Page 4 EXPRESS June 7, 2000 opinion PUBLISHER'S COMMENT EXPRESS PHONE: (250) 354-3910 EDITORIAL 354-1118 FAX 352-5075 You can•t spell heart vvithout art 554 WARD STREET, NELSON, B.C. VIL LS9 Let's do this again. Let's have an annual Nelson Arts ning their return trip. We have given them a free sample of E-MAIL: expre s@expressnews.bc.ca Festival. We could base a Nelson Arts Festival upon the the most addicting potion there is: friendliness OFFICE HOURS: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. model of the BC Festival of the Arts, scale it down and, in If we make this an annual event, we will have an oppor- support, do it the week before the BC Festival of the Arts. tunity to learn from our experiences. Each year would be There have been lots of ---------~ better and better. A Nelson Arts Festival is a perfect match Don't forsake good things coming out of the festival. There have been for our community. We are about art and we are about edu- cation. It is a win for everyone. the future of the both short term economic gain and loss, and a lot of long term gain. Over the years, Nelson and area has shown the province and the country that we love people to come and visit. We love to be hosts. We are called Nelson, the Queen City. We environment On an American long weekend, when we normally have lots of tourists, we had could just as well be called Nelson, the Friendly City. We are organized. We have done this before, and we get a lot of juice impressing out of towners. Our environmental sins of the past are slowly no room at the hotels as they The Festival of the Arts is not really a festival in the were all full of delegates. So Woodstock sense of the word. The festival of the Arts is a and continuously coming back to haunt us. some businesses that rely on different kind of event. There are no tourists. Everyone is Leaching dumpsites in Salrno are likely going tourist trade didn't notice NELSON BECKER a participant. The volunteers and delegates that I have spo- to cost millions to clean up, not to mention the the short term economic gain because the people who ken with are all buzzing from the high energy that is com- health hazards that we still don't even fully came for the festival were all busy during business hours. ing from the event. They are tired and well ... blissed out. understand. The long term gain is obvious. Many of the people who This Festival has also helped to build community. It has were here as part of the festival will be coming back. shown us what we have in common. Also in Salrno, a former gas station that had Many of the delegates that I spoke with are already plan- Art is a great renewable resource. leaky tanks has resulted in the zeroing of three neighboring property values. Here in Nelson, the CPR yards have had so much fuel spillage over the years, the land The Editor's Mailbag requires such extensive (and expensive) reha- bilitations that it may never be used for anoth- Respecting not treat all its citizens fair- ly, you have to wonder what and I welcome alternatives to cars on the streets, but too cutblocks were logged at Bulmer / Salisbury Bench er purpose. youth the motives are behind this much chaos can result in with a business as usual atti- The lesson to be learned is that short-sighted- mindset. accidents. tude. ness, or ignorance of potential problems down Dear Editor: This fall, the M.O.F. The youth of Nelson Greg Wozny, Norman Thyer wants to do helicopter log- the road, can lead to costly fixes - costly not might be interested to know Ymir Nelson ging for douglas fir beetle only economically, but also to the emotional that 30 years ago there were management. I would say well-being of those most directly affected. businesses and police who It's an interesting problem; should we were not accepting of Where do •spare this that the infestation was caused by the logging and (through our municipal, regional, provincial or youth. the wheels mountain- roads - areas equivalent to federal governments) be forced to pay today for However, these anti-youth belong? side. M.O.F.• clearcuts. Clearcutting prejudices did not seem to destroys bird habitat. their errors of the past? It's a bitter pill to swal- be as institutionalized as Dear Editor: Dear Editor: Various insects have always low, but of course, the answer is yes. We can't they are now. With spring well under Thirteen years ago, I been evolving with birds as leave the innocents caught in the middle of the If we were living 400 way and summer approach- moved to Johnson's their predators. years ago, it's a good bet ing, there is plenty of activ- Landing in the hope of mess holding the bag. The noise and vibrations that many prominent ity on Nelson's streets. But escaping the environmental We should, however, do our best to ensure that from the helicopter logging Nelson politicians and busi- in some ways, it is a bit too degradation caused by will constitute a very harm- we aren't bequeathing new problems to the cit- nessmen would have sup- disorganized. I have seen human acts in the great ful and widespread environ- izens of this region 25 years from now. ported witch burning. people riding in-line skates, lakes region. mental problem to humans Let's make sure that what goes to our landfill When I was 13, back in skateboards, electric I've witnessed how and wildlife. 1964, I spent some time loi- wheelchairs etc. wandering destructive forest manage- is as safe as possible, and that the majority of My input to the M.O.F. is tering in war cemetaries in erratically on the roads and ment is in B.C. I feel I am our refuse gets the opportunity to go through at this: spare this mountain- France as my veteran father sidewalks, and cyclists the last generation to speak side from any further 'spe- least one of the 'three R's'. looked up dead comrades. doing things that, in Britain, up for the protection of our cial mis-management'. All Let's force companies to put bonds in place to The thing that struck me would land them in court, last remaining natural these ongoing logging plans pay for a real and total clean-up if their activi- most, besides the huge such as ignoring stop signs, forests. have inflicted much pain amount of graves, was the riding on the wrong side of Since 1996, Argenta / ties are found to pollute our environment. and stress to those residents number of 18, 19 and 20 the road, hurtling along Johnson's Landing Face This shouldn't turn into a political argument; who care about their sur- year-old dead young men. downtown sidewalks and was downgraded from a rounding forested land. this is not about being 'green' or eco-friendly. One can assume that if the generally fooling around. candidate area having High Please support it to be It's about not forsaking our future in the short- establishment and our way Where do these various Protected Area Strategy included for protection in term interests of today. of life are ever threatened vehicles belong? On the Values to a Special the Purcell Wilderness again, youth will be expect- road, sidewalk or where? Management Zone. The Conservancy. We've already made that mistake for most of Ministry of Forests, under ed to make the major sacri- Let's have some decision on the last century. Let's learn from it and move the small business program, fice. this matter. I don't favour Sailan Schindler, forward. When government does too much regimentation, has put in more roads and 8 Johnson's Landing OWNER and PUBLISHER: Nelson Becker EDITOR: Stephen Harris PRODUCTION: Julie Swenson Letters to the Editor guidelines: ADVERTISING: Sharon Butler We encourage our readers to write to us. Letters are a require some research, and should offer new information as DISTRIBUTION: Eugene Schmunk (354-1100) way for you to speak to your community, to give new infor- well as an opinion. ADMINISTRATION: Adrienne Fifield mation, participate in a discussion or express an opinion. If you wish to write a commentary, please contact the June 7, 2000 Volume 12, Number 30 ISSN 1196-7471 Please address letters meant for publication to the Editor. The Express Newspaper is owned by Kootenay Express Communication Corp. Editor. We do not accept open letters or poetry of any kind. All letters and commentaries must be signed and include Publications Mail Agreement #0654353. Paid at Nelson, B.C. 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