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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-05-31, Page 3NEVA): NAY 311995 1111 11I NAMADVAI CETIMES Youth welfare `needs reassessment' Liberals and Tories both announce Continued from front page viewing this issue and my personal view is we need to allow them to discuss this. It's an issue where publie debate will happen and we will have the report from the minis- try," Klopp said. On the issue of Employment Eq- uity, all three candidates varied in the platform on how to handle the controversial legislation. Jewitt said the Liberals endorse the principle behind employment equity, but added they felt there was value in hiring and promoting employees based on merit. "The Liberal party does not sup- port a system of quotas which dis- criminate against individuals. We feel that hiring and promotions should be done by merit." Johns came out strongly against the employment equity legislation, stating the PC party will eliminate it. - "We .believe that it is a system that promotes racism. It does not take into consideration merit that a person has to offer, but rather takes in visible minorities or other factors that we feel are not the most impor- tant issues when hiring somebody. "We Teel a person should be hired on merit, their ability to do the job, and the criteria employers have set for the job. What we will have is the best person for the job will get the job," Johns said. Klopp challenged the public be- lief that employment equity in- volves a "quota" system, defending the process which he said was de- signed to reflect the community in which an egaployer operates. He said during the implementation of the legislation there was a consulta- tion process that involved employ- ' ers. "There is no quotas in the sys- tem. There was input from all sides. Clearly at the end of the day the person best qualified for the job still gets the job." Local hunting and fishing enthu- siast, Ed Dare questioned the candi- dates on their stand over budgeting tor conservation. Citing from a let- ter he submitted to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for the provincial. leaders debate, Dare challenged the local hopefuls to an- swer why the province had previ- ously said they would use money gained from the sale of hunting and fishing licences to establish a con- servation fund, but instead cut funding to conservation and hatch- ery programs and placed the money into a central fund. Klopp said the issue has been previously discussed at Queen's Park, but the government felt the administration of a separate fund would create more waste than re- sults. "We have been trying to get ad- ministration costs down to a mini- mum. Right now all money goes into one general fund. It sounded good on paper:" Johns responded to Dare's ques- tion by reading from an article printed in the May edition of Onta- rio Out of Doors. All three leaders were asked for an interview by the magazine, only Harris agreed. In the article, Harris discussed his plan to establish a separate fund for conservation programs. "On the subject of angling li- cences, Harris said 'money from the licences can be put aside into a separate fund for fisheries enhance- ment. The government claims that all revenues must go into the cen- tral pot and no source can lie ear- marked for specific uses. While the licences .broug(it in additional mil- lions, funds allocated for fisheries were cut'. "Now, the only way to regain the anglers' trust is to set aside the li- cence revenue and allocate it.under a co -management system with the users," Johns quoted. Jewitt said he would support a proposal to establish a separate conservation fund. "You have to plant a crop to reap a crop. We are wasting 'a lot of our natural resources by not planting more trees and stocking our rivers." He said the conservation pro- gram must be an. important aspect of a comprehensive tourism plan for Ontario. "What better way to improve tourism than to provide more out- door activities: We all know the kind of pleasure people get from the outdoors." The issue of poaching had the candidates treading lightly when challenged by members of the audi- ence regarding the continual viola- tions of conservation laws by Na- tive Canadians; most recently that of taking walleye from their spawn- ing grounds against warnings by conservation officers. Johns said the government has to be careful when discussing the is- sue of poaching, primarily because there are examples of poaching by several different people, not just Native Canadians "Harris said he would make sure that fish and game laws would be enforced, but for everyone. We would do everything in our power to see the laws were enforced." Jewitt also said that there must be some caution when discussing poaching as it is not just a Native Canadian issue. "But, we must also honor the treaties. I do feel the laws must be upheld - all of the laws must be up- held - as well as the rights of fish- ermen and hunters." Klopp said the issue of poaching has been going on for some time. He said this manner of dealing with the issue, with Native treaties, among other things is a slow pro- cess. "Thererl is a lot of anti-trust among the aboriginal groups and the anglers and hunters. We are,go- ing to haye to make some deals." In that, Klopp also said that it was not their policy to allow the commercial resale of fish caught off -reservation He said the NDP has taken on the issue and has made some headway and will con- tinue to do so. Youth welfare was the final issue addressed during the police, sponsored session. Town of Wing - ham councillor Doug Layton, asked the ,hree candidates what they pro- pose to do with the increasing num- ber of youth that are ending up on welfare. Johns attacked the current sys- tem which has seen somewhere be- tween 32-34,000 high school stu- dents gain welfare. She criticized the fact that many of these students have been counselled on how to re- ceive social assistance. She said at age 16 and 17, these students have already learned how to beat the sys- tem. "This is one of the areas we are going to cut spending," she said of the Tory plan. "Some of these stu- dents have been told, 'You don't have to go home, just come down to the ,welfare office and we'll cut you a cheque.' I don't know about many of you in this room, but when I was a teenager, I made my parents pull out their hair a number of times. Part of the process of being a high school student is learning to negotiate with one's family. To have them with their..own money and own apartment at 16 and 17. years old is a travesty. "At this point they are learning it is easy to get money from the gov- ernment. We are saying that at 16 and .17, you will not be able to get money from welfare." She added that she was told by a East Wawanosh spring concert tonight )3ELGRAVE--A spring concert will be held tonight, May 31, at East Wawanosh Public School, starting at 7:30 p.m. Grades 5 to 8 will be performing from "HMS Pinafore". Everyone is most wel- come to attend. A track and field meet was held last Thursday, May 25. Various•stu- dents will be selected to take part in the meet tomorrow, June 1st, at Howick Central School. Ali prospective Kindergarten children, accompanied by either a parent, guardiah or babysitter, are invited to attend the pre-school bus safety program tomorrow, June 1st, at the East Wawanosh Public School. It ,is being presented by Constable John Marshall, public in- formation officer. The program be- gins at 1:30 p.m. and will take Ofy about .one hour. The children will have a short ride on a school bus to learn about, boarding, unloading, crossing the road and other safety tips. Refreshments will be served at the conclusion. The construction of a new Kin- dergarten classroom at the school is proceeding on schedule. The addi- tion will be considerably larger than the existing classroom and the Kindergarten pupils will even have their own washroom. The present Kindergarten room will eventually be used for music, .french and special education. It also will be used by various school support services such as the school health nurse, the occupational ther- apist and the health officials who conduct hearing and vision assess- ment. Mrs. Rae: turnout largely partisan By MARGARET STAPLETON The Advance -Times The woman who has the ear of Ontario Premier Bob Rae -- his wife, Arlene Perly Rae -- paid a visit to the riding last week to take part in a forum on women's and family issues. The forum was held at the Huron County Pioneer Museum at Gode- rich. Although it was a largely par- tisan gathering. speaker after speak- er implored Perly Rae to take the message back to her husband -- so- cial service programs in this prov- ince cannot stand more cuts. Perly Rae also was on hand to lend support to the campaign of Huron MPP Paul Klopp, someone who, she said, has always served the people of the riding proudly. The forum was organized by Heather Klopp, wife of Paul Klopp. A freelance newspaper colum- nist, Perly Rae champions numer- ous causes, including literacy, AIDS research, breast -cancer re- search and bone marrow research. She also is the mother of three daughters. • The premier's wife admitted that she enjoys campaigning. "I find it wonderful that for a short time poli- tics becomes the issue of the day...This is the equivalent of the kitchen table of the '90s." What she does not find so Won- derful are the campaign promises of the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals to "cut and slash (spending) across the board.::a seri- ous threat to the services we val- ue". Perly Rae said the NDP govern- ment has a long-term, holistic ap- proach to jobs and training through jobsOntario and jobsLinks pro- grams. "There is a lot of talk about welfare (in the election). We (the NDP) are training people for mean- ingful jobs as compared to the slashing approach of our oppo- nents. One half of the people on welfare are children. You can't ask them to get a job." Ending programs such as job- sOntario would he tragic, she add- ed, claiming that 60,000 positions have been created in the• provin- ce through jobsOntario training. `_Nothing equals the dignity of having ajob' The NDP has done a lot of cost cutting, Perly Rae claimed, point- ing to the Social Contract, which has trimmed the budget, while sav- ing jobs. FEEDBACK The floor was opened for com- ments following Perly Rae's ad- dress. Pam Stanley, coordinator of the Women in Rural Economic Devel- opment program in Huron, said that 140 women have started businesses in Southwestern Ontario through jobsOntario funding. "These are long-term, sustainable new busi- nesses," she added. Without jobsOntario and job- sLink funding, the program may be limited to the next three months, Stanley said. Mary Cull, a lawyer who works with abused women, said it is im- perative that services for these women and their children remain in place. (PC Leader Michael) Harris intends to slash funding to legal aid, claimed Cull, a move which would have dire consequences on poor women. Klopp interjected that legal aid is not just for women. The NDP has not made unrealistic promises in this election to cut taxes, he contin- ued, claiming his party is commit- ted to continuing these necessary services. Valerie Bolton, a financial plan- ner, said she is concerned about what she called the "hateful atti- tude" toward people who are on government assistance. "These are good citizens and they don't de- serve this type of propaganda. I'm proud to be associated with a party that doesn't think of them that way and will help them re-enter socie- ty." "Nothing equals the• dignity of having a job," agreed Perly Rae. The topic of education was touched upon, including the Royal Commission Report on Learning released earlier this year. One mother noted that small children in a rural area should have the opportunity to attend Kinder- garten half -days rather than full days. "Three and four -year-olds can learn a lot, but they also learn a lot on that hour bus ride." Klopp said his government said "no" to the proposal put forward by the commission that three -year-olds attend school. But he agreed that more consultation is needed among various levels of government, in- cluding community services and education to find the most effective solutions. "We must listen to the people who work in the field and not the latest poll," concluded Perly Rae. eb, cr en9lKxm IthbancezZititeti Is Sponsoring All Candidates Meeting Thursday June 1, 1995 8:00 p.m. Wingham Armouries Focus - Small Business & The Economy All Welcome Refreshments Served high school principal that 'students receiving welfare also have a dif- ferent outlook on school - which in turn makes it difficult for teach- ers to motivate them. "We also have to offer a wide curriculum so there are things for people to choose from...broaden the educatiop base." Klopp challenged this policy, stating he wished it was that ,easy. Klopp said some teens have to re- ceive assistance to escape disfunc- tional home environments and abuse. He said the focus should be more on creating partnerships with indus- try, such as Wescast has done local- ly to develop work initiative pro- grams for students who may not fit into the typical classroom environ- ment. "We have been struggling with the issue of child welfare and what to do. But the one thing we have done is that to receive assistance; they have to go to school. Clearly, we don't want the other extreme "where there is child abuse in the home." Jewitt said the Liberal party in- tends to re -assess the 16 -18 -year- old welfare recipients and deter- mine the need on an individual ba- sis. "We have to provide hope for die future. No one will receive welfare until the entire family has received counselling and young people will have to attend school or be enrolled in an apprenticeship program. We must provide more hope for our young. people. We have 'to get our young people motivated." rnmer ta rter 4-:-.44ribmprvimer. Buy1 Getl*for rel equal of lesser red>u(nr l'rtL , rtl rri LF PRICE "excludes items alrt'ndy wilt -priced E< Es't.. Lauder products SLIMMER KICKOFF SUPER SPECIALS! � - selected - blouses & pants SI 9 99 -• ;elected - Talzjay fs Koret groupings It's Iterse.' The WINGHAM pnrr•nrr ri •'IOW hili .W!v .., :!nJ,,,e,g.... 11,11,, - You Can Vote' Before Election Da Thursday, June 8th, 1995 If your name is on the LIST of VOTERS, or if you have a CERTIFICATE to VOTE, but you expect to be away or unable to vote on Election Day, you can take advantage of any Advance Poll in your Electoral District Level locations have been chosen III wherever possible for ease of access. Advance Polls will he held at the locations listed, en Thursday, Saturday & Monday, June 1st, 3rd & 5th 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ‘dunce Poll Voting in the Elections Ontario office in your Electoral District from Slav 27th Mill ,lune 6th (Sundays excluded) during the same hour, / In the Electoral District of HURON ® Elections Ontario (519) 527-2330 or 1-800-853-8510 59 Main St. S., Seaforth • King St. Villa Apts., 34 King St., Clinton • Helen Jermyn Apts., 134 Sanders, Exeter • MacKay Centre for Seniors, 10 Nelson St. E., Goderich • Wingham and Area Seniors Day Care Centre, 350 Josephine St., \4011;Vingham FOR GENERAL ELECTION .INFORMATION CALL: 1-800-668-2727 Between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday to Saturday Ballots cast at the.Advance Polls will be counted at the close of the Regular Polis on Election Day. If you have friends or reladves who have difficulty reading, please make them aware of the information In this nonce, PUBLISHED ON BEHALF OF THE RETURNING OFFICERS FOR THE ABOVE ELECTORALDISTRICTS BY Warren R. Bailie, CHIEF ELECTION OFFICER Elections Ontario A non-partisan Agency of the legislative Assembly KEEPING YOU INFORMED AP3/36 4