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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-06-11, Page 4Pag. 4 Timis-Advecot•, June 11, 1986 Imes dvocale Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by l.W. ledy Publkatiloits Limited Published Second t� Mail Moping tion mblyceteri er 0 8 150 • Phone 519-235-1331 LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager 0,a BILL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK IONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. 565.00' C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Maintain effort Statistics released this week indicate the battle being waged against drinking and driving is paying some dividends, but they also emphasize the sobering thought that there is still a long way to go. Attorney -General Ian Scott told the legislature that stiffer penalties and stricter enforcement of laws last December reduced the percentage of alcohol-related fatalities to the lowest for any month of the year. Festive activities have made December one of the worst months for drinking driver offences, and the fact it has now totally reversed that position, provides some considerable encourage- ment. However, Scott is possibly incor- rect in his suggestion that the improve- ment in those December statistics is evidence that more people are viewing drinking and driving as unacceptable social behavior. The downward trend probably is bas- ed more on the reality that people know , the police dramatically increase their surveillance during December and fewer drivers take the risk of being caught. The obvious conclusion is that not on- ly must the police continue or increase their effort in December, but it must be duplicated through every month of the year until drinking drivers know the odds of being detected are stacked against them. Alcohol remains a factorin over 500 Ontario highway deaths each year, plus over 25,000 injuries. Those figures are still too high by any standard and will only, be changed when the broadly aimed colpnter-measures are employed throughout the year. Running scared The liability insurance situation con- tinues to take a heavy toll on activities across the province as evidenced by the news this week that a couple of ,attrac- tionshat Grand Bend have been Cancell- ed due to the high cost of insurance or the inability of promoters to get it at any price. Some service clubs in municipalities have cancelled any events at which they had planned to serve alcohol in an effort to raise needed community funds. Municipal councils are also becom- ing more aware of their risks. This week, Exeter moved to have homeowners remove obstacles they had been using to protect their boulevards and recently Stephen council authorized a special oc- casion permit for a ball touj ament but only with the stipulation the organizers acquire sufficient insurance. It was also interesting to see that Ex= eter wanted "swim at your own risk" signs erected at McNaughton park again, while in St. Marys even those signs w-lrere considered unsatisfactory because they were deemed to be an invitation rather than a warning. There's no end in sight to the dilem- ma, and while precautions are obvious- ly prudent, it is unfortunate that everyone appears'to be running scared to the point where many worthwhile ven- tures are being cancelled and people are becoming paranoid. You can't miss it "Do you feel like picking Alex- ander up from the Browns?" Actually, I was just feeling like settling into the sofa, turning the stereo on, and ... "Never mind all that. Alex- ander has to be picked up. I don't have time to do it." Why don't you say it, then? In- stead of asking me about my feel- ings? Now what is it you want me to do? "Pick him'up at the Browns. Ile's there for a birthday ty, don't you remember? I, d ou I took him there earlier, and n w he's got to be picked up."` - Who are the Browns, and where do they live? "They are Jeff's parents, and they live on the 6th Line." "Do you know the 7th Line?" Of course, I know the 7th Line. • It's down the Mountain. Which way do I turn, left or right?" "They don't live on the 7th Line. 1 just asked you whether you knew the 7th Line. If you'll listen instead of interrupting me, I'll explain to you how to get to the Browns, O.K.?" Explain away. v "You, go down the Mountain. You turn left on the 7th Line. You turn left on the 7th Line and go till you come to a Y in the road. You don't turn right, but you turn left at the Y. You follow that road for about two miles - or is it two kilometers - it doesn't matter, you follow that road till you see a hydro line crossing it. Shortly after the hydro line you'll see a white fence. That's where the 6th Line starts. Now you turn right, and the Browns' housetsabout a • mile or so on the right. You can't miss it." A piece of cake. I'll see you in a half an hour. I did exactly as told. I went down the Mountain and turned left (east) on the 7th Line. I followed the 7th Line to its end. It ended in a T not a Y. A difference of six letters, not a big deal, real - y. I turned left and followed that road for two kilometers. No hydro line. Maybe it was two miles. Two miles are three klicks, give or take a couple of hundred whatever. After 4 kilometers here was still no hydro li In fact, there was nothing t bush on both sides of the road. nd what a road! Wondering whether I should at- tempt to turn around or plough on, I saw a red gable peak through the cedar trees. I manoeuvred the car along what had once been a driveway. Three mongrel dogs announced my coming, and a hillbilly appeared with a beer bottle in one hand and a stick in the other. "The Browns, you say? That'd be Jimmy Brown over by the creek. Or do you mean Ross Brown on the Cemetery Road?" f .'••••.'' ' ` - •\ , , i,` 'may..~ ,{vim ' E \\\ ' �, f ,c s'::" _ ��1�P�• % ^tib . ' w;f11....' 4 ✓. % • .- r � .. � • aa►K4tR'MR! 410/4141 THE CEDAR LOVE -SEAT One ahead; two back Having suggested a couple of issues ago that a forward step ap- peared to be evident as far as recreation in this area was con- cerned, it is most disconcerting to note that it appeared to be follow- ed by two steps backwards this past week. However, that appears to be the situation in view of .the negative r giiten.l •gkg Teter council during a. dist'n on direct subsidization orminor ice groups at the rec centre. The idea of the contributing municipalities subsidizing direct- ly the participants from their municipalities in minor sporting groups was made in concert with the intent to have all groups us- ing the ice pay a fee that reflected the actual cost of operation of the rec centre. Authors of the sugg tion were the heads of council tithe three area supporting municipalities and at this point it appears that only Usborne council has seen the wisdom of the proposal. When he oultined the idea to his council cohorts less than two months ago, L xeter Mayor Bruce Shaw termed it "a major breakthrough". Now it appears to be a major breakdown! The proposal had considerable merit as it represented the first step towards making recreation facilities self-sustaining to a degree that is not evident now. By the same token, that step was not being taken to the point where it would discourage participation by youngsters from the suppor- ting municipalities due to a drastic one-year increase in their registration fees for the minor groups who organize their activities. It represents the least offensive form of a user fee setup and if the scheme was implemented by all the arena management groups'fn the area, would do much to solve the constant bickering that is now evident. We established the identity of "my" Browns, and I got direc- tions which I can swear sounded like this: "You turn right at the gate and go pretty near a mile till you hit the 6th. Line. Now you don't see the 6th Line because it ain't there any more. But you turn left anyway until you get to the 6th Line proper. glow the Browns' house will be light there on the left, or maybe on the right, but it's got white sidin' and a green roof, and their name is on the mailbox, so you can't miss it." As I got to the end of his "lane". I looked for his gate. There was no gate. I turned right and drove for exactly one kilometer. The road was flanked by unbroken bush on both sides. I proceeded at a snail's pace (anything faster would have been reckless anyway) and looked sharply to the left for a break in the trees. There was none. I had now been gone from home for about an hour. The Browns would be wondering why Alexander wasn't picked up. And Elizabeth would be convinced that I hadn't listened to her in- structions. Surely, I couldn't get lost within 15 kilometers from home? I arrived back at the T - or was it a Y? This time I drove in the other direction. That road came to a cul de sac which in our neck of the woods is called a dead end. And a deader end I had never" seen. I returned home a defeated man. I had done what two people had assured me I couldn't do. I had missed it. While the proposal has not been detailed (and perhaps that was among the errors made) it is assumed that the ice rate charg- ed to all groups would be iden- tical and in keeping with the ac- tual cost of operation. Theoretically, the facility would be self-sustaining, although it is evident that the current propos- ed charges for ice time may be well'below that goal at present. At any rate, the charge would force the minor groups to set a registration fee that reflected those increased ice . time costs. and what they would envision be- ing able to raise through extra efforts. The municipalities would then Batt'n Around .h The witEditor provide a direct grant to each youngster signing up from that particular municipality to con- tinue a form of subsidization that most people agree is necessary for minor groups. As an example, and using figures that should be considered only as useful for that purpose, Exeter Minor Hockey sets a registration fee of $150 per youngster to meet the increased ice costs. Exeter council then grants $50 to each kid from town erfrolling in minor hockey so the latter ends up paying $100. If Usborne decided to pay only $35, then kids from there would pay a net $115. Participants from municipalities not willing to sub- sidize drectly any youngsters would pay the full $150. However, with enrollees having actually paid the same to the EMHA, all would get the same privileges. By the same token, the grant Exeter and Usborne pay to the rec centre board would be reduc- ettan equivalent amount because the price being paid for ice by the EMHA would be close to the ac- tual cost of operation. ' Muncipalities such as Hay and Grand Bend who have kids par- ticipating in a number of arenas, would be able to set one'direct grant for each and the kids would then be free to join whatever minor group they wished with no strings .attached. • * * * : As noted, a major tactical er- ror may have beers made in not detailing the proposal to Exeter council before the grant was ap- proved for.Lhe rec, board or at least in not leaving some of the grant in limbo awaiting a deci- sion on whether it would be paid to the board or directly to minor ice participants. However, it is an error that can still be corrected, because the bottom line for the rec board should be virtually unchanged whether they receive the money in the form of a grant or from in- creased ice revenue. If it can not be corrected at this point for the current year, it should precipitate immediate discussions to ensure that it gets the necessary consideraton for implementation next year. It is something that all municipalities with recreation facilities should consider as an alternative to the annual attempt to get increased financial support from neighboring municipalities whose residents use those facilities. Obviously, it won't solve all the bickering in one year, but it is the first step to an equitable appor- tionment of recreation facility and program costs for those who provide the facilities and pro- grams and those who use them. The only complaints should be from those who do not presently pay their fair share and the system should open their eyes to that past benefit very quickly. The requests for financial assistance would be coming to local councils from participants from their own municipalities who use outside facilities, rather than the operators of those facilities and that obviously has considerable merit as well. It appears to be a plan whose time has come and requires only the spirit of cooperation that would make it feasible for all recreation pursuits. While getting is good Expo 86! It looks as if it is go- ing to be a huge success. Millions of people will pass through its gates and will come away feeling as if they have gained something worthwhile, will feel as if it was a significant part of their lives. There is no doubt that the big 'fair' will attract millions of dollars to B.C.'s economy and may well influence industry from other parts of the world to come to Canada's west coast. Ilopeful- ly visitors will carry a favourable impression of Canada back to the rest of the world and the long term benefits will be great. On the short term side I wonder if the millions of dollars spent on Expo 86 from the provincial cof- fers could have been spent in more practical applications. By the Way by Syd Fletchyr How many of the 30,000 people in Vancouver who have to use the local food banks each week would be able to visit Expo for even one day? Perha they could walk by the gates an take a quick look inside. What about the sagging lumber economy of British Columbia? Maybe some of those dollars could have been better spent on research into better uses for wood or more efficient techni- ques in the lumber factories. How about the elderly people who were forced out of their dwellings to accommodate the well-heeled visitors? How do you suppose they will vote in the next election? Bill Bennet isn't stupid. He's getting out while the, getting's good.