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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-03-29, Page 44 Che ^- mdam SAbbaitte ®rimes% Published each Wednesday at: Box 390, 5 Diagonal Road, Wingham, Ontario Phone (519) 357-2320 • Fax (519) 357-2900 J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 We are: Jim Beckett — Publisher Audrey Currie — Manager Cameron J. Wood — Editor Norma Golley — Ad. Sales Stephen Pritchard — Comp. Jim Brown — Reporter Margaret Stapleton—Reporter Eve Buchanan — Office Louise Welwood — Office ct Member of: OCNA CCNA The Wingham Advance -Times is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership. Letters Policy All letters to the editor must bear the writer's name, telephone num- ber and address: The Advance -Times wel- comes letters. We re- serve the right to edit, but will endeavor to preserve the author's intent. Deadline for letter'; is Monday before 10:00 a.m. Some exceptions may apply. Fax: 519-357-2900 or mail to: P.O. Box 390, Wingham, Ontario NOG 2W0 • • Editorial Viewpoint, What commitment? our important to us. A mission statement crafted by a major Canadian grocery retailer to describe its commitment to its customers. Unless of course, those customers hail from Wingham. A little unfair? Perhaps so, but what kind of respect should be given to f• a company whose chief executive officer wouldn't return phone calls to the inedia for three weeks; a company t3: which Jet rumors fesfer witbin the community without even so much as a half-hearted denial, or indication of de- lay in any decision on the store's future? Or perhaps, no respect because that same CEO contradicted himself in speaking with media outlets in nearby communities. For example, the comments made in the Goderich Signal -Star regarding Zehrs commitment to the rural regions of Onta- rio, all the while knowing that very commitment was only to the economics, not the people the focus their mission statement towards. Can we give respect to a company that has done busi- ness successfully, and reportedly profitably, in our com- munity for 15 years, only to turn around with the philoso- phy that people will drive to Listowel or Goderich to shop for their weekly groceries?'Can we give respect to a com- pany that has employed people locally for 15 years and now decides that other towns offer a better advantage, so they move people out of the community and the lives they have worked to establish? The Canadian marketplace operates on a philosophy of capitalism, and Zehrs has every right to pull up roots within Wingham and move on. 'They have every right in a competitive economy to expect people to drive 30 min- utes to buy food. And, we as consumers, have every right to tell Zehrs to get bagged. • However, little will any of the above help Wingham's situation as a viable, vibrant community. What must be done? First and foremost, we as a community, need to get out tonight to the annual Economic Development Commit- tee's community 1prum and express our concern. We need to give this committee some direction so that they can move forward and try to attract another food retailer to the community. This committee works for us, as a communi- ty; it's there responsibility to promote Wingham as an ec- onomically viable community. But without our input, they" may not realize the importance of our message in light of the Zehrs' decision. We want a competitive local economy; we need a com- petitive local economy and we're willing to find one. It's our understanding that another grocery retailer has expressed interest in coming to Wingham. In addition, the plaza owners have said they will not let the store sit emp- ty. It might be a good sign if our community revealed a little passion about our loss and our desire to minimize the detrimental effect Zehrs' `commitment to the rural econo-. my' will have in our corner of the rural region.— CJW ' :sb •^:F.':?.' c:?", S .2 a": x:: ,, 7o, yrs°'iia.'d,E`•'• 'r"•:z' ? :�.":?'1.. •... �,�:�:,2�+�`.�;.wj•+�;%+t,a�ais �ycS`i3. ., 44 i A reason to smite Wingham Wescast Industries and their $1.4 million jobsOntario venture.. The grant money will go towards 145 jobs approved. Just another example of their local investment. with Margaret Stapleton MARCH 1948 During the recent flood, the res- idents of Lower Town suffered a heavy loss. Of the 19 homes in the flooded area, some lost practi- cally all of their furniture, bed- ding and clothing. The Wingham Lions Club ,is sponsoring a cam- paign to raise funds to partially offset some of the loss. On Good Friday, the team of Russell Henderson, Bluevale Road, caused some excitement when •it ran away on Josephine Street. The stoneboat the team was drawing hit a car and the har- ness ,broke. Service has resumed over the CNR Bridge, following the recent flood, with the noon passenger train crossing enroute to Kincar- dine. It had been out of service for over a week. A lovely wedding was solemn- ized at the home of the bride's parents, 12th Concession of East - Wawansoh, when Lois Noreen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ger- shom Johnston, became the bride of William Ross McMichael of Clinton. A dance will be held at Currie's School next Monday in honor of the newlyweds. MARCH 1961 Reporting to the one -day ses- sion of Huron County Council at Goderich last Friday, Wingham Reeve Roy Adair said the county home at Clint • n will shortly be known as "Hurn vt w". Two families of Delaware, USA, Amish settlers are arriving this week in Howick Township. Moses Beachy has purchased the Clifford Dodds' farm, while Hen- ry Mass has purchased the farm of William Stapleton. The Wingham Recreation Committee will conduct its own swimming instruction and safey program in town this year. John Haines of London, who leas been with the Department of Transport for the past year, has been transferred to Kingston. Mr. Haines has been a resident of London for about 10 years and was with the Ontario Provincial Police before joining the depart- ment. MARCH 1971 The Wingham Business Asso- cation held its election last Thurs- day with John McInnes being elected treasurer; Mrs. Lorne McDonald, first vice president; Nelson Frank, secretary; William Hanula, second vice president and Vern Redman as president. Food and billeting are big con- cerns for organizers of the Lock - ridge Memorial Midget Hockey Tournament. Sixty-five home- owners have indicated that billet- ing would be available to visiting players. Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Harkness of McIntosh celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last Satur- day, while Mr. and Mrs. Finlay McCallum of Frances Street in Wingham marked their 55th anni- versary. MARCH 1981 It was nip and tuck, but in the end Murray Elston accomplished what he had set out to do: keep Huron -Bruce in the Liberal fold. He overcame a strong challenge from Conservative Gary Harron in ajrace that saw the lead change hands several times. But eventual- ly Mr. Elston won the riding by 224 votes. The most famous chicken the world, Kentucky Fried Chicken, is coming to Wingham on April 1. Gordon Kaster, chairman of Howick Township's 125th anni- versary committee, has an- nounced the celebration will be held Sept. 2 to 6. A well-known Wingham busi- nessman, owner of the Riverview, Drive -In, Don Delmage died sud- denly last week. • as W D ''SAY; flMCN29,1995 • ...... ..... ........,:ik'.•Y%k' ;ti Y,:P ...�A:Jp::Qy'.?: ............................................ c I'm feeling just a little exploited M' ale strippers are coming to Wingham and I'm feeling just a little exploited. Where is the outcry over the bumping and grinding of male naughty bits in our conservative lit- tle hamlet? Are there no screams of sexism? Exploitation of the male physique? What about men being objectified? Well, of course not. That only happens when women take their clothes off in front of a rather sedate crowd of male on -lookers. As any experienced showperson will attest, women behave much snore different- • ly than men when watching the titil- lafirig thrills of removing trousers. Socially, opponents will say, male strippers are different. After all, it's a male dominated world so they can do what they please and we' will all watch and learn. Having spent a good portion of my post -secondary education exam- ining the delicate balance between the sexes, I have seen two sides to the naked truth. Women, trust me on this, behave much less like ladies when confront- ed with male, naughty bits. They scream, they ,giggle, they pinch, they have fun. I recall a time when one of my. usual watering holes would have male strippers every Thursday until 10:30. Men were only allowed into the bar at that time, but the last danc- er was usually still on stage. The The Outer Edge Cameron J. WOOD women in attendance were wild...enjoying every minute. Men, on'the other hand, behave quite differently. There are, two kinds: you're .either the .drool trough (front row) viewer, or the wall flow- er (usually means no seats up front). Most sit there, eyes pasted to the dancer, hoping that their boss, or fa- ther, aren't in the same establish- ment. It's an elevator kind of atmos- phere, silence above the resounding thump of the muzak...with the excep- tion of the naughty bits being ex- posed. You can't do that in elevators' according to the law. And the only exploitation truly taking place in the passion palace is over the cost of a beverage. Anti -pornography groups have been gaining more and more expo- sure in Canada over the past few years. American feminist law profes- sor/buff protester Catherine MacKin- non has been credited for her acti- vism and it's impact on the rewriting of Canadian pornography laws. And the NAC:` But what has left me feeling just a little exploited is that no one is standing up for my male counter- parts, no doubt hustled into a world of degradation and exposed cheeki- ness. My heart goes out to these men that are forced onto the stage night after night to reveal the very heart and soul of their personalities. ' When it is the women who the subject of the focusing eyes under the neon lights, the backlash is bigger than Mister Tease. Groups from all aspects cif society come for- ward. Exploitation, male domina- tion, pornography...Yet, when it's men, stripping becomes entertaining. But then again, getting naked is something that each and every one of us do every night without getting paid. Where's the bucks for being in the buff when you have to pick up the dirty socks off the floor and toss them into the laundry hamper. Noth- ing sexy about that image, is there. Yes, pure, unadulterated exploita- tion. We need a champion for .this cause. Someone who will stand up and fight against the exploitation' and objectification of men in the equality driven society. Where's Judy Rebick when I need her? Anyone have Sven Robinson's number? But then again, maybe what I real- ly need to find is a good agent who can locate venues for slightly over- • weigh, pasty, white male writers with a yearning for more exposure. Maybe we can call the joint, The Pen is Mightier Than... Liberals can TORONTO — A funny thing hap- pened on the way to the Ontario election --the federal Liberals are not getting everyone mad at them. This could upset a lot of calcula- tions in the election to be called al- most any time. The Ontario Liberals have a substantial' lead in polls due partly to the public's favorable per- ception of the Liberal federal gov- ernment led by Prime Minister Jean Chretien. But the federal Liberals had been widely predicted to anger many peo- ple before the Ontario vote because they had to tackle problems particu- larly huge debt requiring tough solu- tions. This was expected to take some of the bloom off the Ontario Liberals and let the other parties, particularly the Progressive Conservatives, now running a weak second, back in the hunt. Federal Liberals when in govern- ment, which has been most of this century, had never shied before from stepping on the toes of their Ontario counterparts. There was the election in 1975 when the Liberals under Robert Nix- on seemed close ,to breaking a 32 - year Tory grip until the federal Lib- eral finance minister (later prime minister) John Turner resigned a few days before the vote. This was a windfall for Tory pre- mier William Davis, who for want of a local issue had been arguing the federal Liberals were hurting Onta- rio by not fighting inflation and seized on it as proof their finance get any higher with Eric Dowd minister agreed. Nixon blamed his defeat on Turner's poorly -timed exit and it is hard to understand why he could not have hung on a few days longer. There was the time a Liberal fed- eral government put a 10 cents a gal- lon tax on gasoline just before an Ontario election. There was the Ontario election in which the federal Liberals an- nounced they would start as soon as possible building an airport east of Toronto and wrecked provincial Lib- eralshopes of being seen as envi- ronmentalists, although the airport's never was built anyway. There was the time Prime Minis- ter Pierre Trudeau descended like a messiah in a government helicopter on an Ontario Liberal election rally, intending to show solidarity but in- stead leaving a slipstream 0f waste and arrogance. There were the two Ontario elec- tions in which federal Liberal minis- ter Judy LaMarsh came roaring in complaining that the Tory govern- ment was inept on pensions and housing and was seen by most as an interfering busybody. Such clumsy interventions helped Ontario Tories argue in election after election, successfully although not necessarily accurately, that if the Libeeals won, the province would become merely a `branch plant' of Ottawa. Liberal federal governments at times seemed almost to take direc- tion from Ontario. Tory campaign headquarters and one Ontario Liber- al leader (later premier) David Peter- son complained the federal Liberals were a `millstone.' The federal Liberals had seemed likely to hurt their provincial coun- terparts again, but instead added only to taxes and opted for cutting costs which many welcome. Far from being down in populari- ty, the federal Liberals have shot up from 58 per cent to a stratospheric 63 per cent in one poll -- they could not get much higher without taking LSD. Federal Liberal cuts in funds for health, welfare and education that will annoy eventually will not have real impact until 1996, when the On- tario election will be over. The federal Liberals are even basking in extra applause for show- ing `baa bone' in the fishing war and t..- e seems no bounds to their p • pularity. This does not mean they will nev- er again pull the rug from under the Ontario Liberals, but their opponents this election cannot count on it.