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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-09-07, Page 44 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, September 7, 2005 =CNA Editorial Opinion 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 ii Published by Metroland Printing, ri Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Metroland 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Katrina an eye opener Once again a world tragedy of huge pro- portions reminds Ontarians how lucky we are. The horrible devastation Hurricane Katrina left in its wake across Louisiana and Mississippi last week is something Canadians can read about in newspapers and watch on TV, but is something most of us will likely never experience firsthand. And we can thank geography for that. Canadians grumble and complain about almost everything, particularly the weather and taxes, but one thing we've been blessed with is protection from huge natural disasters. Sure, our winters are miser- able and we suffer the occasional ice storm or torna- do, but the big events, such as hurricanes or major earthquakes, are mostly unheard of. Hurricane Hazel is a notable exception, but that happened more than 50 years ago. Locally, everyone admits Exeter's flood problem has to be fixed and is a problem for home and business owners, but seeing how one of the greatest and most interesting cities in the U.S., New Orleans, has been absolutely ravaged by intense flooding puts things into perspective. We're not just talking about wet base- ments and ruined carpets — if New Orleans ever recovers, it will take years and decades. The damage is incalculable. There is plenty of blame to go around — from Washington's painstakingly slow response to the res- cue efforts, to the state's and city's inept and woefully incompetent methods of protecting New Orleans from the waters of Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. Experts have been predicting for years that such a disaster could happen in New Orleans — unfortunately they were prophetic. If a government's primary responsibility is to protect its citizens, the people of New Orleans were horribly let down. But pointing fingers of blame isn't what's most important right now. What's paramount is ensuring the people of Louisiana and Mississippi are rescued and have adequate shelter, food and clothing. To that end, Canada should do whatever it takes to help its neighbour to the south. And speaking of Canada, how would this country react if a natural disaster of a similar magnitude hap- pened in one of our cities? Would our government respond any faster than Washington did? Would our poor and vulnerable be forgotten and left to fend for themselves for days before help arrived? Let's hope we never find out. But let's make sure we are prepared. 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: $130 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription. OKAY.,, MAYBE WE DID OVERDO IT A LITTLE WITH THEv',- BACKTO'SCHOOI\ SUPPLIES... 4141414TAILJTED B AN aRTI5T5 sYNDICAT MEW Let's have a safe school year It's back again. Summer's gone and school is in. For many, school routines may have begun weeks before school actually started. I guess some kids might go for this, you know going to bed early and getting up early, among other things. The Huron OPP have sent me some tips for back to school and I'd like to pass them on. Some children walk, some take the bus and some get driven. A planned walking route to school or the bus stop needs to be discussed choosing the most direct way will be least con- fusing. Choose a way with the fewest street crossings and with crossing guards and intersec- tions. Don't just discuss it, practice it too. Make sure your child knows to stay away from parks, vacant lots, fields and other areas where there aren't many people. Teach your child to obey all traffic signals, signs, traffic officers and safety patrols and make sure your child walks to and from school with a friend, neighbour, brother or sister. If you're car-pooling, make sure to pick up your child as close to the school as possible. Parents don't leave until they're safely in the schoolyard or building. Teach your child not to talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from them. If your child is home alone after school, set up some rules for locking doors, win- dows, answering the door and telephone and any activi- ties that are allowed or not allowed. Finally, make sure you take the time to listen to any fears and feelings your child has about people or places that scare them or make them feel uneasy. Over the summer, not many school buses have been seen. Now that they'll be on the streets regularly drivers need to know not to pass a stopped or stopping bus with its overhead red signal -lights flashing. This is dangerous. I don't know how many times my mom, who's a school bus driver, has come home complaining of people passing her stopped school bus. To anyone out there doing this, it's dangerous for the children, for the bus driver, for you and anyone else who may be around. Please think about this the next time you're trying to get somewhere 10 seconds faster. Drivers must stop at least 20 metres behind the bus and can not proceed until the bus moves or the overhead red sig- nal -lights have stopped flashing. There are hefty fines for this if caught too, so don't do it. Last but not least is the new booster seat law that came into effect at the start of the month. Drivers, please comply with this. Any child that is less than eight years of age, between 18 kg and 36 kg and less than 145 cm (57 inches or 4'9" tall) must use child car seats or booster seats. Remember, kids getting on buses are as little as three years old, there's no car or booster seats for them. Think about that the next time you go to pass a stopped school bus. NINA VAN LIESHOUT KICK THIS AROUND Classified Rates Word ads: $11.00 for 20 words, 20¢ 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 p m. E-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 Nina Van Lieshout ext. 107 CUSTOMER SERVICE Sue Rollings ext. 101 Kim Hern ext. 102 COMPOSITION DEPARTMENT Manager Deb Lord ext. 114/103 Sharlene Young, ext 103 Heather Bilcke ext. 103 ACCOUNTING STAFF Anita McDonald ext. 104 Ruth Slaght ext. 106 Christina Scott ext. 108 MargPertschy ext. 111 Heather Clarke