HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-07-15, Page 4Page 4
Times -Advocate, July 15, 1.998
Publisher & Editor: Jim Beckett
Business Manager: Don Smith
Production Manager: Deb Lord
ligtegaiAgig: Barb Consitt, Chad Eedy
NeWS: Kate Monk, Craig Bradford.
Katherine Harding, Scott Nitron, Ross -Haugh
Production' Alma Ballantynd, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson
Brenda Hern, Joyce Weber. Laurel Miner
1r Qsrartarion: AI Hodgen •
front Office & Accounting.: Sue RoIlings, Carol Windsor.
• Ruthnnne Negriin. Anna.McDonatd. Cassie Dalrymple.
.Ruth Staght.
T
The Exeter Times -Advocate is a member of a family of community newspaper,
-providing news, advertising and information leadership
1:1)I'IOR1i S
Surplus not so sweet
he word "Surplus- is so sel-
doniheard in conneCtion with senior
levelsof government. that the initial re-
action to hews of such a situation in
Canada's Employment Insurance pro-
gram is apasitive'one. - •
The program rntust,be in goad shape,
one assumes -
However, the current situation created
by Liberal finance minister Paul Mar-
tin's suhstant:ial reforin- of what was
once called "Unemployment insu-
rance.".are not necessarily good news --
for wage earner~. ' ` -
Call it El or Ul. the program is intend
ed as ."insurance'_" against -lost wages
for -those who themselves out of
work. However. the governing Liberal'
appear .to be treating El premiums as
just another source of general revenues.
In tact. the fund surplus has been lac -
tared into the ecuation which has al-
lowed Prime -Minister Jean Chretien '
government to u.clare victory over the -
natton's deficit.
e7 1'
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Published Eseh•Wednesday Marling at 424 Malo St
Exeter. Ontario, NOM 196 by J.W. fatly Pubticat►ons Ltd
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em.111s dy tan G S I 0R1O6210835
.But.the question bears asking - should
it be the unemployed who shoulder the
burden -of the deficit battle'?
The El surplus wad made possible by
toughening requirements making El
least accessible to -those with the least ,
secure jobs. -In addition; •even those who
were able to qualify now receive suh-
••stantially reduced benefits, as compared
to the levels prior to Martin's reform.
The•changes might have been justifia-
hle to eliminate a situation where an un-
funded liability existed in the.El pro-. •
nee •'t have
reate a ge sur-
ld,aim to break
alt cushion
grana. However, measurt;
been drastic enough to
Iu+..The program sho
even.. or perhaps create a s
against future recession.
The situation would be comparable to
your auto insurance company raising
premiums, in order to Lund their losses in -
other. less profitable business ventures.
Yon wouldn't. stand for that. would
you •,
Kepnniedlront Walkerton Herald 7imr%
YourV° viteivs-
Letters.to:the.editor
15 there a heartbeat in our schools?
-We object,:.however,to teachers
- holding st"udents.hostage..,:
Dear Editor
• In response to tile -article .'School Sports rn-Uouht
published in"ttic June 24 issue •
-
We were shocked to. read that extracurricular ac-
tivities may be endii►g_at South Huron District High
Sci►ool: • NO band concerts.': no field ' hockey . no
WOSSA tis OFSAA- con>pehuons 'with other
schools during the 19911/99 school year.
The reason'' Cuptract- negottattons between the
sclidol board and teachers over the amount ,ol hours
that- teachers roust spend in the classroom. -The cur-
rent proposal by. the board, -and-by the Ministry of
Education, is that will.have to spend a -max-
'mum of -seven out of eight •"teaching:blocks" in the
classrount :'Flies translates to lour or five hours a
day and Fs a manor increase Irons previous years
l'eachers complain this will leave them with no. ex=
Ira nine iii their workday 16 coach.
We do not wish to take sidesln the contract nego"
uauuns. We ohlect, however, to the teachers hold-
► View
Ing student activities hostage for their contract nego-
tiations. Threatening the existence of WOSS.\ and
OFSAA indicates the, teachers. have reached a new
low. Students are:not pawns to be used this way -
•
Consider the many volunteer. coaches OF minor
hockey, soccer. and baseball teams, scout and guide
leaders, and school advisory council members. Atter
our usual 40 hour work week, plus inevitable- over-
time, it is ~hen difficult to make the sacrifice of sev-
eral hours -volunteering at the local arena, sports
field or school.
However, we do• it gladly knowing that our kids
are worth it' We feel it is.our duty as- parents' and as
citizens ot. this community to -make it a better place
for our children to. grow- up in. Ther, lives arc'en-
riched by the many unpaid volunteer leaders who
give of themselves tirelessly despite Job and family
committnents.
-The spirit of volunteerism is alive and well in- "our
iiumrriunity. Is there still a heartbeat in our schools''
Sincerely,
Tony and Nancy Michtelsen
;ByEric:Dawd
TORONTO - Ontarto':s'lawyers are trying to
improve their image, but they are part of an en -
(ire justice system that increasingly is losing re-
. spect.
- Concerned senior lawyers have been saying.
that many in the profession feel its image is -at
an all -tints low and lawyers are viewed as •
greed} , mealy-mouthed shysters who exploit
others'. misery. The_ lawyers have suggested
classes in ethics and regular testing to weed
out colleagues' with careless or dishonest traits.
The Law Society of Upper Canada, their gov-
erning body, also served a dinner to the home-
less; talked of hosting more and seemed moti-
vated by a genuine desire to help as well as to
be seen as public-spirited. •
-
But their good works .will barely be noticed
beside the parade of lawyers whose anti -social
behaviour keeps eroding respect. • To- mention
some only in the past few months: a lawyer lost
$4 million entrusted to him by 80 clients, many
elderly, to invest in safe mortgages and was
sentenced.to 11 months' jail
A lawyer for : ed a doctor's note to het
tgra*
The doctor shortage: not out of the woods yet
Are we experiencing it doctor , • The Canadiar Medical- Associirl 1►'liheri larger uroan centres aie ex"-
+orut ' . tion'(CMA) released statistic., that- • penencing -profleMs keeping 'um
attar and surrounding cominu- ; • strict: 19}t?,."=while thea ua:. beeat i,' tors..iusC think Ow difficult it be
nnics.i►avc been forced to grapple Ilut11 per cent increase of the nolo cones iter a rural area like Exeter
With this question' in -light of the is her 01 spetitalis> pracht in,t in (.ti Exeter ha' It, nnnudtatclr get tr.
tent emergency rouni clusures,at, ads. the nurnbtr • o' latn►l pt►yst .tit business,ot.attracung doctor: it
South Huron Hospital
The community has lrterah.v becc
turned inside 'opt trying to assign
blame .and find answers.
However. the writing has been on
the wall kV- years:that this 'vias go`
ing to happen."
in 1995, the Scow Commission
released on Small/Rural. Hospital
hinergene- Department .Physicitln,-
Service predicted this Was coining .
One oI the commission"s keys
findings was that the continued pro-
visiuu oI basis: physicians' services -
was at iisk In most rural areas 01
Ontario 'They found -that existing
doctors were being overworked and
as physicians' felt the profession.
mei• weren't adequately being re-
placed. ,
W.hilc n 'Is debatable whether
this area has entiugh local doctors.
it is it fact we alt going to have .
problems attracting ,new physicians
to take their place when they leave
•
•
,
clan: has decreased ht •seven per. --we want t, niaintan - our ,huspua'
cerci' - ' and. enrergepey rtiuni servrccs
. ;that. tigurt- not even tait•-• - 'The newiv torined action commit
tee is ,1 Step III the, right direction..
aye,
"When larger urban
centres ,are experiencing,
,. problems holding
doctors, just think how.
difficult it becomes for a
rural area -like Exeter."
mw account tl;e number of doctor,
who leave Canada ,Lor the i_ure of
making bigger bucks south of "flit`
border
On Saturday the Globe and Mail
Ijeatured,a front-page article on, host
top CI'nadlan-UUcIOIs are iiovrq n
U.S: hospitals because of the uu-
-'tied research tnt,nev• andthe
chance to piscine cutting-edge
uiediunc .•- •• - ripen.
•
but the clock is ttcknig
. Establishing 4' clinic it Lxetrr t+
aurae: yours;' doctor-, should..air+
uusly be addressed ' 1.1
Constant and -open •conirnutiica
nun between alt reievan: panic -c.
alai' necessart lo' du- prtices •
work Ci sunreunies" wonkier It a• -seri
ous `cuuiniuIIIeaiiun breakdown' got,,
us (0 ibis 4,uiUt tit Lite Inst place
' \tic can't •hidtr.belun_i 14th Ltet Ilial
ties is Liapitei+n►g all ove' lural Un.
Cam". We have to take iespurtsibihty
-lir what is happening in this coin
Mundy - 11
• 11 is time for the clinic uauniuuit -
to gel into Ow ga'tic 0' alien + ,t
real pussibilitt that we sic going tt•
lose ;+. husptud that the. toptieiwnru
loughi ,o hard -last yea' ti' reel;
•
woman friend due in court on a criminal charge
and was convicted of obstructing justice. He
also admitted other fraltd ,
A lawyer who-, billed Ontario's legal aid plan
for more than 24 hours work a day on 53 differ-
ent days explained that he is a poor bookkeeper
but was (found guilty of professional miscon-
duct). „
Another lawyer sentenced to -six months' jail
for fraudulently billing legal aid gave the excuse
that her office was in a state of chaos.
• A lawyer was ordered in. a civil suit to pay
$32,000 to. a former client for forcing him to
plead guilty to a criminal charge when he want-
ed to plead not guilty. Among other induce-
ments was a warning that the client might spend
a year in jail awaiting trial. .
A lawyer who admitted breach of trust made
-off with $6,000 paid him to pass on as compen-
sation to the parents of a 16 -year-old student
killed while working part-time to help his family
and it is difficult to be greedier. There also was
lawyer Alan Eagleson, just released from jail,
who ' leaded uilty to defraudin : hockey clients
Flaws in justice system
al a hearing during which there was the disT-
tastelti spectacle. of fellow -lawyers- - .fouler
prime -minister John Turner and former, supreme"
court ,judge Willard bsley praising him in -let-
iers as man of faith and honor who should be
treated as such. The public will-reinember bit:-
time lawyers. ganging together. •
Police, lawyers and judges' combined also
have not covered themselves with glory in a re-
cent extraordinary succession 'of high-pro,file
cases. •
A judge this month ordered Toronto police to
pay $220,003 to a woman raped in -her apart
ment because they knew. a serial f apist was at '
tacking women in their homes in the area: and
failed to warn them. In effect they used her as
bait.
A man was released the same day after sere-
ing eight years of a life sentence for murder in
yet another case in which a jailhouse informant
lied.
Another man who had served three years of a
life sentence for murder was freed pending a
new trial by an appeal court which • said the
judge at the first a sal discounted important e‘
dente.
A.third loan spent three years in jail awaitinf•
trial on a murder charge• below; pohLc. dropped
it saying'witnesses were Uu%elrablc -
A coroner's jun' requested improved ut:inuig
- for police. crown lawyers and judges 'ate! a
man was given bail repeatedly on charges of as-
saulting, this girlfriend and forbidden from post, -
sessing a gun, but no one. in the system asked if'
he already had a permit to buy one and he did
and shot her dead. In the spring there also was,
the inquiry into the wrongful conviction for
murder of Guy Paul Morin. Overturned by
DNA evidence, which found errors by police,
prosecuting lawyers and the trial judge.. -
It is difficult to recall a time when so musty -
flaws have been revealed among those charged
with assuring justice is served in Ontario.
But its Progressive Conservative government
is obsessed with getting crihnc off the streets, a
more popular call, and has not taken htuch no-
tice.' - ,