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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1987-11-18, Page 4Page 4 —CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1987 The Clinton News -Record Is published each Wednesday at P.O. Boa 39, Clinton. Ontario, Canada, NOM 1 LO. Tel.: 482-3443. Subscription Rate: Canada $21.00 Sr. Citizen 815.00 per year U.S.A. foreign 860.00 per year H Is registered as second close mail by the poet office under the permit number 0817. Tho Nows-Record Incorporated In 1924, the Huron News -Record, Pounded in 1081, and Tho Clin- ton News Era, founded In 1863. Total press rune 3,700. Incorporating THE BLYTH STANDARD ANNE CHISHOLM - Editor FREDA McLEOD - Office Manager SHELLEY McPHEE-HAIST - Reporter DAVID EMSLIE - Reporter GAYLE KING - Advertising SANDRA BELL - Circulation/Classified GARY HAIST - General Manager MEMBER "..0e.30.0 BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1987 Display advertising rates avolioble on request. Ask for Rate Card No. 19 effective Oc- tober 1,1904. Light -up spruces -up town It seemed a little early to be hanging the strings of lights, hunting for the garland, tracking down some artifical snow and untangling the exten- sion cords, but when all was said and done, each store owner's contribu- tion helped enhance the town. November 13 was the Town of Clinton's annual Festival of Lights celebration. During the evening, store owners were asked to plug in their Christmas lights in the hopes of installing some of the Christmas spirit in the community. Street decorations, including the tree of lights at the main intersection, are also up. The only thing missing is the snow. But that will come in time. This annual light -up tradition is worthy of carrying on. It makes our town more attractive and seems to give those venturing down the streets that Christmas spirit a little earlier. - by Anne Chisholm. Maynard Corrie tells his side of the parking story Dear editor: I wonder if your paper would permit me to clarify a few points and present my side of the story on the controversy about the park- ing on Mary and Isaac Streets in Clinton in the vicinity of the supermarket. The public has been totally confused with the amount of false information circulating through town on the problem. Although some observers have insinuated that there may be a case of sour grapes on my part, I can assure you that is not the case. It is simply a case of fair and even ap- plication of the town's own bylaws across the whole municipality. It would take a great deal of space to outline what has taken place with town council in the past two years, that this mat- ter has been unresolved, but it essentially boils down to the council allowing one per- son permission to use the town's sidewalks and boulevards for parking, while strictly prohibiting it in other sections of town. Most other merchants in town have to either provide valuable parking spaces by buying property, fixing it up, and maintain- ing it at great expense, or if they have none, their customers are forced to park great distances away. A recent article in the Lon- don Free Press pointed out that a parking space can be valued at up to $6,000. Several years ago, (1980) only parallel parking was allowed on Mary and Isaac Streets near the store and this allowed for the safe passage of two-way traffic on both streets. Mysteriously, when a new addition was added to the store in (1985), the then owner had the planning board change the parking into angle parking, adding 26 spaces along both sides of the building, and eliminating all the sidewalks and LQttQrs boulevards. All this was done with no formal motion going through any council meeting! Is this proper? Town council, in trying to cover up their mistake, hasn't had the fortitude to correct the situation, going to ridiculous, expensive, and even hazardous lengths to try and fix the problem. None of their solutions has even come close. They have even ignored the advice of their own police department and the town engineer, B. M. Ross of Goderich, who at the town's expense drew up a sensible plan 18 months ago to correct the problem. The town paid for the plan and then promptly ig- nored it. As the situation stands today, the parking is not only a flagrant violation of the town's own laws, but is a threat to public safety, and it's only a matter of time before so- meone is seriously hurt in an automobile ac- cident in the area. So as you can see, I'm not asking for anything special. I don't want any favors. I'm not bearing any grudges. I and every other businessperson and citizen of this great town of ours just want to be treated fairly and see the laws enforced. Nothing more. Nothing less. I hope this sheds some light on the problem. Yours sincerely, Maynard Corrie, Clinton. Murderers should be locked away from society Dear Editor i feel murderers should be declared a danger to society and should therefore be locked up away from society forever, without day passes or possibility of parole for the rest of their life. When the death penalty was in effect and was imposed on a convicted murderer it not only set an example to other would-be murderers but it removed such a person from our society forever and gave the public some sense of security. Since the death penalty has been abolish- ed the murderer has nothing to lose. They can- rape, rob, torture and murder; the on- ly penalty that can be imposed on them is a 'life sentence' - 25 years - with day passes and time off for good behavior. Then they are out in society to do it all over again. According to the news on a local radio station 130 such murders have occurred since 1975. That is far too many to be classified as an isolated case. It's time some positive action was taken to change the penal system. Where is our protection from these murderers? These murderers have shown no remorse; but certainly proven by their ac- tions that they have no intention of chang- ing their way of life. They will not hesitate to murder and rob to take what they want from society. It is time the penal system was changed to deal more harshly with these criminals and put them away forever. When a person commits murder they automatically give up their civil rights. They don't consider the civil rights of the person( s) they murder. At the moment our judicial system does not protect us from these known criminals. I demand a change to keep these convicted murderers off our streets and out of our society. This letter has been circulated as an ap- peal to the public for their support and has been sent to the following: Hon. Ray Hnatyshyn The Minister of Justice, Prime Minister Mulroney, MP Gordon Taylor, Chairman of the Justice Committee David Daubney and Joe Clark MP, The Honourable James Kelleher, Solicitor General, House of Commons, Ottawa, On- tario, K1A 0A6. If you agree with the views in this letter and would like to support this cause please write or call any or all of the above men- tioned (or your respective MP of MLA) . Yours Truly, Elsie V. Mackey Cochrane, Alberta. ShIIey McPhee llaist A mother's work is never done She challenges me. "Caylan," 1 say. "Don't stand on that chair. You'll fall and hurt your noggin." She dares me, giving me her best glare. She inches closer to the edge of the chair. "Caylan," I repeat, "This is your last warning. Get down from that chair." My stern voiced threats go unheeded. She lambastes me with a tongue lashing of tod- dler talk. She then proceeds to lose her footing, fall from the chair and hit her head on the kitchen floor. The sound of her dear little head meeting hard linoleum makes me cringe. That really must have hurt. She wails. I run to pick her up in my arms and comfort her. "My poor baby," I coo. "Here let Mommy kiss it all better." A kiss and a cuddle and soon the bump on the head is quickly forgotten. Perhaps it is too quickly forgotten, for moments later she will attempt the same chair gymnastics. Such is life with a toddler - a toddler that loves to climb, a toddler that lives to dare my authority and assert her sense of independence. Such power tripping on her behalf often ends with a goose egg on the head, a tooth through the bottom lip, a scrapped knee. It's a dangerous life, being 20 months old. Yet, we are able to survive, daughter and I. For the most part, I am able to rationally and patiently deal with her sense of challenge and dare. She is able to overcome the bumps and lumps that come with the territory. It seems so simple, so easy to take her hurts away. With a hug and kiss, she's right GOT AN OPINION? rite a letter MINK as rain. I only wish that life could always be so simple, that all our pains could be overcome with a little love. I wish that such were the case next week. Next Tuesday, Caylan undergoes the first of three operations that will correct a hip displacement. Surgery, hospitalization for upwards of three weeks and casts for three months are part of the treatment that Caylan will go through. It promises to be a long haul for our little girl. We've been reading books about hospitals. We've talked about doctors, about how they make you feel "all better". We've even visited the hospital where Caylan will be staying. There she saw the playroom. She met the nurses and other children. She visited the operating room, the recovery room, even put on the cap and gown that she will wear for the operations. It was rather heart wrenching to see this innocent little toddler bopping about the operating room, having a wonderful time playing dress -up. She has no fear, no expectation or an- ticipation of what lies ahead on her next visit to the hospital. Perhaps that is for the best. Such anxieties are for her mother and father to bear. We have been assured that children adapt very well to this type of treatment. We have been given every hope that Caylan will make out just fine. I'm sure she will. Still, there are nagging fears, doubts and worries that fill and anx- ious mother's mind. Will she be in pain? Will she eat right? Will she be able to sleep? Will the nurses understand her needs and wants? Will they know how to comfort her? It used to that parents were left standing at the door when their children were admit- ted to hospital. The children were whisked away and put under strict nursing care and parents were not allowed any' special privileges or visiting rights. Often times, parents were told to stay away from the hospital, that their presence upset the children unneccesarily, that it would take hours to calm a distressed child whose mother had come to visit at the hospital, then gone home again. Thankfully those days are past. Parents are now encouraged to take an active role in their child's hospital stay. Hospitals now provide special accommoda- tions for them. In hospital, Caylan and I will be rooming together. We'll each have our own bed and, I will have the use of a parents' lounge, kit- chen and shower. It's going to be an experience that I am anxiously anticipating with mixed emotions. Day to day life as I normally know it will be drastically altered during our hospital stay. The focus of my world will be confined to the four walls of the hospital. My energies will be concentrated on meeting the per- sonal needs and the comfort of my daughter. In order to give Caylan the attention that she needs, both in hospital and at home, I am taking an extended leave of absense from my work at the newspaper. For the next three months or so, my job will focus exclusively on the care of my daughter. I'm trading in my camera, my pen and notebook for a new supply of work tools, I've got a great new box of crayons, some nifty new toys and lots of story books. I am preparing to face what could be my most challenging job - the entertainxnent and fulltime care of my daughter. This pro- mises to be a true test of my patience and my ability to be a stay at home mother. Still, I'm certain that I'll be looking for- ward to my return to the newspaper. It will be an appreciated change and a real break, to come back to my desk and my typewriter. See you then. Clinton volunteer firefighter Steve Campbell gave the afternoon class of the Clinton Co-op Nursery School a tour of the Clinton Fire Hall on November 12. The class visited the fire hall and police sta- tion to complete their studies on the community and safety. When Mr. Campbell discussed the uniforms worn by the firefighters, Rebecca Woodall was given the opportunity to try on a coat, and the chief's helmet. (David Emslie photo) ack Riddell, MPP Premier David Peterson and the govern- ment of Ontario continue to oppose the pro- posed free trade agreement on a number of fronts. The government is currently reviewing all of the relevant legislation to determine precisely what legal powers we have that could be used to fight the deal. My colleague, Labour Minister Greg Sor- bara released a study last week which show- ed that about 100,000 Ontario women in the manufacturing sector could lose their jobs under a free trade deal with the U.S. The government is also studying the implica- tions of the deal on other sectors of the economy. In addition, the cabinet subcommittee on free trade is continuing its hearings. As a member of that committee, I have already travelled to Sudbury, Ottawa and St. Catharines to hear the views of various groups on the free trade agreement. The hearings attracted a standing -room only crowd of very concerned citizens in St. Catharines last week. We heard serious con- cerns from representatives of fruit and grape growers as well as the wineries. Looking around the hearing room at the faces of hundreds of growers who would be adversely affected by the deal once again reinforced my belief that overall, the free trade deal is bad for Ontario agriculture. In addition to the cabinet subcommittee hearings, I have also been meeting with representatives of Ontario producers and processors, discussing their views on the free trade agreement. Ministry Kicks Off Centennial Step into the Time Dome at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and experience a trip through 100 years of Ontario agriculture. Visitors entering the Time Dome will be seated on a giant turntable that will transport them back in time to see and hear how Ontario agriculture has met the challenges and changes of the past 100 years. Actors depicting food producers of the 1880s, the 1930s and today, aided by lively music, will chronicle agriculture's achievements in the past century. ['heir words are based on actual diaries of the time. The 11 -minute performance will run three times an hour between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. and between 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. during the 12 days of the exhibition. The OMAF Time Dome is located in the West Annex of the Coliseum. This special exhibit during The Royal is a fitting launch for our ministry's anniver- sary celebration. The formation of a separate ministry for agriculture was a ben- chmark in the history of the agri-food sector of this province - and one that I'm proud to celebrate. Special events and ministry projects to be held throughout 1will underline the achievements of the agri-food sector during the past 100 years and highlight the economic and social role the industry con- tinues to play in the province. Winter Road Reporting Service The Ministry of Transportation's Winter Road Reporting Service for the public went into operation on November 9. The toll-free number to obtain inforrna- tion on road conditions around the clock is 1-800-265-5407. Grants To Riding My colleague, Minister of Energy, Bob Wong, has recently announced a number of grants under the Municipal Oil Conversion and Energy Conservation Program to the following municipalities: Howick Township' For the Belmore Com- munity Centre, $2,280 for retrofit plus $394 for technical assistance. For the Howick Community Centre, $14,885 for retrofit. Stephen Township: $1,183 for the Dashwood Community Centre. Town of Goderich: $1,862 for the Judith Gooderham pool. Town of Wingliam: For the Lockwood Memorial Arena, $5,784 plus $1,500 for technical assistance. Town of Exeter: $1,500 for the South Huron Recreation Centre, plus $546 under the retrofit program. Turnberry Township: For the township and municipal offices, $490, $3,112, $275, and $36.