Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-05-13, Page 5Times -Advocate, May 13, 1998 Page 5 Advice from Ontario's Fire Marshal The fire service is working hard to educate the public about fire safety.... Dear Editor: As Fire Marshal of Ontario, I am saddened by the tragic fires that continue to claim the lives of the people of this province - particularly young children and older adults. In 1997, 154 people lost their lives to fire. In Ontario in 1998, 51 people have already died. Why do these fire tragedies happen? Most people don't realize that 90 per cent of fire deaths occur in our homes, where we feel most safe and secure. Approximately 70 per cent of those deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Never underestimate the seriousness of fire. Fire grows very rapidly and can involve the entire home in a matter of minutes, trapping the occupants before the fire department arrives. Needless fire tragedies will continue to occur un- less everyone takes responsibility for their own safety. The fact is that the majority of fire deaths are preventable. The major causes of fatal fires are care- less smoking and careless cooking. Falling asleep while smoking, or leaving pots on the stove unat- tended are all too common occurrences. Unfortu- nately, the victims of these fires are frequently inno- cent family members. The fire service is working hard to educate the public about fire safety, but we need everyone's help. You must take responsibility for safety in your own home. First priority must be given to prevent- ing fires from occurring. In the event that a fire does start, a working smoke alarm on every level of your home will alert you and your family and will pro- vide you with a chance to escape. Developing and practising a home escape plan will help to ensure everyone knows what to do when the alarm sounds. Remember: fire can strike quickly and when you least expect it. You may only have a few minutes to escape. Fire safety in the home is your responsibili- ty. Bernard A. Moyle Fire Marshal of Ontario Check your lease with a lawyer "Terms under various leases appear to be negotiable. " Dear Editor; At the Monday, April 27th, regular board meeting of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture, members raised concern with the number of compa- nies who are signing up Mineral Rights Leases for oil and gas exploration. Lease rates vary from $1.00 to $5.00 per acre. We would recommend checking any lease with your lawyer before signing. Terms under various leases appear to be negotiable. Yours truly, Henry Boot President, Huron County Federation of Agriculture 1-800-511-1135 482-9642 Prime Minister offside A research paper prepared by Gambling in Canada states that casinos tend to have less full time work and more part-time... Dear Editor: Prime Minister Jean Chretien was way offside when he recently whined about how he makes less money then the worst hockey player in the NHL. Factually he was right, but so what? A more relevant comparison the Prime Minister might consider is that most Canadian taxpayers make less money than the worst performing MP in the House of Commons! And what about the gold-plated MP pension? Comparing that to what's available for ordinary Ca- nadian is like comparing a pce-wee hockey team to the/Stanley Cup Champions! That's why all this recent moaning from some MPs on how underpaid they arc is so hard to stom- ach. Let's face it, the average backbench MP is little ore than a benchwarmer for his/her political party. On important legislative mattes, MPs act as sales rep for their political party, as well as being local ombudsmen on less contentious issues. For this MPs are more than adequately compen- sated. Their real salary of over $100;000 a year put them in the top 10 per cent of Canadian households. Maybe the Prime Minister should spend less time feeling sorry for himself and more time trying to re- form Parliament so that MPs can actually earn their high salaries. . In the mean time, he should leave hockey com- mentary to Don Cherry. Yours truly, Stephen Harper, President The National Citizens' Coalition For more free- dom through less government To former Maryborough residents "... a gala celebration is planned for Civic holiday weekend..." Dear Editor: One hundred and twenty-five years ago, the Village of Moorefield was officially incorporated as a Police Village. If it were not for amalgamation, the Township of Maryborough would have been 150 years old in 2002. A 'Celebration '98' committee was formed last year and a gala celebration is planned for Civic holi- day weekend July 31, August 1, 2, 3. Many exiting events have been planned including a huge parade, some ball games, historic displays, school reunions, dances and many other games and competitions. We invite any and all former residents of Moorefield and or Maryborough to attend Civic hol- iday weekend and join the gala celebration and fes- tivities.Come and help us celebrate the past and pause before we go on to the future. If you have any pictures or memorabilia that you would like to share with us, please send it in advance or bring it with you so we can add it to the displays. Any information or school pictures would he espe- cially appreciated. Please label anything you send or bring and it will make it easier to make sure every- thing is returned. A history book is being prepared and if you have any items of interest for it please send or bring that information also. For questions regarding the celebration call: Cliff Campbell (519-638-2970, Box 66 Moorefield, Ontario, NOG 2K0) or Dennis Craven (519-638-2971, Box 123, Moorefield, Ontario, NOG 2K0). Lioness cheques Cash for good nausea. The Exeter Lioness Club handed out cheques to area agencies on Monday. From left, Lioness Service Chairperson Liz Stephens presents cheques to Conrad Sitter of Huron Adult Day Care, Patti Down of the Alzheimers Society, Ewart Van de Vrie of WOTCH, Louisa Martens of the Thames Valley Children's Centre, Ted Jones and Bob Din- ney of the Exeter Lions Club for the fishing derby, Debby Wagler of the Exeter Agricultural Society, Exeter Lioness Regional Representative Sally Lou Raymond for the A-15 Lions Youth Exchange Camp and Cliff Lloyd of the Children's Miracle Network Telethon. The Li- oness Club also donated to the Women's Shelter and Counselling Service of Huron. Preventative safety "The Health Unit is planning free car seat clinics this spring and fall. Dear Editor: This fall I attended an information seminar on child car seat safety presented by the Huron County Health Unit. Like most parents, I thought my car seats were installed correctly. I had read the manu- facturer's instructions, had a professional install the tether strap, and made sure the kids were belted in for every trip. What I learned though was that they were still in danger of becoming one of the 70 chil- dren killed each year in Canada in car accidents. I would like to reach out to other parents and share some of the information that I've learned about safe car travel. The biggest change I made was•to finally replace my poor old dangerous car. While shopping for a new vehicle, I was discouraged by the seeming lack of interest by the manufacturers to make cars "car seat friendly". Many of us assume that the profes- sionals will install car seats correctly. Please take the initiative to read the instruction booklet and check the work. It worries me when I see children jumping around, unbuckled, in cars. A minor fender -bender can kill a child. As parents, we need to guide our children towards positive attitudes about safety. I am offering the following suggestions as a quick check list for parents. The back seat is the safest place for children under 12 years. The first thing to check is that the seat is the right size for your child. Children should be rear -facing until they are capable of pulling them- selves up to a standing position. They should remain in a front -facing car seat until they weigh 40 full pounds (18 kg). If they are too tall for their car seat they should be placed in a high -back booster seat. A booster seat should be used until_ the child weighs 60 lbs. (27.kg). Placing a shoulder belt under the arm can cause serious internal injuries in a crash. Many seat belts such as the continuous loop lap - shoulder seat belts require a locking clip to keep the carseat form being thrown from the vehicle in an accident. On front -facing car seats•a tether strap properly attached to an anchor bolt will prevent the child from lunging forward, seat and all. Chest clips will keep the child properly positioned in the seat to reduce the risk of injuries. The Health Unit is planning free car seat clinics this spring and fall. Please take the few minutes to have your car seats checked. Our children's safety is worth it! The Health Unit (482-3416), the Ipfant and Toddler Safety Association (519) 570-0181, and Transport Canada (1-800-333-0371) have pamphlets, videos and other information available on this sub- ject. A little education may savea child's life. Angela Crew, Goderich Playground • _ • _ -s-f -E If ...years of fun and play for this community's young people." Dear Editor: Life for kids in Hensall and surrounding area is just a little bit richer, a little bit better thanks to the hard work of Denise Troyer and Ron McTaggart and the S.A.C. committee of Hensall Public School. Efforts of the committee this past year have focussed on the installation of new Henderson playground equipment at our school. Kids, parents, teachers and the community at large have joined hands to support this effort. Over $8,000, in a variety of fundraisers that include a silent auction, KFC Days, pizza drives and a March Break skate-a-thon, have been raised - this year. On Saturday several skilled and energetic parents arrived on the scene with tractors, post hole diggers, generators and their tool boxes to assemble what will amount to years of fun and play for this communi- ty's young people. The $1 1,000 outdoor play gym will be utilized by students and community groups alike.This group made a concerted effort to raise suf- ficient funds and won the respect and support of sev- eral community businesses that include Pizza Delight, Subway, N.C. Reid and Sons, Kentucky Fried Chicken,,McTaggart's Food Market, Tim Morton's, McCann RediMix and the Exeter Do -It Centre to name just 'a few. These continue to be difficult financial times for many small communities but the dads and moms who contributed to this worthwhile endeavor -have once again demonstrated the commitment, care and spirit found in rural Ontario today.' Thanks Hensall Public School S.A.C. Committee! 'Since;ely, . Judy Simmons antifamily What happened to And what happened to good honest raffles?.... Dear Editor: We have often heard the expression "There is nothing as permanent as change," It is also inevita- ble and irreversible, it seems. Most changes are pro- gressivc and good but some grow out of questiona- ble motives and arc realized through scheming tactics. The proliferation of, lotteries and other win - by -chance promotions have invaded areas of sales of goods and services and reputable charities. What happened to the honest and often struggling door-to-door salesman or saleslady? We lost the Rawlcigh man and the Watkins man but the Fuller Brush man and the Avon lady arc better remem- bered casualties. Itinerant sales people of small ap- pliances and useful commodities often would ar- range for neighborhood demonstrations where the hostess would get a favorable deal. Perhaps some of these have survived, such as Tupperware parties. One can see that the present G.S.T. and its provincial counterpart have done much to discourage the friend door-to-door ap- proach. Merchandise promotions coming through the mail often offer the buyer a chance to purchase chances on lottery winnings which they are offer- ing. And what has happened to good, honest raffles? The writer recalls that during years of service club membership there was always an annual raffle of a pleasure boat, trailer and motqr. The members sold the tickets and did all the leg work without over- head costs and all profits went directly into needful projects. But now one reputable charity after an- other appears to be joining hands with parasitical lottery or promotion agents who will offer to raise money for them and, no doubt, share id the take. Recently such an arrangement came to this housel hold's attention from the Red Cross people. We were invited to send $40 to cover donation and par- ticipation in their big draw for big money or prizes. No receipts would be given for any portion of the $40. This sort of thing takes away•the altruistic mo- tive that should be behind all charity giving and substitutes a selfish what -do -I -get -out -of -it one. The writer does not object to appeals from reputa- ble charities and will continue to heed them by di- rect donations. All I.want to know is'the needs they service and hope. to serve, the amount of money needed beyond United Way sharing, expected fu- ture expansion and how their funds are adminis- tered. An open and honest appeal should bring hon- est and generous gifts from the heart without hope for more than an honest reeipt. ' Gerry Dobrindt Exeter Young Offenders Act needs changing "Boot camps run by former military or prison personnel seems to be a more viable option." Dear Editor: The Young Offenders Act needs to be changed and changed now. Let's not wait too long! After being victimized twice in the past six months, my eyes have been opened to the severe flaws of this law. What right do young people have to steal property you have worked hard for and destroy it? Youths today know the act inside and out and know what they can get away with. Victims then must go into debt to have these items replaced and often their insurance premiums are affected - all for the want of juveniles having nothing better to do. Fair? 1 don't think so. Maybe if the lawmakers who are protecting these juveniles were victimized themselves - the much needed changes to the Young Offenders Act would be enacted more quickly. Perhaps if these juveniles were made to be more responsible for their actions, youth crime would decline. Ensure that they have to pay or replace dam- aged and stolen property, either by using their own money or working to pay off their debt. Parents also need to take responsibility for their children's actions and not be afraid to do it. In today's society with both parents working to get ahead, it seems there is very little time left for fami- ly. Children need to be taught about morals and respect before its too late. Do you know where your teenage children, are at 2 a.m.? Don't be afraid to ask them their plans and check to make sure they are telling the truth. Police officers hands must also be untied - I don't envy these people their jobs when they arrest a young offender and know that the criminal will receive very little in the way of punishment - how depressing! All this and having to deal with the anger of the victims. Jail doesn't seem to be the answer - once out, they've learned even more ways to commit crimes. Boot camps run by former military or prison person- nel seems to be a more viable option. Maybe once the young offender realizes that people will not put up with their actions anymore, they will change to be better people. I urge everyone ever affected by youth crime to write to their M.P.P. Victims voices need to be heard. Ann Hirtzel, Exeter , / Li Send your signed letters to: Exeter Times Advocate, Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 156 or e-mail us at to@eed .com Y / 1 1