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The Huron Expositor, 1999-03-10, Page 44 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR, March 10, 1999 Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 Terri -Lynn Dale - Publisher Scott Hilgendorff • Editor Susan Hundertmark - Reporter Larry Dalrymple - Sales Pat Armes - Office Manager Dianne McGrath - Subscriptions/Classifieds 111 Bowes Puhlishen Limited A subs,d.ory of Son Medw Corpordan o Quebecor Company E-mail us at Seaforth @bowenet.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES: LOCAL - 32.50 a year, in advance, plus 2.28 G S.T. SENIORS: - 30.00 a year, in odwnce, plus 2.10 G.S.I. 'USA & Foreign: 28.44 a year in advance, plus $78.00 postage, G.S.T. exempt BSCRIPTION RATES Published weekly by Signal -Star Publishing at 100 Main St., Seaforth. Publication mail registration No. 0696 held at Seaford), Ontario. Advertising is occepted on condition that in the event d a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, Together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid -for at the applicable rate In the event of o typographical error, adveitising goods or services ot 0 wrong price, goods or services may not be soil. Advertisingis merely an offer o sell arid may be withdrawn at ony time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materiels used for reproduction purposes. Changes of address, orders for subscriptions and undeliveroble copies are to be sent to The Huron Expositor. Wednesday, March 10, 1999 Editorial and 8csiness Offices - 100 Mata Sheet.,Seafort[s Telephone 1519) 527-0240 fax (519) 527-2858 Mailing Address - P.O. Box 69, Sealerth, Ontario, NOK 1 WO Member of the Canodion Community Newspaper Association, Ontario Community Newspapers Association Publication Mail Registration No. 07605 Agricultural school an idea with. merit. The possibility of Seaforth, District High School developing a prep -school program for agriculture deserves some serious attention. The idea has come about as a way of attracting students after last year's fears that SDHS would be closed.' But it has enormous potential and ramifications for how schools educate their students. A proposal being prepared for the Avon Maitland District School Board would open the school to students in urban centres that don't have access to agricultural sites. Under this new proposal, a student could board with a farm family, and attend SDHS which boasts excellent teachers. Maths and sciences would be emphasized, which are needed for students tp pass an American Medical Association test if they are considering a career in veterinary and medical programs. Students could possibly find .themselves in a situation where they worked on the farrn in exchange for room. and board but at the very least, would be exposed to farm life.- Considering ife:Considering Seaforth is in the heart of the largest agricultural region in Ontario, it makes .a lot of sense to bring students here that are interested in agricultural fields. The board, Ministry of Education and Federation of Agriculture should give this idea serious thought and as much support as possible helping develop it into a plan that just might - work. While it could help improve enrollment, it could also help a lot of students considering agriculturally related careers. Often, urban centres are seen a s a place where students have access to more information and support for their studies. This is a chance to show a similar strength through a rural environment. Seaforth's agricultural community has already shown an interest in helping young people with a -recent agricultural -focussed exchange -program. -.- with young people from Thailand and across C d Steckle should show courage and cross floor To the Editor: I am writing to you in response to -some comments 1 had read this past week congratulating Mr. Steckle on recently voting for the Reform Party motion to invoke the notwithstanding clause in the case of child pornography. I agree with .the fact that Mr. Steckle did the right thing. However, it must still be pointed out that it was Mr. Steckle's Liberal party that defeated the bill and supported the right of pedophiles to possess child porn. Until we have more free votes of conscience in the House of Commons (a Reform Party Principle) we will continue to have the top-down run style of political system. . funding (after the 109E All that Mr. Steckle increase last year) towards a accomplishes with theodd body that is in no means vote for what is right is to accountable to the people of get black listed by Mr. this country. Chretien and his cronies: Better yet, why doesn't 1 wonder if Mr. Steckle Mr. Steckle show real will have•the courage to courage and cross the flobr vote against his dictatorial to stand as an independent boss when it comes to the or a Reformer and leave his increase in funding for the ancient party principles senate (even though Mr. behind. Chretien has issued a memo Yours sincerely, stating that all Liberals must vote for it, no matter what). Mark Beaven Another 6% increase in Bluevale Everyone needs to be involved in fight against teenage smoking By Senator Colin Kenney. their lives devoted to Young people are intricate. manipulating people's Not that older folk aren't behaviors? Sure, maybe intricate too, but at least these folks can help. But we've hada bit of time to try _ young people have been to figure out what makes us watching ' these clever tick. schemers for a long time too, - Not so with -young people. and when the messages get Anyone claiming to know righteous most of them twig how to spewout a quick to the fact that. ad people are assessment -of. what just parents in disguise. motivates any given What to do. what to do? If -teenager, or group of parental guidance won't teenagers, is a pompous foolwork, if the slick guys at the Let's say you've got a kid ad agencies are a lot better at n ho smokes: Fresh young selling cigarettes than they lungs headed for the long are at selling clean living, dirty -road. Why a young how' do we give our young person smokes may involve a people a chance to avoid the number of factors: to be part kind of addiction that is.. of_ a peer group, rebellion killing off 40,000 Canadians against parents and other a year? authority figures, striving for 1 say there are answers. independence, the excitement But they are .. complex of risk-taking behaviors, answers. They will- involve weight control, stress release all kinds of initiatives taken - the. list goes on. by the collective efforts of all All of these factors, -of kinds of people who give a course, are by damn. And they will cost tobacco advertising and money. But we -can get that cigarettes .that are a lot money, and wt don/t haveo cheaper than theyused to be. take if from taxpayers. - What to do, parent, what to Remember, the tobacco do? Do you scold? Bribe? . companies say they aren't Cajole?. Use scare tactics? - out to entice young Threaten? Reason? Plead? customers to replace ones Make a deal? Or ignore? who are dying off. They What if. rebellion againsthave-said publicly that they you is part of the mix that want to help discourage that makes the cigarettes \ very thing. You maylaugh appealing? That probably at that - I admit it makes me means that whatever strategy ,laugh - but there is a way you employ will be making- these companies put countered. Even if it is the . their money where their most subtle one you -can mouths pretend to. be. imagine. Hey, they know us.. . Bill S-13, the Tobacco They watch us with big eyes. Industry Responsibility Act, , So what's the alternative? has passedthe'Senate.and is Turn the problem over to ad . ready for. the House of agencies? Wily masterminds, Commons this fall. It would • slap a levy of fifty cents on every carton of cigarettes sold in Canada. The $120 million in revenue raised ;.would be distributed to community groups and national organizations across Canada who want to put real people on the front lines against tobacco addiction among the young. There has to be a sense that young people and adults are working together to beat this thing. • Not just clean-cut .young people that appeal to every parent, but kids with pins sticking out of body parts as well. Not just clean- cut, non-smoking parents and social workers, but adults who have tried 20 times, to quit and failed.' And adults who havebeen diagnosed with lung cancer and heart disease and have a story to tell. We need 'everybody involved. . I can't tell you which approaches will -work best in Which communities, and where . the .kids will be running the show and where the adults will have a say, but I can say that weneed face- to-face encounters all across this country that- come to grips with tobacco addiction and offer healthier alternatives. - The government of Canada. collects $1000 in tobacco taxes for every dollar it' puts into anti -tobacco initiatives. Frankly, that's an insult. Since California's Proposition 99 applieda twenty-five cent tax to every package of cigarettes sold and :used the money for inventive anti -tobacco programs, adult smoking has declined precipitously and smoking among young people - on the rise nearly everywhere else - has - stabilized. The pressures on young people in this society are enormous. Only if we put some money (the tobacco companies' money) into - creative, community solutions are we going to make a dent on the tobacco use among young people, many of whom see the weed as a way of countering: parental pressures, peer. pressures, image pressures and all the rest. - It would be easy for powerful people - be they tobacco - lobbyists, bureaucrats or politicians � to. kill Bill S-13 in the Commons. Don't let it happen. The problem may be complex. but your response can be ever -so - simple; write to your MP, to Prime Minister Chretien, to Finance Minister Paul Martin. Tell. them you want Bill S-I3to pass. Politicians aren't , as intricate as young people. When you talk, it's' their job to listen: Senator Colin Kennyis- author and sponsor of Bill S ' 13, the Tobacco Industry Responsibility Act. ' For further information, please visit his ' website at http: //sen. parl:gc. ca/ckenh v ow safe is your child in the car? "How safe is your child in the car"? Take a moment to consider this question. According to Transport Canada. motor vehicle collisions are the number one cause of death for children 1- 4. in fact, the leading cause of injury or death for young children is the improper use of car seats. With so many styles of car seats and cars. it can be baffling to parents as to what to use. The types of car seats are: • Infant: birth to about 20 lbs.; rear -facing only; • • Convertible: birth to 40 lbs.; rear -facing for an infant and then converted to a Huron County Health Unit forward -facing seatfor toddlers: • Booster; older children 40-60 lbs., allows the seat belt to sit correctly across the hips. Always remember to follow the manufacturer's instructions. Doing it right takes a little extra time. but that effort is one of the best investments you can make. To help you learn more about car seat safety, five videos produced by Fisher-Price and Infant: Toddler Safety Association have been put in the Huron County Library branches to be loaned out. Check with your library: On April 22nd and 29th, Valerie Lee from the Infant Toddler Safety Association ,will be presenting a course on Car Seat Safety. This two- daycourse will enable you to inspect car seats and teach others how to properly install your car seat. The course will be presented free to the participants, thanks to the generosity of some local insurance agencies. It is 'designed especially for police, day care providers; retailers. nurses, community leaders, parents and grandparents who value the importance of safe driving with children. This workshop has received high, recommendations from past participants. If you think proper use of car seats is important and would like to attend, please call the Huron County Health Unit.-Weneed the ' community support throughout Huron County to ensure our kids ride safe. For information contact: Marguerite Falconer. Huron County Health Unit, (519)- 482-3416 or i-800-265-. 5184. Grade -1-3- evolved =lata the--OACyearon--its own with cirriculum changes that just didn't work ana a. If homes were opened for these young people, surely more rural homes would open up to help urban students learn and grow with them. STH • New e-mail address Letters to the Editor and other submissions can be made to us by noon on Mondays at: seaforth@bowesnet.com All letters and submissions must be signed and accompanied by a day -time telephone number. All submissions are subject to editing for both length and content. Don't fotxet to check out our homepage at: www.bowesnet.com/expositor/ Students aren't going to be ready to leave their hometowns for university and college life in four years. They need more time to grow and mature. They need more study time in the controlled atmosphere ofa highschool beforebeing given the responsibilities of post secondary school. These are just some of the arguments and concerns surrounding next year's curriculum changes that will see and end to the OAC year. But does anyone remember what happened to Grade 13? ' More than 15 years ago, the Ministry of Education announced curriculum changes that were going to see students leave high school in four years with the removal of Grade 13 and a move from two diplomas at graduation, to one. i got one of those diplomas just prior to entering into a fifth year of high school with no official status as a student. But I still needed five of what J Scott Hilgendorff were now called OAC credits. I was in the first class of students moving through that new curriculum and found myself still needing the credits before 1 could go on to university. What made it confusing was going through that new system in two different school boards. I went through Grades nine through 11 in Essex County where, as soon as the curriculum was changed, they were prepared. Guidance councillors explained to us hoW the process would work and that we could do something called "fast• tracking" which was taking a double math and English in Grade 11 in order to take six OAC classes in our Grade 12 year. Some of us did that. 1 took the double English. Following that year, i moved to the Huron County school system and found the high- school in Goderich did not offer that extra English. But because I picked it up in Essex. i met the minimum requirements for my diploma. • The next thing i knew, I was graduating that fall with students a year ahead of me that 1 didn't know. 1 came back for that final year. taking five credits (1 already had taken two OAC credits the year before because of the preparedness of the Essex County system) and moving on to university. Graduation came for that year and. after starting a high school newspaper and entering a journalism program at CONTINUED on Page 5