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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-01-15, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, January 15, 2014 I I I I NowsCl Record VOL. 153 - ISSUE 00 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 ee- NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher nei I.cl ifford@sunmedia.ca GERARD CRECES Editorial cl inton.reporter@sunmedia.ca MAX BICKFORD Advertising Manager max. bickford@sunmed ia.ca DAWN JOHNSTON Sales Representative cl inton.ads@sun media.ca CHRISTY MAIR Front Office clinton.classifieds@sunmedia.ca 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 Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time.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 ocna Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association editorial Destruction in the name of savings doesn't add up elcomeback 1939. seems seemms to be a war on information happening at the federal level, as seven of nine national scientific archive locations have been closed in Canada, including some of the most nota- ble libraries - St. Andrews in New Brunswick, the Freshwater Institute in Manitoba and the North Atlantic Fisheries Centre in Newfoundland. The government said the records were being con- solidated and digitized. What happened instead is many of the books were sent to landfill, scavenged, lost or sold. Canadian scientists who spoke to major news outlets in anonymity tell a grim story of the process being expedited with little or no record keeping to know where the scientific materials went to. Important research on contaminants, toxins and impacts of offshore energy development have been lost to the cuts, and funding has been reduced for many environmental sciences. That's a lot of work gone down the drain. It begs the question - why? The overall library savings are less than $450,000 annually - or about three MP salaries. Seems like peanuts compared to more than a century's worth of scientific study. The storywas broke by a British Columbian newspaper, and has since spawned many tales of the consolidation that has not happened, and the haste in which the closures were undertaken. Going from nine libraries in a country as large as Canada to just two will provide barriers to scientific access, regardless of how much or how little is digi- tized. The end result is ignorance - something that works for sitting governments and short-sighted policy but puts society back centuries in terms of growth and foresight. About a year ago, scientists were making head- lines about being muzzled by the Conservative government. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans acted as a filter and a barrier between the people who conducted and understand the research and the public that could have learned from them. There are so many better ways to save half a mil- lion dollars - ways that won't cost us billions in the long run. Maybe cutting ten-percenters, reducing the amount MPs can expense, reducing salaries and pensions for members could instead save Canadi- ans in a way that harms no one and curbs the sense of entitlement that Ottawa carries with it. Limiting and controlling information to the pub- lic worked well for totalitarians in the past, but this is 21st century Canada, and we have no room for ignorance disguised as cost-cutting. — GC www.clintonnewsrecord.com Thank you to all who helped clean the roads By now, I'm sure every- one is ready to punch the next person who says, "Is it snowy enough for you?" Last week was a test of endurance for many in Huron County, as we were pretty much closed for busi- ness for three days straight. Our roads crews deserve our admiration and respect for heading out into the whirling white unknown to try and clear a path for the rest of us. It took long hours, full fleets and many hands to free us up to travel once again. Many thanks to the plowmen, to the sidewalk crews and to anyone who helped a neighbour shovel, pushed a stuck car or just made the whole experi- ence tolerable for someone else. On page 2, we report on some positive news from the OPP - nobody was hurt in the blizzard. Their lot wasn't easy either - patrolling the roads to see if and when they could be opened - and neither was the job of EMS workers, who aren't bound by the elements when lives are on the line. Many thanks to all involved. Still, there is something to take away from this - people still feel the need to drive on closed roads. Co Iumn Gerar d Creces Dozens of folks had to get their cars fished out of the ditch in Huron County over just three days of storm. Unless it is life or death there is absolutely no excuse and nothing that cannot wait until the roads are open again. It taxes already stretched emergency workers and obstructs the plows from doing their job, making it a problem for everyone waiting for the roads to open. Police don't take the decision to close roads lightly, and when major arteries like Hwy 4 or 8 are closed, you know it's bad out. Stay home. So, be careful, be watchful and check with your local media outlets and MTO to find out what is safe and accessible. Why spend a day in the ditch when you could spend five minutes checking on road conditions? This past weekend, we were a bit spoiled with temperatures above zero, but next time the snow hits the fan, think twice before heading out blindly in a blizzard. Driven to Quit challenge could net you a new car More incentives than ever to quit: health unit A Dodge Journey or Dodge Avenger could be yours in the Canadian Cancer Society's Driven to Quit Challenge. Open to any smoker age 19 and up, the contest is for Ontarians who used tobacco at least once a week for at least 10 months last year. Register by Feb. 28 at www.driven- toquit.ca. Another contest, the Leave the Pack Behind's wouldurather, features two grand prizes of $2,500. For the first time, the annual contest is offering eight weeks of free nicotine patches or gum to all eli- gible participants - students and young adults ages 18-29. Register by January 26 at www.woul- durather.ca. "It's hard to quit the addictive nature of nicotine," says Public Health Nurse Julie Verch. "If you've decided to take the step of quitting these contests are additional motivation." Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Ontario, killing 13,000 people annually or 36 people a day. Many smokers make five to seven attempts to quit smoking before they quit successfully and accessing quit smoking supports and programs can help increase a smoker's chance of becoming tobacco - free. For more information on local quit smoking supports and services available, please contact the Huron County Health Unit @ 519-482-3416 or toll free 1-877-837-6143. 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.