OPINION

September 1, 1993

EDITOR

REPORTER

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SHARLENE IMHOFF

MARGE LALONDE CIRCULATION MANAGER

JOHN VAN PUTTEN SPORTS REPORTERPPHOTOGRAPHER

KAREN KERKHOFF

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The Castl gar Sun

TRA

YER

SHAUNA KATTLER

465 Columbia Ave

IS POLITICALLY INDEPENDE

Castlegar, B.

VIN 1G8

NT AND A

MEMBER OF THE STERLING NEWS SERVICE Established November 28, 1990

Published by Sterling Newspapers Ltd Weekly on Wednesdays Member of Canadian Community Newspapers A B.C. Community Newspapers Associatior and B.C. Press Council

editorial comment

It’s what you do

with it that

counts

Hurray! Finally, after arguing, begging, picketing and threatening, the Department of Highways has seen fit to post a pedestrian traffic. warning at the much-used intersection at 24th Street and Columbia

Avenue.

But all the wamings in the world will not help save the life of a child who crosses at that intersec tion unless the drivers in Castlegar adhere to the

posted signs.

Drivers have to realize that it is illegal to pass on the right hand side, and that to do so is courting cer tain disaster. Now that school will soon be in session there are speed zones associated with school cross ings. Those speeds are posted for a reason, and dis regarding them could get you more than a fine—it could get you a terrifying memory which can never be erased from your mind, or the mind of a dead child’s parents. So, for the sake of our children, slow

down and obey the signs.

Passing the test

It’s a sign of the times, and in a way, it’s a test to

determine what we are made of collectively a

community.

About a month ago, a man, who appeared to be homeless could be found in front of the liquor store strumming his guitar in hopes of earning a few coins, and just last week a man could be seen taking refuge under a tarp behind Safeway. Most recently we have been joined by yet another person who

appears to be homeless.

You can see him sitting on the stone wall which is

beside city hall

As we at The Castlegar Sun

watched from the safety of our window, we saw many varying responses to this homeless man. Some people drove by and stared hard at him, no doubt amazed to see a homeless person in Castlegar of all places; some people walked by with obvious disdane on their faces. But, the most moving sight was to see a senior citizen walk unafraid towards the man and hand him a paper plate with foil on top; obviously

food from a local restaurant

We are a city which is in a state of rapid growth At times it is exhilarating, but at the same time para doxically painful. Our growth is marked by the pleasing metamorphosis which is occurring before our very eyes. It is also marked by other occur rences, such as a growing crime rate, and now, the

appearance of homeless people

The true test of our civilization and .our maturity as a city will be the manner in which we tre who are less fortunate than we are. We like most other cities, and turn our backs on tt who need our help the most, or we can face that growth with compassion and caring

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accepted

John

You should count your bless- ings Karen that it has taken this long for this precedent to be set.

If the option had been avail- able years ago I wonder if your son would have taken advan- tage of it and divorced you. You never know-—do you.

In some circumstances I would condone children using the legal system for their bene- fit. Take the recent example in Florida of the 14 year-old girl, Kimberly Mays who went through the U.S. court system to finally be finished with her biological parents Mrs. and Mr. Twig

Kimberly was switched at birth in the hospital, and there- fore only knew one set of “par- ents”—those with whom she went home from the hospital. In her mind they were “mom and dad.” As she grew so did a bond between Kimberly and her father Although he was not her birth father, the relationship with the man she called DADDY for her entire life had developed along with all the emotional bonding which is associated with parenting

This is the second such big case to come out of the Ameri- can judicial system in the last few years. The first was a 11 year-old boy who alleged he was being abused by his natural parents, and he wanted to divorce his natural parents and become the legal child of his foster parents. We, as a society, try so hard to eliminate child abuse from every child's life, Karen children back to their abusive

and you want to send parents when they have been living in the safety and comfort of a foster home

Obviously the Florida boy's problems with his biological family were severe enough to force him to be transferred by the state child welfare workers into a safe and loving haven, a foster home

As you said during our con- versation on this subject Karen, nothing is stronger than a family unit. | find it hypocritical of you

Children divorcing parents

to ©.

to want to protect the family unit and yet condone the unneces- sary breakup of a solid family unit, one where the bonds are so strong Kimberly took the ulti- mate step to preserve that cohe- sive unit. Shouldn't the safety and stability of a child be given number one priority?

I can hear you already Karen, starting to blow this issue way out of proportion saying this is going to become as commonplace as kids miss- ing their curfew.

Come on Karen, lets get real, a case like these is an extreme and while I support the concept of children divorcing their par- ents, I wouldn't support uot it were to become as fnvolous and common-place as as a child scraping their knee

Honestly Karen, don't you think that Kimberly would have given this enough thought before actually proceeding with such an extreme measure as divorce?

I would bet money that Kim- berly spent many sleepless nights thinking about all the consequences of her decision

I give Kimberly credit for having the guts to see this thing through, and I congratulate her ‘on the outcome

theek

heek

Kids divorcing parents! Now I’ve heard it all, and of course John, you WOULD side with the kids.

First of all, the judge who decided Kimberly May's case chose not to treat her case as a divorce issue, but instead chose to treat it as a Custody case. The presiding judge certainly showed the wisdom of Soloman in his decision

The Kimberly Mays case was not as cut and dried as it appears. First of all the two babies were switched at birth whether by accident or plan has still to be determined

Whatever the cause for the switch, Bob Mays gained finan Mays received a multi-million dollar

cially from the switch

settlement for the switch, and it stands to reason that as Mays only child, Kimberly will also financially

In my eyes that is cer

gain from the switch tainly reason enough for Kim berly to request a divorce from her natural (and not as nch) par And there lies the most obvious reason to not allow

ents

children to divorce their par ents—for their own personal and financial gain

Don’t like the fact that you're

grounded for a weck? Divorce

Karen

your parents. Can't get your curfew raised? Divorce your parents. What the heck is this world coming too!

By allowing children to divorce their parents we are teaching them many wrong things. What ever happened to the concept of family? Or the concept of families sticking together through thick and thin? If we allow children to divorce their parents we will make it easy for our children to NOT learn the how to negotiate, com. promise, or just plain stick it out when times get rough

What are we? A disposable society? Use up one set of par ents, and when they have expelled all their usefulness trade them in for a newer, bet ter, and richer set of parents.

And if the children don't like the rules they have to live by they can then threaten their par- ents. “If you don’t let me date (drink at home, party, stay out late) then I'm divorcing you!” It's bad enough that when we discipline our children they threaten to report us for abuse

Don’t get me wrong, I fully advocate children’s rights and safety. And there are children who shouldn't live with their natural parents—for those chil dren it could literally mean a matter of life or death

But, what you have to remember is that we do have measures in place within our society which ensure that our ehtdren- are safe

Granted those measures are not tail safe, but instead-of expending our dollars and ener gies towards allowing children to divorce their parents, maybe we should consider directing those dollars towards better pro- grams Which work with the family unit as a whok

It's time we get back to things which count in life such as the family unit. It used to be that the family unit was sacred

Without the family unit, we will be no better than the lowh est animal

if you have any

or qu

Call the newsroom at 365-5579 or fax.us your t

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. If you have a subject that you would like to see debated in the Cheek to Cheek column, Karen and John would love to hear your suggestions.

andr

ts at 365-7762

Wednesday, September 1, 1993

The Castlegar Sun

Letters to the Editor

Support for recycling in Castlegar remarkable and outstanding

Dear Editor:

During the past year the blue and white RDCK Recycle truck become a familiar sight parked somewhere in Castlegar on the first Sat- urday of each month

It's been well Over a year since the Ad Hoc Recycling Committee came together and started the recycling project. During that time, with no funds and only volunteer labour,.there’s been a remarkable amount of material kept out of the landfill and put into use again. The support for the project is obvious in the following “statistics”

CASTLEGAR RECYCLES

April 4, 1992, Scouts Canada 6,371 Ibs; May, Castlegar United Church, 6,129; June 6, USCC Sunday School Group, 10,913; Sept. 12, USCC Youth Group, 8,708; Oct. 3, Rotary Club, 7,304; Nov. 7, Selkirk Weavers Guild, 4,160; Dec. 5, Ad Hoc Committee, United Church, 6,920; Jan 9, Beta Omicron Chapter-Beta Sigma, 7,000; Feb. 6, Alpha Phi Chapter, Beta Sigma Phi, 7,018; March 6, Baha'i Faith, 8,600; April 3, SHSS Environment Club, 5,000; May 1, Vintage Car Club/City Council, 10,600; June 5, Catholic Women’s League, Knights of Colum- bus, 11,984. With a total of 100,707 Ibs. collected.

Before disbanding, Committee members Alice Maloff, Nina Koodrin and Ann Godderis want to express our appreciation to every-

Stay in Castlegar will leave

one who contributed to the success of this effort

This includes all the participating groups (named above) the Recy. cling Advisory Committee, (especially Marin Meyer), Safeway, The Castlegar Sun, the former Castlegar News, CKQR and KBS, the Car penters Union and of course all those who collected, soned and brought their recycleables to the truck.

A special thank you must go to Michael Jossen and the staff of the Nelson Recycling Depot who supported and encouraged our initial efforts and continued to give us much paticnt help and advice over the months of work.

The truck and the gas to get it to and from Nelson was freely given as was all the labour required to unload the materials in Nelson. Neither Castlegar Council nor Areas I or J contribute any funds towards the operation of the Nelson Depot and it is doubtful that the sale of the materials collected in Castlegar would have covered the costs incurred The Nelson staff recognized that their support was a long term invest ment to get recycling. underway in Castlegar and we appreciate their confidence.

Now it is up to the City of Castlegar, Area I and J along with the RDCK to follow up on this project with a more permanent solution to the collection and sale of recycleables in this area

many fond memories of friendly people

Dear Editor: the Medical Clinic.

During my two and a half year stay in Castlegar, I have had the opportunity to meet a number of people in Castlegar. I would-tike to thank those who have been so helpful, expecially the nurses and staff at the hospital and the staff of

Almost everyone; from the ambulance attendants, the pharma- cists, the RCMP officers and the businessmen and women have been more than pleasant.

I have been impressed by the extra effort people make to

give a good service. I wish I could thank you all personally, but I would have to list the whole town.

I must also thank my patients. I have enjoyed working for you. For those that I was unable to personal- ly talk to - goodbye. You are not

being deserted, Dr. Jose Lesper ance is more than capable, and will be delighted to take over your care In case you are wondering about my plans, I am leaving to do a sab- batical in Vancouver for a while However, I shall find it hard to stay away from Red Mountain and

Is censorship of classic cartoons necessary?

‘Al Jol- sonesque” blacks. Once again -

The Saturday morning ritu- al... although I’m approaching my 23rd birthday - I can't help (nor do I want to) rolling out of bed on a Saturday morning, pouring myself a bowl of cereal and perching myself in front of the television for a few hours of cartoons.

There’s just something to be said for starting a Saturday with falling anvils and other forms of animated amusement! The only difference between now and my childhood is a more fibrous cereal and a view- ing time no longer limited by my mother suggesting I enjoy

some fresh air”.

By now I'm sure everyone is well aware of the existence of a

cartoon network” owned and

operated by Ted Turner Enter- prises. Ted Turner, of course, brought us the 24 Hour News Channel, CNN. (Cartoon and News...a subtle irony exists there)

When I first heard of the idea of a 24 hour-a-day canoon net- work I was both thrilled and frightened. It’s probably best that I can't afford the service or I may find myself constantly basking in the light blue blow of my television screen!

I believed the channel had

great promise - showing only the classics by Warner Broth- ers, Hanna Barbara and the other cartoon creators we've all grown up on. But recently, I read that the cartoons have been “updated slightly” to be presentable to a 90's audience Scenes considered violent or racist have been removed to leave a refined, polished and politically correct product

I find this very disappointing - classic cartoons should be left in their original form as the creators had intended them to be. Sure they are at times vio. lent, and there are some views conveyed which may not be consistent with today's world but that makes them a symbol of history.

The late 1930's and 1940's cartoons were filled with racist symbolism (mostly towards the Axis powers of World War II) but understandably so. They were morale building in an era when comedy relief was neces sary in a troubled time

I'm positive that a child of the 90's era wouldn't view the material and suddenly fcel anti sentiment towards any of the cultures portrayed in cartoons

There's also the cartoons with tomahawk wielding

native Indians and

it’s just the attitudes and mind- set of the people at the times that these cartoons were made It's foolish to think that we must “protect the younger pop- ulation” from this racist evil material like it was so much pornography

I don't feel it’s necessary to delve too far into the alleged problem of violence. Is it any worse to see Wile E. Coyote Plunge into the gorge of a canyon - desperately flapping the wings of his defective Acme flying suit...than to see some of the rapid-fire gunplay that oc curs during television prime time?

Cartoons, uncut and in their original form, are considered art. In art galleries a single ani mation cell (a frame that makes up a cartoon - of which in the early years were about 24 per second) fetches into the thou dollars) So. to improve upon

sands of or to “polish cartoon could be likened to making Mona Lis. smile a little

a classic 1's more distinct or slapping a pair of arms Venus De Milo!

I guess my main qu

on the

lion ts directed at the people who are

involved in deciding what is Proper and what isn't. These cartoons have been entertaining audiences young and old, male and female - of varying races and cultures since the 1920's

so during your childhood

What were you

Satching Satur

day morning?

Aviss ts CKOR'S ative director Chr Was Ve

in Fanny Bay , Island

Vance and has been in the

Castlegar area February

Dave Hingsburger to hold two workshops in Cranbrook

Dear Editor: I wish to inform your reading public of two workshops being held in Cranbrook, September 22 and 23, 1993, being presented by Dave Hings- burger. I wer is an excellent p who is a d - cialist in the field of supports to persons with developmental disabilities. On September 22, a workshop on VULNERABILITY is scheduled which will address vulnerability as a situation rather than a character trait. He will suggest ways in which staff and parents can create a ring of safety and explain how to understand vulnerability. On September 23, Hingsburger and Linda Perry co-present Victims

No More: The Knowability of No Ability. People with developmental disabilities need to understand their bodies and their personal power in order to avoid victimization.

The workshop aims to teach people with developmental disabilities to say “no” and for staff, families and friends to respect it. Seating is limited so please register early.

For information or brochures, please call Denise at 489-1465

incerely, Elaine Fawcett

Changes to Canada Election Act unfair

Dear Editor:

At the dawn of this federal election, vot- ers are faced with a further curtailment of their democratic right to be informed of all the options available to them before they cast their vote

The recent changes to the Canada Elec tions Act are a deliberate attempt to make it more difficult for smaller parties and inde pendents to get on the ballot and function normally

ston Manning of the

shut out

Tory House leader Harvie Andre summed up the true reason for the ‘all major party” agreement when he said: “Elections are cost- ly, and having too many names on the ballot is just too expensive. Elections should be the opportunities for debate between two or three serious candidates”

This same arrogance of ‘we know what is best for you’ permeated the ‘vote yes cam- paign’ during the referendum on the Char- lottetown Accord. They deserve the same answer in this election

Green Party favors local production of hemp

Dear Editor:

I attended Hempfest “93 and, in spite of bad weather for an outdoor event, morale was good, music was varied and lively, and I met many interesting people who had rallied to support the beneficial properties of hemp.

I was privileged to speak to the group for a few minutes, but inclement weather made commu- nication difficult, so 1 would like to state my views in print

The beneficial properties of hemp cannot be doubted, and rapid legalization should be a priority in the next federal elec- tion for the governing party. But the form and substance of legis- lation is crucial, and cannot be left to closed chamber meetings and lobbyists. The public. must be involved

Hemp is an ideal product for gardeners and

Reform were granted broadcasting time

homesteaders Hospital small farms. It grows in many kinds of soil and climates. Given its ability to grow in marginal soils I would not be surprised to learn that it might supplant knap- weed, though I am not aware of any research to that effect. Hemp is an excellent fiber, fuel and food source for home processing

See HEMP 8A

In addition to the above; a quiet behind the scene deal has been struck between the major media networks and party officials in respect to televised Leadership debates

Besides the three major party leaders, Pre Lucien Bouchard of the Bloc Quebecois are included as participamts, while the CHP. the National Party, the Green Party and others

who fully participated in the last election are

Yet based.on Elections Canada’s own analysis of the last election the CHP and the

How can one justify giving the stage to Lucien Bouchard of the Bloc Quebecois whose political aspirations are limited to Quebec and deny it to Heather Stilwell the leader of the Christian Heritage Party, a truly national party with policies that provide a Responsible Alternative to the current poli- cies which have brought us into the mess we

CASTLEGAR REGIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEM

Hop on the Bus

icone how your transit system can work for you. Three different kinds of Transit Service is at your service. Take the Bus to major residential areas of Castlegar. For seniors and persons with disabilities, handyDART provides door-to-door service. And for the rural areas of

Thrums, Glade, Shoreacres and Kestova, ride Rural Transit

Students Put transit on your calendar. Buses go to Selkirk College And of course, use transit to go to activities at the rec centre!

Shoppers Discover the many shopping Prins ava

delights throughout your area from downtown | to Castlegar to Ootischenia.

Seniors No need to ask your friends for rides - simply catch the bus Explore the many activities throughout the region from recreation centres

to seniors centres. Visiting friends at the hospital? Ride the bus to the

Check it out ... pick up a new Rider's Guide and discover your transit system..

BC Transit RA Regional District of Central Kootenay

are in?

Are they afraid that voters, if given the right to make up their own mind after hear ing the leaders speak in a National Televised Debate, would demand change iat the ballot box?

Participation in the debate based on the criteria established in secuion 24 of the Elecuions Act which states that “In order to be recognized as a Federal Party, fifty candidates must be nominated. This would be fair, non-partisan and democratic

and confirm Reform Party and should be

What we have now is unfair and an insult virtually the same to the voter Brian Zacharias, Candidate C.H.P.

More letters page 8A

©) 365-3100

In presentation to City Council several months ago we made two major recommendations based -on our first hand experience with this project

1. That any future recycling program would have t @pt all possi ble récycleable materials and not just items which have a high market value: and

2. That public, institutional and corporate education regarding recy. cling be a priority of any program. We all have a lot to learn about “garbage”!

Finally, we ity, must look beyond recycling to reduction of waste materials urce. Much of this material should never be made in the first place. We can all contribute to the reduction of waste by not buying products with unnecessary packaging or letting producers and sellers know about our dissatisfaction with this waste

s a commu!

Ann Godderis, Alice Maloff, Nina Koodrin 365-5077

Sell it quick - in the Sun classifieds Call 365-7848

10.

Schedule For Sept. 1-5, 1993

6:30 pm (Wed.).9 am (Thur.) 6:30 pm (Sun) COMMUNITY DATE LINE

7 pm (Wed.) 9:30 am (Thur.) 7 pm (Sun.) CELEBRATION OF DANCE

9 pm (Wed.) 11:30 am (Thur.) 9 pm (Sun.) B.C. REGIONAL SWIM MEET

Kokanee Glacier, so perhaps we shall meet again

Your sincerely,

Jenny Robinson

Tune in next Wednesday at 7 pm for another “KOOTENAY SPORT FISHING”

CITY OF CASTLEGAR _.1993 Local Elections QUALIFICATIONS OF AN ELECTOR

eS

Recent legislation has changed the qualifications for an elector for local elections which now are as follows:

RESIDENT ELECTOR: 1. A resident elector of the City of Castlegar, is a person who: (a) is, or who will be, on November 20, 1993, age 18 or older; (b) is a Canadian citizen; (c) is a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day of registration: (d) is a resident of the City of Castlegar for at least 30 days immediately before the day of registration; and (e) is not disqualified by law from voting in a local election.

PROPERTY ELECTOR: 1. A property elector for the City of Castlegar, is a person who on the day of registration: is not entitled to register as a resident elector for the City of Castlegar; is, or who will be, on November 20, 1993, age 18 or older; is a Canadian Citizen; is aresident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the date of registration; is a registered owner of real property in the City of Castlegar for at least 30 days immediately before the day of registration; and is not disqualified by law from voting in a local election.

Property owners require proof of ownership and, if applicable,

written consent form the other registered qwner of the property.

2. A person may only register as a property elector in relation to one parcel of real property in the City of Castlegar.

3. If there is more than one individual who is the registered owner of real property, only one of those individuals may register as a property elector

PLEASE NOTE: CORPORATIONS ARE NO LONGER

ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS AND HAVE

BEEN REMOVED FROM THE LIST OF ELECTORS.

Registration Forms may be obtained from City Hall form Monday to Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. inclusive.

All questions regarding the above may be directed to Dianne Kunz, City Clerk by phoning 352-7227 or by writing: City Clerk, City of Castlegar, 460 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar, B.C. VIN 1G7.

Given under my hand, this 1st day of September 1993

Dianne Kunz City Clerk