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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-11-22, Page 66 Times–Advocate Wednesday, November 22, 2006 Opinion Forum News Help the Christmas Bureau A donation to the Christmas Bureau helps ensure there is food in every household and gifts for every child in Huron County for the holidays. This year the south- ern Huron host for the Huron County Christmas Bureau is Exeter United Church, 42 James St. in Exeter. For more information, you can contact the church by phon- ing 235-0860 or e -mailing ucexeter@quadro.net. Suggested items for donation are new clothing: paja- mas, underwear (especially boxers), hats, socks, mitts, sweatshirts, jeans; personal care items: shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes; paper products: diapers, toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex; non-per- ishable food: Baking products, cereals, canned meats (salmon, tuna, ham, chicken), baby food, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, puddings, canned fruit, soup, crackers, canned beans; toys: games, books. The Bureau is especially in need of items for teens up to age 16. Financial donations will also be welcomed (receipts given) and used for the purchase of food certificates and clothing from local businesses. Included in this week's T.A. is a special brown paper bag for your dona- tions. Donation drop boxes can be found a various business- es, banks, post offices and grocery stores in the area. In Exeter, drop boxes can be found at 17 locations; in Hensall at the Post Office, D & D Variety, Kozy Korner and Bank of Montreal; in Crediton, Jordy's Gas Bar; in Huron Park, the Post Office; in Centralia, Malibu Restaurant; in Zurich, Rona and Memory Lane; in Grand Bend, Colonial Hotel; and in Dashwood, Allen's Cafe. Exeter United Church will be receiving gifts from Dec. 11 - 15 from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Angel trees will be displayed at several local schools, churches and stores. Please take an angel and buy new clothing or a toy and return it to that tree. The Exeter Lioness Club will also be collect- ing new toys, clothing, food and unwrapped gifts along the annual Exeter Santa Claus parade route Saturday. The Exeter Jr. D. Hawks are also holding their annual Teddy Bear/PJ toss and food collection for the Christmas Bureau at their Dec. 8 game. Consider donating your time and talents, as volunteers are always needed to make this event a suc- cess. Please contact Bureau managers Debra Johnston (519-235-0741) or Ruth Mercer -Ross (519-235-0342) for more information. Due to your generosity last year, 131 local families were able to give their children a Merry Christmas. So while you are preparing for the holidays, please think about someone less fortunate as well. The spirit of Christmas is giving to others with our time and our gifts --please give generously! Thank you from all the volunteers, i and this is completely acceptable, but we have to live with the consequences of that choice. The children in this circle of society are not consid- ered, and the debate has never mentioned the plight of the children. The question of "Who am I?" is never con- sidered, and the confusion factor is made greater, and where do they turn for answers and security? In every society males and females exist to propagate their kind, and our society strains marital relationships. We are now in the situation where we are not repro- ducing fast enough to sustain commercial growth and productivity. What to do next? Certainly not promote same-sex marriage which in itself is incapable of repro- duction and therefore unable to fulfill the mandate of go into the world and "be fruitful and multiply." We have put ourselves into the situation where we promote and encourage society to conform to the lowest com- mon denominator rather than the highest common standard. It takes discipline to maintain a high stan- dard and family living can attest to that. Male and female are different and each contributes to achieving that potential of high standard. Canadians and all other nations demand it. GEORGE BURGIN Kirkton Council needs to plan ahead I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the candidates who were successful in the municipal election. I also want to thank the candidates who were not successful. It takes a lot of time and energy to run a campaign. It also takes a lot of courage to stand up in front of many people and explain why you should be a leader in the community. Lastly, I would like to thank previous council members who either did not return or who were not re-elected. Your dedication and contribution to the com- Letters munity is truly appreciated. You have to the taken three municipalities and merged Ethem into one — a tough job, but you did ditOr it. To To the new council — now the work begins. If you thought running a campaign was hard work, wait until the new session LINDA RUSSELL, Publicity Coordinator Re:Vote on redefinition of marriage This letter comes in response to a newspaper article in the London Free Press, dated Nov. 18, 2006 — "Gays Push for Marriage Vote." Gay activist Francis Legace of the gay rights group Families d'Aujourd'hui of Montreal, wants the promised free vote in the House of Commons on whether to reopen the debate now. Michael Hendricks, another member of that group, stated that most Canadians accept the current legislation and don't want the issue revisited. The terms "most" and "majority" are used in articles like this on a regular basis with no explanation of the word. The term "most Canadians" comes from what poll? Does it mean most Canadians in the big cities, most Canadians owning property, or what? Some refer- ence point needs to be stated so that the statement could be made that most people who responded to such -and -such a poll said this .. . Up to this point no local political representative has asked for my opinion on the matter of redefining the term "marriage." It is my firm belief that this matter should not be voted on now, and that the need for an open debate on the subject is necessary. This whole debate issue centres around one thing: a group of mostly adults in same-sex relationships, who cannot have children of their own without some cross - couple relationship, wants to be considered married couples. We as "humankind" were given the option of making choices, something we do all our waking hours, begins. There are many tough decisions that have to be made. There are many people telling you what you should and should not be doing. These are the people who voted. These are the people who took the time to make sure they have representation on council. Listen to them, make sure you understand their views and concerns. They are who you work for. They are the ones who pay your salary (albeit not a very good one). They got you there to do a job. The past two councils were very busy focusing on the amalgamation and the problems that come with that task. They, in my opinion, did a pretty good job. Now it is time to focus on the future. Throughout the campaign we heard many catch phrases like "responsible government," "accountabili- ty," "honesty," and "economic development." I wonder, at times, if people really know what these terms mean. We all want accountable government, we all want eco- nomic development, we all want an honest government as well. I would like to see a government that is pro -active, not reactive. It is this reactive mind set that has caused so many problems today. The Crediton sewer project is a good example — why had this not been dealt with years ago? Did previous councils (Stephen at the time) not see this coming 10 years ago? A good business plans out 10 or even 20 years. In government, it seems the longest planning horizon is four years — just enough to get to the next election. We need a government that has the courage to plan for longer periods of time. What hap- pens in 10 - 15 years when the South Huron Rec Centre starts falling apart? If we have all this "economic devel- opment" that the candidates have been promising, are the current facilities sufficient to hold more people? What happens in five to 10 years when even more work needs to be done to the Stephen arena? What shape will our infrastructure be in? Will we have roads that are made up of small patches of tar? We are all concerned about taxes. Nobody wants a tax increase. However, in the real world, things cost more today than they did five years ago. A neighbour- ing municipality just elected a former mayor based on his history of zero property tax increases." He was a very popular mayor. However, today, this municipality must deal with a crumbling infrastructure. Roads are falling apart and the local arena is falling apart. Now they are faced with large tax increases just to maintain the current system. Eventually, we all have to pay. Yes, we could spend years lobbying the provincial govern- ment. However, they are much too busy lobbying the federal government, who in turn, are lobbying China, the U.S. and Europe. Also, they do not have any money either (So they say). I would like to see a long-term financial plan in place where we can have small, reli- able, steady tax increases in order to prevent one-time large expenditures that come up unexpectedly. Economic development doesn't come cheap. I would like to see a government that concentrates on what makes a municipality a home, not just a place to live. What makes a municipality a home, you say? They are the things that bring people together and provide support for others. They are the things that add joy and a sense of security. Health care, recreation, support for our children, the elderly and the disabled, just to name a few. These are a few of the things that make a com- munity a home. You want to talk about economic devel- opment? It is very difficult to attract new business, industry and investment to a community without a hos- pital, without a recreation department with accessible and up-to-date facilities, without a childcare program. These "basic" aspects of a municipality create a home, not just a municipality. We need to get back to the basics. True, these things do not create positive cash- flow for a municipality, but that is just too bad. That is what a government is for — not to make a profit, but to provide services to those in need. This is why we pay taxes. After saying all this, my economics degree tells me that government must also be held accountable with taxpayers' money. Although government is not there to make a profit on our tax -dollars, they are not there to lose our money, either. There is a fine line that must be drawn. This is why a fair, reliable tax system must and should be used. A system that plans for the future but also maintains the affordability to its people. A system that can afford to set money aside each year for the unexpected and a system where local governments are not afraid to use it. Yes, we have reserves. Why then, are Crediton residents (and others as well) forced to "foot the bill" for the sewer problem? As I said before — this is a problem that should have been planned for 20 years ago. I am sure other areas of the municipality are going to have to deal with these issues some day as well. As we say in my business: "Those that fail to plan, plan to fail." There you go; you have four years to prove your- selves. Prove to us you are thinking about the future of this municipality. Not just the next four years, but the next 10 and 20 years. I wish you all the luck in the world, but most importantly, the foresight and courage to do what is right. It is going to be an interesting and challenging four years. However, don't worry, the good people of this municipality will be here to help you along the way. JEFF E. KELLER, BA (Economics), CFP, FMA Exeter Blue Water committee says "thanks" As co-chairs of the "Rest Well" campaign at Blue Water Rest Home, we are very grateful to all the orga- nizations and individuals in this area who have provid- ed continuing support to Blue Water, Huron County's only charitable Long -Term Care Home. The "Rest Well" campaign is an ongoing process to enhance the com- fort, well-being and quality of life for the seniors entrusted to our care. The donations for 2005/2006 exceeded our original goal for that period by over 15 per cent, totalling nearly $35,000. With the donated funds we have been able to provide an enhanced level of comfort by purchasing new electrically operated beds for 24 of our 65 resi- dents here at the home. The task continues for 2006/2007. This year's "Rest Well" campaign goal is to complete the new bed pur- chases so that everyone who lives here can enjoy the enhanced benefits these beds provide. The amount required to accomplish this is $62,000, and we have received over $8,000 in the short period since the new materials were sent out. Our "Bed Races" were a hit at the Zurich Sesquicentennial celebrations. Since they were a significant contributor to our success, we are planning to run them again. We hope the community will continue to support Blue Water and our efforts to deliver high quality care to those who deserve our best — the people who raised us. Thank you again to all those who have donated so far, and we look forward to the continuing success of the "Rest Well" campaign. RICHARD ERB and RON HEIMRICH Co-chairs, fundraising committee Blue Water Rest Home, Zurich