WEDNESD April 28, 199 6A

WY
The Castiégar Sun
AS
PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG
SHARLENE IMHOFF CATHERINE ROSS
EDITOR ADVERTISING REP
MARGE LALONDE NICOLE BEETSTRA

CIRCULATION MANAGER PRODUC TION/OFFICE
JOHN VAN PUTTEN LINDA ANDERSON
‘SPORTS REPORTERPHOTOGRAPHER

PRODUGTION MANAGER
KAREN KERKHOFF CHRISTINE MOYER
REPORTER

ART DIRECTOR

MELODY SEMENOFF
ADVERTISING REP

Direct Department Phones
General Office 365-5266
Circulation ° 365-5266
Classified Ads 365-7848
Display Advertising 365-2278
Newsroom 365-5579
Fax see 365-7762

editorial comment

The Medium is
the Message

Since the first day The Castlegar Sun opened its
offices in Castlegar we have strived to be your com
munity newspaper.

We attend political and community meetings
cover special events and activities, and report and
tecord through photographs and stories the sporting
events of our community.

And, we cover thie hard news

Throughout the last 28 months, our commitment to
the community has been there. And you, the people
in Our community have responded by recognizing us
with letters, certificates and plaques. We are grateful
and humbled.

In January 1993 we emphasized our committ
ment to our community by changing our slogan to
The Weekly Newspaper with a Daily Commitment

Then, we introduced the first of what will be
more than 15 “Our Community Cares” pages
These pages support the work of volunteers and

organizations like Boy Scouts. Girls Guides and
the Red Cross. It’s your way and our way of show
ing our support for the community

Each month we focus on one agency in the United
Way and provide an opportuniny for that agency to. |
tell thie public about their cause. We are also involved
in the education process by providing tours to local
elementary school students who are curious to see
how a newspaper is produced

And now, to celebrate National Volunteer Week
we are introducing another new feature: Community
Press Partnership

Community Press Partnership provides an oppor
tunity for groups and organizations in the community |
to put together their own “Our Community Cares
Page or even a special supplement while at the same
time earn money for their organization. The Castle
gar Sun will provide the coaching, support and
expertise for editorial; you'll learn how to lay out
your page; approach businesses and corporate spon
sors; and most of all, we'll help by providing the
expertise and the finishing touches and inserting the
Page or suppl into our Wednesday Sun or Sat-
urday West Kootenay Advertiser.

One of the first groups to take advantage of this
opportunity is the Journalism 12 class who will be
producing the 1993 Grad supplement They will be
designing it (with the help of our production people),
selling the advertising (with the coaching from our
advertising staff), writing the editorial (with the help
of our editor) and pasting up the copy and ads (with
the help of production). The benefit? They have a

John

egalize it, don’t criti-
cize it. Those were’ the
words of the immortal

Bob Marley, Reggae singer,
Rastafarian and @ marijuana
smoker.

The fight to legalize marijua-
na made its way back into the
limelight after British Columbia
MP Jim Fult8n (Skeena), an
admitted pot Smoker, introduced
a private member's bill into the
House of Commons asking that
marijuana be legalized. The
issue has since made national
media coverage in relation to
two conservative leadership can-
didates: Kim Campbell and Jean
Charest, have both admitted to
smoking marijuana in the past

People may find it slightly
ironic that you, Karen, a per-
son who experienced the 60's,
the heart of the pro-drug
experimental hippie love-in
days, are arguing against the
legalization of pot

Lets get realistic about this
subject. People arguing against
this issue all to often compare
pot to cigarettes. The majority
of the population has finally
realized smoking is bad for
your health. So why does the
government continue to collect
taxes from the sale of tobacco
products? And what benefits
are there to smoking tobacco?
Really there are none. Karen,
does lighting a cigarette give
you an overall peaceful feel-
ing? I doubt it

Cannabis on the other hand
has benefits for both health and
happiness” There are some
health drawbacks, but who says
you have to smoke it? Try mak
ing tea! Yes tea. Here's another

xample of positive
There was an article in the Van

pot use

couver Sun last week about an
ex-police officer, who, several
years ago, stiuted using cannabis
tea as a means of controlling his
high blood pressure. He has
since thrown away his pre
senbed medication. Can anyone
say that cigarettes have done

Legalizing 'pot'

Karen

tually open the door to them
would be. a national scandal,
embarrassment and tragedy.
People who are older can
ake informed decisions
regarding marijuana, but as
caretakers and role models for
these impressionable young
children I think we all have the
personal obligation to give them
as fair a chance as we can give
them. And to me, that means
we cannot encourage the gener-
ation of tomorrow to make

[i

heek

that for them?

The legal implications, if
caught by the police for posses-
sion of the hemp plant, cost the
taxpayers of Canada exorbitant
amounts in lawyer fees and
court time, not to mention clog-
ging the prison system

The policé consider pot a
“soft drug’, yet so much time is
spent enforcing the laws govern-
ing it when they RCMP could
be concentrating on serious
offenses and drugs like cocaine,
heroin and LSD.

Several options exist for the
government: it could fully legal
ize the growth and use of the
hemp plant, which would force
the existing illegal network out
into the open. On the other hand
it also has the option to do the
traditionally Canadian thing (sit
on the fence) and decnminalize
marijuana

One other option does exist
Our spineless politicians can
hide behind their closed doors
and avoid making any decision
whatsoever, thereby leaving
things as they are. All the while
they'll be claiming that they
never inhaled in the first place

choices which are made through
a soporific haze

What about the issue of driv-
ing a vehicle while impaired?
Being impaired does not always
mean that the source of impair-
ment is alcohol. Impairment can
be caused by the use of prescrip-
tion drugs, or marijuana. It sim-
Ply is not safe to operate a
-vehicle when you are high on
marijuana. So, if it is legalized,
how will the arresting officer be
unequivocally able to determine
if you are high? To me the only
way I could see that happening
is if blood was drawn, or urine
was tested. Personally I feel that
would be a gross infringement
of my constitutional rights, sim-
ply because an officer said there
was “just cause.”

Now don't get me wrong, I
know that many people are
legitimately using marijuana at
their physicians suggestion to
help overcome the effects of
chemotherapy or other medical
reasons. I strongly feel that for
those people marijuana should
be readily available

But I won't be buying into the
concept of legalizing marijuana
until it has been properly studied
and someone can show me a good

eek

his is a switch! On the
subject of legalization
of marijuana a person

would think that someone from _
my generation would be arguing
for it and someone from your
generation would be arguing
against it

Although the concept of
legalizing the weed looks good,
on second consideration there
are many questions which will
have to answered before it could
become legal

My biggest concem is once it
is legal does that then mean. it
could be sold in the stores the
same as cigarettes? If so, what
about the issue of children hav
ing easier access to 1? T know
you could argue that there
would be an age limit. but I just
don’t think that argument is
going to cut it
reason to do so. My suggestion is
that possession of marijuana be
decriminalized, meaning that
should they get caught with the

Consider this. -right now
clerks aren't supposed to be sell
ing Cigarettes to minors, but it
happens. And it happens on-a

regular and frishicning basis. 1 Weed they are faced with a fine,

and not a criminal record. To
legalize it simply because it is ille
gal is not reason enough in my

would frighten met vd
king a joint It
youth to

year-old child st
ts easy enough ul

get drugs nowadays, but to vir- mind to do so.

If you have any

$ org

If you have a

ti 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.

bj that you Id like to see debated in the Cheek to Cheek
column, Karen and John would love to hear your suggestions.

Call the newsroom at 365-5579 or fax us your

ts and req ts at 365-7762

Wednesday, April 28, 1993

The Castlegar Sun

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor;

Recently the public received the shoc king news that the B.C. gov-
emment invested $50 million in MacMillan Bloedel, the logging com.
pany that has the largest stake in Clayoquot Sound timber. This
mvestment was made shortly before the government made its decision
on that area. The decision’ leaned heavily towards the logging industry
and MacMillan Bloedel, in allocating 85 percent of the commercial
forest on Clayoquot Sound to logging

This amounts to butchery of one of the most significant stands of
old growth temperate forest left in the world. It has betrayed the many
people who voted for the NDP because they believed Harcourt's

Dedicated to displaying NDP corruptness

cesses that are caused by a government which leans heavily toward the
logging industry. With its conflict of interest, the government has
finally destroyed CORE, The government is the ultimate decision
maker in all these processes. Clearly, it has already made up its mind
to favor the industry in which it has a vested interest

The silence of CORE Commissioner Stephen Owen on this issue
and his supportive presence atthe announcement of the government's
decision, shows that participants in CORE processes will have no pro-
tection from these kinds of decisions. Consequently, we have suspend
ed our involvement in all CORE processes

Only a complete reversal of these injustices could return us to the

promises of honest, unbiased government and envir reform.

This conflict of interest is the latest and most brazen example of
alliances that the government has been making with the logging com-
panies. This includes allocating millions of tax dollars help them
Tun public relations campaigns to deceive the public about the state of
our forests. It also includes withholding policies and funds needed to
make the planning processes fair to all participants.

For instance, the government has refused to defer logging on some
key contentious forest areas under consideration in CORE processes.
Road building and logging is being accelerated in these area ind in
many cases this will occur before CORE can consider them These
forest areas are being pre-empted from CORE as surely as the Clay-
oquot Sound forest was pre-empted

Our background report cites other deficiencies in the CORE pro-

while my boyfriend was working at
the local mill I was on the island
working on my tan. I flopped down

If men go topless, wh can't
p ; y can't women?
ecently, I visited Castlegar free and democratic society for the purpose of section 1.” (Canada Act
and fell in. love with 1982) Ultimately, section 175 (b) of the Criminal Code of Canada must be
Zuckerberg Island. In fact struck down, by the Supreme Court of Canada, because it is unc ‘onstitution-
al because it flagrantly violates women's nights — section 15 of the Charter

and section 28 of the Constitution

ig table. The following measures are needed from the gov.
ernment to make CORE a viable, legitimate and trustworthy process
again: refer Clayoquot Sound to CORE, correct the conflict of interest,
and provide logging deferrals for contentious forest. The government
should examine the other examples of bias that we cite in our report,
and correct them.

Until then, we will dedicate our time to helping the Friends of
Clayoquot Sound and other groups seeking wilderness preservation
across the province. We will expose and fight the NDP’s cynical and
corrupt betrayal of the public trust in every. public forum and with
every peaceful and legitimate means available to us.

Regretfully,
Colleen McCrory for The Valhalla Society

Next rec

Dear Editor:

The next collection will be Saturday, May 1
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the old North End
Works Yard site (just behind City Hall) on

13th Avenue

ycling day this Saturday

FLAT, and place in separate bundles or bags.
It’s recycling time again in Castlegar! 2. Office paper: sort into 3 piles; bleached
white; coloured and unbleached; and comput-
er. NO envelopes “windows”
large metal clips. Stapes are OK.

3. Magazines and magazine quality glossy

This month members of the Columbia paper

Chapter of the Vintage Car Club of Canada
and Castlegar City Couneil want to receive

your recyclable goods.

As an added bonus there will be some vin-

tage cars on display.

You will help the hard working volunteers
immensely by pre-sorting and preparing the
recyclable materials at home before bringing

them down to the works yard.
This includes:

1. Newspaper and flyers: separate, PACK

4. Glass jars and bottles: wash and remove
any lids. No other glass taken

wants your old books for a book sale they're
holding later in the month (May 15) So, on
May 1, bring your old hardcover or pocket-
books along with your other recyclables and
donate them to this worthwhile community
project which matches volunteer tutors with
people wanting to improve their literacy skills.

We look forward to an excellent turn-out
and we will see you on May |

carbon paper or

5. Aluminum cans: (pop and beers can, etc.)

Pop, etc. box)*

7. Phone books, books, magazines, etc
RETURN ALL CATALOGUES TO COMPANY.
This month only, PROJECT LITERACY

empty but do NOT flatten.

6. Corrugated cardboard. We can use lots of
boxes, Flatten out the very large boxes. NO
waxed surfaces or light cardboard (cereal,

Ann Godderis

Letters Policy

Letters to the Editor are welcome on any topic of local or general
interest. Letters should be double-spaced, typewritten, or legibly hand-
written, and no more than two pages if possible. Letters will be edited
in the interests of brevity or taste if necessary. All letters must be
signed, with address and telephone number, although names may be
witheld from publication for valid reason by the approval of the editor.
Send letters to: The Castlegar Sun, 465 Columbia Ave., Castlegar,
B.C., VIN 1G8, or drop them off at the office

~

( CLEAR THEAIR

Y Reduce air pollution
} from residential wood smoke
and auto emissions with tips
) «” from your Lung Association.

+r B.C. Lung Association 0x 44000, Station D, Vancouver, B.C. V6 4M2

Kr Advernsing space donate 18 publican y,

SELKIRK COLLEGE — TRAIL CAMPUS

Employment Preparation for Students with Special Needs
+ Academic upgrading
+ Experimental learning in a restaurant environment
* Work experience in local businesses

Program begins September 1993

If you are interested in applying
please call 368-5236 before May 21, 1993

kirk. Tel Campus
SY 00 Helena St, Trail, B.C
l2@Qe@ vir 4s6
(604) 368-5236

Ad Hoc Recycling Commi

P.S. A wonderful group of students from
SHSS provided the volunteer labour for the
collection:on April 3, packing over 5,000 Ibs
into the RDCK Recycles truck. Thanks for
your enthusiasm and community spirit!

Resurrection of ultimate human crimes

Dear Editor:

Ihave no connection with peo
ple who are Jewish or Yugosla
vian in origin, other than to say
that I consider them fellow
human beings
way with myself. But I find it
hard to believe that on this SOth
anniversary of Hitler's cruel holo

equal in every

Caust against the Jews we now
Have a full scale resurrection of
that ultimate human crime going
on in Bosnia.

I wonder how many Canadians
join me in commending former
British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher (though I have not
always done so) for being the
only leader in the westem world
(commendably a woman) to call a
spade a spade - the only leader to
lash out appropriately at the
genocide and other war crimes
going on in Bosnia - the only one
to condemn the weak and apolo-
getic efforts of the United Nations
and NATO as they seemingly
bow to the aggressor's every
whim - an aggressor which is not
by any means a large military
power?

So much for our faith in the
UN and our trust that. NATO lead-
ers would not allow Hitler's noto-
rious crime to be repeated. How
many Canadians are disturbed

How many Canadians agree
with Mrs. Thatcher that the UN's
weak and apologetic efforts in
Bosnia have done little but hélp
the oppressors to achieve their
aims? Even the present attempted
evacuation of Srebrenica (a story
on which we now appear to have
a total news blackout) is proc
ing entirely under the cruel dic
tates of the victor. As for the
remaining thousands of Muslim
soldiers involved in the UN
negotiated surrender, it appears
they may be sacrificed to prison
camps - where the genocide and
forture may very well continue

Do Canadians have any faith
that the UN’s World Court will
deal appropriately with these war
crimes - knowing all the while
that under its present mandate
this court has no authority to
enforce anything on anyone? And
despite the Nuremburg War Trials
at the end of World War II (trials
that seemingly could never have
occurred under the UN’s present
charter) there are still plenty of
war criminals casually living out
their lives in other lands - 50

port of the UN. But-with the
recent failures in Bosnia, I am
seriously considering whether it
makes sense to continue with my
membership

In conclusion: | am well aware

years after the fact
| wonder how many Canadians
ire worricd that this failure to.
confront mass human slaughter
will send out a signal to all other
like-minded peoples of the world
a signal indicating that they can
do whatever they want to their

that many people of the world
(including Muslims and Croats)
ethnic minorities, without any are fully capable of war crimes
fear of interference from the UN But in this case the Serbs seem to
or NATO? have outdone themselves, and the

How many fear that this all UN - if it is worth its salt - has an
obligation to stop these atrocities.

H.F. Killough
a

t00-obvious favoring of so-called
Christians over Muslims is the
sort of thing that could spawn the
beginning of that final battle of
Armageddon - the war that is sup-
posed to end all people?

How many feel that unless the
United Nations can soon some up
with revisions to its mandate to
enable it to deal realistically with
genocide and other war!crimes
(whether internal to a nation or
otherwise) the credibility of this
organization - the only one that
Proposed to represent all people
on ‘Earth - is in serious jeopardy?

For the past ten years I have
been closely involved in a local
branch of an organization in sup-

| More letters page 8A_|

Kendrick-Twidale Optometrists
are pleased to announce that
Alfred P. Semenoff, BSc.0.D.

‘has become a partner in their
practice of optometry.

The practice will now be known as
Trail Optometry Clinic
1370 McQuarrie St., Trail, BC VIR 1X3
Phone: 364-2020

Or
am

Silver City Days TF

Linda Meyer is a 32-year old freelance writer and human rights activist
who lives in Maple Ridge, which is 30 miles east of Vancouver. She is:hope-
ful that Castlegar and area readers find her message in the My Turn col.

AN ITALIAN FESTIVAL
MAY $9, 1998

the beach, flaked out my blanket, and
soaked up the sun. As I lay there I
€nviously watched two young, half-

Grad supplement which they created. Their names
are on it (fonresume purposes) and their pride in their
product will show.

that our trusted leaders seem to
expect us to accept the atrocities

It’s a Partnership that The Castlegar Sun believes
is unique in the Kootenays and perhaps even the
province. It’s a Partnership with our community
groups to assist them financially and help them pro-
mote their message.

It’s a Partnership with our community and one we
are proud to originate

7
The >
ZS

naked, men strut their stuff. I wistful-
ly wondered why I couldn't strut my
stuff too. However, being a women, I
was morally restricted to wearing a
bra and legally restricted to wearing a
top. Finally, the latter restriction vio-
lates the Charter of Rights and Free-
doms and the Constitution.

If men can go topless, in a pub-

lic place, why can’t women? Current
ly, if women go topless in a public
place, they will be charged with inde
cent exposure; otherwise known as

umn to be both interesting and informative

, Uf you would like to have an article published in My Turn, send in your
typed copy to The Castlegar Sun the Friday before publication. Please
include a photograph with your copy, or allow Sun Staff enough notice to

take your photograph here at our office

being done to innocent people in
Bosnia - and expect us to sleep at
night while thinking of the year-
long cries for help that remain
largely unanswered?

How, many are equally dis-
turbed at the realization that in
this favorite Hitlerian past-time
children are the most sought-after
victims of all, since they repre-
sent the renewal of the race being
targeted for extermination? And
how many have serious problems
with that repulsive term “ethnic

SSUES RUSS RRS A OS ESRI NSERC TE
FULL CIRCLE BIRTH PARENT SUPPORT GROU? - meet monthly.
phone Catherine 365-5347

MOOD DISORDERS ASSOCIATION - meeting at Mental Health
Clinic, Friday, May 7, 2-3:30 p.m. If you suffer from depression-or
manic depression, you and your family are urged to attend

PROJECT LITERACY - Book and bake sale, 10:30 - 3:00, between
Super Valu and Mallards, May 15. Book donations can be dropped off
on Recycling Day, May 1, or by calling Carol Andrews at 365-6749

SENIORS CITIZEN'S ASSOCIATION #45 - Business meeting May 6
2 p.m. Whist May 13 & 27 7 p.m. The Social May 20 12 noon at Twin
Rivers School. Choir/Band Entertainment

eElks Pancake Breakfast
Silver City Parade

eltalian Sidewalk Cafe

«Kiddies Caper

Crusaders Rod Run

Cedar Ave. Mall

«Great Grape Stomp

eJet Boat Races

Family Days at Gyro Park -
Picnic on the banks of the
Columbia with lots of activities

eThe Columbia Riv2r Bocce

°5K & 10K Run & Walk

*lODE Miss Trail Pageant

Cedar Ave. Mall

Festival Gardens

Silver City Queen's Dinner
and Ball

Gyro Casino

eSpaghetti Eating Contest

Children's Free Wiener Roast

Fireworks at Gyro Park

eTeen Dance

Craft Fair

section 175 (b) of the Criminal Code of Canada. However, section 175 (b)
of the Criminal Code of Canada violates sections 1 and 15 of the Charter
and sections 28 and 52 of the Constitution

|. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights
Weekly on Wednesdays and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed

Member of Canadian Community Newspapers Association by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society
B.C. Community Newspapers Association 2. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has-the
and B.C. Press Council thout discrimi
465 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, B.C. V1N 1G8

te
ERRORS:

The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable tor referred to in it are guaranteed equally to male and female persons
damages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the 52. The Constitution of Canada 1s the supreme law of Canada, and any
amount paid for the space actually occupied by that portion of the
advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due
to the negligence of its servants or otherwise... and there shall be nc
fiability tor non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the amount
paid for such advertisement

All advertising subject to 'S approval. Contracts must be
completed within one year from contract date. No contingent orders
accepted

IS POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT AND A
MEMBER OF THE STERLING NEWS SERVICE
Established November 28, 1990

cleansing” - which is nothing but
a nauseating attempt to make
genocide sound acceptable?

visible
difference

Hair Care by Unda
See Linda or Carol for your
family hair care.

10* Off Next Service
with this coupon only ‘til end of April

Monday-Saturday 9-5
Le

3160 Highwey Dr. (Glenmerry)
Trait, BC. VIR 2T3

Ballyhoo
Silver City Fire Fighters Parade

West Kootenay Camera Club
BETHEL 60 JOB'S DAUGHTERS - Spring tea, Legion Hall Saturday,
May 8 1 - 3 p.m. Tickets $1.50, door prize, bake table, raffle Everyone
Welcome

THE COLUMBIA RIVER BOCCE BALLYHOO

Numbered plastic bocce baits" wil be | BUTTON DRAW
dumped upstream into the Columbia River | ist; Trip for 2 to Calgary

and the first 10 balls caught in a net at Stampede vie Canadian
Gyro Park will win many super prizes Alr. 2 nights at the
Blackfoot Inn

2nd; Kokanee Beer Fridge

2nd; $100 gift certificate to
the Crown Point Hotet

Published by The Castlegar Sun

Coming events of Castlegar and District non-profit organizations may be
listed here. The first 12 words are $4 and additional words are 15¢
each. Boldfaced words (which must be used for headings) count as two
words. Each consecutive insertion is half-price. Minimum charge is $4
Deadline is 11:30 Monday for Wednesday's paper. Please bring in or mail
your notices to

nght to the equal protection and equal bene fit of the law w
nation based on race, national or ethmic-origin, colour, religion, sex, age of

mental or physical disability
28. Notwithstanding anything in the Chanter, the rights and freedom

law that is inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution is, to the
xtent of the inconsistency, of no force and effect. (Canada Act. 1982)

In conclusion, section 175 (b) of the Crnminal Code of Canada violates
sections | and 15 of the Chanter and sections 2& and 52 of the Constitution
and is therefore of no force and effect. Section 175 (b) of the Criminal Code
of Canada imposes a limit on the right guaranteed by sections 15 and 28 of
the Chanter, which is not reasonable and is not “demonstrably. justified in a

Wy
The CaStiégar Sun
AAS

CLAYOQUOT SOUND¢.

465 Columbia Avenue