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Times -Advocate, June 19, 1996
Publisher & Editor: Jim Beckett
Business Manager: Don Smith
Production Manager: Deb Lord
Advertising; Barb Consitt, Chad Eedy
News: Heather Mir, Chris Skalkos,
Ross Haugh, Brenda Burke
Production; Akna Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson
Brenda Hem, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner
Transm►tetion:A1 Flynn, Al Hodgert
Front (Mice & Accounting; Elaine Pinder, Sue Rollings,
Ruthann Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple
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The Exeter Times -Advocate 1s a member of a family of community newspapers
providing news, advertising and information leadership
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Opportunity to work
eginning in September, wel-
fare recipients in Huron County will
join residents of 19 other communities
as they have the opportunity to work
for their welfare cheques.
Ontario Works, the new work -for -
welfare program, will be phased in
across the province. It was one of the
main planks in the Conservative plat-
form during the last election. The con-
cept of performing meaningful work in
order to receive welfare payments cap-
tured the imagination of voters who
supported Mike Harris and his tough -
talking supporters.
Working for welfare is designed to
help people break the cycle of depen-
dency on receiving continuing support.
e concept has been harshly criti-
c' d by organized labor and, of course,
by the Liberals and the NDP.
Isn't it time to give the Government
of Ontario a chance to deliver a new
method of support to citizens who are
disadvantaged? The fear that welfare
recipients who are being given an op-
portunity to contribute to our society
will replace the jobs of union members
is nothing short of fear- mongering by
the leaders of these unions.
Reports last week that unions will
withdraw their support from the United.
Way if any of't'he organizations they
support participate in the new program
smacks of selfishness and paranoia.
The Conservatives have been the only
government to show the courage of try-
ing another way of doling out govern-
ment money. Isn't it much better to be
getting some value in return for a wel-
fare cheque rather than just mailing
cheques month after month and year af-
ter year.
Creating a win-win situation where
someone has a chance toprovide honest
work in return for earned money as op-
posed to getting a hand out should be a
goal of all governments.
Fortunately the critics of the work -for -
welfare program weren't around when
some of the great accomplishments of
the 20th century were achieved. The
thinking of many of our big labor lead-
ers.is difficult to understand. Thankfully
they weren't present when someone in-
vented the wheel. Surely this must have
displaced some of the early comrades as
more products could be delivered by
fewer people.
Hundreds of politicians over the past
years have shown what they have done
for the delivery of welfare. Sadly, all
they've been able to do is deliver more
welfare.
The time has arrived to try something
different something that might actual-
'ty work.
Letters to the editor
Volunteers appreciated
"Without their dedication, hard
work and caring, many of our pro-
grams could not operate."
Dear Editor:
The staff and students of Exeter Public School
would like to publicly thank all those in our com-
munity who have found the time and commitment
to volunteer at the school throughout the 1995-96
school year. Without their dedication, hard work
and caring, many of our programs could not oper-
ate.
The Parent's Association has been committed to
making our Safe Arrival program operate success-
fully, special fundraising like pizza days, hotdog
days, special event booths, milk sales, Penny Carni-
val, and "Pediculosis Patrol".
The many classroom and library volunteers al-
lowed for much more individual help for students
whether through working directly with students, as-
sisting with classroom and library organizational de-
tails or working in our Reading Intervention Pro-
gram.
The benefits of the S.H.D.H.S. Peer Tutor pro-
gram has worked positively to advance both aca-
demics and self-esteem.
Again, thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Staff and Students
Exeter Public School
TORONTO -- Ontario's labour unions will
hold yet another mass rally next Monday (June
24) against Premier Mike Harris and his gov-
ernment, which is a tacit admission that they
have run out of ideas.
This latest demonstration will be in Peterbo-
rough, following earlier rallies by about 10,000
in London, 100,000 at events over two days in
the stronger union centre of Hamilton and
13,000 in Kitchener. The unions' chief aim is
to prompt the public to think about the Progres-
sive Conservatives' cuts in services antiunion
powers and hopefully influence some to oppose
them.
The rallies have been reported by news me-
dia, encouraging some debate, while promoting
solidarity among union members and providing
outlets for their irritatibld. The unions have
won respect by demonstrating without causing
major violence, not easy when thousands gath-
er to vent a cotrnnon grievance.
Police turned oat in force at each, but did not
have to intervene. They must also have
prompted Harris, who promises an Ontario
with a stable workplace when he appeals for in-
vestment from abroad, to feel that he could do
without these occasional pesky images of un-
ions marching. But the rallies are running
into problems and risk more the longer they
continue.
They are becoming so common, on top of a sur-
feit of dernos by others at the legislature, that
news media already are reporting less so that
the potential impact is diminished. As union-
ists also get to view them as routine, turnouts
will tend to dwindle and unions face claims
they are losing support. Media already have
pointed out the unions did not close down com-
munities, as threatened.
The rallies also have not deterred Harris. The
unions conceded they cannot force out the pre-
mier before an election and aimed to gather
support that will help defeat him then, but
hoped also that showing their strength would
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tg URAL LL, SOME PEOPLE
HAVE RESPONDED TO -THE.
FROG -SAM IIIAN OTHE
ent .job connection...
By Tonga Riehl - Student Employment Officer
Employers - we want your help
Summer is fast approaching
and the Canada Employment
Centre for Students is getting
busy. Students are coming in to
register and check the postings.
Employers are calling in search
of valuable employees. If you
argan employer looking for
students, CALL 235-1711, we
want to help.
Some upcoming events are
planned. June 27th is HIRE A
STUDENT DAY and we will be
hosting a SCAVENGER HUNT
to honour this
national
celebration.
Students registered
with the office and a' stude
those wishing to
register are encouraged to
attend. Sign up as a team of 4-5
or by yourself. There will be
PRIZES and snacks for
participants in this FREE event.
A BABY-SITTING COURSE is
also planned for July 15th, 16th,
and 19th. It will run from 1:00
until 4:00 each day. The cost is
$10 and you must be at least 12
years old to register. Finally, if
there is sufficient interest we
will sponsor a first aid and/or
CPR course, let us know. If
anyone is interested in any of
these events, please contact me.
RESUME 101
This segment means only to
serve as an overview of resume
writing, entire books are written
on the subject so it would be
impossible to cover it in depth
here. I highly recommend
getting a few good, up-to-date
resume books from thgpublic
library or, browsing through
some at the Huron Employment
Resource Centre.
Your resume is your personal
advertisement. It is your tool to
sell yourself to employers and
get an interview. It should
be neat, typewritten, and oh
quality paper. One page is
best, two pages at the most.
The use of action verbs
n t . makeyour skills and
experience come alive,
examples are accomplished,
achieved, and supervised. Any
good resume book will include a
list of action verbs. Most
importantly, make sure your
resume is free of spelling
and grammatical errors.
The easiest and most
popular resume format is
chronological. The most
common sections on this type of
resume are: objective,
education, experience, interests,
achievements, and references.
Other possibilities are
extra -curricular activities,
qualifications summary, and
skills. All resumes begin with
personal information, such as
your name, address, and
telephone number. In this
'section, DO NOT include a SIN
number, birthdate, or other
personal information.
Students needing help with
making a resume should drop in
and look through the excellent
resume books and guides '
available. On the public access
computer is a program called
WinWay Resume. This
program is excellent and is an
easy way to complete your
resume. Office policy does not
allow outside disks be used in
our computers, so there is a one
time disk rental fee of $1. In
addition, I am willing to help
people,who are having trouble
making a resume, stop by or call
to set up an appointment.
Once your resume is
complete, it is time to
distribute it. Even a
perfect resume will not get
you a job if it is sitting on your
desk, not the employers. If you
have a specific job in mind and
you know who the employer is
you should include a covering
letter, next week I will focus on
how to write a covering letter.
Until then!
Labor Union to hold rally
cause him to back off a bit. But there has
been no sign of Harris even slowing his agen-
da. Commenting on the first anniversary of his
election on June 8, he pointed out that "in the
past people have been able to yell and scream
and the government has backed down. We are
not doing that."
Harris did not name those who lacked back-
bone, but the best remembered example was in
his own party -- former Tory premier William
Davis announcing he would ban teachers from
striking, but retreating like a chastened student
when they descended angrily in thousands on
the legislature.
Continued demos by the unions also offer
more opportunities for violence, particularly as
they grow frustrated by Harris's intransigence,
and this would only hand ammunition to those
ready to be critical of unions. In the rallies so
far, some in the public have been prevented
from working, opening stores, using transit and
sending children to school and there must be a
feeling the unions have made their point and
further inconvenience would merely alienate
people.
All this suggests the unions need different
tactics. The demos that have got much space in
the media recently have offered some novel-
ty. Men marching to protest violence against
women got their picture in papers because such
marches usually are composed mainly of wom-
en. Anti -poverty activists who spend more
time around the legislature than some MPPs
provided an unusual scene when they planted a
vegetable garden in the flower beds under Har-
ris5- window.
Women against poverty got some notice be-
cause they built a "wall of shame" and invited
visitors to scrawl nasty remarks about Harris on
it. Or the unions might look back and borrow
from Stephen Lewis, a crafty H Democrat
leader of the 1970s, who •viduals
like rabbits from a hat to tell their s
they won1mo1e sympathy than anon
thousands. •