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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2009-03-11, Page 4t, 1 ?' ;70rap 47 --Marchi I,. 200fr +< 3i r n ExpositoA t fl } 4si7 r.y..: t.(i•4.y—•.....-I+. •..Y. .y.i�If.:<�.{�.1M a.... Opinion Proprietor and Publisher, Bowes Publishers Limited, 11 Main St., Seaforth, ON, NOK IWO Spending money to make money -maybe As the federal and provincial governments pre- pare to pour money into municipal infrastructure projects as a stimulus to the ailing economy, mu- nicipalities large and small are scrambling to do the necessary - and often expensive - preparations needed to be in the running for the anticipated grants. Huron East council spent most of its meeting last week debating which projects to bring to the top of its list and invest in with the necessary engineer- ing to make them "shovel ready. Similar discussions are going on in council cham- bers throughout the province with London, Ont. councillors sharing Huron East's sentiment that as senior government fights the recession with un- precedented capital spending, it only makes sense to "go big" with million -dollar projects rather than "go safe" with smaller immediate needs. But, what's troubling to some local councillors - and was giving Huron East Mayor Joe Se' ` heart- burn during the last council meeting • is that mu- nicipalities must spend tens of thousands of dollars on the preparation for each project when there is no guarantee the municipality will see the pay-off. Instead of dividing up the available infrastruc- ture funding and doping it out to everyone based on population, both the province and the feds decide who receives the money in a somewhat mysteri- ous process municipalities have come to regard as a lottery. While municipalities are told those who are pre- pared will receive the money, Huron East found out after being turned down three times on a sew- age plant upgrade in Vanastra that the funding is never a sure thing. But, no one wants to be left out of the running, .especially when million -dollar projects are sudden- ly being funded all over the place. And, when you look at the roads, water systems, sewer systems and municipal buildings on the list for upgrades and repairs, - municipalities couldn't afford to do the work without the help. So, as they contemplate their budget spending this year, municipalities will feel no choice but to add increased engineering costs into their expen- ditures - buying a ticket so they can remain in the game. Susan Hundertmark - .i Springing ahead with the clock has me falling behind with sleep As you read this column on R%pti. Wednesday morning, I may have finally adjusted. But, as I write it Sunday night, an hour later than usu- al and dreading the morning when I'll have to get out of bed an hour earlier than usual, all I can think about is how much I hate Daylight Savings Time - or at least the "springing ahead" part. - Maybe it's because I've never been a morn- ing person. Or, perhaps it's the love -hate rela- tionship I already have with sleep that com- plicates matters. But, adjusting to that one hour less of sleep is something that is never easy for me. While I used to be able to sleep through an atomic bomb blast as a teenager, living through the sleep deprivation of parenting - with two kids who finally slept through the night about age three - left me a much less adaptable sleeper than I'd like. So, I'm not too keen on Benjamin Franklin (who apparently first came up with the idea in the 1770s) and all those other industrious types who couldn't bear to think of .a few hours of morning daylight being wasted during the summer when most people were sleeping. By 1915, Germany, followed- by Britain, the rest of Europe and Canada, decided to enact Daylight Savings Time so that people wouldn't be lighting their homes and wasting so much energy. !AA Ron & ve Whatcha doin' I'm developing a new computer program that will create cartoons without cartoonists. Susan Hundertmark For the past two years, the U.S. and Canada have been pushing back their clocks four weeks longer every year to save even more energy. And, while my logical self applauds the move to the more environmental practice - at: least in theory - I'm having a hard time accessing that logic when I'm so grumpy from a lack of sleep. What's worse is that researchers are find- ing that one hour less sleep when the clocks spring forward causes a greater number of heart attacks at this time of year, along with a greater tendency for car accidents. Interestingly, when the clocks fall back in the autumn, the trends reverse and the number of hearts attacks and car accidents decrease, all because of that -extra hour of sleep. It's no surprise to me that researchers said the night owls are likely to feel sleep deprived for weeks. We night owls have a hard enough time going to bed at night without the pun- ishment of an earlier -than -normal wake-up call. I know - I'm just going to have to practise better sleep hygiene over the next little while and get myself to bed earlier until I catch up. And, I can always dream about my favou- rite time of year, when the clocks fall back an hour and I can luxuriate in mycozy bed that extra hour. by David Lacey Make sure you include n spelchek. our Community Newspaper Since 1860 Publisher - Dave Sykes Editorial and Business Offices - 11 Main Street., Seaforth Thlephone (519) 527-0240 Fax (519) 527-2858 Mailing Address - P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, ON, NOK 1W0 Visit our home page at co) www. sea forthh umnexpositor. com Canada ' ..,75,4„. OUEBECOR MEDIA ` "WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNfENT OF CANADA, THROUGH THE PUBLICATIONS ASSIGT4NCE PROGRAM (PAP), TOWARD OUR MAILING COSTS." SUBSCRIPTION RATES: LOCAL - 38.05 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. SENIORS; - 36.14 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. Forefan: 38.05 a yearin advance, plus $195.00 postage, plus G.S.T. U.S.A : 38.05 a year in advance, plus $99.84 postage, plus G.S.T. Published weekly by Sun Media at 11 Main St., Seaforth. 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