July 4, 2000
Kamloops Daily News



What does Lillooet have that Kamloops doesn't?  Lillooet,
and 12 other Canadian communities smaller than Kamloops have
radio transmitters that carry CBC's Radio 2 broadcasts. 
Radio 2 is the other half of CBC's radio service that most
city dwellers take for granted.  Kamloops now has access to
CBC's Radio 1 broadcasts, but Radio 2 carries music that you
won't hear elsewhere -- classical, jazz, and alternative
music.

Kamloops is the only large city in B.C. that doesn't have
this radio station. You may have heard it as you drive
through Prince George or Kelowna, but B.C. centres as small
as Endako, Kitimat, Smithers, Quesnel, and Lillooet  also
enjoy this radio service.  I'm bewildered at why Kamloops
was left out in the first place , but perhaps things are
finally going to change.

CBC Radio has applied to the Canadian Radio-Television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)for a transmitter to
broadcast Radio 2 in Kamloops.  The CRTC has invited letters
from Kamloopsians with your views on CBC's plans, but they
must be received before July 12.  If you like the idea of
getting CBC Radio 2 in Kamloops, act now. Even if the
application is successful, we will still have to argue for a
local transmitter in these times of dwindling CBC resources.

You can make a submission to the CBC and CRTC by mail,
e-mail, or fax. Since your letter becomes part of the
application review, there are certain procedures that must
be followed. Some on them are outlined in an CRTC
advertisement in the Daily News on June 27, and others can
be found at www.crtc.gc.ca.

When I phoned the CRTC, they suggested faxes as the best
way. If you send me an e-mail at
Radio2Kamloops@netscape.net, I'll forward the information
that I have.  Time is running short. Let your voice be heard
before July 12. 

			*****

I think that B.C. politics is fun in a kind of perverse way. 
But that's not why I wanted to see the Council of Canadians
at the Canada Day celebrations at Riverside Park.  They were
told by George Fudge, Canada Day committee member, that they
were "negative and political", that "they were petitioning
against things they don't like about Canada", and that they
weren't "fun".  I don't think so.

I've read newsletters from the Council of Canadians and
heard their volunteer Chair, Maude Barlow, speak a number of
times. They are petitioning for a better Canada.  But I can
understand why they might be misunderstood as being
political, especially in the context of politics of B.C..

The term "negative politics" is redundant in B.C. -- if it's
politics, it must be negative.   B.C. politics is especially
polarized and bipartisan.  Social issues are used as
political weapons to attack one political party, or defend
another.

There is another way of doing politics. One dictionary
definition of   politics is "the total complex of relations
between people living in society".  In that sense, politics
is about what we want our society, and Canada, to be.  I
think that the Council of Canadians practices politics in
this second way.

The Council of Canadians is not a political party. 
According to their website, they are an independent,
non-partisan citizens' interest group providing a critical
and progressive voice on key national issues.  They offer an
alternate perspective on the current social and economic
debates affecting Canadians.

Canada Day should be a celebration of Canadian values:
tolerance, multiculturalism, freedom of opinion, equality,
and the natural beauty of our land. These values overlap
considerably with the goals of the Council of Canadians, --
defence of Canadian sovereignty, resistance to the
commodification of water, and equality of health care
services for all Canadians.

Canada Day should be filled with wholesome activities, but
that doesn't exclude a thoughtful reflection about the kind
of Canada we wish for future generations. Equality,
civility, and peace are Canadian values worth celebrating
and protecting.

Governor General Adrian Clarkson was being political in the
second way when she told Canadians on Canada Day that we
should encourage tolerance of others, and that "If we are
alive to all the possibilities of Canada, then we have
something to celebrate". 

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