A6 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 26, 1997

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CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

The Mail Bag

In defence of skiing

Dear Sir

I'm responding to Claudette Sandecki’s recent
column on Shames Mountain versus a second sheet of
ice,

I’ve skated and skiied and snowboarded. I now prefer
snowboarding and appreciate having a first class
mountain within a 30 minute drive from my front door.
T can’t think of many other resorts that can say that and
at $370 a season for an early bird adult pass, it’s a
down right bargain. ;

Maybe an ice rink is available 7 days a week, bul
who is primarily using it? I'm sure any extra ice time
will be allotted to minor hockey and though [ don’t dis-
pute the fact that minor hockey could use extra ice
time, the general public will still only get the scraps.

Shames Mountain doesn’t discriminate, It’s open five
days a weck to everyone, Nobody has to sit on the
sidelines and wait for their tum or plan their schedule
around a certain time.

Claudeite argues that Shames Mountain isn't within
walking distance to town. True, but it is within 30
minutes of Terrace and that’s pretty excellent when
you consider that most people in the lower mainland
have to drive a few hours to get to snow anywhere near
the quality and quantity that we have.

User fees, A $370 price for an early bird adult pass is
a bargain. I average about 50-60 visits a year, higher
than most people, I realize, Still, if it really boiled
down to skating around in mindless circles for $4 or $5
for an hous and a half, or ripping up the powder for 7
hours atan average of $6 an hour, Ill take the powder,
thank you!

1 wonder if Claudette has even stopped to consider
that a lot of people come from out of town to ski or ride
Shames. I frequently see vehicles with licence plates
from the east and the U.S. up there. We're talking
revenue here, net only for Shames, but for Terrace and
the surrounding communities. ve never heard of any-
one coming all the way from Oregon just to use our ice
rink!

So, all ages can use the ice rink, huh? With less risk
of injury? I’ve skated for 27 years and
skied/snowboarded for 24 years. So far I’ve gotten 13
slitches and a sprained wrist from skating when I fell
and cracked my head open on the ice. I’ve golten a
sprained ankle from skiing (only because it was my
first lime out) and I have yet to injure myself snow-
boarding.?d rather my mother take up snowboarding
and fall on soft, forgiving snow than fall on ice and
break her hip or her elbow, ['m nat ready to look after
her yet. I still want to snowboard.

Yes, skates are cheaper to rent than skis, but we’re
back to the old skating in circles again. However, you
can get good second hand ski or snowboarding equip-
ment at ski swaps. In the Jong run, it’s still cheaper
than a full set of hockey equipment,

One thing Claudette does have right is that teenagers
wouldi’t skip school to go skating. Who would? Ob-
viously teenagers are more informed than Claudette is
when it comes to having fin.

ice. 1 don’t thik s*ripht for iitinor hockey players to
have to be getting up at 5 a.m. just so they can practice,
Kitimat is fortunate in that it has corporate sponsorship
from companies like Alcan, Eurocan and Methanex.
Maybe it’s time to start looking al other ways to get
that second sheet of ice, but not at the cost of Shames

Mountain.
Sonja Reschke, Terrace, B.C.

A little bird told me

Dear Sir:

Please Claudette, don’t think me unkind. I am just
retaliating lo your statement of cages being lined with
your column. Just thought I'd scratch out this letter be-
fore you bruise yourself with all the back patting you
must be doing thinking that I am happy with the cage
lining.

My master lines my cage with your paper and can I
help it if 1 read the writing now and then, I mean
docsn'L everyone read something when nature calls?

] am sorry but ] have to speak out and I think ] speak
for all birds, Though I am just a mere parakeet, I feel I
have this right.

I really thought Claudette was getting carried away
with herself. I have to admit that my cage is lined with
her column but I tell you no lies when J tell you I chew
her column up and spit it out.

I wouldn't even swallow it. After all my goal in Life
is to live for 15 years. Perhaps after having read this
letter you too may just get yourself a bird.

7 Toevway {a bird),
As dictated to owner Gord Spiers,
Terrace, B.C,

A little spice
An open letter to :
Isobel Brophy:

Dear Isobel: :

Yes, Terrace has come of age, Unfortunately, some
people have not come along with it, I can’t believe that
someone who claims to-be a Catholic could be so ig-
norant aud intolerant. You call ita ‘sleaze’ operation,
meaning you have either been in there yourself, or are
being very prejudicial. I know the good book doesn’t
leach people to be that way, ,

As for marital aides being so terrible, a little spice in
a marriage has never done anyone wrong.

You say you don’t welcome them te town? Whal
ever happened to communily standards? As I under-
sland it, the business is doing very well, so appareatly
most people don’t share your shallow concerns.

I believe the saying goes ‘live and let live’, so why
don’t you practice that, as we all allow you to have
your inflammatory say in our local newspaper.

How petty and childish to wish someone bankruptcy,
You are behaving like a whiny five year old whe Isa’t
getling their way.

Chris Stone, Terrace, B.C.

The Terrace Standard welcomes fet
ters to the editor. Our mailing address
is 3210 Clinton St., Terrace, B.C. V8G
5R2. You can also fax us at 25-638-
84932 or email us at stan-
dard@kermode.net

No doubt thatuTeracescoliddise a.secondisheet of «

é

P23

* ebizep:

Feds hiding tax
hikes, says MP

SKEENA MP Mike Scott
slammed the federal govern-
ment’s budget last week as a
“cynical’? document that
hides increased tax burdens,

The government has tried
to paint itself as fiscally
responsible, he says, but in
reality has taken more
money from Canadians rath-
er than reducing govern-
ment costs.

Finance minister Paul
Martin said the annual
deficit is forecast 1o fall to
$17 billion next year —
well under previous forc-
casts —— but the national
debt will rise to $610 bil-
lion.

Scott says two-thirds of
the total reduction in the
deficit has come from in-
creased revenue — not fed-
eral spending cuts. And the
bulk of the remaining third
stems from reduced transfer
payments to the provinces.

“Paul Martin is reaching ©
into the long suffering Ca-
nadian taxpayers’ wallet and
taking more money away,’’
he said,

The money comes in
maany ways:

mE Workers will see less
lake-home pay as Ottawa
ratchets up the rate for Can-
ada Pension Plan contribu-
lions from 5.8 per cent of
wages to 9.9 per cent over
the next several years.

i ‘‘Bracket creep”’ — the
result of the 1988 de-
indexing of federal income

Vital
stats
on line

B.C.’S HISTORICAL mar-
riage and death records are
now on-line.

As of Jan. 13, B.C.’s mar-

Tiage and death records
aaa
available ‘on’ the B.C. Ar

chives website
(hitp:/Avww.bearchives.gov.
be.ca),

Marriage registrations will
be released 75 years after
the date of the marriage and
death registrations will be
released 20 years after the
date of death.

And this year birth
registrations will be released
100 years after the date of
birth,

Records can be used to
trace a family tree. Or
families can use the medical
information contained on
birth aud death records to
fill in details of their fam-
ily’s medical history.

Genealogists, historians
and other researchers can
also use these types of
records to trace the history
of a community, or patterns
of illness over time.

Lock Out
Auto Crime

Road:
Sense

ccomelie)

AGON

Since 1930

Your Welcome
Wagon
Hostesses for
Terrace, B.C.

are:
635-3018

635-6348
635-3531

Gillian 635-3044
If you have
moved to Terrace
or have just had a
new baby, or are
getting married, or
Starting a new
business, just give
one of us a Call.

Elalne
Terry
Crystal

babitys, 28 72-vill'bé.

Mike Scott

tax brackets — means the

government lets inflation

carry taxpayers into higher
tax brackets. The bracket
limils only go up when in-
flation exceeds 3 per cent.
That hasn't happened in five
years but workers whose
wages have kept pace with
inflation have seen their in-
comes rise about 8 per cent

in that time — in some
cases pushing them into
higher tax brackets.

MW Partial de-indexing on
other fronts means seniors
get less benefils and per-
sonal income tax deductions
have lagged behind infla-
tion.

@ Excise taxes on gaso-
line and tobacco have fur-
ther increased Ottawa’s

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NOTICE

WE’RE MOVING!

I’ax Ghels Community Law Centre Society
(LEGAL AID OFFICE) in Terrace will be moving
from 3219 Eby Street to:

take.

“Phe average Canadian
family is paying $3,000
more a year in 1997 in total
taxes than they were in
1993,'" Scott says. ‘While
iacomes have risen, net take
home pay has actually
decreased.”’

Scott is particulary furious
about the surge in CPP
premiums.

‘Phis is a massive tax
grab on the part of the feder-
al government,’” Scalt said,
“This is going to be a real
job killer.’

He said the federal Liber-
als have downloaded Ot-
tawa’s fiscal problems,
without curtailing their own
spending in any significant
way, ,

Scolt conceded the finan-
cial situation is ‘somewhal
more favourable’’ but said it
could have been dramatical-
ly better by now,

He said 37 cents out of
every dollar Ottawa takes in
still goes to pay interest on
the national debt,

That number = remains
high, despite a dramatic
decrease in interest rales.

“Heaven help this country
if interest rates go back up

3212 Emerson Street

(formerly Emerson doctor's clinic)

Our offices wil be closed

Thursday, February 27th, 1997
Friday, February 28th, 1997

We will be reopening at our new location
Monday, March 3rd, 1997,

Our telephone number (250) 635-2133
and our fax number (250) 635-9085
will remain the same.

$1.99 per minute.
To listen to these area singles describe
themselves and to leave them a message.
You must be 18 years or older to use this service.

again,’ he said. ‘'The om 7

amount of money the lor 4 te at Oe A

government would be ; * ;
Call 0-451-4733 Ext. 21

spending on interest alone
wouldn't be 37 cents — it
would be more like 40
cents,””

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DB7041