July 31, 1991 CORRECTION In the Saturday, July.27 edition of the Castlegar News, Safeway In-Store Bakery Special, filled Bismarks 6 for $1.99 should have read: GLAZED DONUTS Safeway apologizes to their customers for any Best way to reduce packaging is cut down on amount you buy By MARTIN MEYER Recycle Advisory Group In a recent Canadian study it was determined that a approximately 38 per cent of the household waste stream se me -Castlegar News PAGE A4, WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 1991 MEMBER OF THE 8.C. PRESS COUNCIL ESTABLISHED AUGUST 7, 1947 rwe WEEKLY May 4, 1980 ‘n: IST 27, 1980 0 NS T. we LOVELY Tels Foe 718 WT SH TNE IN TRON FO FOR. ANOTHER ILL ~PUGLISHER, AUGUST 7, 1947-FEBRUARY 1 BURT CAMPBELL PUBLISHER EMERITUS. ~ PUBLISHER, FEBRUARY 16, SoroMAY 1, 1901 PUBLISHER -Dave McCullough LATION SENOR 8. SALES REPRESENTATIVE - Gary Fleming _promaed ef 197 Cosmin Avera, Cantope, tr Cohmiia by Contoge Hows (Wt hr Corweet tthe Lit EDITORIAL Court right, sorry to say The ruling last week bya Quebec court that federal legisla- ld tion prohi from advertising in news- papers, magazines or on radio and television violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is absolutely correct. Ouch. That hurts to say that. But the fact is, tob d in a legiti- mate business and have the same ‘egal rights “as any other business to advertise their products. ig fact is” The unfortunate and too-oft tragic that tobacco companies are also engaged in an immoral, stinking business which hooks people — especially teenagers — into an addiction that kills more than 35,000 Canadians every year. Cigarette of heart and lung disease. is the major pre ble cause In British Columbia, the 1972 Tobacco Products Act gives the provincial government the power to make regulations and orders concerning the labelling, packaging, selling, distribut- ing, promoting and advertising of tobacco. In light of a possible legal challenge in B.C., Health Minis- iter splined tekaperes said he's discussed the act with the gov- “There are some , powers that I could invoke,” Mr, Strachan said, but he added he’s not certain whether such a move would withstand a legal challenge under the Charter. However, to forbid the advertising of those products, despite how abhorrent a growing majority of people believe them to be, is unquestionably discrimination. Rather than abridge what must remain the unviolable right of freedom of speech — including advertising — the bat- tle must be fought in the arena of public opinion, perhaps through boycotts of media outlets which choose to accept tobacco advertising or events nies. P ed by P' As well, Mr. Strachan said even if the ban is overturned in B.C., any increase in cigarette advertising will be matched by an increase in government-sponsored anti-smoking ads. Going toe-to-toe with the tobacco companies is certainly an option, but keep in mind that it would be taxpayers’ money spent in the battle, adding to the existing costs of tax-funded health care for people sick and dying from smoking. (Happily, B.C. continues to have the lowest smoking rate in Canada, with about 20 per cent of the population regularly lighting up, compared to the national average of 32 per cent. Let’s hope that figure continues to shrink.) Meanwhile — and this may be hopelessly naive of us — b we hope any thoughts of more legal challenges. They may be right in principle but any suc- cesses on their part will be Pyrrhic victories indeed. EARISTORTNG EPISOE CF DAZE oF LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Prospects not good I understand that Canada Post has applied to the federal government for an increase in the price of standard postage to 42 cents from 40 cents and an increase rate on packages will be effective in August. I wouldn’t complain if that increase also brought with it an increase in customer ser- vice. Looking back to when postage was 37 cents, service was much better. At that time virtually all postal business was transacted in federally run post offices with well trained, bonded personnel. As the rate of postage has risen, the service to the public has declined. Now many rural areas have no retail postal service at all, and others have a sec- ond-class service carried out in gas stations, motels and drugstores, by unqualified, low paid assistants whose priority is selling gas, bread or medicines. The postal service is merely a sideline to bring in extra cus- tomers. In the federal post offices that do remain, reductions in personnel caused by Canada Post’s penny pinching at the grass roots lev- el result in long line-ups at the counter and frayed tempers all around. What type of service will ensue next year if the rate rises to 42 cents? Considering the trend, the prospects don’t look good Margaret Carroll Pass Creek Rhetoric fails The rhetoric of Canada Post’s communi- cations manager, Doug McClelland, failed to convince me that this Crown corporation really cares about quality of service to postal VIEWPOINT U.S. working harder, smarter By LARRY WELSH The Canadian Press . Manufacturing companies in the United States worked hard- er and smarter than C di The Conservative government made a stronger economy cen- terpiece in its throne speech last May, promising that will stre I unity. companies in 1989, the first year under free trade, a new Statis- tics Canada study suggests. And Canadian labor costs rose faster while Canadian man- ufacturing firms lagged behind their American competitors, according to the study on pro- ductivity. Productivity fell 2.4 per cent in 1989 for Canadian manufac- turing while it rose three per cent for U.S. manufacturing, the study said. Those results will likely pro- vide important ammunition as the federal government prepares its prosperity agenda to make the Canadian economy more competitive. \. A confidential government paper r waateasle cheno to Canada's educatioi incial, industrial and tax systems to help Canada compete. A second federal paper on education suggests setting national standards and issuing report cards on schools so stu- dents can get better career training. P Prime Minister Brian Mul- roney has said promoting better economic growth will be an important part of resolving debate over the Constitution. But the Statistics Canada study raises disturbing ques- tions about how well 's in Castlegar. Since the 20 per cent reduction in staffing at the Castlegar wickets in early June of this year, long line-ups extending into the lobby have occurred with increasing regular- ity. If this is Canada Post’s method of match- ing the number of postal workers to cus- tomer traffic, either the executives at Cana- da Post have very poor math skills, or Mr. McClelland is trying hard to cover up the truth with vague generalities and evasive soepruenta I suggest that he is paid to do the latter. It is a fact that Canada Post Corp. plans to close down all wicket operations in feder- al post offices across the country and replace them ‘with privatized outlets by 1996. As part of the implementation of this plan Canada Post is systematically decreasing the number of wicket hours. at each corpo- rate outlet, while at the same time trying to establish franchise outlets in such locations as pharmacies, gas stations and: grocery stores. As part of its current staffing policy, Canada Post actually has management per- sonnel called “retail sales representatives” throughout B.C, and other provinces who are actively seeking new franchise locations. The name of the sales rep for the Castlegar area is Tom Webb. If Canada Post succeeds with its plans, we will be left with a patchwork of postal franchises across Canada, where grocery clerks, receiving minimum wage, little train- ing and no security clearance, handle money orders, overseas packages, and unemploy- ment insurance and pension cheques, along with Kraft dinners and detergent at the tills. So, the next time you're in a line-up at the Castlegar post office, don’t blame it on your local postal workers. Call the toll free number on the door at Castlegar post office (1-800-665-3664) and voice/your complaints to Canada Post’s management. Better yet, write to Harvie Andre, minister in charge of Canada Post in Ottawa (all letters to the House of Commons go postage free) and tell him what you think of our current postal service and his privatization plans. Sandra Groepler Robson False ring The Castlegar Sun recently ran a story about the proposed Castlegar-Robson bridge. In the article, a quotation attributed to Lyall Hanson, minister of transportation and highways, read: “I am very pleased to note that the selected alignment was devel- oped from ions and discussion at the public forum. It tells me that our public involvement process is working.” Allow me to set one matter straight. If the public involvement process was working under the Social Credit (read Vander Zalm) administration, past or present, the Robson ferry would still be operating in Chris hind riding rather than that of Howard ri Most people are pleased at the prospect of Robson being united once more with Castle- gar, as it had been since 1919 when the gov- ernment operated the first Robson ferry. No one should be pleased with the opportunistic politicians who deliberately deprive old peo- ple and young children: of an essential ser- vice, in order to appear generous by promis- ing a restored crossing some five years later. I am sorry to say, Mr. Hanson, that the “public involvement process” buys votes only when the offer rings true. George Stein Robson Political advice To pick for publication three quotes from the three-day Social Credit leadership con- vention is a problem to which there can be ho one correct solution. To me, the most trenchant comment in the whole three days was made by Mel Cou- velier when he said “. . . the party is respon- sible to the membership, the government is responsible to the people .. .” Mr. Couvelier’s words should become a political axiom that should be considered carefully by any candidate of any party before he or she undertakes to advise of us of the benefits that accrue through being represented by a member of the party that forms the government. Fred G. Marsh Robson Please address all letters to the editor to: Letters to the Editor, Castlegar News, P.O. Box 3007, Castiegar, B.C. VIN 3H4, or deliver them to our office at 197 Columbia Ave. in Castlegar. Letters should be typewritten, double- spaced and not longer than 300 words. Letters MUST be signed and include the wciter’s first and last names, address and a telephone number at which the writer can be reached between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The writer's name and city or town of residence only will be published. Only dn exceptional cases will letters be Published without the writer's name. Nevertheless, the name, address and telephone number of the writer MUST be disclosed to the editor. The Castlegar News reserves the right to edit letters for brevity, clarity, legality, grammar and taste. Plan RRSP early, experts say By SUSAN YELLIN Py NO work out how much you can contribute to an RRSP this The Canadian Press Reading about registered in this country can. meet increased competition from the United States and around the world. The study measured changes in productivity — how industries increased production by using workers, machines, oe oe investment and more effectively. For the entire business sec- tor, Canadian productivity has increased on par with the Unit- ed States. But productivity in Canadian manufacturing fell sharply between 1986 and 1989 while it increased substantially in the United States, the study found. Producing more with the same amount of workers and Machinery generates more mon- ey for pay cheques and please see U.S. pace AS gs plans now may seem like February in July. But those who have already made contributions for 1991 can relax around the pool, knowing their early planning will help take the chill off retirement finances in the years ahead. Getting an early jump on buying an RRSP has always been the advice of financial planners. They point to the power of ADVICE employees have had to wait until they received their 14 earned income. Members of an-employer- sponsored pension plan had a limit of 20 per cent of earned income, up to $3,500, minus year. The government will provide exact contribution figures later this year, but not before s Revenue slips in February to determine how much they could contribute to an RRSP. This year Ps Siarents 1991 with last pear’ information, But before doing that, it’s important to know the RRSP contribution limit has been changed for the 1991 tax year. Last year, people not in a The sooner a contribution is made, the better the retarh over the years. And with an RRSP, the interest that accumulates is tax-sheltered until the plari is folded. Previously, many salaried plan could contribute 20 per cent of Earned income is employ- ment earnings plus other types of income like alimony, minus deductions like union dues. Dividends or interest from con to the p plan. The T4 slips show the pen- sion contribution amount. This pee if you're not a », a i plan, you can put in up to 18 per cent of earned income to a maximum of $11,500. ‘Those in a company pension plan have an extra. step. Take 18 per cent of 1990 earned income or $11,500 — whichev- er is less — and subtract from it the "pension mg culated a your company pen- sion plan. It enables you to Canada spokesman Nicole Lessard. Waiting until then could put a crimp in compound- ing interest, and in most cases your own calculation will come close to the government’s fig- ure. While the dollar amounts of contributions may seem to have increased for the 91 tax year, the St percentage limit has gone down. And that may actually cut the dollar limit for those with earned income of $42,000 or consists of containers and packaging. A major trend of product ‘manufacturers has been to produce more and more pack- aging that is not reusable, recyclable, compactible or biodegradable. Examples include plastic containers, sty- »rofoam and packages made of two or more materials that are bonded together. Since almost all packaging material from your home ends up in the Ootischenia dump, there would be some:real bene- fits in reducing the amount of packaging materials that you throw out. The best way to reduce packaging material that you throw out is to reduce the amount you buy. If you don’t buy it in the first place, you avoid making extra garbage. Each and every one of us £3 can help reduce waste by refusing to buy products that come in wasteful packaging. Here are a few tips: * Whenever you can, buy in bulk. Fruit, vegetables, screws, nails and so on. * Avoid any styrofoam packaging. * Don’t buy products in blis- ter packs. Blister packs have a light cardboard base with a clear plastic bubble molded around the product. You then slit open the plastic to remove the product. & * Refase to buy drinks in tetra-packs. These are the square-shaped packages for juice which are made of card- board and have plastic or wax on the outside and then a lay- er of aluminum on the inside. They cannot be recycled because the materials cannot be easily separated. * Don’t use plastic bags supplied at grocery stores to wrap celery and cabbage before you take it to the check- out. You'll wash it before you eat it anyway. * Avoid buying plastic con- tainers whenever p Makea Move!! without Our Hostess’ Gifts and In- formation are the Key to Your New Community Heather at 365-5490 or Ginny at 365-5549 inconvenience. ( SAF EW, SAFEWAY Glass is a much better option since it can be recycled. U.S. continued from page A4 investors. It also means more attractive prices on store shelves and a leg up on the competition. "U.S. manufacturing is doing much better,” explained Aldo Diaz, productivity section chief at Statistics Canada. There have been gaps before productivity growth in the Unit- ed States and Canada. But the gap since 1986 has persisted longer than any period since 1961. “The gap that has existed in the last few years is quite large. It is not just random,” said Diaz. “It would appear that there is a substantial difference there.” While Canadian productivity fell, manufacturing companies also paid larger wage increases, pointing to a serious inflation problem for the economy. Inflation heats up when wages rise without any increase in productivity. The study found manufactur- ing unit labor costs — how much companies paid in wages for each unit produced — rose 5.6 per cent in Canada during 1989 and 1988, compared to a 3.0 per cent increase in the United States in the same period. Statistics Canada cautioned its wage comparisons were made in national currencies and fail to account for changes in exchange rates. "This relatively in labor in front of sluggish productivity gains has become a major con- cern, particularly when com- pared to contrasting recent developments in the United States,” the study said. To boost sagging productivity, company bosses will have to roll up their sleeves and do business smarter. That would generate more income for bigger wage increases and a higher standard of living. “One of the most important factors in raising the standard of living is increases in productivi- ty,” said Diaz. rapid RRSP continued from page A4 Last year, at 20 per cent, a person with earned income of $40,000 could make an RRSP contribution at the $7,500 limit. This year, at 18 per cent, that same person can put in only $7,200, Pape says. Knowing how much you can contribute in the current year makes it easier to put money into a plan all year round, instead of making a lump-sum payment close to the deadline. “For a lot of us, the best strat- egy from a budgeting point of view is to spread it out over the year,” says Fraser Ball, market- ing manager of RRSPs for the Toronto-Dominion Bank. “I really believe in this and I do it every two weeks.” Financial institutions have come up with a couple of ways to make it easier to make RRSP contributions. Many allow you to authorize them to transfer, say $100 from a regular account every two weeks into an RRSP savings account, Typically, the bi-weekly amount is not enough to buy, for example, a guaranteed invest- ment certificate for the RRSP. But when the amount builds up to the GIC minimum, you can transfer the money in the savings account to a tax-shel- tered GIC. Frank Santageli, president of Finsco Investment Management Corp., a Toronto-based mutual fund company, says many peo- rtisan The Kootenays are talented !! See our unique hand crafted gifts & souvenirs. A local artist is always on hand to serve you with pleasure. Wanete Piaza, Trelt 364-5659 ple still will leave their RRSP contributions until next Febru- ary. “It’s always the same thing,” he says.” The smart people or CASTLEGAR CHAMBER OF C 1975-6th Ave. 365-6313 NOTICE Castlegar Veterinary Hospital Dr. Williams will be on vacation from Saturday, Aug. 3 to Monday, Aug. 19 Boarding Services ONLY will be available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. , Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. the people with money do things, and other people pick up on it later on. “People know they ought to do it, but they don’t.” ~- WEEKLY SPECIAL -- SEAFOOD SALAD ICrisp lettuce, carrots, Ip and crs Your csies of dietatig ‘Ai Our Prices inchude the G.S.T. HOURS: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 1521 Columbia Ave. 365-8388 Call Ahead Drive Through Service — WANTED — CLEAN COTTON RAGS Castlégar News SUMMER CHICKENTIME PICNIC PAKS. Agen! for Fun in the Sun” 1004 Colurmt TAKE-OUT) 365-8155 FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFO PHONE 365-7266 A DIVISION Seema oe 2401- -10th a tte or, B. conv 9 Ft We bring ital together + bring it all together The ouhager News has two simple-to-operate loan-out cameras (complete with film) which it is pleased to allow groups to use for taking pictures for use by the Castlegar News. Arrangements for the use of these’ cameras rer a made through our News Department at Castl égar News ’ “A Tradition of Community Journalism Since 1947" STEVE WHITTLETON NGI oo OAM ator 2649 Fourth Avenue Castlegar, B.c. VIN 281 365-3563 A QUALITY POSTAL SERVICE: “Canada Post should use its profits to extend door to door delivery. My neighbours have it. What am I, second class?.” STAND TOGETHER WITH US PRODUCED BY THE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY “| trust the staff at the post office with my parcel. But | get nervous about taking my mail to a drugstore where “Mulroney has cut the trains, given away the country, imposed the GST. Now he wants to destroy our public Post Office.” postal service is just a sideline.” SUPPORT FAIR NEGOTIATIONS SPEAK OUT FOR A PUBLIC POSTAL SERVICE CANADIAN UNION OF POSTAL WORKERS