The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-05-05, Page 44 Exeter Times—Advocate Wednesday,May 5, 2004 zkxna =CNA TIMES ADVOCATE PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing casts. Jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Deb Lord Production Manager Published by Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. IMetroland i 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIALS Child seat proposal good News released Monday that the province wants to make booster seats mandatory for pre-school and primary grade children too big for child car seats is a step in the right direction. If passed, the legislation will make booster seats mandatory for children weighing between 40 and 80 pounds up to eight years old. Currently, children over 40 pounds are only required to wear a normal seat belt. The new rules would go into effect in the spring of 2005. The new regulation will also give demerit points to drivers who don't use the infant and toddler car seats or who use them incorrectly. Grandparents and babysitters, previously exempted from such regula- tion, will also be required to use the proper child seats when transporting children. While increased regulation on the roads may be something Ontarians are weary of, it's hard to argue against any legislation that makes the roads safer for children. According to the Canada Safety Council, proper use of child car seats can reduce the possibility of fatal injury for infants by 70 per cent. For toddlers, proper restraint use can reduce the risk of fatal injury by nearly 50 per cent. Provincial Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar said the new rules, if adopted, will prevent injuries and save lives for children too big for toddler seats and too small for seat belts. Information provided by the province states: • motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death and injury among children and youth; • an unrestrained child in a 50 km/h crash would suffer the same consequences as a child dropped from a third -storey window; and • children using seat belts instead of booster seats are 3.5 times more likely to suffer significant injury, and four times more likely to suffer head injury. The importance of smoke detectors Speaking of safety, South Huron fire chief John Morgan pointed out the importance of smoke detec- tors in homes in light of a fire in Exeter late Sunday night. Morgan said the sleeping residents were saved because they were awoken by their smoke detectors. Smoke detectors are relatively cheap, low in mainte- nance and they can save your life. Sounds like a pretty good endorsement. About the Times -Advocate Editorial Opinion Community spirit and great Canadians One of the best parts about working and living in small-town Ontario is seeing community spirit at work. I witnessed a good example of this on the weekend in Exeter and Lucan. Two events, a VON Palliative Care Hike for Hospice and a fundraising kick-off for the Lucan Area Heritage and Donnelly Museum, showed the positives that can result when people pull together to support a cause. Of course, events similar to the aforementioned hap- pen every weekend, but in light of last weekend's crim- inally miserable weather, it was impressive to see so many people brave the wind and rain in Exeter to help raise money for VON. At the same time in Lucan, a crowd lined Main Street to watch a mock stagecoach robbery as Lucan Area Heritage continues to raise money for a new museum at the site of the historical Central Hotel. It would have been much easier for all involved to stay home and watch whatever mindless garbage was scheduled on TV Sunday afternoon. It's no surprise the events went on in spite of the weather, though. Lucan Area Heritage members, for example, have shown a strong determination for years to get a new museum. They're not going to let some rain stop them. It's been said in this space before, but a new, 12,000 sq. ft. museum in Lucan is great news for that village. With construction slated to start in the fall with a spring 2005 finish, it will finally give Lucan Area Heritage a venue to properly display its thousands of historical artifacts, including those from the Donnelly massacre and the Wilberforce settlement. If promoted properly, the new museum could be a huge tourism draw. The Greatest Canadian On another note, you've no doubt seen the commer- cials on CBC for The Greatest Canadian poll being held. The commercials show various people shouting out names like Margaret Atwood, Pierre Trudeau, Rocket Richard, Louis Riel and scores of others. Nominations close May 16, followed by a fall television series on the top ten, after which Canadians can choose the winner. Which makes me wonder — who will Canadians choose? Hopefully not a politician, although I would be willing to accept someone like Pearson or Laurier. Also, the winner should not be someone who fled the Great White North for the sunnier and more prosperous United States, which leaves out my personal hero, Neil Young. Neil may be the greatest rocker of all time, but he's not the greatest Canadian. And while I worship hockey players, I don't think a person should be named Greatest Canadian just because he is an elite athlete. No, their contribution to society should be more substantial than playing a game. Of course, there are dozens of Canadians worthy of mention, but a couple of people I think worthy of winning are Drs. Frederick Banting and Charles Best for their work at isolating and purifying insulin, leading to the treatment of diabetes. They won the 1923 Nobel Prize for their efforts. It would be hard to argue against Banting and Best. Another great Canadian I hope gets many votes is Farley Mowat Think about it — is there anybody more Canadian than Mowat, an endlessly entertaining char- acter who has written scores of books on Canadiana? Many of his books have dealt with the north, and he helped expose the plight of Canada's Aboriginal People. Plus, in the 1980s, Mowat was banned from entering the U.S. on a book tour because he was deemed a subversive. For that reason alone, he's my personal choice. SCOTT NIXON AND ANOTHER THING Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Holidays. Contact Us By Phone or Fax Classified ad & subscription sales (519) 235-1331 24-hour automated attendant (519) 235-1336 Fax number for all departments (519) 235-0766 Subscription Rates One year rate for addresses in Canada: $37+GST Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $68+GST One year rate for addresses outside Canada: $104 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription. Classified Rates Word ads: $10.00 for 20 words, 20for each addition- al word+ GST. Notices (births, deaths, announcements, coming events, memoriams, cards of thanks): $15.00 + GST for up to 50 words, All ads must be pre -paid. The classified ad deadline is Monday at 10 a.m. Display Advertising To place a display ad, (519) 235-1331 weekdays 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. or evenings (519) 235-1336 (leave mes- sage) or toll-free at 1-888-270-1602. Deadline: Fri. 4 m. -mail Us Website: www.southhuron.com TA e-mail addresses consist of the person's first initial and last name followed by @southhuron.com. For example, Jim Beckett's e-mail address is <jbeck- ett@southhuron.com> Our general e-mail address is ads@southhuron.com. The Times -Advocate Team Publisher/Editor Jim Beckett ext. 109 Advertising Barb Consitt ext. 110 Reporters Scott Nixon ext. 105 Pat Bolen ext. 113 Mary Simmons ext. 107 Customer Service Sue Rollings ext. 101 Carol Powe ext. 102 Composition Department Manager Deb Lord ext. 114/103 Sharlene Young ext. 103 Jacky Westlake ext. 103 Accounting Staff Anita McDonald ext. 104 Ruth Slaght ext. 106 Carol Windsor ext. 111