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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1984-07-18, Page 4TinowmpoRP, PAY I 4010'. 101 1 liOittikkii*h Sf�if�dfl."Manf.41' OOP 0,911 Ittr Ih OttlioAkillotk$0.• Cilmitta,C00000., ' 1000 A/4ifi4t!Virt4*, flidt foloPtIbt ittontutr 90117. Th q *ot1104 t!v4910%0,100 $g 0 1,,t11134 Ow . - , , , . , IrAlf N'.40411.00d In 'I fillt, AO . ,:' : • ' i rimpilp, ' . ',St ;HMO illittoo Pria.,fitum11010 1404,1400 ., iftt4044ROr 1104 W Yitif , . ROW riii,A30.7904 . ttmill4A+ *440 , 10.4001111r vow, .44 •oT incorporating THE NINTH STANDARD J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher SHELLEY McPHEE Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENDECK - Office Manager A 9 MEMBER Olselev advertising rates available on request. Ask for I Rate Card. No. 11 effective October 1, 1143. Society and justice The foundation of democratic society, people say, is rooted in freedom and 'justice. Canadians enjoy and cherish their freedoms and are probably as eager now as they ever were to protect them. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about justice. When Pierre Elliot Trudeau became Prime Minister of this country in 1968, there was much talk about creating the "Just 'Society". In almost every speech he made during his early years in power, he talked about the importance of justice. And, what he usually boiled his definition of justice down to was ''the act of being fair". Now, as we toil with the problems of' the '80s, we hear little from politicians about justice, fairness and equality. Of course, that doesn't mean that all the pro- blems associated with these have been answered. In fact, very few of them have; most have been swept under the carpet or simply abandoned on the premise that to create a just society, especially in Canada, spells political doom. As times get tougher in rural areas, the injustices of society come more and more to the forefront. Plant workers stand in the way of trucks and companies that are about to take their jobs elsewhere. Fishermen break the law to protest unfairness in licencing systems. Small towngroups block a road to pressure for improvements. Parents take their children out of school to protest bussing condi.- tiOns. The unemployed ignore police and the threat of jail a§ they struggle to get their unemployment cheques a little earlier and more unemployed close down construction sites because "outsiders"are coming in and taking the local jobs. Every day we hear of a confrontation and it seems everyone is "at the throat of everyone else". What has happened? No one seems to know for sure, however, we feel that the rural population is 'acting out of frustration. They have been ignored, to some•extent, by lightweight politicians who are either too busy to understand thbir problems or who lack the political clout to bring about change. And, it must be remembered too that governments have for the past 20 years been trying to keep rural residents happy with quick -fix solutions. Many of these have back -fired and some are continuing backfire. do , Now, out of frustration, honest, down-to-earth people,are taking the law into their own hands as a measure to bring about the changes politicians and civil ser- vants, tuned to the.vibes of the big centres, have been unable to make. It's becoming an unsettling situation and we're likely to see more of it. To.change things, politicians have to start listening to the vibes from the rural regiorts. When -they do -start listening they'll find that these people aren't asking for much.'All.they want is justice and some semblance. of equality: Their Cana- dian citizenship should guarantee them that much. - from The Northern Pen, St. Anthony, 'Nfld. Fleck fears are forgotten During the infamous days' of the'headline-making.strike at Fleck Manufacturing a 'few years. ago, there was general.and well-founded concern that it would be difficult for management and labor to patch up their wounds and get back to business. tWell, the fears have been expelled. . .• The recent history of the company has been one of - continued growth, culminatingin last, week's announcement of a Q-1 quality award from the,ir major customer, the Ford Motor Company. Initial. reaction to the award may be one of dubiousbes-sbased, on the fact some firms are overly zealous in makingnsuch awards as it boosts their own im- age and is little more than a public relations scam. But not sO-in this case! This award has been received by only six per cent of Ford ,000:supplier plants. ObViously that makes it a very commendable designation for the Huron Park firm and its 540 employees. No award of that nature can be attained without a strong sense ,of teamwork and employee pride. That is certainly one of the most noteworthy aspects of the situation. The community•as a whole has benefitted from the growth ,of,Fleck Manufactur- ing and thelevel of quality being recorded at the. plant indicates those benefits should continue for all concerned. from thr, Exetr." Behind The Scenes By Keith Roulston Camping goes commercial In an ettort to escape the hustle and bustle of the everyday world our family recently took a few days to go off on vacation and once again it was proved to me how naive I've been all these years. We went camping. It seemed such a nice break from the regular world. Mention cam- ping and visions come to mind of people gathered around a lone tent on a birch -tree - lined lonely point of land, water burbling all around. That's the way they show it on television with the boys sitting around the campfire laughing over beer. That's the way they show it when they sell sugarless gurn and margarine on television tOo. But real campers, thousand's and thousands of them, are people who live in crowded suburbs and escape on weekends to suburbia in the woods. They exchange their back -splits on postage stamp lots in Etobicoke dr Cambridge for even smaller lots in campgrounds. In any one of these campgrounds you're within earshot of 300 , people (and unfortunately you're still in ear- shot at 2:30 in the morning when the boys are sitting around their campfires laughing, very loudly, over their beers). Camping brings images of simplicity, just you, a tent and nature, sort of the way cross- country skiing was supposed to be simple. But not to real campers. The people Who Camp regularily know better. For them, the simple canvas tent went out With narrow ties and the mini -skirt 1woops they're back in again?') Who wanted to sleep on the ground to put up that tent night after night. So people bought tent trailers. But who wanted to set up the tent trailer. so people moved up to luxurious travel trailers. But who wants to be bothered with dragging a trailer around so a surprising number of people moved up to motor homes at about what a farm cost a decade ago. Real campers also have tents for t; len- pic- nic tables so the flies can't get in. They bring along gas .barbecues to cook on. One brought along a microwave. And I knew sooner or later I'd see it. somebody brought along a battery -powered television so he wouldn't have to miss summer reruns. Real campers may complain about the high cost of heating the house at home but at camp they buy firewood from local en- trepreneurs at prices that would make on oil sheik blush. This they do to avoid extreme shock of living in the country. How could their lungs survive long in clean air so they each start a campfire and before long their air is safely thick enough to cut with a knife. Besides bringing the air back to a normal ievel of foreign matter content, the fires pro- vided the chief entertainment (other than drinking beer). This is staring into a fire. This is why we drove 100 miles. It's just not like watching a fireplace at home. It also had an added blessing on the days we chose for camping: it saved us fron. freezing to death. Ah yes, camping taught me much about the endless capacity we North Americans have for making the inexpensive, simple things in life into a major consumer in- dustry, Back street view • Sugar and Spice You can't please 'em all IT'S extremely difficult, as any columnist knows, to please all of the people all of the time. In fact, if .this column had d0rie so, it Would be extinct. Half my readers get so - mad at me that they can't wait to read the next column, so they can get madder. The. other half sort of enjoys it,' forgives my lapses and looks 'forward to what the silly twit is going to say next. In the last couple of weeks, I've had some letters from both sides. A Manitoba'editor is thinking of cancelling the column. Reason? "Too many columns dealing with Rersonal. matters." I quote bits from his letter:. -While it is understandable that family members are dear to Bill Sthiley I feel our readers might tire of how the grandboys are behaving. Once or twice a year would be sufficient.7' should be so lucky. You are quite right, sir. Once or twice a year would be. sufficient, for the grandboys' visit. . And from Vancouver, a young mother writes to say. "Keep on writing about our family and grandboys. 'I love these col- umns." The editor was fair. He added: '!Colurrins; other than family -related, are good and have received favorable comment from our readers." Thanks. I get letters from religious.peoplei)yho ac- euse me of being the right-hand than of the Devil, when I jestingly remark that God must have been out to lunch when he was drawing up the menu for this year's winter. I get letters from other religiOus people who send' me dreary tracts and letters full of Biblical references, with the hope that I will print the lot. I get letters from other religious people, mostly clergy. who enjoy quibbling with me over a point but urge me to continue writing as I do, to make People think. ,,,;• ic re • et1 Aog's By Bill Smiley life. I remember receiving a fairly vicious editorial blow from a weekly'editor who said I wrote too much about teenagers, because I was a school teacher. I retorted with a bit of tongue in cheek. In high dudgeon, he cancelled the column. It's still going. I wonder if he's still the editor of that paper, deciding what his readers can read. (Had a. number of letters from his subscribers supporting me, none supporting him. I . I receive letters from places like Baker ke, N.W.T.,- 'eftcoriating 'me for talking about the tough winters down here, which to them is almost the deep south. And I get. a letter from my kid brother retiredand living in Florida, with pictures of the house, flowers, pool and an outline of his day: coffee and morning paper, walk• down the beach with the dog, etc. The swine. Wait till the Florida flies get to him in July and he wants to come north and visit for a month. No room at the Smiley inn, little Smiley. • • On the whole', the letters. I get are delightful. A typical example came in the other day from Bill Francis, Moncton, B.C. He says such nice things about the column that I blush even to read them, and .would never put them in print. But more to the point, his le' tter is witty, informative, alive. He's no chicken, a W.W. I infantry private. I'll quote a bit., "Though obviously a man of sound corn - mon sense, I wonder how, in your youth, you got involved in flying a fighter plane, let alonerisking combat in one. ( Ed. note: me too!) I remember during those war years, watching a young fellow land his old 'Avro Anson like a wounded pelican in the middle of our freight yard and walk away from the wreck looking a little sheepish. Soon after, and nearby, another boy flew his Harvard trainer at full speed into a grove of trees one Kaleidoscope by Rod Hilts p-, ..,Vt" foggy morning.. He didn't walls away from that pne." Speaking of education, he says he attend- ed five different schools and doesn't think much of today's big schools. Of the new per- missiveness: "Anti -social behavior today may be blamed on everything . from sun spots to Grandpa's weakness for women and hard liquor, which all agree is a vast im- provement on the old concept." A strapping at school and another at home for being strapped at school. His last school was graded "superior," because it taught to Grade 11. Equipment consisted of a tray of mineral specimens, the remains of a cheap chemistry set, and a leather strap, but managed to turn out a number of people who'went into the profes- sions. . Bill Francis says: "The school's rather good record was due not only to excellent in- struction, but due to drawing, from a radius of five miles around, those whose eyes were fixed on distant goals and whose legs were equal to:hoofing it back and forth. There was nothing wrong with my legs and I lived nearby. "Just a little light upstairs, they said; a handicap I'Ne learned to live with. "Now, some 70 years later and a little wiser, I have become' just an o1 fellow round whom the wind blows in th laugh of the loon and the caw of the crow and the wind whistles by so dreary and cold, in chill- ing disdain of ways that are old. But this feckless old felloi just putters around and heeds not the wind nor its desolate sound. Cares not a whit for what the winds say; just listens for echoes of things far away." I think that is wise and honest and real. May I feel the same. I'll be in touch, Bill Francis. You're a literate man with some brains in your head. An unusual phonon -1610n January and .Jul. In the newspaper business they're traditionally known as the doldrum months. In January it's snowing so hard that people don't core out of their houses and ':hen they decide to, the event that they planned on attending is usually cancelled. January has traditionally meant an overabundance of snow stories and photos in the local paper. In July, news is equally as scarce. Farmers are busy in the fields, schools are closed, people are on vacation or living out • at the summer cottage and council meetings are cancelled. July has meant wading pool photos and wedding stories. So much ' for tradition, an inexplicable change has occurred. The Januaryand July doldrums no longer exist. In January we covered a variety of stories of local major concern, including the Vanastra Pnblic School controversy, the Blyth-Hullet waste disposal site issue, Clinton's ONIP proposals, Hullett Township's Secondary Plan and the Clinton recreation director hiring. .. July, may be providing a vacation for some - but not. the Clinton News -Record editorial Staff. We've considered pitching a tent down at Bayfield to keep up with their weekly bicentennial events. The Blyth Festival has been keeping us equally busy with their gala .10th anniversary season and another northern neighbor, Hullett Township just help a successful weekend extravaganza. By Shelley McPhee In Clinton, the greatly .improved recreation program developed by rec director Kevin Duguay is offering a multitude of special activites for children and adults. Too bad I don't have tittle to join in! So far, 1984 is tallying up to be a fantastic year. Ontario's bicentennial and this year's recovery from the recession 'has brought people out of the economic slump. Perhaps it's a "now or never'l philosphy that has prompted many communities to' take action. In Stanley Township council determined that this was the year to build a new community centre. In Clinton the town hall -library restoration plans were finally approved. In Hensall the village. core got an impressive facelift for their impressive centennial celebrations and a similar beautification project is planned for Blyth. The trend will continue into the fall. There's a September election, grand opening for the Stanley muncipal complek on Labor Day weekend and the Clinton town hall in October and a special party to honor the School Car on Wheels 'in September. Then it will be Christmas bazaar time, school concerts ' Geez, my calendar's , booked up to the end of 1984. I wonder if there's any truth to the myth that the older you get the faster time goes by? +++ Thursday in Clinton promises to be an bntertaining day for bargain hunters. The BIA is planning Moonlight Madness, a day and evening long event that's detailed in a • r:Litilllif,0110.0.1 $41, .„., „. Pear EdItOr special edition in this w eek's New s-Rccord. Of special interest is a Downtown Flea Market to be held from 2 p.m. to dusk. be checking that out for good bargains and earlier in the day I'll be over at the Library Park to pick up some summer reading material at the annual Library Sale. It gets underway at 10 a.m. + + + Bargain hunting's a favorite pastime of mine. I simply can't resist a sale sign, or a 50 per cent off price tag. I had trouble controlling my buying impulses at Richard Lobb's auction sale on Saturday, but did break dOwn and pick up one little table. Auction sales are really an entertaining way to spend an afternoon. It's fun to heif the auctioneer's pitche and watch the faces of the nervous bidders and the wise antique dealers. Saturday's sale was particularly entertaining as Clinton's own Elinor Trick was on hand to play some ole' time music on the upright piano. The piano was sold, but Elmer's talents were not included- in the sale. Too bad! Correction Dear Editor: Tilinilc you, for Wendy SOMerville's good article about the Hayfield Quilt Stow in August, However, there was one 01.15 - statement regarding the time schedule for the entries which might cause some persons great diSaPp9intment. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE IN OW HANDS BEFORE 2 p.m., THURSDAY, AUGUST 2nd;Ncause the judging starts at that tiMe. Quilts may be brought to the Old Town Hall in Bayfield between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. August 2, or left at Lance Antique Shop on Bayfield's Main Street during the day from Sunday, July 29 to Wednesday, August 1. Anyone wanting to ensure a place in the Quilt Show may call me at 565-2609. Lois Lance Bayfield Quilt Show Chairman +++ In Hayfield next week, the residents of Clan Gregor Apartments will be holding a tree planting ceremony to commemorate the Ontario Bicentennial on July 23 at 11 a.m. Later that week the Ever Young Senior Citizens Club will be hosting Grandparents' Day on July 26 to honor all our wonderful grandmas and grandpas. Options for living BY JACK RIDDELL, MPP More than two years ago, Liberal Leader David Peterson established a Task Force, under the chairmanship of Sheila Copps, to examine the state of health care in Ontario. One of the fundamental conclusions arising from that study was the need for govern- ment to identify "options for living" for the growing number of elderly people in On- tario, to enable them to live with dignity and with the highest quality of care. That study and others which we have subsequently undertaken disclosed numerous regulatory and structural defi- ciencies in the planning and implementation of the provincial government's system of care for our senior citizens. Confused bureaucratic jurisdictions, misappropria- tion and misallocation of care beds, an inap- propriate mix of facilities/services, and a basic insensitivity to the rights and needs of patients and their families have led to a deterioration in the availability and the quality of care. Clearly, deficiencies will grow more acute as aging trends in our population continue. Within 20 years, more than 1.4 million On- tarians will be over 65 years of age and the average senior requires six times the medical care needed by an eighteen year old. Another crisis looms - the financial challenge of the cost of quality universally accessible health care. Within this context, the Ontario Liberals have prepared a 13 point program designed to offer to seniors options for living a full and productive life. Striking new directions are essential. Tinkering with the current system cannot be a substitute for necessary changes in strategic direction. The first step must be to reverse the policy in Ontario which is geared. toward in- stitutional custodial care of elderly people. We, in the Ontario Liberal Party, reject institutionalization as the solution for the treatment of our seniors. Some of the people who are now in institutions would not need to be there if alternative support systems were provided. In fact, a British study has shown that life expectancies increased for seniors in com- munity residential settings as opposed to in- stitutions. Here in Canada, and in the United States, imaginative model programs to support and maintain seniors at various care .levels 'within the •corrunimity have already been tested. The 13 -point program which we have ad- vanced outlines a series of initiatives which could provide necessary quality care while inaintaining the sense of personal dignity and independence so precious to °Ur senior citizens. Significantly, by educing pressure for facilities and services on existing overtaxed institutions, such approaches may provide some respite for the overburdened health care budget. A second step is to. put an end to the bureaucratic infighting which has permit- ted the development of so many gaps in ser- vices to our elderly people. Responsibility for existing funding and monitoring of in- stitutions and services must be rationalized, and must take into account different levels of care. The practice of passing the buck between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Community and Social Services must be stopped. The woefully inadequate and out-of-date basis of the current per diem funding system must bie overhauled. Linked to this acknowledgement of the need for governmental action must be, as a third step, a complementary, formal recognition of the rights of patients and their families. We must create a Bill of Rights for residents of institutions, a system of advocates, and a Health Complaints Com- mission in connection with a long term care placement. All too often, it is not only seniors but also their families who must bear an enormous burden. A fourth step is to recognize that the needs of our senior citizens vary according to ethnic origin and community, and that there is a great necessity for multilingual com- munity services with a mandate which in- cludes outreach to ethnic seniors. Options do exist, and the provincial government must abandon its hit and miss approach to care for our senior citizens. It must also reject the efforts of the current Minister to limit discussions by restricting givetophave p ricoarlliteyd ttiopoonethomemigotvmeernma teontop-to oconsmtmheittmeeeeotoinsgsonioofrs. Wthe On- tario rciolorddvtasoesrsyi tions for living for Ontario's senior citizens, and will continue to urge that early action be taken. Farmers Market GODEEICH - The farmers' market has returned to The Square in Goderieh and organizers hope the weekly market will carry on through to Thanksgiving weekend. The market will run in Courthouse Park each Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The weekly event has been developed by the Goderich Business Improvement Area board. ,