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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-09-24, Page 4(THE RLYTH STANDARD Page 4—CI.INTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1986 The Clinton Nows•Record Is published each 9Wiednesday at P.O. Box 99, Clinton. Ontario, Canada, NOM 1L0. Tel.: 402.3449, Subscription Rate: Canado•021.00 Sr. Citizen • 110.00 per year U.S.A. foreign 100.00 par year 11 Is ro0lstorod as second clams mall by rhe post office under the penult number 0019. The Nows•Rocord Incorporated In 1024 thuHuron News -Record. founded In 1001, and The Clinton News Era, founded In 1005. Total press runs 3,700. Incorporating J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher ANNE NAREJKO - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENBECK - Office Manager Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rate Card No. 15 effective Oc- tober 1,MA. CClvA A MEMBER BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Comm,on sense needed on playground equipment Playground equipment at Clinton Public School has raised a con- siderable amount of concern from parents, the Huron County Board of Education, teachers and town council. Why? Because children are receiving injuries on one particular piece - the cable car. The piece of equipment itself looks harmless. It is simply a handle which slides on a cable which is suspended approximately nine feet above the ground. It takes children from one platform to another. As long as the handle is dry and the children's hands clean enough to grip the handles, it should be harmless. But for a reason no one can put their finger on, it's not. Is it the novelty'of the equipment, the great amount of use it is getting, carelessness or simply a lack of knowledge that has resulted in a number of students being taken to Clinton Public Hospital's Emergency Unit? Maybe it's a combination of all the above. Last week Bob Allan, Director at the Huron County Board of Education, ordered the cable cars be taken down at both Clinton and Holmesville public schools until the apparatus has been thoroughly checked for its appropriateness. The same playground equipment has been located on the Holmesville school's grounds since 1984, and according to Principal John Kane, only eight students have received injuries on the entire apparatus with one of the eight directly occurring from the cable car during school hours. In Clinton, the number of accidents occurring during school hours are also low with the majority occurring after school hours. Looking at this point, one can quickly see that the majority of the ac- cidents happen when the equipment is not supervised as both schools have teachers on yard duty who keep a close eye on the equipment. Therefore, is the equipment really, the problem or is it the way the equipment is being used? Creative playgrounds are located across the province and have been for several years. Would the manufacturers be permitted to continue making them and would word not have spread earlier if the equipment was so dangerous? A slide or swing at a park canbe just as dangerous if used improperly. And what about a bicycle - weaving in and out of traffic, showing off by riding without hands on the handlebars or doing wheelies down the mid- dle of the street. What it all boils down to is common sense. Children are carefree and careless. They need to be taught how to use equipment and be warned of the dangers that can occur if they misuse it. The novelty will wear off eventually but taking a good hard look at the situation is wise. By taking the cable car down, it might get the message across to the children that if they don't use common sense, it will not be returned. The only piece of equipment that has been removed is the cable car, but all of the controversy must put a damper on the fund raisers' spirits. They worked hard to raise the money and they had the children's best interests in mind. When, and if, the cable cars are returned, let's hope the children will do their part and play carefully and safely on the equipment. - by Anne Narejko Clinton Branch of Cancer Society collects X23,528 Lqttqrs Dear Editor, The Huron County Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society would like to express its ap- preciation and gratitude to the residents, in- dustries, business firms and associations of your community who contributed so generously to the 1986 campaign for cancer funds. As of September 12, the Clinton Branch has collected the sum of $23,528. This achievement combined with that of the other four branches of the Huron Unit has enabled the Society to reach and go over our 1986 objective of $98,000. At this time, con tributions for the whole Unit total $99,661. A special thank you goes out to Gerry Holmes, Steve Brown and their fine team volunteers who have worked long and hard Rain, rain, rain I'm sure everyone has been in the situa- tion of not knowing what to say to someone. Maybe you've just met the person for the first time or maybe you've ran out of things to say. Perhaps you just have nothing in common. So what topic do you turn to? The weather. Sports fans, craftspeople, doctors, lawyers, secretaries, farmers and people of all occupations and ages have one thing in common - they know about the weather .on that day or the previous day. "Hot enough for you?" "Cold enough( for you?" "Is there enough snow for you?" "Nice day, isn't it." Lately the weather conversation has centered around this excessive amount of wet stuff we've been getting and the lack of sleep people have gotten because of the thunder that roars each evening. I don't like rain much during the day. However, I do enjoy it at night. The thunderstorms don't bother me. Oh sure they wake me up, but only once. After I've realized_ what the big bang was, I roll over and don't hear another sound until my to reach and surpass the Branch objective. In doing so, a significant contribution has been made to the fight against cancer and a great service has been done for your com- munity and county. On behalf of the Huron County Unit please accept our sincere thanks for a superb job. Yours truly, Murray Hunter Campaign Chairman ' Huron unit Canadian Cancer Society Playground equipment is only as safe as they make it Dear Editor: In reference to the article in last weeks' issue regarding the new playground equip- ment at Clinton Public School. ..We the ACT Committee feel it is only as safe as the children make it. We can only hope the children will learn how to play on it sensibly, both during and after school hours. Possibly, a list of enforceable safety rules, located near the equipment could help alleviate the problem. The ACT Committee has worked very hard this summer to meet the goal of building these activity centres by September 2. Over 300 volunteer hours were put into the building of it. The cable and track ride structures are valued at around $3,000. It would be a shame to have these ex- pensive pieces of equipment that the children were enjoying the most, not being alarm goes off. But I must admit that I'm not too keen on lightning. I have a big old tree at the end of my driveway, and during the past few storms I've envisioned the top branches being struck by lightning, forcing them to fall through my roof. Then the hole in the roof would allow thousands of gallons of rain water to flow into my kitchen, wash away my furniture and destroy the rugs. The chances of this happening are pro- bably very slim, but it's always in the back of my mind. Even though I don't like the lightning, I do enjoy a good rain storm for several reasons. First of all, you don't have to worry about watering my lawn or garden, it cleans the excess mud off my car, and most important- ly, it's music to my ears. There's something about a rain storm that makes the world seem peaceful. (That is, if your basement doesn't flood and the rivers and lakes are at an acceptable level and you don't have to go any place.) I get my best night's sleep while the rain is beating down on the roof. In fact, I sleep so well, I sometimes forget to get up in the morning! However, people who have problems with their basement, roof or who live by large bodies of water, probably lose sleep on these nights. I remember a friend telling me how the river in her hometown came into her home after they had just had the living room refurnished. The water not only damaged all the floors and the appliances in the basement, but destroyed the new rug and furniture. This past weekend I attended a wedding cif, a childhood friend. The rain held off for the majority of the picture taking, but the ground was still wet enough to put a three inch ring -around -the -hem on all the bridesmaids' dresses. Have you ever noticed that when the sun shines people are very co-operative? On the other hand, have you noticed that when it rains, people are not quite as chipper? I guess a reason for this could be because the sunshine lends itself to all activities. therefore their plans can be carried out, but when it rains, it puts a "damper" on things. During the last week we have received 45 mm or rain. Comparing this to the same week last year when we had only 12 mm, I think it's safe to say we've have our share of the stuff. Let's dig in! By Shelley McPhee-Haista used. Our goal of $13,500 which had to be raised on our own has been met. Also, we have received notification that our Wintario grant that covers one-third of the remaining cost, has been approved. The parents community . supporters should feel proud of what they have ac- complished in such a short six months. This couldn't have been done without the unanimous support of our council, the local service organizations, the successful fund raising events and some generous donations from the Clinton citizens. We can only hope that this problem can be resolved quickly so that the Clinton and area ki,le can resume playing on the much need- ed equipment for many years to come. Sincerely The ACT Committee. Got an opinion? Write a letter to the editor Jack Riddell, MPP Re -organization As part of an overall strategy to improve the quality of care for nursing home residents, Hcalth Minister Murray Elston has announced a re -organization of the ministry's Nursing Homes Branch. These changes will streamline the ministry's in- spection system to make legislation gover- ning nursing homes more enforceable and allow for greater consultation between the ministry and nursing home owners. Health Minister Elston also announced that the Ministry of Health will provide ad- ditional funding of some $14.3 million to improve the quality of care for nursing. home residents. The special funding will commence October 1 this year and will be used for more extensive staff training, the provision of better products for incontinent residents and organized activites, from ex- ercise to cultural events, to meet the physical, emotional and intellectual needs of nursing home residents. These measures were recommended by the Nur- sing Home Residents' "Complaints Com- mittee, appointed by the Health Ministry in March, 1985. Under the ministry re-organization,the Nursing Home Branch will be divided into a compliance section and enforcement sec- tion. "This division of responsibilities should promote a more positive relation- ship with the majority of nursing homes and strengthen enforcement for the minority of poor performance homes," Mr. Elston said. "The ministry hopes to introduce pro- posed amendments to the legislation this fall that deal with ownership, financial disclosure and the quality of nursing home life,".Mr. Elston said. New Ventures: Open For Business The Ontario government recognizes the importance of small business to the growth of the provincial economy and that they employ 50 percent of the private sector workforce. For this reason, the New Ven- tures program designed to help small businesses succeed in Ontario, has three goals: to promote success for new businesses; to provide access to funding through loan guarantees; and to ensure that entrepreneurs have fully researched their ideas by means of a comprehensive business plan. "New Ventures is a small business in- itiative that guarantees start-up loans of up to $15,000 to qualified entrepreneurs", Premier David Peterson said. New Ven- tures was developed through the govern- ment's Committee of Parliamentary Assistants for Small Business, chaired by MPP Rick Ferraro, in co-operation with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Technology. It allows people who are starting new businesses to obtain a loan for start-up financing without putting up any col- lateral. The Province of Ontario will guarantee the loan. The banks and trust companies participating in the New Ven- tures Program include the Royal Bank, Toronto Dominion, bank of Nova Scotia, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Barik of Montreal and V & .G National gust. More Investment In Ontario Culture Premier David Peterson recently an- nounced the extension of the Small Business Development Corporation Pro- grain (SBDC) to permit investment in Canadian -owned Ontario -based film pro- duction and distribution companies, sound recording companies, medium sized periodical publishing companies and cer- tain specific commercial. theatre productions. The SBDC program gives incentives to both individuals and corporations to invest in small business. This incentive is equal to 25 per cent of the amount, paid for new issues of equity shares in an SBDC. The funds of the SBDC are then invested in Canadian businesses located in Ontario. Planning Grants Community planning grants totalling $21,625 have been awarded to the County of Huron, Municipal Affairs Minister Ber- nard Grandmaitre announced last week. Mr. Grandmaitre said the grants will help the County to prepare a strategic plan for the Huron County Department of Plan- ning and Development, and to prepare a plan to guide the County planning depart- ment's use of computer technology. Community planning grants are design- ed to encourage municipalities to resolve land use planning issues to reflect municipal and economic priorities. The grants may also be used for special studies to develop community improve- ment policies; to determine the feasibility of using data processing technology in the local planning process; and to assist in im- plementing the Planning Act. A community planning grant of $4,243 has also been awarded to the County of Huron on behalf of the Township of Usborne. Waterrnain Grant Tuckersmith Township will be receiving an $81,297 grant my colleague, Jim Bradley, Minister of the Environment has announced. It will assist the township to update the water supply for Egmondville