OPINION WEDNESDAY, February 22, 1995 Wednesday, February 22, 1995 Letters to the Editor The Castlegar Sun WY The Gast (gar Sun 7S Serving the 10,000 people of the Castlegar Area, The Castlegar Sun is published every Wednesday by Sterling Newspapers Lid. at 465 Columbia Ave. Castiegar, B.C. V1N 1G8. The Castlegar Sun is pollt cally independent and a member of the Sterling News Service, Canadian C BC. c Newspapers Assocation, and the B.C. Press Council. Established 28, 1990. 10420. PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG RON NORMAN CHRISTINE MOYER ACTING EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER KAREN KERKHOFF TRICIA LAKTIN REPORTER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT CATHERINE ROSS ADVERTISING REP. NICOLE BEETSTRA ADVERTISING REP. FRED JACK ADVERTISING REP JEFF GABERT SPORTS REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER MARGE LALONDE OFFICE/CIRCULA TION MANAGER CARI ROHN CLASSIFIED ADS Direct Department Phones General Otfice 365-5266 Circulation ...... 365-5266 Classified Ads 365-7848 Display Advertising 365-2278 Newsroom ..... 365-5579 Fax «++-365-7762 << Ly Gud *, T af ETS editorial comment The power of individuals banding together for a common cause is evident right here in Castlegar. Hats off to Rossland-Trail MLA Ed Conroy and the resi- dents who live near 1st Street Their dogged persistence for an investigation into the administration of the Genesis Project. has resulted in an audit report which, while lacking in some specifics, in the end could make a difference for many. But not for the 10 teens who enrolled in the pilot program The audit report, which was drafted last April but was just recently circulated, points to some glaring inadequacies in a pilot project that never quite got off the ground. The $210,000 Genesis Project was to have sent teens receiving social assistance soaring into a brighter future which would surpass their current life and job conditions. Instead, due to poor planning of the Min- istry of Social Services, and inadequate administration of the program, those teens were dismally failed by the very system that they trusted to help them in their inau- gural flight towards a better life. For a brief moment those teens thought just maybe, just maybe, they COULD fly. Most crash-landed after a bumpy and horrific ride. Instead a bureaucracy took $210,000 of taxpayers’ money and indiscriminately launched a program which deserved a better thought- out flight plan. The audit, prepared by the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Relations, states that the project was “poor- ly planned”’, “not adequately administered”, and “overfunded due to poor budget formulation” during the planning process It took an audit to discover this. But neighbors Sho lived near the group home on Ist Street knew this long before the audit was done. These neighbors took a lot of heat from the press, and from other people who didn’t live near the group home. But they stuck it out. They admittedly feared for their safety because of the proximity of the group home and their belief that illegal activities were being perpetrated by the partic- ipants in their neighborhood. But they maintained all along they had another, and more important, reason for wanting the audit. They believed that these 10 young men deserved a better launch into real life. They believed that while the concept of the program was good, its planning and administration were dismally lacking Today that report sits in the hands of the neighbors. It’s a 34-page report that’s weighs heavy in their grasp. The report noted that the Genesis Project did benefit at least one person. When speaking of money transac- tions it states “...these non-arms length transactions appear to have unduly benefitted Mr. Cam Caskey at the expense of the ministry and the participants.” We all make mistakes. But when mistakes involve the lives of 10 teens the stakes are high. Let's hope the ministry has the audit in its left hand as it passes out cash for any another similar project’ from the right hand We as a society can’t afford these kinds of mistakes Karen Kerkhoff ERRORS The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the 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 no liability 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 PERSONALLY. | FIND THIS MORE HUMILIATING AND DEGRADING THAN ANY ‘CROSSING THE LINE?’ CEREMONY, New college board structure silly You have to wonder sometimes how the politicians and bureau- crats in Victoria come up with some of their ideas. Take, for instance, Bill 22, which amends the provincial Col- lege and Institute Act. The bill was passed last year and comes into effect this spring One of the features of the bill is the change in the structure of col- lege boards. It calls for the addi- tion of faculty, support staff and students as full voting members. i-den‘t-know-about-you, but I find this change downright Marx- ist—not Karl, Groucho. In fact, its zaniness rivals Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks (perhaps Victoria has a Ministry of Silly Ideas), Why is this idea so silly? Let me explain how it works with the Selkirk College board and then you'll see The Selkisk-College board presently has 10 members, all of whom. are appointed by the provincial government. Under Bill 22, they will be joined in March or April by a fac- ulty representative and a support staff representative, each of whom will be elected for three- year terms. There will also be two student representatives elected for one- year terms. I won’t get into the debate of whether the nine existing members should be elected (I happen to think that although there are valid reasons for appointing them, I would prefer them elected), but it strikes me there is an anomoly here: some people are appointed to the board-while-oth- ers are elected. Why are the students, faculty and suppor staff given the oppor- tunuty to choose their representa- tives to the board while the people in the communities that make up the college region are not? Another problem is that student, faculty and support staff members represent very small constituen- cies, yet will account for nearly one-third of the total board: four of the 14 positions On a per capita basis, the sup- port staff member, for example, would represent-perhaps 100 people. On the other hand, each of the 10 appointed board mem- bers represents something like 10,000 people It’s not representation by popu- lation, but rather misrépresentation Letters to the Editor by population. But the biggest problem I have with the new board structure is that I just don’t believe the stu- dents, faculty and support staff deserve to have repre- sentatives on the board in the first place. Think about it. The board manages the cottege*s affairs on behalf of the residents in the col- lege region. That includes negotia- tions with its employees. Now, suddenly, those employees are part of the board structure. I wonder what Castlegar coun- cil would think if tomorrow the provincial government changed the Municipal Act ordering the city to include representatives from the Canadian Union of Pub- lic Employees on council? ‘What would we as residents in this community think? I would wonder why city employees get any more say than any other NORMAN Rossland-Trail MLA Ed Con- toy could find himself sitting alongside a representative from the B.C. Government Employ- ees* Union, or maybe the B.C. Nurses’ Union. And they would have the same voting rights as Mr. Con- roy, who was elected by the peo- ple in his riding Or how about federal govern- ment workers sitting alongside Prime Minister Jean Chretien? Sounds crazy, right? Yet it is teally no different than the college board situation. That's not to say I’m against employee—or student—participa- tion in college affairs. Another of the changes to the College and Institute Act calls for the creation of Education Councils, which will be made up of faculty, support staff and students. These councils will advise the board on educational issues. Good idea. Bringing those who have a vested interest into the deci- sion-making process never hurts. But giving them a vote at the table? It's enough to make me believe individuals in the c y. Let's take this a step further. Why not have one-third of the seats in the provincial legislature set aside for employee representatives? in Because the only way this makes sense is if Grou- cho Marx is alive and well and working as a provincial bureaucrat in Victoria. Job loss claims 'outrageous' Dear Editor: The claim that 5,800 forestry jobs will be eliminated in the West and East Kootenays by the recent timber supply reviews, the new Forest Practices Code, and CORE constitutes another example of the outrageous scare tactics used by IWA vice-president Warren Ulley and the forest industry. Ulley claims “we can’t survive all this”. In a way he is right. We can’t survive the continued over- cutting and mismanagement of the public’s forests. Successive studies have warned us about this, includ- ing Sandy Peel's Forest Commis- sion and the recent TSA reviews. The TSA reviews indicate that the annual allowable cuts must be reduced. The sooner this is done, the easier it will be to achieve the necessary transition to ecological- ly sustainable logging Forestry job impacts from CORE'’s recommendations are much lower than claimed by Ulley or CORE. Our analysis indicates that CORE'’s recommendations could affect 270 short-term jobs in the West Kootenay/Boundary Region. This includes additional protected areas and protective pre- scriptions within integrated and special management areas The number of sustainable jobs over the long run is approximate - ly half this, or 135 jobs. In the East Kootenays it’s even less because there’s a lot less forest and fewer additional protected areas are recommended The ratio claimed by Ulley of two indirect jobs for every direct job is greatly exaggerated. CORE claimed one indirect job for each two direct jobs, or four times less. According to Dr. Craig Davis of UBC, the regional multiplier is about half what CORE claims, only one indirect job per four direct jobs. Unfortunately, the grossly- inflated job impact figures quoted by Ulley do nothing to solve the problems we face as a result of decades of overcutting the forest and automating mills. The real solutions lie in offsetting the above employment adjustnjents by utilizing more labor intensive selection logging, more ‘silvicul- tural work such as thinning and Pruning, improved utilization, and achieving higher value in wood products from the manufacturing side of the industry. As empha- sized by CORE, these changes can occur without any overall loss in employment in the forest industry. There will be no forest industry jobs lost due to new parks if the government carries out its com- mitment to implement an econom- J ic transition strategy. Our analysis shows that pro- tecting all our key wilderness areas to 130 long-term ecologically sustainable cut levels and forest practices. But this will Tequire due consideration of the jobs which is less than 11 per cent of the 1,200 jobs have been lost to automation. We need to add more value to the wood harvested here before it leaves the region. Bringing the number of jobs per cubic meter harvested up to the Canadian aver- age would alone create 800 new employment opportunities in the West Kootenay/Boundary region. We are ready to work with the IWA to increase value added to wood products, and to achieve other segr of the in addition to those working in the forest industry. It must also provide a place for the rest of nature to live and sur- vive. This we believe is the best way to develop and maintain a balanced way of life and a secure and diverse economy. Colleen McCrory, chairperson Grant Copeland, director The Valhalla Society New Denver Imported dates costly Dear Editor: We have a dear friend in Joshua Tree, Calif. who kindly sent usa pound of California-grown dates for a Christmas present, but before we could claim them at the Puro- lator office we would have to pay $20. We paid the money and received the beautifully-packed pound of dates. They had been insured for $100 by the serder, Verne Randolph. After we got the dates, we found out that he had also paid $20 or more to pay for shipment of the dates through UPS in the U.S. On inquiry at Purolator, they said the $20 we had to pay to get the pound of dates out of hock was due to some broker who intercept ed the parcel at the border. We have not dared to eat the Precious dates yet, that cost our friends and us a total of $2.50 an ounce Atkinson Crossley Robson Cougars need to eat Dear Editor: This is a response to Shelley Miscavitch’s “Worst Christmas Present Ever" letter in the Feb, 8 Castlegar Sun, As deeply saddened as we all may be from the loss of Ms, Miscayitch’s feline friend, please keep all things in per- spective, First, she lives in a wooded area with wild animals, (How did they feel when she cleared her lot, built her house and subsequently destroyed part of their home?). What does she expect? She is introducing prey (her cat) into a predator's domain. Yes, congars need to eat tool A cougar does not prey for vengeance (although it has reason), it sim- Ply needs to eat, After cating her cat, I can State with confidence, that the cougar did not exclaim,” serves you right for building on my territory”, And as far as being a “ferocious” animal, maybe she should remember that house cats (yes, her Dusty, too) are responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 wild birds in Canada every year! Dave Hollington Castlegar NEW GARBAGE FEES Will we be double-billed? Dear Editor: I see that at least one of your readers agrees that the garbage user fee penalizes users like us who average a plastic shopping bag a week. We had already pointed out to the city that permitting three con- tainers does nothing to encourage the reduction, reuse and recy- cling we are being strongly urged to do. We suggested that the fee entitle each household to one standard garbage can per week, and that heavier “garbagers” be required to pay for additional containers. Now Ron Norman reports that the fee is $16.25 more than the garbage collectors charge the city per household. It seems the $45 fee is an estimate because total costs are unknown. Billing and administration are cited as some of the costs. In other words, costs ‘created by the decision to set a user fee! I suggest the next questions Mr. Norman ask are What happens to whatever exeess develops. And will all of the costs be separated and offset against the fee or will they be included when setting the municipal tax rate, thus charging us twice for the same service? Jack Yolland Castlegar Greater public input welcome on pub issue Dear Editor: : For the record, I would like to say that although I was disap- pointed in the results of the vote, Vicky and I are committed to finding a process that is accept- able to the whole community. Over the next month, we will be discussing this issue with the parties on all sides to obtain a on a fair and Letters policy Letters to the Editor are wel- come on any topic of local or general interest. Letters should be double-spaced, typewritten, or legibly handwritten, and no more than two pages if possible. Letters will be edited in the interests of brevity, legality or taste. All letters must be signed, and include an address and tele- phone number. Names may be witheld from publication by the approval of the editor, but only for exceptional reasons. Send letters to: The Castlegar Sun; 465 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, B.C., VIN 1G8, or drop them off_at the office. Poetry will not be published. method for community input A neighborhoodpub by defini- tion is a place for the community to meet, communicate, and inter- act. Therefore, we feel that a greater amount of public input is not only imperative, but welcome. We-also would like, to thank the 85 people who exercised their democratic rights on this issue and hope we can satisfy the requirements of the people who feel they need more information. Rose Kolesnikoff Winlaw Who is misinforming whom? Dear Editor: I am writing in response to Eric Nygren’s letter of Feb. 8. In his letter Mr. Nygren accused The Castlegar Sun of misinform- ing his constituents with respect to the proposed Winlaw pub when in fact Mr. Nygren himself has presented misinformation in his letter. Mr. Nygren claims that The Castlegar Sun articles represent the opinion of “no fewer than 30 people”. However, he and the regional district have on file the signatures of 115 people express- ing their dissatisfaction and lack of confidence in Mr. Nygren's handling of the proposed Winlaw pub issue. In addition, 90 people attended a public meeting on Feb. 3 in which not a single person spoke in support of Mr. Nygren's ver- sion of public process. Mr Nygren was invited and given the opportunity on the agenda to speak, but he refused to attend. While he claims to represent 4,000 constituents, he has allowed ‘only 142 on the voter's list and refuses to accept input "Crossing the line’ remembered fondly Dear Editor: Having participated in two Crossing the Line Ceremonies, I refute the slant put on this tradi- tional event by the CBC-Vancou- ver TV news. In 1961 after 18 days of monotonous duties, the crew of the HMCS Sussexvale welcomed the occasion of the Crossing the Line Ceremonies. In 1968 I again participated on HMCS Columbia, this time as a “Shellback” with two certificates to prove these events. With captain and officers (including a medical officer) overseeing the activities and tak- ing part in reading the traditional script, we all enjoyed this break from routine. Only good food was used, but as the “tadpole” was blindfolded Only ** Rage 4 r= You can find antiques - collectables breads = borscht & western menu OPEN TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY 10 am to 7 pm - located 500 feet in on the Slocan Valley Highway. See You At Roses Restaurant A Of FREE RRSP Audiocassette RO Timely Tips for RRSP Investors Call today Eldon Worobieff, Investment Advisor 1-800-416-2882 @) NESBITT BURNS KNOWLEDGE is POWER he wasn't aware that I, as the “Doc” squirted whipped cream into his mouth. Which of us have never par- ticipated in a parlour game, blind folded and required to identify an article? My wife and children viewed the home movie I brought home and remember it to this day with laughter. We now wonder just how much truth there was in the Airborne Regiment’s-hazing. We only saw screened film, did we not? Jim Moore Castlegar Silver Rattle ANTIQUES ‘ame tn and browse among. . Creasures of the past "301 - 11th Ave. (Tulips Buildin, 365-51 species and genetics). from the broader Winlaw com: munity, He would be wise to remember that a mere 202 voter out of a possible 2,358 showed support for Mr. Nygren in the last election. This is less than 10 per cent, a tiny minority. If Mr. Nygren believes so much in a majority-opinion, how does he justify representing Area H based on such puny voter support? Furthermore, at a meeting on Feb. 6 the Area H Advisory Planning Committee recom- mended that the voting procedure be delayed until further public discussion could occur. Mr. Nygren proceeded with his ques- tionable voting process in defi- ance of his own Advisory Planning Committee If Mr. Nygren refuses to listen to his own Advisory Planning Committee, how are we to believe he is sincere about listen- ing to his constituents? Kathy Larstone Winlaw It's RRSP time. (Be careful out th Its your money. You've hed hard for i. 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(Biodiversity is a broad term covering diversity of life in all its forms, including diversity of landscape, ecosystems, As we change our uses of the land, we must protect its natural values. We use it—we invest in it— we protect it—we depend on it. For more information, please call (604) 365-2351. Communities in Action — AS FAR SOUTH AS YOU CAN GO WITHOUT BEING BURNED Through May 15th, we're offering an unbeatable weekend offer to Victoria. Book a package three days in advance, stay Saturday, and you can spend two nights at the Coast Hotel for only $338. Including airfare Go any farther south and the wallet starts to feel the heat. Contact your travel agent for more details. “Canadian Regional BUILDING A BETTER AIRLINE. pane y Canadian BY THE EXCHANGE RATE.