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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2009-03-18, Page 44 March 18, 2009 • The Huron Expositor Edi tori al °Pith-. On Proprietor and Publisher, Bowes Publishers Limited, 11 Main St., Seaforth, ON, NOK IWO • 111411414111111/1414, sawliropping, surreal experience 4.)vpsiz, • Ile on vaci ion in a fie ellen every level of government is looking to find the right form of stimulus for the domestic auto industry, the province's own lottery and gaming commission is offering 22 foreign -built cars, built by a European car com- pany as prizes. As if the lottery business isn't laden with scan- dal as it is, with many retailers racking up huge prizes of up to $100 million, the auto fiasco just heaps dubious distinction on the already sus- pect gaming business. On the very same day that 10,000 CAW members were voting on a new contract that would offerconcessions to the car manufacturing industry (although many would argue that giving up hol- iday bonuses and agreeing to a wage freeze is hardly concessionary) the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation unveiled 22 Mercedes-Benz B200 crossover vehicles that were purchased for prizes in its Licensed to Win contest, Of course there was a deal involved as the com- mission paid 09,E plus taxes for the vehicles that retail at about $35,000. And the vehicles are manufactured in Mexico and Germany. It sherd also be noted that an auto industry a pointed out that there Is as much Cana- dian content in a Mercedes built in Alabama as most vehicles manufactured in Canada. That be- ing the case, the purchase still flies in the face of C ans acid their families who have faced thousands of job dosses and also face an uncer- tain economic future. B+egaress of the Canadian contents a for- eign -made vehicle, on the surface, the purchase reflects the irrational and ill-conceived thought processes that.pervade at the Gaming Corpora- tion. It is impossible to put a good face on this faux pas. Infrastructure Minister, George Smiths the minister responsible for the gaming corpo- ration was livid on hearing the news and while there won't be job losses at OLG over, the fiasco, he termed the deal "a crappy decision 'and I let themknow in full force it wasn't going to be tol- erated moving forward." The sad irony is that more than 150 employ- ees at the Ministry of finance earn in excess of $100,000 per year and yet they are unable. to make a fiscally -responsible decision in one of the worst economies known to Canadians. It's obvious that common sense is in short sup- ply at OLG. Dave Sykes Your Cpitimunity 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 1WO Visit our home page at www. sea forthh uronexpositor. com .�.Can'dllT*UN MEOW OUEBECOR MEDIA 1°Rr•:.`"'Y "WE: ACKNOWLEOOE THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, THROUGH THE PUBLICATIONS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (PAP), TOWARD OUR MAILING COSTS." Ittnt."- ! 4s,t: 4 ..•/. •._•.` • •i:;; i• r ` Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough' to get away frim .the office for a� few days and visit Cuba. Between soaking up sun - rays on the beach and search- ing for'conch shells and star- fish in the Caribbean Sea, I was able to take a short horse -and -buggy 'ride with three other visiting Canadians into a small town nearby the ho- tel. Passing through this small shantytown was a jaw -dropping, surreal experience - I don't thinkI'll ever forget. We passed tin -roofed shacks, held together by multi -coloured sheets of scrap metal, housed small city blocks Eby fences and lengths of wire. Hi -rise apartments painted hot pink and sky blue looked abandoned, except for the hanging rows of laundry from one balcony to the next.. We' rode in the carriage past "la escuela" (school), and asked the driver if he could stop for a few minutes while we looked inside: The small school campus was made up of a series of tiny buildings, with each one used for a separate grade. Ai we walked past roosters running amidst the overgrown weeds of the schoolyard, we were greeted by Michael, the English teacher, who offered to give us an impromptu tour. He took us into little classrooms with rows of about 15 stu- dents each, in cherry red uniforms of neck- ties and overalls. One class jumped up almost as soon as we entered and assembled in four, D an Schwdb neat little rows, andbegan sing- ing a cheerful song, which I later found out was about •a farmer's u trsty workhorse. Along with the peeling wall- paper and faded paint, in each room there were portraits of Cuba's revolutionary heroes Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. Also in every classroom, sticking out like a shining sore thumb was a big, silver TV. And, we were equally surprised when our tour guide took us to the school's computer lab, which had about 10 relatively new computers that every class was allowed to use for an hour every day. in I wondered bow 'this school,; with it's aging, sun -beaten infrastructure and livestock roam- ing through the yard, could afford to purchase these modern TVs and computerA. Before I found the words to respectfully ask our tour guide, he told me they were donated by Canadians. ."Thank you also for the new school bus," he said with a nod to us. We stood there trying to be modest, know- ing perfectly well that none of us had anything to do with donating these big-ticket items to this ` poverty-stricken school. I realized then why our tour guide had no problem interrupt- ing the lesson plan of each classroom to show four Canadians what the children were learn- ing. He - wanted to show us how our country's donations have helped them learn. see Generosity, Page 18 by David Lacey SUBSCRIPIJ6N RATES: LOCAL - 38.05 a year, in advance, plus G.S.T. SENIOR$. 36.14 a year, In advance, plus G.S.T. Foreign: 38.05 a year in 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. Advertising is accept- ed on condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signa- ture, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT 40064683 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 7605 For any non deliveries or delivery concems please call 519-527-0240. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: Circulation Department, P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, ON., NOK 1 WO Susan Hundertmark Editor seaforthnews@bowesnet.com Dan Schwab Reporter seafortheditonal@bowesnet.com Maxwell Bickford Advertising Rep. ,; seaforthads@bowesnet.com Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association & the Ontario Community Newspapers Association Bernie Pugh Advertising / Office iwa forth.o ce@hou esm't. rom s: I . ♦':r..••i . • Dianne McGrath Front Office seaforthclassifieck@howesnet.com • r + r • • • t 1 I i i 1 4. l• t 1 j •, .4. ;t l 1 • 1