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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-02-07, Page 4Opinion Proprietor and Publisher, Bowes Publishers Limited, 11 Main St., Seaforth, ON, NOK 1WO In locker rooms -and t my and. corners, experienCe the Leafs' game Every once in a while, my decision to pursue a career in journalism is rewarded with an extraor- dinary opportunity. Take for instance last weekend, when I had the privilege to take pictures at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto as the Maple Leafs played the Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada. As if that wasn't enough to satisfy this life- long hockey (and Leafs') fan, I was even per- mitted in the media room and, best of all, the locker room directly after the game. But it wasn't inside the ACC where my unforgettable Saturday evening began. It was actually on the streets just outside. Looking for a more exciting night than usual (I assume), my father decided to come to Toronto with me, with the intention of pur- chasing one single ticket for the game off of a scalper. His plan was to spend no more than $150. Wherever that got him, he would be happy. But as we quickly began to realize after stopping at three or four scalpers, what we thought was a reasonable amount of money for an upper-level ticket, was looking like. it wouldn't even be enough for a spot outside of the arena. Poge 4 February 7, 2007 • The Huron Expositor Editorial More transparency needed In meetings of .public bodies Recently the Ontario Legislature passed Bill 130 which made sweeping changes to the way munici- palities operate by giving -them new powers and responsibilities.- It also gave the citizens of Ontario a power they've never had before: a method to chat- - le ' e the -legality of a closed -door council meeting. '' ' e this is an excellent first step,it does have some major shortcomings. For one, it only deals with municipal councils and their committees. No hospital boards, school boards, boards of health, police services boards, library boards, col- lege or university governing bodies, Local Health Integration Networks, Ontario Municipal Board, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission, electric utilities or parks commissions. These public institutions, which have a huge impact on the lives of people in this community, either operate under rules which allow them to exclude anyone they want from meetings for any reason, or offer the public no way to challenge the decisions of these groups to shut the public out of - what otherwise would be an open meetmg. Although Bill 130 allows us to challenge a deci- sion, it offers no consequences for a council that breaks the law other than a public report that con- firms it. To address these concerns Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor has introduced a Private Member's Bill, the Transparency in Public Matters Act, that would force meetings of these bodies (as well as municipalities) to be open to the public and would allow citizens to stand up for their right to access how decisions are made. Like Bill 130, it gives the public the right to chal- lenge the closure of a public meeting; but unlike Bill 130 it allows the Information and Privacy Commissioner to disallow any decisions taken dur- ing an improperly -held secret meeting. Across Ontario people, who are interested in being involved in the decisions that shape their communities, get frustrated when they are stonewalled by the very organizations created to work on their behalf. In order to fight this spread of this cancer on democracy, Ontario needs strong, enforceable laws that make it not only easy, but in many cases possi- ble, for citizens to participate in the process. Ontario Community Newspapers Association Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 E-mail us at seaforth@bowesnet.com Visit our home page at www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com CanadaSUMMENA OUEBKOR MEDIA "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing costs." One scalper was even kind enough to put our situ- ation into perspective for us. "One -hundred and fifty dollars won't get you a spot in the bathroom," he told us as we walked away (thanks for the help!) Were we really asking too little for too much? It seemed like a good chunk of change for an upper-level ticket. Heck, it would triple what the scalper paid for the ticket in the first place. As it turned out, we had badly underesti- mated what a ticket goes for at a Toronto/Montreal game - very, very badly underestimated. As we continued scouring the area, some scalpers were kind enough to entertain us with a game of Let's Make a Deal. Some offered us an upper-level ticket for $400, another for $300. We even had one kind fellow offer us a standing room ticket for $200. In a true testament of his determination however, my father said no to all oncoming offers and stood his ground as we pushed on into the cold Toronto air, further and further away from the ACC. See HAGGLING, Page 6 Ron & bove Yeah, I need to supplement my income as a cartoonist. I And what are your qualifications? Well, I studied Fine Arts in college and I've worked in television for the last thirty years. by David Lacey SUBSCRIPTION RATES: LOCAL - 36.18 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. SENIORS; - 34.17 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. Foreign: 38.18 a year in advance, plus $181.48 postage, G.S.T. exempt U.S.A.: 36.18 a year in advance, plus $92.56 postage, G.S.T. exempt Published weekly by Sun Media at 11 Main St., Seaforth. 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Box 69, Seaforth, ON., NOK 1 WO iation Member Ontario Community f the Canadian Newspapers Associationity Newspaper As Tom Williscraft Publisher Susan Hundertmark Editor Bernie Pugh Dianne McGrath Advertising / Office Front office Jeff Heuchert Reporter Marcie Riegling Composing Editorial and Business Offices - 11 Main Street.,Seaforth Telephone (519) 527-0240 Fax (519) 527-2858 Mailing Address - P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, Ontario, NOK IWO