Huron Expositor, 2001-10-17, Page 1In brief
Johns
•
praises
Harris
following
his sudden
resignation
T
Tuesday's announc-
ement that Ontario
Premier Mike Harris is
stepping down as leader of
the Progressive
Conservative party was a
surprise and a
disappointment for Huron -
Bruce MPP Helen Johns.
"It's a sad day for me
and it's a challenging
decision for the party and
for me because I have
such a lot of respect for
the man," she said
yesterday on the phone
from Toronto.
Johns said Harris will
leave a legacy for the
children of Ontario by
balancing the provincial
budget for three
consecutive years and by
strengthening the
education system with
core ' curriculum and
standardized testing.
"The biggest one is I
don't believe children
should be left in debt and
balancing the budget is
monumental - that hasn't
happened since the
1940s," she said.
She added that changes
to the education system
will "make a difference in
the lives of children for
years to come."
Johns said a morning
caucus meeting when
Harris announced his
plans to step down as
premier and party leader
was the focal point of the
day Tuesday.
"All politicians at this
time of the term begin
looking at their personal
life so I'm not surprised he
made the decision at this
time of year," she said.
Because Harris will
continue as premier and
leader for the next six
months until a leadership
race can be held, Johns
said she was not
concerned about the
timing of Harris's
announcement despite the
current terrorism crisis.
She refused yesterday to
surmise who might run for
the leadership saying it
was not the day to talk
about potential leaders to
take over.
"I'm not saying
anything about my plans.
Today is the day to digest
the news and say nice
things about Mike
Harris," she said.
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Anthrax scare hits Stratford
Seaforth residents not showing fear as Post Office staff stay alert
By Scott Hilgendorff and Mardy Bacigalupo
Huron Expositor and Mitchell Advocate Staff
Despite an anthrax scare in nearby Stratford,
Seaforth area residents have not been worried
about what's in their mail, said Postmaster Jane
Smale.
"There's really not any expressed concern about
it. Mostly you get people kidding about it," she
told The Expositor Tuesday morning of customers
coming in to pick up or mail packages.
A suspicious envelope containing a white
powdery substance had been received by a
Stratford resident on Monday (Oct. 15), and
although Stratford's Mayor Karen Haslam says
there is no cause for undue concern, Stratford's
Emergency Response services did respond to the
incident.
The female resident was expecting the package
which contained magazines ordered from a
distributor, and discovered the questionable
substance inside.
"I personally don't think it is (anthrax)," Haslam
said in a hastily called press conference Monday
Joanne Williamson gives daughter Lauren a hand on her skates while little brother Ryan
watches.
Scott Hilgendorff photos
Off ice...
Barb Listman helps Eric Ryan take off his skates after bringing some of the children she babysits
to the Seaforth and District Community Centresjuesday morning for the parent and tot free
public skating
Bomb threat, poor word choice
lead to police call, suspension
New conduct code forces students
to use words carefully, says principal
"It was clear there was no
immediate threat to the
students," said Tessier who
would not discuss the
circumstances of the threat
made Oct. 9 that has lead to
the mandatory suspension of
a student.
During Tuesday's incident
OPP Community Services
Officer Don Shropshall said a
note had been left on the
principal's desk relating to a
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
Students were not at risk as
police answered their first
call to Seaforth District High
School under the new
provincial Code of Conduct
policies after what could
potentially have been a bomb
scare last Tuesday (Oct. 9),
said police and principal
Wayne Tessier.
bomb threat.
Because there was no real
threat, the student has been
suspended but does not face
an expulsion hearing which,
under the code, is now
necessary for such incidents
as one involving weapons or
assaults.
"In this particular case, it
wasn't intended by the
person as any kind of threat,"
said Tessier hut because of
the Code of Conduct, police
had to be called.
Shropshall said no charges
See STUDENTS, Page
afternoon. "But if it does (turn out to be anthrax) I
have no qualms in saying we took care of it in the
proper way."
Immediately after receiving the package, the
woman (who cannot be named at this time) threw it
into the garbage. It was at this point she became
concerned, washed her hands and contacted
emergency services.
A unified command was established between the
Stratford police, fire department, ambulance,
See SUBSTANCE, Page 2
Food supply
limited here
if terrorism
closes borders
for a week
Time is now right for farmers
to show their significance, says
agriculture federation president
By Scott Hilgendorff waiting to go as soon as
manure management
Expositor Editor legislation is approved by
the province.
Wilkinson also said the
hog crisis three years ago,
which threatened the future
of many farmers suffering
huge losses when pork prices
plummeted, helps show the
strength of the agricultural
community.
Through the lobbying
efforts of farmers, "We were
the only country in the- world
to get any money," said
Wilkinson of government
assistance that was made
available to help farmers.
With those successes, he
said farmers need to
continue fighting for the
assistance they need from
the government.
"Less than
20 per cent of the
people in Toronto
lay awake at night
worrying about
what is happening
down on the farm,"
said Wilkinson, who
asked how they can
reconnect with the
urban people and
gain their support in
lobbying the
government.
While not worried about
the farmer, he said urban
people do worry about what
is in their food and, like in
Europe, want to know how it
was grown or if it contains
any genetically -modified
ingredients.
"I believe it is time to
develop a contract with
consumers," he said,
pointing to a European
example of how farmers are
trying to do that to gain
consumer confidence and
support.
In Sweden, farmers now
faced with competing with
the rest of the European
Union and, therefore '
receiving no subsidies to
help them, went to the
consumers.
In exchange for consumers
buying products produced in
Sweden, farmers have
agreed to cut back their use
of pesticides. Products are
See FARMERS, Pogo 2
With less than a week's
worth of food for Ontario's
grocery stores in five
Toronto warehouses, the 20 -
hour closure of the border
after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks on the United States
should be enough to prove
Ontario's agriculture sector
needs to be self-sufficient,
said Ontario Federation of
Agriculture (OFA) president
Jack Wilkinson.
"We have got a fight on
our hands from now to
eternity," said Wilkinson of
the struggle to convince
people, particularly in urban
centres, to support the needs
of farmers.
He said their
support is needed in
issues such as
farmers' recent
efforts to gain equal
subsidies to those
given to farmers in
the competing
American market.
And he said they
can't allow the
world -changing
events of Sept. 11 to
bump agricultural
issues from the government's
agenda.
He was speaking at the
OFA's annual meeting held
at Seaforth and District
Community Centres Oct. 11.
He said the agricultural
sector was told to step aside
as the old economy to make
way for the new one founded
by technology.
But now, he said the
technological sector is laying
off half of its workforce.
"I think it's time to drag
out the old economy," he
said.
While technological
industries are laying off
employees, he said now is
the time to promote the
successes in the agricultural
sector pointing to
greenhouse expansions in
Essex County, increased
horticultural exports to
points around the world and
about $100 million i,n hog
and dairy barn buildings
Jack Wilkinson
Federation
of Agriculture
president