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Times -Advocate, February 3, 1993
Publisher: nm Beu:kstt
News Editor: tartan Harte
BUSkIeIB Mistger: Don Smith
C0mp06iiti!OII fir: Deb Lord
Pubticetions MaH RagNatation Plumber 0396
Sttl3SrtRIPTItNd A S CM 1flA
Within 40 miles (65 Ian.) addressed
to non letter ardor addressee *50.00 phis *2.10 O.S.T.
Outside 40 miles (65 Ion.) or any tatter eaMsr address
*30.00 plus *26.75 (total 58.75) + 4.11 O.S.T.
Outside Canals *68.00
Y='
A lost generation?
s of late, if you are between the
ages of 15-24, finding lasting employ-
ment may be difficult if not impossible.
Youth unemployment in this age
group is running at around 18 percent
according to Statistics Canada. The
overall jobless rate for the rest of Cana-
da is just over 11 percent.
Represented among this . group of
young people are part-time, basically
unskilled labourers who are seeking
full-time employment. But also are
many well-trained and well-educated
people.
And even finding a job doesn't neces-
sarily mean their future is secure.
According to Gordon Betcherman, a
labour market economist at Queen's
University, "People who come into the
work force with high unemployment
and not a lot of opportunity tend to be
scared throughout their working lives."
This does not bode well for the rest of
Canada. Are we raising a nation of
frightened, timid workers who will agree
to anything for a job?
Because of layoff and hiring freezes,
many of the best starter jobs have disap-
peared.
Consider that the Royal Bank of Cana-
da, one of Canada's largest employers of
white collar workers, hired only 1,300
people last year, down from 6,000 in
past years.
Even if someone is fortunate enough to
get hired into one of these large compa-
ny jobs, the opportunity for advance-
ment is blocked due to the large number
of upwardly mobile workers who are in
their 30s and 40s.
Most jobs today open to the majority
of young workers tend to be minimum
wage, unskilled, and non -unionized.
A job is a job to be sure, but is a career
becoming a luxury to be savoured in the
90s?
St. Marys Journal Argus
My seven reasons for not being a skier
It certainly isn't my fault that
our three kids are passionate
downhill skiers. Elizabeth is the
one to blame. As soon as the
children were able to stand up
and cruise around the room. she
,rushed out and purchased their
first skis. They were still in dia-
pers when she bought the first
family ski pass. Why, our kids
were practically raised on the
ski 'slopes.
Every winter, they ask me the
same questions: "Why don't you
team to ski?" And every winter
I tell them. But they forget. So
here they are, once and for all:
my 7 reasons for not being a ski-
er.
1. I am afraid of heights. I
don't like standing on top of
anything. Neither a mountain
nor a roof nor a step ladder.
Why, I get dizzy when I put the
star on top of the Christmas tree
or when I climb on top of Steph-
anie's bed to change a light bulb
in her ceiling fixture.
2. 1 lose my sense of balance
when the ground under my feet
becomes diagonal. I'm a straight
kind of fellow meant to move in
a straight line in a horizontal di-
rection. As soon as I divert from
that, I'm in trouble.
3. I do not like to break my
bones. I enjoy the full use of my
anatomy. 1 would find no pleas-
ure • in wearing plaster casts
(with or without autographs),
walking on crutches, or being
carried down mountain slopes
on a stretcher.
4. Skiing would give me only
chills, and no thrills. 1 get all the
excitement I need, and plenty of
wholesometadrenalin, from oth-
er activities.
5. I would get cold riding up
the ski lift. I nearly froze to
death taking the garbage out.
Just thinking of going up on that
Peter's
Point
a
Peter Hesse'
modified clothes line at minus
25, with the wind coming
straight from Baffin Island, is
enough to make my blood con-
geal.
6. I don't need skiing as a chal-
lenge - to find myself or my
place on this earth. I know who
I am, and I sm aot.lost. I ktiow
exactly where I am, and I like it
here. I am big enough to set the
challenges of day-to-day mod-
em living as part of a large, live-
ly family, and I don't need to
race down the side of a moun-
tain "because it is there."
7. Let's say I would cave in
and become addicted to skiing
like the rest of the family.
Where would that lead _ us? I'll
tell you where: straight into the
poorhouse. I'd spend half the
winter on the hill instead of at
the office, earning money. I
know that Canada has a wonder-
ful wfzlfare system. But I don't
think it would provide us with
free ski passes, state-of-the-art
skis, boots and clothing, a $125
Uvex alpine ski racing helmet
for Duncan, $125 Salomon SG -
Letter to Edit°,
800 Chrono French -designed
genuine leather racing gloves for
Alexander, or even a pair of $50
all-purpose Smith ski goggles
for Stephanie.
So for the last time, kids (and
Elizabeth): You'll have to live
with the fact that I will never be
a sky diver, trapeze artist, tight-
rope walker, steeplejack, or as-
tronaut. I will never feel the urge
to go over Niagara Falls in a
wooden barrel, ride the big roller
coaster at Canada's Wonderland,
climb the north wall of the Mat-
terhorn, go wkiter-water rafting
in the Yukon, or downhill skiing
at Mount Pakenham.
I will gladly continue to drive
you to and fro any ski area in a
200 km radius, pay for some
(but not all) of your ski equip-
ment, ski clothing, ski accesso-
ries, and ski holidays. I will lis-
ten patiently to your prolonged
tales of fortitude and prowess on
the slopes, your skills and thrills
in the powder snow. I will never
complain or fall asleep as you all
relate in minute detail through
the entire supper hour what ex-
actly happened on the chair lift
today..I will take a keen academ-
ic interest in the most intricate
details of every aspect of alpine
skiing. Why not?
But please, kids, don't ask me
again - ever again - why I don't
want to become a downhill skier
like you. I've told you now.
Leave it at that!
PS: To answer Duncan's sup-
plementary question: Yes, Dun-
can, if someone paid me a mil-
lion dollars, I would leam to ski.
Satisfied?
The question of garbage
Dear Sir.
1 knew it, the Exeter council arc
thinking of following Grand Bend
like a load of bloody sheep and
charging S2
Bruce Shaw say thatttth not an
additional charge,%since the taxes
will, be reduced by about $116.
Who does he think he's kidding?
The taxes will be increased to re-
cover the 5116 reduction and the
S2 a .arge WILL be additional. if
Grand Bend reduced their taxes by
say IO%, I bet Exeter wouldn't fol -
f
low them then.
1f it's a genu-
ine reduction,
AI)
then why not
leave things as
they are? I don't
mind if a family
with kids puts out
two garbage bags for every one of
mine and pays the same from the
taxes. That s called helping one an-
other. Shaw says that we can cut
back our garbage to less than a bag
a week. 1 often do that now, but 1
haven't got half a beg to put it in
They should try economizing at the
landfill site and put the garbage in
half a hole.
Incidentally, in these times of
hardship and restraint, the landfill
tipping rates should never be al-
lowed to double twice in one year.
Whoever is responsible for this,
should be ashamed of him or her
self.
Yours sincerely
John Sanderson
"Men are never so likely
to settle a question rightly
as when they discuss it
freely."
.. • Thonieln lacauley
tijMIMM is 454 taste st.,
Exeter. O ts* MM ass by �L W EhMresesee Ltd.
Te sp ons 1-5111,235- 1
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TRUEE4U'S WALK IJ THE SNOW
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Letter to -Editor
Information meeting planned
Dear Editor:
Thank you for your recent arti-
cle "Local Women Bring Joy to
Belorussian Children" January 20.
The article was well written out-
lining our work and purpose with
the children who are affected by
radiation in the towns and villages
of Belarus (a state of the former
Soviet Union).
As a result of your article we
have had numerous requests for
speaking engagements and also
readers who are interested in
learning more about our visitation
program.
This program has been in opera-
tion for the past four years in Can-
ada, U.S.A., New Mexico, Germa-
ny and Holland and has served
33430 children with encouraging
results. The purpose of the visita-
tion program is to bring children
from the radiated areas of Belarus
to spend eight wecks with host fam-
ilies who provide them. with recu-
peration, good nourishment and
respite from ongoing radiation. It is
our hope that through such visits
the children can strengthen their
immune systems and outlook, thus
being able to improve
their future
chances for a
healthier exis-
tence. I
As a result of the
interest that has
been shown by many in
the Exeter, Kirkton, St. Marys and
Letter to Editor
surrounding areas we have ar-
ranged to have an information
meeting outlining the necessary
steps for a possible visitation pro-
gram in this area on 'I uesday, Feb-
ruary 16 at 8:00 p.m. in Kirkton
Community Centre. For more in-
formation please call 2296344 or
235-1644.
The one thought that was made
so very clear to us while in Belarus
was that Canadians have so much
to be thankful for and perhaps by
sharing our good fortune we can
make a difference in some child's
life and hope for the future.
Thank you for an excellent arti-
cle.
Sincerely,
Leslie Switzer
Dorothy Chapman.
Not a pretty picture
Dear Editor:
We read in our local weeklies
yet another rosy casino picture
painted by MPP Ellen MacKin-
non, Mayor Tom Lawson, other
officials and Lloyd GuilleL
The painted "colours" are shown
as economic benefits to our area.
Wintering in a larger centre in
Florida we have the advantage. of
reading and hearing about these
"colours". Gambling is big time
and news stories and editorials on
the problems of casinos and gam-
bling appear with regularity.
It's not a pretty picture!
This Sunday's daily is a typical
example.
It quotes Paul R. Ashe, the exec-
utive director of the Florida Coun-
cil on Compulsive Gambling as
saying that the 598,000 his organi-
zation gets is a 'drop in the bucket'
and he'd like to see Florida match
the $2 million that Texas officials
have set aside for treating compul-
sive gamblers.
The several horrendous stories
of the effect on families of gam-
bling makes the 52 million pale in
comparison. These reports leads
one to believe our leaders are
looking at only one part of the pic-
ture.
"The new gamblers aren't orljy
middle • aged, white 'salesmen and
professionals, they're teenagers
stealing grocery money" to gamble.
According to council estimates
roughly one in 25 Floridians gam-
ble compulsively. That's a startling
number.
A recent study from a Minnesota
Council on Compulsive
Gambling has
found a strong
link -between
crime Ai)d gam-
bling. A very trou-
bling trend the re
port states is the growth
of young addicts.
The above statistics and painful
stories beg the question. From
whom are our officials geeing their
research?
Is it just the casino operators
themselves or the wishful thinking
of other municipal officials where
casinos recently have been intro-
duced?
Last fall when the subject was be-
ing discussed on a Windsor radio
program one law, -official countered
the rosy picture with the comment
that what they don't tell you is that
One has increased over 60 per-
cent. He was referring to a smaller
U.S.A. center in which was located
a new casino.
Another official on the same pro-
gram stated that the U.S. govern-
ments will have to levy a higher
tax to cope with addicted gam-
blers. The quotes and comments
above reinforce his observations.
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Our provincial and federal deficits
are wrong. Establishing casinos as
a bail out is a second wrong. Casi-
nos may benefit our governments
in the short run but it will not come
without costs as the facts above in-
dicate. "Once widespread gam-
bling takes hold, it will be all but
impossible to uproot it. Find an-
other way" states a Tampa Tribune
editorial.
Mayor Tom, we hope you and
your officials will research the val-
ue of casinos beyond any economi-
cal gains there y be. .
.M. (Bob) Southcott,
Grand Bend
fifusisgadjaiiLeaCtign. All letters to the editor must be signed and are,subject to editing.
Deafer to 424 Main Street, or mail to P.O. Box 850, Exeter, gat, MM4 156