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Times -Advocate, May 17, 1995
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Worth discussing
ouncillor Roy Triebner's sug-
gestion the town of Exeter should have
a look at whether or not the next chief
of the Exeter and Area Fire Department
should be employed full-time or part-
time is certainly worth serious discus-
sion.
Gary Middleton, who has been Fire
Chief for 27 years is doing and has
done an excellent job. When he decides
to retire is anybody's guess, but it will
present an excellent opportunity to re-
evaluate the need for having a full-time
employee in this position. Middleton
was a part-time chief himself for all but
the last nine years of his long service.
If investigation shows the Exeter and
Area Fire/Rescue Service will be capa-
ble of meeting the same standards as re-
quired of all similar departments across
the province in the areas of pre-
planning, inspections, fire prevention,
communications, etc. as outlined in the
chiefs job description, perhaps the job
could return to a part-time or even a
volunteer position.
With hands-on training being the re-
sponsibility of the Deputy Fire Chief, it
could be reasonable to assume the du-
ties of the chief could be carried out un-
der a similar arrangement. The chiefs
wage of $39,931 should not be the only
criteria for considering taking a step
back to how Exeter's Fire Department
was operated in the past, and indeed,
how many other fire departments
across the province are running today.
How can a dollar value be placed on
inspections and fire prevention? The
question that must first be answered is,
"Can the Fire Department operate as ef-
ficiently and continue prevention and in-
spections as well if there is not a full-
time employee to perform the duties?
Will there be a system in place where in-
dividual responsibility will be taken
when it becomes necessary to assess
performance under a wide variety of
possible circumstances?
If, after careful study and analysis,
there is a reasonable chance the same ac-
complishments could be made with less
than a full-time chief or by returning to
a total volunteer department it will be
proven that Triebner's suggestion was a
valid one.
The Exeter and Area Fire Department
might very well have the manpower, the
dedication, the administrative skills and
the time among their volunteers to de-
vote to a variety of additional tasks. Cer-
tainly the members should be consulted
as to whether or not they feel they are
willing to assume increased responsibili-
ties.
By spreading duties among more peo-
ple it might be practical to return to a
point where volunteers would do the
job. It would then create the opportunity
of using any portion of the $39,931 for
other things our fire fighters need to im-
prove their level of service. Annual sav-
ings become more significant over time
making Triebner's idea to take a look at
what might happen at some point in the
future exactly what elected officials
should be doing.
Apathy and ignorance not
ingredients of good electorate
ith the election call Premier
Bob Rae made recently, the time has
come for Huron County residents to be-
come familiar with all candidates run-
ning for the local riding.
Too many times in the past voters
have gone into the voting booth blindly
- not knowing anything about the can-
didates or who they were. As well,
some use their civic power to send mes-
sages to the government of the day.
While these messages may have been
deserving and just, using spite is not a
way in which to base an electoral deci-
sion.
And then there are those who don't
take advantage of the voting right - a
right many in this world don't have.
Though some can't find the time to cast
their vote, they certainly have the time
to complain about the activities of the
government they had no hand in elect-
ing.
So it might be worth the electorate's
time to go and listen to what the four
candidates have to say at any all -
candidates meeting on May 30 to help
voters make a well-informed vote.
One person can make a difference if
they make an informed decision.
Clinton News Record
A View From Queen's Park
TORONTO - Premier Bob Rae is trying to
win an election on the claim that Prime Minis-
ter Jean Chretien is treating Ontario unfairly,
but it is doubtful that he can make a federal
case out of it.
The New Democrat premier has been telling
voters their main concern should be that the
Liberal federal government is reducing funds to
provinces and threatening services like medi-
care, post -secondary education,and welfare and
reducing funds to Ontario more than to other
provinces.
Ontario will lose $1.4 billion in 1996-97 and
$2 billion in the following year. Rae says the
federal Liberals are 'picking on Ontario -- there
is no way in the world we should be getting
Tess than other provinces.'
The Premier claims that 'the real stake in this
election is who is best able to defend medicare
and other programs on behalf of the people of
Ontario?
By Eric Dowd
On the road again...
'By Ross Haugh
When a weed isn't
Spring is sprung, the grass is
riz
Who knows where the birdies
is?
We are not sure where the
birdies is, but we do know
where another sure sign of
spring is. Anyone cutting grass
during the last week or so will
know that we are talking about
dandelions.
But before anyone gets the
wrong impression there are
some good things about that cu-
rious little plant that bestows
upon us some beautiful yellow
flowers.
When these little yellow flow-
ers are approached by a lawn
mower they appear to duck their
heads to bloom another day,
usually the next day.
When we were a youngster
back in the late 1930's's one of
our favourite salads was made
out of dandelions.
For this purpose the root of
the dandelion should be lifted
when it is white and crisp before
the bloomin' flowers appear.
Dandelions were considered to
be a natural spring tonic and
were dug up in the spring before
the buds had opened.
To get support for our recol-
lections of the good old dande-
lion days, we checked with one
of Edna Staebler's Mennnite
country cooking books and will
quote from her book and pass
on one of her dandelion recipes.
"Any old timer in Waterloo
county will tell you that dande-
lion greens will purify your
blood, grown sluggish and thick
through the winter. As soon as
spring comes I have a compul-
sive hunger for dandelion salad..
I could and should dig the
dandelion out of my lawn the
moment it appears, young and
tender, but I lazily buy the long,
bleached stems with yellow -
green leaves that some Mennon-
ite farmers cultivate under saw-
dust or straw and sell at the
Kitchener market, though they
say the natural green dandelion
that is slightly bitter is much
better for you."
Here is what is needed for a
good dandelion salad. One quart
of dandelion greens, four bacon
slices, one cup of sour cream,
two teaspoons each of sugar,
vinegar and flour, two hard
boiled eggs and salt and pepper.
Keep the dandelion crisp. Pick
it over and wash it. Cut the ba-
con into bits and fry it unitl
crisp. Remove it from the pan
and drain it on paper. Pour all
the bacon dripping from the
pan, but two tablespoons. Then
add a well -blended mixture of
the flour, sugar, salt and pepper,
vinegar and sour cream.
Stir over very low heat till it
thickens slightly. Don't let it
boil. Just before you are ready
to eat, and while the dressing is
warm, pour it over the dande-
lion greens and mix well. The
greens should be well coated.
You might need more cream.
Add the bacon bits and the
sliced eggs, saving some for the
garnish.
Serve immediately with baked
or mashed potatoes, farmer's
pork sausage, fried ham,
smoked pork chops, any kind of
pork, and as soon as you taste
this wonderful salad your sap
will start flowing."
So, take your choice. Is a dan-
delion a weed or not?
• • • WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND? • • •
The Times Advocate continues to welcome letters to the editor as a forum for open
discussion of local issues, concerns, complaints and kudos. WE ASK THAT YOU KEEP
YOUR LETTERS TO A MAXIMUM OF 300 WORDS, The Times Advocate reserves the right to
edit letters for brevity. Please send your letters to P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S6.
Sign your letter with both name and address. Anonymous letters will not be published.
'Who is hest able to defend your children's
bridge to a better future and stand up for Onta-
rio's interests when it comes to fair treatment?'
Rae argues the NDP is best qualified because
the Ontario Progressive Conservatives for a
long time have seen cuts as their overriding pri-
ority and the Ontario Liberals recently jumped
on the bandwagon.
Ontario Liberal leader Lyn McLeod also is 'a
mere echo' and unlikely to quarrel with her fed-
eral party, Rae says, and the federal Tories
when they were in government up to 1993
showed no sympathy for and started the trend
to getting tough with Ontario.
Rae recalls former Tory primer minister
Brian Mulroney calling social programs 'a sa-
cred trust' and then reducing funds and weak-
ening them. Rae is appealing to voters for 'a
strong mandate from the election to deal with
Ottawa.'
The two provincial opposition parties natural -
Ontario being treated unfairly
ly are dismissing this as trying to distract atten-
tion from his own party's financial record.
Rae; s claim that the federal Liberals are
shortchanging Ontario has some validity, be-
cause Ontario will bear more of the cuts than
its population warrants, as even independent fi-
nancial agencies have noted, although the argu-
ment against is that Ontarians are wealthy
enough to sustain them.
But Rae will have difficulty convincing vot-
ers this is not just another technical argument
between governments because, whichever level
raises or spends money, it all comes in the end
from the pockets of taxpayers.
Polls also show most Ontario residents thor-
oughly support the federal Liberals' cost-
cutting so that it is difficult to whop up a cam-
paign against it.
The real impact also will not be felt in re-
duced services or higher provincial taxes to
compensate until 1996, so relatively few people
are worried now.
This skirmish over cost-sharing also may
seem pale to many compared to concerns over
NDP policies including adding $10 billion a
year to the province's debt.
Some earlier Ontario governments tried with-
out much luck to make major election issues of
quarrels with federal governments of opposing
political stripes.
Tory premier John Robarts in the 1960s pro-
tested against the federal Liberals' version of
medicare, calling it 'Machiavellian.'
Tory premier William Davis in the 1970s
fumed against federal Liberals allowing oil
prices to rise and Liberal premier David Peter-
son in the 1980s tried to fight an election
against the federal Tories' plan for free trade.
But the premiers never were able to make
these issues dominate an election --Ontarians
usually have voted on matters closer to home.
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