HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-01-14, Page 7Qpinion
Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - Page 7
Countycouncil needs preserve aerial er1 e
During the past several years I have
been in dialogue with several persons,
and have written to Huron County
Council urging that action be taken to
acquire the Eugene McGee heritage
collection related to the former British
Commonwealth Air Training School at
Port Albert. For various reasons, no
action has been taken, although the
matter has been reviewed by political
representatives, officials at the County
level, and by staff associated with the
Huron County Museum. It is recog-
nized that such acquisitions are not
always an easy matter to resolve. As
time passes, so also does the risk of
losing such valuable resources. You
may recall that Huron has lost the irre-
placeable Clinton Radar School mem-
orabilia and archives to a London,
Ontario group that offered a solution
to a similar relocation challenge.
Letters
opinion
In anticipation of future infrastruc-
ture funding from senior levels of gov-
ernment to stimulate our troubled
economy - and, in respect of Mr.
McGee's ongoing desire to divest of
this significant heritage collection, I
wondered whether Council would con-
sider opening the door to the provision
of space for this, and' additional, relat-
ed military collections of similar
importance to the community, in the
form of a simple expansion at the Sky
Harbour Terminal site, home of the.
satellite Sky Harbour Museum.
This location is the logical place-
ment for this collection and other sim-
ilar artifacts and archival materials
related to our historical llinks and
roles with World War II in this com-
Salt trucks and snow plows
Last week on a clear and snow -free
day we observed a few fully -loaded salt
trucks driving around our bare streets
expecting a futuristic snowfall. Today,
with a 24 hour freezing rain warning,
where are they? Or were they frozen
like the rest of the populace of
Goderich.
Are we not the salt capital of Canada?
Does the town not have free unlimited
supply of salt? Or should we budget to
import from the United States? Maybe
. it's the scandalous fuel prices and the
horrendous overhead that are keeping
them indoors at times like this?
With the enormous assessment com-
ing, we should have multiple trucks on
the .road, or can we not afford a snow
removal budget.
From a staff member coming into this
beautiful town, we hear, "From moving
into the area, I am surprised and
appalled at the lack of road mainte-
nance in this community, at least in the
north we came to expect it somewhat."
In today's society we push for physi-
munity. It already houses an aviation
collection; it is an existing satellite to
the Huron County Museum; and, it is
suitably designated through the pre -
sense of a Province of Ontario Historic
Plaque.
A simple display room or gallery
addition of 1,000 -to 1,500 square feet,
at grade level, of similar construction
to the existing building, fully accessi-
ble, and adapted for museum use,
could be constructed, finished, and
landscaped for $200,000 - $300,000;
perhaps less. Only a portion of the
cost would be required from govern-
ment sources. For example, if the
County and the Town were to combine
resources from presumed future allo-
cations, yet to be announced, to assume
50% of the cost, I am convinced that
community groups and individuals, Paul Carroll
committed to the preservation and cel- Goderich
ebration of this part of our history,
would willingly contribute the balance
through some form of public subscrip-
tion or fund-raising campaign for this
specific purpose. I also know that
there are already individuals and
groups willing to step forward and
support such a venture.
Would Council see fit to open the
necessary doors to ensure that such a
project might happen, and that Mr.
McGee's valuable collection be
retained, intact, within he bounds of
Huron County before it is otherwise
dispersed. As property owner, it would
seem logical that the Town of Goderich
might take the lead. Time is of
essence.
operating at the wrong times
cal fitness, do we need to supply tax-
payers with bobskates or dogsleds in
lieu of cabs to navigate the thorough-
fares of the prettiest town in Canada?
But wait, to enable them to use this
. modern equipment, I suppose the side-
walks would need to be cleared prop-
erly.
Being on the southern tip of Lake
Huron we will experience a trilogy of
snow, freezing rain, and sleet. Maybe
this should become a new project for
our deputy mayor. With his Northern
experiences he should have the ability
to foresee such mediocre tasks as com-
monplace.
With our seniors and handicapped,
this is a definite encumbrance and a
tragedy to follow. Or should they stay
indoors like our salt trucks? Are we
using the salt to preserve the heritage of
Goderich? Or is it corroding the ideas
of our community?
Tom Stark
Goderich
RCMP probes illegal use of wheat board address list
Dear Editor,
Using Members of Parliament letter-
head and free mailing privileges to send
letters to wheat farmers asking support for
those candidates favouring New Govern-
ment policy in Canadian Wheat Board
Directors elections may or may not be
ethical.
The RCMP is probing allegation that
wheat board voter list was improperly ac-
cessed in that some of the letters sent were
to addresses with typographical errors
found only on the voters' list. A list "that
according to the law governing the wheat
board, ... is only supposed to be avail-
able to candidates in an election." raises
not only a question of ethics but that of
illegal action.
Hurnourof e Ancient
•
Okay, so this Ancient Greek guy now.
walks into a taverna and orders a half Essentially, not a lot has
urn of unfermented retsina wine. The changed. The Ancient Greeks
parrot on his shoulder undoes the knot based their jokes on the same
holding up -his toga to which the bar- three classes of humour employed
tender yells: "Trojan Horse! That's today: incongruity, superiority
more like a pigmy pony from Ionia!" and repressed humour behaviour.
Okay, that one I made up but the Paradox has always been a
humour of Ancient Greeks was appar- mainstay of amusement. The An tht'. W""k • hat festooned with trout flies
entlyeverybit as crude and lewd as the Ancient Greeks A Circus `
paired a giant and fishing in the toilet is one
locker room jokes of today. An obscure with a pigmy, we placed Laurel thing. Mom explaining to
joke book entitled Philogelos: The beside Hardy. Canadians took the tall
Laugh Addict has just been re-discov- order of the economy and entrusted it to
ered and published online. The 265 the small -mind of Jim Flaherty.
jokes of Philogelos, the lover of laugh- Americans voted for a Bush and wound
ter reveal an awful lot about the journey up with a shrub. The more things
of humour from 6,000 years ago to change in size and scope, the more we
This latest action in the Campaign
Against the Canadian Wheat Board may
well add a third court case to those relating
to The In -and -Out Scam and The Chuck
Cadman Affair. Should the NDP threat of
legal action over caucus taping material-
ize as well there would be a fourth.
Again and again and again the necessity
arises to question whether Harper's Con-
servatives' view of what it is to "Walk the
line" is, in point of law, crossing it.
One thing is certain: all concerned about
Stephen Harper's directions for Canada
must keep their "eyes wide open all the
time."
Joe Hueglin
Niagara Falls, Ontario
get stuck with the same. brand of humour, apparently since the
Incongruity is in fact how beginning of jokes themselves.
humour works. The listener or Arrogant humor puts everybody within
reader of a joke is led merrily earshot in the pulpit looking down and
down a garden path and then mocking those in the pews. The
broadsided by something unfore- Spanish tell stupid jokes about the
seen or completely out of place. Portuguese, the English pick on the
Granpa wearing waders and a Irish, Americans mock the Mexicans.
Canadians tell Newfie jokes. Or at
least we used to. I haven't heard any
such jokers here in Ontario since
another middle aged woman at the Newfoundland discovered oil and
door: "We used to think Granpa was a .became a `have' province to our sud-
nutter and then one day he nailed a six- denly 'have not' domain.
pound trout." Well that's quite another The one that comes to mind is about the
contradictory thing. Newfie living in Ontario who rejoiced
Superiority has , also been a favorite See GREEK, Page 18