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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1975-09-11, Page 3Jack Riddell, Lib. Since the election was called, I have been asked on several occasions whether regional government was still an issue in the riding of Huron-Middlesex. My Progressive Conservative opponent in this election has been quoted as saying that regional government is a dead issue since the people of Huron-Middlesex °have made their point in Toronto. Premier Davis, when he was in Goderich recently, stated that the voters in this Riding faced no danger in having regionalism imposed on them. I disagree violently with both these positions.Regional Government is an issue and will remain an issue in the Huron- Middlesex Riding as long as the Davis Government remains in power. I do agree that since my election in the recent By-Election, the present Government has' postponed efforts for , having regional restructuring in this area because of the unpopularity with the voters. Regional Government, however, is still being forced on IA in a more insidious way. As an example. at the presesnt time, the Huron Board of Health receives a subsidy from the Government of 50%. We have been told that if we amalgamated with another Health Unit, we could obtain a 75% subsidy. Discussions were held with the , County of Perth and while those discussions were being carried on, the County of Perth, the City of Stratford, and the Town of St.Marys formed a single Health Unit and received a 75% subsidy. As a result of that, negotiations did not continue and the taxpayer in Huron County is still paying 50% of the costs of the Board of Health while in Perth County and other amalgamated Count! the taxpayer only pays 25% an the Government pays a 75% su idy. In other words, the Government is saying to the people of Huron County, either amalgamate and form a large regional health unit or pay the price for wanting local autonomy. Because Huron has not given in to the Davis Government's pressure to regionalize our County Health Unit, you and I, as taxpayers in Huron County, will pay an additional $125,000.00 from local revenue in 1975, that would have been received as a provincial grant had we regionalized. In addition, Family Planning grants have been made to Boards of Health in the large Metropoli- tan Municipalities, but no grants have been made to Huron and I can only assume it is becaus e we have not amalgamated with another Board of Health. Little has been said in this election about the Mustard Report and its far reaching recommendations for area Health Councils. The result of the recommendations, of course, would be the eventual disappearance of the local hospital ,boards. The Minister of Health, Mr. Frank Miller, has said publicly on many occasions that District Health Council's would not be Jim Hayter P.C. per year and have failed miser- ably. There has been a three year n decline in housing starts; between January and July of this year we built a mere 32,000 units. The rate is down 38 percent since 1972 - the situation is desparate - and tomorrow is not soon enough for the thousands of families whose anxiety about housing is increasing. And almost 1/2 of our popula- tion are tenants - ask any of them about their rent increases - and ask what protection the Davis government has given - a rent review board during an election campaign - a board with no teeth and its • hands tied behind its back... "Energy costs are in the forefront of this campaign as well. We don't need a reminder about the price of gas and heating oil. And we can't forget for one minute that October the 1st will increase those prices by 8 or 9 more cents per gallon. An exten- sion of that freeze could be expected however: Davis will no doubt fatten the election promises pot with such an extension in the next few days. But, what will he ultimately do when the election is over? "I hope it is more than the present Royal Commission - better termed an inquisition - which being held in public, pretends only to public participa- tion and in fact make it virtually impossible for all but the oil companies to place their position before it. That commission is nothing more than a reflection of the cosy relationship that exists between the present government and the oil companies. New Democrats have fought the oil companies in Ottawa and in this election we must ask for the chance to •fight them at Queen's Park too. You're invited Institute Activities Commence The Consumers , Affairs meeting of Kippen East W.I. will be held in the Legion Hall, September 17, at 8:30 p.m. Mrs. A.McGregor will be hostess and Mrs. A. Varley is in charge of lunch. The guest speaker will be George Thompson of Clinton, who was with the 4-H Alberta Exchange Group. Mrs. R. Broadfoot will give current events and the roll call is "name a favourite recipe made with a dairy product". Members are reminded to bring a Childhood Picture. TIME AGAIN ,• .11 11111 ;IV 11;1 tit I, Ii 1,111 WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT SEAFORTH FALL FAIR next week Sept. 18 & 19 McGAVIN FARM EQUIPMENT 527-0245 WALTON 887-6365 WE STAND BEHIND EVERYTHING WE SELL EXCEPT THE MANURE SPREADERS Sornethirig to Say by Susan VVI4te Are the issues being hOoM? Agricu ore, residential land use cHomPa.'. da inflationary fires. Since over 60% of our manufacturing sector is owned by foreigners and government contributes 24% of goods and services to our G.N.P., wage and price controls would be excessively harsh on unorganized labour and small businessmen. Those two groups would carry the burden of the economic penance. All of the above make wage and price controls undesirable. It will also be mentioned that one province could not successfully undertake such restraint. Ontario is a trading jurisdiction with the U.S. and other provinces. Competativeness in trading is essential and controls are not desirable when one trades. committment by the farmer. In the contract with the government the farmer receives a grant per cow in those years in which beef stocker calf market prices fail to return a basic income over and above operating costs for efficient beef calf producers. The government takes into account the fixed costs of an efficient operation when calculating the grant that guaranteed level will vary from year to year. Wage and Price Controls An economist would tell you that wage and price controls will halt cost-push and wage-pull inflation in the short-term. But like every other external factor brought to bear on the open market price mechanism some reactions will be felt elsewhere in the economy. As soon as the controls are lifted the economy will race back into a more realistic equilibrium that may refuel 1 the Small business I would be in favour of some equitable remuneration of a business man's labour and time A It's a bit nervy commenting on P our election-in-progress after being on vacation and out of touch for the past two weeks, but we are going to risk it. It was a bad time to be away, but at .title time staff here was scheduling their holidays, Mr. tiAvis didn't see fit to tell us about his election date plans. We weren't far away actually, just a I little north, a very little in McKillop and Colborne townships. We didn't even get out of the county except for an afternoon trip to Stratford. But we tried to get away in spirit and didnt even see a weekly or daily paper except once to look up an auction sale. Maybe that was the maser' that we were struck by the lack of action in the &cal campaign. But we've heard the same comment from lots of other people who didn't spend the last couple of weeks on holiday and were in the thick of things, reading their papers, and watching the tube religiously. Specifically we've heard people say that although the' voters of this area are very concerned abdut a number of issues; they don't hear the candidates jalking about them. Economic instability, inflation, farm prices, the loss of prime agricultural land are all important to the• voters. The one election function that we've attended so far featured mostly slaps at the opposition and praise for the local candidate. Granted, Ontario Liberal leader Bob Nixon was preaching mostly to the converted,' the 2,000 supporters at the Jack Riddell -barbecue-, but even the converted would probably like to know what their party aims to do about inflation. What's needed, we think, are a series of all candidates meetings, perhaps one in each town in the riding so that the public can see and listen to the three candidates IP together and see how they stack up. The public and the press could ask them questions on, where they stand and get some information rather than the mud slinging and cheering that one party rallies bring out, All candidates meetings in the high schools are usually good because the kids ask very „penetrating questions. But none 7have been scheduled this ' campaign t The Liberals say this is because the NDP candidate said he wasn't available as he is teaching throughout the • campaign. The NDI' candidate says he wasn't asked. It's too late for this campaign but hopefully citizens' groups will sponsor such meetings next time. As a help to the voters the Expositor is printing election policy statements from each' Huron Middlesex candidate this week. What our provincial government does is too important to let us vote for the person who's abetter family man than the other guys, or the candidate who's best looking. Personalities can't run a responsive government. Candidates have to have ideas and the •ability to put them into practise. Voting for ,a certain party because your grandfatherilid also doesn't seem like bright enough way to pick a government. Where would Huron be now if everyone farmed the way their grandfather did? (A few may say a heck of a lot better off, but that's beside the point). But if people are going to vote on a candidate's policies, they first have to have a chance to find out what they are. The voters of Huron-Middlesex have one good chance at an all candidates meeting. The Federation of Agriculture is getting •the three together at South Huron DHS in Exeter tonight, at 8 p.m. A similar meeting was held for Huron-Bruce ii. Wintham on Tuesday. They'll answer questions from the audience and the meeting's open to all interested' people, not just Federation members. We urge everyone to attend and find out what your candidates have to say, as well as what they look 'like. * ** * * * * While we're on the issues, it was brought very close to home to us that nobody in the provincial campaign has had much to say about equal pay for equal work for women or about providing day care facilities for children in the province who need it. One valuable and productive staff member came to us and said she would have to leav e her job with us, though she didn't want to, because her babysitter was moving, and after a long search, she couldn't find another oneAny local business who employs women must have run into this same problem many, many times. Another staff member heard about the problem, and said the more she thought about the fact that women were being totally ignored in the election campaign, the madder she got. Because women are working , (and in these inflationary times many families need two incomes to survive) , there is a need for attention to women in the workforce and to the needs of families. She said she felt government had an obligation to look at working women's jobs are they usually the lowest paying,are they passed over for promotion and why? (Several other staff members signed a letter she wrote to Liberal Leader Robert Nixon and it was delivered to him 'when he was in Huron this week. He said the Liberals would spend money on day care but did not get too specific. She's hoping for a reply to her questions. Child raising and family life is changing as women take on jobs outside the home. Day care is needed by hundreds of thousands of children in Canada and probably hundreds right here in this area. Perhaps in parts of the province where women candidates are running, things are different, but in Huron and most other ridings issues that concern a good percentage of the voters are being ignored. Is that because many voters couldn't care less? Do they feel "I've raised my kids. Day care or whatever is your problem"? Or do they recognize that society has changed, that there is a great deal of pressure on the young famil these days and that we all have some responsibilities for today's children? We'd welcome letters and comments from readers and candidates on all these 'woffiens' really family, problems. * * * * * It was a heck of a shock to come back from a holiday and have it sink in that we're on our own again. We're missing Nancy Andrews, the fine reporter who worked here for several months this summer, and has now returned to University of Western Ontario to take her fourth year in journalism. There's no more running to her desk a half hour before press time with some scribbled notes and a "Nancy, see what you can get on this please", and being pidtty sure that she'd come up with 'the story, if .there—was one , before, the deadline. Thanks,N ancy from the readers who've enjoyed your stories and the staff who enjoyed working with you. ' forced on municipalities for at least another two or three years. The result of this, of course, is that it has forced areas to study District Health Councils in the hope that if they form a small District Health Council, it will stop the Ministry from imposing a District HealthCouncil on them., The Ministry, of course, has power to halt all capital expenditures in connection with hospitals unless a District Health Council is formed. If Premier Davis really believes what he says in connection with regional government, he would immediately announce that Huron County would be entitled to the same 75% grant for their Board of Health as other amalgamated Counties receive. If Premier Davis really believes what he says, he would have the Ministry of Health advise the County of Huron that it would not be necessary to form a District Health Council. • There are many other important issues in this election, such as the Liberal Government's promise to abolish the super Ministries, to reduce by 7.5 million dollars the Government's public relations budget, and to improve the quality of education. Who can say that the quality of education is not an issue, when Universities are forced to institute classes in remedial reading and arithmetic in' order to accept students. As a former High School teacher, let me make it quite clear that I am not critical of the teaching profession which I consider dedicated and well qualified. What I am condemning are the Davis educational experiments, which continue to lower educational standards across this Province. I will end up, however, by saying what I said in the begintitng. Regional Government still is, and will remain, an issue in Huron-Middlesex as long as the Davis Government remains in power. Huron Middlesex conservative candidate Jim Hayter gave the Expositor these comments on a number of election issues. Land Use Preservation of agricultural land and residential Use of land in rural areas are perfectly compatible. This compatibility exists because the goals of both concepts can be •realized without infringing or detracting from the other. In the last decade farm production in most commodities has reached an all time high. In fact, over-supply has been a real problem for our farmers. We all know that in a free market situation over-supply will drive down prices. It seems reasonable that in view of our ability to stimulate high production, con- trolled residential use of rural lands would be possible and even desirable. I say desirable because we should be thinking about The following is the statement of• New Democratic Party Candi- date Paul Carroll concerning election issues and Huron- Middlesex. "In Huron-Middlesex, the election issues that seem to be emerging are not unlike the major questions around the province. Perhaps, however, they sit under the umbrella of govrnment acces- ' the umbrella of government accessibility. By that I mean the degree to which our local citizens can play an active role in government decisions. "An example would be the statement issued earlier by the Conservative candidate regarding the proposed nuclear power station for Huron when he declared that no such undertaking would proceed unless the citizens wish to have it. You and I both know that the Davis government does not operate in this fashion. Any indication to the contrary should be treated as an idle election promise. If the facts were clearly known, declarations such as Mr. Hayter's can be assessed quickly and discounted with as much easd. "I know it is repetitive, and I made the same plea in 1971 and 1973, but in order to return the government of Ontario to the people, the Davis government must be turfed out. And it's up to us to ensure that that occurs. "Neither can we ignore the Liberals in this campaign. We are fighting a Liberal incumbent, and we must be prepared to talk about' the travesty of Liberal policy as it has been declared by speakers from that Party over the past four years. We know for a fact that there are as many portions on a given issue"as there are Liberal members - and this will be their downfall. A moment's attention to the campaign speeches of Robert Nixon will illustrate my contention. I have no doubt that Jack Riddell will show symptoms of the same disease if he issues any statements during the campaign. "The issues, as I stated, are province-wide. Housing is just as much a problem in Huron- Middlesex as in any other area. In Goderich, where new homes are most common in the over 45 thousand dollar range, housing is out of reach for most families. High down payments, coupled with high interest rates even make it difficult for thOse who can afford to purchase. You are just plain out of luck in most places in this province if your income is less than' $18,000. "The housing crisis is the result of a categorical failure on the part of the Davis government: They promised 100,000 new units accommodating the steadily growing population in Huron- 'Middlesex. After all, our sons and daughters have a right to live near where they were born, grew up and now have employment. Power Station Is a nuclear power station desirable? Determination of that problem depends on whom you 'talk to. A white bean grower is threatened by possible radiation effects on his beans but an urban consumer expresses concern about adequate future power resources at a reasonable price. My position on this problem is that now is the time for a full scale investigation of all of the benefits and hardships involved in con- struction of a nuclear power plant. My plan is to promote a really 'comprehensive examination of all the effects; social, environmental, economic etc. There is always good and bad in massive schemes of this nature. We must carefully weigh the priorities. What sector will gain and who will suffer. We are guardians of the future and I am prepared to make certain that our children can live with our decisions. For all of the above reasons 1 support the active investigation to be carried on by the Royal Commission on Electric Power Planning. I will aid to coordinate briefs to be submitted to the Commission by any individual or concerned group. Education Standard grade 13 examination for all students should not be encouraged because they can not adequately test a student's ability to perform satisfactorily while at university. These exams cannot test motiv- ation on achievement in certain academic interests. A great many courses open to a student at' university or college are not even • offered at the high school level. How does one test a major in psychology, anthropology, political sciences, economics, classics, business, sociology .in a high school. For college students the same argument applies for such courses as child care , communications and nursing. The further question to be asked is whether it is important for a potentiaTbtisiness student to pass a standard exam, for instance, in physics in grade 13; risk failing it and cutting short his/her career when the need for physics in business is negligible. Standard examinations fail to consider the myriad of individual differences and the varied career objectives .that a student may seek. The Lottery Wintario is an excellent way to raise money. Many countries in South America and Mexico use it to supply the ,lion's share of government revenues. Wintario profits are being channelled into cultural and recreational initiatives which understandedly will be to the benefit of all Ontarians. At a dollar a ticket it is unlikely anyone will be led down a dark path of immorality. Income Stabilization The stabilization program envisaged by the Ontario Government do not reward inefficient economics on the farm. The price paid in the Beef-Calf Income Stabilization Program is based on production.Therefore lower production will bear less return. In addition, there is a $5.00 annual fee (adjustable annually) that required a prior "We are all faced with the added burden of increased energy costs. Imagine the trauma faced by the farmer when energy comsuption is a vital factor in considering his input costs... "The question of land use is an issue in Ontario. Spokesmen from all Parties find it a timely topic during the,campaign period. It is an issue in. Huron-Middlesex too. The Tories would have you believe that land use decisions will be made locally. Don't forget that it was us - not the Liberals - who raised the issue of land use plans of the provincial govern- ment in the 1973 By-election as they pertained to a proposed nuclear power plant for Huron and its far-reaching impact on land in this riding. And don't for one minute let anyone try, and tell you it is a dead issue or a 'red herring'. I'll have more to say about that later in the campaign. "New Democrats are commit- ted to halt the erosion of agricultural land. And we are committed to the release of land in collecting and processing t province's Sales tax, . „ • Senior 01*20-• ' On jqly 1st,. P74 thq• Patarin Government 10#94404, ; Guaranteed; Annual InCeme System 'for the elderly, di*?led and bli nd with monthly paYmetits' to eligible persons to ensure a. minimum annual income of $2,600 for single people and $5,200 for couples. In response to higher living costs the GAINS minimum income was raised f to $2,700 and $5,400 respectively on October 1st, 1974. A further increase effective January 1st, 1975 moved the GAINS guarantees to $2,766 for single people and $5,532 for couples. The second increase brought an additional 2,000 people into the program and raised the total payments by the province to $84.5 million in 1974-75. • To help defray cost of living expense, the Government introduced a new Drug Benefit Plan' September 1st, 1974 allowing free prescribed drugs to recipients of the Federal G.I.S. pensions or Ontario GAINS or I amily Benefit plans. I support tieing the benefits of the GAINS program to the cost of living. Policing I do not favour a move by the province through the O.P.P. to police municipalities under 10,000 but I do see morn for consolidation of forces at the county level in much the same way as the Huron and Middlesex County Councils are presently consolidating police service. I think that decision should be left to the County Councils. After all that service is more directly related to those Councils than Provincial Government. Paul Carroll, N.D. P. awareness and a receptive atmos-, phere. It's /he best chance we have had in Huron-Middlesex to make our point and make the - necessary gains." presently being held by specu- lators for future development. And as this dualsided problem affects both housing,and agricul- ture, we will not hesitate at getting tough. Municipalities must be empowered to take real control of this situation, whether it • be through a form of land banking or even direct action in the area ,of home construction. • "The final issue is people. By this I mean the human conse- quences of political change or neglect. Whether it is Pensions or occupational safety, the 'people' issue must over-ride all the others- because ultimatley the downfall of the Davis government will result from its failure to meet the needs of people - not simply through inadequate legislation but by pure neglect. Stephen is documenting such cases on a daily basis and Huron-Middlesex is not without its examples too. As our campaign progresses we just bring, them to the public eye. "This is not a dead election campaign. There is a high public rl Housing a problem-in Huron -Middlesex - NDP Regional government still an issue - Liberal