Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-10-11, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, October 11,1995 Publisher & Editor: Jim Beckett The Exeter Times Advocate is a member of a fatuity of community newspapers Business Manager: Don smith ►"'' IAN oMM °. , ' providing news, advertising and information leadership � 5710� Prtduction Manager: Deb Lord ear/Wag; Barb Consttt /110 40; Heather Mk, Chris Skalkos, Ross Haugh, Brenda Burke &AdcUon: Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Brenda Hem, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner Trportation: AI Flynn, Al Hodgert front Office & Accounting; Elaine Pinder, Sue Rollings, Ruthanne Negrijn, Antta McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple • • inion Publications Mali Registration Number 0386 SIBSCRIPTION A S: CANADA Within 40 miles (65 km.) addressed to ton letter carrier addresses 533.00 plus 52.31 G.S.T. Inas Outside 40 miles (88 km.) or any letter carrier address 533.00 plus 530.00 (total 83.00) + 4.31 G.S.T. Outside Canada 599.00 plus 56.93 GST (Includes 588.40 postage) Published Each Wednesdaying b at 424 Ma Exeter, Ontario, NOM 136 by J.W.Publications Ltd. Telephone 1-519`235.1331 • Fax: 519-2354766 41.11.7. etews2101135 F.1)I"1'O121:11, Beautification is good investment lacing second behind Osyoos, British Columbia in the recent Canada in Bloom competition is an achieve- ment beyond what many of those in- volved in Exeter's participation expect- ed. To actually come within six points out of a judging system that used 1000 points is an outstanding accomplish- ment. Exeter also walked away with a citation for scope, variety and effort. Mayor Ben Hoogenboom was emphatic when he said Exeter received tremen- dous exposure in Ottawa where the winners were announced. The town invested around $4,000 and managed to convince others to share the vision and do their part in beautifing the community. Judging by the com- ments expressed by both residents and visitors the investment has paid off in spades. Much of the cost is a permanent na- ture, covering several areas that will see the results of the 1995 competition year after year. We may not be blessed with the natural scenery which highlights the efforts of other centres, but Exeter's community pride and participation can go a long way in narrowing the gap. Imagine how the town could look if this program continued for a few more years. World Food Day - October 16 Despite remarkable progress in food production, hunger and malnutrition re- main a constant concern in many coun- tries.. Dear Editor: With the talk of the upcoming referendum in Que- bec monopolizing the media, it is easy to forget that there are other interesting and important events go- ing on in that province. There is one in particular that could prompt one of the most critical discus- sions on the future well-being of the world. In less than a week (from October 11 to 14), rep- resentatives from the food and agriculture industry around the world will gather in Quebec City for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO) International Symposium. While this might not sell a lot of newspapers or captivate viewers on the 11 o'clock news, it is a very significant event. Why? Consider this - despite remarkable progress in food production, hunger and malnutrition remain a constant concern in many countries. That goes against one of the most basic beliefs we have in so- ciety - the belief that every human being born into this world has a fundamental right to enough food, not only to survive but to thrive. How do we ensure global food security? That is one of the topics participants in the FAO Sympo- sium will be struggling with. Innovation is called for of the kind that is being displayed in Ethiopia, where farmers and scientists are combining their ef- forts to build food security in a country that was devastated by famine in the mid-1980s. Although spatially distant from us we share a common con- cern with Ethiopia. Food security is not only an is- sue in developing countries. In Canada we produce a super -abundance of food grain for export, yet food banks are a harsh reminder for many Canadians for whom hunger and malnutrition are a constant threat. It is hard to imagine that we have had to shut down commercial fishing on our Atlantic Coast. The challenge of ensuring food security for all is complex and political. The Quebec City Symposium along with World Food Day, annually set on Octo- ber 16, gives us this added opportunity to put the topic on the table for discussion. It is up to all Cana- dians to get involved in the dialogue. Sincerely, John Martin, Chief Executive Officer, USC Canada • • • 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. TORONTO -- Premier Mike Harris is turning out to be a tough guy who can stand up to anyone -- except his friends. The Progressive Conservative Premier has no problem cutting payments to welfare recipients and telling them they can demon- strate until they flatten every blade of grass outside the legislature but he will not cave in to lobbies. However, Harris has collapsed when ' those who helped him win the June election put on pressure. The Tories in opposition, as an example, solidly committed themselves to compel- ling all cyclists to wear helmets, the value of which in reducing deaths and serious in- juries has been well proven. True, the law that would have required this starting October 1 was passed under the New Democrat government which Har- ris defeated, but all Tories who spoke sup- ported it enthusiastically. 0 ' These included then deputy leader Dianne Cunningham, who initiated it after her son was injured on a bicycle; Ted Arnott, who Sensational trials bring out the worst in us With all the talk lately about the O.J. Simpson "hot guilty" verdict, it's easy to base our reactions on misguided feelings of revenge. "I deeply believe that this country lost today," said Fred Goldman, the father of victim Ron Goldman. "Justice was not served." As Goldman uttered these words on television the day the acquittal was announced, he wiped away tears of remorse and frustration. Anyone who's human feels sorry for the families of the murdered who have endured more than a year of media hype while suffering the loss of loved ones. Now, with all the anguish and trauma of the case behind them, they obviously feel a sense of undescribable loss. Unlike the conviction of Bernardo, which reassured some people justice was done, the O.J. verdict has left many disappointed. "People were tense waiting for it and then it was almost anti -climactic when the verdict came down as not guilty," said president of the London Criminal Lawyers Association, Jim Brown, in a London Free Press article. So the ending to our American soap opera did not come complete with a nice, tidy resolution. You get the feeling many were hoping for a guilty verdict, especially after celebrating the fact Bernardo has been put away for a long, long time. "Those poor families," I heard a receptionist say as O.J.'s acquittal was announced over the radio in her office. What about O.J.? Despite discussions about the trial being tainted with racial prejudice and movie star appeal, as we muddle through all the drama and emotion we're forgetting about one man who has been in custody exactly 474 days, possibly unnecessarily, who must still face media mobs and civil lawsuits filed by the victims' families. If O.J. didn't kill Nicole Brown -Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, he has just needlessly endured the so-called "Trial of the Century" while being robbed of the life he knew, including time with his children. Of course everyone likes to see the scales of justice go to work, but at the risk of stringing up the wrong guy? Would many be happier if O.J. was convicted, just to say someone paid for someone's dreadful wrongdoing? During the Bernardo case I've heard people say without hestitating, "He deserves the chair," and "I'll kill him myself if they don't convict him." Although such comments may be brushed aside as mere surface reactions to a sensationalized case, public hatred appears to be incredibly deep, especially for many parents, who's worst fears include harm to their children. But doesn't such hostility towards any person demonstrate disrespect for human life and drag us back to the days of popular public executions? It seems the genuine sympathy we feel for victims and their families is often monstrously overshadowed by hatted and revenge directed towards those who may or may not be guilty of these crimes - emotions probably not unsimilar to the twisted darkness of those who are truly guilty. as transport critic presumably spoke for his party on transport issues, and such emi- nences as new chief whip David Turnbull and Speaker Al McLean. Harris's style has been removing rather than adding regulations, but he never quar- relled with the spokespersons his party put up and even after the election said that, while he had reservations, the legislation had been approved by the legislature and "the bill itself won't change." This did not sit well with many who had supported Harris, who wrote letters saying they thought they were voting for a party that would allow individuals to make choic- es and reduce restrictions and not interfere more with rights and liberties, much the same argument Harris had used in abolish- ing the NDP's photo radar. They rarely con- tended helmets do not improve safety be- cause this would be insupportable. Harris probably was swayed even more by two of his staunchest allies, Toronto newspapers which applauded his every breath in the election, falling out of line. Harris will not cave to lobbies The Globe and Mail called forcing all cy- clists to wear helmets an excessive, unduly invasive restriction, and its editorialists sit- ting in their air-conditioned offices thun- dered that it was a sad way to carry on for a nation born of hardy voyageurs and tough- ened at Vimy Ridge. The Toronto Sun, which has been so af- fectionate to Harris that his wife might have grounds for divorce, said the legislation sounded like Big Brother, and Harris put on his brakes and made helmets compulsory only for under -18s. This was hard on Cunningham, now inter- governmental affairs minister, who is stay- ing although ministers in the British parlia- mentary tradition have resigned for lesser repudiations by their leader, but it will be harder still on the many who will be killed or injured over the years because helmets • were not made mandatory for all. Harris and company similarly backed down to lawyers, another group with a lot of power in their party. The Tories had act- ed tough when they found the plan which pays lawyers for legal aid had run $70 mil- lion over budget. Attorney General Charles Harnick said he would take the plan away from the control of the Law Society of Upper Canada and might not pay lawyers for work they had al- ready done or pay them only 10 or 20 cents on the dollar. But the lawyers had only to say they would no longer provide legal aid and start a lawsuit to force the province to pay and the Tories quickly found they could work out a way to cooperate with the Law Socie- ty and try to make sure lawyers get their money. Lawyers provide much of the personnel and money in the Tory party. Most of its leaders and half its cabinets in recent years have been lawyers. It is a safe bet most lawyers voted for Harris and many gave cash and he showed he is not going to bite any hand that feeds him.