HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2005-12-28, Page 4Page 4 December 28, 2005 • The Huron Expositor
Drinking
Opinion
Proprietor and Publisher, Bowes Publishers Limited, 11 Main St., Seaforth, ON, NOK 1WO
and driving
message
always needs
repeating
With the festive season of holiday parties upon
us, the Huron OPP are once again urging everyone
not to drink and drive.
And, they're out in full force until Jan. 2 trying to
prevent any serious accidents with their annual
RIDE (Reduce Impaired .Driving Everywhere) cam-
paign.
You'd think the equation that booze plus driving
equals death would be an easy one to figure out. It's
a message we've heard again and again but some-
how, it's still necessary to convey it.
Huron County still holds the dubious distinction
of having some of the highest levels in the province
of drinking and driving and binge drinking (more
than five drinks on one occasion).
Huron County also has the highest level in
Ontario of motor vehicle deaths and hospitalization
of people between the ages of 16 and 24.
For the first three weeks of the RIDE campaign
across Ontario, a total of 314,663 vehicles have
been checked compared to 261,369 in the same
period of 2004.
The good news is a slight decrease so far from
last year's charges with impaired driving charges
over the past three weeks decreased from 181 in
9004 to 164 in 2005.
Twelve-hour suspensions are also down slightly
across Ontario with 362 losing their licences for 12
hours, compared to 379 in 2004.
Still, an average of two people are convicted of
impaired driving every hour in this province
Drinking and driving accidents can quickly turn a
happy, festive time into tragedy.
If you must drink this holiday season, give your
keys to someone for safe keeping, call a cab or stay
overnight at the party. Just don't get behind the
wheel.
Susan Hundertmark
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A brief look back on 2005,
for better or for worse
Another year has come
and gone.
So what will 2005 be
remembered for?
Unfortunately, the past
year was one of loss and
suffering for many people
around the world.
Here's a look back on the
news of 2005, for better or
worse.
The year began with images still fresh in
our minds from the tsunami that hit Asia on
Boxing Day 2004. The disaster left an esti-
mated 231,400 people dead.
In March Canadians were shocked to learn
that four Canadian Mounted Police officers
were shot dead while conducting a drug raid
on an Alberta farm. It was the largest num-
ber of casualties of RCMP officers in a single
incident since 1885.
In April, the world mourned the death of
Pope John Paul the second. The Catholic
Church's longest serving pope passed away in
the presence of thousands of people, who
gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Quebec was the centre of attention in July
with the release of convicted killer Karla
Homolka. Her release sparked outrage in
Quebec, where she now lives, and in Ontario,
home to her victims' families.
Across the ocean, Britain was rocked by four
explosions inside their
public transport system,
killing 50 people, and
injuring more than 200.
In August the world
watched in horror as
Hurricane Katrina hit the
Gulf Coast, devastating
New Orleans. The tropical
storm resulted in the
deaths of 1,300 people, across five states.
The Gomery Report on the Federal sponsor-
ship scandal was released in November, and
was followed by a steady flow of cries for
"election", which has become a reality, after a
non -confidence vote in December.
Late this month, sad news broke from Iraq,
where four North American peacekeepers
were abducted, two of which are Canadian.
Then there was Jetsco going bankrupt, the
Terri Schiavo debate in Florida, the trial of
Saddam Hussein, and the shooting death of a
passenger at a Miami airport.
The year 2005 was a difficult one, when
"feel -good" stories were few and far between.
Yet, what could now lie ahead, is the oppor-
tunity for change, a chance to reflect on this
year's troubles and evaluate the systems in
place.
The United States government's response to
the victims of Hurricane Katrina was terrible
See SO, Page 5
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