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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1995-09-27, Page 5J OP-ED PAGE New way to look at 'special powers' We, the people of English Canada, who generally find pol- itics as tedious as the Prairies, would like to get excited for a moment and have a word with you, the referendum -wielding people of Quebec. And that word is: whaddyanuts?!? The last survey revealed that 88 per cent of us love you and want you to stay in Canada. Do not take this number lightly. If the same question was asked about Alberta, the decisive vote would be less than the margin of error. Here are -a few more ques- tions you should consider before voting on the big issue of sovereignty, separations, secession; distinct society, nationhood, relationhood, inter- dependent independence, pee- ing with Depends on — what- ever Jacques Parizeau is calling it this week. Why would you want to make approximately 2,000 lawyers even richer than they are? Will you ever forgive us for the public attempts by John Diefenbaker and Joe Clark to speak French? If your separatist government in Quebec City could not keep the Nordiques from going to Denver, how are you going to feel when the Montreal Canadiens ' • become the Memphis Hillbillies? Take a good long look at Parizeau and Bouchard and ask that chicken or egg question — parasites or presidential pre- tenders — which came first? Why would you want to keep using the Canadian dollar when, by the time this issue is somehow settled, the Mexican peso will be worth more? Okay, you've suffered under Bourassa and Johnson, but how would you like to live under the leadership of a Rae, a Vander Zalm or a Hatfield? Was that a ;lobsters in a traps; quote taken out of context or just out of sea- son? If Parizeau is really as shifty as he seems, how come he was- n't a federal conservative fundraiser? Has anybody explained to Expo's manager Felipe Alou that he'll soon need naturaliza- tion papers to leave the Dominican Republic, a passport to enter Canada, a green card to work in the States, a second passport to enter Quebec and a personal translator to tallc to his players? If we're paying Bouchard but he's working against us and you're paying Parizeau but he's working for Bouchard — is that what they mean by "transfer payments" Do you realize that if the Bloc Quebecois pulls out of Parliament, the rest of us are stuck with a whiner named Preston as opposition leader? Have you thought of who's going to tell the Cotroni family that they must stop speaking Italian? • If Pierre Trudeau fathers one more child, would it settle this thing about "special powers?" I can tell you the conse- quences of a YES vote will be ugly. There is already a dirty tricks campaign underway to deal with a breakaway Quebec. Here's what I know so far. • no matter where he goes in Canada, Mario Dumont will be asked for photo I.D. before he gets a drink. • a trade embargo will be imple- mented, immediately cutting off the supply of peroxide to wives of Quebec's political leaders. • free copies of Golf Courses of Quebec will be sent to every native Indian band east of Ottawa. • a pen pal service will match up the Unabomber with Denis Lortie. • Kim Campbell will be named Canada's Ambassador to Quebec. • all sports commentators will begin pronouncing Patrick Roy's last name as ROY. • we will issue Quebeckers Canadian Passports, but we will insist on taking the passport photo. • barbed wire will be thrown up along the perimeter of Quebec to make sure Mulroney doesn't get out. • a constitutional split is in the works to give us the House of Commons and give you a bunch of arthritic, semi -senile blood suckers known as the Senate. The bran budget alone will bankrupt you! • fans of Cirque du Soleil will be encouraged to bring wild animals into all the perfor- mances. • TSN will refuse to broadcast Expo games, Canadien games and your biker gang wars. • the day after a NO vote, Ovide Mercredi will declare the entire new nation of Quebec a sacred burial ground. • Mordecai Richter will put the economic nail in the new coun- .try's coffin when he starts buy- ing his Scotch in Vermont. Look, whaddayasay we call the whole thing off. Just do whatever it is you think we're stopping you from doing and don't tell us about it. Just like Victoria, B.C. Victoria is more British than Birmingham, England and has as much in common with the rest of Canada as warm ale and scones. They don't make a fed- eral case out of it and frankly, the rest of the country couldn't care less. As Pierre Trudeau once said — there's no place like the bed- room when the state' of the nation's at stake. Reforms leave more patients in Huron Provincial mental health reforms could mean 50 more psychiatric clients will have to stay in Goderich rather than going to. London But according to Goderich psychiatrist Patrick Conlon, the increase will not be a problem for local facilities as long as government funding flows the way it is supposed to. At an open -house discussion session held in Mitchell Sept. 14, the psychiatric hospital restructuring committee pre- sented some of the changes they are proposing for the restructuring of London and St. Thomas psychiatric hospitals. About 40 people attended the session and much of the discus- sion focussed on the question of where the restructured provin- cial hospital would be located. But Conlon,who is a consult- ing psychiatrist with the local hospital's department of psychi- atry, said the biggest concern of people in the rural mental health community is to ensure resources previously given to London Psychiatric Hospital are redirected into the community before hospital downsizing begins. "Overall," said Conlon, "if the resources follow the Police warn about' hospital' phone scam Goderich OPP are warning area residents to beware of a scam from someone posing as a representative for a Windsor hospital - that doesn't exist. The complaints were for- warded to Goderich OPP by Huron -Tel, the phone company in Ripley, early last week, says Goderich OPP Const. Steve Beasley. It is a computer-generated call in which the recording advises the recipient that "the Windsor Community Hospi-tal" has an "emergency call for you." The recipient is then told to punch in either his or her Bell Calling Card number or credit card number. "If people do that, the com- puter grabs their card number, and the criminals can use it," Beasley says. ' Neither of the two com- plainants complied with the request, says Goderich OPP Staff -Sgt. Brian Baldwin. Instead they called Huron -Tel to register complaints. "We call [relatives) directly if we have a phone number," says Gloria Burt, assistant director of nursing for Alexandra Marine and General Hospital: "If not, we ask police to fol- low through on it. We don't call collect. We don't ask people to reimburse us for the call." A increase in service demands (in the community), it could be a positive thing for the area." The two hospitals are 35 kilo- metres apart, operate under a single administration and serve two regional municipalities and 11 counties including Huron, Perth, Grey and Bruce. The restructuring/downsizing is part of the province's mental health reform program which is attempting to change the bal- ance of mental health support from institutional (hospital) facilities to community-based services. At present, hospitals receive 80 per cent of the province's mental health funding. Under the reform program, hospital funding will be reduced by half and 60 per cent of the funding will be directed .o the community. Basically, under reform, hos- pitals would only be used for the most serious psychiatric cases and community facilities such as those at the Alexandra Marine and General Hospital would be responsible for the care of a wider range of cases. The needed money would be used to develop mental health supports such as case manage- ment services and a crisis inter- vention system. It will also be used to train the staff of long- term care facilities who will have to care for older patients with mental health problem: Huron -Perth District H(..11th Council executive director Fraser Bell said concern •' Per funding is warranted but not unreasonable. "I think there .would always be some hesitation," said Bell. "In any planning process people move forward to a certain point and then they say, 'I am a little SEAFORTH SENIOR GAMES INVITES YOU TO OUR ANNUAL POTLUCK AWARDS BANQUET THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12,1995 5:30 PM AT THE SEAFORTH LEGION THIS POTLUCK IS FOR ANYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE SENIOR GAMES, THEIR FRIENDS AND GUESTS OR ANYONE WANTING A FUN SOCIAL NIGHT OUT. EUCHRE WILL BE PLAYED FOLLOWING THE MEAL. o4i)tio 4, gar 0 SEAFORTH DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT Friday, September 29 7:30 p.m. Graduating Students and Award Winners are asked to be at the school by 7:00 p.m. VICE PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL B. ECCLES J.H. MOORE nervous about going the rest of the way until I see some very strong commitment that you are backing me."' And he said what is needed now is some "very clear" mes- sages from the Minister of Health regarding the govern- ment's support for the proposed mental health reforms. "Because of the newness of the Minister of Health," he said, "realistically and reasonably we have not heard those mes- sages." TNI HURON 'EXPOSITOR, Soptet>mbalr 27, 1!11-1 Cardno's Men's Wear would like to say I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for making my Second Year such a success. Special thanks to my customers and friends for all of their support. Congratulations to the winners of our Anniversary Draws. 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