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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-03-02, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, March 2, 1994 -r Publisher: Jim kelt News Editor: A Harte Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Man er: Deb Lord Publications ail Registration Number 0386 5UBSCRI N RATES: CANADA Within 40 miles (65 km.) addressed to non letter carrier addresses $30.00 plus 62.10 O.S.T. cc... Outside 40 miles (65 km.) or any letter carrier address $30.00 plus 630.00 (total 60.00) + 4.20 O.S.T. Outside Canada $99.00 (Includes 688.40 postage) O 11;l)I'l'()1Z1.A1, • • (Di EH UE RIBBON AVIAILD "Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely." ... Thomas Macauley Published Each Wednesday Mom ng at 424 Mair St.. Exeter, Ontario, NOM 158 by 1.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1-519-2354331 #R105210835 New boundaries make little sense ural voters have perhaps had it a little easier than their urban coun- terparts. Firstly, each one has a little more vot- ing power than someone living in a city. Typically, an urban riding has a larger population than a rural area with one MP. Sometimes it takes as many as two urban voters to have the same influence on the polls as one rural vot- er. In a rural riding, one seems to have a little better chance of actually knowing, or having met the candidates. Urban voters often have to base their decision on the colour of the signs on display. But rural ridings have their disadvan- tages. The large areas they sprawl over, particularly in the remote north- ern areas, makes it difficult for a single MP to cover. Not every corner of the riding has the same problems or chal- lenges either. This is precisely why the proposed Perth -Oxford -Middlesex riding makes little sense in today's Ontario. It would stretch from the suburbia of Kitchener nearly to Lake Huron. How can all this territory be considered an area of "com- mon interest", which is what ridings are supposed to be. There is a possibility this riding's MP could live a few kilometres from Brant- ford, yet be the representative of McGil- livray Township. Would she have ever been to Lucan, would she know more about the village beyond the Donnelly legend? Opposition to the boundary proposals is not only coming from the rural voters who would find themselves in the mid- dle of such strange ridings, but also from the MPs as well. Ontario may need some adjustments to its ridings, but it is hard to believe this is the best way to go about it. A.D.N. I\Jezv Act not a takeover "...the process makes it easier for family members to arrange for guardianship, ahead of time, with- out having to go to court." Dear Editor: A number of people have called my office with concerns about the Substitute Decisions Act. From the calls I can tell that there is a good deal of confu- sion about what is actually in the Act. 1 would like to take this opportunity to explain key points of this Act to the residents of Middlesex County. Despite what people may have read, the Act will not let the government "take over" the assets of eve- ryone who becomes mentally incapable if there is a power of attorney, or if a spouse or family member is willing and available to make decisions on a per- son's behalf. The Substitute Decisions Act says that the Puhlic Guardian and Trustee will he a substitute decision -maker only as a last resort. The Act docs not make it more difficult for family members to assume guardianship for an incapacitat- ed person when there is no power of attorney. In- deed, the process makes it easier for family mcm- bers to arrange for guardianship, ahead of time, without having to go to court. When the Act comes into force, people will be able to designate who they wish to hold power of attorney without spending time and money going through the court system. We will encourage people to take advantage of these provisions. A person who holds power of attorney will not have to provide security or a management plan be- fore making decisions on someone's behalf. This will only occur when someone assumes power of at- torney and no one has been previously designated by the incapacitated person. Finally, I should point out that this Act was passed unanimously by thc legislature in 1992. However, thc Act is not scheduled to come into force until late 1994, because the Puhlic Guardian and Trustee wants to ensure the services relating to the Act are in place first. If you want more information about this Act, please call my constituency office at 457-31 10 or 1- 800-265-1524. Sincerely, Irene Mathyssen, MPP Middlesex Hold that thought... By Adrian Harte Exeter's not carved in stone I was congratulated three times on Friday on my recent marriage. In fact, it was news to me. But I'm not married, I replied. The first two to congratulate me were a little surprised and em- barrassed. They had been in conversations about my sudden decision to join the ranks of matrimony, and perhaps were disappointed to find the rumours a little exaggerated. Did someone hear me talking about my sister's upcoming wedding, and thought I was talking about myself, I won- dered? The third well-wisher, whose identity I won't reveal, said he was told I got married, from a reliable source. In fact, he had called the Times -Advocate and was told I wasn't around be- cause I was getting married. "No, I was in St. Marys last week," I said, suddenly realizing if someone told me that too quickly, I might misunderstand. So that's how rumours get started. Well, you'll all have to wait a bit longer, I'm afraid. Still, I did spend an interesting week in St. Marys. They were a little short staffed so I went over to help out. It gave me an op- portunity to get to know that town a little better. Sure, I visit St. Marys often enough, but " what did I really know about it? One week isn't enough to un- derstand anything but the most superficial aspects of a town - so I spent much of my time looking at superficial things. St. Marys is a town of about 1,000 people more than Exeter. It has a much different past, mainly because of its strong in- dustrial sector, with the quarry as a centrepiece. Most of the downtown buildings and many residences are made of stone - oh right, Stonetown, so I'm not the first to notice. But does a town a little larger than Exeter give us an idea of where we will be a few years down the road? We're in the process of putting together a strategic plan, can we expect Exeter to end up looking like St. Marys, with a.little less top- notch masonry? That might be a tall order I visited the public school in town, and discovered while it managed to sit right in the mid- dle of a block with not a single parking space, it was a most im- pressive structure indeed. Two floors, wide hallways, grand stairways, and lots of windows to let the sun in: not at all like the ice cube tray architecture that has come to pass for ele- mentary schools since the 1960s. I wish I'd gone to a school like St. Marys'. Then there was the library. Anybody who questions wheth- er or not Exeter has outgrown its present public library only has to visit St. Marys. Even my typical skepticism was washed away when I saw neatly divided book sections, reading areas filled with people quietly perus- ing selected volumes in the morning light. Not one, but two story hours for toddlers were ongoing, as well as the health workshop I was attending. This was a beau- tiful building, filled with people on a Friday morning. 1 sudden- ly realized Exeter hasn't even had Friday morning library hours until just recently. Maybe there is a "build it, they will come" philosophy to public libraries: an inspirational facility to inspire better usage in the community. There were several other as- pects of St. Marys 1 wouldn't trade with Exeter. Neverthe- less, my main aim to compare us with a little larger town and not to gloat over our advantag- es, hut to see where we might be going in the next few years. The comparisons were...shall we say, enlightening. How would you feel if every week of the year, your Dad wrote about you in a whole bunch of newspapers? Trust me: you wouldn't like it. I know, be- cause it happened to me, and it's still happen- ing. Let's take one of last month's columns about a girl called Beatrice, who always bites her fin- gernails. Beatrice isn't really a person, but a substitute for someone's name. Mine! And how about a column written about a nosebleed, and a certain girl named - guess who? Me! Another one was about me when 1 was a little girl and left my doll out in a field and couldn't find it. My Dad takes the smallest things and makes a big deal out of them! Kids whose father is a construction worker or lawyer or farmer should be glad that he isn't a columnist. Sometimes I wish I wouldn't say anything or do anything at all and could just stay in bed the whole day. But,then, he'd probably write about that, too. No matter what happens, my Dad finds a way to write about us kids. Even when we're up at the cottage at Golden Lake, where he doesn't have his computer with him, he'll write notes on scraps of paper and take them home. And next thing you know, it'll show up in next week's paper. Or we may have dinner guests - kids or adults --, and we're having a conversation. Somebody will bring up an interesting subject. My Dad of- ten interrupts the conversation, leaves the table and jots something down. I don't mind him writing about us maybe once a month, but things get out of control. He writes about us in connection with anything -- Stephanie's Point: I just want to be me Ants, Rock Bass, Nanaimo Bars, Toys, or even Camp ("Dirty Socks and Firecrackers"). Sure, they may be funny to you, but you aren't the victim of his humour. Try and put yourself in my shoes, and trust me, you wouldn't be laughing anymore. Now you may know what it feels like. Some- times I wish I lived in the olden- days, when paper was rare. But even then, he would have found a way to embarrass me. Not just in the paper. Sometimes he's even on the radio or on TV, and that is always good for triple embar- rassment. But don't get me wrong. My Dad doesn't only write about me. My whole family gets to- tally humiliated in front of large numbers of people. You don't know how many times I've been recognized as "Peter Hessel's daughter". People come up to me and say: "Hey, I know you. You're that columnist's daughter. I just loved last week's column!" You're probably wondering why I've written this column. It's because I want to get hack at my Dad. Whenever my Dad writes a column, it revolves around us -- his own family. Well, Dad this column revolves around you. Now do you know what it feels like? Instead of making fun of us, why don't you write about politics, or travelling. or technolo- gy, or something? Just give us a rest and leave us alone for a while! Eight years of non-stop teasing can give you quite a headache. So all you readers, out there; please, when you see me on the street, don't think of me as the girl with the gum or the girl covered with white paint. Instead, think of me as the one and only Stephanie Hessel. 1