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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2000-06-07, Page 44 -THE HURON 1XP9atTOR, June T. 1000 Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 Terri -Lynn Hart - Publisher Pot Armes - Office Manoger Scott Hilgendorff - Editor Dianne McGrath - Subscriphotts/Classifieds Susan Hundertmork - Reporter Katrino Dietz - Sales & Distribution Bowes Publish, sited )Julrri,/Sun .Nd, E-mail us c.. sea io rth®bowesnet. c om SUBSCRIPTION RATES• LOCAL - 32 50 a year, in advance, plus 2 28 G.S.T. SENIORS. • 30 00 o year, in odvance, plus 2 10 GS T USA & Foreign 28.44 a year in odvonce. plus 578 00 postage, G S T exempt SUBSCRIPTION RATES Published weekly by Signal -Scor Publishing of 100 Moin 5t , Seaforth. Publication moil registration No. 0696 held at Seaforth, Ontario. Advertising is accepted on condition that in the event of a typographical error, the odvertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with o reownobte ollowonce for signature, will not be chorged, but the bolonce of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate In the event of o typographical error, advertising goods or services at o wrong price, goods or services may not be sold Advertising is merely on offer to sell and may be withdrawn at ony time The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited monuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes Changes of address, orders for subscriptions and undeliverable copies ore to be sent to The Huron Expositor Wednesday, June 7, 2000 Editorial and Rosiness OMls s - 100 Meln Shre.t.,aeef rtls Telephone (519) 517-0140 Pax (519) 511-1550 Melling Address - P.O. lox 69, S..f.re6, Ontario, NOK IWO Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, Ontario Community Newspapers Association Publication Mail Registration No. 07605 Editorial Don't settle for 65 cent gas prices Tourist season is here and that means not only' a time for summer safety and sunscreen but a time for gouging drivers. Prices have been on a upward climb for months now and while, at first, people were upset, that anger has died down. While auto clubs and citizens groups bounce, from blaming oil companies for the prices to politicians for the taxes that make them even higher, politicians point fingers at other levels of government and threaten to form committees to look into the situation with about as much of a • threat that something will happen as a child saying he will hate you if you don t give him his own way. Through it all, no one is really doing anything and people are willing to accept it. ff s hard not to see a potential, simple strategy behind the pricing issues. Prices were solid around the 55 to 59 cent mark for at least a year. Then they jumped to 65 cents and people started to get uptight. Then the jumped to 70 cents and that was really bad. Now they re at 77 cents. • But what s likely to happen is, (probably after the summer), the prices will fall back to the 65 cent a litre mark'. We II all fall into the trap and breathe a sigh of relief, even though the prices won t be a true reflection of crude oil prices. Its happened before. How else did prices stay at 55 cents when crude oil was at 1970s levels? The price had creeped and leaped up during the period of about a year from around 40 cents a litre, during a period in which there had been no tax increases. Then the bottom fell out on crude oil prices but the pumps held firm. Sadly, these accusations can t be scientifically backed up until a real, unbiased, uninfluenced committee can have an open and free look at how the pricing is set. That isn t likely to ever happen. There s just too much money involved. Folks, it s time to get frustrated. Just don t take it out on the kids who work at the pumps. Take it out on your MP and MPPs with the same vehemence you used to send them your hockey pucks when the federal government was getting ready to bail out national hockey teams. And don settle for that 65 cent a litre price when we re finally offered some relief. We ve already forgotten how 55 cents a litre was too high barely a year ago. Scot/ Hilgendorff How to access us 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 all tdt,yctll tate number. All submi for both length and Don t forget to chiekt# l> wWw.boWniMOLCOMAISpellitOld Opinion Letter Privacy issue affects Savings Office clients To the Editor: Imagine answering your phone at home one day and being asked by a well-known polling firm to answer a few questions. The pollster calls you by name, identifies you as a customer of the Province of Ontario Savings Office, and indicates that you have a deposit there. Wait a minute - isn't that information supposed to be confidential? Personal financial information can't be released by the provincial government, can it? Guess what - it already has been. If you are one of the residents of this community that has a deposit with the Province of Ontario Savings Office (POSO) in Seaforth - and, I suggest, even if you're not - you should keep reading. In the spring of 1997, the Ontario government decided that POSO should be considered for privatization. As part of this review, the government's Privatization Secretariat hired CIBC Wood Gundy to look at options and the Angus Reid Group to poll customers on the idea. The two companies said they didn't need detailed information to do their work. But the Privatization Secretariat decided not to wait the two to three weeks required to remove detailed information from the POSO database. The Privatization Secretariat obtained from POSO CD-ROMs containing the entire database of POSO account holders, including their names, addresses, social insurance numbers, phone numbers, account numbers and account balances. And then the Privatization office gave the CD-ROMs to Wood Gundy and Angus Reid. Just like that - the provincial. government released the personal financial information of 50,000 Ontarians., After polling started, and several POSO customers complained, the light suddenly went on somewhere in the Ontario government that perhaps this information should not have been released. The CD-ROMs were hastily recovered. While there was an internal review of the incident, it was not reported to Ontario information and Privacy Commissioner Dr. Ann Cavoukian. And the government almost got away with it. Until,• in January 2000, a newspaper reporter heard about the incident and wrote a story. Cavoukian launched an investigation. What did she find? First, she concluded that the disclosures of information were in clear violation of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The government broke the law. She found that Angus Reid and Wood Gundy - to their credit - took steps to safeguard the confidentiality of the information while it was in their possession. Isn't it ironic that the two private companies acted with more care and responsibility toward the 50,000 POSO account -holders than their own government did? The story so far is incredible enough. But it gets worse. Cavoukian added a. section to her report describing• the stonewalling she encountered while trying to get to the bottom of the affair. In her own words, "the Ministry (of Finance)' endeavoured to restrict the scope of the investigation and investigative tools available to the Information and Privacy Commissioner." For starters, Cavoukian said, the Deputy Minister of Finance questioned her authority to conduct the investigation, and tried to restrict its parameters. Several senior government officials refused to be interviewed. Some documents sent to the• Commissioner were partially blacked. out. How is it possible that the government treated an independent servant of the Ontario legislature - and of the people of Ontario- in this manner? What was the government trying to hide? To try to get an answer to that question. I asked the Speaker,of the Legislature to review Cavoukian's report and rule on whether the obstruction she describes constitutes a prima facie contempt of • the Legislature. On May 18. the Speaker agreed that it does. i then moved a motion to refer the entire affair t� a Standing Committee of the Legislature, which, unlike the commissioner, has the power to summon witnesses, order . the production of documents and examine witnesses under oath. Debate on the motion is not yet complete. But according to media reports, the Harris government intends to vote it down. The government says it will instead refer the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to a committee for review. This misses the point. While the Act may indeed require review and amendment in order to beef up the Commissioner's powers, an inquiry- into the 1997 affair and its' cover-up is urgently needed. All Ontarians - and especially the 50.000 POSO customers whose privacy has been seriously violated - have a right to know who ordered the release of that information. what steps - if any - were taken to hold those responsible for this breach of the law accountable, and'what has been done to make sure it won't happen again. We have heard much in recent weeks about privacy concerns - including .the existence of extensive federal databases -on individuals, computer viruses and hackers. and how these things might threaten our privacy in the_ future because of unauthorized disclosures of personal information. Well, in Ontario. the future is already here. At least. one illegal disclosure of information by the provincial government has already occurred. And without a full inquiry to get to the bottom of what really happened, we have no way of knowing that it hasn't -.or won't - happen again-. by Sean Conway. MPP, Renfrew-Nipiss ing-Pembroke Royal Canadian Bank located at new spot June ll, 1875 The business men of Seaforth intend entertaining Messrs. H.W.C. Meyer, Thomas Bell and Walter Scott, at a complimentary dinner at Sharps Hotel, in Seaforth, the occasion of their leaving town. Rev. Mr. Goldsmith and Rev. Mr. Barr left for Montreal to attend the meeting of the general assembly of the Canada Presbyterian Church. The Seaforth agency of the Royal Canadian Bank is now located in its new premises in Messrs. Elliott and Armitage's new block. A fatal accident took place on the farm of Thos. Cowan in Hullett. John Henderson, Moms Township, went up on the frame and stepped backwards onto a plank, the end of which was not supported. He fell on his head and was instantly killed. John Hannah, of Tuckersmith, passed away in his 74th year. He was one of the oldest residents of the township. Mr. Gavin Ross of Hay Twp. recently passed away. - He emigrated here from Glasgow and was 87 years of age. June 8th, 1900 The homes of Solomon Bell, Aaron Hulley and J.F. Hackwell of Leadbury, have been gladdened by the arrival of baby boys. Charles Crich of Tuckersmith left for Nelson, British Columbia, where he will visit relatives. Murray and Crich of Tuckersmith are busy cutting wood for the farmers, with a circular saw. N.D. Buckanan of Zurich has passed his first year examination in medicine, at Toronto University standing at the top of the first class honor list. The induction of Rev. F.H.Larkin into the pastorate of First Church, Seaforth, takes place on Wednesday next. John Walker of Roxboro has just received word announcing the death of his son Thomas in British Columbia. As the result of an accident. Years agone... John. A. Jackson of Seaforth passed his second year and S.A. Dickson his first year at Osgoode Hall, Toronto. A.H.Bonman of Dublin had a runaway accident in town. He was driving a team of horses around the corner at Gunn's store when one of the wheels came off and the horses ran away. The rig collided with an electric light pole in front of Mr. Ault's store and was smashed. W.A. Kerr of McKillop has passed his final examinations before the college of Physicians and surgeons. Messrs. Reid and Wilson of town have had a new awning erected in front •of their hardware store. W.D. Bright of town is now the Champion fisherman. He brought home a string of brown trout. The Messrs. Smith Brothers of Goderich have opened out a stock of dry goods in the stores in the Marshall Block.in Hensall, Messrs. G. Deickert, F. G. Bonthron, Alonzo Ortwein and J. Middleton left Hensall as members of the. Exeter company of volunteers, to attend at London. Robert McLaren's fine new barn at Hensall was raised last week'without an accident. June 12, 1925 The following officers were elected to the Lions Club. Resident R. M. Jones; vice president, W.J.Duncan; secretary. W.G. Spencer; Treasurer, J. M. McMillan; Directors, Dr. Chas. Mackay, J. MacTavish, J. Best, J. F. Mullen and A. D. Sutherland. Miss Ada Reid of Toronto University has successfully passed her examination there. Mr. Farnham, who has held a position in Brucefield has been transferred to Clinton and Mr. Hovey has taken his place here. Arnold Landsborough, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Landsborough of Tuckersmith has passed his sixth year in Medicine and 1, now the Medical Council. He will commence practice in a large hospital in New York State. The late John Doig of Tuckersmith passed away at his home following a stroke. Although he had passed the four score span of his life. he was active up to a few days before his death. Geo. Cowie. stage carpenter of the Capital Theatre in London has been in Bayfield fitting the new scenery for the town hall. Wm. Orr of Bayfield left on the Greyhound for Detroit where he expects to get employment. A new metal roof has been put on the Zurich Fire Hall. Two Walton merchants. Wm. Neal and Wm. Humphries has each auto trucks and collecting cream. Albert, the young son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Rose fell from a tree and fractured his arm at the wrist. The narrow roadway near the cedar swamp on concession 3. Hibbert, has been widened. We trust that the -day is not far distant when two buggies may pass; so as to avoid a collision. Nelson Govenlock of Winthrop refereed the football game between Ethel and Listowel. The football game between Kinburn and Winthrop was well attended and the score was 2-1 for Kinburn. We feet as if it wasn't for the McKillop boys on the Kinburn team they wouldn't be in it at all Geo. Malone of Beechwood has been seriously ill in St. Joseph's Hospital, lyondon but is improving. A number of men and teams have been engaged in repair work on the 2nd and 3rd concession, along the Beechwood Road. A few from Alma took in the Greyhound excursion to Detroit, Mich. Julie 2, 1950 Norman Russell Dorrance well known citizen of McKillop, passed away in Scott Memorial Hospital. following a lengthy illness. He served as councillor of McKillop and was Reeve for nine years. The collection of paper and rags sponsored by the Lions Club in May. brought a total of 22 1/2 tons of salvage. Lion J. Scott Cluff was chairman for the 'drive. The clerk of Tuckersmith was instructed to. write the Department of Highways. and request that the 30 mile speed limit signs be installed in Harpurhey. Residents of Hensall and surrounding district learned with regret of the passing of T.C.Joynt. prominent Hensall business man. He was in business there for the past 35 years. At a combined meeting of Hensall and Chiselhurst congregations held in the United Church, Hensall, Rev. W. J. Rogers. of Blyth received a unanimous vote to become their minister. Rei. H.J. Snell of Exeter was in charge as moderator. • John Anderson of Kippen has commenced repairing his barn. Pictured in this issue was John McGavin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon McGavin of McKillop who is a student at the Seaforth District High School. John competed in the International Plowing Match and won a prize. A miscellaneous shower was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Toll. when 50 ladies gathered to honor Miss Grace Roe whose marriage to Geo. Pethick was an event on Saturday last. Messrs. Fred E. Willis, Basil J. Duncan, and John Cameron attended the reunion of the Elgin Regiment. which was held in St. Thomas on Saturday and Sunday. J.M. Govenlock marked his 88th birthday. He is hale and hearty and able to be down town every day.