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The Times Advocate, 2008-07-30, Page 66 Times–Advocate Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Opinion Forum News Who desires a better country? I would like to address the issue of the recent appoint- ment of Henry Morgentaler to the Order of Canada. As I understand it, the Order of Canada is an award that is given to those who have enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country, and in fact the motto is "Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam", meaning "They desire a better country." The Order of Canada is meant to be an honour that unifies and brings Canadians together. Clearly, honoring Mr. Morgentaler in this way has not brought unity amongst Canadians. In fact, if anything, this event has revealed to us as a nation how divided we really are on the issue of abortion, and that it is not a closed issue. A recent Globe & Mail poll declared that 92 per cent of Canadians did not want the Morgentaler appointment to happen and just last year a CBC Facebook poll reported that ending abortion was the #1 wish of young Canadians for Canada's 140th birthday. There is also the report that nomination protocol was overridden in this case. Every other person that has received the Order of Canada has been appointed by unanimous con- sent. What kind of democracy is that? When 92 per cent of Canadians didn't want this to happen and there was a split on the advisory council. What does that say about our nation? Do the leaders have the ability to just bend and break the rules or ignore the general opinion when it interferes with their agendas? It would seem that honoring Mr. Morgentaler in this way was a political move to close the debate on abortion and thereby affect voting on Bill C-484 in the fall. (If you are unaware of this bill, it is a bill that would make it a criminal offence to cause injury or death to a preborn child. At the pre- sent it is only a criminal offence for causing injury or death to a pregnant woman; the child within her is not protected.) Yet another discrepancy in this appointment is the fact that this award can be removed for being con- victed of a crime within Canada, as was the case with Alan Eagleson in 1998 when he was jailed for fraud. Mr. Morgentaler was arrested in 1970 for performing illegal abortions, and again in 1983, making him unfit to receive the Order of Canada. It baffles me as to why our country would want to honor a man that has clearly shown no honor to the laws of our country or to the lead- ers who govern them. There was absolutely no need to cause such division by awarding Mr. Morgentaler with this honor. There are many more deserving Canadians that could have received this award, Canadians that have saved lives - not ended lives, Canadians that have obeyed the law - not broken it, and Canadians that all Canadians can honor - not just a select few. To honor this man is to dishonor 92 per cent of Canadians that disagree with what this man has "accomplished". To honor this man is to dishonor every other past recipient of this award. Lastly to honor this man is to dishonor and ignore the silent voices of 30 - 40 per cent of my generation that never made it past the womb. Is this the type of Canada you desire? CRYSTAL CYR, Exeter Questioning Armstrong's explanation I do not know if it is selective hearing, or selective vision, or selective comprehension, but it is obvious from his explanation (?) letter in the July 23 Times Advocate that Coun. Pete Armstrong has yet to grasp why I and many other apartment dwellers are incensed at the "pro- posed" new water rates. So I will give it another go. I live in an apartment building with 17 units and only one service. In my rent I pay 1/17 of the water bill. The proposal calls for the connection fee to be assessed on each "individual living unit," even though I do not have individual service. That means that I would be charged $568 for a service I do not receive. In the law books, that is called theft. I am sure that if Coun. Armstrong were to be assessed $568 for a non-existent service, he would be objecting too. ROBERT DRUMMOND, Exeter Menesetung celebrates Camp Menesetung, formerly known as Goderich Summer School, is celebrating 75 years of Christian camping on Sat., Aug. 16. All for- mer campers. coun- Letters selors, staff, board "...° tQ th. members and volun- >' 'dltpr teers are invited back for an afternoon of memories and fun. Registration is at 12:30 p.m. Opening ceremony begins at 1 p.m. There will be swimming, archery, a barbecue, campfire, games and activities for the kids (of all ages), and much more. Camp Menesetung continues to create wonderful memories of summer camp. Please come to the anniver- sary and "Tell Us Your Stories". Check out www.campmenesetung.ca BARBARA J. KNox, Board chairperson, Camp Menesetung In response to column Recently Pat Bolen included in his column remarks on the chairs in the hospital boardroom. Now most people wouldn't get excited about the com- ment, but the Hospital Foundation has worked very hard not only to do the right thing, but to appear to do the right thing. The comment, then, goes against this noble goal and definitely conveys an impression that is nega- tive, but optics being what they are, I can understand why Pat would draw the conclusion he did. First, the South Huron Hospital Association was fortu- nate to purchase the needed boardroom chairs second- hand. Pat's comments would leave one with the impres- sion that the administration sits in comfort or the chairs are often left idle. In fact, the board room is used for long meetings (often all day sessions); it is rented out to groups and used by many committees and organizations. Having attended many long meetings there, I know per- sonally that we do have to have a degree of comfort. Second, the chairs in the Medical Centre first and fore- most must meet infection standards, while trying to ensure patient comfort. The aim is to get the patients off those chairs as quickly as possible, although I know, again first-hand, that it can seem as though we're sitting for a long time. The Foundation determined quite a while ago that it would replace the chairs in the Medical Centre. The Medical Centre has undergone some minor renovations to provide space to accommodate four physi- cians and some of the waiting room chairs have been replaced with comfortable chairs that meet infection control standards. Again, this long letter is a sincere attempt to put a posi- tive stamp on what we have done and are doing. The public is encouraged to advise the hospital administra- tion of any complaints or to ask questions that need answers. Little is ever accomplished with just talking and not doing. BRUCE SHAW Chairperson of Fundraising Committee Communities in Bloom People, plants and pride .... growing together! Sat., July 26 was a busy day for Exeter Communities in Bloom volunteers. The Zinnia Days contest was held at the parkette between 10 and 11 a.m. Winners were Alexis Brintnell, Jordan Goodfellow and Karen Etherington who all received donated gift cards as prizes. During Sidewalk Sales on Main street, customers bought tickets on the Zinnia Quilt, a Limited Edition Schwin Bike and®ro? a fast food package all donated by Exeter businesses. wino= Winners will be drawn on Sept. 27, 2008 Provincial Communities in Bloom judges Angela Vieth of Waterloo and Bruce Hobin from Virgil near Niagara -on -the -Lake arrived on Saturday afternoon. That evening they attended a 'meet and greet barbecue' at the home of CIB chairperson Cathy and Tom Seip who were their hosts for the weekend. The South Huron mayor and councillors attended as well as several guests who had made contributions to the 2008 Exeter Book compiled for the Communities in Bloom program. The Mayor was pre- sented with a copy of the book, and another will be avail- able at the Exeter Branch of the Huron County Library. White Wonder, the local mascot arrived to present the judges with South Huron White Squirrel pins, while Lisa Boersma sang the White Wonder song written by Peter Snell in 1984. The music video featuring the white squirrels of Exeter can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7DKsZmEjds Judges spent Sunday touring Exeter, enjoying a trail - mobile ride to Morrison Dam on the trail, enjoying floral displays on the bridge and downtown, as well as all of our parks and many private gardens and lawns. They are also happy to report seeing a few white squirrels during their stay. They will depart on Monday morning. Communities in Bloom volunteers will be taking a break for a few weeks awaiting the awards weekend to be held in Gravenhurst in mid-September. There we will receive our "Report Card" and our "Blooms" on a scale of 1-5. This column will resume in September! 13e/Part of it! Resume assistance EXETER — A good resume has one objective — to help you land an interview. Your resume provides potential employers with a brief summary of your work and volunteer experience, education and skills. An effective resume will help you sell your skills and abilities to employers. You may also use your resume in other situations such as apply- ing for a scholarship, seeking admission to an educational insti- tution or applying for a work visa in another country. Before you begin your resume, think about the type of skills you have that employers will find valuable and think about what skills may be required for the job you are applying for. After brainstorming about your skills and abilities, think about what experiences you've had at work, at school and in volunteer positions that will help demonstrate these skills. After you've finished putting this content together, you are ready to format your resume. Follow the outline below. Personal information: Personal information includes your name, address, telephone number where messages can be left and your e-mail address. This should be at the top of your resume in bold and larger -sized font. Education: List your educational history, starting with the most recent. Include school name, type of program or major area of study, grade completed or certificate received and the year you completed your studies. Skills: In this section, use a point -form list to high- light your greatest strengths and qualifications for the specific job you are applying for. Work and volunteer experience: List your expe- rience, again starting with the most recent. Include business names, position names, the dates you were employed and the duties you performed. If you have a lot of experience, include that which is most relevant to the job for which you are now applying. You may want to separate work and vol- unteer experiences into two sections. If you don't have a lot of paid work experience, include any vol- unteer work you have done. Interests and activities: Briefly outline a few of your extra -curricular activities and interests to indi- cate something about your personality. You can also mention achievements and/or awards. References: Do not mention references on your resume, but do think carefully beforehand about who to choose as your three references. Be sure to contact them and ask their permission before including them in any reference list you supply to an employer, when asked to do so. When you put all of this together, you should have a concise, well -organized resume. Be sure to proof- read it carefully. Having an attractive, easy -to -read resume can make the difference between being offered an interview or not. For individual assistance with your resume, or for more information, visit the SCCY in Exeter Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 349 Main St. S., call 235-1711, fax 235- 2716, or e-mail ashley.blake@servicecanada.gc.ca For information on the Government of Canada summer work experience programs, call the toll- free Youth Info Line at 1-800-935-5555, the touch- tone phone or teletypewriter line (TTY) at 1-800- 926-9105 or visit servicecanada.gc.ca ASHLEY BLAKE YOUTH SERVICES OFFICER 11'1 • -- - Zinnia blooms – Three year old Alexis Brintnell proudly entered her zinnia blooms in the contest held Saturday at the parkette. Here she is receiving her prize from LindaTghart. (photo/submitted)