HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1978-06-29, Page 4Page 4
Citizens News, June 29, 1978
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Quebec ►,; ove regrettable
The move by the Ontario government to
restrict the flow of Quebec construction workers
into this province is a step which is regrettable but
at the same time necessary, in light of the current
situation.
While M. Levesque sees his province's action
as a necessary one in order "to rationalize the con-
struction industry in Quebec", it's obvious that the
restriction on Ontario workers is but one small step
in the province's switch to that of an independent
state.
What the Davis government has done is to
"take the bull by the horns" by asking the federal
government to ask for a ruling from the supreme
court on whether Quebec's restrictions are con-
stitutional and by introducing a bill in the
legislature almost identical to the Quebec worker
limitations.
As in most disputes of this nature, it eventuates
into a numbers game with Ontario restrictions on
Quebec construction workers affecting more peo-
ple than vice -versa. Depending on whose figures
you believe, either 2,000 or 5,600 Quebecers could be
affected by the Ontario retaliatory move.
While the proposed Quebec legislation would
not affect workers currently working in Quebec,
one would have to concur with Premier Davis'
statement in the house that it is a sad moment when
it may become necessary to go to the courts in
order to ensure the basic right of Canadians to work
where they please in this country.
Road safety
Canadians are killed in automobile accidents at
the rate of more than ten a day and it has been es-
timated that between five and ten percent of the
beds in our general hospitals are occupied by
traffic -accident victims. Our highways are awfully
bloody.
Faulty design and mechanical failure have con-
tributed significantly to the blood -sacrifice exacted
from us for the privilege of having automobiles.
Manufacturers, prodded by public opinion and
governmental action and probably by their own
consciences, are showing increasing
responsibility
in the design and making of automobiles. Most gar-
agemen seem to be men of basic honesty and com-
petence, but there is ample evidence that some of
them do careless work on our cars and trucks.
But if every manufacturer and garageman
agreed not to put a vehicle on the road until it had
received Ralph Nader's personal stamp of ap-
proval, we would still have serious road safety
problems. When we have said all that there is to be
said about the makers and maintainers of
automobiles, we still have to come to terms with
responsibilities of drivers, your responsibilities and
mine.
A few years ago the Roman Catholic Church in
France declared certain driving faults to be "sins",
which must be confessed. A spokesman for the
French bishops pointed out that these are all "sins
of pride", and among them he listed dangerous
speeding, illegal passing, and drunken driving. We
are all proud of our driving ability: one gets the
im
-
pression that about 95 percent of all drivers con-
sider themselves above average in driving ability.
most of us, undergo subtle
Many of us, perhaps g per-
sonality
er-sonality changes when we get behind the wheel of a
powerful automobile — and a false and dangerous
pride is an important element in these changes.
Road safety is not merely an engineering and
legal concern: it is also a significant issue in per-
sonal morality, a matter of personal integrity. A
British organization, "Christian Action", used to
publish advertisements in which this declaration
was made: "Carelessness on the roads is
sometimes a crime — it is always a sin,"
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Miscellaneous
Rumblings
By
TOM CREECH
Recalling
death
A part of life which we all must experience at
some time in our stay on this earth is death, be it
ourselves or a loved one. It's one of the many un-
pleasant experiences which we must all go through
in order to appreciate the multitude of good and
worthwhile activities which a majority of people
will experience.
Death in today's world is an accepted fact of
life, just as it should be but the constant exposure to
death results in a callousness which at times is un-
necessary and cruel.
Do the members of today's society reflect on
the suffering which was administered to the
millions of Jews during the second world war or the
thousands of people who have been removed from
this earth by other than natural means.
The effects of a death on an individual are
related directly to the connection between the in-
dividuals who have passed away.
A death within the immediate family is usually
the most traumatic, due to a closeness of three or
four people living under one roof, sharing the
same sorrows, the same feelings of eestacy and the
feeling of a whole.
When my father passed away, it was as if an
appendage had been removed. There was a sudden
feeling of ,emptiness, not necessarily sorrow, but
the realization that what had been there was not go-
ing to be there, no matter what happened.
On many an occasion during the moments just
following his death as the cold harsh realities of life
came through, it was the unconscious that helped.
Memories of good times caused enough of a
rebound in the human spirit to prepare you when
the next bit of reality came into focus.
The death of a friend affects you in somewhat
of a different manner than of a loved one. With the
close interaction of a family atmosphere certain
life and death situations inevitably arise but the
association with another individual who is neither
your lover or a friend -from -birth type of arrange-
ment strikes you in a different way.
In high school there happened to be a person by
the name of Paul who in addition to being one fine
athlete was one hellofa guy. Our paths had crossed
as early as grade seven as the boys from the east
side of town toured over to the west for a game of
football.
While the above individual pursued his athletic
interests in an active way, I became more involved
in the active -passive athletic position of being a
member of some of the school's interschool sports
teams.
It indeed came as a shock when it was learned
that this individual, a person who had contributed
much to the school, had cancer.
Initially it was difficult to detect any physical
change but as the football season rolled around, you
could tell that this was not the same person.
During the Christmas season it was apparent
that this individual might not be with us very long,
as he entered the hospital never to return.
Early in the new year the inevitable happened,
as Paul found his final resting place.
I can recall sitting at the dinner table on the
day which he died, talking about death and other
related matters. For some unknown reason, I
started to weep.We had never been what you could
call close as it had been more of a "comrade
in arms" type of relationship but it felt awfully
Please turn to Page 5
Published Each Wednesday By J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
Member:
Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association
Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association
News Editor - Tom Creech
4GNA
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