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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-03-06, Page 4Chilled Letters THE EDITOR, The response to Town and Country Homemakers' Community Needs survey in the Blyth area has been tremendous. As a result, we plan to host a community meeting on Tuesday, March 26 at 1:30 p.m. at the Blyth Memorial Hall. The meeting will be held in the art gallery which is wheelchair accessible. Interested individuals and groups are encouraged to participate in this session regarding current services and future needs in the community. Everyone is welcome. A special invitation is extended to seniors, adults with physical challenges, caregivers, family, friends and those approaching retirement. Yours truly, Jean Young, Executive Director. THE EDITOR, I learned a very valid lesson this week that led me to do some research on my own. After filling one prescription for a three-month supply of medication I took for granted I'd be paying one dispensing fee at the listed price posted. Instead I paid a dispensing fee that was $5.62 more. I don't understand where this figure came from. I called a few different pharmacies and learned that their dispensing fees are considerably lower and some prescriptions vary in price. Being sick and needing a prescription, who has time or energy to shop around for reasonable prices? I guess it's something a person has to do if we are watching the pocketbook. In these times most of us are. Some people may not be aware of a dispensing fee as a lot of people do have drug plans. But there are still some of us who need the cash to pay prescriptions. One good thing is that there are more pharmacies that now deliver. Maybe that's something to check into if you think your pharmacy is charging too much. After talking to these pharmacies. I know where I'm taking my business. If in doubt ask before you fill that prescription. Nancy Machan. Photo by Bonnie Gropp THE EDITOR, The Substitute Decisions Act is not just about planning ahead; it is also about having your affairs managed according to your wishes. The Conservative government has carried out its election promise to restore to families the power to make decisions on behalf of incapable relatives. On Nov. 15, the government introduced the Advocacy, Consent and Substitute Decisions Statute Law Amendment Act 1995. This Act addresses a number of problems created under legislation passed by the former government. For example, the previous government created barriers to families who wanted to act as substitute decision-makers on behalf of relatives who were incapable of acting on their own. Also, the previous government's legislation allowed a government official to step in when the person had made a Continuing Power of Attorney. Those laws made people feel that, even though they had a valid power of attorney in place, the government could still intervene in the substitute decision-making process. The amendments will minimize Continued on page 7 PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6,1996 C The North Huron itizen BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1995 P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, Publisher, Keith Roulston BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. Editor, Bonnie Gropp NOM 1HO NOG IHO Phone 523.4792 Phone 887-9114 Advertising Manager, FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance at a rate of $25.00/year ($23.37 + S1!83 G.S.T.) for local; $33.00/year ($30.85 + $2.15 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier In Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles, from Brussels); $62.00/year for U.S.A. and $75.00/year for other foreign countries. Advertising is accepted on the condition that In the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 Strike a defensive weapon We have come to regard labour strikes as an offensive weapon for unions, an attempt to get more for their workers. What makes the current public servants strike in Ontario so different is that it's a defensive weapon: an attempt by the union to salvage something for thousands of workers who are going to lose their jobs through provincial government cuts. As such, it's hard to be as angry at civil servants as it usually is, even when their actions inconvenience the rest of us. Anyone who thinks the strike is wrong should put themselves in the shoes of union members: how would you react if your employer wanted to abolish your job? There seems little chance the union will win this battle but any hope it has depends on winning public support. In such a situation the union should be seen as going the extra mile to serve the public. The extra mile in this past week's inclement weather, would mean making sure people were not in danger while driving on Ontario's roads. No one will ever be able to prove two multi-car pile-ups on Ontario's superhighways would have been averted if full service had been given by Ministry of Transportation roads crews but the union would get more public support if there had been no question about service in the first place. The letter of the union's agreement may have said highway workers were not essential workers but in Ontario, in winter, they are. Union members have the right to strike to protect their jobs but they do not have the moral right to protect their jobs by endangering the lives of others. — KR A hole in the community From time to time there comes an individual it's impossible to imagine a community doing without. North Huron will have to learn to live without one of those persons now that Simon Hallahan has died. Simon's many community activities have been noted over the years by presentation of both the Huron County Federation of Agriculture's Outstanding Achievement Award and the Citizen of the Year award for Blyth. He contributed through local politics as a councillor and reeve in East Wawanosh, through community work as a 4-H leader of many years and as one of the founders of the Blyth cheese co-operative in the post-war years. For many people he was the Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion for many years after helping to found it in the 1960s. But more than that, he was just an example of what people can accomplish in a life in rural Ontario. Despite many setbacks in his life he was always in good humour and famous for his Irish wit. At 96 we knew he couldn't go on forever, but we kept hoping we were wrong. Now we'll have to learn to do without this wonderful example of humanity. — KR Excuses go on forever International competitiveness has become an excuse for all seasons with the business community. When Prime Minister Jean Chrdtien called on business last week to deliver on jobs business leaders quickly struck back saying they can't afford to take on more workers when they're still trying to be lean and mean to meet international competition. People like Thomas D'Aquino of the Business Council on National Issues admonished the prime minister saying the government hadn't moved quickly enough to cut the deficit. But business should know that you can't save your way into prosperity and until there is growth in the economy, the deficit will continue to be a problem because government revenues are stagnant. People must have jobs to feel safe enough to spend money and make the economy grow. It was ironic seeing D'Aquino lead the charge against the prime minister. He was a man who fronted the business, lobby for free trade back in 1988. Canadians, he said then, won't!' only have future prosperity if they had free trade. Now he says that globalization prevents business from creating jobs because they must be competitive with low-wage, low-taxation economies. Big business, despite its moans, has done well in Canada, racking up record profits in the past couple of years. Its time now to pay it's part of the bargain and help bring the prosperity it promised. — KR E ditorial