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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-03-12, Page 4i PAGE 4 —GODERICH SIGNAL: STAR, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1986 • It has been suggested before in these grey bits, that Canadians couldn't exist, dress themselves, live, ride public transit, make popcorn or know whether or not they're in love with Brian Mulroney( and or Mital without polls. That's pretty much the truth of it. Polls telt us everything- about ourselves. Polls tell us things we didn't know. Like the fact that Crest is a toothpaste. Or that On- tarians are stilln a romantic high with Liberal leader David Peterson. Polls tell us what Canadians think or what Canadians like. Without polls, I suspect, we really wouldn't know these things. Governments use polls extensively to determine their own popularity, to deter- mine the wants and likes and dislikes of the electorate. Recently a group of daily newspapers commissioned a company to poll Canadians DAVE SYKES on issues such as the impact of the budget, extra billing, the declihing dollar and in- terest rates, attitudes towards parties and leaders, attitudes towards energy pricing, Jean Chretien's political career and finally our attitude towards hockey violence and drug and alcohol offences among athletes. The poll suggests that about two out of three Canadians believe that hockey is too violent and the rules should be changed 4.o eliminate the pugilism. Now, when the pollsters begin attacking the very moral and social fabric of this country it's time to step in and take a look with a scrutinous eye. These very same people, who suggest the game is violent, are proponents for rule changes which would discourage any seem- ingly violent acts in the game of hockey. Hockey is a Canadian tradition and our boys, whose skills are honed on frozen ponds in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, are the revered masters of the game. They play the game at high speeds with verve and intensi- ty and occasionaly, two players in pursuit of a six ounces of vulcanized rubber in the form of a puck, do bump into each other. These accidental brushings have, on occa- sion, led to stick -swinging duels, bare fisted fights, bench -clearing brawls and all out mayhem. It's just an incidental component of the game. If league officials took serious considera- tion to changing the rules of hockey to eliminate violen ;• , it would detract from the Canadian pastime. Hockey would be just another showcase of skill, talent, and grace and perhaps an exhibition of manual. dex- terity, speed and finesse without violence. Sounds a lot like roller derby, doens't it? Would anybody really pay money to watch a game like that? I suspect owners would be hard pressed to give good tickets away. And if the rules .were changed would a robust winger, after burying his elbow into an opponent's face in the corner, have to apologize profusely and offer to pay for plastic surgery. Would all NHLers be required to say, "Excuse me" after accidentaly spreading an opponents face all over the plexiglass. Would every centre inthe league be asked to go around an opponent rather than through hirn. It's unthinkable. Would new Pule an that overweight, talentless defenccould' not chop and - `hack a speedy winger as he flies by? Would players have to refrain from sharpening the ends of their sticks? Would it mean that real macho players would be discouraged from hitting a swift forward from behind or separating a players limbs from his torso for having the audacity to stand in front of the net? Rule to combat violence in hockey may be going just too far. • Opinion THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848.. theEST ALL POUND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN CANADA Q uric f jbrruW4on bass 3500 45001C C ^ P Bauer Nuwspeper bxnp444on1 SIGNAL-STAR P.O. BOX 220 HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH, ONT. N7A 4B6 PUBLISHED BY SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded in 1846 end published every Wednesday et Goderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OCNA. Bubacriptions .payable in advance 822.00, (Senior Citizens 819.00 privilege nerd number required) In Canada, 880.00 to U.B.A., 860.00 to all other countries, Single oop,00 Classified edvertieing reties available on request. Please ask for Rate Card No. 18 effective October 1, 1988. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of ei typographical , the advertising apace occupied by the erroneous item, together with the reasonable allowance for algneture, will not be oherged f or but that balance of the edvartieement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of e typographical error edvertieing goods or Bervicee at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely en offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Bignal-Btar Is not responsible for the lose or dam&ge of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. General Manager Editor Advertising Manager SHIRLEY J. KELLER DAVE SYKES DON HUBICK FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...please phone [519)524-2614 Second class mail registration Member: number 0716 . eNA CCNA Patronage goes too far Prime Minister Brian Mulroney has had his hands full dealing with the fumblings of his cabinet ministers and if there is any credence to the allegation that Youth Minister Andree Champagne suggested her ministry required funds to recruit young people for the Con- servative party, then the PM should act. Both the Liberal and NDP party embarassed the government last week angrily waving documents which inessence suggested the ruling Conservatives were using public funds to round up support for the party. What followed was even more embarassing for a government and prime minister, who merely shrugged and suggested an error in judgementwas made. Champagne confronted reporters with a meagre half -denial of the allegation, While op- position members held copies of documents, the minister said she would need some time to document whether or not the memo was issued by her office and if the signature (hers) was authentic. The letter, on ministry of state for youth letterhead and signedby Andree Champagne and addressed to colleagues said in part that, "support to the recruitment efforts of the PC Youth Federations will bele pre -writ priority for the government." In stalling for time, the minister said she needed time to check the letter and the signature, claiming that forgery could not be ruled out as a possibility. Later the minister finally admitted in the House of Commons that she had made a grave error. She, ostensibly, referred to it as a miniscule, human error and suggested that no-one in the House was immune from tiny mistakes. Prime Minister Mulroney refused to fire the minister and while he acknowledged at a satisfied conference that site made an "error in judgerneiit,• l`lC was �.. .sfied that she had apoligized, "as she should have. That was appropriate conduct for a minister." • It would appear that NDP Leader Ed Broadbent was correct in suggesting that Cham- - pagne had abused her power as a minister and that her actions represented "a blatant misuse of the responsibilities of her office." ' What is disturbing is that the partisan letter was a direct appeal for public funds forthe party(s use and simple apology is then expected to absolve the government of all liability. The government is culpable and acted poorly in this case. Alse, the government was charged with issuing key census jobs to party faithful despite the fact the cadidates had reportedly failed tests given to prospective candidates. The commissioners jobs were given to people who scored less than 30 percent on a test that required a 6Q0nt mark as a passing grade. These commissioners will hold respon sible jobs for the government's census and will be paid accordingly. And they obviously, from the test results, lack the goods to carry out their duties. These incidents only serve to fuel the public's outrage and suspicion of government. Pea ple.suspect that government tends to be underhanded and suspect, and such incidents only reinforce that notion and make Canadians cynical about their government. Patronage, appointments and honest mistakes will always be a .part of our government and there is a place for some government appointments. If people are qualified, then there is reason for them to have a job. Appointments based solely on politics isnot acceptable. Incidents like this will not reflect well on Prime Minister Brian 1Vfulroney and his govern- ment and will only serve to breed contempt and cynicism. The government will lose public confidence over incidents like these and they simply can't be shrugged offs Ultimately, government is responsible to the people. D.S. An opportunity missed On Monday night, Goderich council decided it could not afford to hold Local Government Week this April. Last January; when Local Government Week was first celebrated in Ontario, Goderich council participated with an open house, a film about municipal government and coffee and donuts. But, because the night was stormy and few people attended, council feels it wasted the approximately $150 it spent last year on advertisements and refreshments and sees no point in giving it another try. And, that's a shame. Local Government Week is a great opportunity to increase involve - menti and enthusiasm about the municipality I while spreading greater awareness and understanding about how council works. <. With creative thinking, Local Government Week needn't be a drain to the budget. A mock council with studentis as the coungillors would be a free but entertaining and informative way to observe the week. The students could provide fresh ideas for Goderich while learning the constraints inherent in the system. A bus tour of Goderich's municipal facilities might be a little more costly but would be well worth the price when ratepayers discover the value they get for their tax, dollar ( especially in light of greater than usual hikes in the general municipal mill rate this year.) While it may not be an election year, councillors should do a little more thinking about how to showcase their local government during Local Government Week. Their electorate deserves more than one chance. - Three little...beavers By Susan Hundertmark Chief Kind thanks community for assistance in search for missing boys Dear Editor, Through the Signal Star I should like to thank those persons who either came out to assist, or offered assistance to, the police last Friday evening when two 11 year old boys were missing. The boys were missing shortly after 4 p.m. The parents and friends had been try- ing to locate them for several hours before police were contacted at 8:20 p.m. The two officers on duty began a search and called me out to direct a wider operation when at- tempts failed to find the lads. Within minutes the police were flooded with calls of assistance. The entire Goderich Volunteer Fire Department gathered very speedily at the fire hall. We were joined by two ambulance crews, several members of the St. John Ambulance staff, Constable John Phillips (off-duty OPP officer), LETTERS members of the CB club, several indepen- dent snowmobilers and a considerable number of citizens. Men and women, boys and girls, young and old alike. The members of the local Snowmobile Club v; ere quickly activated (although the boys were found prior to them being fully operational). I was alerting the President of the Block Parents to commence `Operation Fan -Out' (which really is not operational yet) when I received the glad news that the boys had been found just south of Suncoast Drive. Members of the P.U.C. staff were also standing by. Due to the type of weather we were ex- periencing at the time, everyone was very concerned about the safety of the boys. For- tunately they were found after a very short time, at 9:48 p.m. The speedy assistance of all those persons mentioned above made the task of police much easier than trying to attempt to find them with only police eyes. In situations like this the cooperation and unselfish assistance from citizens of Goderich and district helps reduce • the stress on the parents. This is another exam- ple of how we, in this area, combine speedily thanks and CO soive a problem. My personal arlu gratitude to all these citizens. Yours truly; Patrick D. King, Chief of Police. First season was a hectic but rewarding. Dear editor, As President of the Goderich Junior "C" Hockey Club for the past year I would like to take the opportunity to extend my thanks and appreciation to all those who so actively supported the club. To all the local businessmen who spon- sored the club or donated prizes, to the Signal -Star for their press coverage, to the Goderich Ringette Association, Goderich Oldtimers, Goderich Minor Hockey and those individuals who gave so freely of their time and labour. Special thanks go to those individuals who worked so hard on the executive, the team representatives and players, Richard Madge, Clem Wolterbeek and Heather Wheeler for their contribution in helping out in our first season, as well as the outstan- ding support we received from the Recrea- tion Board and the Arena staff, and to those fans who gave us their support. For the club our first season in operation was hectic but in termsof accomplishments I believe we certainly showed proof that we can provide a good forum of entertainment for the residents of Goderich and surroun- ding area. ' Once again thanks to all. Donald G. Johnston President-Goderich Junior 'C' Sailors Hockey Club Extra -billing gives. special treatment to the financially fortunate people Dear Editor, The fundamental question on the issue of extra billing is "Are we prepared to accept a health care system that provides one stan- dard of care for the rich and 'another for the poor?" The answer is a resounding "no". The Liberal government in Ontario is fun- damentally opposed to the idea that some people, .because of their financial good for- tune, should have access to special treat- ment by paying extra fees. This week,' in an open letter, my col- league, Health Minister Murray Elston said, "Canada has a unique health care system." Unfortunately, despite the,liest efforts of Elston and the Liberal government, Dr. Earl Myers of the Ontario Medical Associa- tion has repeatedly refused to negotiate the ban on extra billing. On Dec. 19, Elston introduced the Health Care Accessibility Act; which will prohibit all physicians, including those who are opted out of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (DR1P,) and who bill their patients directly, from charging -more than OHIP rates. In addition, the ban on extra billing will extend to all insured dentistry services performed in hospitals and all insured op- tometry services. Furthermore, by ending extra billing in Ontario and thereby complying with the federal legislation, this province will be per- mitted to recover the transfer funds for health care which have been held back since 1984. To date, the province has lost $88 millidn in federal transfer payments because of extra billing. The Liberal government, led. by Premier David Peterson, has taken this action because it firmly believes that extra billing represents a serious threat to the publicly financed administered health care system of this province. As Elston said only last week, "Our health system rests on the fun- damental principle that no one will be deter- red from receiving needed care because of financial status Or inability to pay." Also, Elston pointed out that extra billing represents a genuine barrier to health care for many people, and it threatens to destroy the very foundation of our medicare plan by fostering a two-tiered system of medicine. In this country, we are fortunate to have a medicare system which is unique in the world. Our health system is different from that in Britain as well as the system in the United States. It is worth fighting for; it must be preserved. It is the goal of the Liberal government in Ontario to help preserve the Canadian way of providing health care. Despite what some critics have sug- gested, a ban on extra billing does not create civil service medicine. In Ontario, the vast majority of doctors are already practicing medicine on an opted -in basis, and they are entirely free to treat their patients as they see fit. The Liberal goveii•nment is not in the business of'making medical judgements. As Health Minister Murray Elston has said, "The only change resulting froth the ban will be a requirement that physicians charge no more than the fees agreed upon Turn to page 7 •