HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-02-17, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1988.
Opinion
Paying for the little things
It is in paying for things like recreation costs that created
regional governments and the current deadlock between Blyth
and its surrounding townships proves the point.
Whenever a service is located in one municipality but used by
people of another municipality, problems of who should pay
what arise almost inevitably. With only three municipalities
involved Brussels, Morris and Grey were able to come to a joint
recreation agreement nearly two years ago but there are still
disagreements. With five municipalities using the Blyth and
District Community Centre the problems are more complicat
ed. '■>
The latest Complication comes with the suggestion on the
part of Hullett and East Wawanosh townships that Blyth should
pick up 10 per cent more of the cost than would seem to be its
share based on the survey of the users of the arena. The
reasoning is that Blyth gets extra benefit because all the rural
users who come to town bring business to local shops,
restaurants and garages. Blyth Reeve Albert Wasson says if
you want to get into that kind of thinking, how much should
Blyth be compensated for providing the necessary services to
keep rural residents provided with their needs. It’s the kind of
argument that could go on forever.
For instance, we could get into a debate on road costs.
Perhaps the village residents should help pick up part of the tab
for upkeep on township concession roads because they are used
to get township residents to town to support the local
businesses (not to mention village residents sightseeing). On
the other hand, the townships would have to help pay some of
the street costs in the villages because when they come to town
they wear out the urban streets.
On the other hand the towns should pay for township road
improvements for people from town going to work where there
is an industry that has moved outside the village boundaries
looking for more space or cheaper taxes. But then maybe the
townships should contribute some of those industrial and
business taxes that get dropped in their laps because the rural
businesses still want to make use of urban facilities.
The townships should have to help pay the snowclearing
costs of the villages because of the amount of snow that blows
into town from the countryside. On the other hand the village
residents should be willing to pick up more than their normal
share of taxes because they get fresh air that blows in from the
country. On the other hand there’s the matter of pollution when
nearby farmers decided to spread manure, which should mean
the urban people pay less than their share. But then there’s the
pollution some urban industries might put into air or water so
that should tip the scale in favour of rural residents again.
This kind of dickering, ridiculous or not, could go on forever.
When you try to measure intangibles you might as well try to
carry water in a sieve. The municipalities must try to use some
common sense to work out their problems. If not they only
present one more good argument for the dreaded prospect of
regional government.
Canadians missing
the fun of winter
To listen to Canadians moan you ’ d think Canada was covered
by the polar ice cap 11 months a year. To look at our success at
the Winter Olympics in Calgary this week you’d think we had
never seen snow.
Perhaps it is something of the schizophrenic relationahip to
ice and snow that makes Canada far from a dominant
participant in the winter Olympics. We tend to think of
ourselves as a small country in population but we lag far behind
smaller countries like Finland, Norway and Switzerland when it
comes to success in winter sports.
It’s our loss. Watching the Winter Olympics on television is
about as close as most of us get to winter sports anymore. We
have lost the sense of fun about winter that every Canadian kid
has from the first time he looks out the window and sees the first
snowflakes in November. Pounded by television and movie
views of California and Florida we find it fashionable by the
time we’re teenagers to bemoan our fate at living in such a
god-forsaken climate and rush off to Florida or to the Caribbean
as soon as we can.
Yet looking at the Olympics on television shows how much
fun winter sports are. Few sports played in summer can equal
the excitement of the luge, the bob sled, the downhill ski races
or the speed and grace of speed skating. Winter games are fun 1
Sitting home in our warm living rooms watching the games
on television we are apt to get upset that in so many of the winter
sports Canadiansjust don’t measure up. Perhaps if we stopped
dreaming of ourselves as Californians and learned to not just
live with winter but take the opportunities for pleasure it gives
us, we too could join the giants like Finland and Switzerland on
the medal podium at future Olympic games.
Mabel’s Grill
There are people who will tell
you that the important decisions in
town are made down at the town
hall. People in the know, however
know that the real debates, the
real wisdom reside down at
Mabel's Grill where the greatest
minds in the town [if not in the
country] gather for morning coffee
break, otherwise known as the
Round Table Debating and Fili
bustering Society. Since not just
everyone can partake of these
deliberations we will report the
activities from time to time.
MONDAY: Billie Bean was saying
this morning that he thought
Harold Ballard must have spent his
time while he was in hospital down
in Florida watching satellite feed of
the Parliamentary channel. How
else do you figure, he said, that
when a hockey team is playing
terrible you fire a guy that hasn’t
been on skates for 20 years. Billie
says he figures Harold must have
been watching the goings on in
Ottawa where there is always some
new scapegoat to take the blame
for the latest mess.
Think of the possibilities, Hank
Stokes went on. If the Leafs
continue to lose they can fire the
stick boy, then the trainer, then all
the janitors and the girls who sell
popcorn and if the team hasn’t
improved in five years they can get
around to the coach and the
players.
TUESDAY: Tim O’Grady was
egging on Ward Black this morn
ing saying he hoped that when
Prime Minister Mulroney goes to
the Olympics for the opening later
this week he’ll get the physical
fitness bug.
Ward got curious enough that he
finally asked why and Tim showed
him an article in the paper where an
election organizer warned Conser
vative candidates they had better
be prepared to “carry” Mulroney
in the next election. “I wouldn’t
want to see them get worn out
before they even get into the
running,” Tim said.
WEDNESDAY: Hank was saying
this morning that he’s thinking of
forbidding his kids to watch
television, listen to the radio or
read newspaper sports sections for
the next few weeks until the
arbitration hearings are all over in
baseball. “How are you supposed
to give your kids a proper sense of
what’s right in the world if they
have to listen to a Tom Henke
bellyaching and demanding to be
traded because he’s only getting
paid $725,000 a year instead of the
$1,025,000 he thought he was
worth. The guy is absolutely
insulted because obviously nobody
values him enough because he
didn’t make the million. And wait
until George Bell can’t get his $2
plus that he wants.
“Imean,’’saysHank, “howare
you supposed to tell the kids you
can ’ t afford to raise their allowance
from $2 to $3 if they’ve been
listeningtotheseguys. They’re
liable to report you to the Child
ren’s Aid for child abuse.”
FRIDAY: Ward Black was telling
Tim this morning that he’d never
been sued and he hoped he never
would but just the same it might be
worth it if you got sued like Hugh
Hefner just did.
Seems Hugh had been nuzzling
Continued on page 5
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