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Clinton News Record, 2014-04-23, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, April 23, 2014 rrrir •1 Clinton News Record PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 53 Albert St. P.O. Box 39 Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 www.clintonnewsrecord.com SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher neil.clifford@sunmedia.ca GERARD CRECES Editorial clinton. reporter©sun media.ca MAX BICKFORD Advertising Manager max.bickford@sunmedia.ca DAWN JOHNSTON Sales Representative clinton.ads@sunmedia.ca CHRISTY MAIR Front Office clinton.dassifieds@sunmedia.ca SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52GST) Advertising is accepted on the 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 that balance of advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographic 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 Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time.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 Clinton News -Record is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. Publications Mail Agreement No.40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 53 Albert St., Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canada pcna Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association ear John... Column Gerard Creces Dear John, Right or wrong... By the time you read this column, I'll be gone. It's true - as of the end of the day Friday, I'm officially done here at the News -Record. We didn't have a whole lot of time together, but the time I spent here was cool. Clinton is a warm place, with welcoming people and you guys and girls should be proud of that. Be proud too that Central Huron by and large has its head together, with a mostly functioning council and a good sense of direction. From the lakeshore down the rivers through the forests and past the fields, there is no shortage of natural beauty or produc- tive, fertile soil. You folks really are blessed to live in a place like this. But, there are some folks - many, really - that aren't so blessed, even though they are surrounded by a land of plenty. I have noticed a lot of pov- erty in this community, per- haps due to Clinton's proxim- ity to many county and social services. I'm not sure if it is disproportionate to the size of the community, but it's some- thing we need to work on. Seniors living in poverty are among the worst off, receiving no help from a government bent on abdicating its respon- sibilities toward them. For people who grew up in a world where jobs were plentiful and families made do with what they had this new age of pitiful pensions is an emotional and financial blow. Reach out to them. Let them know they matter. Similarly, reach out to the young people living in poverty and the single adults. There are many isolated people here, and it's up to us to make those connections and offer whatever small graces we can. Sadly, many of us see poverty and assume the worst - greed and laziness. However, poverty is not a dis- ease one can catch. Kindness is. Unless one sits down and gets to know the people they judge, there will never be understanding or compassion. Here in Central Huron, life is good but there is a distinct divide between have and have not. I realize it is not limited to this community but still - change begins at home. Empathy is not something that miraculously appears. It must be learned. People on opposite ends of the income spectrum run in different circles, so it's not a matter of making best friends with the poorest or richest person you come across. There are smaller, equally meaningful ways to connect with people. Something as simple as www.clintonnewsrecord.com saying hello to a person who looks like they need it, or mak- ing eye contact and smiling at someone you would normally try to ignore. Make people feel noticed, welcome and appre- ciated just for being them. You've done as much for me, and I am very thankful for that. But, my days are numbered now and so with some reluc- tance I write this final column. I will miss the events, the architecture, friendly faces and Radars games. I'll miss community breakfasts, church suppers and the sense of com- munity you folks have. Further still, I will miss all the friends I made during my short time here. I appreciate you all and wish everyone the very best life has to offer. But please remember, as good as this or any commu- nity is it can always be better and all it takes is for people to talk to one another. So long, Clinton, and thanks for all the fish. — GC Hydro rates going up May 1 Ontario electricity prices are on their way up again. As of May 1, there will be an increase in time -of -use prices that will boost the average hydro cus- tomer's monthly cost by $2.83, or $33.96 annually. The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) says the jolt upwards in prices includes the arrival of renewable or "green" electricity generation over the next 12 months. Hydro prices switch over to sum- mer hours on May 1 too. That means a customer will get the cheapest price for electricity — 7.5 cents kW/h, up 0.3 cents — in the overnight weekday hours of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and on all weekends and holidays. The cost to use electricity on weekdays between 7-11 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. will be 11.2 cents kW/h, also an increase of 0.3 cents. Consumers will pay the steepest price for electricity, 13.5 cents kW/h, weekdays between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. The on -peak power price is up 0.6 cents kW/h. "Our goal is to promote a sus- tainable and efficient energy sector that provides consumers with reli- able energy services at a reasona- ble cost," the OEB said in a statement. The increase in the cost of elec- tricity comes on top of jumping natural gas prices after a long, hard winter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The News Record welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include a daytime phone number for verification purposes. Letters can be sent care of the Internet at clinton.news@sunmedia.ca, sent via fax at 519-482-7341 or through Canada Post care of The Editor, P.O. Box 39, Clinton, ON NOL 1LO. 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