HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1995-08-23, Page 5fi
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a „__�..__ ....e.� among The ostentatious nature of Cana-
Dear Editor: even "pecking order" among of Cana -
Politicians don't come cheap. At staff. The ORA States the PM's da's official residences is totally un-
the federal level MPs snake chauffeur, for example, "may be necessary. Let's get rid of at least
$64,400 plus a tate-free allowance provided with lodging without some of these things and make sen -
up to $28,200 - this, on top of a charge." Other housestaff general- for politicians live like average Ca -
gold -plated pension plan and a my- ly pay their own rent, but excep- nadians. There may be some merit
riad of other perks and privileges. tions can be made. Last year, Mr. in keeping Rideau Hall; it could be
Bttt the bills don't end. there. Chretien's chef earned a juicy sale- used to house visiting dignitaries
' Taxpayers also provide some ry of $52,000 to $58,000. This was and heads of state. But there is no
very cushy digs for some of our flavoured with a rent free pad down reason to pay for the rent, food and
more senior elected officials. The the road at 10 Sussex Drive. "servants" . of politicians already
government of Canada operates no Details of the, expenditures on taking home generous paycheques.
less than - count 'em - seven offi- the residences reveals just how tax Maybe if our leaders paid their
cial residences. They are: the Gov- dollars were being spent on ludi- bills like the rest of us they would
ernor General's residence at Rideau crous items while deficits expand- think twice about increasing debt
Hall; the Citadel which is the Gov- ed. During 1992-94, 24 Sussex and taxes.
ers $20,660 for Paul Pagnuelo
Drive billed taxpayers ernor General's official residence in P Y
Quebec; the Prime Minister's home antique furnishings and $13,332 for Ontario Taxpayers Federation
art rental. Art rented for Stornoway Ajax, Ontario
at 24 Sussex Drive; Harrington
Lake, the PM's summer place; Stor- added up to $11,963 for this same
noway, which normally houses the period. While Mr. Chretien was
leader of the official opposition; the staying at Stornoway he received
Farm, the residence reserved for the another $126,000 living allowance
Speaker of the House of Commons; on top, of his salary and in addition
at
and (whew) 7 Rideau which serves to the $71,000 paid for the upkeep
as a guest house for foreign offi- of the building in 1991-92.
class.
How much does all this cost you cessive spending are these: Do Ca -
ask? According to the official Resi- nadians really need more than half
dences Council (the body that over- a dozen residences? Even if we do,
sees the maintenance of the -resi- do we need to subsidize our politi-
ians to live in them?
shelled out $5,464,000. The 1991- Other than Rideau Hall and the
92figures are the most recent pub- Citadel, there is no overwhelming
lished by the Council. This $5.5 historical significance to any of the
million is spent on furnishings, util- official residences. Five of the sev-
ities, repairs and upgrades as well en were purchased during the
as providing ."servants" for the 1950s and 60s. Prior to that, Prime
lucky devils who inhabit these tax- Ministers uted inike theMair cdonald
ho es and
payer funded Shangri-Las.
Former Prime Minister Mulron- paid their own rents or mortgages.
ey had 12 employees working at 24 Even after the estates were pur-
Sussex during his reign which cost chased by the government, early
$350,000. Mr. Chretien Ms cut the residents, like Louis St. Laurent,
ber of staff down to 7 reduc- paid rent. Only in recent years have
The questions raised by such ex-
dences),in 1991-92 taxpayers
num
mg
expenses by as much as the inhabitants sought public fund -
$150,000. Such frugality. There is ing for the roofs over their heads.
ocked
high
•
TIIE IM34Mh . NNie 1iT'Fl
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Scrubbing those hands
nzore
often uin the kitch-en
(NAPS) — Studies show that peo-
ple wash their hands in the kitch-
en six times more often than in
any other room in the house.
And, . while washing hands for
meal preparation is the major use
of the kitchen sink, here's a list of
other times you should wash your
hands:
• Anytime hands look soiled or
feel greasy.
• After using the bathroom.
• After changing diapers.
• After blowing your nose.
• After gardening or working out
in the yard.
• After touching an ill person.
• After touching soiled clothing or
bedding of an ill person.
• Before and after the love act.
• After read-
ing a newspa-
per.
• To remove
odors such as
garlic and
fish.
• After work-
ing in or
cleaning fish tanks.
• After working on a car or truck.
Experts. at Liquid Dial, a com-
pany which recently developed a
large 16 -ounce soap pump for use
at the kitchen sink, offer these
handwashing tips:
• Use soap and warm water.
• Scrub hands vigorously for at
least 30 seconds, paying special
attention to the back of the hands,
wrists, between fingers and under
fingernails. A nail brush helps.
• Rinse well and dry hands with a
clean paper or cloth towel.
Change towels often so they don't
harbor germs.
The use of an antibacterial soap
at the kitchen sink can be a safety
measure for the whole family.
Dial suggests that the thing to re-
member when preparing meals is
to wash your hands after touching
various foods, as well as before.
That way you do not transfer
germs deposited on your hands
from one product to another.
And of course, all family mem-
bers should wash their hands thor-
oughly before eating.
Dear Editor:
I am writing to you in regard to
the new Valu -mart store that has
opened up in the former Knechtels.
I shopped there last Wednesday
afternoon and was shocked at the
increase in prices. I prefer to shop
in Wingham to support the local
economy, but I'm afraid that I no
longer can afford to do so.
When Zehrs was open and two
stores provided grocery competi-
tion, they at least offered plenty of
different brands for those of us who
don't see the sense in paying $1.45
for a can of frozen orange juice.
Ainsley Wood,
Wingham
Dum dum buliet.' no
no
Regional designs show Aug. 26
BLYTH — Where can you find Cel- the Dinsley Street Garage. jewelry; Eunice Diamond — crea-
tic jewelry, handpainted dresses, Some of the new and established tive knitting.
chainmail purses, and prize- artists who will be presenting their ch Tickets cost ased at the Bl0 l0tand h can bl Box
be pur-
winning menswear? work are: Office.
Showcasing our region's most
talented designers of both men's Janet and Kate Baillie — hand-
and women's wearables will be the ' woven designs; Ellen Adams —
August 26 fashion show sponsored quilted vests and jackets; Linda
by the Blyth Festival Art Gallery. Kirby — handmade . millinery;
Celebrity commentators will keep Joanne Tsotros — handpainted silk
the local models stepping lively to
Celtic music while fashions are pa-
raded and refreshments served.
There will be two shows on Sat-
urday: 4:00 p.rn. and 6:30 p.m. at
dresses; Bertha Begeman — unique
knitted sweaters; Katherine Safr —
chain mail and celtic jewelry and
accessories; Bev Walker — weara-
ble art; Cora De Vries — ceramic
Workshops for those
t with lung challenges
LISTOWEL — Every breath can be register, call the Lung Association
a struggle for someone who suffers at 291-7500 (collect) or Pro Resp at
• from emphysema, asthma or chron- 1-800-387-4214.
is bronchitis. The Breathe Easy
program has been developed to
give those with chronic lung dis-
ease the knowledge and skills need-
ed to enjoy as active and rewarding
a lifestyle as possible.
The, Breathe Easy progran ,
sponsored by the Lung Association,
Huron -Perth Counties and Profes-
sional Respiratory Home Care Ser-
vice Corp., begins Wednesday,
September 13 in Listowel. The six -
session program will be held in The
Common Room at Maitland Ter-
race from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Breathing and relaxation tech-
niques will be taught and guest
speakers will provide information
on medication, diet, coping with
chronic illness and the use of res-
piratory equipment in the. home.
The sessions are informal and in-
clude time to chat with others who
are experiencing lung challenges in
their lives.
The cost of the six-week pro-
1 -
needed by police services
Dear Editor:
'The use of hollow point bullets
was approved and was greeted by
the police with delight. The "dum
dum", as we called them, were not
allowed by the military forces and
forbidden by the. Geneva Accord.
The aim was to put the enemy out
of commission and not to kill them.
I always believed that the police
had the same mission.
We claim to be a nation of com-
passion and did away with the
death penalty. The hollow point
bullet is a killer without trial. It
may even take the life of a subject
who committed a minor crime.
The "dum dum" bullet tears the
flesh to shreds with a hole as big as
a fist. If we applaud the use of such
a projectile of inhumane destruc-
tion, we are not only "dumb
Apollo 13 takes us back
to our progressive era
y wife Linda and I fi-
m,
nally had the chance
this past weekend to
see Apollo 13. I am
sure you are already aware of the
fact, but just in case, you're not,
the movie goes back in time 20
years to 1970, an era I personally
look back at with great fondness.
In the early 60s, President John
F Kennedy said that by the end of
the century we would be able to
put a man on the moon. But back
when he made that statement,
even the scientists that worked on
the project didn't believe we
would have the technology to do
it.
And after the impossible was
turned into reality I'm sure those
same scientistswere asking them-
selves what could we do in the
next 25 years.
It gave me the opportunity to
reflect upon the changes and ac-
complishments during this last
quarter century. Although we
have progressed technologically
iii leaps and bounds, I feel a great
del has been left undone
In
My
Opinion
Bruce MOFGAN
seems stupid to you too.
War is expensive. It costs a lot
of money to build bombs and the
equipment to deliver the explo-
sives. Again, why do we do it?
Shouldn't we, as a nation of peo-
ple, be striving to help the less
fortunate — feed the starving,
house the homeless. If the money
spent on the construction of am-
munition was funnelled towards
causes such as these, we would be
living in a world we could be
proud of.
During Apollo 13, there was
one point in the movie when it
was unknown whether or not
these three astronauts would ever
return to earth. What amazed me
was the incredible amount of sup-
port they received from countries
a
Don't get me wrong, during the all over the world. The Pope led a
last quarter century we've gone prayer for them in Rome, and
through a number of events that broadcasts were sent to every na-
we should be proud of. We have tion to report on their condition.
seen the fall of the Soviet Union, For one moment in time, the
the Berlin Wall has become a whole world was riveted to a sin -
thing of the past, and Apartheid gle event, and each and every per-
has ended in South Africa. son was praying in their hearts
These are the positive things that those three men would return
that we as humans have achieved, to earth safely.
events which have brought the hu- Wouldn't it be wonderful if we
man race together — to strive for a could treat each other with that
common goal worth achieving. I same caring and respect every day
can't help but wonder then why of our lives? Isn't it Unfortunate
we are still being torn apart by the that it takes an act of near death to
senseless human sufferings of war bring out the compassion in all of
happening today with the major us? Look around people. There
hot spots being Bosnia and are millions starving every day,
Chechnya. living in near death situations, and
Why do we do this? Why do they can use our daily caring and
we look for reasos to kill our fel- compassion
e as s well.ecan be heard
low human beings?
I have to tell you it seems ex- Saturday and Sunday mornings
tremely stupid to me, and I hope it on CHYM-Radio FM 96:7
dumb", but also encouraging vio-
lence. If we sit idly by, then we are
guilty of promoting the escalating
violence we witness today.
The argument that only five per
cent of the police use their weapon
is no excuse. By the way, the hol-
low point bullet also ricochets.
Adrian Keet,
Ingersoll
Wardens'
arrest
powers
restored
sb
gram is $10 and spouses are we
TORONTO — The power of arrest come to attend fo'-free of charge.
has been restored to wardens in On- pre -registration is necessary. For
tario' s provincial parks, following further information or to pre -
weeks of negotiations between the
Ministry of Natural Resources and
the Ontario Public Service Employ-
ees Union.
The powers were lifted June 27.
A memorandum August 2 to all
zone managers in the ministry re-
stores the powers and set guidelines
for the effective enforcement of
laws in the province's parks.
In an OPSEU press release, Ethel
LaValley, a member of the union's
executive board and a staffer at Al-
gonquin Park, said the memo was
"a confirmation of the union's posi-
tion."
LaValley said in the release,
"Our members, the wardens, were
quite clear that the lack of arrest
powers put them and park users in
danger. We have always called in
support from police forces when se-
rious infractions are involved, but
the power of arrest has enabled
wardens to deal effectively with all
but the worst of bad actors.
"In most cases, the threat of an
action is sufficient to make park us-
ers pay appropriate attention."
As part of the resolution, war-
dens representing OPSEU will be
named to a joint provincial enforce-
ment review committee, which will
review the guidelines.
Poaching goes
against our nature!
Canadian Wildlife Federation
For more information, call
1— • -563-9453
•
She t'tinginnz
Abd lICtee >to
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• The Wingham
• Advance -Times
• Box 390
// 5 Diagonal Road
• Wingham, Ontario
NOG 2W0
• 357-2320
cZ4 Fax: 357-2900
We're Moving
"A more central location to serve our clients better"
Effective Septemeber 1. 1995
°
Farm Credit Corporation's
Goderich Office
Relocates to
282 Huron St. W.
Clinton, Ontario NOM 1L0
Tel. (519) 482-5115 Fax. (519) 482-5116
1-800-567-6659
FCC
Farm Credit Corporation
Canada
SCA
Societe du credit agricole
Brian's valu-mart Opens August 28, 1995!
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