| ca_Casthéjiat News _Aoi2. 1 WEEKLY SEWING SPECIALS Wl, Slee .-.....2000 OFF. Patterns 25% Off (Plains & siripes) 25% OFF 10% OFF ALL REGULAR CARTERS SEWING CENTRE DOING OUR BEST TO SERVE YOU. 623 Columbia Ave., Castlegar 365-3810 Ootischenia Improvement District Y R | S E ANNUAL CASH GENERAL MEETING At Ootischenia Hall NATE ener Miterinanoged Wed. ’ April 29 to raise $354.16 for the , Rick Hansen Man In 7:30 p.m. Motion Fund. Students Everyone Welcome brought in their pennies over the lost year. Back row from left is Lisa Stewart and Clifford Waldie. Middle row from left is Jamie Futner, Shelley Postnikoff, Melissa Read, Robert Bosse and Kevin Carlson. Bottom row from left is Allan Postnikoff, lan Josephson, Dannie! Evdokimott, Chri: Dias, Stevie Postnikoff, Ryan Carter and Carla Horswill. — Castews Photo some plafits in the world that won't survive,” said Ritchie, who is confident about the future of his own pany. i ; Aa Hite tele “There was a tremendous CANADIAN CONSUMERS © Heart-shaped “Luv Tub” for two * Private sun deck overlooking one of the world’s most beautiful lakes, Waterton * Spacious, luxurious accommodation. ‘And the Bayshore’s other superb facilities will make your stay even more memorable Festive meals in the Kootenai Brown Dining Room. Cocktails in the cozy Fireside Lounge, with live entertainment and TV movies. Dancing and relaxation in the Thirsty Bear Saloon. A quick snack in the Koffee Shoppe. Or visit our gift shop. Waterton offers a host of other attractions. A championship 18-hole golf course, lake cruises and private boating, fishing, tennis, hiking, swimming, abundant wildlife. WIN TICKETS TO THE WINTER OLYMPICS. Each guest and patron 18 years or © n enter a draw for a pair ets tv popular events at the Winter Olympics Four sets of tickets will be awarded Oct. 1 two to guests and two to diners. No purchase necestary. Winners will be required to answer a skill-testing question. Show This Ad To Your Loved One, Then Book Soon To Avoid Disappoit i : Bayshone Inn Box 38. Waterton Lakes National Park, Alta.. Canada TOK 2MO Phone (403) 859-2211 Toll-free reservations from Alberta, Saskatchewan and ‘Columbia after May 1st: 1-800-661-8080 —, Most Canadians asked for proof By DAVID GERSOVITZ Canada and the United States may have the world’s longest undefended border, but Canadians are increas- ingly being asked for proof of citizenship before they can cross it. ‘This especially applies to those travelling by plane, bus or train. Over 460,000 Canadians crossed into the United States by public transpor- tation in January, a slow month. Many have been dis- covering that a driver's li- cence won't suffice as iden- tification, at least not on its own. American officials insist they haven't changed their policy but the fact is that they're getting tougher and they've caught some trav- ellers off guard. In March, sports writer Terry Scott of Cowansville, Que., his wife and three children checked in at Mon- treal’s Dorval Airport for an Air Canada flight to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. FILL OUT FORMS A US. immigration officer Quebec medicare proof of citizenship. Scott, who lives near the border and says he crosses” it ‘fre- quently by 'var-without being asked for identification, had to fill out forms attesting to the citizenship of each famil y member. + eeceneto BECOMES FASHIONABLE Gardens grip Canadians By PATTI TASKO TORONTO (CP) — For weeks now — maybe months for the truly dedi d — ds of Canadi have been ruminating over the relative merits of yellowtwig dogwood and Japanese quince. They have been pondering whether it will be nikko blue hydrangeas or virginal mock oranges for that bare spot in the back yard. Should the front walk be bordered with laurel willow or blue Arctic hedging? Do golden weeping willows grow faster than weeping birch? Will petunias be a better bet in that sunny corner than fantasia impatiens? They spend their lunch hours debating the attributes of cow manure versus sheep manure, broccoli seeds versus broccoli plants. Gardening fever has-gripped Canadians. If fodd was the trendy.topic of the 1980s, then gardening is warming up to become the North American pasttime of the 1990s, predicts U..S. caterer and writer Martha Stewart. “WAY TO RELAX’ “People are discovering it as an excellent way to relax and unwind at the end of the day,” agrees John Reeves of Reeves Nurseries, a large garden-supply centre northwest of Toronto. It is also a healthy form of exercise for a fitness-conscious society, says Reeves. People are finding that cutting the lawn gives them an aerobic workout similar to jogging — and accomplishes something at the same time. John Laverock, vice-president of Green Thumb Industries, a landscaping and garden-supply chain with 18 outlets in British Columbia, says it has become fashionable to be a gardener. He attributes its popularity to the increasing number of baby boomers who are having children and spending more time at home. “A lot of people are spending real big bucks (on gardening and landscaping) when they move into a new home,” said Laverock. . “People are just probably a lot more esthetically conscious.” GET LIFT “Anyone who has been a gardener knows what a psychological lift (gardeners get) at this time of year.” said Bill Leask of the Canadian Seed Trade Association. ‘The garden-show section of the recent annual Toronto Home Show, the largest such exposition in North America, was so large it had to be housed in a separate building. There were displays from such groups as the Society of Toronto Nut Growers, the Canadian Iris Society, the Canadian Rose Society, the Rhododendron Society of Canada, the Southern Ontario Orchid Society, and the Geranium and Pelargonium Society of Ontario. Doug Peck of Dominion Seed House in nearby Georgetown is coy about revealing the number of glossy seed catalogues his company sends out across the country each year, except to say it is in the thousands and growing. A growing awareness of the health benefits of fresh vegetables has propelled some of the interest in gardening, said Peck. TOMATO IS KING The most popular vegetable seed is the tomato, while the No. 1 flower seed is the marigold, he said. In boxed plants; the shade-loving patiens family is stealing popularity from the petunia, which is more susceptible to wet weather. Perennials — which don't have to be planted each year — are also. growing in popularity, Peck said... ' 4 Leask said it's hard to put a dollar figure on what the many facts of the gardening industry add to the economy, but in 1984 the wholesale value of vegetable seeds alone was almost $10 million, with flower seeds kicking in another $627,000. The industry is strongest in areas where the economy is growth, such as Ontario. Paul Hetherington of Lanscape Ontario, an association of 750 landscaping contractors, lawn maintenance firms, nursery owners and garden centres, says business “has just boomed” from an estimated $15 million in sales in 1970 to $135 million in 1985. Even in Alberta, with its wilted housing market, Gary Johnson of the provincial land: iation says garden-related retail sales have been strong. Lovie Louie Show entertains kids VANCOUVER (CP) — channel flickers to life and Every Wednesday afternoon, out stroll three guys who groggy young patients in the Vancouver Children’s Hospi- tal roll over, tell their visitors to be quiet for 30 minutes, and reach for the television remote control. The fuzzy, closed circuit have matching sweat shirts, sun glasses and senses of humor. Live, from the makeshift studio of the Children’s Hos- pital Television Netowrk, it's the Louie Louie Show. SPEND MORE OTTAWA (CP) — Consumers are spending more and surveys suggest they are prepared to continue doing so, but at the same time more of them are going bankrupt. The number of consumers declaring bankruptcy in the first three months of this year was 6,361, 28 per cent more than during the first three months of last year, the Consumer and Corporate Affairs Department says. ‘That’s the highest personal bankruptcy since 1983 when 8,067 people declared bankruptcy during the same three-month period. ~_ Some consumer watchdogs warn that the sudden surge in personal bankruptcies indicates that the credit- backed Fise in consumer spending, which has fuelled the economic fecovery from the 1981-82 recession, may be coming to ah end. “It's a small storm cloud which should make forecasters cautious,” said Jim Savary, an economics professor at York University. “What we're seeing is the tail end of a consumer-led recovery.” The increase in bankruptcies comes when consu- mers, ‘despite being squeezed by significantly higher federal taxes and wage increases that on average are less than the rate of inflation, are digging deeper to finance a wide variety of purchases. t RETAILSALES ~- Figures released by Statistics Canada show retail sales rose by 1.9 per cent in February and for the first two months of the year were 7.1 per cent higher than a year earlier. Consumer confidence surveys ‘suggest consumers are prepared to continue spending freely. Bob Kerton, an economics professor at the University of Waterloo and adviser to the Consumers Association of Canada, suggests several reasons for the rise in spending and bankruptcies. Despite increases in the federal sales tax, the attraction of relatively low interest rates and increased job security appears to have prompted consumers to continue to increase their spending, Kerton said. For some that was financially fatal. He said some consumers may have tried to protect their standard of living by keeping spending up even when prices were rising faster than wage rates. Tom Delaney, a personal finances adviser to the association, along with Kerton and Savary, suggested some of the sharp rise in consumer bankruptcies may be a hangover from the high levels of debt, especially mortgages in Western Canada, that consumers amassed in the early 1980s. 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For nine months, it’s been Dave Letterman for the bed- ridden, a snarky, once weekly dose of hip hospital humor from people who know better — Dean Mason, 18, and Jeff Robinson, 17, two former patients, and Rick Sou, 35, a hospital worker. No topic is taboo, from barbs about hospital food .- that nobody has the stomach Singer ON to steal to macabre jokes . about the fact the Kool-Aid \f? = man on the drink package is Free-Arm Machine ‘ smiling, even though he doesn't appear to have arms $ 95 Kor legs. “They can make jokes Special 2 7 | uy 5 popular hag ear ot about the hospital and every- Now Only to various q thing and make it more light- | 1/ | sewing sleeves i Uttratock: CASEEXTRA | | hearted,” says Debbie Rabisi, | ! 17, of Chilliwack, who is in hospital because of a rare carrying handle Singer Serger muscle disorder. “It kind of “TOP OF THE LINE’ passes the time of day.” Now Only f ene we _ | $§99°° Econo r’s Sewing Centre | Spots S$ INGER Trail Towne Squere 623 Columbia Ave. Downtown Trail astiegar You can save up A Wagemare of The Senger COmEaPY Oglow Building to 80% on the 364-1744 -3810 cost of this ad! 365-5210 tied to Star Wars TORONTO (CP) — At least four Canadian high technology firms have car ried out research for the U.S. Star Wars missile defence program in the last two years, the Toronto Star quotes Washington-based re- searchers as saying. The paper quotes the Fed eration of American Scien- tists, a high-profile research agency that has been critical of the defence program, as saying the Canadian compan- ies have obtained Star Wars contracts worth $2.5 million or more. Star Wars is the popular name for U.S. President Ronald Reagan's $45- billion strategic defence initiative, intended to put anti-missile weapons in space by the middle 1990s. Details of Canadian in- volvement remain sketchy because the contracts involve highly classified work and because some of the compan- ies involved have proved hard to trace. But Canadian research seems to focus on developing a computerized battle-man- agement system, The Star quoted the federation as say- ing. ‘A U.S. subsidiary of one Canadian firm, Crowntek of Toronto, is helping to write computer software for the program, and to develop a ballistic missile command, control and communications system. 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