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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2001-01-10, Page 44-Tttlt 1411/111011 'EXPOSITOR, January 10, 2001 Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 Terri -Lynn Hart - Publisher Pat Armes - Office Manager Scott Hilgendorff - Editor Diame McGrath - Subscriptions/Classifieds Susan Hundertrnark - Reporter Katrina Dietz - Sales Anne Roden - Distribution Bowes Publishers Limited Siiatia+) of S. Alaimo Gpa'r'°" - A Q. no. Ce -pa.) E-mail us at sealorth@bowesnet.com Visit our home page at www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES: LOCAL - 32.50 a year, in advance, plus 2.28 G.S.T. SENIORS: - 30.00 a year, in odvonce, plus 2.10 G.S.T. USA & Foreign: 28.44 a year in advance, plus $78.00 postage, G.S.T. exempt SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Published weekly by Signol-Scor Publishing of 11 Main St., Seaforth. Publication nail 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 a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the odvertisement will be paid for at the applicable rote. In the event of a typographical error, odvertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely on offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damoge of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. Changes of address, orders for subscriptions and undeliverable copies are to be sent to The Huron Expositor. Wednesday, January 10, 2000 Editorial amid $,d.ess OMillees - 11 Mala Streat.,SeaIerNs Alepramie 1519) 527-0240 rax (519) 537-3555 Matllag Address - P 0. Sex 69, Sealarlb, Omitarlo, NOK IWO Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, Ontario Community Newspapers Association Publication Mail Registration No. 07605 "We acthe financial support of the Government of Canada, through a Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing cosh." Editorial New council could have a strong voice for Huron East The new 12 -member council for Huron East has now completed two meetings. It brings together 10 councillors representing five wards from former municipalities and and a mayor and deputy mayor elected at large. It brings together a diversified group of people with both rural and urban interests and hopefully interests in seeing Huron East operate as openly and fairly as possible to the also diversified group of rate payers now represented by the council. It is too early to know what kinds of personalties surround the table and how they will interact with each other. Many of the new councillors come to Huron East with experience in their former .municipalities, now wards. At first glance, there's a great bunch of people around the table. To the benefit of everyone, it would be great to see a number of the councillors willing to express strong opinions and opposing views to those raised around the council table; not that a great deal of unrest in the new council would be good for the municipality. But opposing views batted around and mediated by a strong mayor and deputy mayor, would make for an effective council; one that is willing to look at the different sides of an issue, whether it meets popular opinion or not. When this happens, it can give ratepayers a little more confidence that actually decisions are being made by the councillors they elected rather than watching councillors turn just to administration for answers and direction. A council that asks questions of delegations and seeks input from people before making decisions would also be a wonderful sight. It's too early to tell but it's not too early to have great hopes. Scott 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 a. day -time telephone number. All submissions are subject to editing for both length and content. Don't forget to checkrrnat our r ge at: w w.boW ( 1. I 1 ,{ Commentary Federation making its plans through input from members By 'Berry Otto, OFA Executive Committee Member Preparations for the coming year's activities are well under way at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. As a grassroots organization, OFA relies on input from its members, local federations and board of directors to set its priorities, both for the short and the long term. A lot of what the OFA does is also driven by plans and actions of federal, provincial and municipal governments. When governments are slow to act on matters critical to agriculture, the OFA takes steps it feels are necessary to protect and promote the farming industry. Considerable effort went toward improvements to the agricultural safety nets this past year. Some progress was made, but a lot more has to be done because Ontario and Canadian farmers are still well below the support level enjoyed by their U.S. counterparts. We know our federal government can provide funding to narrow this gap of disparity. Ontario farmers, when they look across the country, see their counterparts in Alberta and Quebec being supported to a much greater level. We know our provincial government is in a position to provide increased support to its agricultural sector. OFA, working with the province's commodity organizations, will increase its efforts to get government action in these areas. We know the provincial government is planning to table legislation aimed at nutrient management by Ontario farmers. This legislation has been influenced by a number of developments over the past year. Initially, a provincial task force looked at intensive agricultural operations in the province. Before the report could be delivered by the task force, a community's drinking water supply became contaminated, and additional considerations were introduced. OFA supports legislation that will serve to protect the environment, including drinking water and the air we breathe, but we also believe the pending provincial legislation should not be used to force or scare farmers out of the industry. We know the province's farmers strive to produce the safest food possible, but we also know the food system has many more participants. OFA is prepared to work with the provincial•government as it reviews the entire food safety issue in Ontario. We want our produce to be recognized, not just locally, but around the world, as the safest in the world. Property assessments, in many parts of the province, increased this past year. While this is a concern for OFA, we will focus our efforts to protect the province's farmers from inequitable tax increases, if that's where the higher assessments lead. We, at OFA, also acknowledge the constant need to improve efficiencies of operation within our organization. Efforts will continue to realign OFA operations over the coming year to ensure members get the most value for their membership dollar. It's something we don't talk about often, certainly not enough, but the money paid by Ontario farmers to the OFA, ends up supporting the farm lobby at the national level through the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and at the international level through the International Federation of Agricultural Producers. OFA is a major contributor to the budgets of these organizations. We also provide funding to other provincial organizations such as AgCARE, the Ontario Farm Animal Council, the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program, Ontario Agri - Food Education, and the Union des cultivateurs franca Ontarien. As well, OFA staff support goes to groups like the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition and joint agricultural promotional projects like Ontario Agriculture Week. OFA is a complex body with a complex agenda before it at all times. We expect continued joint initiatives with our .family of farm organizations in Ontario and Canada will be successful in representing the needs and concerns of our farming industry. Agriculture federation tries to solve problems innovatively By Ron Bonnett, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Executive Conunittee Much of our time at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture is spent dealing with issues and concerns of the Ontario farm community; lobbying governments to improve or correct situations impacting farmers. Sometimes we forget or fail to acknowledge our accomplishments. The OFA and County Federations of Agriculture are frequently at the forefront of innovation as a means of solving particular problems. There are many examples: federations are involved in everything from putting together new financing options for farmers to organizing local economic development initiatives to developing new environmental pilot projects. More specifically, I want to detail developments that emerged from a potentially disastrous situation we worked on with the Norfolk County Federation of Agriculture earlier this year. Farmers there faced the possibility of not having access to water they needed to irrigate their crops. Government officials, wanting to protect the ground water supply, imposed a ban on water taking for irrigation that meant the farmers could not use water during the peak growing season for their crops. OFA worked with the local federation and the government officials to overcome the immediate crisis, and then the local federation proceeded to find long-term solutions. The Norfolk Federation set up a steering committee with other partners also in need of water resources. Four main objectives were developed for the group: find alternative water supplies, improve water storage capacity, make more efficient use of existing water resources, and create or enhance fish and wildlife habitat. The success of this initiative can be attributed to the partnerships that were established; partners from the private sector, the municipal sector, the provincial sector, and local organizations came together to develop solutions each could accept. With the Provincial Government's Healthy Futures program as the funding base, a number of initiatives were planned, and so far 29 of 32 project applications have been approved. Many of these projects are underway and several have been completed. Financial incentives were created to help farmers who wanted to improve their water supplies, and develop new ways of conserving and managing available water resources. Ontario farmers are among the most innovative in the world. The Norfolk example is just one of many taking place across the province. One of the advantages of keeping strong and dynamic federations at the provincial and local levels is the ability to spearhead new initiatives to deal with specific situations that arise. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture and local federations throughout the province are finding ways to work with programs like the Healthy Futures for Ontario Agriculture to improve our environment, the rural economy and the quality of life for all rural residents in the province. As I mentioned earlier, the OFA and local federations often play lead roles in innovation. Many initiatives get their start in a community member's mind, so I would encourage anyone with thoughts of ways to improve their area to take those thoughts to your local federation of agriculture, or anyone involved with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. Alzheimer Disease has marry victims It affects every person with a relationship with the Alzheimer patient, reversing roles and making daily life a struggle for everyone Alzheimer Disease has many victims; it affects not only the person with the disease but every person in relationship with them, especially family and friends. Relationships are forever changed, roles reversed, losses experienced and day to day living becomes a struggle. One caregiver shares just how Alzheimer Disease has affected her relationship with her husband. "Caring for someone with Alzheimer Disease is lonely and difficult...at the age of 50, my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I've watched him deteriorate since then, my responsibilities have increased and our roles have completely reversed. I've become the breadwinner and must make all the decisions now. Our friends have all deserted us." Anne Simpson relates her experiences caring for her husband in the book Through the Wilderness of Alzheimer's. "Like other women my age, I am losing looks and strength. I am also losing my dreams." When a spouse or child becomes a caregiver, suddenly there is a minimum of two relationships to manage. The relationship with their loved one and the relationship with themselves. The stress and strain of caregiving can not help but affect both relationships. Increased communication, extra supports, and the desire and commitment to preserving relationships are required. As the task of caregiving demands more time, financial resources, physical strength, and emotional energy, relationships can become strained. In her book My Mother's Voice, Sally Callahan says, "my husband was unable to express the toll my mother's situation and my caregiving was taking on him, on me, and on our relationship. This left me clueless, as I wallowed in a cloud of grief and confusion, barely coping with the day-to-day losses and decisions....I couldn't have done what I did without him, but the toll it took on him and our marriage was high." Early involvement in an Alzheimer Support Group can provide appropriate counseling, information and support which can help lessen isolation, fear and pain. Support groups can also help you deal with the stress of caregiving and channel that energy into positive growth for self and your relationships. A sad husband relates, "I wish others would understand what it is like day by day to care for someone with whom you have had a sharing relationship, and now doesn't even know you are her spouse." Another spouse remarks, "in caring for my husband, I feel exasperate one .moment and filled with guilt the next. The loneliness is the worst for me. We had a terrific marriage and were extremely close. He still is dependent on me and I think, for the most part, is happy and content. I am the one whose life has changed and now make all the decisions alone." The Alzheimer Society of Huron County can help you, your family and your friends through the changes that you are experiencing as a result of Alzheimer Disease. The Society is here to help with information about the disease, caregiving and coping strategies. The Society is here to listen with our family support groups which meet monthly are various locations across Huron County. The Society is here to provide access to the Alzheimer Wandering Registry and other services to make caregiving safer for both you and your loved one. To contact the Alzheimer Society of Huron County call 482-1482 or 1- 800-561-5012.