Loading...
The Citizen, 1992-11-04, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1992. I'mproud to be Canadian’ says essay winner Here are the winning entries of the ‘‘Proud to be Canadian" contest at Brussels Fall Fair this year. Majestic W.I. Pres. Leona Armstrong, who donated the prize money, said work was so well done it should be shared with The Citizen's readers. by Crystal Semple Grade 6, Grey Central 1st Prize I'm proud to be a Canadian for many reasons. The air is clean. Just right for us. We really care about our environment. We keep it as clean as we can. Schools are recycling their pop cans and composting their cores. More towns are using the blue box, more people are reducing, reusing and recycling. I'm proud to be a Canadian because we tried our best in the summer Olympics. Our Canadian Mark Tewskburry came home with a “Gold”. After having her leg shattered in a boating accident, brave Silken rowed for bronze. I am proud of them. Addiction Research Foundation Canada is very good at sports. We have the awesome Blue Jays who are first in their league. And the Toronto Maple Leafs, who try their hardest. I'm proud to be a Canadian because of our people. We are friendly and kind. When ever you need help, go to a Block Parent or a police officer. We don't care what colour or creed you may be, to us we are all the same. I am proud to be a Canadian because there is a low crime rate. If there is a crime a criminal will be found. When there is a war Canada will send their Peace keepers to try to stop war and bloodshed. We care about other country's safety, not just our own. I'm proud to be a Canadian because of the maple tree. If it were not for the tree and Canadian Indians there would be no maple syrup. Just looking at our flag we see honour, beauty and freedom. In Canada we are free to be you and me. If we all work together we can succeed. That's why I'm proud to be a Canadian. by Ann Stephenson Grade 7, Grey Central 1st Prize The true, north strong and free. How many times has each one of us sung this. As it bellowed from the speakers at the Olympics this summer, I felt myself fill with pride. This is our country's 125th birthday. We should all take a few minutes to give thanks. Every night on the news we see pictures of people fighting for democracy, good food, decent health care, and some form of basic housing. Here in Canada we have fresh food, clean running water and proper sanitation which most of us take for granted. We are also becoming environmentally con­ scious, and taking better care of our land for Canada's future. Unlike most countries, Canada has good medical systems for everyone. We have excellent care for the elderly and a very low infant mortality rate. Although there is a recession, and some companies are moving to our neighbouring country, the United States, most people still have jobs. For the other percentage that don't, we are lucky to have financial aid, such as unemployment insurance. We don't appreciate our electricity until the lights don't come on when we flip the switch. We can go to a store, and we have a whole selection of products, food, clothing, tele-visions, etc. all at fairly reasonable prices. In some third world countries people stand in line for hours just for grain. Canada is fortunate to have little poverty, a low population rate, and a high standard of living. Our country is also bilingual and multi­ cultural. Canada belongs to the United Nations. Last year when our peace keeping forces went to Kuwait, we supported them by wearing yellow ribbons. They also did relief work in Bosnia. Both men and women in Canada of the age of majority, have the privilege to vote. In many countries the people are not permitted to vote at all or just men are allowed. We also let immigrants come to Canada where they can start a new peaceful life. My great-grandparents came to Canada for a new beginning. With hard work they felt they could have a good life here. In Canada we are blessed, especially for having freedom and independence. We also have very productive, rich land that we use for crops and orchards. Canada can boast to having the most fresh water lakes in he world. We also have wonderful scenery such as the Rocky Mountains, rolling Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, abundant wildlife, clear rivers and streams, and the prairies where crops flourish. We are lucky to have four distinct season changes. Even with the few problems we have in Canada I am lucky to live here and truly proud to be a Canadian!________________ Purchasing a vehicle is a big decision! Let us help you make the right one! GARRY WOODCOCK Quality Cars & Trucks We Can Save You Money A Little - Save A Lot ^jj^^^NTGOMERY! LUCKNOW 528-2813*®* fields over This feature is fourth in a series by the Addiction Research Foundation designed to inform the public about the ARF's programs and resources as well as alcohol and other drug issues. Bob Williams sits in his office on the fourth floor of the Addiction Research Foundation; the carpet around his desk is dotted with piles of paper. If any room ever looked like a place to get information, this one does. He laughs good-naturedly when you hint that some people might find working with statistics a little dry. "Everybody does," he freely admits, but his passion for his job as supervisor of the ARF's Statistical Information Services is evident as he describe his department's main function. "All too often, when you read a newspaper, you see the one dramatic statistic — 'cocaine- related crimes have doubled in the last 10 years' — that sort of thing. The best way we can serve the public is by giving people a lot of information from a lot of sources. That way they can get a well- balanced picture of what’s really happening out there in terms of drug and alcohol abuse." Williams' department is only one facet of the ARFs overall response to requests for information. Statistical Information Services, the ARF’s Information Centre and the ARF library together process about 60,000 information inquiries a year. One of the biggest statistical projects that Williams oversees is the production of two publications — one that profiles drug and alcohol abuse in Ontario and the other, across Canada. The national profile is the only one of its kind in Canada, and while Williams admits that the ARF does not have a monopoly on addictions information, he says his department does serve a unique purpose. "We find that a lot of government agencies collect information on substance abuse but it tends to be all over the place. There is data on alcohol- and drug-related crime in one source, and information about people treated in hospitals for alcohol disorders buried in another. What we do is pull all the information together and put it into two volumes." Although produced sporadically in the past, these source books are 60,000 calls set to become annual publications and are used primarily by libraries, government agencies, and professionals and policy planners in the addictions field. Statistical Information Services also draws on these publications to answer questions from the general public and to produce brief summary sheets for callers who "may not want to be buried in a 400-page book of numbers." The ARFs Information Centre is probably the most visible part of the Foundation's information resources. The centre's staff run the drug and alcohol information line, INFO-ARF, which offers access to over 35 taped messages in French and English and can be reached by calling 595-6111 in Metro Toronto, and the toll-free number, 1-800-INFO-ARF, in the rest of Ontario. Five messages are also available in Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. As Bill Gilliland, supervisor of the Information Centre, points out, the popularity of the line is due, in large part, to the fact that it's an automated service. "That means it's anonymous and confidential," says Gilliland. "And that's important because there is still a stigma around drug use. It's also easy to hang up on a machine if someone walks into the room while you're calling." Callers also have the option of talking to an INFO-ARF staff member. Gerry Luciano, who works on the line, says the majority of calls fall into two categories — one is students working on projects about substance abuse, the other is per year family members of someone who's abusing. In the latter case, Luciano says, callers are often at their wits' end. "You can hear the distress in their voices," says Luciano. "Wives say they're ready to leave husbands. People say their families are breaking up over it. There's a real sense of despair." In such instances, INFO-ARF staff will let callers know about treatment centres and assessment referral centres in their area. If the caller is an addictions professional, he or she will be referred to the ARF's Drug and Alcohol Registry of Treatment (DART), which provides information on the availability of treatment spaces. Depending on the nature of the call, staff may make a referral to another department within the ARF. As Gilliland puts it, the information line is the "front door of the Foundation. We try to offer one- stop shopping." If callers are looking for research information, INFO-ARF staff may refer them to the ARF library. Housing about 50,000 volumes, it is the largest addictions library in the world and includes special collections on drug education, the history of the temperance movement, and Natives and substance abuse. But the head of Reference Services, Debbie Monkman, says the library is not only a resource for researchers — it is also used by people with very practical concerns. "We get requests from parents who are adopting crack-addicted Continued on page 15 FREE KIT INCLUDES: WOOD-PRO KIT • Oilomatic" Replacement Chain Loop • 10 Litre Fuel Container with Stop-Flow Spout • 250 ml Engine Oil Mix • 1 Litre Chain Oil • Chain Sharpening File with Handle • Coleman" Cooler • STIHLCap • Sharp Advice’ Filing Manual • Valuable STIHL Coupons RETAIL VALUE (With 21" Cham) STIHL’s Legendary 026 & 034 Chain Saws^ • Wood Pro Kit free with the purchase of any new STIHL 0O9L, 021,023,024,025,026,034,036, or 044 chain saw. Offer available, while supplies last. Royal Canadian Legion Branch 218- Brussels would like to thank you for your support and donations during our 1991 POPPY CAMPAIGN Total amount collected • $1,748.75 Prize Money-Poster & Essay Contest • $115.00 Poppy Campaign Expenses (wreaths, poppies)- 1,088.22 Veteran's Comforts & donations-1,189.89 Total Amount Spent • 2,393.11 Sue Mastnak Poppy Chairman r® Number One Worldwide ARGYLE MARINE AND SMALL ENGINES 88 Britannia Rd. Goderich 524-5361