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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-12-04, Page 44 'Lakeshdre Advance • Wednesday, December 4, 2013 opinion www. Iakeshareadvance.carn tlkoshoro Advance 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.advanceesunmedla.ca 'UN�-MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher/ Advertising Manager nelt.cltffordOsunmedia.ca LYNDA HILLMAN-RAPLEY Editor Iakeshore.advance©sunmed la.ca MARK STEPHEN Advertising Sales mark.stephen sunmedla.ca KATHY YOUNG Typesetdng/Ctassifleds Iakeshore.adsOsunmedla.ca wwwslakeshoreadvance.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES ADVANCE: Regular 542.00 040,00 + 2 GST) Two year $78.00 (74.30 + 3.72) Publications Mall Agreement No. 40084683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO LAKESHORE ADVANCE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.O.Box 119558 Ontario St. North Grand Bend ON NOM 1TO For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns phone: 519-238.5383 e-mail: lakeshore.advanceasunmedla ca Chargee of Indra$$, oldara for subscriptions, and utdeI v.s+t'M r. ble copies (return postage guaranteed) are to be sent to Lakeshore ld1ce at the address Indicated here. Advorttsing Is accepted on the condition that In the event of a 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 palet at the applicable rates. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (C1'11) for our publishing activities. Cana(1W Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc latkm and the Ontario Community Newspapers A+xmclatlon editorial Is four years too long? s four years too long? With one month before hopeful candidates can begin filing to run in the October 27th 2014 election, that is a question surfacing especially by those people who cautioned the idea seven years ago. Former Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty brought this idea to light before the 2006 election. 'then poof! IIYPERLINK "http://www.ontla. on.ca/documents/Bills/38_Parlia- ment/session2/b081.pdf"Bill 81, Schedule II was passed. 'lhere was grumbling then and there is a whole lot now. We have learned in the past eight years that McGuinty's belief that municipal councils should have the same time frame as majority govern- ments to develop policies and make decisions doesn't hold up. It's just not working. 'There's no correlation between length on a council and effectiveness. 'Ihe three -year term carie to be in 1982 and two and one term councils for years before that. 'there is no denying the past four years has been contentious at the municipal level throughout the prov- ince and the question out there is undeniably -is four years too long for a council term? While there is currently no recall process in Ontario, a glaring issue is that voters in Ontario have no recourse should they elect a council or a mayor who is a complete dud. Four years is an awfully long time for resi- dents of any municipality to endure a terrible council. longevity tends to breed lethargy. Former mayors, councilors and MPPs throughout the province have been saying publicly for years that a four year municipal council term is too long, and should be scaled back to three years. I believe they have a point. I laving said that, Ontario's munici- pal councils along with residents and ratepayers deserve a few more tools in the toolbox in order to deal with four years but also have to wish for with caution. If anything carne from Toron- to's saga, it has be that Queen's Park must surely recognize, by now, the ridiculous position, of which it has found itself, not having the proper leg- islation at its disposal to intervene quickly and responsibly, to regain order amidst chaos. Maybe they could start with giving Municipal Affairs more teeth when they are dealing with ratepayer complaints. Citing the Municipal Act just doesn't cut it. Prob- lems with municipal councils are more common than most of us appre- ciate. It is not just at Toronto city hall, or in the senate of this country. Not just in Montreal or even London. We can pretty much guarantee more than one council feel they are doing a bang up job. Four years is one heck of a commitment- for everyone. — Lynda Hillman-Rapley letters to the editor Thanks from Chili challenge committee Re Cancer (:hili Challenge Fundraiser On behalf of our committee we would like to thank the many guests who enjoyed very tasty and unique chili dishes on Nov 22 at the Grand Bend Legion. Our sincere thanks also go to the many area restaurants who partici- pated plus the (;rand Bend Legion, the I,akeshore Advance, Jordan Grainger and our many volunteers. Funds raised from this event will assist in our fight against cancer. Gordon Mackay Volunteer Grand Bend Cancer Chill Challenge LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Lakeshore Advance welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must hwlude 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. Letters must be signed and be in good taste and follow the laws of libel and slander. Grand Bend WI read Sarah's Key Lakeshore Advance Grand Bend Women's Institute reviewed the book Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay on November 28, 2013 when they met at the Grand Bend Library. This hook was rated 4.5 out 5 by the members present. The subject of the book is not pleasant but we must not ignore the facts. Darkest moments in French his- tory happened in 1942 in Paris when French rounded up over 10,000 Jews and placed them in local camps. As 10- year old Sarah and her family are being arrested she hides her younger brother in a closet. After realizing she will not be allowed to go home, Sarah does whatever to get hack to her brother. The second plot concerns a journalist writing an arti- cle in honour of the 60th Ilolocaust drama. At the January 2014 meeting we will have two librarians speak to us. The Feb- ruary book to he reviewed is any book written by Jennifer Chiaverini. Quota- tion: Books have to be read. It is the on4 way of discovering what they contain. get itn ine www.Iakeshoreadvance.com