Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1997-08-27, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, August 27, 1997 Publisher & Editor: Jim Beckett Business Manager: Don Smith Production Manager. Deb Lord Advertising; Barb Consitt, Chad Eedy News; Heather Mir. Craig Bradford Brenda Burke, Kate Monk, Ross Haugh Production Alrna Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Brenda Hern, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner J(ansoortation: Al Flynn. Al Hodgert front Office Jft Accounting; Elaine Pinder, Sue Railings, Ruth Slaght Ruthann Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple, Carol Windsor The Exeter Times -Advocate is a member.of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership 1C1. • hat's happening to municpal. reform in Ontario? it depends to whom you are talking. The answers range from "Nothing!" to "Absolute chaos!" No one seems.to. have the `'right" recipe, and not a lot of help IS coming from- the province. What has come from the government are assurances (although many say they are certainly vague) that the download- ing will not affect local municipalities financially. The major error the govern- ment committed'on day .one was not to say, We want to let the 600 municipal- ities of Ontario shape their own fu- tures, but they have .to realize that there just is not the financial support availa- ble to keep them viable: therefore every municipality in the province must sub- mit an action planto the Minister of • Municipal Affairs by March 1, 1997 in which they will outline their proposals for mergers, amalgamations or restruc- turing." Nothing like that was said, and so a great deal of inaction. or chaos has . resulted, although, to be fair, some creative ideas have emerged. What are the choices facing Exeter, and _just what is -going on? One alternative that' should strike fear into all of us -is one -county govern- ment, and the abolition of all local mu- nicipalities, For -Huron, that option. • should not even be considered in tight of, recent history. The reeves lack the inclination; the skill or the guts to take hold of the administration - imagine • • EDITOR i.‘i, Publications Mail Registration Number 0386 • 51,MCRUPRON RAM Ota year rats for Canada anbeertberrs • 886.00 + tlsT iwo year rate for Canada subecrtbers - 863.00 + 08T OutsideCanada - 8102.00 Municipal reform - no more delays! losing" $75,000! Various amalgamation .scenarios have . been‘considered, with even Grand Bend • proposing aninteresting, optio'h. Stand • - ing pat does not address the threat of tax hikes: • . • It seems. that Exeter has two viable op- . tions. The first is some kind•of amalgamation. With- its neighbors in sufficient numbers to provide.a strong. independent body. separated, to some extent (or complete - 1y) from the county, The advantages of this alternative have been presented be- fore. The second will involve creating major efficiencies that will keep.• Ea.. 'political.entity..These savings will have to come through internal streamlining - • and creating -delivery partnerships: This .path demands hard,decisions on hddgets and staffing and internal cooperation: • , Exeter has embarked on the second. op- tion,, byt with. considerable . tre , idation. The absorption of the P.U.C. will be. • :controversial,- ,but if reduced -Costs -can be achieved, so, be it, The last thing . this - communityneeds is a donflict'ambng our own politicians, save the amnmuni-' .tion and the resources -for the battle, with the •county. •Our'only question is, if there areto be;, tinanciral savings; etch-• is -i4g 40: long, to implement change? -What we, .. don't need is a new council (to be elect- , ed in November) starting from scratch • with more delays. Your Views Letter to the editor Reversal of the death penalty Their faces cry out for a reversal • of the death penalty... Dear Editor: .Can anybody loolcat.the depraved faces of the psychopaths Clifford Olson and Paul Bernardo and believe for a minute that they can be rehabilitated" Their faces crit out for a reversal of the death pen- ally. Hanging is almost too god for them' If you politicians had any real nerve they would act. It is believed that 75 per cent ,'t Canadian.citi- tens are for the death penalty: itis the putiticians who are gutless. If hanging bothers you -. why not a "lethal' infection. Yours truly Gibby Gibson A View from Queen's Park Premier Mike Harris has.no time --literally -- for organised labor and this is helping push him into the most dangerous dispute with it in dec- ades. The Progressive Conservative premier has • Introduced more legislation taking away rights of unionists and other workers than any pre- mier in memory and union leaders are threaten- ing a province -wide strike. The Ontario Federation of Labor has written to Harris four times in two months asking to meet him. Harris has had weeks this sum- mer in which he had almost nothing on his itin- erary but a couple of golf tournaments to raise funds for his party. But he still refused and suggested it meet in- stead with his Tabor minister, Elizabeth Wit- mer. This breaks a lengthy Ontario tradition. Long -serving Tory premier William Davis in- vited the OFL to a formal meeting to express • its views to +him and his ministers at least once a year. By Eric Dowd GOLF S?0NSORS: Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St.. Exeter. Ontario. NOM 1S6 by J.W. Eedy PubHcatlons Ltd. Telephone 1-519-236-1331 • Fax: 519.236-0768 a.s.T. *R105210635 Change of focus By Heather Mir As a' reporter/photi)*raphes' with the Times -Advocate tor• nearly' three years [ . have Lound myself in many unusu=- al circumstances` from 'getting. up close and personal with an emu to ,wading' knee deep in • flood waters and ,now.. nearing - the end. of my first pregnancy. I will face a new challenge. • • I've heard /all the jtikes. .about "living a life ot; lei- sure". and being prepared for • 2 a.m. feedings and smelly diapers but to tell vou• . the truth. I' m _ still looking for= ward to every moment. Even the delivery horror stories haven't frightened me Coo.- much. ion-much. • although painkillers are souttding more and more appealing. .Now that . the baby 6 we don't know the sex r is start- - ing • to make some .earnest .,- kicks. ;kicks. flips and rolls, the end A new beat - The past eight' months have been interesting to say the least ;Ind many of my co- workers have had a. good chuckle Over some of , my ..pregnancy follies.' How can anyone in production ever forget ;he 'morning of the skunk' - not a good c'otnbi- nati'on with morning sickness: Now that my considerable girth is beginning to make ac- . tion Photography difficult. [ have decided not to work up , to my due ' date. I wile be leaving after Sept. 16 to await theblessed event at the beginning of October: While on maternity leave. - Kate Monk.. who is- currently taking over - fellow -reporter Brenda Burke's. maternity. leave. will be covering many of my beats. She has tit e'f-. fortlessly inti) the T -A team,. and has. become a ' valued friend in the process. A new' seems=very_near tndeeii.- _ • addition to.theiT-:A staff will •he Chantel Van Raay who will he coming to Exeter from one of iiur sisterpapers in; Fergus. A Sheridan grail like myself. ['In sure she.will ' quickly heciome an important part Of the news -team. Sports reporter Craig Bradford is • also. a new member of the T- A editorial staff and although ho doesn ,t have a performing pet t we all miss Barney) will also make an valuable contri- bution. - I plan to return to joutlral- ism after my leave so I will be .keeping a close eye on all the news -making items of the upcoming: months. Perhaps by the. time I return in the new year Exeter will have amalgamnated with its neigh.- bors and 1 won't have to at tet}d any more 'restructuring meetings. • Just : wishful thinking. The normally pro-business Davis sounded in- terested, puffed his pipe. quickly forgot most.of .labor's requests, but incorporated a few in gov- ernment thinking and legislation. Davis also talked informally with the OFL often and liked one of its presidents so much that after he was voted out of his job, gave him one with govern- ment. Liberal premier David Peterson and New Democrat premier Bob Rae each had a minister who collected labor's views before drafting leg- islation and a premier's council with labor (and business) appointees who gave their opinions. Rae did not always accept labor's views, as in his social contract cutting public servants' pay. which it strongly opposed. Harris has had one brief meeting with the OFL at its request soon after he won the 1995 elec- tion. • Since then he has repealed legislation that banned use of replacement workers in strikes and has made it more difficult for em- ployees to unionize workplaces. Most dangerous dispute The premier scrapped a program in which the province paid wages lowed by firms that be- . came insolvent and tried to recover from the former employers.. He forced union mem- bers to pursue some claims for money'against other employers through grievance procedures instead of having government chase it for them. which saves taxpayers money, and strictly lim- ited the amounts and time in which they can claim. . • Hams also made workers' compensation hard- er to get and reduced it for new claims from 90 to 85 per cent of net pay. In his newest leg- islation which brought the strike threats he is trying to help municipalities, school boards and hospitals merge and downsize work forces by setting up a commission that can impose new contracts on their employees. Harris appointees to the commission are likely to favor employ- ers. Witmer. who is as tough as Harris, has had several meetings With the OFL, but effectively to explain why the government brought in its legislation, to help workers. rather than obtain input before drafting it. Harris does not have time to meet all who ask him. but the OFL represents, like it or not.. a Targe and important section of the economy. No-one could pretend a meeting between Harris and the labor organization will resolve the huge ideological differences between them'. But people who have any interest in finding common ground usually meet and make an effort and sometimes are able to reduce their differences. Hams met premiers who have radically dif- ferent views earlier this month and was among those who called for another meeting next month. Many people will like him for snub- bing the unions and telling thein "their views don't matter any more. But Harris also has lost a lot of support in the polls and Ontario voters traditionally have liked premiers who seemed at least willing to listen.