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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-12-13, Page 44 e Wind= Sbbante-Zinteo Published each Wednesday at: Box 390, 5 Diagonal Road, Wingham, Ontario Phone (5 i9) 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 Cathy Hendriks — Ad. Sales Stephen Pritchard — Production Jirn Brown — Reporter Margaret Stapleton—Reporter Eve Buchanan — Office Louise Welwood — Office '•y�%' ;2:8:+x:%%a#; z O z O Member of: OCNA CCNA The Wingham Advance -Times is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership. Letters POIICy 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 or mail to: P.O. Box 390, Wingham, Ontario NOG 2W0 •Edits •aria! Viewpoint • WEDNESDIJ) DECEMD(R i3 Itg Relations hurt By calling for a shutdown of London through a city-wide labor strike, the union movement has hurt it's status rather than won support from the public at large. In this day of economic instability and employment uncertainty, a great many people question the actions of the strike: a stike not necessitated by in -plant conditions or specific economic negotiations. Many who have not had a great string of employment success find only bit- terness in the actions of the unionists, ' onists, trying desperately to comprehend what it is these people want. Modern times and increased employee powers have led to a major flaw in the employment sector of Canada. Workers no longer sense that commitment to the job, simply expressing that employers owe them something more. Employers, frustrated by the powers given to the unions and greater government intervention have simply to pulled up stakes for the more business -welcome South- ern United States. Employment is a simple concept. Each of us sells our labor at a certain price. In return, the buyer of our labor expects a fair level of return: investment to the resulting product, be it automobiles, food products, or newspapers. At the end of the day all that is owed is fair compensa- tion. But what is fair compensation? Is it excessive pay de- mands for relatively low skilled labor? And by what standards should that investment be metred? All too often the public sees organized labor making demands of more money, more money, more money. Seldom do they see the good arguments of unionists: bet- ter products, safer working environments, greater skills enhancement and education opportunities. And the unemployed and low -paid private sector have grown tired of the arguments presented by people like Sid Ryan and Bob White. As have they grown extremely weary of the public sector unions that seem to do nothing more than demand and offer little in return. There is talk of .local public workers organizing. There is also talk of immense budget cuts and further extension of the social contract. Silently, the private sector awaits Mike Harris to have the courage to do so. Silently, major employers in the province wait for a return to investor confidence and management authority in Ontario. For those who saw fit to endorse, or even participate in the London shut down, shame. Shame for claiming the government is holding you as unionized employees -hos- tage, while you tum around and do little more than an- tagonize the non -unionized private sector and unem- ployed. Quite frankly, if those who did not show for work on Monday seem to think they have no commitment to hon- est labor, they should wait at the end of the other line and see just how ridiculous the whole situation has become. It's no wonder we can't attract greater investment in Ontario with attitudes like that. —CJW A reason to smile 7Ningfiam Town Council. For understanding that simply because our lives are conveniently automated some residents cling to traditional methods. Thanks for clearing the hitching post. er with Margaret Stapleton DECEMBER 1948 (laving held services in the school room for several weeks while extensive repairs and deo- crations were being made, the congregation of Wingham United Church again worshiped in the au- ditorium on Sunday. Last Tuesday, the property committee of Huron County Council visited Mr. J. H. Neill's 600 -piece Pioneer Museum. After seeing the trailers of exhibits of articles used in pioneer days, the committee purchased them. It is not known where the county mu- seum will be permanently located. Aitcheson Wallace has pur- chased Noah Reis' farm at Lot 23, Con. 9, of Howick Township and Mr. Reis has purchased the farm at Lot 15, Con. 7, formerly owned by Bill Edgar. The commencement exercises for students of Wingham High School were presented at the town hall last Monday and Tuesday evenings. Scholarships went to James S. Hall, Leslie Mae Wall, Alice Laidlaw, Mary Ross, De- lores Hamilton and Marion Irwin. The 30 -odd members of the staff of CKNX gathered in Studio B last Friday to commemorate the silver wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. W. T. "Doc" Cruick- shank. The couple received a sil- ver coffee maker and grape design rose bowl. DECEMBER 1961 Stewart "Zic" Cowan and Mor- ris Swanson were presented with plaques marking their long ser- vice on the Wingham Fire Depart- ment at the brigade's Christmas party last week. Mr. Cowan, who now has retired, served for 23 years on the fire department and Mr. Swanson for 21 years. Dr. Stewart Leedharn, president of the Wingham Kinsmen Club, officially opened the annual Kin Radio Auction last Thursday eve - ning. The auction netted oyer $700 which will be used for pub- lic service projects. Karen Jane, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Swanson and Andy (Winters) Coburn were wed on Tuesday of last week at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Wing - ham. The bride was a CNA at Wingham hospital and Andy"Win- ters is known to many as an enter- tainer. DECEMBER 1971 Wingham tow truck operator Keith Johnston was killed early Sunday morning when a north- bound car crashed into his wreck- er just south of Wingham on Highway No. 4. Jim Fairies of RR I, Gorrie and John and Nelson Underwood, RR 1, Wingham, were among the young people presented with awards at the 4-H awards night last Friday night at Seaforth. Ken Saxton and Jim Bain joined the Wingham Recreation and Community Centre Board last week, succeeding Dick LeVan and Jack Goodall. Margaret Black, RN, had the audience in stitches with her "Er- nestine" the operator skit at the annual hospital Christmas party. DECEMBER 1981 Andy McDougall and Erica Hooftman, both pupils at Turnber- ry Central School, received recog- nition for their prize-winning Turnberry 125th anniversary logo and slogan. Wingham ratepayers should brace themselves for another size- able hike in property taxes next year as council struggles to main- tain services in the face of rising costs and salaries, council learned at its December meeting. Allen Bridge was named Kins- men of the Year by the Belgrave Kinsmen Club. Howick Reeve Harold Robin- son is the new county warden. MUNIc1PAL%T° `11 1 (9 404\\V) wriovic wow 4-1 1- R -ES -P -EC -T: some don't get it The biggest challenge facing the Harris government may not have anything to do with spending reductions or omnibus de- bate. Most of the voting public know very little of what those issues truly mean to the province. In fact, the biggest challenge fac- ing Mike Harris is also the same challenge Prime Minister Jean Chre- tien contends with, as does Mike Harcourt, Ralph Klien, Lucien Bou- chard, Gary Filmon, et al. The chal- lenge, of course, is political respon- sibility. The most recent case against poli- ticians came in the Ontario legisla- ture last week when opposition MPPs linked arms to prevent Liberal Alvin Curling from being ejected from the house. Curling, along with several other opposition MPPs re- fused to vote on a routine motion to continue debate on bill 33. Their re- fusal left House Speaker Al McLean little choice but to eject them. Another fine example of how our politicians earn our respect: refusing to even talk about an issue that will dramatically change the face of On- tario government. With the most recent case in point: Curling's position and the subsequent discussion in the provin- cial house regarding how Curling would manage to relieve himself without leaving his companions and The Outer Edge Cameron J. WOOD the House, the public at large gets yet another frightening glimpse at how our political system operates. 'Our own MPP Helen Johns was in Huron last week to discuss the enor- mous deficit and debt each of us face in Ontario. Alntpst sounds like rea- sonable discussion for a politician concerned with economic security. But how can we respect Johns, who has actually done very little to dissuade us that she doesn't deserve it, when her government, her politi- cal leader, and for the most part, her entire party continue to behave worse than Junior Kindergarten chil- dren in the sandbox during their "spacial learning" quotient of the "experiential classroom setting"? The truth is, we can't. Despite the fact that Johns has al- ways been available for comment, up front on issues that concern her, and dignified in her travels across her constituency. We can't show Johns - a highly educated, well spoken lady - that respect, because when we get the big picture from Queen's Park, we realize that one voice from Huron County cannot af- fect any real debate — especially when the topic of choice these days seems to be not economics, but hu- man urinary function. I wasn't aware a government could legislate that. (Kinda brings a new meaning to government inter- vention!) "But that wasn't Helen," you tell me in quick argument to defend our MPP against the allegations of bath- room politics. Granted. But it wasn't the opposi- tion questioning whether or not Curl- ing would be able to go to the bath- room without being ejected from the House. They Were.' btilSY` tryinVIIO find an ansti, 'tb` ills d etl'iai► : something we kind of expected on a greater scale from our new govern- ment. Politicians make easy targets for editorial comment. Their very pro- fession is often closely mixed with controversy and debate. Yet, in our modern times our poli- ticians make a mockery of their own situation. By debating natural body behavior instead of the economic strife we have been experiencing for the past decade, they continue to re- veal they deserve nothing more than our disgust. Many profess they need the big pension payoff to attract quality peo- ple to office. By the looks of- it, we're still waiting for their arrival. Broken promises hurt popularity TORONTO -- Although Progressive Conservative Premier Mike Harris and his government have slipped in the polls for the first time since they were elected, this was virtually built into the agenda they set. Harris and his party fell to 50 per cent from the giddy height of 58 per cent to which they climbed after winning 45 per cent in the June elec- tion. The Tories had followed a trend set when the Liberals jumped to 60 per cent soon after forming a government in 1985 and the New Democrats soared even to 65 per cent for a few heady weeks in 1990. Many who did not vote for the new governments said they were willing to give them a chance. Harris would be fairly comforta- ble anyway, if he could rely on 50 per cent, because no party has won that much in an election for 58 years. But the Tories' surge at least has been halted, mainly because their cuts in spending are affecting more people. Harris's early cuts, in wel- fare benefits and social services which mostly help the poor, hurt comparatively few, who probably did not vote Tory anyway. The wid- er cuts particularly in funds for mu- nicipalities, hospitals, school boards, transportation and environmental and arts agencies (the poll was taken just before they were spelled out, but the public knew most of what was. coming) are worrying more of the middle class. Some who had deferred their criti- cisms of Harris are concerned be- cause services they use will be re- duced and many public sector work- ers including teachers who may have voted Tory are starting to worry about their jobs. The Tories' popularity also has been nibbled at because Harris has looked less sure of himself at times than when he surged from behind in the election promising in clear, di- rect terms to slash government dras- tically. The Tories have conceded they moved in too much hurry by re- writing some welfare cuts and a sen- ior minister's admission they stopped photo radar without a fair test. Gaffes by ministers have offended some voters. They include Harris's advice to welfare recipients to man- age on bologna, as he claimed he once did, and Community and Social Services Minister David Tsubouchi's offering a menu on which he said welfare recipients can live easily for $90 a month which was clearly inad- equate and gave critics something to chew on for weeks. There was Transportation Minis- ter Al Palladini's suggestion . that use if highways are not cleared of snow and the lawsuit against him by a former mistress, highlighting a growing view that Harris's govern- ment is for men. Harris's reluctance to lead in the newest constitutional debate and seeming lack of familiarity with its issues have prompted some to com- pare him unfavorably with his prede- cessors as premier, Bob Rae and Da- vid Peterson (although it should"be said they did not have much spsctrtss in their efforts.) Questions have arisen about whether Harris has broken promises. He said he would not reduce hea�th spending, but has cut funds for'lyorae areas of health and said the savinhs will be redirected to other areas, and, introduced user fees he said he would avoid. Doubts also have been raised whether the Tories will be able to keep their promise to go half- way next year toward cutting provin- cial income tax by 30 per cern, and they are now saying wait for their 1996 budget. But the Tories have made clear from the start that their program has two stages: cuts in spending that will cause pain, fol- lowed by a balanced budget that will bring relief from borrowing and the tax cut. Public debate is now focussed al- st entirely on the cuts in benefits d services, so that it is no surprise Tories have dropped a few per t in the polls. But their reputation 1 rise if they can bring off the bal- ed budget and tax cut. The hon - moon is far from over. mo an the cen wil ane surely everyone has a car phone to ey 1