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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1985-10-30, Page 4Page 4--CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1985 The Clinton News -Record is published each Wednesday at P.O{ bos 39, Clinton, Ontario. Canada, NOM 11.0. Tei.: 482-3443. Subscription Rate: Canada -421.00 Sr. Citizen -510.00 par year U.S.A. foreign 400.00 por year it Is registered os second class nail by thu post office under the permit number 0817. The News -Record incorporated In 1924 the Huron Plows -Record, founded In 1881, and The Clinton News Era. founded In 1803. Total press runs 3,700. Incorporating . THE RUTH STANDARD J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher SHELLEY McPHEE - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENBECK - Office Manager A MEMBER Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Roto Card No. 15 affective October 1, 1984. women in politics' 4CNA One hundred, even 50 years ago municipal politics was the sole ter- ritory of men. Distinguished gentlemen and prominent businessmen were among the leaders in political circles. They carried the important title "Town Fathers." Today the times are changing and women have taken their rightful positions alongside their male counterparts in the political circle. It's a change that's encouraging. In Clinton alone, three women are running for council seats in this year's election. We have Councillor Bee Cooke running for the reeve's position, former councillor Rosemary Armstrong is seeking the deputy reeve's position and political newcomer Bonnie Je.witt is in the council race. • In Tuckersmith, the township has its first woman councillor in the 150 year history of the municipality - Rowena Wallace who has been acclaim- ed. , 'Likewise, Goderich Township has .a political newcomer to the council circle, Carol Wamrnes who was also acclaimed as councillor last week. Clinton and Tuckersmith have a woman candidate, Sally Rathwll, challenging twomen for a position on the Huron County Board of Educa- tion. In Bayfield Councillor Helen Owen is back in the running and that municipality will also see two local women running for seats on board of education, Abby Champ and Audry McLellan-Triebner. , Over in Goderich and Colborne Townships, Joan Vanden Broeck is again seeking re-election for board of education. Throughout the News -Record coverage area this year's slate of nominees includes the largest representation in local history from the female faction. It's a move that's been long awaited. In Ontario, only 11 per cent ofall councillors are women. They com- promise :only 18 per cent of heads of council,, either' Is mayors or reeves. Just over one-quarter of all school trustees are women. For too many years women have not taken, or have not been given, the opportunity to be 'adequately represented at even the grassroots level of government. Now, as the Ontario Advisory Council on Women's Issues encourages, "Women want to be more active in everything that affects their lives." A fair, responsible and objective government must be represented by people of all walks of life. Senior citizens and young business people,'men and women must all have an equal voice in the decision making process tobe an effective government. Women ate finally making the move towards this'aim. - by S. McPhee KciIeidoscOPQ "And how is the little mother today?" they ask. It's a question I'm hearing frequently these days. Sometimes I can honestly say, "Just great." Other days I lie. ;and My life is changing, quickly drastically. -I'm preparing for the rigors . ( and the joys) of motherhood. For my husband, and I this pregnancy thing is a brand new experience, and with it comes lots of advice, a new educational field and a whole new lingo to learn. I understand the meaning of words and phrases like trimester, extra -large, post- natal, epidural, Braxton -Hicks contractions and pelvic rock. biases But there are a few pregnancy p that I don't understand, like "little mother." Do people call me a "little mother" because I'm only five feet tall, or are they using it in reference to comment on my ever increasing girth? And I wonder, if you're not a "little mother," does that make you a "big mother?" Talk about having an overly sensitive prego on your hands, just try and ask, "How are you big mother?" ( or on a more familiar basis "big mama.") No one would dare. And so, it seems to me that "little mother" is just another one of those cliche phrases that people so fondly use. It really' has nothing to do with my height (or lack of such) and is certainly not meant as a statement about the expanded size of By Shelley McPhee my belly and backside. And there are other phrases too. "When are you due?" is a popular question. "January 31," I proudly reply, to which I hear responses like, "Not until then," or "Oh dear that's not too far away." And again .I wonder. Do they think I look like I'm ready to have this baby tomorrow? I haven't gained that much weight, I justify to myself. And, I duly note, January 31 is still a whole three months away. I have ample time to adjust and prepare myself for the new addition to the family. Then I quaver. The nursery isn't complete. I don't know how to change a diaper. I haven't practised my breathing exercises. I don't even know how to knit yet! And of course there's the usual questions, "How are you feeling?" Pregos lie a lot when asked this. People are vaguely interested in your general health but they really don't want to hear about your aching back, how tired you are, your swollen feet, your hunger pains, your crying jags, nausea, and bladder problems. And so you give out your biggest smile ( and hope they think there's a glow about you) and cheerfully reply, "I'm feeling just great." With pregnancy you develop a built-in defense mechanism, ready to rebuke any comment that comes your way. "Oh you're starting to put on the weight," they chide. ' "But my face is still skinny," I curtly reply. "You're waddling," they tease. "I am not." I indignantly retort. "I'm simply walking funny because I have a stone in my shoe. "And besides, only ducks waddle," I throw in for good measure. Then comes the advice. Everyone gives it these days. Mothers, „fathers, friends, neighbors, grandparents, in-laws, people . you barely know. They fill your head with' real-life experiences, the dos -and -don'ts of child raising, their own nine month pregnancy histories. This is the time to sit back and not say,a word. Pregos are best advised to nod politely in agreement, throw in the odd "That's nice," or "That's too bad," don't argue their points of advice and don't give your own. The only way to survive the advice syndrome is to let it go in one ear, and out the other. Simply tell them, "That's a good idea," then go home and do your own thing. And last, but certainly not least, comes the most ominous aspect of pregnancy, the "knowing smile." , It's kind of a half smirk, half sympathetic grin that says, "Just wait, you'll find out." And that's 'when I draw the line. I don't want to know about the horrors of child - raising. I want to imagine my child as a sweet, angelic, well behaved little darling who is the complete joy of my life. Please let me have my fantasy. Ignorance is bliss! Chilling thoughts By Anne Narejko JockJottings u yr nd ■ce �a� By jack Riddell MPP Huron Middlesex . Frightening isn't it`d ARE you frozen ,with terror, these days? You're hot? Then wake up, you vegetable. You're supposed to be. Haven't you noticed the relentless cam- paign to scare the living daylights out of us , ordinary souls? There seems to be a con- spiracy, in the communications media, to put you and me and our wives and kids into a perpetual state of fear. Advertising is the most prevalent, though not the most powerful, weapon of the scaremongers. It is suggested that if we have greasy hair or a greasy sink, we're sunk; that if we don't use a certain soap, we stink; that if we don't drink a man's beer, we're a bunch of you-know-whats. Well, all this is enough td set up a certain nervous tension in the ordinary amiable chap. What man wants to admit he's a failure because he can't rush out to his friendly neighborhood dealer and snap up an all-new Super Aurora Borealis Shooting Star Sedan, with safety belts? Or has dan- druff? But this is for the morons. You know, all the people who don't read this column. If they want to wind up with acid stomach, upset nerves, migraine headaches and ir- regularity, as constipation is now known, serves them right. Anybody who is frighten - By Bill Smiley It's been a busy summer fdr Members the Liberal Government and the pace hasn't let up, as a variety of announcements and events preceded the sitting of the legislature this fall. Ontario Premier David Peterson has reaf- firmed his government's commitment to the principle of equal pay. for work of equal value. In his remarks at a recent awards dinner for achievement in employment. equity, the Premier said equal pay will be • introduced in the public service, covering 80,000 workers. As well, a green paper will he issued to discuss ways of implementing the .principle in the. private sector. Thcl discussion . paper will be tabled in the legislature in the fall, followed by public consultation meetings held in several cen- tres across the province. The Premier also made public the final version of an agenda on employment equity . programs put together by the Ontario Women's Directorate. This agenda will put employers who sign it on record as suppor- ting employment equity and the equal treat- ment principles of the Ontario Human Rights ('ode. 'rhe provincial economy was the subject of another speech by Premier Peterson to the Conference Board of Canada. There, the Premier expressed his concern over the federal government's plan to speed up reduction of transfer payments to the pro- vinces. The amount of money that Otti wa provides to Ontario will be reduced by $150 rnilliin in 1986 and $150 million each follow- ing year to 1991. It does not make sense", said the Premier. "to endanger our commitment to meeting fundamental human needs like health and education." Meanwhile, in an effort to both save lives and create jobs, Transportation and Com- munications Minister Ed Fulton urged his federal counterpart, Don Mazankowski to provide more funding ,for railway grade separation. Speaking at a meeting of Federal Provincial Transportation and Highway Safety Ministers in Vancouver, Fulton called for fresh funding for the urban transportation assistance program UTAP i. Federal money for the program was used up in early 1984 and there has been no fur- ther funding since then, despite the fact that rail safety is a federal responsibility. New money is needed, "if we are going to put an end to the tragic number of people killed at railway crossings each year", said Fulton. There have been 85 fatal accidents 'at railway crossings in Ontario in the last five years. Fulton's proposal was unanimously en- dorsed by his fellow ministers at the meeting. On another front, Health Minister Murray Elston announced his intention to consult with the people of Ontario on extra killing. In his remarks at their annual meeting in Ottawa, Elston called on Ontario's district health councils to organize one -day corn- ' triunity consultations on extra -billing in nine Ontario cities. The meetings will be held in , Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Ot- tawa, Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton, London and Windsor. Consumers, health care pro- viders and public interest groups will be in- vited to make presentations. In order to have the greatest public par- ticipation and to get some feedback in a relatively short period of time, Elston sug- gested that the meetings should be held on Saturdays during late October and early No%ember. He described the meetings as necessary because he has been unable to discuss extra -billing with the Ontario Medical Association. "The physicians' association appears to have opted out of the negotiations", said Elson. Getting the most out of trade in foreign markets is the focus of a conference to be held on Export Opportunities in Toronto on October 22 and 23. Hugh O'Neil, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Technology, said trade specialists from the Ontario and Federal governments will provide informa- tion on how to export to '17 foreign countries as well as eight metropolitan areas in the United States. The conference, which is being held dur- ing Canada Export Trade Month, provides a chance for many Ontario entrepreneurs to learn, about conditions in the foreign markets in which they are interested. There will be four seminars at the conference deal- ingwith export opportunities in the United Turn to page 5 ed by that kind of advertising deserves it. But it is not on the humble commercial - watcher that the big guns of the horror - brigade are trained. It is on the serious reader -viewer. Theyhave moved, lock, stock and frightfuls, into the newspaper,. magazine, book and "serious" TV field. Every time I pick up, leaf through, or switch on one of these media, somebody is trying to frighten the wits out of rpe about something. It's a bit hard for a fell& to cope with.' Black headlines or graphic pictures sug- gest that I'm supposed to be shaker) rigid about. Communists and cancer; birth con- trol and bingo; high school drop -outs and homosexualisrri. Simultaneously, I'm supposed to be stricken by integration and insulation. If I'm not in favor of the former, there'll be a terrible bloodbath. If I'm agin the latter, my heating bill will soar. Sometime during the day, I'm supposed to be whimpering in a corner because of : high- priced funerals; the computer, which is go- ing to put me out of a job; the unfulfilled housewife; and all that leisure time I'm go- ing to have next year, when automation takes over. You'll notice I haven't even mentioned nuclear fission, which is old hat, nor the squirrels in my attic who, at this mo- ment, according to an article, are chewing my wiring to start a fire in which we'll be cremated, and do we have enough in- surance? If people weren't basically so tough, sensi- ble and mean, they'd all go to bed and pull the covers over their heads. Fortunately we're as sensitive as an old rubber boot. But, in case the scare -distributors are bothering you, let me give you a formula that is guaranteed to steady the nerves. One thing at a time. Communists — most of us are twice as scared of our wives as we are of the Red menace. Juvenile Delinquents hit them on the head. Hard. Cancer — you want to live forever? Creeping Socialism -- better than the galloping type. The Computer — so who wanted a job in the first place? Leisure Time — be happy to have a chance to sit on your butt. Unfulfilled Housewives — fill them. Population Explosion -- see Birth Con- trol; also Nuclear Fission.' High -Priced Funerals - you don't have tq pay. And so on. Closed meetings would mean lost freedoms Dear Editor: As a preseht member of the Huron County Library Board, I have been reading your paper with great interest regarding County Council's request to the Ministry of Citizen- ship and Culture seeking legislation to change the library board to that of a closed committee. Your readers will be interested that this regiest flies in the face of a historical background of open, public boards accoun- table to the citizens of Ontario and the pro- posed changes will also go against the new Ontario Public Library Act of 1984. Some reeves who sit on County Council have been acclaimed to office and without the input of the taxpayers these people may feel their own personal opinions reflect those of their community. I am hoping many library users will phone their reeves and ask them their stand on closed committees ver- sus open hoards and in turn give them our opinions to these, our political represen- tatives. We should really communicate toc�_on- cerned, our MPP Jack Riddell, the Minister of Citizenship and Culture Lily Monroe, the warden and the library board that yve do not want to risklosing a centuries old freedom of access to a public library board and, in its place, be given a closed committee whose decision will only be known to the select few. Also, your readers may not realize that this issue has not been brought before the board. We have not discussed the issue or voted on our dissolution. In fact, our board chairman, Mr. Grant Stirling', was nevi, authorized by the board to speak on our behalf on this subject. I am assuming that he was offering his own opinion, something he did not make very clear. Please, before election day, call your reeve and send a letter to the library board (66 Waterloo St., Goderich) giving us your views on this most important change in library policy. Better yet, if you are able, come to our next board meeting on Tuesday, November 12 at 1:30 p.m. in the council chambers, second floor, Court House, Goderich. Your presence and your letters will tell so much. Thank you Janis Blsback.