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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1997-12-31, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, December 31, 1997 Publisher & Editor: km Beckett Business Manager: Don Smith Production Manager: Deb Lord Advertising, Barb Cons,tt, Chad Eedy NSA_ Heather Mir, Kate Monk. Craig Branford. ChantaII Van Raay. Ross Haugh ELQauetidn; rima. Ballantyne. Mary McMurray. Barb Robertson Brenda Hern, 7oyce Weber, Laurel Miner •Transoofl dt!on A( Flynn,. Al Bodged • Front Off ce &, Got,ntrne Sue Rollings. Carol Windsor Ruthanr:e Negrpn. Anita McDonald. Cassie Dalrymple. Ruth Staghf. Shelia Corbett The Exeter Times -Advocate is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information. leadership . EDITORIAL Time for a reality check his festive season has been marked by the usual last minute scram- ble for the "must have" toy-- this year, a N./tippet character which makes snor- ing noises. Apparently 'ome parents were willing to pay up to $ 100 through newspaper ads to get the -doll in a repeat of last year's -Tickle -Me -Elmo fiasco. Most people understand .the concept of creat- ing the perception ofa shortage to drive up.sales. But rather than buying Junior another cute and cuddly toy that talks. burps or sings, parents are pulled out all the stopper to -locate the elusive Ernie. This festive season was also marked by the usual last minute staramhle'to , Lollect.gifts and.food for the local Christmas hamper program. This year themail strike complicated natters. • with fewer donations than -usual. Even with stricter screening of those apply. ing for hampers, most food banks saw, an increase in the number of families. • , getting help this year. .In a single. 10 -minute newscast. :here was a story of a desperate young moth- - cr.whohad had all her children's , Christmas gifts stolen, and a statement by the, Ontario premier about how his government.had 'been helping poor peo- ple with "a hand up, not a hand out". . -Front page newspaper stories, included one about hospital layoffs,. and another about.Ontario's thriving economy. ' Is this the hest of times. or the worst of time,'' Are we alonein feelin con- fused'' We want to hear that everything is fine. the economy. is in great Shape. jobs are available (or will be;shortly ) and there i, nothing to worry about. It is what we want to hear. because it -frees us of the responsibility to do somethinve to help, to.he our brother's keeper. Eve- ry small child knows the feeling of com- fort - and freedom - when he hears` those magic words, ""Everything will he all right; dear." All of a.sudden. he knows someone has removed the need to take action from his shoulders: Some people never get beyond that childlikedesire not to see or hear any- -thing unpleasant. They live in a fool's paradise. chase after Snoring Ernie dolls. and don't even realize what that basket of food being. dropped off on the next docir neighbor's porch means. Thank heaven most of us have grown beyond that. We know that•, food hamper means a lot of hard work by a lot of car- in�e people. We understand that without our donations and efforts (not to men-. tion money). others will suffer. Wedon't need to hear everyone -and everything is tine -.we are not.stupid,-we are not childish. and we know there is poverty, in the midst of plenty. We do not- - u hear the platitudes and catch .phrases. all designed to create a nice. rosy glow. . As the old year draws to a close. and a new one begins. it is time for a reality check. We don't need, or want 'the slow. We prefer the substance. We want to see the efforts of those who devote so much of their own lives to.hettering the lives of others. acknowledged. Their work Must not he downplayed. sacrificed so fools may keep their, ol1ect1 e heads' buried in the saner. • Caring: and sharing must never _fall prey to political expediency. What's on your mind? The Times -Advocate continues to welcome letters to the editor as a forum foropen discussion of local issues, concerns; complaints and kudos. The Times -Advocate reserves the right to edit letters for brevity. Please send your letters to P0- Box 850 Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S6. Sign your letter with both name and address: Anonymous letters wilt not be published. i A View from Queen's Park By Eric Dowd TORONTO -- Premier Mike Harris will be throwing out not only a large number of politi- cians in the nett election.. but a lot of Ontario hrstory 1n cc hat he gleefully- calls his Fewer Polio- cians Act, the Progressive Conservative pre- mier w ill reduce the number of provincial rid - in, from 130 to 10.1 and. give there the • same .houndaties and names as federal ridings. This means some historic names will, vanish. including St Anthem, St. Patrick in downtown t'oionto. St. Andrew was held from 1943 to 1955 by Joe Salsherg, one of only two Commu- nists ever elected to the legislature. The other around the same time was Alex MacLeod and tx)th were among the legislature's most stirring orators and quit their party be- cause of Soviet repression. The erudite. respect- ed McLeod oddly still had an office in the leg islature• in the 1960s as a backroom adviser to Tory education minister, later premier. Wil- liam ban is ilea'yweight Kelso Roberts, who sat for St. Patrick. r an for Tory -leader against both future i'leinicis I wile Frost and John Robarts and led Pubiications Mail Registration Number 07511 SUBSCRIPTION RATES; One year rate for. Canada subscribers - $35.00 + GST Two year rate for Canada subscribers - $63.00 + GST OIHER.BATES 0.Nn0,I M cons,, Outside Canada - S102.00 ►CNA ww- iaw c,." 4 ti�r';pAi..1 NSSO' .. Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St.. Exeter, Ontario, NOM 156 by J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1-519-235-1331 • Fax: 519-235-0768' G S.T. MR105210R35 YThE CAN You RECOMMEND A Good RETIREMENT PLANNING ADVISOR? , tit/ 1.994f" That's my opinion By Cltautall Van Raay Let it snow, let it snow let it snow But ease up on the lead foot, would ya? 1 sec his sgiiiining eyes in the rear viekv•;iti rorand his clenching gists on the wheel- Hc'wants. to pass me. f think he eren wants to push me off the matt! l ,;:in't see two feet in front ,11 plc. •\l. legs are shaking. in' vision blurring with the cluster ;of massive slow• tlaikcs piounclinc ,m tnv• wind- shield and 1 tiara this _Fly behind inc threatening 4.ilc with his -ahsurd driving habits. • ..Conic on.- ' I plead. -Take it easy nn one. Knowing the person,.Inyrtie .he 11nd,mc is in1tinatcd I'm not dri : ing 2(1 kph ox cr the speed -limit in .1 snow stortn slakes plc alittle ner- vous. :Somctlnus it makes inc • so ne.r'ous 1 actualb speed up lust so l don't upset hon. !yore ,(Ilam he .tl- rcadc Is Ii you Jo .tipset bun, wlu can scc'hun turn up the "speed. dial to the channel of disaster. " • . Call inc.i hit poctiucal and pathet- ic minter. Jmcr. hut. 1'in'rcally only hooking tit for my life. Don'1.tell !e each one 01 vim wouldn't do the :ante under a sunilar.situauon.' 1. 11 nut the best winterdriyer, but His eyes .ire like tire on the nape of nix' .neck. His eleuchin z hang on the, steering wheel :cern to draw blood and the harsh drum 01 his en- gine is- I11Iurlatlne..irig itcnung said repetitive. . . Mrs Is nnV c'periencc as -a Chat= hain-Inrn winter driver attempting. . to ,operate- a motor vehicle ,in the snowy. reads cif Exeter in the Win- ter. it is like .i nightinarc :\5 son! as the Hiatt snow . t ants. most'people lake caution _ when driving. \-lam• people can accept .,the tact they have been out of prac- tice with (heir winter driving for clung Tonle time. ,ind.caisc upon the lead toot. keep their eyes open and don't hang on iilher peoples' tall while Jrtvinii through a hht,ard. . • I lac nut' others on the road whiff .use ,:till under the impression that it ...urnnler and the :now on the road is :imply .t mirage "Why the heck is -.he Jnr Inc so #(a• •ci stow He says through Itis• angry lips chile remaining glued to -iny tall. :1 wish lie would ease up,inl the : trigger." I argue hack in niv mind. at least I can admit il' i reall% .c Ish othcn uutd dii the same. it'. not a macho thine to say You can heat the weather by driving the same waY you would Otherwise. • • If you .time driving. behind me "Iika a raying' Iunatit ip a blizzard. you'll undoubtedly know who Lam. No. not the drippy reporter from the 'clines -Advocate. the wimpy driver from Cihath.un: 'Hey. i am from the banana 'belt you know. what do you expect' When Chatham receives an inch o1 snow. 'roads .dose, • two inches. :chuols.ao.e. three Inches. the city turns into: utter chaos. I've surely rnatilercd w1nter.driving ,ince mov- ing to Exeter. tt•s.iny confidence of - .omc other winter dnvcrs which lacks. • . By. the way. I used he to get my point acros. Nut because i- think men are mote herding drivers than women are. only it's been my expe- rience t is usually a guy.in the car Inc. wanting to pass me with his BMW or othersuch like car. You know' Who you are. . know wherc'votl drive. Robarts on the first ballot itt 1961 before other candidates ganged up. Fellow Tories Allan Grossman. a 'longtime minister. and his son Larry, a minister and later losing opposition leader. represented the coni- . •boned St. Andrew -St. Patrick. and teacher Zana- na Akande. the first black woman •in the legisla- ture, was elected there for the New Democrats in 1990. . • • . Neighboring Toronto St. George -:St.. David also disappears. St. George was where rebel Al- lan Lawrence mounted the slickest leadership campaign and came within a few votes of heat- ing Davis, shocking his party s establishment. hut thereafter found life so uncomfortable he quickly switched to the Commons. St. David was held by noted 'ibronto mayors Allan Lamport, a Liberal known for such mala- propisms as "if someone is going to stab me in the back. I want to be there" and the Coopera- tive Commonwealth Federation's William Den- nison, and Tories Roland Michener, a future governor-general, and Bud Price, even More self-effacing than his father, the most famous bagman, Harry Price. Ontario history to be thrown out The name of Fort Williams in the northwest..a historic bastion in the transhipment of furs and ,trade goods, has not withstood Harris's attack. lis MPPs include the first woman leader of a major party, Liberal Lyn McLeod. ' Dovercourt riding in -Toronto's west end goes down on.a sudden, unwanted wave of fame.. Its MPP of three decades ago and onetime Ontario • Liberal leader Andrew Thompson is .now the senator notorious for not turning up. . Don Mills. which disappears. is named after the renowed post-war model community Its ?MPs included Dennis Timbrell. who probably would 'have been Tory leader if he had run against Mike ' Harris. but turned down the chance. Riverdale. well-known enough to have a TV soap opera named after it but another riding which vanishes. had the most influential byelec- ' tion in memory. when New Democrat Jim Ren- wick defeated former evangelist Charles Tem- pleton in 1964. A Templeton win would have trade him Liberal leader and possibly given his party success that took two more decades to achieve. • Welland•ThoroId was the riding of the most effective consumer advocate. the NDP's Mel Swart. who daily stacked his desk in.the legis- lature with boxes of cereals and detergents while asking why they cost more than in the York Mills was home to scalpel -sharp Dr. Bette Stephenson. it former president of the Ca- nadian Medical Association and longtime min- ister who would have been premier in 1985 if the Tories had not been biased against women. Harris. who says- fewer MPPs will save mob cy, probably would argue that it does not mat ter if hames disappear, as long as residents have ridings to vote in. But many federal riding names sue mere hum- drum locations on a road map. or unwieldy ' (such as Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey), and,, when the federal government decides to change any, the provincial 'riding names will, change automatically with them,. Names of federal ridings also change, some- times merely because of an MP's whim, so On- tario, will give up still more of its history with- out even firing a shot.