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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1995-05-10, Page 44 zipz in gliont lgint;-vrfm. z Published each Wednesday at: Box 390, 5 Diagonal Road, Wingham. Ontario NOG 2W0 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. Rep. Jim Brown - Reporter Stephen Pritchard - Comp. Eve Buchanan- Office Louise Welwood - Office ^' fir.;; •%g{ifh•isj��' 6 Memberof: OCNA CCNA ff Editorial Viewpoint Time o call Quebec'S btu. he PQs will call the study released from Calgary Trecently federalist propaganda -- and in a way they'll be right. Only thing is, not all propaganda is built upon false information. A group of Alberta economists discovered the Province of Quebec has received over $160 billion more from the federal government than it has paid in overthepast three decades. Alberta, or Texas North as it wasi:nce known, contributed about $45 billion than ds of the federal two provinces were atthe extreme spending range. No matter how they play it, Quebec's separatists will have a hard time ignoring the truth of the cold, hard fact: Theirs is the best -off province in the realm. They can't ignore it. The province's wealth is result of the separatist threat; their political trump card for 30 years. Successive Quebec governments have held the spectre of French nationalism over the federal government and the rest of the country, and the residents have benefited greatly. It is time we forced their hand. The figures presented by the Calgary group are just a hint of the federal spending the province has enjoyed through these decades of discontent. Quebec has one of the country's richest and largest populations, and therefore one of the largest tax bases. If they were awarded $160 billion more than they paid in, it is Allamt d to imagine just how much they actually got. at money to buy off a threat that, if the polls are to be believed, no longer exists. Quebec's successive governments have dried up the cash cow they have been squeezing for the past 30 years. Give them credit; they milked it for all it was worth: Two long -serving prime ministers and another firmly ensconced; a traditional majority of cabinet's most important seats; constitutional permission for laws that fly in the face of human rights. The province's place in Confederation held absolute control of the national agenda for over a decade, while the country's economy fell around our ears. of the It is small wonder a diminishing group province's politically active are making the, old "Vive le Quebec" noise. They already have a country to call their own, to run as they wish and from which to extract their fondest wishes. It's called Canada. -Ken Simmons, OCNA BBS 5 SURE, IT UASN`r BEEN % mEa BLIT IcAN MAKE IT up To''oUrrs s • Thar,}ks to all those who fought to preserve our right to free- dom of expression and freedom of speech. Without your commitment, our lives would, be dramatically different. ThewinghamAdv ance-Times is a member of a fanuiy of community newspapers pro- viding news, advertising and information. leadership. Letters to the Editor 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 letters is Monday before 10:00 a.m.. Some exceptions may apply. Fax: (519) 357-2900 Ormailto: P.O. Box 390, 'Wingham, Ontario, NOG 2W0 �G wen �a •_u with Margaret Stapleton MAY 1948 the annual conference of that or - Children baptized at the Moth- ganization in Hamilton last week. er's Day service at St. Andrew's James Elston, Ross Turvey, Presbyterian Church in Wingham Carman Haines, Gordon Nichol - were: John Allan Thomas Leg- son and Bert Elliott were elected gatt, Linda Jeane Somers, Shawn to the Morris Township School Lawrence Simpson, James An- Board in anMelectionA71 t Saturday. drew Mitchell, Raymond John of "Tom m of the cast MacDonald, Lynda Agnes Ben- Members recently m nett, Lynda Jean Chittick, Joyce Sawyer" presented at Elaine Bowie and Charles David Howick Central School were Jeff Eadie. Nay, Brian Siefert, Ronald Haas - Mr. M. V. Smith, BSA, will be noot, Diane Cober, Lynn Jillings, teachhng a course in agricultural Beverly Telehus and Monica de science at the Wingham District Mynn. High School this fall. Robert Golley, who has lived Mr:'F. B. Quance, who until re- on the Morris farm homestead all cently conducted a general store of his life, takes part in most of at Lebanon, has purchased the the farm chores despite the fact farm of Mrs George Boyle, Low- that he will be 85 years old this A special meeting of town Rehearsals areter for - N, 4s You JusT -''„� GIVE ME ANTI IER GUM CR. Wingham. ham. December. council was held Saturday after -"The Secret Life of underway noon with Messrs. McPherson to be presented by the F. E. Ma - and Spencer of Central Mortgage dill Drama Club later this month. and Housing to discuss the 50 Stars of the production will be war -time houses being built in Ann Welwood, Rick Currah, Ron town. The two-bedroom homes Sillick, Blake Ferguson and Joan will be 22 X 38 feet and include Currie. basements with wash tubs and A neighborhood pet show last furnaces. Friday attracted a large assort - MAY 1960 ment of dogs, cats, rabbits and Lawrence D. Stuckey, a Grade hamsters. The ultimate winners 13 student at Wingham District were: Princess, owned by Dav id High School, hasbeen selected as Penny; Christy Lewis's dog, Kel- local representative to the Student ly and Taffy, smallest dog, owned Leaders' Club. Thelma E. Gow- by Cindy Beard. ing will represent the school on MAY 1981 the London Free Press School tAi delegation ew atiOnMaio parentsd Eliving sub Queens' Club. A team of bowlers from the La- division attended the May meet - dies' Auxiliary to the Royal Cana- ing of town council to ask for its dian Legion, Wingham, won the help in getting a playground for Luella Hart Trophy in a sports their children. The matter was re - tournament at Walkerton recently. ferred to the finance, property and Team members include Mrs. Jack planning committees. Olrvis, Mrs. Helen Casemore, Kevin Smith won the Honor Mrs. Mae Peachey, Mrs. Bob Ir- Award as the top boy of all four vine, Mrs. John Strong and Mrs. AWANA clubs at the Wingham Allan Hafermehl. Bible Chapel. W. B. `Bill" Conron of Wing- 1-1owick ratepayers can expect „am was elected president of the to pay tax increases totaling 15 Ontario Recreation Association at per cent this year. • ho is this new look Rae TORONTO - Premier Bob Rae is barely recognizable this election - he's the guy warning the other lead- ers not to make rash promises. The New Democrat premier has lectured his opponents and the pub- lic daily that there are no "magic so- lutions." Rae urged this cautious approach no fewer than four times in a single debate with Liberal leader Lyn McLeod and Progressive Conserva- tive leader Mike Harris. McLeod had proposed changes to the Toronto area including tax breaks for downtown businesses, in- tegrating public transit schedules and fares to provide easier travel and saving on elections by having re- gional councillors appointed by member -municipalities. Rae dismissed them all as "an en- tire list of quick fixes and wishful thinking." Rae scoffed at other reforms sug- gested by the opposition leaders as "simplistic, foolish, magical solu- tions that just won't work." At rallies, Rae has complained his opponents "have a tendency to try to find pat answers.would theref ha ere easy y answers, they en found years ago" and absolved'him- self: "Do I have magic answers? No, 1 don't." Rae cautioned that quick solutions encourage expectations that may be groundless; derided "people who say you can have it all - that's a lot of hooey", and even when announcing the election insisted there are "no easy answers and quick fixes." Rae has gone as far to say "I don't intend to make any promises id this campaign." The closest he got has been to say he would continue creat- ing jobs, fighting to maintain health care despite federal cuts, speaking up for Ontario and trying to restrain spending. Rae said voters can judge what his government would do if re-elected by the direction it took in its five years in office. This new, humble Rae is difficult to recognize because in three earlier elections he never hesitated to pre- scribe a swift cure for every ailment. ' The solutions were laid (Aft in manuals the NDP compiled by pass- ing resolutions at conventions. They took care of every problem from abortions (provide • on demand) to workplace democracy (legislation should require workers to be in- volved in the structure of private companies at every level.) The most appealing were offered by Rae in his manifesto, An Agenda for People, in the 1990 election and persuaded many to vote for him. They included, to name only a few, government auto insurance to end costly premiums, children's day care that all working mothers could 'afford and taking most of the cost of education off needy homeowners. But Rae concluded in the reality of office he could not do these things, which makes it awkward for him to promise solutions now he - cause many would not believe him and gives him a giant handicap in the election. The premier often is called a stronger campaigner than the other leaders, although this' is based solely on his turnaround in 1990. He needs to do a lot of catching up in the campaign because his party • has only 20 per cent in polls. But he is almost barred from of- fering exciting visions of the future because they would not be credible and it is difficult to win an election on the cry that answers are hard to find.