January 4, 1991

Islanders

WE AT PHOENIX
FEEL THIS TAX
IS UNFAIR TO YOU!

GST-free zone

LIN ROCKWELL, owner of Phoenix, a women's clothing store in the Park Royal Shopping
Centre, has declared her store a GST free-zone.

Rockwell has posted a sign in front cf her store declaring that she will refuse to collect the
federal government's controversial Goods and Services Tax. Reaction to her protest has been
positive from rcst customers who have walked by the store.

The controversial GST came into effect on Jan. ¢ and will tax everything from haircuts to
automobiles. Tne federal government says consumers should ask store merchants why the
price of an iter has increased with the seven per cent GST, when, Ottawa maintains, some
prices shassid be lower.

The new tax, which was the subject of lengthy debates in the House of Commons and the
Genate, replaces the 11 per cent federal sales tax. Even though stores are charging the GST
to their customers, with the exception of Rockwei!l, many store merchants have complained
that they do not know how to implement the GST. Consumers coniused about the GST can
call the GST Consumer Information Office toll-free at 1-800-668-2122 for more information.

See story, page 3.

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the Infiniti G20

Automotives: 17

rman

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emand answers

Hydro outages
put Bowen
residerits in
fighting mood

FUMING BOWEN Island
residenis, who were left
without heat and power
during two vicious winter
storms last month, are de-
manding answers from B.C.
Kiydro as to why the area’s
power supply is disrupted so
frequently.

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

And a spokesman for a local ad
hoc committee, recently struck to
deal with Hydro, said he has
heard that some Bowen residents
may choose to sue the Crown
corporation over the power
outages which, in some cases,
have lasted four and five days.

Hamish Miller said the ad hoc
group, made up mostly of

48 pages

44 There’s a lot of
anger over here
towards Hydro. An
incredible amount of
people have had to go
out and buy
generators. Who
should pay for
this? 99

-- Bowen Island resident
Hamish Miller

engineers, will write a letter to
B.C. Hydro chairman Larry Bell
questioning the power supply
system on Bowen Island.

“We'll question him about the
response time, the distribution
system and the legal liability,”
said Miller. ‘‘There’s a lot of
anger over here towards Hydro.
An incredible amount of people
have had to go out and buy gen-
erators. Who should pay for
this?”

He added

that the ad hoc

See Trees page 2

Residents prepare
for next power cut

The ARCTIC Express left many Bewen Island residents

without power and running

water for days recently as

hundreds of trees fell on power lines throughout the island.

If the lights go out again on

Bowen, residents want ito be

ready to handle a sudden return to pioneer life.

Bowen Island residents are
working to prepare the community
for future outages. Bowen Island
United Church Rey. Wendy Read
has set up a community action
plan at the local church to assess
the preparedness of island
residents. Thirteen volunteers are
busy telephoning residents ito find
out how they coped during the
powerless days and nights. Said
Read, ‘‘Everyone is glad to hear
from someone who has shared the
same experience and is concerned
about their plight.’"

The volunteers are attempting
to determine what kind of living
conditions people had to cope
with during the past two weeks.
Read says they are particularly
concerned about the island’s el-
derly population.

The church is also assessing ex-
isting resources to determine the
number of people who have pro-
pane or wood heat, alternative
cooking facilities, and four-
wheel-drive vehicles that could be
used during emergencies.

The 13 volunteers are
systematically going through the

By Barry Forward
Contributing Writer

—_——
island’s telephone directory and
plan to contact most residents by
the weekend.

Some disturbing stories of sur-
vival are being told following two
weeks of on-again off-again
power. Said Read, ‘‘One single
mother survived the entire ordeal
without heat or water to help her
care for her month-old daughter.”*

Read said the situation is still
not completely back to normal,
“There are still lots of people
without water after their pipes
froze or water pumps cracked.””

“We also want to get the
church hall back up and runn-
ing,’’ she added.

The popular meeting place was
closed after pipes froze during the
power outage and deep freeze.
The church is hoping to switch to
propane and obtain a generator
before the next outage so the hall
can be used as a ‘‘safe place’’
where residents can go to warm
themselves.

HOME & GARDEN. 13 ff