The Times Advocate, 2008-07-09, Page 44
Times—Advocate
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
OC
=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 costs.
Canada Deb Lord — Manager
0 Scott Nixon — Editor
t The Times -Advocate is owned by
Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Metroland 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850
Media Group Ltd. Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • 519-235-1331
Doug Rowe -General Manager, Southwestern Ontario Division
EDITORIAL
No closure
In light of the province's decision Monday to
compensate Steven Truscott $6.5 million for
his wrongful conviction of the rape and mur-
der of 12 -year-old Lynne Harper, the word "clo-
sure" has been kicked around by many people.
They say with the province's decision last
August to overturn Truscott's conviction and the
Ontario Court of Appeal's declaration that the
case was "a miscarriage of justice," coupled
with Monday's compensation, that a dark chap-
ter in Canada's justice system has ended.
That's not the reality of the situation. There is
no closure, nor will there apparently ever be,
for Lynne Harper's family, which still has no
answers into the heartbreaking murder of a lit-
tle girl. And with the passage of time, nearly 50
years since the murder tore a community and a
province apart, there seems little hope they
ever will get those answers. That's not closure.
Nor will there ever really be closure for
Truscott or his family. That his conviction was
overturned and labeled a miscarriage of justice
was no doubt a huge sense of validation for
Truscott, but there will always be doubt in some
minds (including those in the Harper family) of
his guilt or innocence. There is no such DNA
evidence to give Truscott the 100 per cent clear-
ance that he wants.
And no doubt the $6.5 million will be nice,
although it's a strange number. How do you put
a price on a person's life? The province has
admitted Truscott's conviction was a miscar-
riage of justice — all the money in the world
doesn't give Truscott back the last 50 years of
his life, and it won't ever stop him or his family
from wondering what could have been had he
never been wrongfully convicted. As it is,
Truscott overcame huge odds to become a
model citizen after his release from prison,
marrying Marlene and raising three children.
His public persona has always been one of quiet
strength and he should be given credit for never
appearing bitter, jaded or defeated.
But while the compensation announced
Monday is deserved, the province still owes a
whole lot more to the Harper family.
G DAYS OF SUMMER
�
G� Y,
Cot1Tr3L NIM
4/114668
Dista ibuted by Canadian Artists Syndicate
No more cat stories
It's a strange thing we do, bringing pets into our
lives, knowing the time we have with them will be
short. And when it comes to cats, it's even stranger
because at the best of times it's like living with a
sullen teenager and at the worst of times it's like liv-
ing with a raccoon. And at the real worst of
times, it's like living with a teenage raccoon.
And the final act was written recently for
the four -legged ball of bad attitude that had
been with us for almost three years.
She came to us as a handful of fur that
could barely stand, the sole survivor of her
family.
From the start she was a perfect cat and a
lousy pet. The behaviour ranged from the
swats to the forehead at 6 a.m. when it was
time to be fed, (although there was food in
her bowl) to the not -quite -real attacks from
behind and the nightly 10 p.m. crazies, which
involved full -speed runs from one end of the
house to the other, and usually ended with a full tilt
head-on impact into a flat, hard, non -moveable
object.
There were also the attacks on the furniture, with
the defiant "I know you're too lazy to get off the
couch and stop me," and the forbidden swipes at the
window screens.
And occasionally there was the affection, doled out
grudgingly, with the look on her face saying "I'll
make you work for everything you get and I better be
rewarded for this," before the inevitable bite and
leap down.
But in the last two months of her life, the slightly
hostile/usually indifferent behaviour became unpre-
dictable anger, before a trip to the vet ended with the
question no pet owner ever wants to hear: "How
attached are you to this cat?"
I'm not a cat person. She gave nothing and
demanded everything.
So why do I miss her?
Why does it hurt?
Plush chairs
While I was getting my health card
renewed last week at South Huron Hospital,
I couldn't help but notice how plush the seat-
ing arrangements are in one of the down-
stairs meeting rooms. While it might not
have been, as Herb Tarlek said, "fine
corinthian leather," the swivel leather -like
padded recliners around the table are quite
comfortable.
I wasn't quite as comfortable, though, a
couple of hours later sitting at the South
Huron Medical Centre with its hard backed
chairs. Nor, I would suspect were the older
couple trying to get comfortable. Is there someone at
the hospital who can explain why the chairs deemed
satisfactory for patients at the clinic aren't consid-
ered acceptable for the staff and/or administration
meeting rooms?
Liberals arriving
With the arrival of Federal Liberal leader Stephane
Dion in Exeter on Friday, along with Huron -Bruce
Liberal candidate Greg McClinchey, those in atten-
dance might want to take the opportunity to question
the Liberals on their views on human rights commis-
sions in Canada and whether they support the effort
of Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca Liberal MP Keith Martin
to amend the Canadian Human Rights act to protect
free speech in Canada.
PAT B
BACK 40
VIEW
OLEN
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 519-235-0766
Fax number for accounting dept. 519-235-2449
Subscription Rates
One year rate for addresses in Canada: $42+GST
Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $75+GST
One year rate for addresses outside Canada:$160+GST
Call 519-235-1331 to order a subscription.
Classified Rates
Word ads: $13 for 20 words, 20¢ for each additional
word+ GST. Notices (births, announcements, coming
events, memoriams, cards of thanks): $16 + 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 message)
or toll-free at 1-888-270-1602. Deadline: Fri. 2 p.m.
Web site: www.southhuron.com
E-mail Us
TA e-mail addresses consist of the person's first initial
and last name followed by @southhuron.com.
For example, Deb Lord's e-mail address is
dlord@southhuron.com
Our general e-mail address is ads@southhuron.com.
The Times -Advocate Team
MANAGER Deb Lord ext. 103
ADVERTISING
Deborah Schillemore ext. 112
COMPOSITION
Nikki Cyr ext. 101
Kelly Gackstetter ext. 101
EDITOR
Scott Nixon ext. 105
REPORTERS
Pat Bolen ext. 113
Nina Van Lieshout ext. 107
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Sue Rollings ext. 101
Jennifer Skonieczny ext. 102
ACCOUNTING STAFF
Anita McDonald ext. 104
Ruth Slaght ext. 106
Marg Pertschy ext. 108
Heather Clarke ext. 111