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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-07-10, Page 44 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesda , Jul 10 2013 opinioN www.lakeshoreadvance.com l�ke9hore Ailvanco PUBLISHED WEEKLY P.O.BOX 1195 58 Ontario St., North Grand Bend ON NOM 1TO phone: 519-238-5383 fax: 519-238-5131 email: Iakeshore.advance@sunmedia.ca SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher/ Advertising Manager nell.citt1ordcOsunmedia.ca LYNDA HILLMAN-RAPLEY Editor Iakeshore.advance©sunmedia.ca MARK STEPHEN Advertising Sales mark. stephenOsunm edia. ca KATHY YOUNG Typesetting/Classifieds lakeshore.ads@sunmedia.ca www.lakeshoreadvance.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES ADVANCE: Regular $42.00 (40:00s 2.00 GS1) Online subscriptions available—same rates Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO LAKESHORE ADVANCE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.O.Box 1195 58 Ontario St. North Grand Bend ON NOM 1 TO For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns: phone: 519.238.5383 e-mail: Iakeshore.advanceesunmedia.ca Changes of address, orders for subscriptions, and undeliverable copies (return postage guaranteed) are to be sent to Lakeshore Advance at the address indicated here. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of R typographical error, the portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertise- ment will be pald at the applicable rates. We acknowledge the flnandal support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPP) for our publishing activities. C'anad'a Member d the crmaenUmmunIty Newspaper *aectetlon end the onta b Cannxrdty Nevnpepere Aeeociatlon editorial We need better ambassadors for our guests Lynda HIllman-Rapley Publication or OMI Agency: )en Sea )ewells's owner lin) McCoy suggested at a meeting, that by-law staffers in Lamb - ton Shores, specifically Grand Bend, need to be better ambassadors- he wasn't speaking for himself- he was mimicking something we have heard a lot. When he told the Lambtol) Shores Community Association that the people who come to Grand Bend are guests and should be treated as such --he is listening to what business after busi- ness is saying both retail and cottage owners. flow difficult would it be to make sure the people hired are trained to know the answers to the visitor questions, to know the by-laws? To actually meet the business owners? 'li) know what activities are happening in 1 ambton Shores so they can tell our guests? 'lb tell visi- tors they don't have to put money in the meter before 10 a.)n. and after (i p.111. Paid parking is not new, and there are few places where you won't fact' those charges- paid parking pays for improvements that don't come out of tax- payer pockets. 1 laving said that- visitors don't have to be pounced upon. flow difficult could it possibly be to train the by-law to smile? 'Blew is 110 doubt they put tip with a lot. And we are not naive enough to think these by-law staff don't get har- assed or that the rules don't keep changing. We have all seen it. But a training session before the May long week- end certainly can't hart. letters to the editor Community Living South Huron forced to cut vital staff and program 1 an writing to speak out about the plight of a vulnerable group of citizens and the people who support them. 11ere is the problem: Cur rently, budget cuts in Ontario are eroding the duality of care and quality oinks of adults with developmental disabilities. 'the agency in our area, Community Living South I futon ((:ISI I), supports roughly 100 adults or "clients -people with a wide range of medical, physical, and developmental needs. Many require 1:1 assistance with every aspect of daily living.'Ihirty-two full-time and 30 part-time staff support clients in a mix of group hones, apartments, and family homes. in the past three year's, the'it' has been no "new money" to Community Living agencies across the province and funding is not forth- coming to support modest cost -of -living wage increases for staff. CIS!! f has trimmed, crit, and reworked the numbers, accepting that there is "no more money in the pot." Now, (3 Si 1 is forced to crit vital staff and programs. 'This is Sara. She lives in her family home in 1lut•on County. Sara turned 18 Inst week. She is fed through a tube. Me care she has received since childhood has been cut. 1 ler mother was told to find "someone in a similar situation" to share costs. 'this makes me angry. My anger and frus- tration is fuelled by headlines of provincial and federal government waste on inflated senior salaries or ill-advised projects: "... admits she personally approved ... a 'ludicrous' $406 250 severance package for departing el lealtli Ontario chief executive Greg Heed" (Toronto Star lune 26 21113); "Leaked doctintet)ts have shown, for exam- ples, that a Senate committee softened its criti cisco of jaj P1il Senator ... over his more than $90,00( worth of improperly claimed expenses" ('the Globe and Mail June' 2011); atter " .. moving both plants [Oakville and Mis- sissauga) is now estimated to he more than $585 million, far above the $2.30 million ... " ('li)ronto Star May 2013). And at the sant' time, "Community living agencies will terminate key staff, resulting, in some case's, the shutting of group homes, the elimination of programs, and the denial of service to lour most) vulnerable people," (Bruce Shaw lune 2013). What do we say to the clients and their sup- port workers - -many who have no "voice" and for whoa) marching in protest is inlposNible? Yours truly, Judy Mallette Parent President Community Living South Huron Dashwood ON LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Lakeshore Advance welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include the writer's full name, address, daytime phone number and signature (for verification. Anonymous letters will not be published. We reserve the right to edit all editorial submissions including letters for clarification, style and length. tetters must be signed and be In good taste and follow the laws of libel and slander. Thanks for an awesome July 1st 'Thank you Brian and Kevin Poole and hill Kennedy inti for the an)azing musical show and fireworks in (;rand Bend July 1st. And thank you for the many, many hours and hard work k took to get it all together! 'thanks as Weil, to ;ell other volunteers lending a hand to Brian, the committees and the community. 10111tr1:1.I,1)ONi'. Jennifer Floyd Stories about storytellers Stories About Storytellers: An Evening with 1)ouglas Gibson...and Many Famous Canadian Authors. Prepare to meet Alice Mtltu'o, Pierre'I't'utleau, Rob ertson 1)avies, Alistair MacLeod, John 1)iefenbaket; Mavis Gallant, I high Maclennan, Peter (:. Newnan, ifrian Mulroney, Morley Callaghan, Paul Alar. tin, James 1 louston, Peter Growski, W. (. Mitchell and many others. 1)ouglits Gib - son's one -man show, which has played to rave reviews across Canada, is coning to the Ilayfield'l'own i tall for one night only, Sunday, July 28, 7:30 pm. '1 he show consists of Doug Gibson, arguably Cana- da's most influential editor and pub- lisher; telling stories about the authors he came to know well during his distin- guished career as founder of 1)ouglas Gibson Books and publisher and presi- dent of McLelland and Stewart. Mone' information is available at http://doug- lasgibsonbooks.c•om/ 'rickets are only $20 and are available at'Ihe Village Bookshop, 24 Main Street North, 519- 565-560() or vt)ookshop@gmail.com Mary Brown