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The Times Advocate, 2005-02-23, Page 44 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, February 23, 2005 =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 costs. Jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Deb Lord Production Manager ti Published by Metroland Printing, rt Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Metroland 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Much ado in Exeter There has been a lot of activity in Exeter's busi- ness community recently. Downtown, The Shipping Store celebrated its grand opening on the weekend. South Huron Surplus also opened shortly before Christmas and the town has seen the expansion of Huron Apothecary. Also, Triangle Discount underwent changes to become SK Convenience, while long-time local businessman Jerry Mathers recently retired. The biggest news, however, is what's happening at the north end of town. With a brand new Shoppers Drug Mart scheduled for a March opening, and with another video store and a fitness centre, business in the Highway 4/83 area has exploded in the last few years. While new business is always welcome news, let's hope it doesn't come at the expense of Exeter's down- town core. People travelling through town often com- ment on how busy Exeter's downtown is — let's keep it that way. Too many small towns see their downtowns decline over time. A strong downtown core has always been Exeter's hallmark and we should do everything to keep it that way. The fact that new businesses are always popping up on Exeter's Main Street points to a positive future. Game on ice Last weekend's news that the NHL was unable to "un - cancel" the season after commissioner Gary Bettman officially cancelled the season a few days earlier was actually good news. It was good because a 28 -game regular season would have been a joke. Rightly so, the eventual winner of the Stanley Cup would never be seen as having truly deserved the opportunity to drink from Lord Stanley's mug. The NHL, already the punchline to many a joke in the U.S., would only have become more of a target of ridicule if, mere days after cancelling the season, it then did a complete about-face and decided to have a season after all. The sad part about this whole struggle between the NHL's owners and its players is that it has nothing to do with the game — money is all that matters to these owners and players. The owners want more money and the players don't want to give some of their money back, grossly overpaid as they are. In the end, the players don't have a chance of winning this fight against the owners. They can either agree to a salary cap or watch replacement players called in next season. In the meantime, Canadians will get their hockey fix elsewhere. And much to the NHL's chagrin, Canadians may discover they don't really need the NHL. Editorial Opinion )istr8ibuted by Canadian Artists Syndicate Inc. Players and owners offside It's over! NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has cancelled the 2004-2005 hockey season. after day we have been subjected to reports, ad nauseam, about the status of labour negotiations that have finally cracked through the ice. If we're lucky enough, maybe we can stay afloat and for- get about NHL hockey for a while. As it now stands, everything is off the table and when talks resume, it will be back to square one. It's somewhat sad when you consider the historical context. For the first time since 1919 Lord Stanley's Cup will not be award- ed to the NHL's best team. Champagne corks won't be popped in the locker room and fans will miss the hype leading up to the final game and the celebration after the fact. But there's so much more to NHL hockey than the winning team getting the cup. What about loyal fans missing an entire season of fast -paced action? How many suppliers have had to lay off Day workers because the demand for pucks, sticks other items has dwindled? What about front line workers in arenas or servers at the local pub? Do they still have their jobs or have their hours been cut? Both the players and the owners should take a time out and really consid- er how their inability to score a deal affects others. The only problem here is money. Players' salaries and owners' profits continue to escalate and the peo- ple who make that possible, the fans, and STEPHANIE MANDZIUK CONSIDER THIS! ers, for Coming sides, is. are being sent to the penalty box. If time heals all wounds, including bodychecks from both sides, maybe we'll witness positive changes when negotia- tions resume. Suspending fans and oth- an entire NHL season, isn't the answer. up with a winning gameplan for both About the Times -Advocate 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: $38+GST Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $70+GST One year rate for addresses outside Canada: $104 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription. Classified Rates Word ads: $11.00 for 20 words, 20c for 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 Web site: 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 Deborah Schillemore ext. 112 REPORTERS Scott Nixon ext. 105 Pat Bolen ext. 113 Stephanie Mandziuk ext. 107 CUSTOMER SERVICE Sue Rollings ext. 101 Sherrie Thomson ext. 102 COMPOSITION DEPARTMENT Manager Deb Lord ext 114/103 Sharlene Young, Dianna Hardy ext. 103 ACCOUNTING STAFF Anita McDonald ext. 104 Ruth Slaght ext. 106 Christina Scott ext. 108 Marg Pertschy ext. 111