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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-08-09, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, August 9, 1995 Publisher & Editor: Jim Beckett Business Manager: Don Smith Production Manager: Deb Lord Mvegislog; Barb Consitt 3; Heather Mir, Chris Skalkos, Ross Haugh, Brenda Burke Production; Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Robert Nicol, Brenda Hem, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner, Marg Flynt Tiansoontation: Al Flynn, Al Hodgert front Office & Accounting; Elaine Pinder, Sue Roltings, Ruthanne Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple The Exeter Times -Advocate Is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership • • •-1 pinion Publications Mail Regetratlon Number 039E SUBSCRIPTION RATES: ADA Within 40 miles (85 Ion.) addressed to non letter er carrier addresses 933.00 plus 52.31 G.S.T. Outside 40 miles (88 km) or any letter carrier address 533.00 plus 530.00 (total 83.00) + 4.310.11.T. Outside Canada 599.00 plus 58.93 OST (Includes 588.40 postage) Morning by at `,Exeter, Ontario, Each ISO Wednesday E Publications Lt24 Maind Telephone 1-539238-1331 • Fax: 51.94384771111 a.•.T. •RSOf•lOait IIIA1IN31E1� Warm room long overdue 0 ver the past few years there has been a great deal of talk but no action on the construction of a warm room at the South Huron Rec. Centre. Occasionally, news of a place where sen- iors and others who have difficulty with the cold could enjoy activities at the Rec. Centre in comfort would raise the hopes of many area people. We know that over the last couple of years the expectation at the end of the sea- son was that next year would bring a warm area making local hockey ringette, preci- sion skating and figure skating activities an option for many people who could not withstand the often bitter cold of the arena. There has never been anyone who did not agree that a comfort area should be built. What needs to happen now is for the Rec- reation Board to make this a priority. There has never been a time since the Rec. Centre was built that there was any money available for improvements but this shouldn't stop the board from going into action. If the Recreation Board decides a warm room is important, and is indeed a necessity, the generosity of the community could be activated. A project of this magnitude with costs of possibly up to $100,000, will never get off the ground unless there is a real desire to get it done. Whether it takes•donations - from the public, the support of community groups, the involvement of minor hockey, volunteer labor, or, all of the above, the Recreation Board shouldn't wait for some group or person to come along and decide what must be done. Somebody must step forward and pro- vide the leadership. McCann's letter hits home because of the personal nature. Pauline McCann, who died recently, was one of many area people who enjoyed attending events at the arena. She was a true fan who was always there to sup- port the local minor hockey teams and the Exeter Hawks. Failing health and the ex- treme cold in the arena combined to take the option of being a part of the excitement and fun away from her. Many people remember when the arena was buzzing with talk of a new warm room a few years ago. It was going to happen soon and it was about time because one of the people expected to use it was former Mayor Derry Boyle. Watching minor hock- ey was a big part of Derrey's life and the warm room was going to make things so much better for him and many others. While most of us can attend events at the arena and be a part of important winter ac- tivities, there are many people who might also be included if they could do so without risking their health or giving up any chance of watching in comfort. Exeter has proven in the past it is a com- munity with a big heart and it is a place where things do get done. It's time to get the warm room project off the back burner before the chance for everyone to enjoy an- other season at the arena is eliminated. IMMINI YourViews Letters to the editor Coach has di "I was as close to home plate as anyone and didn't hear the language described." Dear Editor. Regarding the letter "Sports teams like ambassa- dors to community" written August 2, 1995 by Lee Nelson of Mount Forest. I can assure the people in the Exeter Community that the type of language and behavior described in the article is not supported or encouraged by the coaches, parents, umpires nor players of the Exeter Pee Wee Baseball Team and Association. The account, as told by Lee Nelson leads me to wonder if he or she was either physically or mental- ly at the Exeter ball field on July 8, 1995. The inci- dents described were accidental contact that can happen on any given night across Ontario baseball diamonds. The first incident was an overthrow to Mt. Forest's first baseman, which carried that first baseman into the legal running path that any runner has when approaching first base. The second inci- dent was a play at third base where our player was tagged out as she slid into the base. Our player land- ed accidentally on the foot of the third baseman, whose foot was located directly on top of the base. As for the language described by Lee Nelson at home plate, I was as close to home plate as anyone and didn't hear the language described. As I stated erent opinion earlier the coaches and players of the Exeter Pee Wee team don't encourage or tolerate any foul lan- guage from any participant of the game. If the language did occur the coach from Mt. For- est had every right to complain to the umpire who should then take appropriate action. Also any coach or parent had ample opportunity to raise the issue with myself during the game, between games, at lunch or after the games. At no time was there ever any mention of a problem with the conduct of our players. The people of the community of Exeter may find it ironic that the only foul language remembered by parents and coaches came from the Mt. Forest bleachers. A particular fan overreacted to the physi- cal plays described earlier and was heard yelling "This is BULL " across the ball diamond. This display of language and behavior is far less mature and knowledgeable than any taken by the Exeter Pee Wee Baseball Team. What kind of example is being represented by Mt. Forest, an adult screaming at 12 and 13 year old boys "This is BULL "? The Exeter Pee Wee team doesn't take the action of one Mt. Forest fan as a portrait of the entire Mt. Forest community rather as just one bad apple amongst many good ones. Sincerely, Dave Atthill, Coach, Exeter Pee Wee Baseball Club Speak Out! LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Tunes 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 Tunes 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. During our recent trip to Point Pelee, we saw a film and got a lot of information about the Monarch butterfly which is get- ting a little harder to find in this part of the country. There are two sides to the sto- ry of the existence of the Mon- arch. While naturalists are try- ing to get more Monarchs to this part of the country, farmers are doing their best to keep them away and with good reason. Milkweed is the only plant Monarch caterpillars eat. It is believed that both milkweed and Monarchs evolved in the moun- tains of Mexico. As the milk- weed adapted and its range ex- tended, the Monarch followed. The butterfly is facing a seri- ous threat because milkweed is listed as a noxious weed in On- tario and many states. As milkweed plants are re- moved, the Monarchs' only food is also removed. If milk- weed disappears so will the Monarch. This will not happen in the very immediate future. During a drive through the countryside a week or so ago we saw a num- ber of fields in which milk- weeds seem to be very healthy. For a few special days each autumn, Point Pelee is a tempo- rary home to thousands of mi- grating Monarch butterflies. As soon as favorable conditions oc- cur, they forge on across Lake Erie. They cannot linger, for their destination is some 3,000 kilometres further south in the mountains of central Mexico. The question is why would Monarchs getting scarcer this tiny insect make such a marathon journey? We already answered that question as they try to find a spot where milkweed grows rampant. The Great Lakes are a signifi- cant barrier to the Monarchs' migration. As they move south, they search for shorter ways across the lake and the Pelee Pe- ninsula provides and excellent start. Pelee's shape funnels the Monarchs to the tip. If it is cold, they will roost in trees waiting for warmer temperatures and fa- vorable winds to cross the lake. If it is warm they will often con- tinue without stopping at all. We asked a park ranger as to the amount of butterflies that may be in one spot ready to head south and he said, "Prob- ably the most we have ever had at one time is about 7,000." He continued, "Monarch mi- gration here is dependent on weather conditions and is there- fore highly unpredictable. It may take you a half dozen visits before you catch a sizable con- centration. One year, I called the Kitchen- er television station to tell them there were many Monarchs get- ting ready to head south. I guess the wind changed in a short time and by the time the cameras got here they were all gone. Viewing is best from late Au- gust to early October and gener- ally peaks in September. The tip area is where most concentra- tions occur. Roosting monarchs are hard to spot. Bring binocu- lars, look high in the tree areas sheltered from wind and remem- ber the roosting monarchs re- semble dead leaves." If the wind is south along with cold winds and rain you can count on the monarchs still being at Point Pelee, but a soft north wind and away they go. Ancient native legends have told of waves of monarch butter- flies heading southward in the fall. For thousands of years, their destination was unknown. In 1975, the monarchs' over- wintering grounds were discov- ered by Dr. Fred Urquhart of the University of Toronto. Follow- ing reports of butterflies he had tagged in Canada, Dr. Urquhart was led to the evergreen forests high in the volcanic mountains of central Mexico. The monarch migration cycle is a mystery. Through the sum- mer there are two or three gen- erations in Ontario. From egg to adult takes only about a month. The generation that emerges in late summer is somehow trig- gered to become a migratory generation. This generation overwinters in Mexico and mates there in the early spring. On their way north, eggs are laid on fresh milkweed and the adult dies shortly there- after. It may take several spring generations of monarchs before northward bound butterflies reach Canada in May. The point is no monarch makes the entire journey. The mystery remains. How do they know where to go? A View From Queen's Par By Eric Dowd Gaffes TORONTO -The Beverly Hillbillies are back running Ontario -- only the cast is dif- ferent. The Progressive Conservatives before winning the June election labelled the gov- erning New Democrats the Hillbillies be- cause they stumbled through more than their share of personal indiscretions. The Conservatives likened them to the TV backwoods clan who struck it rich but did not know how to behave and implied the better -bred Tories with a long tradition in government including 42 consecutive years up to 1985 would show a lot more class. But the Tories are raising suspicions the Clampetts have returned. Premier Mike Harris has no trouble getting his cost- cutting policies approved by a majority, but his team in only a few weeks has piled up gaffes at a quicker pace even than the NDP. Harris had to fire a top aide, Jaime Watt, who designed the advertising crucial to winning the election, after a newspaper re- ported him among 'the group of seven who help Mike make his mark.' Angry readers recognized Watt as having been convicted of fraud, a much more seri- ous offence than any codtmitted by new Democrats, yet he had been warning voters not to trust other parties and assuring that cutting welfare and firing civil servants must be accepted for the public good. On a lesser level, Transportation Minister Al Palladini, a former car dealer under the slogan 'any Palladini is a pal of mine', has been driving on the wrong side of the high- way since he was sworn in. The new minister said he accepted public transit because 'not everybody can afford an automobile', a grudging endorsement of a system he is supposed to champion be- cause it cuts costs, congestion and pollution and is the only means of travel for many. Palladini implied no-one who could af- ford a car would be seen dead on public transits, whereas many feel it helps them- selves and the community. The minister felt his dealership should be free to sell cars to the province, although he might seem to be influencing sales and have a conflict of interest, and the conflicts commissioner had to persuade him other- wise. Pallandidi complained he has to drive in heavy traffic from his suburban home and previous ministers had limos and letters have flooded in saying hearts would break if a minister had to drive himself. Community and Social Services Minister David Tsubouchi has had to explain why, in discussing cuts in welfare, he echoed a reporter's suggestion that 'the weather is nicer in British Columbia', so that he was viewed as callously pushing people strug- gling on welfare to pack their bags. Tsubouchi also wrote a bizarre poem in which he shot dead a mime who irritated him and media have had a field day inter- preting this as his secret desire to get rid of the weak and poor. Then MPP Morley Kells, left out of cabi- net, claimed Harris is a dictator and ignores backbenchers. This may turn out accurate in the end because the premier shows signs of authoritarianism and wrote most of his policies before the election which reduce- scope for his MPPs to influence them -- but no backbencher has ever made such a com- plaint so early. Harris's Tories in opposition were noted for their gaffes, including appearing to praise people who gave up jobs for welfare and doctoring NDP premier Bob Rae's speeches so he stuttered. They may be blue -bloods in government, but they can still act like Jethro and Jed.