Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1987-06-24, Page 4(THE BLYTH STANDARD) Page 4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1987 The Clinton News -Record is published each Wednesday at P.O. Boa 34, Clinton. Ontario. Canada. NOM 110. Tei.:482-3443. Subscription Rate: Canada -671.00 Sr. Citizen - 618.00 per year U.S.A. foreign 160.00 per year It registered as second class mail by the post office under the permit number 0011. The News -Record .Incorporated In 1934 1hoHuron News -Record, founded In 1001. and The Clinton News Eno, founded In 1885. Total press runs 3,700. ShQIIQy McPhe llaist Aimmimummimmeminsmonsi Incorporating ANNE NAREJKO - Editor FREDA McLEOD - Office Manager SHELLEY McPHEE HAIST - Reporter DAVID EMSLIE - Reporter GAYLE KING - Advertising LAUREL MITCHELL - Circulation/Classified GARY HAIST - General Manager MEMBER MEMBER (ZN BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1987 Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rate Card No. 15 effective Oc- lobor 1, 1914. New defence strategy As the Canadian Armed Forces approach the turn of the century, they will undergo major changes to increase their ability to defend Canada and meet their commitments within the western alliances. Surface warships and nuclear -powered submarines, together with air- craft and tanks are on the agenda for the next 15 years. The White Paper tabled by Defence Minister Perrin Beatty says the forces will see increases in people, money and equipment to enable them to better defend Canada, and meet commitments to our European and North American allies. It stresses that our beliefs in democracy and freedom align us with these countries. In the rivalry between east and west, Canada is not neutral. The White Paper says we will cancel our commitment to send the Cana- dian Air -Sea Transportable Brigade Group and two fighter Squadrons to Norway in time of emergency. Instead these forces will be reassigned and consolidated with those stationed in central Europe to provide a more sus- tainable force. Equipment will be stockpiled in northern Europe for the Canadian brigade group assigned to the Allied Command Mobile Force. The navy will receive six patrol frigates, mine counter-measures vessels and new ship borne helicopters. Up to 12 nuclear -powered submarines will be purchased and a grid of sensors will be placed under Arctic ice. Six more long-range patrol aircraft will be required and new radar equip- ment installed in existing aircraft. The Canadian Rangers will be expand- ed and better equipped and a training centre will be set up in the high Arc- tic to support operations there. The gap in training between regulars and reserves will be reduced and pay and benefits improved. The White Paper cancelled the country's commitment to the northern flank of NATO but equipment will be pre -positioned in West Germany for a Canadian brigade, which would join the Mechanized Brigade Group already stationed in Europe. There will be an increase in the number of military personnel permanent- ly stationed in Europe and research and development of space -based surveillance and communications will also be pursued. The White Paper also stressed Canada's interest in the Pacific Rim and Asia. It suggests that the Arctic Ocean is growing in strategic importance, raising sovereignty and security concerns for Canada. These changes in our military strategy and the manner in which we equip our forces, will evolve over the next 15 years. During this period there will be significant growth in our country's defence spending and additional resources will likely be required when the program gears up. There will be greater opportunities for women in the forces and more recruits will be sought from ethnic minorities. The War Measures Act, invoked by Pierre Trudeau during a Quebec kid- napping in the early 1970s, will be replaced with new legislation and the government intends to create a civil defence agency, Emergency Preparedness Canada, to co-ordinate the civil aspects of mobilization planning. The White Paper addresses some obvious deficiencies in the Canadian defence strategy and the attention to the forces will enhance the morale of the Canadian troops and reinforce our commitment to NATO. Municipal process leaves much to be desired 1)ear EE:ditor. The special session of town council called on June 15 for the purpose of appointing a councillor to replace the vacated seat of Councillor John Cochrane, who was elected to the position of Reeve, left me with a number of unanswered questions. Mostly these questions would lead to a major question of credibility, the credibility of the procedures purportedly allowed, and the credibility of the methods applied. According to Mayor Balfour, in a discus- sion 1 had with him two days after the ap- pointment of Don Eastman, the Municipal Act does not allow for any of the following and is very specific on the same. 1 i interviews prior to appointments. 1 2 ) request of resume. ( 3 i in camera voting, but that a recorded vote must be taken whilst the applicants are present. if the Act restricts these fundamental principles of appointment, then what criteria is used to base a just decision on when appointing a new servent of the public. it seems to me that the criteria was set by council when the advertisement for the ap- pointment of a councillor was placed. Criteria : (1 ) That the candidate be qualified. 125 That a letter of application be forward- ed to the Clerk -Treasurer by .June 10, 1987. Two letters were received prior to this aforementioned date: one from R. .1. Boussey and one from myself. Mr. Boussey's letter was a resume and was read in full, even though the Clerk - Treasurer noted that Mr. Boussey's was in- eligible because of the applicants position as manager of a town board. If a resume is not permitted according to the Act: then the resume portion of Mr. Boussey's application should have been omitted. My own letter was a simple letter of application with no resume; this was also read in its entirity. There was no letter at all from Mr. Eastman. After the letters of application were read, Reeve Cochrane blade a verbal introduction and nominated Mr. Eastman. There was no question made on this procedure and the nomination was seconded by Councillor Case Buffinga, Councillor Buffinga then promptly made my nomination, Minus the Ltters Danger in Diapers She went into the family room, her grand- mother' nicely decorated, neat and clean family room. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the old upright piano. She ran for the piano, full speed ahead. Her tiny fingers reached for the keys, she could barely touch them. Yet she managed to hammer away at the piano keys with all the enthusiasm of a concert pianist. Upon ending her impromptu recial she careened towards the far end of the room. She was aiming for the china bowl, filled with plastic grapes. Grapes are not to be eaten, they are to be thrown about the room in gleeful abandon. From there she heads upstairs to the off- limits livingroom. She knows what she's after, her grandmother's collection of fami- ly photographs. The photos, in bevelled glass and brass frames sit on a table. The table is all too conveniently within her reach. She leaps for the photographs, only to be headed off just as she is about to send them flying in all directions. She is directed towards the toys that have been set out for her to play with. She gives them a passing glance, then spots the television. "Teevee," she announces. She heads towards the television. She presses buttons, pounds on the screen with her grubby little hands. We get the message, she wants to watch Sesame Street. We turn on the televison. She momentari- ly takes notice of the commercials. Sesame Street is not on. She is not interested in wat- ching any other program. Instead, she moves to investigate the plant that sits atop the television. She has a particular fondness for eating plants and flowers. She's Danger in Diapers, this child of mine. There used to be a time when she was a joy to travel with. That was in her pre - walking stage of life Ah yes, I remember it well. There she would sit, so quiet, looking so angelic, on a blanket in the middle of the floor. The living room no less. The relatives would ah and ooh over her. "Isn't she'sweet, and so content," her aun- ties would remark. 'I'iines have changed. They no longer offer such glowing continents for this busy toddler. That content baby has now become an adventuresome and independent youngster. She loves to explore, to be entertained, to create havoc wherever she goes. "Kitty!" she gleefully cried out on a re- cent visit to her great-grandmother's home. The cat had appeared from her hiding place. The cat did not appreciate this tiny intruder invading her space. The cat tried to slink past. The child hurled towards the animal, hoping to give it a warm embrace. The cat dashed away. "Ah gone," she said as she searched the room for the cat. No matter, she was not to be deterred. After making several attempts to crawl upon furniture, carry off various pieces of china knick knacks and eat food from the cat's dish we were able to' settle her down with a cracker. She loves dry soda biscuits. She'll stuff two crackers in her mouth at one time, then ask for another. "Mo peas," she'll say in her baby language, which «'e translate as meaning "more crackers please." The crackers manage to keep her occupied, but not still. She continued to roam about the house, searching for the cat. Crackers were scat- tered everywhere. We vacuumed the house before we headed for home. Generally we try to avoid eating when we are not at home. Crackers are bad enough. A full meal is disaster. Her grandmother had put together a love- ly Sunday feast in honor of my birthday. The table was covered with her best lace cloth, a vase filled with fragrant orange blossoms graced the table. The child was particularly hungry and eagerly sat in to enjoy the meal. I was en- couraged by this and hoped that the dinner would go without a major disaster. My peaceful enjoyment was momentary. The child's interest in her supper was brief. She refused to eat her favorite mashed potatoes. She spit out lima beans. She sent her fork, her spoon, her corn and her plate flying across the floor. The lace tablecloth and the flowers were to be her next conquest. The supper ended in turmoil. I cleaned the floor. Her grandmother rushed to wash grubby fingers and face. He aunt rushed to collect toys to keep the child content. Her father, oblivious to all the commotion, en- joyed his meal. Restaurants are no better. On a family outing to a favorite Chinese restaurant this child was uncontrollable. She was too hungry to wait for the meal to arrive. She happily threw rice and bean sprouts in all directions. She ate too many fortune cookies. She terrorized the other, customers. In the end she had to be physically removed from the restaurant. We took turns walking her up and down the street while the rest of the family finished their meal. As a finale to the evening, she threw up. That's the way it is with little people. They are a joy and they are a trial. I am in fear that my child will be uncon- trollable, that she will be one of those wilfil, difficult to manage children. I am told that she is a normal toddler, that she is simply doing what all youngsters of her age do - they explore, they learn, they test their parents. I am told that it will get worse before it gets better, that it will be many years before I know peace and quiet again. I am told that my life will never be the same - and you know - I wouldn't give it up if I could. She may be Danger I Diapers, but she's also a delight! introduction, and this was seconded by Councillor Ross Carter. A vote was taken and Councillor Carter stood by his original choice and cast his vote in my favor. The other five, including my nominator Councillor Buffinga, voted for Mr. Eastman. Councillor Buffinga had to win either way' The questions that need to be answered are: 1 I Without the use of either the interview or the resume approach, how could the councillors justify their choice to the tax- payers? Or do they feel that justification is necessary? 2 in the judgment of each individual councillor, what was the deciding factor in their decision, or is this an immaterial con- sideration in public decision making? 135 If there was a factor; Was it physical? Was it philosophical? W 's it --demographic'. Was it plain "old school tie" pshchology? or, was it the "buddy" system? Remember, the only information available to make a judgment was two names, Don Eastman and Seamus Doherty and the decision was I might add, made without any form of contemplation or deliberation and seemed like it was a matter of form. 1 am not sore at losing this appointment, i only wish to point out the lack of concern for the credibility of the system shown by our elected officials. To Councillor Eastman i extend my sincere best wishes and trust that he will have the commtttrnent required to serve all the voters of the Town of Clinton. Remember Don you will have pressures exented on you by your friends and neighbors. The same principles hold true for town councils as for all organizations ever created by man, The good of the whole must come before the appeasement of the few. My thanks to Councillor Ross Carter for his kindness. Sincerely, Seamus Doherty I)OI,N'(; ,Sl .1111F,R ,STI FF' R3 1.\'\t Rt;JhO Reader wants to know what's Dear Editor: in reference to London Free Press, dated ,June 22 concerning OPP in Clinton: 1 have been in contact with the media in Canada in quite a few localities and I have never come across a situation whereby the local paper was left in complete ignorance of a situation as important as this. On in- quiry, 1 have been told by an official of this paper that on no occasion has this change been discussed at any council meeting. Are the taxpayers of Clinton going to be sub- jected to closed council meetings that were imposed on us a few years ago? An unfortunate incident happened about two weeks ago at my home. A trailer broke loose from a truck and rammed into the front of my house. I thought 1 should have a police report, perchance any problem arose. The Clinton constable arrived within three minutes after 1 had called. Our police force is not holding hack from their job on account of friendship, family or neighbors. It has been said that it is not feasible for a tow of our size to support a $300,000 police force out of a $1.7 million budget, according to mayor .John Balfour. I suppose it was feasible to get rid of the town clerk i Mr. Procter 1, in May 1986 for $81,885 which in- cluded 1986 and 1987 sick leave, plus full pay for 17 months? As we are led to believe, the economy is behind closed doors picking up, may i respectfully suggest that our present council make some serious ef- fort to bring commercial business to our town and get our young people working. How long has Ex -Cello been closed down? What efforts have been made to occupy this modern building with a viable business? Fredrick H. Jackson, Clinton Town of Aylmer set to celebrate 100th anniversary Dear Editor: in rnnjuction with this l00th anniversary, the Aylmer and hast Elgin Agricultural Society is sponsoring the world's largest yard sale at the fair grounds on June 27 and 28. Events scheduled are a barbecue, antique Lack of concern Dear Editor: To the people of Clinton who stood around watching a boy severely bleeding and the motorists in their cars who would not stop when being flagged down on Friday afternoon - his friends had to drag him several blocks to get help. Our sincere gratitude to Mandy and the gentleman who had the foresight to tie tour- niquet around his arm to try and stop the car show, pony rides, Diamond I,il's (Cabaret with live entertainment, helicopter rides, hourly draws for gate prizes, parade wind -down, drive -on lots, horseshoe tourna- ment, yard sale vendors, dealers, conces- sion booths, etc. For further information call 773-2318. angers parents bleeding and the gentleman who ran to the hospital to get help. Another five minutes and our son would have died. Many thanks to Dr. Raker and friends for their support. I wonder how those people would feel - the ones that cannot be bothered to become in- volved - if they were in a similar situation. Torn and Pearl Shanahan Il