HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-11-10, Page 4PAGE 4--GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10,1982
DAVE
SYKES
CL -./C
1 .1
1 >(
r
Well, the die has been cast and another
municipal election is gone by the wayside.
Despite the fact that elections, municipal
and otherwise, create some hectic work
days, there is a certain excitement
generated during the final days. Especially
in Goderich this time around.
With a host of candidates willing to
commit their time and energies to a three-
year term, there were plenty of thoughtful
choices to be made on the ballot.
For the past several elections, this
wretched writer- has closely scrutinized
results at town hall, the pulsating newsroom
of the election scene, if you will. There the
diligent staff carefully records the results of
each poll on large sheets, providing up to the
minute results.
Those results are later relayed to radio
and television but there is something lost in
the translation.
One elder resident of Goderich woefully
remarked that the excitement at town hall
at election is missing. While a handful of
people generally gather to gobble up results
of each poll as they are tallied, most seek the
comfort and refuge of the living room to
watch results as they appear on television.
The gentleman was obviously referring to
a time before television became a
prominent household fixture. It was a time,
he reminisced, 'when people by the hundreds
would cram the tiny quarters of town hall to
get the latest election results.
The crowds have dwindled considerably
and °few non -candidates are among the
spectators. It is interesting to watch the
hopeful candidates as they nervously pace
the hallways waiting for the first word on
the advance poll, trying not to look the least
bit worried or excited.
Those not seeking election to municipal
office have the luxury of engaging in idle
chatter and frivolous speculation about the
outcome. People love to talk and speculate
about elections, it's the closest thing to
gossip without actually labelling the par-
ticipants as gossips.
While trends were obvious in the early
returns, results were not finalized until
midnight and by that time only an interested
reporter or two were left to record the
unofficial numbers. And so another election
is over for three years. .
While there is a certain excitement and
public appeal in a hotly contested municipal
election, it is hard to take it seriously at
times.
One of the biggest surprises of the
municipal election came from the city of
Brickville where a 22 -year old unemployed
cartoonist defeated the incumbent mayor.
The young man had just graduated from
the University of Waterloo this spring, was
unable to find employment of any kind and
simply decided to get into municipal politics
for the sake of a job.
He now earns $15,000 a year as mayor of
Brockville and will be, responsible for an
annual budget of about $15 million. Not bad
for a kid who lives with his parents and has
no experience.
His win was the biggest political upset in
the province and Stephen Clark admits that
he knows absolutely nothing about the
workings of municipal governments.
However, he was class president in his last
year at high school.
Nobody took the youngster seriously,
which may have a reflection on the
municipal election system, but he turned a
shoe -string budget into a winning formula to
defeat a respected trust company manager.
Politics is a strange game and, at times, a
confusing one.
€NA
BLUE
RIBBON
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Voter turnout good
The voters. and taxpayers of the town of Goderich have
done their job and now, elected officials, have to carry the
ball. .
It was encouraging to note the number of candidates
seeking election to various boards, commissions and
positions on council despite the fact this election called for
a three-year commitment. Many were prepared to make
that commitment; . to diligentlywork on behalf of the
taxpayer. -
Traditionally, municipal elections do not draw the
electorate to the polls. In fact, it is not uncommon for
voter turnout- in the 30 per cent range to be considered the
norm.
It is not acceptable, but tradition dies hard.
Goderich, perhaps like many other small.communities,
is an exception and voter turnout in the 50 to 60 per cent
range is more tradition than exception.
In 1978, 58 per cent of the electorate turned out atthe
Polls but .in" the 1980 municipal election, that percentage
. n.
slipped. to 55 per cent.
There is nothing like a good mayoralty or council race to
stir the emotions of the voting public, and Goderich has
such contests this year. With four mayoralty candidates
and 11 seeking six council seats, thevoter turnout surged
to nearly 62 per cent or 3,500 out of a possible 5,700 voters.
It's an enviable percentage when larger municipalities
have difficulty enticing 30 per cent of the electorate to
vote. It is difficult to speculate on whether the govern-
ment's $800,000 campaign, urging people to participate,_
had any bearing on turnout at the polls across the
province, but Goderich was one of the study areas.
The government may claim that the advertising
campaign contributed to the high percentage of voters in
town, but you can't beat a good race.
Regardless, the majority of people in Goderich took the
time to cast responsible votes and hopefully that
responsible attitude will be much in evidence among the
elected officials.
Poem by young brother
rekindles tragedy•of war
This poem was received by a 19 -year-old Canadian soldier
serving in a Canadian infantry regiment on February 12,
in Germany. The poem was mailed to hunby iris '
17 -year-old brother. Where he located it is not known
(possibly an American magazine'of '40s vintage). and it
reads as follows:
A Brother's Goodbye
Before he left, I managed to come home
To say goodbye, not thinking when and how
The words to say. We never were alone.
There seemed full time for each good wish and vow
To be exchanged between us then, until,
As lovers find their night is gone, dismayed
We reached the end of time, avoiding still
--The no farewell said no promise trade.
We suffered then for lack of words, the tide
Of thoughts unsaid, till suddenly we took
A ball and two old gloves and went outside
To throw in silence, trying hard to look -
As if this last goodbye was not the last
Nor any futureever marred the past.
By Sgt. Harold Applebaum,
United States Army
a POPPY
Remembrance Day
•
asrm
By Joanne Buchanan.
Association -being used as whipping boy
Dear Editor,
In view of the recent
controversy concerning the
pending demise of the
Bluewater Centre. for .the
Developmentally Han-
dicapped, I thought it would
be appropriate to state the
views of the Residential
Services of the Goderich and
District Association for the
Mentally Retarded.
It is unfortfanate that the
local association is being
used as a "whipping boy" by
the union employees.:I
suppose one can hardly
blame them. Their jobs are
at stake. However, the
comments made were
exaggerated and based on.
misinformation • and
misconceptions.
Before I expound on the
virtues of the . local •
„ association, I ; would -tike -to-
present a few facts con-
cerning residences.
The people living, in our
.residences are mentally,
handicapped adults, who
have previously been living
in a community ora facility.
The purpose of the group
home is to provide a
residential setting which
approximates family living
DEAR READERS
SHIRLEY FELLER
I would like to suggest this week that all voters
- regardless of their party affiliation - write a
letter of appreciation to Alfred Apps, law student
at the University of Toronto:
Alf is the .young Liberal who 'stood up to be
counted at a recent convention in Ottawa. It was
Alf who brought forward the suggestion there is
corruption in the upper echelon of the Liberal
party ranks. It was Alf who finally said out in the
open where and when it mattered, what the'
'Garradiapeople. havem?been-sayyffi iti •aItirdff- _
ferent_ways for_months.
While I don't know Alfred Apps personally, I
know of him from his time as president of the
University. of Western Ontario students' council•.= -
I have- reason to believe he's a staunch young
Liberal who wants to make his future with the
_ isiberal- party, a -al rd-for4hat-reasotr,--t-syspedt it
took guts to say what he had to say at the Liberal
meetings last weekend.
1-'-m- nvineed-Alf- waasn-'t-just-jawing-to- hear
himself. I'm certain he is sincerely attempting to
build a better party, for a better future - for
himself, yes. But for the Canadian people too,
and for the great country in which we live, work
endplay.
And whether you agree with Alf's politics or
not, should not matter now. For Alf has shown
the stuff of which he and other young Canadians
are made.
He's proven he's ready to fight for his own
beliefs right here in the land of his birth - and
he's demonstrated for the entire nation there's
real hope for all of us if we have the courage of
our convictions to do battle for what we believe.
I suppose I have to; admit that I'm an incurable
optiniist. I really do`have faith in the democratic
system - and I really do believe the Canadian
people have the opportunity to direct their own
destiny by their, own .actions and their own in-
volvement.
i- get frustrated and angry whetrpeople-choose.
Io ilfa s -With &it" "faking. -Airy
_positive steps to help themselves- -
I get upset when citizens become so apathetic
they fail to exercise their right to vote; when
they expect- government to answer their needs in
every situation; when they close their minds to
the fact that their. own laziness and their own
greeds what's'p• erpettiii t'he rotten economic
performance in Canada.
But most of all, I am incensed and insulted
—when Canadians -pack up and leavethis errantry
for greener pastures because they believe it will
be easier somewhere else to pursue their dreams
without the hassle they see ahead of them here.
What kind of loyalty is that? Don't they feel
any obligation to the men and women who
earned the hard-fought freedoms and privileges
already enjoyed? Don't they care enough about
this country to have a good shot at correcting the
problenis that exist here and getting on with the
painful process of turning things around?
From where I sit, Alfred Apps gave an
example ' this past, weekend of the heavy -
responsibility citizens all over this country will
need to shoulder before we're going to pull
ourselves up by our bootstraps,. .
If Canada is going to move quickly and
decisively ahead, we're going to need more
spokesmen like young Alfred Apps who will tell
things like they are ... and risk personal ridicule
and setback for the principles they espouse.
My bat is, off to Alfred -Apps this week: And i .
-thinl your°hatshouldisofftmAlfred
I'm writing to_him this week to .lend .xny.sup-
port. I'm going to tell him I sincerely appreciate
his efforts on my behalf - and that I respect the
. courage he demonstrated to open, a subject that
• was bound to be a very unpopular with some
powerful and influential Canadian government
-leaders:
I'm going to thank him for giving me a new
lease on life - a new reason to believe t_
Canada iso going to hell in a handbasket.
I'm going to offer him and his young Liberal
organization my support because they've given
me reason to believe the young people of Canada
aren't going to let the apathy of my generation
kill their chances for success and happiness in
this rich and vast country.
and provides an opportunity
for learning daily living
skills, which enable in-
dividuals to achieve their
highest possible level of
independent living.
Training in residential
living is provided. This in-
cludes intensive life skills
training, basic life skills
training (feeding, dressing
etc. ), independent living
skills and specific training in
the community, to prepare
residents for independent
living in the community. The
program permits access to
community opportunities for
personal growth and
development, and congenial
social relations while
allowing for privacy and
control over personal space.
TTERS
Supervision is provided by
a qualified staff. Staffing for
this type'of residential living
varies according to the
functioning level of the
residents, the size of the
home and, ages of the
residents. Staffing . super-
vision here is provided on'a
24 hour basis. The residents
in the apartments require
very few hours , of daily
Supervision:
Following the establish-
ment• of a group home, the
management and operation
of the home is evaluated by
the Ministry after" six months
and then annually, and more.
frequently if required.
The G.D:A.M.R.' sym-
pathizes with the employees
at the Bluewater Centre. The
centre provides a very.
valuable service; for which
there will always be a need.
The setting is unique in size,
geographically and
aesthetically.
It is a valuable resource
centre for associations in the
area and for concerned
parents and guardians of the
residents.
•
Since its inception, the
G.D.A.M.R. has made great
strides, although there have
been many stumbling
blocks. The dedicated
workers of the past have
been an inspiration to the
present • members to,.
hopefully, work closely with
the Bluewater Centre, and
continue this process of
"normalization" for the
residents. Believe me, it
works!
Sincerely,
Shelagh Sully, Chairman
Residence Committee,
G.D.A.M.R,
neon responds �o - reaps version
Dear Editor, • •
This document has been
prepared in response to the
news release dated 'October ,
28, 1982, which outlined The
Minister • of Community and
Social' services ( Mr. -F.
Drea's) announcement in
the legislature.
While the announcement
deals with goals and aspira-
tions which we recognize as
admirable, we believe that
there are a number, of
serious discrepancies which
must be addressed. The im-
pact of the announcement on
the residents of the .
Bluewater Centre, the staff,'
and the surrounding 'corn -
We -
com-
We_ believe has not:
been adequately assessed.
What follows is a list of 'in- •
consistencies which we have
determined and which we
believe the -general-publhe--
.slxoufd.%awaxe�f ,- _..
The Ministry News
-Release would -appear ---to----
state:
"This Plan will reduce
facility populations."
"`The plan is a continuation
of_a.policy_introduced .seven
years--ago-to--provide for a
fuller life in the community
that for developmentally ---
dicapped children and
adults."
The reality as we interpret
it is that:
While existing community
services can possibly pro-
vide for approximately 10
percent of the Bluewater
Centre population the vast
majority of our residents
will have to be sent to older,
larger centres. The plan ins
And I'm going to tell him I've encouraged you,
dear readers, to write to him too. i hope some of
you will.
a giant step backward in
terms of services to the bulk
of our population. Most will
have to be placed in large
facilities; thereby increas-
ing the resident to staff ratio,
decreasing the frequency of
family contacts and serving
to concentrate residents ,in
More remote areas.
The Ministry took the
following factors into con-
sideration when determining
whether to close Bluewater
Centre (and the other five
Centres). '
1. The proximity of other
institutions for the
Developmentally Handicap-
ped.
The reality as we interpret
it is that:
Palmerston is the closest
and it cannot possibly absorb
our population. Woodstock is
-also -being- -.reduced and
therefore will not be able to
provide fir` our
-6PRf--is-notes- long -teams►-
residential facility. The op-
tion then becomes
Southwestern Regional Cen-
tre . near -Cedar Springs, -
which is alargei•, older Cen-
tre and..which,-until recently,
was apparently supposed to
be gradually reduced in size.
--There are no apparent provi-
sions for further staffing
commitments on the part of
the Ministry to deal with the.
increase in size of
Southwestern Regional Cen-
tre.
2. The effect on both
residents and staff who
would have to be relocated.
The reality as we interpret
it is that:
The bulk of our population economics.
will most likely be afforded a 4. Every effort will be
considerable decrease in , made to help surplus staff
quality of care over the relocate in other institutions,
short-term. The staff involv- community based alter-
ed are in a position of having natives or other areas within
been informed initially via the public service where
the media, being in a state of they may qualify.
ambiguity concerning their The reality as we interpret
future in Goderich, not it is that:
knowing what will happen to This places the local
their residents and at -the economy/community in dou-
same time asked to support ble jeopardy. If large
a plan which clearly does not numbers of °staff relocate,
address realistically the the implications are obvious
needs of the residents or' for our tax base, real estate
themselves. market and general
3. The economic impact on economy. If not, there will be
the local communities. a large influx of people to the
The reality as we interpret ranks of the unemployed,
it is -that: which will have very similar .
In and of itself-, the closure. effects: This area is being
of the Bluewater Centre placed in a no-win situation!
would not likely be a 5. The province will be put -
crushing blow to the Iota' ting $33 million into expan-
economy. Given the current ding community services
state of the economy -and - programs for -the
w e-v'e c, , s find rrg .., The -developmentally- „handica
--Bluewater Centre--has-ob---ped-over-the newt -f -a r
vious serious implications The reality as we interpret
for the town of Goderich as it is that:
well as surrounding com- Of this $33 million, 23.7
murales, The real estate million will -be., "saved". by
market will be flooded with closing six facilities. At the
'Wises for.sale, tfie i- au;.liaaeurr
cent .cater. this ' sum
will be severely damaged, represents an addition of ap=
more than five million proximately 28 percent to
Mars Wilt not be flowing the current iiscai allotment:
through local businesses, For this additional 28 per -
and the potential for in- cent the Ministry expects to
creases in welfare outlays de increase service to a popula-
not appear to have played a tion that will increase by 103
role in this decision by the percent. Furthermore those
Ministry. As well, communi- individuals to be discharged
ty services programs are not have more serious needs
funded 100 percent by COM- than those who have been
SOC. A percentage must discharged over the last
come from the local associa- seven years. Surely the
tions and therefore local
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