HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1993-08-04, Page 9Jerry White, a member of the
Shriner's Club, hands out
treats to the audience during
the Friedsburg Parade in Dash-
wood on Saturday.
Tips on conserving
By Paul Duffy, Energy Expert
(Paul Duffy is an independent
engineer and building scientist
who's been involved in energy con-
servation for more than ten years.
Currently, he's working with Onta-
rio Hydro to provide consumers
with energy-saving information
and ideas.)
My three oldest kids come home
from school these days full of -en-
vironmental ideas, so when I : vais
having trouble getting them to turn
lights off when they left a room I
reminded them that wasting any-
thing doesn't make sense, and that
includes electricity.
So we made a New Year's reso-
lution to become a "conserver fam-
ily". There are lots of ways your
family can become energy -savers
too, without lowering your com-
fort level or dramatically changing
your lifestyle. • We started living
our resolution by touring the house
to find.easy places to save energy
every day. - •
We started in the family room,
where the lights were on but no-
body was home. The TV was on
too, but nobody was watching as
the Ninja Turtles ate another pizza.
I didn't have to say a word - the
kids figured out that "lights off' in-
cluded computer games and the
stereo, too.
The next stop was the kitchen.
Appliances take a healthy slice
from your household's energy
"pie", but a conserver family can
make that slice a little smaller with
a minimum of effort. To inspire a
creative spirit, I told the kids that
they'd get a dime for every energy-
saving tip they came up with. For
once, they were all shouting "Shut
the -fridge door!" at me, instead of
the other way around. I handed out
four dimes, and they thought this
was very cool.
We decided to use the micro-
wave instead of the oven for
snacks like frozen pizzas when the
kids pile in the door after skating
or hockey, and that mom and dad
would keep coffee hot in a thermos
instead of on a burner.
The next "hot spot" was the ther-
mostat in the dining room, where I
told the kids that home heating is
the biggest energy user, but that we
could cut our annual heating bill by
four percent for every degree we
lowered the thermostat permanently
They weren't too impressed with
that stat, until we figured out what
that savings translated into in terms
of chocolate bars -- and then they
agreed that putting on a sweater in-
stead of cranking up the heat was no
big deal.
When we stopped in the bath-
room, the kids didn't see any obvi-
ous energy -wasters -- until I told
than that hot water is the second
largest energy user in the home, ac-
counting for 20 percent of your en-
ergy bill. I came prepared with a
new showerhead and an experiment.
• First, we put a plastic bag over the
end of the old showerhead, ran it
full blast for 30 seconds, and
-marked the amount on the bag. Then
we installed an energy-saving show-
erhead, and we did the experiment
again, and compared the amounts.
The kids were really impressed with
the difference -- -which adds up to
over 28,000 litres(6,200 gallons) of '
hot water in one year.
They also reminded me to turn off
dripping taps. And I turned down
the thermostat on the hot water tank,
so we're avoiding scalded little fin-
gers as well as saving energy.
Our final stop on the tour was the
laundry room, where I again asked
the kids for ideas. One of them
thought we should stop washing our
clothes, and another thought maybe
we could wash them .just once in a
while. I gave them an "A" for effort
but no dime -- but there are a couple
of ways a conserver family can store
energy dollars from going down the
drain here. First - always select the
water level the matches the size of
the load. Second - switch the rinse
temperature to cold. Rinsing in cold
water won't affect the quality of
you wash, but it will save you
about a quarter of all the energy
you use to wash clothes.
When we wound up our tour, we
had a new set of conserver "rules"
for the house, but more important,
we were thinking creatively about
saving energy. Turning off one
light here and there isn't going to
make a big difference, but using
energy wisely over a period of
time adds up to worthwhile savings
-- for your family, as well as the
rest of the province.
Egg cheap. lust ref+a s sav farmers
Times-Advocale, August 4,1993 Peg.. q
Migrant workers get the job done
By Adrian Harte
T -A Editor
DASHWOOD - A few years ago, Bert Visscher says he insisted he
would never hire foreign workers. He always believed Canadians should
get the jobs first on his vegetable farms.
Nowadays, he has to admit he has changed his tune. In fact, he says
without a reliable supply of migrant workers from Mexico, he might even
go out of business.
Visscher recognizes the work he can offer on his Dashwood area farms
i is not exactly what the average Canadian is looking for. He says he can
guarantee five months of physical labour in the fields at little better than
minimum wage. The hours are long and the work is hard.
"With that scenario, who do you get?" asks Visscher, and goes on to
point out that those people who took the jobs those years ago brought their
problems with them. He said alcoholism, laziness, even drug problems
were common with those who were willing to take farm labour. Hard
workers who took the job would soon find permanent work elsewhere,
leaving him with a crop in the field and a gap in the workforce.
From a Mexican farm labourer's point of view, however, a chance to
work a summer in Canada is a rare opportunity for someone used to earn-
ing about $6 a day.
"They make over that in an hour here, so it's a gold mine for them," said
Visscher, who said the Mexicans he has hired in the past seven years have
worked very hard, enjoying the long days between mid-June and early No-
vember.
There is a language barrier involved, since most labourers speak little
English and the Visscher family knows little Spanish. However, he says
that once shown a task, he can be rest assured they will work hard at it, un-
supervised all day. Something that couldn't be said of some students he
has hired in the past, noted Visscher.
"1'd love to be able to talk to them, heart to heart, but you can't," says
Visscher of the language gap, pointing out that nearly all migrant workers
admitted under the federal government program are family men, some are
even grandfathers.
'I hire local people too," explains Visscher. "But if I had to depend on
the local work force, I'd have to shut down."
A common misunderstanding, says Visscher, is the belief that hiring for-
eign workers is cheap labour. Not so. In addition to the $6.35 hourly
wage, they receive benefits and accommodation. Visscher even pays to fly
them up from Mexico to Ontario.
"People think 'hey, they'rd getting them for a song, but that's not true," he
said. -
As family men, the workers' thoughts are often with their families back
home in Mexico. They are off work early on Fridays and can often be seen
heading into town to go shopping for food, items they can't find or afford
back home, or to the Post Office.
"We pay them biweekly, and they usually send a money order home
every time," said Visscher.
Sending regular cheques home is also a good safeguard for the workers
against getting "taxed" when they arrive at Mexican customs, where it isn't
a good idea to be carrying too much money at once. Consumer goods can
also be confiscated.
"We've had guys buy all kinds of stereo equipment and they had it taken
away from them - for no reason," said Visscher.
While the migrant worker program might be seen as a threat to Canadian
jobs, high unemployment and a supply of workers is not always the answer
for those seeking manual labourers. As Visscher points out, the stability
and reliability of a migrant worker under contract is an asset many Canadi-
ans aren't willing to offer.
•
1
Capsule Comments
with Ernie Miatello
Current researvtion duodenal ulcers is targeting
bacteria as the cause. "Helicobacter pylori" Is the
bug that Is thought to be the Culprit. Treatment
with antibiotics to eradicate it seems to prevent re-
currence of the ulcer. By the way, smokers appear '
to be more susceptible to Helicobacter infections.
Dry -roasted peanuts still have the same amount of fat and calories as
the oil -roasted type... I.e.. about 15 gram fat and 165 calories per oz.
of nuts.
Watch those chlorine levels In your home swimming pool. Too high a lev-
el could cause a condition known as "swimmer's lung", a lung condition
causing a constant cough.
Herbal remedies are generally without problems. However, the chemi-
cals in the herb "comfrey" are quite toxic to the liver and should be
used with caution. Herbalists recommend comfrey to treat rheumatism.
Long term use could be harmful.
The pickling season is fest approaching. We now have a source for
"lump" alum. If you need some check us out.
"Your Health Care Pharmacy
i
ti
Migrant workers, such as these Mexicans hired by Visscher Farms near Dashwood, are be-
coming an accepted part of the regular workforce on many Canadian farms. Proponents say
foreign labour offers farmers advantages domestic labour cannot.
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A well prepared resume will help you
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.0
CL
factors
424
A resume detailing an applicant's work history and
education is extremely helpful to an employer who
is seeking a person for a specific job vacancy.
Your personal resume should accompany
your letter of application.
Here are some guidelines to follow in preparing your resume:
Make it clear, concise and easy to read - and no longer
than two pages
❑ The resume should be typed on 8 1/2" x 11" white paper
with enough white space to prevent a cluttered look
❑ Start with your name, address and phone number
❑ Next under a sub -heading "Work History" detail the
previous jobs you've held - in reverse date order
- that is, last job first.
❑ Use a separate paragraph for each position and
precede it with the dates you held that position.
0 State the job title, a bref description of the
responsibilities - and a results you achieved.
The next section of your resume should come under the
sub -heading of "Education". Start with the highest
degree obtained or grade completed, followed by the
name of the institution at which you studied. Follow
this with previous education attainments. At the end,
list any specific instructional courses you have
attended in conjunction with your work.
U Under the sub -heading "Affiliations", list memberships
and/or offices held in professional or industry -
associations.
0 Under the sub -heading "Personal Interests" list any
activities which you feel will be of interest to the
employer - such as volunteer work, etc.
Your letter of application and your resume will be the
that make the employer decide whether to short
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