, no one has attempted to explain any of thé qtiestions I pésed. I quote in my ‘lettér: “The percha ‘with America is the only one in a million thinks.” Am I then to assume that, in all the Kootenays, amongst MPs, MLAs, accountants, lawyers, judges, clergymen, etc., we haven't got that “one in a million” who does think? It appears that our local paper does not reach that “one” who thinks! Just recently, according to my understanding, Cominco received a grant from the B.C. government, for $59 million. Cominco also received the same amount from the federal govern- ment, which purchased shares — also with the taxpayers’ money. WKPL was sold for $80 million. We also read in the News: “Cominco Records Profits, Vancouver (CP) — Cominco Ltd. had consolidated earnings of $96.6 million for the nine months ended Sept. 30... .” Then, our MP proudly announces, “Cominco. Ltd. and the fed- eral government have entered into a $272,000 cost sharing agreement.” Has Cominco got our government and the taxpayers over a barrel? We know that West Kootenay Power and Light utility was sold against the will of the people — or should I say against the will of the taxpayers? Now Premier Bill Vander Zalm. is attempting to sell many more public utilities — also against the will of Could meaning of the term “democracy” for us? Perhaps I am wrong about the meaning of the term “the people.” If the taxpayers are not “the people”, as it appears they are not, then who are these people that this democracy (and the taxpayers) support? Another Castlegar News headline reads: “Canadians on the list of world billionaires.” Now, how can anyone accumulate billions of dollars if he is to pay his fair share of taxes? How much tax, if any, will Cominco pay out of its record profits? Mike E. Chernenkoft (Crescent Valley some action we are at present not taking, we will be looking at a decline in our population over the next decades, millions of deaths. On’ the other hand, identification of carriers is widely held to the counterproductive, driving those who suspect they are in- fected to go further underground, away from researchers who need to study and help them if we are to find the clues necessary to defeat this epidemic. The ignorant, it is believed, will ruthlessly discriminate against those identified as carriers. At the moment, all our “pre- vention” eggs are in the basket of safe sex. It seems that to ask all hetero sexuals when making a new sexual contact to practice safe sex because’a tiny minority among them is infected with a lethal disease is a dubious method of control. Epidemiologists pushing this policy point to the change of sexual behavior in the gay men's communities as “proof” that this policy can be made to work. Unfortunately, gay men say they changed their be- havior when people they knew started to die, but by then, due to the tragic delay between infection and death, their community was riddled with the virus. Why not pass the most serious anti-discrimination laws ever séen, and back them with show prosecutions? Send the message out to Canadians that if they discriminate against AIDS carriers, they will face their powerful allies who will exact a price. Encourage anyone initiating a new sexual contact to have that person's blood tested. Maybe test everyone's blood. At least talk about it. Spend more on education, for if we are still faced with ignorant masses restraining necessary policy, we can't be spending enough. As this epidemic takes its course, and we find the toll becoming un- believably high, we can only look at ourselves. What it really comes down to, is that we are going to be done in by a completely preventable disease, be- cause We can’t trust each other to do the right thing in a tight spot. David Lewis Crescent Valley By CasNews Staff The City of Castlegar has City gets $1,000 from told council the city will pass the money onto the Castlegar Chamber of Commerce, the which is looking after 907 SPOKANE ST. TRAIL # 908-6115 URGENTLY Committee feces: ‘Contact VV PONGRACZ 365 3743 SOMJEAS Exsiter ignores voices B.C.government} mately $8 million of the War toys promote violence in kids The third International Days of Protest Against War Toys is this weekend. 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