HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1996-01-31, Page 4Page 4 rinses•..A,dtwcate, January 31,19%
Publisher & Editor: Jtm Beckett
Business Manager:
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dam; Barb Consul, Chad £edy
NOM Heather Mk, Chris Skatkos,
Ross Haugh, Brenda Burke
Eamcgan; Alma eatlantyrie, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson
Brenda Hem, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner
Transportation: Al Flynn, Al Hodgert
front <101at & 44Dat ntine Maine Pinder, Sue Rottings,
Ruthanne Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple
The Exeter Times -Advocate is a member of a family of immunity newspapers
providing news, advertising and information leadership
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S.e.T. ONSOMMtal
We must maintain police services
he news is out. According to a
leaked government document, 20 per
cent of the Ontario Provincial Police
budget may be slashed, leading to the
possible end of vital services such as
the RIDE program as well as organized
crime and narcotics control.
In an effort to cut $96 million, anti -
rackets, intelligence -gathering, behav-
ioral science sections and native re-
serve policing may also be done away
with. At least 1,500 jobs may be lost in
the process and six to eight detach-
ments could be closed.
Brian Adkin, president of the provin-
cial police union, was quoted in a re-
cent London Free Press article.
"These are pretty devastating ac-
tions," he said. "These cuts would have
a dramatic impact on public safety."
When will the cuts end? Not only is
the Harris Revolution causing social
and political unrest by slashing health
care, welfare and every other program
ih existence, now basic safety programs
are at risk. .
Firefighters are already devastated at
the thought of losing fire halls and es-
sential stiff, let alone the thought of
GEE. I NEVER
REALIZED HoV/MucH
SEI
charging user fees for false alarms or
worse yet, when someone's house burns
down.
Now the police are hit. In times when
crime is supposedly rising due to our in-
creasing social poverty, we are not as-
sured even of basic community safety.
For obvious reasons, the RIDE pro-
gram should not be junked and neither
should drug enforcement or anti -racket
efforts. How will dangerous drunk driv-
ers be caught? Who will help keep the
streets a little more drug-free for our
children? Will fraudulent companies,
ripping off innocent consumers, accu-
mulate more undeserved wealth than
they already do?
And as far as the job losses go, it
wn't be any easier for police to fight
crime when they are even more short-
staffed.
Somewhere deep in the Tories "Com-
mon Sense Revolution" policy book,
there is a guarantee police funding will
stay in place. When the government
feels there is a need to risk citizens'
safety for short-term deficit gains, it
doesn't make much sense at all.
•
.*tips -a: L a4ok
Cancer Society has volunteers in area
We are always seeking additional re-
cruits and invite residents from Exeter
and surrounding townships to join us at
our next meeting....
Dear Editor:
We wish to inform the Exeter community that the
Canadian Cancer Society, Exeter Branch, will be
holding monthly meetings on the second Monday of
each month. Our first meeting was held on January
8 and it is our intent to keep the community in-
formed about local services available through the
Exeter Branch.
Did you know we presently have volunteers who
are able to provide assistance in the following areas:
Patient services - Convener - Marie 235-0703.
She can address the needs of those people and their
families who are dealing with cancer and direct
them to programs available and to local community
resources such as homecare.
Transportation - Convener - Verona 235-1810.
Will arrange rides for those who are unable to find
their own transportation for treatments.
Reach to Recovery - Margaret 262-2319. One on
one visits can be arranged between newly diagnosed
and volunteers who have experienced breast cancer.
Breast Health Education - Norma 235-1682. An
important element in cancer prevention is education
and our trained volunteer will make presenations to
groups and clubs in Huron County.
We would like to encourage anyone who may be
in need of these services or would just like to obtain
more information, to feel free to call any of the
above-mentioned volunteers.
We are always seeking additional recruits and in-
vite residents from Exeter and surrounding town-
ships to join us at our next meeting on February 12
at 7 p.m. in the Board Room at Exeter Hospital. Any
questions? Please call me at 235-4934 after 6 p.m.
Pat Chovancek
President, Exeter Branch,
Canadian Cancer Society
A View From Queen's Park
TORONTO -- Former New Democrat pre-
mier Bob Rae has announced where he will
spend his declining years and it will not be
helping Mother Teresa among the poor of Cal-
cutta. Rae, who is leaving elected politics after
his party's defeat in the June election and often
exhorted others to help the downtrodden, will
become a partner in one of Canada's biggest
firms of corporate lawyers, headed by the most
influential back -room Ontario Progressive Con-
servative of the past half -century, Eddie
Goodman.
Rae explained rather altruistically that as pre-
mier he led or was involved with numerous
trade missions seeking opportunities abroad
and wants to help Canadian businesses explore
new and emerging opportunities in Asia, Eu-
rope, the Middle East, South and Central Amer-
ica and Africa. This will be continuing his
overriding concern in IOW life, which "has
been to create jobs," he said.
His new employers added enthusiastically that
By Eric Dowd
as premier, Bob was part of Team Canada that
went to China in 1994 and he has spent consid-
erable time in the Far East. Bob is well known
to Chinese government and business leaders
and they respect his pragmatic approach.
Rae will be useful also the law office said,
because he got to know major players in world
capital markets through being premier in a re-
cession and his invaluable understanding of
government will enable him to focus on im-
proving partnerships between the private and
public sectors. Stripped of all its public-spirited
language, this means that Rae will seek busi-
ness abroad for his firm's clients. In some coun-
tries including China it has become recognized,
having government or former government offi-
cials involved, and the higher the better, helps
cement commercial deals.
Rae will be using knowledge and contacts
gained from his trips abroad as premier, which
were paid for by taxpayers, to help his clients.
The talk of Rae's improving partnerships be -
tp .11 p
Customer service key to survival
Although many new
businesses have opened in
Exeter during the past year, a
few have closed, possibly due t
competition from larger
businesses in the area.
According to Exeter BA
Manager Karen Brown, the
town's recent new businesses
have "virtually all been
owner -operated stores."
However, the few that aren't
# included in this category may be
proving too competitive far'
some 'little guys.'
"They have so much else that
they can rely on...The
specialized store is done,"
explained one local specialized
merchant, referring to her view
that many larger businesses,
because they carry a variety of
items, can afford to lose money
in some areas while gaining in
others.
These stores that find
themselves diversifying, said
Brown, are improving their own
chances of survival against their
worst competitors, the big box
stores.
Because smaller businesses
can't possibly compete with
larger retailers on the same
playing field, she suggested they
"differentiate themselves" by
offering the best customer
service they can.
The merchant I spoke with
fears despite her belief some
small, specialized businesses
such as her own can provide
"more knowledgeable,
personalized service,"
customers will be lured to larger
stores due to price competition.
o "I have to drop my prices to
compete," she said, claiming
she may "lose her shirt" in the
process.
On the other hand, she
admitted she doesn't blame
consumers who shop for the
best bargains, regardless of
whose business suffers because
of it. It'shuman nature for
people tbihitik of their own'
needs first, she acknowledged.
The sad part of the entire 'big
guy versus little guy' scenario,
is despite their efforts, some
stores find themselves unable to
compete and jobs are lost, at
times throwing families into
financial chaos.
"I don't think a small town like
Exeter needs big business," said
one woman who recently lost
her job due to the closing of a
small store she was working for.
After applying for work all
over town and at one point
having her resume dumped in
the trash by one potential
employer who said her efforts
were a waste of time, she is still
empty-handed, finding herself
and her family without financial
stability.
The woman admitted she will
think twice about applying for
employment with a small
business again.
"I just want a secure job that
will be there four or five months
from now," she said.
";They know they're going to get
the business," she added,
referring to larger retailers. "I
don't think they care whether 10
stores go out of business"
According to the merchant
interviewed, small businesses
don't get the tax breaks, price
discounts or media coverage
larger retailers do.
"Competition is fair if you
both start off on,a fair footing,"
she said. ,r r��t : r
Regardless of who gets what
breaks, small businesses have to
face up to the fact competition
is getting fiercer, It's a free
market. Any business, big or
small, is allowed to compete
against everyone else and make
as much money as it needs,
wants or is able to.
Whether unfair competitive
prices or customer loyalty exists
or not, that old cliche, "I'm here
to satisfy the customer"
hopefully differentiates small
businesses enough that they can
survive and flourish.
As Brown pointed out, stores
in business solely for
themselves can't possibly
compete. On the other hand,
being there to service customers
to the best of their ability, has
got to help.
"I look at (competition) as an
opportunity," said Brown.
For the sake of survival,
perhaps every small business
should adopt the same
optimistic outlook.
Bob Rae to become corporate lawyer
tween the private and public sectors at home
means he will use his knowledge obtained as
premier to improve relations between his cli-
ents and government. In effect will be telling
his wealthy clients how to lobby the govern-
ment he has just left.
There was no indication that he will provide
his services to anyone other than his clients for
the fat fees lawyers normally charge and those
who cannot afford to pay will have to manage
without him and be at a disadvantage.
This is the sort of situation, selling knowledge
of government gained from serving in it, that
Rae and other New Democrats have protested
against in the past. But there is almost a mora-
torium on criticizing the retiring premier, now
basking in praise as a man of integrity and sin-
cerity.
'Fast' Eddie Goodman is the most consum-
mate backroom politician in recent times in On-
tario. He ran two federal election campaigns
and provincially he goes back to being an ad-
A
viser to George Drew, premier from 1943-
1948, and Leslie Frost, 1949-61.
Goodman persuaded John Robarts, premier
from 1961-71, to enter provincial politics and
got him his first cabinet post so that Robarts
was deeply indebted to him. Goodman's biggest
influence was when William Davis was pre-
mier from 1971-85 and for much of that time
he was the most important member of a group
who met weekly and set policies and patronage.
Meanwhile, despite giving up so much time to
politics, he built up his law firm into one of the
country's biggest.
Goodman raised the money that started the
Toronto Sun on condition it did not support
left-wing causes and it has rarely had a word of
praise for the NDP.
When Rae and other New Democrats used to
rail about the unelected clique who ran govern-
ment they were very much talking about Good-
man and now Rae has joined him and a lot of
New Democrats will be turning in their graves.
A