HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2007-10-03, Page 66
Times -Advocate
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Opinion Forum News
MMP teaches co-operation
Helen Bourne's letter of Sept. 26 is an interesting account of proportional repre-
sentation from the point of view of the individual voter. There is a wider perspective
on Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) Systems, however, which it would do well for
us to keep in mind.
The responsibilities of an MLA extend beyond simply dealing with the concerns of
individual constituents, important though that is. A great deal of time and effort
goes into committee work, and the task of researching, reviewing and preparing
legislation. MMP provides for this with its "list" or "at large" members, who can
take the load off local riding representatives. Under the proposed Ontario system,
parties would be required to publish the names of their list candidates, together
with the method used to nominate them. Voters could then use this list to decide
which party they cast their second vote for. (It is not accurate to say that list mem-
bers are "not voted in." The party that chose candidates "of very poor calibre"
would inevitably suffer at the ballot box.
MMP is criticized because smaller "fringe" parties can dictate to the party in
power and thus "dilute" the policies of the government. But absolute power, grant-
ed to the government by the first -past -the -post system, can produce far more dam-
aging results. Ontarians need only remember the widespread damage the Mike
Harris "majority" government did to health care and education, precisely because it
had no effective opposition.
Ms. Bourne complains that "vote splitting enables the smaller parties to gain a
foothold far beyond what the numbers supporting them should allow." But that is
precisely what is wrong with the first past -the -post system. Almost invariably, a
party is given absolute power in spite of the fact that most voters voted for some-
body else. That is what "proportional representation" is designed to correct.
With MMP, the parties are required to learn the skills of cooperation and compro-
mise, and abandon ideological extremism. It would be refreshing to see party lead-
ers sit down and reason together, instead of attacking and vilifying one another, as
they are doing even now.
DOUGLAS FRAME, Exeter
EPS says thanks
Thanks to the parents, staff and community of Exeter Public School who raised
$1,100 through the basket ticket sales on Meet the Teacher Night and another
$494.92 on our Terry Fox Run day Sept. 28. It is such a pleasure to have so much
support from the community to donate a total of $1,594.92 to cancer research from
Exeter Public School. You are all making a difference, one step at a time!
Thanks from staff representatives:
BARB DIETRICH AND ANN DEVRIES
Steckle corrects "misinformation"
Last Thursday (Sept. 27) the Huron County Federation of Agriculture host-
ed a provincial all candidates meeting in Holmesville. While the event was
well attended and generally very informative, I regret that I must write this
letter in an effort to clear up some misinformation that was distributed from
the platform by one of the provincial candidates.
In response to a question regarding the referendum on Mixed Member
Proportional (MMP) representation, one of the candidates suggested that he
had a letter from me professing support for the proposed new system of
electing provincial MPPs. That is simply and utterly
untrue and I would like members of the public to
understand that such statements do not
reflect my personal opinion on the matter.
Petters To be perfectly clear, it is my intention to
to the vote against the proposal for a new system
of proportional representation because I
Editorbelieve that MMP will have a substantial
+ and negative impact on rural Canada.
In countless other jurisdictions around
the world, jurisdictions that have enacted a
proportional system, political instability has
often followed. Moreover, given that MMP is a sys-
tem that would give political power based upon population, it would logical-
ly follow that the larger the population, the greater the influence. In
Canada, that means that, under the proposed MMP system of government,
rural Canada would be last in line for help from governments, something
that I would oppose vigorously. Our current system is not perfect, but let's
not throw the baby out with the bathwater. MMP is an idea that has been
discussed for years — and rejected for years. While I had not intended to
take a public stand on the matter, given that it is before the people in a ref-
erendum, I cannot permit false and misleading information to be circulated
in my name.
Again, it is my intention to vote against the proposed MMP system of elect-
ing our provincial representatives and any statements to the contrary are
false.
PAUL STECKLE
Huron -Bruce MP
Principal's message
EXETER — This is a very important week at South Huron as we celebrate
the academic achievements of our students in the previous school year.
On Friday morning we will be holding our annual Academic Awards
assembly to recognize the students who achieved the top marks in individ-
ual subjects, had the highest averages overall, and/or achieved Honour
Roll standing with an average of 80 per cent or better. We will also rec-
ognize student accomplishments in math contests, in the annual busi-
ness plan competition and in student leadership. The assembly will
begin at 10 a.m. and parents and family members are invited to attend.
Our annual Commencement ceremony takes place Friday evening.
Students who graduated last year will receive their Ontario Secondary
School Diplomas, and awards, scholarships and bursaries will be pre-
sented to graduates for excellence in academics, contributions to
school and community, and leadership. The program begins at 7:30
p.m. in the large gym and graduates are asked to be at the school by 7
p.m. to get into their caps and gowns and get organized for the pro-
ceedings. Commencement is our most important celebration of
achievement and we encourage all graduates and their families to
attend this event.
Last Friday we took part in the Terry Fox National School Run, an event
held across Canada to pay tribute to the courageous accomplishments of
this national hero. I would like to thank all the staff and students who took
part in the run/walk, with special thanks to teacher David Macleod who
organized the event. While most of our students participated in the walk, I
was disappointed in the number of students who opted not to support this
event. I can't imagine there is anyone more deserving than Terry Fox to be
honoured in this way, and so it is discouraging to think that students could
not give up an hour or so of their time to go for a walk to honour someone
who ran a marathon every day in an attempt to raise money for cancer
research.
I would like to remind everyone again of the School Council's "Parachute
Plunge" fundraiser, scheduled for Oct. 19. Ticket purchasers will have a
chance to win one of five excellent prizes, the top prize being a trip for four
to Toronto to see the musical "Dirty Dancing," with travel on Via
Rail, overnight accommodations at the Fairmont Royal York, and a
$100 gift certificate for the Keg Restaurant, all courtesy of Ellison
Travel. There are also four cash prizes from $100 to $1,000.
Tickets may be purchased for $20 each from School Council mem-
bers, at the Main Office at the school, and at the following locations:
M & M Meat Shop, Ellison Travel and Curves. Tickets will also be on
sale at Hansen's, Your Independent Grocer on Oct. 12 and 13.
Proceeds from this fundraiser will be used to support ongoing
School Council activities.
BURN Finally, I would like to mention the "Futures Week" that the
PAL'S School Council is sponsoring in two weeks. During the week of Oct.
AGE 15 to 19, the School Council will be hosting a series of afternoon
and evening sessions on career planning for senior students and
their parents. The sessions will cover entrepreneurship and small business,
apprenticeships and workplace careers, college and university, financial
planning, and careers in agriculture. A complete listing of the sessions can
be found on our school website at www.shdhs.ca under the heading "Career
Week at SHDHS."
A Facebook page for this event has also been created: The "I Don't Know
What I Want to Be When I Grow Up" Career Week at SHDHS page.
JEFF
REA
PRINCI
MESS
Update from the South Huron mayor
SOUTH HURON — The mayor of London is looking for 3,000 ambassadors to pro-
mote her city.
I am not saying that it is a stolen idea, but I announced last fall that I wanted to put a
smile on everyone's face in South Huron, so they could be an ambassador to their
community. My idea was a little far fetched as you can not please all the people.
Fact of life.
If we are to have economic development in this municipality, you need the cit-
izens happy to be living here. No one is going to move here and businesses
won't relocate here if residents feel this is a lousy place to live. My vision for
South Huron is to create the best municipality for us to live, to work and to play
in.
The one thing that is not a community builder is rumours. I stated earlier in
one on my write-ups how to deal with rumours. I am still hearing rumours on
the street. The good news is "the rumors that I have heard so far have had no
truth behind them." Remember if you hear a rumour, call your ward represen-
tative, the municipal office, the deputy mayor or the mayor to find out what is Ken Oke
going on. mayor for an investigation.
Lately it has been disappointing for me to hear a rumour about a municipal employ- If we are going to make South Huron the great municipality that we all want, it will
ee. I heard it third or fourth hand and not from the person who initiated it. When I take all of us to work towards it.
asked the employee in question, although they knew there was a problem, the rumour
in no way reflected the problem.
Where do I stand now? Municipal members of council and municipal staff are ser-
vants of the public. There is a difference between servant and slave. Respect must be
shown by both sides to make a pleasant and congenial relationship in the
municipality. Having said that, we all make mistakes. I am still making them.
If you feel you have a problem with staff, please try and work out your dif-
ference with that staff member. Having failed that procedure, please call the
mayor. We might not be able to rectify the problem, but if brought to light, an
apology might be in order and maybe the situation might help to make sure
the problem doesn't happen again.
If you have a problem and feel it is too small to do anything about it, but big
enough to tell everyone your version of it, then it was big enough to do some-
thing about it. If someone tries to tell you they have been wronged by a South
Huron staff member, you should ask them if they have called the mayor. If
the answer is no and they continue telling their story, you should call the