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Terrace Bay Sschreli Public Library rT Tk fA we 1 a yarn TERRACE BAY, ONT. roe weve POT 2WO0 Wednesday, February 6, 1985 Vol. 20, No. 6 Lot atta The old and the young By Sandra . It was a very enjoyable evening at the Chimo Club on Tuesday night, January 30 with the litle Beavers _ visiting. This was their first exposure to the Chimo Club this year. Janice Mar- tin, their leader, expressed some concern as they need another full-time leader. Sue Costa was there also, as a leader helping the children with their ac- tivities. The seniors made popcorn, what a party! We had chocolate, mint and rum popcorn from Califor- nia. Laughter could be heard throughout the building as everyone par- ticipated. Jack Handel, a Chimo member, was a great host and made everyone feel comfortable. As you can see from these pictures, it was a great turnout. Baby its cold -33 degrees Dreamland a waste land I made my way to Van- couver the other weekend, to visit friends, and meet my boyfriend for dinner. A litle decadent, you may say, a big splurge! Let me tell you, if I may, that after living in Vancouver for 9 years, splurges and lux- uries came easy to me, no savings mind you. My money never stayed with me long enough, I had to keep up with the demands of my lifestyle. It seemed Vancouver was the Promised Land to us young people eager to make our way in the work - ferce, there was opportuni- ty at every door, of every hotel and restaurant. The life that went with it, the night shift anyway, was that of a fairy tale. Sleep- ing in, out for breakfast, out for lunch, different beaches and tennis courts for every day of the week, right outside. our front door: We'd hail a taxi to take us to work, where we'd make $50 tips, eat ex- otic staff meals, and drink vintage wines. It was all very glamorous, and we never once conceived that anything would change, never gave a thought, that - Schreiber Railway Station 25 3, ee "om A if. Pa pn ; ' oat . . E a fer Pe. c aie 2 € « @ ore NS ater . ; es "a ar <5 +7e Ay ote ~ = . es a ' ts ne > ate ts - . --_ fer. ts Pye ee acre . : 0 tN be ee a: . . 'c Ne at =; . eri y eo? + an a ete =a Ow 7% 0%", =," ge = eens of Se hreiber's Centennial we will be running a series of pen and ink drawings from = Foe 1... ee 5 : = e students of L.S.H:S. This week's is Schreiber Railway Station by Peter Desjardin. perhaps we should give up some lifestyle for a savings account. Vancouver is such a beautiful city, we never imagined it could be anything else. But, on my return visit, after being away only 5 months, it has turned very ugly, and very depressing. Not being a resident any longer I had my eyes wide open, knowing I did not have to live day to day with the terrible reality, or the "New Reality" as Premier _ Bennett prefers to call it. Thre are still many restaurants and hotels, but quite a few have. closed their'doors, bankrupt, and many are fighting every day to keep them open. Vancouver still has its rich, of course, and private big business seems to be thriv- ing, hoping to get their super-structure office and residential buildings ready for Expo 86. Expo, they believe, will save the world. : Meanwhile, retail space that was for sale or lease when I was living there, has now been taken over by the banks, and still remains empty. Where will all these potential tenants come from in 1986, I wonder? Unemployment in B.C. to- day is 16 per cent; higher _ than anytime since the 1930s, approximately 220,000 people out of work. Some of them have been in this situation for a few years. One in every four British Columbians is surviving on welfare or unemployment insurance, and Bennett's "*New Reality'"' is cutting back even more in the social services budget. He has reduced the civil service by 25 per cent, forced the Vancouver School Board to increase class sizes, yet layed off teachers by the busload. He's removed. rent con- trols, privatised many government agencies (ser- vices to juveniles and bat- tered women), and curbed the ability of unions to pro- tect their members' in- terests. He has created an atmosphere of fear. I have a girlfriend who has a 5-year-old son who is mentally handicapped. Last year they were going to close his special school, the only one within miles, then they weren't, then they were, and now they plan to review it in June. Imagine the fear she lives in? If she has to quit her job to stay with her son, what are her chances of receiving assistance from Mr. Bennett? Any assistance to the unemployed is coming from local churches and organizations who have organized food banks, and soup kitchens. Big boxes sit in the lobbies of most office buildings and they get filled to the brim with canned-and dry foods, to be distributed to the needy. Soup Kitchens have had to open earlier, and close later as there seems to be more people every day. To make this perfectly clear; these _ people are not all "street" people, in to detox one day and looking for a drink the next. These people held jobs for many years,. bought houses, and started raising families, but now, with the lay-offs in the forest industry, factory closures, the stagnant fishing and tourist in- dustries, and the So-Creds restraint programs these people cannot get back on their feet, and Mr. Bennett does not seem to care one bit. He is a big business man, interested only in balancing the books. The range of the Social Credit cutbacks, and the manner in which they have been done, has alarmed many, if not all British Columbians. Their wants are on the bot- tom of the list. He has a plan, he says. '*Recession, Restraint, Reality and Recovery,"' but dodges any questions or interviews pertaining to just when and how this, recovery will take place. B.C. is in such a mess now, one wonders if it will be possible to recover, if this goes on much longer. . My friends scramble. to get work, most of it part time, or temporary posi- tions. Many of them have taken an active role in "'Solidarity," a coalition of unions and community groups, formed last year after the restraint program was introduced. I remember thinking at the time that Solidarity was over-reacting, this isn't 1930, I thought, we are in Canada, not a communist country where people must band together to protect and fight for their needs, their wants, and what they believe in. Obviously, Solidarity knew. the So- Creds much better than I. There was widespread strikes and demonstrations in most of the public ser- vice. Busses were off the street for 90 days, unbelievable. The nurses, the teachers, the ambulance drivers, B.C. Hydro, forestry employees, labourers,. and who can remember who else, were on strike in support of Solidarity. Bennett's Hard- ware Store in Kelowna was bombed, and I'm sure Mr. Bennett was frightened for his life. Solidarity seems to be quietly rebuilding and reassessing itself, demonstrating peacefully, signing petitions, and writing letters, but still they continue to be ignored. It's a very sad situation. The Promised Land of past hopes and dreams is turn- ing itself into a reality of poverty and despair, and I fear this may only be the beginning. K. Chesley, with excerpts from feature article "Slashing Billy" by Mark. Budgen,_ in December issue of QUEST Magazine. Dash 8 for North Ontario Northern Af- fairs Minister Leo Bernier , and Ontario Northland Transportation Commis- sioner Wilf Spooner visited seven northwestern Ontario community airports on Fri- day and Saturday aboard norOntair's new Dash 8 aircraft. Bernier and Spooner rode the Dash 8 into the communities of Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout, Fort Frances, Kenora, Dryden, Atikokan and Red Lake. At each stop, invited guests and members of the public had an opportunity to view the aircraft inside and out. Passes for a short flight in the Dash 8 were given away in a promotion by local radio stations. The De Havilland twin- engined turboprop recent- ly began service to com- munities in northeastern Ontario. Service in the nor- continued on page 2