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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1997-05-28, Page 1Sports Donation Homecoming Entertainment Soccer and baseball seasons underway See page 8 Optimists donate to Brussels soccer league See page 10 Brussels fundraiser does double duty as ad See page 14 Casting done for Blyth’s Quiet in the Land See page 27 CHSS students’ CD looks seriously at harassment Vol. 13 No 21 Wednesday, May 28,1997 70c + 5c GST 750 Students at many area elementary schools have been braving the unseasonable spring weather to get the track and field events finished before the area meets. This young athlete breezes over the high jump with a smile at the Brussels track and field day. Winners will compete at the North Huron meet June 3 in Howick. By Janice Becker Citizen staff "The joke's over. Sexual harass ment is not funny." Those were the very serious words from Dianne Cunningham, minister responsible for women's issues, when she helped launch an interactive CD-Rom on the subject at Central Huron Secondary School (CHSS), May 26. The CD, created by four former CHSS students; Erin Maaskant, Matt Maaskant, Jason Bell and Robert Kemp, and teacher Steve Oliver, for students, deals with sex ual harassment, sexual assault and violence in schools. The CD includes four areas of involvement, including defining sexual harassment, understanding it, stopping it and resources which may be available. The project which took almost a year to complete, is one which required "teachers who are vision aries," said Cunningham. When students are sad or afraid (because of sexual harassment), they do not participate fully in school, said Cunningham. "They don't get all they could out of it." Cunningham said she has heard stories where students have gone to someone in authority, whether at school, home or in the community and nothing has been done. "How can we, as adults, have not responded?" she questioned. "This CD is a student resolution for a stu dent problem." The CD, titled The Joke's Over,, was a collaborative effort between the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, the Violence Against Women Preventative Ini tiatives (OWD) and Technology Incentive Partnership Program part ners Apple, Silicon Graphics, DYNAMIX as well as the students and staff who put many hours into the project. The video clips, questionnaires and games, not only answer ques tions but are a starting point for open discussions in the classrooms, said Oliver. After speaking with a group of senior students from Hensail Public School, who had viewed the CD- ROM, Cunningham asked if they had learned anything from the ses sion and at what grade the program should be introduced. The students said they did leam from the CD as they did not realize certain comments were sexual harassment. They also believed Grade 7/8 classes should view the project. Director of Education for the Huron County Board of Education Paul Carroll thanked several people for their involvement in the project and the important private links which were made. George Barker, principal at Hul- lett Central and chair of the com mittee which developed the sexual harassment policy, thanked Cun ningham for her ministry's contin ued support for the program. Carroll ended the morning assembly by saying the group involved in the project has collec tively witnessed a great success, addressing significant social issues and having an affect for the future. "The students are meeting the demands for the next millennium," said Cunningham. Candidates talk support for ag. Nature plays dominoes with farmers By Janice Becker Citizen staff Spring temperatures three to five degrees below normal have caused a domino effect in the agricultural sector. "We are nearing the optimum time for white bean planting in Huron County and farmers have not yet planted the com or soya beans," says Bob Humphries, an agriculture representative at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs office in Clinton. Eastern Canada has been caught in the trough of the jet stream this spring, said Dejan Ristic, manager of the regional weather office in Toronto. The trough will result in tempera tures below normal while a ridge means above normal readings, he said. This region has also seen a lot of brief storms due to its position in the trough, Ristic said. These below average tempera tures have caused several problems for both the crop and livestock farmers, according to Humphries. "There is a major concern with hay and pasture fields. Farmers have purchased beef cattle to put out in the fields, but there is little hay," said Humphries. Dairy farmers are seeing the sup ply of haylage going down and there are no new crops in yet, he added. "We have also gotten comments from farmers who have taken field walk-throughs and seen more win ter kill in the wheat than expected. Some is being worked under for soya bean plantings and those who are now spraying with pesticides have seen considerable weed pres sure." For those producers who were able to get on the land early and plant com, there are now fears that the seed has died or has not broken through as there is no emergence, he said. If the corn is not yet in the ground, farmers are beginning to question if they should return the seed for a different hybrid with a shorter growing season or switch to beans, said Humphries. Experienced farmers are telling Humphries they believe the season could be as much as two weeks Continued on page 23 By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff Agriculture's importance to the Canadian economy was a common thread at the Huron Federation of Agriculture's all-candidates meet ing in Holmesville, May 22. Each of the five candidates, Christian Heritage Party's Dave Joslin, New Democrat Jan John stone, Reform’s Doug Fines, Liber al incumbent Paul Steckle and Progressive Conservative Colleen Schenk, addressed, at different times throughout the night, to the capacity crowd the need for gov ernment to sustain and support the agricultural industry. On other issues, such as tax cuts, job creation and social spending, the candidates were less in agree ment. Opening remarks Each candidate was given three minutes to make an opening state ment. Joslin began saying that more than 30 years ago a cradle to grave welfare state was adopted and built for Canada, but some where along the way something happened. He spoke of the $1 tril lion accumulated debt and social strife. "The Christian Heritage Party believes it’s time to go back," said Joslin. He suggested changes to the Canada Pension Plan and a pro-family tax credit so families could afford to have one parent stay home and raise their children. CHP opposes abortion, supports no parole for violent criminals and the restoration of the death penalty for those convicted of first degree murder, and a return to "political sanity," he said. Former Liberal candidate, John stone said she switched to the NDP after becoming disillusioned with broken promises. "I did not cam paign to have social programs slashed and unemployment." Reform policies, said Fines, are sound and reflect modem agricul ture. His party would promote Continued on page 7