wis

Wednesday, Doc? 4; 7881 fh

Cultural groups
are cashing in

Craig Docksteader
CANADIAN TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION

I did it again.

I made the mistake of looking in the federal government's
1989-90 Public Accounts under the “transfer payments” sec-
tion. I knew I shouldn’t have, but in order,to find some infor-
mation, I had to.

I hate it when this happens, because my gut burns for the
rest of the day.

There they were . . . those numbers .. . all that money that
the government gave away on behalf of you and me. Oh, I know,
you could probably talk me into believing that some of it was for
good humanitarian purposes — that, as a good Canadian, I
should be able to cheerfully concur — but I still struggle with

it.

Look at it: $116,599 to the Federation of Italian Seniors’;
$197,862 for the Independent Child Care Givers Association;
$200,000 for Non-Smok ights Association; $146,000 for the
Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada; $135,000 for the
Ukrainian Canadian Committee and many more. When I see
this stuff I’m never sure whether to laugh or cry.

The multicultural grants get me the worst. One of my co-
workers was joking with me that because he was of Romanian
descent, he was going to establish a “Romanian Persons Un-
der Thirty Years of Age Association”. I figured I would see if I
could set up an “Association for Persons of No Fixed Cultural
Heritage”, such as myself.

Other appropriate names might be the “Association for Per-
sons of Diverse, Mixed, Unknown, or Otherwise Indiscernible
Cultural Backgrounds”, or maybe the “Heinz 57 Club”.

I figure we should be-able to score a grant of close to half a
million dollars once the government understands how cultur-
ally destitute and bankrupt we really are.

In fact, if I was smart, I would go into this full time and start
a Cultural Heritage Finding Service for all of those Canadians
such as myself who were naive enough to think of themselves
as simply being Canadians until the federal government be-
gan to convince them that it was not Canadian to simply be
Canadian.

This program could include a counselling service to help peo-
ple find their “true” cultural identity in the midst of a society
of subsidized culture. Or, if they prefer to remain cultural or-
phans, I could begin a support group to help people cope with
the stress of not fitting into this country of cultures.

I wonder if Canada is the only country which has to subsi-
dize its people in order to make sure they have culture? Does the
federal government actually think we might become cultural-
ly bankrupt as a country if they withdraw all of the millions of
tax dollars they are pouring int multiculturalism.

Somehow it all doesn’t make much sense to me. On the one
hand we are funding Ukrainians, Greeks, Russians, Cambodi-
ans, Chinese, Italians, Germans, and on and on. Yet on the oth-
er hand we have a government agency which, as part of it’s
mandate, has to make sure we don’t play American songs on the
radio too much. What if I decide my culture is the U.S.A. ver-
sion? Could I lay charges of discrimination or culture-bashing?

Castlegar & District Golf Club
is taking applications for

CATERERS

or
CATERING MANAGER

to operate the clubhouse
concession and bar.

For further information contact

JOE PAPP

Tel. 604-365-7057 after 5 p.m.
or send applications to:
Box 168, Robson, B.C. VOG 1X0

will be until De 31, 1991.

B.C. kicks in funding to help
promote habitat preservation

W Guides get gift from
provincial government
B.C. Environment, Lands

wildlife and habitat enhance-
ment projects,” said Cashore.
A cheque for $21,700, the
larger of two grants to the as-
iation, has been di d to

wildlife through prescribed

burning or brush clearing.
A second grant of $7,500
has been awarded to help the
iati blish a mem-

and Parks Mini John
Cashore announced recently
that grants totalling almost
$30,000 have been awarded
to the Guide Outfitters Asso-
ciation of B.C. under the min-
istry’s Guiding Initiatives
Program.

“This funding has been
provided to help upgrade the
guiding industry in the
province, and to encourage
guides’ participation in

the Guide Outfitters Wildlife
Enhancement Fund.

The fund enables small-
scale guide outfitters to cost-
share their participation in
wildlife and habitat enhance-
ment projects.

Recent projects have in-
cluded the relocation of prob-
lem bears, the transplanting
of mountain sheep, and the
improvement of forage for

bership and services directo-
ry, and to fund development
of a showcase at the Vancou-
ver trade centre.

The directory will be pub-
lished in an upcoming ex-
panded issue of the Guide-
Outfitters trade magazine.

The grants were presented
at the Nov. 22 meeting of the
Northern B.C. Guide-Outfit-
ters in Fort St. John.

Ia

Please recycle The NEWS

Cee

2816 Columbia Ave.

What's for Lunch??

3 Pieces of Golden Delicious
ME Chicken. A generous portion of
/ INP crisp french fries or freshly cooked
JoJo's. Homemade colesiaw and
a dinner bun. MMM! MMMM!

365-5304

@ Wednesday, Dec. 4, 1991

27m

B.C. Chamber of Commerce
slams minimum wage hike

B.C. Chamber of C ce President David

Reid expressed alarm and dismay with the

is the affect this type of increase has
on overall wage settlements. It has been

provincial government’s
to the minimum wage legislation.

“This 10 per cent increase is unconscionable,
ill-timed and reflects poorly on the Premier's
recently stated operating philosophy to consult
with affected parties before legislating
changes,” Reid said.

“This increase, combined with previous in-
creases since October, 1989 represents a 22.2
per cent increase ;which translates into a rate
of 9.5 per cent per annum,” Reid continued.

“It comes on the heels of significant increas-
es announced in UIC and CPP contribution
rates. At the same time, proposed amendments
to bankruptcy legislation envision increased

rapes

ted that such i raise expec-
tations in other employee’s minds as they at-
tempt to maintain traditional wage spreads be-
tween themselves and those people directly af-
fected.

As aconsequence, there is a real danger that
inflationary wage and salary demands will
arise which will surely impair our ability to

i ion we are cur-

1e

rently experiencing.

“If this increase was. limited to 25 cents per
hour rather than the 50 cents per hour as stat-
ed by the Mini the busi ity
would see it as fair and equitable and one
which we could support. As it stands, this in-
crease is unsupportable from a business per-

ployee relat p to In
turn, we are facing, here in B.C., a proposed
minimum tax on corporations.

“The accumulative affect of these increase
direct costs come at a time when many busi-
nesses are struggling. This is not a situation
that is conducive to creating a favorable envi-
ronment for business in the province,” Reid
said.

What is particularly disturbing about this

pe .” Reid said.

The Chamber of Commerce is the umbrella
or ization of local chambers of
and boards of trade in the province.

The chamber, represents over 12,000 busi-
nesses involved in all sectors of this province's
economy.

The bership includes 65 chambers of
commerce and over 100 corporate members.

‘ce

(Gio Oy Ne ee eee

cs3t
Zsolfosss.
[33

$33
33)

ARE YOU READY?

At AM Ford, our vehicles are ready for it and anything the $
season can throw at us. All of our vehicles are winterized
and safety inspected and ready for sale.

§ Just a sample of our quality pre-owned vehicles:

¥I CARS - CARS -

CARS - CARS - CARS : CARS

Province-Wide Blanket B.C. Ads

EDUCATION FOR SALE

| FREE career guide to home- | RECYCLED
study correspondence Di
‘courses.

| Business, Cosmetology,
Electronic! Medical

Secretary, Psychology.
Travel. Granton, (SA)-264
Adelaide West, Toronto, 1

SOLAR
ELS. $280.$340, limited
ities. Complete Solar

= — | ness new
1986 Kenworth Logging | Ground floor opportuni
mins

Truck,

Big CAMA. 1900
Gilder Trailer. Pt
(604)344 Gotden, B.

wec | GARDENING
PAN. | The Ultimate Gardener's
‘Store. 1,000's of .

ern Water Farms, #103,
we., Langley,

BC. VOACT
__WELP WANTED
MAKE YOUR FORTUNE

\. $18 billion book busi

Chin from people reading
today tol-tree 1-800-563- | New Marketing Break.

PPO: \
Huge profits. Investment
sob. 1-800-465-5400.

at iC Loader
| DIAMONDS.

dry Service in downtown
$79,900. 085.2271 aher 6 Ven
P.M. or Box 2623, Sechelt, | Benger, labor

: | EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
966 z

pes of seoetiow 1. pet
Types of Jot to
one Sobenortn America
Contact 1 For
details call: (604)535-9529.
WHOLESALE FIRM since
1976 now seeks two repre-
sentatives in your area. Dis-
play and service merchan-
| dise in established retail ac:
___| counts. Minimum weekly

Mining award offered

Once again, the B.C. Mining Association is seeking the
public’s assistance in its search for the B.C. Mining Person
of the Year.

The award will be during Mining Week ’92 activities in
Vancouver, March 13, 1992.

The person the association is seeking is an “unsung” hero
from any community who has worked “consistently and dili-
gently” to contribute to the betterment of the mining indus-
try “by enhancing the public's und ding of the relati
ship of our industry to society.”

Every community has these kind of people — a newspaper
editor, a boy scout leader, a retired senior, a museum director,
historian or school teacher who has developed educational
packages that promote the mining industry.

Last year, Maureen Lipkewich of Vancouver and Patricia
Skidmore of Kelowna shared the award. The year before, the
former mayor of Logan Oake, Ove Christensen was the win-
ner, Make it from your ity this year.

Be sure to submit a photograph of the nominee along with
the submission for use in the awards overhead slide presen-
tation to the B.C. Mining Association.

t.

Here's a Great Way to Send

SEASON'S GREETINGS |

Y

COMMUNITY <<

Castlegar's Annual Community

CHRISTMAS CARD

At the same time assist mentally and physically disabled
individuals served by the Kootenay Society for Community
Living.

HERE'S HOW...

With a donation of $5 or more to the Kootenay Society for
Community Living, we will publish your name or the name of
your business/organization in issues of the Castlegar News
just prior to Christmas. Donations are tax deductible

What better way to support the involvement of mentally and
physically challenged individuals in our community!

LOOK FOR THE SILVER DONATION BOXES
LOCATED AT:
Arena Complex, Banjo's, Bank of Montreal, Canadian

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEA-
LAND, Cal Pacific
- | specialist, ANZA Travel. Van-

/Mackiand, rewm trom
$1,080 t $1,579. Vancou

TRAIN TO MANAGE an
ApartmenuCondominium
‘Many jobs avail-

able.
home study certification
. Call for details: Ves 1L5.

(604)68 1.0318. M/C and View
accepted

jal Bank of Commerce, Castlegar and District Library,
C. News, C. Savings Credit Union, Central
Foods, Johnny's Grocery, Kootenay Savings Credit Union,
Safeway, SuperValu and Castlegar Foods.

Or mail your

using this

Christmas Card

Fro: Cc

S for C

= 70 $21,800, 1978 -

$18,000, $16,200. 1977 - 50° eto |

. | $11,500. 1(403)263-2842. | summer work in Mackenzie,
F.0.8. Calgary. B.C. Phone (604)997-6287.

Province-Wide

Blanket B.C. Ads

Reach over 1,500,000 homes for only $195!

Blanket Classifieds of the B.C. and
Yukon Community Newspaper
Association allow you to place your
ad in nearly 100 newspapers in
nearly every suburban and rural
market in B.C. and the Yukon, and
we can also arrange the same thing
for every other province in Canada

The News

CLASSIFIED ADS 365-2212

Or write: Box 3007, Castlegar, B.C. VIN 3H4

Box 3204,

Castlegar, B.C. V1N 3H5
Please include the following names in the Society's annual Community
Christmas Card ad (send $5 for each family grouping).

!
1 Names (Please print)

$. enclosed.

1 For cash, we recommend dropping this form in an envelope in any of
the Donation Boxes at the businesses listed above.

J
J
J
[ Address.
!
'
i]

Lemme meme eee eee ene