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The Citizen, 1996-11-06, Page 4Photo by Bonnie Gropp Letters THE EDITOR, I feel it is my responsibility as a concerned citizen to take a few minutes of my time to address an ever increasing problem, try to raise public awareness to this problem, and hopefully, in the process, make a difference. Imagine yourself taking a quiet drive on a beautiful fall afternoon, and then in a blink of an eye being rushed by ambulance to the hospital in serious condition, undergoing extensive surgery and looking forward to months and possibly years of physiotherapy and lifestyle adjustments. This is exactly what happened to my brother, Brian Searson on Oct. 26. He was transferred to a London hospital in serious condition because of an accident which I believe could easily have been avoided. Brian was returning from work when he pulled his motorcycle into the left-hand lane pt.-County Rd. 16 to pass a tractor pulling a grain wagon. As he was passing, the tractor turned left in front of him and my brother collided with the tractor. The accident has really made me stop and think. It bothers me that accidents involving motorists and farm equipment are occurring much too frequently. It appears to me that not much is being done to prevent them. In fact, only two days after my brother's accident, my husband was travelling to work and almost had the same thing happen to him. Obviously something needs to be done, possibly something as simple as equipping tractors and farm equipment with brake and turn signals and long-arm mirrors so that the driver can see past the equipment he is pulling. These items are required by law on transport trucks and any other motor vehicles pulling boats, utility trailers or campers. Why should farm equipment not be required by law to have the same standard safety features? I have seen and spoken with farmers who have, on their own initiative and at their own expense, installed lights and mirrors to their equipment in an effort to prevent these kinds of accidents from occurring. They are to -4 be commended. In closing, I wish to say that I firmly believe these safety features are a small price to pay for the preservation of human life. Brian is a very lucky young man. We are truly grateful that he is still with us today. I must also add that he is recovering quickly and we thank all of his friends for all their support and best wishes. Sincerely, Cheryl Webster, Bluevale. THE EDITOR, To residents of the Blyth Community: A committee of local people and Town and Country Support Services are establishing a Community Dining Programme for older adults and individuals with physical limitations. Continued on gage 6 PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1996 C cn itizen *CA P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil PAID The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $27.00/year ($25.24 + $1.76 G.S.T.) in Canada; $62.00/year In U.S.A. and $75.00/year in 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 newscrlpts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 The North Huron Is anybody listening? The voice of the people is starting to be heard loud and clear across the province: people don't want major cuts to their hospital service and aren't thrilled about municipal amalgamation either. The question remains, is anyone listening? Last week 400 people turned out at a meeting in Wingham worried about the future of their hospital. Clinton Public Hospital began a series of public meetings Tuesday night with a public meeting in Blyth Memorial Hall. Earlier there were meetings in St. Marys. Local hospitals have learned from what went before them in Grey-Bruce when 15,000 people attended meetings after the Grey-Bruce Health Council's restructuring committee suggested there might be only two full-service hospitals left in the two counties. With Huron-Perth District Health Council currently conducting a study on how to cut 18 per cent or more from the region's hospital budget, there's a growing concern we don't want any proposals similar to those proposed in Grey-Bruce. Recently an "open house" into a proposal by the Town of Goderich to take over portions of Goderich and Colborne Twps. turned into an angry meeting as township residents made it clear that they wanted no part of this amalgamation scheme. Still, amalgamation proposals are blossoming across the county and the province because the provincial government has warned municipalities to reorganize themselves, or have the decisions made for them. But will the growing public concern and anger have any effect? The provincial government has purposely isolated itself from the decision making by setting up commissions to carry out these tasks. When a minister or an MPP is cornered by angry critics, they invariably say "we were elected to do this". In fact, they weren't. Even those who voted for Mike Harris's government (and that was just 40 per cent of the people who voted) did so on promises there would be no cuts to health care. The government now says it didn't say there wouldn't be changes to health care, and that money saved in hospital closings will be reinvested elsewhere, but that wasn't the message people heard. The Harris government is playing the same game as the separatists in Quebec: all it takes is the voting public to agree for one day in time and they feel justified in taking action that will change the future of the country forever. Does the voice of the people not matter except on election day? When a large proportion of the population is clearly against something, as is becoming evident in health care issues, is the government still justified in carrying out its agenda because 18 months ago they did have the support of 40 per cent of the people? Democracy is about more than trickery and stubbornness. The Harris government, however, is not about democracy. It is about doing what a small elite wants to do — and finding an excuse why they're justified in doing it. — KR The weird politics of Quebec Someday someone will write a comedy about the politics of Quebec and it will be hilarious. It won't take a lot of comic genius, just a writing down of the facts. Take the case of Quebec's Lieutenant-Governor Jean-Louis Roux who this week admitted he was part of a demonstration in 1942 in which he wore a swastika and broke windows in Jewish stores. It's the kind of racist incident anglos in Quebec, particularly Jews like novelist Mordecai Richter, have remembered and worried about in the nationalist movement. Federalists have been ready to suggest the same intolerance is present in the nationalist movement today. But Roux is a federalist today, appointed against the wishes of Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard, so the federal government defends him by saying he should be judged by the past 50 years of his life, not some happening in 1942. Bouchard, however, worries that Roux is "tarnishing Quebec's image". He invokes the memory of 90,000 Quebecers who joined the Canadian army to fight fascism. In 1942, Roux was a Quebec nationalist, as Bouchard is today. Nationalists were opposed to Quebec's participation in the European war. Of the 90,000 who joined the Canadian army, it's unlikely there were many nationalists, yet now they are nationalist heroes for fighting fascism. Politics in Quebec are always complicated. — KR E ditorial