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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-03-20, Page 4n HaiRitAteSTAR, THURSDAY, AY't MAARCU M, 198.0 low BLUE RIBBON AWARD Second class mail registration number'-_ 0716 Your News Port in the County Town • rounded In MR* and pubfLhod aunty Thursday of S:oderlch.;Inhofe. Member of the CCNA and OV/NA. Advertising f ittei on roftaest. Sebscrlpttons payable In advance 49 $ in f gnedq. ^33.00 to U.S.A., 'aS.00 to all other countries, 0004 cgplps ,73'. Oisplgy advartlsing rate* aaallubkt on rgqu d. Please ask for Rate Cad No. 9 effective Sept, 1., 1979. Seicond class mall Rapbtcatfan Number 0719. Advertising is gcceptad on the condtticn that to the event of typoaraphl d error. the advertpsingspnce occupied by'the.erroneous Item, together with r bla allowance forsigpalurtt. tilanptba#hgrrad for but thebalonfg oL.the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable sate. la the Moat gt a typographical error advartisipg apody or sordses at wrong price. goods or service may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to salt, and may ba withdrawn at any time. The Signal.StarIs not responsible for the lass or damage of unsolicited manuscripts or photos. PUBBLISHED BY SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING ROBERT G. SHRIER — President and Publisher DONALD A.A. HUBICK — Advertising Manager DAVID SYKES — Assistant Editor SHIRLEY J. KE,L'LER — Editor P.O. BOX 220, Industrial Park, Goderich e S, Business and Editorial Office TELEPHONE (519) 524-8331 _.._ You help improve east -west relations The Ontario Minister of Tourism and Infor- mation, The Honorable Larry Grossman; knows what's keeping the west's prairie provinces and the east's Ontario and Quebec apart. He even knows how to get the whole of Canada together again. But he's nQt too optimistic that it will happen in time to prevent a major confrontation in the nation. Grossman says the problem is a complete lack of understanding between the east and the west. He says the solution is better understanding between them. But he doesn't know how to bring about that understanding intime to workout a sensible and affordable energy policy for the nation. In a nutshell, the westerners of this country aren't like the easterners. They don't think alike. They don't have the same philosophies. They aren't even taught the same things about Canada. Grossman told a_ group of Ontario newspaper publishers'and writers and ad`vertising sa1'eTifi'e ra-t--"_ the annual Ontario .Weekly Newspaper -Association - convention in • Toronto recently, that school' teachers in the westernprovinces iI-ave "drill home the message that we in Ontario and to so extent in Quebec have victimized goods in that dire to the cost of shipping such long distanc manufacturing plants in central Canad Wingham Advance Times, March 12,1980 Grossman feels Westerners are co mistrust easterners,,and he thinks it ' that westerners. are now excited an the energy squeeze in Ontario an going to help even 'the scor Saskatchewan and Alberta at If that's true, it helps exp r..-ttf a few ,years back whi originated in Alberta: freeze in the dark." On the other h Quebecers too, h path +-4 r -thee' the majority o thought abou Saskatche had to be survive peopl C e rea from (The ditioned to only natural delighted over Quebec which is , in the eyes of ast. - in that western slogan was supposed to have Let the eastern bastards d, Ontarions and probably e little knowledge of or sym- ints-of-the' westerner easterners' in Ontario hardly ever the prairies until recently. Manitoba,' an and Alberta were just -flatlands that rpssed to get British Columbia. How they was' hardly the concern of Ontarions. Why wanted to live there was anybody's guess. portunities for growth and development are simply tremendous. Equality right down the line. Democracy at its very best. Now, because of these differing backgrounds in understanding, according to Grossman, there's a wide gap of misunderstanding between east and west which threatens to rip the country apart. And he contends the only way to dissolve the differences between them is to get them talking - and listening - to each other. And Grossman doesn't mean only the politicians. He means grassroots Canadians like the folks who live in and .around Goderich. He says westerners and easterners. have to visit back and forth; they have to exchange viewpoints; they have to get to know how each other think; . they have to com- prehend that the other loves Canada dearly, albeit from a different vantage point and with a different _ -iet-aPstandards. 'How -does this. rtiuCh�'needed two-way,person�to nei person ghmmun borly coication start? And, how does it continuedong enough to bring about a policy that will derive the biggest benefit for all Canadians wherever they live for the greatest length of time? You guessed it.. It starts with YOU and it depends on YOUR commitment to' a united Canada. It begins with thinking about westerners as Canadians who are dissatisfied; with finding out what their actual grievances are; with explaining, the eastern expectations; with sharing experiences and walking a mile in the other's moccasins. It takes something as reasonable as travelling to western Canada on vacations; exploring western customs. and learning western ways; striking up western affiliations; carrying through with an exchange ofletters'and cards, telephone calls and visits. , When you think about it, that kind of brotherhood s In fact, among„the provincesaarould.-do-na-iash.-to.-h. al -many of the. regional riffs that exist. It's only good common sense. But remember. It involves 'everybody, not just Pierre Elliott Trudeau'and Joe Clark and Bill Davis and Pe -ter Lougheed and a few other parliamentary bigwigs. And time is running out. Faster than most Canadian's would like to believe. There's a host of mistakes from the pat to be forgotten and a batch of new goals and objectives to be set. Are you up to the challenge? - SJK tainly'Ontario school children weren't taught to ate westerners. Or love them either for that atter. In Canada, . people are all brothers and isters in a land rich in resources where op - Vial for Life coming to Goderich soon? The Mount Forest Lions Club has an interesting project underway there. The club has purchase 500 Vials of Life and members are .distributing them to the residents of Mount Forest. According to The Mount Forest Confederate, the supervisor of the Mount Forest ambulance, Bob Plamondon, approached the Lions Club about taking on the project designed to save lives. It involves a plastic cylinder which comes with a fill -in -the -blanks form. The form is filled out by the homeowner with such information as the names of all family' members, the name and telephone number of the family physician or individual doctors caring for family members, a reference to where the medical staff can obtain a detailed medical history of the victim etc. The completed form is put inside the vile and the vile is placed in the refigerator, underneath the top _:. shelf un tlte-right-hand-s,__ -A--special--logo•-+s•-at•._-_ tached to the refrigerator door to let any medical staff in the house in an emergency know the vial is in the refrigerator. These vials are particularly helpful to ambulance attendants who, according to Plamondon, go through the kitchen 90 percent of the time when answering an emergency, call.. The ambulance attendant simply picks up the vile and transports it with the patient to hospital. It makes no difference if the patient is conscious or , ot. If the vile is in the refrigerator and if the logo is 'n the door, the ambulance attendant will find it. And the vile becomes a life saving instrument in some cases. Naturally, the first priority is to get these vials into the homes of senior citizens or others who may not be in the best of health, and who are living alone. But anyone who wants a Vial for Life in the home should certainly.look into acquiring one. A quick check around the pharmacies in Goderich and with the ambulance drivers at Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, reveals the program isn't established in Goderich area. But it is probably on the way. A spokesman for ' the ambulance drivers said the Goderich crew know about the program and expect it will be im- plemented here within a month or so. That same spokesman said in the opinion of ambulance drivers h.e-re,.-the-pre-jest-is- worthwhile, particularly -when dealing with senior citizens living alone. ' It shouldn't be difficult to create the interest in the Vial for Life project here. Hopefully there will be more. information on it shortly, and that Vials for Life will be found in many refrigerators in this community before too long. It sounds like one inexpensive way to add just that little extra measure -of security, especially for persons living alone. - SJK Spring rush By Cath Wooden ild abuse, neglect reality ri ruraicbnservative Huron BY PAUL ROSS Several years ago I worked on a'case that involved a man charged with incest. The charge arose from a man's sexual involvement with his 15 -year-old daughter. The facts of the case were somewhat mirky; and it never did, become clear whether the accused' was the natural lather of the girl, to what. degree sexual contact had taken place, or what went on during the weekend he and the girl disappeared from home. Ultimately the man pleaded guilty to . contributing to juvenile delinquency and received a relatively minor sentence. The case raised many questions in my mind. Why would this ma,n cross over a strict moral barrier, 'on a par I would have thought with cannabalism?' For one thing, the man was not such a bad sort -. not the dark, seedy character I would have imagined - and his kids (or were they someone else's?), seemed • to • genuinely like.him. Was the mother innocent? Where was she when her husband was dallying with her 15 -year-old daughter? Was the affair unnoticed by her --or just ignored? How often does this kind of thing happen? - The Council on the Status of Wornen. estimated that sexual abuse of children is carried on in. more than 10 percent of Canadian homes. Most known victims are girls around the age of puberty, and despite popular belief, most sexual abuse is not carried out by strangers in trench coats, but by the natural father, step -father or family friend - the man next door type. The reasons for such acts by adults vary widely, but often it is the result of an adult seeking- sexual gratification or affection and not necessarily basetd on hostility alone. Physical abuse of children has reached epidemic proportions too. Right here in Huron County, at least 50 cases of physical abuse or child neglect are being investigated by the Family and Children's Services at any given Abuse varies from parents who ignore and neglect their children right from birth, to the more violent forms of abuse. Some time ago, I represented a mother whose child had been taken into kcare by the Family and Children's 'Services. .. .The mother .steadfastly denied being over -zealous "with her four-year-old child, until photographs of the child's back and buttocks were produced showing clearly, by the bruising, the type ofinstrument used for discipline. 'The Mother then admitted that she had disciplined her child in order to assist in the arduous task of .toilet training; she never did admit that perhaps she had been a bit heavy-handed. , In 1978; the Child Welfare Act was revised in an attempt to better deal with this widespread problem. Section 49 of the Act provides that every ;professional person or official, such as teachers, nurses, doctors, social workers, and police shallreport any cases of suspected child abuse to' the Family and Children's Services. Failure to report can, lead to a fine of up to $1,000.00. Hardly earthshaking legislation you might think, yet this legislation has Caused some problems. Doctors like to think of themselves as safe havens for information. Patients can confide in their doctor without fear that the authorities are going to swoop down on them. ' Now, however, if a patient confides in his doctor, or a minister, priest, or nurse, that"he has a problem dealing rationally with . his child, the official must report this confidence to the authorities. The onlygroup not required to report are lawyers. Doctor Brian Lynch, Director of the County Health Unit is responsible for the Public Health Nurses in Huron County. Lynch concedes that the new legislation places" his staff on ,the horns of a dilemma. If they report suspected cases of child abuse, they lose the confidence of the troubled parents and if they don't, they are breakingthe law. Dr. Lynch sees his role and the role of those who work for him as assisting the people of Huron County and not as a vigilante group__ "- The -legislation goes further in requiring any person (that means you to report any information of the aban\ donment, desertion, need of protection or abuse of a child to the Family and Children's Services, Goderich. While this Section of the Child Welfare Act seems simple enough, its • im- plications are not. First of all, many of us believe that the ' raising and discipline of our children is no one's business but our own. Is it right for a parent who doesn't believe in • spankings to report on a parent who does?...When does discipline become abuse? _ ' Remember, a child abuser might in all other respects, be quite decent. He or ' she might even` be a close friend, your n.eighbbur, or your spouse. Our free society has discouraged us from in- fnrmAing On each other _We think of dace behaviour as the tactics of.a,police state, yet Section 94 of the Child Welfare Act orders us to report on each other; if we have a reasonable suspicion that something is wrong. That's`because it's trying,to.protect kids. The ,Child' Welfare Act even gives certain authorized persons, the power .to enter any house, by force if necessary, and without warrant, to remove a child they reasonably feel is in need of protection. You can almost see the big black boot, going' through the front door in order to . "put the snatch" on someone's child. Have the legislators gone too far? - ordering us to inform, break confidence and allow entry without a warrant. Many who remember the recent case in Sarnia of young Kim Ann Popen who died horribly because of neglect and abuse, say that the legislation is the least we can do to protect our children. John Penn, Director of Family and Children's Services is chiefly respon- sible for carrying out the Child Welfare Act. He stresses that his agency is not interested in prosecuting parents. Pilnn - says he' can't remember a case where his agency has prosecuted'a parent in an abuse case. Penn sees the job of the agency as treating children and helping parents, not in establishing anyone's guilt. Th ma-y..-be--se,,•-•but the -legislation stands, and it -is important that each of us understands when we give up our basic rights, we do so for the right ' person. Our children would appear to be the right reason. — from The Huron Expositor For Letters to the Editor. , .. See Page 5 DEAR READERS BY SHIRLEY J.KELLER • While most people are cursing in- flation for making their lives miserable, some people are apparently basking in the sunshine of inflation and getting rich. As one sharpie, put it last week: "Inflation is for fun and profit. If we're very lucky, we'll have several more years of inflation to enjoy." Who knows if he's right or not? I certainly don't. But it sounds good. While governments everywhere are trying to wrestle inflation to the ground, this guy is hoping politicians lose the match. He says he's never made so much money. How does he do it? Not by investing in ,government approved retirement savings plans for one thing. My economy expert says these income tax shelters aren't what they are cracked up to he. They may be fine fortoday, but by tomorrow, the tuna, you've saved so lovingly won't buy a set of wheels. And not by Canada Savings Bonds my friend . says. They aren't moneymakers either. And that fact is borne out by another source which I trust - a column entitled Dollar $en$e. Canada Savings Bonds may he just the thing for someone who wants to he able to liquify assets in a hurry, but for a serious investor who is putting money out for the sole purpose of making more, Canada Savings Bonds are only one alterntive - a very poor one too. The interest rates they pay are just too low by today's stan- dards to be lucrative. So what's the secret? Well, according to my monied in- formant, real estate is still the way to go. Hang the interest rates, he says. Forget that it's going to cost you 14 percent or better for mortgage money. It's a bargain when you believe, aa he does, that within the decade, mor- tgages are going to cost nutl+euw„ers 40 percent or more. That's right. He thinks interest rates are going to go to 50 percent by 1950. Can you believe it? Fifty percent! Can you imagine what that's going to cost you per month on your modest bungalow in Canada's prettiest town? But if he's ••right - and who is to say he's not? - then everybody would be doing well to buy as much real estate as the budget will allow. Right now. Look at it this way. A man bought the family 'home four years ago for $80,000. Nice place. He paid $30,000 down and took a mortgage for $50,000. If he were to sell the house today, he expects he'd get $95,000. His realrofit would be only about $10,000 since he would have to pay about $5,000 in agent's fees if he sold it? Right? Sort of. In calculating the worth of any investment though, the rule is to compare your profit to the amount of money actually invested. In this case, the investment was $30,000. If he earns $10,000 on $30,000 in four years, he hasn't done badly at all. Incidentally, he shouldn't have too much trouble unloading the house. His four year old mortgage is going to look very attractive to a buyer right now. True, it would very likely have to be renegotiated in a year or two at the new rate, but in the meantime, the new buyer will have the distinct advantage of a cheaper mortgage than most. In the long run then, houses are a good investment, even at the higher interest rates. And the idea that one cannot afford a •house because of in- flation is probably a misconception, especially if your income is keeping pace with inflation as many incomes do today. So jump right in to real estate folks. Have a fling at homeownership. If you haven't tried it, you may like it, say the experts.