The Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-11-26, Page 5opinion
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CUSO r
ses funds
Dear Editor:
Not long ago four Canadian fishermen
found themselves flying 6,000 miles through
V,;incouver and Hawaii to Vanuatu, e small
country in the Pacific just east of Australia.
They were beginning a remarkable
adventure.
In partnership with Pacific islanders from
several small villages, the Canadians were
to pass on fishing skills — and learn in
return about a new way -of -life. But they
soon found that more was needed than their
skills and the villagers' enthusiasm. Equip-
ment was vital.
People like your readers made sure that
they got what was needed — donations of $30
bought a box of fishhooks, $53 a coil of rope,
and $31$ a condenser for the village ice
plant. Now funds are being raised for a new
boat and motor so that the program can be
extended to other villages.
And 'that is the purpose of this letter.
CUSO is now in the midst of its annual fund-
raising campaign and this year — our 25th
anniversary year — we must raise $1.2
million for self-help projects such as the
Vanuatu fisheries. Donations from Cana-
dians make our programs in Africa, Asia,
Latin America, the Caribbean and the
Pacific come to life. They put seed and fer-
tilizer in barren ground, dig wells where
women now walk nouro iur Wn�ca, at u de:;m•
medical aides in disease -prevention.
Development is a slow process. But it is
driven by the incredible energy and spirit of
Third World people. Whether Canadians
help haul in the nets, plough the fields, dig
the wells or whether we dig a little deeper
into our pocketbooks, we can make a
difference.
We hope your readers will remember
Third World people as the Christmas season
approaches and give a gift to them through
CUSO. Tax-deductible donations, which are
matched by the federal government, may be
sent to: CUSO, 135 Rideau Street, Ottawa,
Ontario, K1N 9K7.
Yours sincerely,
Gary Warner
CUSO Board Chairperson
44 Paisley Avenue South
Hamilton, Ontario
LOS 1V1
Forestry program is hampered
Open letter to Mr. Peterson:
In the words of a senior forestry techni-
cian in the Wingham District, "this year we
have no forestry program".
This is not the first time that seasonal
employees have faced lay-offs, but it is the
first time that the forestry budget for the
district has been cut so drastically that most
of the 10 technicians have been laid off with
little hope for recall. There remain only two
permanent staff members to handle an area
that stretches from Grand Bend up the
shore of Lake Huron almost to Kincardine,
east to Harriston and Listowel, and south of
Stratford and St. Mary's, over 4200 square
miles.
What is the purpose of the whimsical and
haphazard funding we have been subjected
to in the past few years? Forest manage-
ment programs are long-term com-
mitments to long-term resources and re-
quire consistent and stable funding. They
also require well-trained, experienced, companies nd some of us would be
career -oriented technicians to implement monitoring those contracts, then, although
This year, as usual, we have planted woefully inadequate in volume, at least
some tending would be done. To our
500,000 trees in the district, but tree planting knowledge, this is not the case.do
is only a part of the forest management pro- If you are shuttings notdown the forestry
gram. Asiwithe any other crop, trees must be operations in this arefor most of a year,
tended if they are to yield ate axdmum will you carry the people on permanent staff
to
harvest. This area cropshro both
climate and soils who are responsible for our supervision and
and produce bumper certainly inagriculture for planning what we do? Will you allow the
in forestry, and theseatwo thousands of dollars of equiment at our
resourcesndare complimentary,ohas marginal disposal to sit idle? Will you allow the sup-
futurefutare re to give the landowner a port staff and general office overhead to just
forest res cont with recreationaltat spin-offuse, idle on in our absence? At'our last operation
' benefits of erosion control, use, meeting we were told we had one of the
economic and employment aestheticand wildlife enhancement, local highest productivity rating of any technical
benefits, and staff in southern Ontario. What does that
water control.
We are years behind in all the aspects of mean to us now? - a slap on the back, then a
boot out the door.
tending and maintaining our existing plan- Where is your government's commitment
are tatc s. The brecause
youngm cpompeting
plantations vegetation to forestry in southwestern Ontario? As per -
is not crushed bed; young ng wa walnut
plantations manent agriculture, forestry holds the pro-
will
ro-
not controlled; walnut mise of a valuable resource for future
because never they are e notgcorrectively d qualiy y prun logs generations, but our forests must receive
rodcgee es;older plantationsaithe proper care to realize that potential.
produce straight stems; older P P
are stagnated for lack of thinning and will . Surely your government has the foresight
never be bottom -branch pruned to produce and wisdom to enable us to achieve that end.
knot -free lumber; access trails become
overgrown and useless as maintenance and
recreational routes.
Again we ask, what is the purpose of such
whimsical and haphazard funding? Is it to
reduce the status of , community -trained
technicians to that of migrant workers?
These technicians, experienced in planting,
tending, and woodlot stand improvement,
must wait for a minimum of 10 years before
they are offered the security of a permanent
position, 10 years of not knowing whether
the funding will provide them six or 16
weeks of employment, 10 years of being
unable to make any long-term com-
mitments to the communities in which they
live.
With regard to the situation before us: we
do not need benefit packages or recall rights
unless you can afford us the opportunity to
work on a reasonable steady basis. This
year we have, with one week's notice, been
told that there is no funding to do the work
that we know has been neglected for years.
Some of us have special training and most of
us are experienced foremen and competent
to quality -control contracted work. All of us
are capable of the high-quality work this
district demands. Where is your govern-
ment's commitment to forestry and to us?
We feel deserted and dissatisfied.
If the wo was to be contracted to private
Yours sincerely,
G. Chiddicks
for Ron Smith,
Dave South
Geoff King,
Rupert Hewison,
Doug Duncan,
Doug Purves,
Grant Morgan,
Harold Rodgers.
KINETTE CHRISM
S
111114120
t the Kinsman Centra an Kenya Si.
Via,
Saturday,
Nov. 29
tl,fc to 2 poli:
CIT The
Ci tam°a rl
Centre
an Ksoyi St.
ALL PROCEEDS
TO COMMUNITY SERVICES
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1986—PAGE 5
BUDNY STUDIO
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CORRECTION
NOTICE
In the A&P Flyer the week of
November 22nd, the follkwInB
mrrore occurred
Beehive C rn Syrup
1 litre bottle reads 61,19
It should read $1.99
Kraft Dinner Coupon
reads Buy 6 Get 1 Free
It should read Buy 3 Get 1 FREE
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