Huron Expositor, 2007-03-07, Page 4Page 4 March 7, 2007 • The Huron Expositor
Opinion
Proprietor and Publisher, Bowes Publishers Limited, 11 Main St., Seaforth, ON, NOK 1WO
Liberals are
out of gas
Truckers and motorists who found themselves
stranded overnight in Clinton March 5, lined
London Road Tuesday morning and sat idling not
knowing a sad but true fact. That is, two of three of
the community's service' stations were out of gas.
It is unbelievable, really, that so many years after
the terrorist -driven attacks on the eastern U.S.
seaboard, which drew so many expensive and cum-
bersome changes to North Americans, that a sim-
ple thing like fuel can be so easily controlled by
something as innocuous as . an accident in
Nanticoke, and a railway strike that has since been
halted.
Wasn't it not so long ago, in the grand scheme of
things, that all levels of governments were giving
Ontarians the hairy eyeball and muttering darkly
about the possibilities if one is not prepared?
Indeed, was it not these same powers that encour-
aged Ontariaiis to buy generators, stock up on bat-
teries, buy a battery -generated radio and have a
land line on hand in case the power goes out?
Yet, is it not this same upper echelon of power
that offers nothing more than, "we'll get through
this, together," when these same taxpayers find
themselves without fuel or paying a premium for it,
while the rest of the continent fills up both the fuel
tanks on its trucks and SUVs?
Frankly, Premier Dalton McGuinty's reaction to
the situation rings hollow on many levels. In
essence, most Ontarians don't make the type of
money and enjoy the type of perks, like regular air-
plane rides, that make a fuel shortage no big deal.
Plus, rising gas rates are a little harder to take
when one, unlike MPPs, wasn't handed a sugary 25
per cent pay hike at Christmastime.
What would have been enough? A little action by
the oddly dubbed energy minister would have been
nice. Maybe a not -so -idle threat by government offi-
cials to gas suppliers who are gleefully charging
more than is necessary for fuel. Or, failing al] that,
maybe the province could step up and offer a gas -
tax break or rebate.
But, instead, it does nothing except offer the peo-
ple of Ontario platitude upon attitude.
One must assume that that's what Dalton
McGuinty's Liberals call a made -in -Ontario solu-
tion.
Clinton News -Record
Ripping down heritage would
never happen in Europe
I wonder if tourists
would flock to France,
Greece, Italy and the UK if
the forefathers (and moth-
ers!) of those countries had
decided to rip all the old
stuff down in favour of
something more hip and
modern, which seems to be
the Canadian way.
Picture if you will, a
bunch of Pisa residents standing around the
tower and saying something to the effect of,
"It's tilting. It's got to go!"
Then, visualize the Eiffel Tower in Paris,
with somebody saying, "It's all metallic and
pointy, when this year's trend is reinforced
plastic. Let's explode it!"
Now, let your mind's eye wander to Scotland
where, say, maybe there is an old castle sit-
ting there, all bat -infested and stuff. "That
could be a campground!" someone shouts and
boom, there goes the neighbourhood.
Pretty silly scenarios, yes?
That, in a nutshell, is how I feel when politi-
cians see fit to turn their backs on heritage
sites because they are not utilitarian any
more.
I'm not a tourism expert nor am I an archi-
tectural guru, but I am a Canadian that has
traveled to every province in our home and
native land.
Guess what'? A lot of the architecture is
really gnarly.
Though Windsor is my hometown (where a
•
Ron bay
As young
boys it's
i only natural
that we
seek out
challenges
shocking number of her-
itage buildings have been
demoed to make room for
nearly empty office towers),
I did live in Huron. County
when I first graduated
from college. Plus, my fami-
ly used to frequent
Southampton when I was
growing up so I've always
been awed by the region's
gorgeous yellow and red brick homes, town
halls, churches, post offices and halls.
Indeed, whenever a friend or (sigh) relative
visits us, they always note how beautiful it is
here. And it is, really.
In later years when I moved west, expecting
to see buildings that rival what one sees in
Ontario, I instead saw an array of prefab
homes, alu inum-sided churches and boring
wartimes g ore. Indeed, brick buildings are
the ano ly. And as for the gorgeous
Victorian , Edwardians, Georgians and so on
that dot the landscape in these parts? Forget
about it!
During a trip to the Maritimes and
Newfoundland, there were, of course, older
homes and buildings, many of which are quite
lovely. There is also a marked appreciation
and respect for heritage sites and buildings
which, of course, are used as tourism draws.
In Quebec? Heritage is nearly as important
as the language.
So, what's the deal with Ontario? Is it easier
See THIS, Page 9
(By conquering this hill.' If we don't'
challenge
nature, then
it will
defeat use
j we establish our
'dominance over nature
"WE WIN\
DAVE!
WE'VE
DEFEATED
NATURE!
by David Lacey
Next time do ya
think we could
challenge something
that doesn't
involve gravity.
AAP -4,'
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