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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-10-30, Page 4earl semi!,`'li a _. . brute unless it's tetw ` `lA�► iN l elOotions, �d People'al live could u'llanga>h' that period ofs°� o lime* Some folks have multiple marriages, habitis even,v Int short a lot can, happen in thteeyea.. ',when the rnuteipal government system changed to threw -year terms, there was much gleein the newsrooms of weekly newspapers. Editors and reporters alike were reported to have become deliriously silly at the prospect of not having to face a municipal election for three years. Thp newsroom at your favorite weekly was no exception. There was dancing on desk tops, lampshades were affixed and clothing was tossed indiscriminately in the melee. ''o be honest, the move to three-year municipal terms was welcome news. It's not that the weekly press holds an intense hatred towards politicians or elections, it's more like an intense dislike. Elections are necessary. People feel like they are getting a good bang out their Opinion ik reason�an everyone e 1 So ' ► e �t� ei"',sliddeny Paton int. The Squa sic ll e,. o ► s tuire. onto says My what* , lovely .. • hate ;au . los weight lately, ou l fog Weil;' .e that hairdo, �t tawt�r you're driv , that colour suits your o Well, where do you buy Plir dot?"" chances are that he or she is running the November 12 municipal election. Municipal elections give people a chance, to talk about politicians without being labelled as gossips. It's legitimate during election campaigns. It's important to know where the candidate's spouse works, if the candidate has dogs , how many cars, do his children have braces etc. An informed electorate can make a better and judicious selection on voting day. We di the '00004 a►cl le l with c 040 y a t et: , hletl..tll is idds, a" nnea; sure of exeltem� Immediacyto the work. \+ ' 'he %t tit; t the munlel et>f4 ,. extended nded to three year 1eant an astayear`' between the harried, days of lut rview ,lg countless candidates .and trying to atiapile volumes of information for deadline Sometimes I wonder why candidates Seek the aggravation Of running for municipal councils and boards. Most of them are married and probably have exceeded their aggravation quotas. The new threemyear term means that those running and willing to serve must make a major commitment. It certainly ''must activate the thought process before a 'urh COt least he a In pre rying 4 pt' a �'a a time cons g job and anit0 Irie beers on tOwn cognail will tell au j+p is more'dataj1?d $ l than appearanpe would let qct. Municipal polities is more then a part tine job, it's a way of life: That does' not -1 absolve the participants, from criticism or Options, with respectto their decision: making process, it' only servesto illustrat r the fact that effort, common . sense, • dedication and spirit are required for the job. The voters of Goderich don't have the same choices to make this time around, but there are still some thoughtful choices to be made. THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 Goderic SIGNAL -STAR _®ST ALL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN CANADA Crabtree Chas 3500 45001C C ss. Sec r Newspaper Coreeccon 1994 P.O. BOX 220 HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH. ONT. N7A 4B6 PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL-STAR.PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded In 1848 end published every Wednoadey et Ooderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA end OCNA. Bubacrlptions payable in advance $122.00, [Bonier Citizens $18.00 privilege 'card number required) In Caned, 860.00 to U.B.A., 860.00 to all other countries, Bingle copies BOC. Display, National end Classified advertising rates available on request. Please ask for Rete Card No. 113 affective October 1, 1808. Advertising Is accepted on the' condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising occuoled by the erroneous Item, together with the reasonable allowance for signature, will not be ohergsd for but that balance of the advertisement will be peed for et the applicable rete. In the avant of e typographical error advertising goode or 'services et a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising Is merely en offer to sail, and may he withdrawn et any time. The Bignal-Star is not rosponslble for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. President and Publisher ROBERT G. SHRIER Editor DAVE SYKES Advertising Manager DON HUBICK FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...please phone (6191624-2614 Second class mail registration Member: number 0716 an Hallowe'en safety Trick or treat! That salutation will be repeated millions of time around the world Thursday evening as children go door-to-door, dressed in a myriad of costumes, in search of free goodies. It is a tradition that, for the most part, has withstood the test of time in most corn- munitities in North America. It is a tradition that is worth preserving. Some children simply can't enjoy Hallowe'en in the same manner as it is celebrated in this area and oust be content with neighbourhood or school parties instead. The reason is that candy is tampered with and some unfortunate incidences have rssulted. Il is a sad fact of life. Therefore, parents should remind children that their haul of candy, apples and assorted treats should be brought home for inspection before being eaten. Parents should make a point of checking and examining the contents of their children's Hallowe'en bags. Children tend to get caught up in the excitement of the celebration and one can hardly blame them. But they should be cautioned about making Hallowe'en a safe and happy might to remember. It's dark on the streets at night and children in dark costumes can be difficult to detect crossing streets in search of treats. Not only can dark colored costumes present problems, but a child's vision can be hindered by a mask or wig, making it difficult to see traffic. Be sure that your child's vision is not obstructed in any way by a mask and also ensure that your child's costume does not restrict movement. A lengthy costume could get caught up in a child's feet resulting in an untimely fall while crossing the road. ('hildreri should gather treats ui groups or, if necessary, with parents. Children should not rui back and forth across the road but rather cover one side of the block and cross at the corner. Of course. drivers will have to exercise an extra measure of caution on Thursday evening as I he street,, and [roadways will be busy with ghosts, goblins, witches and assorted aliens in search of treats Hallowe'en is a special evening for children and with a little common sense and a dose of caution. It can also be a safe evening for everyone involved. 1).S. Budget is only a start The Ontario Liberal government released its first budget last week and Ontarians would have to adroit that t re .surer Robert Nixon was true to his word. it was a sure bet that personal income tax would he one of Nixon's major targets and while that was true to a point, he had the decency to put the tax burden on those who can af- ford it There was nothing ostentatious about the government's and Nixon's first effort but while it was a cautious approach, it was also a sensible approach to the government's first year of fiscal r•esporisibility. The government has c•c nunrtted $75 million to youth employment and training programs and that commit will rise to $200 million in the next year. 11 's a sound investment in the youth of the province , Nixon reaffirmed his position wit h respect to the creation of rental housing units and the budget will enhance the funding to hospitals by 8.3 per rent, a welcome sign. As well, fun- dirig to municipalities and school board will mcreae by about 6 per cent. Nixon is paying for this by increasing the general income tax rate and shifting more of the burden on middle and upper income levels. if it nwrks, it's a Netter approach. D.S. Ready for action By Dave Sykes' Sugar and Spice ARE you frozen with terror, these days? You're not? 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 to 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 isfrighten- 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. They have 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 me about something. It's a bit hard for a fellow to cope with. Black headlines or graphic pictures sug- gest that I'm supposed to be shaken rigid about Communists and cancer; birth con- trol and bingo; high school drop -outs and homosexualism. 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, By Bill Smile nor the sgwrrels 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 to pay. And so on. in the case of litigation in which the Town Ilf Goderich is a defendant and which con- cerns a public recreational area - at what stage should the municipal council stop dealing with the matter behind closed doors and start informing the public about the goings-on"' i think the time is now. The question of public access to a waterfront area and the spending of considerable amounts of public money in the drawn-out dispute is of vital community importance and should not be kept out of reach of general knowledge and input any longer. This refers to the case of Doctors .lames and Leslie Rourke of Essex Street who claim that their property extends to the water's edge of i ake Huron where they wish to build a private dock and boathouse. The beach area in question is past St. Christopher's Park, south of the water treat- ment plant. Right now, it is in a rough developmental stage, eventually to be turn- ed into a park -like setting, an extension of St. Christopher's. Our recreational waterfront is crown land, leased to the town under a licence of occupation. The public beaches and parks are created, developed and improved with provincial blessing and financial help. The public enjoyment of our waterfront is based on this. In May this year, Doctors Rourke filed a statement of claim in Toronto, in the Supreme Court of Ontario, for ownership to the water's edge. It appears that the town council is requesting that the court case be referred to Goderich. The claim names two defendants - the town and the province. Both bodies have fil- ed statements of defence, asking that the case be "dismissed with costs". Taking the case to court opened it to public attention. The documents of claim and defence make very interesting reading. They may be ob- tained from Toronto or you may borrow my copies. It was quite proper for the town council to discuss the court case with the town solicitor in closed sessions, whilst action can be taken only at open meetings. However, by now a lot of time has been spent on closed negotiations with Doctors Rourke. The cost paid to Donnelly & Murphy, the town solicitors, exceeded $8,000 a few weeks ago. Obviously, there will be much more to pay. When the word "compromise" creeps the whole situation becomes even more serious. It is time to let the public see the picture, as it would be seen, if the case pro- ceeded to trial. What kind of compromise is there over public access to a beach area? What kind of compromise, at what cost to the local tax- payers, does the council intend to offer or to accept over land it does not own? What kind of compromise has the council in mind, with just one month left in office? We want to know now, not after everything has been signed. Dr. James Rourke was asked what the claim for private ownership aimed at in down-to-earth terms. Would he build a fence to keep the public from the beach area? Dr. Rourke had no comment. Under the cir- cumstances one cannot blame him. It is the right of Doctors Rourke to pursue their in- terests to the best of their ability. Our concern is with our representation. Is the town council, with the help of the town 4 ELSA HAYDON solicitor, defending our interests actively and exclusively - or are there considerations of which we have not been made aware? Why do the doors stay closed so long? Two points surrounding the private ownership claim stand out in my mind. The previous owner who sold the property to Doctors Rourke did not claim private ownership of the beach, did not try to restrict public access. No concerns were ex - pressed on the subject when the Waterfront Parks Master Planning Study was prepared, processed and passed in 1981. The other point is the remarkable inter- pretation and logic used as part of the arguments said to be in favor of the private claim. The town council and administration have always done their best to try to alleviate situations of concern to the residents (noise, traffic). It takes rather unusual imagination to regard such co- operation suddenly as a sign of municipal recognition of private ownership. On the contrary, town employees, equipment and materials are not used on private property and instructions for work are not taken from private owners who are responsible for their own signs, fences, erosion control. One should not expect or accept it otherwise. Past and present council members have worked hard and long to develop our water- front for public enjoyment. It is right and fair to ask our council to level with us. Are changes in the direction contemplated and for whose benefit? If there are no such plans, why do the "negotiations" go on and on in secrecy? With public access and public moneysip question open the doors now.