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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-11-23, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, November 23, 1994 Publisher: Jim Beckett Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord Advertising; Barb Consitt, Theresa Redmond News; Adrian Harte, Fred Groves, Catherine O'Brien, Ross Haugh Production; Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Robert Nicol, Brenda Hem, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner, Marg Flynn Transoortation: Al Flynn, Al Hodgert front Office & Accounting; Norma Jones, Elaine Pinder, Ruthanne Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple 'MIUW COmm The Exeter Times Advocate is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership • • inion Ei)I'1'ORI ALS Value for the money he real issues of 24-hour po- licing for Exeter are often buried under- neath emotional responses that are hard to ignore. The very idea that there may be a gap in the patrols of cruisers up and down our streets, that there may be no one keeping our streets safe while we are in our beds, horrifies a few. This is why the fact that patrols are not exactly continuous has been sup- pressed for so long - even though many of us have known about - because it builds fears where they are perhaps un- founded. The OPP officer at Monday's commu- nity -oriented policing meeting said he met an elderly woman who became very concerned she had only two locks on her front door. A seminar on home security led her to believe she was not fully protected. But, to be truthful, is there any reason to believe that in Hu- ron County, anyone has their doors kicked.down by marauding strangers. Her fear might have been real, but un- founded. Are we really that much worse off without a cruiser for a few hours on the truly quiet nights in this town? Would it make a difference. We have had the rare opportunity to witness a smash and grab style break-in first hand. Even though a cruiser was only a couple of minutes away, the thieves measured their crime in seconds, and were long gone. Multiple cruisers would be needed to deter such thefts, or catch anyone red-handed. Most police work is done after the fact, using evidence and witnesses to find the culprit. Certainly, having one cruiser, or more, on the beat every week -night is better than none. But the residents of Exeter, and their police services board and council, have to reasonably decide if $100,000 would buy them any better protection. Or would the difference be no more • than cosmetic? A last kick at the cat n what was an otherwise har- monious last session for this term of Exeter council, the vote to accept the grant funds for the Old Town Hall pro- ject was a perhaps unnecessary defect in the evening's proceedings. As reeve Bill Mickle was able to con- vincingly point out, the present council had every right to vote on the bylaw to adopt the grant funds. It was merely fi- nalizing the work set in motion by pre- vious motions and bylaws on the reno- vation project. So why not put the bylaw forward, and watch it pass by the same slim mar- gin that allowed previous motions to squeak by? Then again, why bother? If presented to the new council that will take office two weeks from now, the third reading of the grant bylaw would have met little opposition. This is not to put votes in the mouths of peo- ple not yet in office. Joe Rider, Tom Hughes, and Roy Triebner were all asked how they would have voted on Bylaw 36 Monday evening. All said they would have supported it, meaning the next council could expect no more than two or three votes against the pro- ject. Maybe they just felt they had to see it through to the end,. Maybe they felt a little sentimental, breaking up the group after three years, and were compelled to rekindle one of the more memorable dis- putes of the term. If anything, it proved that the "team" concept being so loudly trumpeted amongst council members, new and old, is still something we have yet to see. Despite having "settled" this Town Hall issue months ago with endless debate and a final vote, the same four council members voted against the grant bylaw, which was merely a piece of paper to confirm an earlier decision. Maybe that was the true purpose of Monday evening's vote. A View From Queen's Park The Holy Land has never seen such a proces- sion of pilgrims from Ontario -- all searching for votes. Liberal leader Lyn McLeod is the latest of the three party leaders to tour Israel talking to polit- ical and business leaders and placing a wreath at the Holocaust memorial. She trod a path well worn by New Democrat Premier Bob Rae, who made the journey last winter, and Progressive Conservative leader Mike Harris, who followed in the spring. None has admitted that the main sin is look- ing for votes, hoping that Jews in Ontario will feel gratitude to a politician whp shows interest in the Jewish homeland where many have fami- ly and friends. Rae called his visit a trade mission and there was some truth to this, because he took busi- nessmen who signed contracts. But if the pre- mier was looking only for trade, there are other areas of the world offering better prospects to By Eric Dowd Publications Mail Registration Number 0388 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: CANADA Within 40 miles (65 km.) addressed to non letter carrier addresses $30.00 plus 82.10 G.S.T. Outside 40 miles (85 km.) or any letter carder address 830.00 plus 830.00 (total 60.00) + 4.20 G.S.T. Outside Canada 699.00 (Includes $88.40 postage) Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S8 by J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1-519-235-1331 • Fax: 518.2350788 e.1.T. 181.05210135 MPP says new Act misunderstood "The existing laws were made years ago and are out of date." Dear Editor: Many constituents have called me recently about powers of attorney. They have been alarmed at sto- ries that if they do not assign a power of attorney right away that if something happens to them then the government will take their assets. This is incor- rect. The Substitute Decisions Act is a new law that al- lows you to choose someone in advance to make de- cisions for you when you are no longer mentally ca- pable. The new law covers two areas of decision- making: decision about property and finances, and decisions about personal care (things such as hous- ing, health care and nutrition). The law was support- ed by all three parties and will come into effect in the next year. The existing laws were made years ago and are out of date. For example, the existirit law does not permit a person to appoint, in advance, someone to make personal care decisions for them if they be- come mentally incapable. The new law allows this. The new law confirms that a person's wishes will be respected if they become incapable of expressing them. The existing law gives fcw options to family members if they need to get legal authority to make decisions. The new law provides more choices. The - new law protects the rights of those who arc mental- ly incapable. The new Office of the Public Guardian & Trustee will apply for guardianship only as a last resort when it is clear that a person needs it and there is no one else willing or able to assume this responsibili- ty. It is very unfortunate when a program such as the Garth Turner report on CFPL-TV on November 9 gave out so much misleading information about the Substitute Decisions Act. 1 am writing this letter to correct this and to let the residents of Huron County know that the correct information is available. Feel free to contact my office. Forms and information are available. Yours truly, Paul Klopp, MPP which he bas not gone. Harris explained immodestly that he went as part of the education of 'a premier in waiting' but if he sought more insight into where key decisions are made, he would have gone to many other places before Israel. -McLeod has provided final confirmation if any were needed that the leaders' main purpose in going to Israel was soliciting votes. She claimed it would make her more familiar with a country with which many Ontarians feel a bond and which offers increasing trade and invest- ment opportunities. But the Liberal leader has not been noted for travelling abroad and the mere fact she chose Israel as her destination showed she felt she had some catching up to do. She also took two of her MPPs, Monte Kwinter, who might be a guide because he is Jewish, and Joe Cordiano, who is as Jewish as pizza. What the MPPs really have in common is that both have large concentration of Jewish Catching up on- the pilgrimage trail voters in their ridings who will now be made . aware that they made the effort to visit the Jew- ish state. Rae and Harris had lost no time making polit- ical capital out of their trips. When the legisla- ture commemorated the anniversary of the founding of Israel, Rae was able to recall on TV the 'vibrancy and tremendous dynamism' he saw and what a 'great emotional and person- al' event his visit had been. Harris could point to staying in a kibbutz and visiting the holy sites and being 'amazed by Is- rael's industriousness, beauty and history'. McLeod must have felt left out because she could say only that she had not had the oppor- tunity to visit Israel, but understood it was rich in beauty and history. After the other leaders went to Israel, McLe- od had to follow, lest she be thought lacking enthusiasm for that country, and now she will be able to swap travel rrtgmories with the rest of them. J But are there really many votes to be won by visiting Israel? The former Conservative pre- mier, William Davis, used to think so because he constantly dropped in, prompted by advisers in the Jewish community, and declared 'I am a Jerusalemite' and that he felt 'kinship' with Is- rael, and he may have been right. Many Jews in Ontario over the years natural- ly supported and defended what they saw as a besieged Israel and some would have been grateful to those Ontario politicians who ap- peared to show sympathy. But with peace growing in the Middle East there is less need to defend Israel and most Jewish voters probably are influenced much more and always have been by the way a party handles issues like creating jobs and improving the economy. The party leaders may even be insulting the vast majority of Jewish voters by suggesting they can win their votes by shaking a lot of hands in Jerusalem.