TheReview Wednesday, January 10,1990 — AI17 CEMENT WAS laid for Sidney Pier Holding’s 29-unit = condominum development on Second Street, late last year, [he project is part of developmen? at the Port of sidney. And council gave approval Monday night by couneil for rezoning fo allow a 10-unit project to it’s north, by Wakefield’ and Holmes. - What to watch for when buying by mail = < _-—« Buying goods by mail order can be a convenient way to shop. But mail order shopping also has its pitfalls. Some of the most common problems include shipping delays, quality that does not match up to the advertised description, and company insolvencies. In some 4#@®. cases, customers have paid for goods and been left with nothing in return. That’s not to say you should never order goods through the mail. There are many reputable firms that use this sales method. But you should take steps to protect yourself. For example, be wary of mail order businesses that operate out- side of British Columbia. Our consumer protection laws do not apply in other provinces or out of country. So it’s more difficult to ® seek compensation if there is a problem. € Before dealing with any mail order company, check its reputa- tion with the Better Business Bureau. Another place to check is e the Canadian Direct Marketing Association at No. 1 Concord a Gate, No. 607, Don Mills, Ontario, M3C 3N6. Members of the association are expected to adhere to a code of ethics. If you have a problem with any mail order company, whether it is a member of this association or not, the association will help you Tesolve it. You may be familiar with @eonthly book or record clubs or “other situations where you are regularly sent merchandise on approval. In these arrangements, unless you notify the seller within a a certain time that you do not want the goods or unless you return them, you are charged for them. However, the Consumer Protec- -tion Act provides that you have no obligation to take these goods unless you are given 15 days to say that you do not want them, or 15 days to return them if they*re sent to you without notice. This kind of @ arrangement is not enforceable unless its terms are clearly dis- closed to you by the seller before you sign up. If you have a complaint about oad delays in delivery, an error in your order bill, or about the quality of the good, write — don’t phone — the company. State the nature of the problem and what action you want taken. Keep a copy of all your correspondence, as well as a copy of the original advertisement for the product. : If you do not receive a reply to your first letter, send another, this time by registered mail. In it refer to your first letter and keep a copy of it as well. If you do not receive a response within three weeks, con- tact the Canadian Direct Market- ing Association or the Consumers Association of Canada at 103-163 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 1H5. - When ordering by mail you may be invited to pay by way of Visa or Mastercard and asked to provide your card number and its expiry date. Although many people have reservations about giving out their credit card number, sometimes this can actually be safer than sending a cheque or money order. If you don’t receive the goods, you may be able to enlist the help of the bank which, after all, is a member of the group of banks which make up Visa and Master- card and has a merchant agree- ment with the business from which you ordered. The preceding article was pro- vided by the Law Society of B.C. Enough fo make you sorry for the shark. by Barry Broadfoot Special to The Review Behind aquarium glass he looks menacing with his tough guy style of cruising and when he rolls upward, with that shark’s mouth always moving, hunting —- the complete predator —- poor Squa- lus acanthias. He’s just a little fellow about 30 inches at maturity, found in the tens of millions in British Colum- bia’s coastal waters, easily caught on long lines, rich in protein, good eating if you don’t know it is shark, but he’s still a shark. The word that comes to mind when we think of shark is repulsive. That’s the rap the dogfish has had for centuries. But every dog has his day, even though we fear him, and it came in 1940 when German armies over- tan Norway and the free world lost a good share of its Vitamin A supply — as in cod liver oil. The liver of the dogfish, one of 300 species found around the shark world, contained oil which was up to 10 times more potent in Vitamin A than cod and a 10-lb. mature fish would have a one pound liver. This oil had been around for a long time. The Haida Indians had used it for centuries and even recognized the dogfish as worthy of a place on their totem poles. It was so pure and clean burning it was used in coastal lighthouses and thousands of Vancouver Island coal miners each used a gallon a month in their lamps underground. A heavier type greased the skid roads used for hauling logs by oxen to tidewater. Tens of thou- sands of barrels were shipped around the world. But no one considered the dog- fish a food because the waters teamed with salmon, cod, herring and halibut. Besides, it was a shark and from bedtime tales forward, sharks are bad. The Second World War turned everything around and the exploi- tation of the dogfish ‘fishery became known as the Gold Rush, but even then it couldn’t get no respect. This small but fascinating bit of history didn’t make it into the history books. “The dogfish is unique,” says Sandy McFarlane, head of the groundfish section at the Pacific Biological Station of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans on suburban Departure Bay in Nanaimo, B.C. “It has the longest gestation period of any WHERE'S THE BEST FISH & CHIPS? AT BREWSTERS! Delicious Halibut, Cod, Oysters, Scallops & Shrimp. Our Wedgies & French Fries are homemade & you just can’t beat the flavour! ON SPECIAL~WED., JAN. 10th THRU SUN., JAN. 14th 2 pc. 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