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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2016-05-25, Page 44 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, May 25, 2016 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com lion Expositor PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 P.O. Box 69, 8 Main Street Seaforth Ontario NOK 1 WO phone: 519-527-0240 fax: 519-527-2858 www.seaforthhuronexpositor E POSTMEDIA Ir NEIL CLIFFORD Advertising Director nei I.cl ifford@sunmedia.ca SHAUN GREGORY Multimedia Journalist shaun.gregory@sunmedia.ca DIANNE MCGRATH Front Office seaforth.classifieds@sunmedia.ca NANCY DEGANS Media Sales Consultant ndegans@postmedia.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2 YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.O. Box 69 Seaforth ON NOK 1 W0 For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns: phone: 519-527-0240 Advertising is accepted on condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement wit be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. Seaforth Huron Expositor is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For more information or to file a complaint go to www. mediacouncil.ca or call toll free 1-844-877-1163. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canada UN declaration vow leaves a lot unsaid Depending on whom you ask, Canada's newly stated promise to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is either a catastrophe that will cripple our resource economy or the start of a golden age between the Crown and aboriginals. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle; it is unclear exactly what the document will mean. Canada voted against UNDRIP in 2007, but adopted it in 2010 with the Conservative gov- ernment of Stephen Harper calling it an "aspirational document." The Grits, of course, have higher aspira- tions than that. "We intend nothing less than to adopt and implement the declara- tion in accordance with the Canadian Constitution," said Carolyn Bennett, minister of indigenous and northern affairs. UNDRIP at this point doesn't have the force of law but might in the future. And that is where concerns arise, particularly because of the "free, prior and informed consent" clause, which is often interpreted as giving indigenous communities the ability to say "no" to projects and thus stymie, for example, resource development. At the very least, UNDRIP "probably raises the bar on the consultation standard across Canada," says Merle Alexander, a Vancouver abo- riginal resource law lawyer. I hate flying So the story goes... get- ting struck by a light- ning bolt or the odds of dying in a plane crash are highly unlikely. Actually according to several news outlets, the chances of you being airborne and plum- meting to your death are one in 11 million. As if those numbers are going to get my behind on an aircraft. You know why? Because I hate flying. To further clarify my anxie- ties to you amazing Expositor readers, these catastrophic crashes of recent are really sending shivers down my spine. For example, last Thursday, an Egyptian jetliner coming from Paris, which was Cairo bound, suddenly disappeared in thin air like a bunny rabbit during a magic trick. In any case, the sad truth is, this was no illusion. Instead, it's a mas- sive loss of life because 66 peo- ple were aboard. Currently, the aircraft's organization is Column Shaun Gregory admittedly saying they are staying positive and the search and rescue is underway. I pray that all these people made an emergency crash landing and are waiting patiently to be found some- where safe replenished on an exotic island. But being the journalist that I am, I have to be realistic. At the time of this writing, it's almost been 24 hours since the crash. Each minute and every hour on the clock puts the probabilities of survivors in a state of uncertainty. But to the family members, hope is all they have right now. It's a trag- edy, and this is just one of the The government may argue its duty to consult and accommodate, held up by the Supreme Court to be nec- essary if policies could impact aboriginal or treaty rights, already fits the bill. At any rate, says Alexander, "it's Chicken Little -ism;' to worry that development will grind to a halt because of intransi- gent indigenous groups, since many aboriginal com- munities want development. On the flip side, there are worries from aboriginals that the standard of "free, prior and informed consent" might not be met with much ardour by the government. Possibly more significant are other provisions of UNDRIP, says Ken Coates, the director of the International crashes that's made me say `heck no' to flying. As I mentioned, the likeli- hoods of a crash are very slender. But you know what is more than possible to hap- pen, if all does fail in the air? How many people have you heard that have lived from a 25,000 -35,000 -foot freefall? Or better yet, how many do you think have actually sur- vived from any type of plane mishap? Don't quote me, but I'm going to have to say not many. Which means, it's almost impossible to live if something does go wrong. For that very reason is why I'm a mess when I fly. My heart races, my fists start to sweat and the thoughts bounce in my brain like a pinball machine. 'Shaun, what if the motor goes? What's with this gosh darn turbulence? How old is this plane? Why has the pilot left the cock pit?' Those are a few questions that come to mind. I guess I need to pull up my pants, take a chill pill and Centre for Northern Govern- ance and Development at the University of Saskatchewan -- particularly those that could see the government giving indigenous input on federal policy and legislation far more weight than it does now. "Indigenous folks now have made it very clear that they see UNDRIP as their sort of Magna Carta," says Coates. "It's not clear that the government sees it quite the same way." The adoption of UNDRIP could also affect preservation of aboriginal languages and repatriation of artifacts. Many questions arise, and the way forward is unclear. Canadians -- indigenous and otherwise -- deserve answers. Postmedia Network realize driving a vehicle from Harpurhey to Seaforth is much more dangerous. I just wish they would increase the chances of living from a crash. Maybe install ejecting seats and strap everyone with a par- achute - it might cost a lot. Nevertheless, if I had to pay more to boost the chances of me walling away from a plane crash, then so be it I'd pay. Signing out from my base- ment at the late hours of the night, Shaun AKA, the guy who is more than afraid to travel on a plane. Scoreboard Seaforth Shuffleboard May 18.2016 shuffleboard scores Men's high: Arnold Ramsey and Cor DeCorte 3 wins. Women's high: Joyce Matzold and Catherine DeCorte 4 wins. SEAFORTH HURON EXPOSITOR — HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY: 9:00 - 5:00 • TUESDAY: - CLOSED • WEDNESDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • THURSDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • FRIDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: - CLOSED ADVERTISING DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 2:00 • PHONE 519-527-0240 • FAX: 519-527-2858 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com