Jan. 1 - Salt Spring Island Archives

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Page 6 GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD Wednesday, January 1, 1986mmmmmmmMmWiExpo, 'good news 'budget will be 1986 highlightsBut don't expect the coming year to bring thaw in relations between government, oVICTORIA — Making predictionsfor the new year is not without itspitfalls because there's alwayssomeone out there who savesyour column and writes a letter tothe editor at the end of the year,pointing out how wrong you were.Re-reading my predictions for1985, however, gives me somehope that I may be fairly accurateagain. I only made one reallywrong guess last year, but moreabout that later.First and foremost on the plusside for the coming year will beExpo 86. More people from morecountries than ever before willcome to B.C. to visit the worldexhibition in Vancouver, resultingin a bonanza year for tourism and,indirectly, for a lot of otherpeople.And judging from the successof advance ticket sales, I expectthat Expo 86 will come close tobreaking even, something themost ardent supporters didn'tdare expect.Another safe prediction is thatExpo chairman Jim Pattison willbe named man of the year bymore organizations than he canshake a stick at, and deservedlyso. Pattison's contribution to thesuccess of Expo cannot be measuredin money. He did more forExpo than Premier Bennett andall his cabinet ministers combined.And he did it without asalary. He didn't cost the taxpayersone cent.On the general economic front,things will continue to improve bitby bit. That guess is not just myown. The Royal Bank predictsimprovements in the B.C. economyfor the next two years.More mines will be reopenedand existing mines will expand asa result of federal and provincialincentives. Retail sales will continueto rise as consumer confidencegrows.One prediction that could causesome egg on my face is that of anelection in 1986. My money rideson mid-May, right after Expo hasbeen cranked up. Other observersare betting on a fall election. Butsince Bennett's the only one whocalls the shots on that one, wemay all be wrong.CAPITALCOMMENTBy HUBERT BEYERIf the Socreds lose the election,Skelly will be in for at least twoterms, avoiding the mistake of hispredecessor, Dave Barrett, whochanged too much too fast, scaringthe wits out of the electorate.If The NDP loses, Skelly couldwell be in trouble as leader,depending on how badly his partyis beaten.As we approach the election,you can expect a somewhatfeistier opposition leader. Havinglost most of his one-on-one scrapswith Bennett in the legislature,Skelly will undoubtedly try towork on his image and become alittle more aggressive.On the minus side of theledger, B.C. will continue to beMore letters to the editorplagued by high unemploymentfigures,- despite a general improvementin the economy. Thedubious distinction of being secondonly to Newfoundland inhigh unemployment will continueto haunt the government and be amajor target for the opposition incase of an election.Look for a "good" provincialbudget in 1986, which is to say anon-restraint budget. The lastbudget contained incentives forbusiness and industry but verylittle for the "ordinary BritishColumbian." The next one willhave something for everyone.Increases in homeownergrants, a reduction in personalincome tax, measures to makehome purchase easier are just afew suggestions.Free Trade will rank high onthe priority list of the government'spolitical oratory in 1986.Bennett will follow the Mulroneygovernment to the ends of theearth on the free trade issue.Look for the retirement of someold Socred war horses, includingJim Chabot and Patrick McGeer.As in the past year, there willbe few strikes in 1986. Recognitionof the so-called new realitycontinues to put pressure on bothsides in bargaining disputes toreach an agreement without resortingto the crude method of astrike or lockout from whicheverybody emerges a loser.Now, about last year's predictionswhich, as I said at theoutset, were pretty well on themoney, except for one. I saidthere would be more co-operationbetween the government and theopposition. I should have knownbetter.There is no co-operation. Followinga brief and abortive attemptby Skelly to replace thetraditional antagonism with cooperation,the two are back ateach other's throats.I will, therefore, not predict athaw in relations for the comingyear between government andopposition. In the contrary. Withan election looming, it'll bebusiness as usual in the wonderfulworld of B.C. politics.Support helpedSir,As you may know, the foodbank auction held Saturday,December 14, raised $2,200.Thank you to all the people whodonated goods and services and tothose who supported the auction.Particularly, a very large thankyou to Maggie and Michael Hayesfor the time, effort and caring theyput into organizing this event.Although it is sad that so manypeople have to rely on food banks,it is heartening to see thegenerosity of our community.KAREN REISS,Enjoyable timeSir;Although it is said the SaltSpring clock runs slower than thatof the outer world, the conclusionof my four months as Driftwood'sstudent reporter has definitelycrept up on me. I didn't knowfour months could be this short.Of course, the end of this stintalso ends my mid-study eightmonths of work as a journalist,and the next progression is backto the books at the University ofVictoria and sleeping till 10 a.m.— which isn't all bad. But it'strue I'm going to miss the GulfIslands, and ma^be even theMutual FireInsurance Co.of B.C.Founded in 1902 by theFarmers of British ColumbiaGULF ISLANDS AGENTS:PenderL. TavernerGaliano S. SomervilleSaturnaF. RatzlaffMayneS. SomervilletfnQuinitsa, and I'll remember thesemonths as an enjoyable — andvery educational — time.I ask that student reportersupportersstay tuned for SharonWhyte, who joins Driftwood inearly January.TRACY THIESSEN,Ganges.Discussion setSir,Nuclear weapons in our ownback yard? Yes, it has now beenconfirmed that U.S. ships carryingnuclear weapons come to theNanoose Bay testing range justbeyond Nanaimo.NOWNanoose is one of the mostadvanced underwater testingranges in the world, and regularlyharbours U.S. nuclear weaponscarryingvessels. In the hope that itis still possible to remedy thisunfortunate situation, a People'sEnquiry opens in Nanaimo onJanuary 18 to examine theNanoose Bay agreement with theU. S., which expires in April, 1986.A panel including Sister RosalieBertell, expert on low-levelradiation hazards, Major-Gen.(ret) L. Johnson of Generals forPeace, and others will heartestimony from scientists, nuclearexperts, international figures andall three political parties.Moderators of the sessions will beBishop Remi de Roo on January18 and publisher Mel Hurtig on the19th. Contact Bis Whitby at 537-5959 for further information. Seeyou there.PENNY POLDEN,Ganges.AVAILABLEin most locations in the Gulf IslandsIf you can see Mt. Constitution on Orcas Islandfrom any part of your property, our installationteam can enable you to receive a 24-hourcommercial-free satellite movie channellANTENNA PRICEAVERAGE INSTALLATION FEE•299'90FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACTCOASTAL ANTENNA LTD.installation, service & sales representative653-4354 (Sidney)Office at McColl's Shell, McPhillips & Lower Ganges. 537-2023TURNHAM, GREEN, HIGINBOTHAMand WOODLANDBARRISTERS AND SOLICITORSSALT SPRING ISLAND: Thursdays 10 am to 3 pmat 121 Fulford-Ganges Road, Ganges, Salt Spring Island, B.C.PENDER ISLAND: Second Friday of each month, 11 am-4 pmBedwell Harbour Road, Pender Island, B.C.MAYNE ISLAND: Third Friday of each month, noon-4 pmVillage Bay Road, Mayne Island, B.C.FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL:Salt Spring: 537-5515 Pender: 629-3383 Mayne: 539-2031385-1122 (24 hour calls)Third Floor, 844 Courtney Street, Victoria, B.C. V8W 1C4wooaroecKEPComfy futon chair withottoman quickly and easilyconverts to bed.• SINGLE • DOUBLE • QUEEN382-6412515 Yates Street, Victoria
Wednesday, January 1, 1986 GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD Page 7Protest 'dangerous 9 state of main Island roadsSir,Last night, driving home toScott Point from the Fulford ferry,I realized how dangerous our mainhighways are on the island ondark, murky, foggy nights. Youcould not see the yellow linesbecause the Highways Departmentfailed to repaint them in readinessfor the winter. You could barelymake our the edges of the road andat a few points I found myselfwandering dangerously close tothe gullies.Traffic coming towards me attimes had the same problem ofstaying on its side because theyellow lines had long faded, andthis was one of the worst fogs in along time. The probability ofcollisions or slides into the ditcheswas considerable.I'm sure that over the yearsmany people lost their livesbecause the Highways Departmentis indifferent about our safety, anddoesn't give a damn. In effect, theyare responsible for such deaths.Why don't the inhabitants protest?Why don't they demandimmediate painting of the yellowlines and keeping them visiblethroughout the winter and spring?How long must we endure thisshameful indifference bv thepeople responsible for roads? Whydon't we have buttons in themiddle of the highway that gloweven in bad fogs. This lifesavingdevice, incidentally, was inventedby a Canadian.ANTHONY NETBOY,Ganges.Former ombudsmanhandled job superbly I R i l l £f B d l Y C lSir,ir Omkiirlcman nnciti'nn ifThe last issue of Driftwoodcontained, if I am not mistaken,three stories about a speech madeby the temporary Ombudsman ofthis province, to a dinner of thelocal branch of a service club.If Bennett announces policydecisions to the annual dinner ofthe Socred Party of B. C. or to theweekly clatch of the Loyal Order ofMoose, every journalist int heMoose, every journalist in theprovince raises hell. I'm notsuggesting that Bennett andBazowski are of equal "weight"—indeed the occupant of theNo one wenthungry hereover holidaysSir,I have good news! There were nohungry people on Salt SpringIsland on Christmas Day! How do1 know?The new management of theHarbour House Restaurant hadextended an invitation, through allthe churches and the CommunityCentre, to a free turkey lunch toanyone who would otherwise havegone without. Nobody came!The management and all thosewho volunteered to help, hope thismeans that nobody was in need.If there is anyone who wouldhave come, had they known aboutit, perhaps they could tell themanagement how to reach themnext time.Name withheld by request.Ombudsman position, if wellchosen, could undo much of thedamage done by the Premier—butthe principle still applies. One doesnot make pronouncementsaffecting the whole province, to aclosed meeting of the Elks.As for the matter which seems tobe closest to Mr. Bazowski'sheart—the question of hissuitability for the job ofOmbudsman, either temporarilyor permanently—I must confessthat he seems to myself, too, to beless than suitable. His backgroundin government and police workwould seem to define the bordersof his mind, if not his probablemental processes.It is surely inevitable that aperson with Bazowski's experiencein government service will lean tothe opinion in most cases that thebureaucrat was right—and that thecomplaintant is therefore wrong.My own experience in hiringpeople would undoubtedly lead meto reject his application for the job,because the most vital feature ofany interview is the revelation ofjust how the applican't mindworks.On the other hand, KarlFriedmann was superb asOmbudsman. I have personalknowledge of some of his work—not that I was an "aggrieved"person appealing to him, but I didhave some business with himwhich convinced me that thisprovince had, in him. anoutstanding public servant.It is understandable that such aperson could be a thorn in the fleshof the lazy, the inept and the justplain incompetent—and this isprobably why Bazowski nowoccupies Friedmann's position.More's the pitv.COI IN NICHOLSON,Ganges.Off Centre Stage to presentNew Year's Eve celebrationSir,A man cried out: Dear God, Ilove you. Please protect myfamily. Why should I be soblessed above any other man?An inner voice proclaimed(Joan of Arc was accused ofhearing voices by a tribunal withbelief in only one voice): Hey,man, you ain't no different.Protect your own. Don't expect noGod to do it.The man answered: There iscrystal, and there is charcoal.Please allow me the experiment,and even protect me as I wouldhave God/Goddess. I will promiseyou food for thought in return forpatronage.On New Year's Eve, Off-CentreStage presents a pre-ordainedmasterpiece, Dada Cabaret. Wesadly announce that our developmentof the Breasts of Tiresias,the immortal play by the great20th century French poet, Appolinaire,has been arrested.However, Dada Cabaret onNew Year's Eve proceeds onschedule, with cabaret piano collageby Linda Stride, dance musicby Oscar Riley and the Newborns,womb-a-fiesta/ manifesto signedand danced by Ezzell, and pneumaticdadalogue performed byfinancial Realist and Herzhel.Also, prformance of woman withsquares arranged according tolaws of chance, by Linda Lausway,and Dadadadda sung byApril Curtis.The persecution and assassinationof the body and blood versusthe Aguarian vegetable buffetunder the direction of GaryCherneff. Gallery opening of CafeDada paintings by Michael Lewis,direct from the Pitt Internationalgallery in Vancouver. And more— all hosted by the controversialinternational celebrity MadameSt. Teresa de Los Crapos.Posters by Art Lues.. Tickets,limited edition original etchingsby Leroy Jensen, are on sale atthe Waterfront Gallery.MARC SUESSfor Off-Centre StageGanges£r BULK FOODS Mon.-Frl.10-6Sat. 9-6Prices in effect Thursday, Jan. 2 through Tuesday, Jan. 73 LBS. GREEN or YELLOWSplit Peasor 1 LB. EMPRESS BULK STYLEPeanut ButterGranola5 varieties — made with honeylor 1 LB. MILKBONEDog Biscuitsor 2 LBS. QUICK or SLOW COOKINGOatmealor 3 LBS.Icing SugarTake your pickjustOVER 400 "GUARANTEED PRODUCTS"Save 100 lbSavc69c lb1.21/100 .Al/ IUU g U —DELUXE, 8 VARIETIES I HERSHEYCoffee BeansSave24C lb12-GRAINBread Mix 89'BROAD or FINE5»[o554/100 gCocoa554/100 gSave38C Ib"Birds 204/100 gRAW—IN SHELL | 0 ¥ e . # m |„ ^jpv^Sunflower Seeds 891UNBLEACHED WHITEB 4 ! Hour 3 U.,W224/100 g554/100 gEss Needles 99? j Scotch Mints 2"334/100 g„ I CHOC.M! Baking Chips 1 4 !504/100 gSuper on Baked Potatoes— " I RAW, SHELLEDBacon Bits 2*! FilbertsSave15C lb[ Baking Soda 49°REGULAR ACTIVEYeast28C lbEMPRESS ORANGE884/100 g664/100 g334/100 gMarmalade 1LOCAL PERSONALIZED CHEQUES ACCEPTEDlb.
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Jan. 1 - Salt Spring Island Archives

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