The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-06-03, Page 6-. :-a re,.. I4 Page 6 - Godench Signal -Star, Wednesday, June 3, 2009 F4d1 www.goderichsignalstar.com Proprietor and published by Bo►s e.s Puhli.►/tern, P.O. No.t 220. 120 tluc kin.► Street. Goderic lt, Ontario ,N7.4 4#l3h EDITORIAL No ordinary artist, that Alice • It was a pleasure to note that Huron County's Alice Munro was the recipient of the Man Booker International Prize last week and the $1(X),(XX) that goes with the award. Alice Muiu-o is an artist of the highest caliber and her short stories have brought fascinating tales and ordinary characters to life tor many readers around the world. As the judges on the panel asserted: "she brings as much depth, wisdom and precision to every story as most novelists bring to a life- time of novels." It seems remarkable that an ordinary artist from the Wingham area, whose stories reflected the rural setting and ordinary people of the area, would come to be recognized by critics and fans around the world. Such has been the artistry and simple pleasure of Alice Munro. She found extraordinary depth and complex issues in the simple life of the area. The award is testament to her talent and perseverance and an admonition to • young writers to pay close attention to their surrounding, however mundane they appear. Well deserved, Alice Munro. D.S. EI rules must be applied equally Sooner or later, the federal government is going to have to adjust its unfair policy on qualification for Employment Insurance benefits. As more and more jobs are lost across the country, and especially in the manufacturing heart of southwestern Ontario where auto plants and part sup- pliers continue to shed production and jobs, the need is amplified and grow- ing. The major problem with the system is that there are varying require- ments for EI eligibility across the country. The playing field is not level as it currently stands. In some regions of Canada, only 420 hours of work are required .for unemployed workers to qualify for benefits while eligibility is .as high as 700 hours in other areas. The system has to be more accessible to more unemployed Canadians as job losses mount and bills.pile up. Economists, unions and political parties have joined a growing and urgent voice calling for a flattening or evening out of the eligibility requirements to make the system accessible to all Canadians. Recently, the Liberals proposed that a threshold of 360 hours worked throughout the country for the balance of the economic and recessionary crisis. For, as economists will tell us. unemployment numbers will remain high as the country emerges from the current recession. • Prime Minister Stephen Harper has expressed a reluctance to raise any business, corporate or payroll tax to fund a revamped system, and El premi- ums have been frozen by the government. The federal government has announced the deficit to be in excess of $50 billion. Money has been doled out in generous amounts to keep the fragile ' economy going and Canadians have readily accepted the fiscal notion that spending for job -creation is good tonic for the current economy. Placing a few more billion in the El coffers will do nothing but help cash-strapped families -buy food, pay rent and mortgages and attempt to live in basic fash- ion in a tough economy. El money will go directly back into the economy and it's a basic measure of assistance that all Canadians would willingly offer to those down on their luck and without prospects for jobs. Sometime soon, a measure of fairness has to be extended to all the jobless. D.S. tioW CAN YoU JuSTtFY HANDING ouT Mt LLION 5 IN 8014u5 moNCY To .G.e.0 5 WHO FAILED w tT 4 CAPADA Pe4SIoN ii t - Writer confused with new Eco Fee To the Editor; Did you ever wonder vvhat an Eco Fee was when you purchased motor oil, paints, pesticides, antifreeze or single -use batteries at a retail store? Have you ever noticed this fee? I purchased motor oil at a local retail store and noticed a charge called Eco Fee. When I contacted the store about this charge I was told several dif- ferent reasons. In researching online, I found an answer to my question. Stewardship Canada, which is a private company associated with Waste Division Ontario, implemented this levy. This charge is mandated by government legisla- tion as of July I , 2008 which will. pay for more hazardous waste depot facilities. Will we ever see them? • The Goderich Signal -Star. published every Wednesday at Goderich. Ontario is one of The Signal -Star Publishing Group of Community Newspapers, a division of Bowes Publishers. The Goderich Signal Star shall not be liable for failwr to publish an ad for typographical errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of that portion of the ad in which the error occurred. The Goderich Signal -Star reserves the right to reject or edit any advertisement. • The Goderich Signal -Star is a prvad member of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) and The Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA). MAIM AIM Editorial Deadlines... Advertising De Entertainment, In Me,noriams. Classifieds... Display Advert Telephone Fax.... Publisher... Reporters... • Letters optniO, t I ,was told that none of these fees go to the gov- ernment. hut looking at my receipt, PST and GST were calculated on the Eco Fee, which goes back to the government. Sincerely, Dan Butt Editor's note: Dan had asked whether or not a waste depot had opened in the area. A hazardous waste depot just opened this month at the Mid -Huron Landfill Site in Holmesville. They will accept waste at no charge. Classifieds & Subscription... Monday at 10 am Accounting... adlines... Births, Deaths, Office Manager... .. Friday at 3 pm Monday at noon Display Sales... ising... Monday at noon 519-524-2614 519-524-5145 Dave Sykes Dominique Milburn Gerard Creces Denny Scott Advertising Manager... Judy Austin Rhonda Butt Mary Johnston Janet Shrier Lisa McLaren Keith Moreland Kevin Shrier Email... gssnews@bowesnet.com,gsssports@bowesnet.com gssads@bowesnet.cont, godelichads@bowesnet.com website... www goderichsignalstar. coni Romances Ma Amnon Na 40064683 PiAP REGSTRAnOW N0. 7602 Renew UNOBJVENAKE CANACWI Aoonesses TCirculation o: Dept, 120 Rucking Si, P.O. Box 120, Godetidt, ON, NTA 486 (519) 524.2614 Emu gssnews@bowesnet.com We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of (',anada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing costs. CanaC. 4ocna