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The Huron Expositor, 1985-08-28, Page 2Huron . r xposJtor SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Incorporating Brussels Post 10 Main Street 527-0240. Published in SEAFORTH, ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning HEATHER McILWRAITH, Editor The Expositor Is brought to you each week by the efforts of: Pat Armes, Bessie Broome, Marlene Charters, Joan Guichelaar, Gary Halst, Anne Huff, Joanne Jewitt, Stephanie Levesque, Dianne McGrath, Lois McLlwaln, Bob McMillan, Cathy Melody, Larry Till and Steve Walters. Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press institute Subscription rates: Canada $18.75 a year (in advance) Outside Canada $55.00 a year (In advance) Single Copies. - 50 cents each SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1985 Second class mall registration Number 0696 Averting a tragedy. A tragedy was narrowly averted In Seaforth last week. On Monday morning, a forklift began to slide into a hole while doing some work behind a property on Goderich St. W. Before it was over, a yawning chasm had opened up, revealing an abandoned septic tank with about four feet of water in its eight -foot square space. Luckily, there was no damage done either to the forklift or to'any' of the people looking on. That was only a fluke. Had a group of children been playing on the same spot (not an unknown .occurrence in the summertime), the end result might have been much, much worse. The culprit in this case was the covering on the old tank, which had rotted away. The tank had been disused for years, probably since long before the town passed its bylaw stipulating that all abandoned septic tanks (and there were many when the town converted to its own system of sewers 15 years or so ago) be filled with sand and gravel. The purpose of that bylaw appears to have been the elimination of just such a potential catastrophe. Unfortunately, it wasn't made retroactive. That means any other deathtraps still lying in wait around town escape the law. That makes life far more dangerous for everyone. Those who own property on which they know of such openings should make the effort to fill them in voluntarily. The owner of the Goderich St. property had a contractor out to begin work that afternoon. He likely figured - as should others - better the expense of a few pounds of dirt than the guilt of a needless death. If the property owners don't do it on their own, town council should strengthen the bylaw to compel them to do so. No one wants to see a child - or an adult - die. — L.T. Trash or treasure? Every kid while growing up should be entitled to experience the thrills and chills of slip, sliding away. As everyone knows, Seaforth is a nice place to live, raise children and enjoy life in general. That statement was made recently in a letter to the editor written by David E. Leeming. In that letter Mr. Leeming pointed out Seaforth has almost everything going for it. It has top-notch summer and winter sporting facilities among other things. It is however, as he put it, lacking In one area. Seaforth does not have a "hill." Mr. Leeming goes on to suggest Seaforth residents awake to the possibilities that exist already in the town, in particular, the prime location it has for just such a "facility" - the current landfill site. He suggests residents use their imaginations and try to envision the dump site as a future mini alpine delight' for both summer and winter use. Since the dump site is a controversial issue right now and since its future is somewhat limited, It makes sense to anticipate now a use for that site once It becomes abandoned. It can surely become more to the eye, and to the people of Seaforth, than a mountain of refuse, Other communities have proven it can be done, and done effectively. Kitchener -Waterloo, for instance, has transformed a former dump site into a ski hill in its Forest Heights subdivision. And closer still, Goderich has transformed one of its old dump sites into the beautiful Optimist Park. All it takes is a little imagination on the part of the residents to start plans formulating and in this instance prove true the statement, that one man's trash is another man's treasure. — H.M. An honorable man DRESSING THE PART—Much in evidence at last weekend's Western Days Jamboree in Seaforth was the spirit of the Old West. Many stores had decorated their doors and windows, and some of the town's merchants, as well as their employees, took the •time to decorate themselves. In the latter category, for example, was Sandra Morrison, a teller at the Toronto -Dominion bank. She donned her best duds for the occasion. That tough -looking cowgirl scowl is really just enact. (Till photo) Best money can buy Most readers of this column Imre I am not overly impressed by politicians. I still believe our system of government can be made to work. An exclusive story in The Saturday Star has caused me to question 'my faith in the system. The Star reports The Ontario liberal Party has started to sell access to David Peterson, Premier of our province. The price tag' is $1,000. The money will be used to retire debts of the liberal Party and for Party financing. The party has sent letters to 15,000 company officials inviting them to join a new group called the Liberal Economic Advisory Forum (LEAF), Membership will be granted to persons making a maximum contribution of $1,000. For those of you who have a thousand or more to hand over to the Liberals, the benefits are impressive. According to the letter sent out by Donald Smith, President of the liberal Party, these people will: - "Attend regularly scheduled meetings with Premier Peterson and his most senior colleagues; - "Be kept informed of the policy development process via a hot-line telephone number; - "Receive the liberal Economic Forum's In his eulogy for the great Roman leader Julius Caesar, Marc Antony called Caesar's killer Brutus "an honorable man." His sarcasm in the use of that term has tarnished the notion of honor and dignity for hundreds of years. So it is today that the concept of an honorable man remains one of the most elusive labels people can apply. It is only with considerable reluctance that one bestows such praise. Frank Miller was, and is, an honorable man. He is one of the few politicians in Canada who's in the game to do what's right -- the honorable thing. His earthy, homespun aura is well-deserved. It has been said there are two classes of politicians - those who are in it to make a name for themselves, and those who are in it to make a difference. That being said, Frank Miller was definitely in the latter category. His politics may have offended some people. He certainly made his share of gaffes. But unlike most of his contemporaries, he wasn't afraid to own up to them. After leading his party to its most disastrous electoral showing in nearly half a century, Mr. Miller recognized he was not the right man for the job and did the only honorable thing he could do - resign. It is hard to imagine another politician with enough class to make such a selfless decision. Even those who disagree with him on the most fundamental issues respect him for bowing out with dignity. That is a rare trait indeed. In these days of the cynical, self-serving "what's -in -it -for -me" breed of politician, Frank Miller was like a throwback to a more innocent time. In the end, his innocence may have spawned his Inability to survive the present system. — L.T. 4 1 COUNTRY CORNER by Larry Dillon Update Ontario, a quarterly assessment of political developments and economic strat- egy „ The plan is a wonderful fund raising idea for the Liberal Party, If all 15,000 company officials who were invited to join send in their money, the party will receive fifteen million dollars. The way I see it, businessmen had better send that money in. Any business that wants to succeed in this province has to have the right connections. The invitation to allow them to become involved with the Premier and his senior colleagues and to be kept informed of policy development, will give the people who pay up a unique opportunity to influence and to be informed of, current government policy. I was shocked to read Premier Peterson is agreeing to this idea. The report in the Star goes on to indicate this scheme is legal. It may be legal, but it certainly seems to be unethical. it also appears to be a good way to destroy the credibility of the liberal Party. In the meantime the farmers of the province had better become involved. If this new Economic Advisory Council is composed only of non-agricultural businessmen, we can expect government actions will tend to ignore the needs of agriculture. It will become necessary for a representative number of farmers to pay the $1,000 and join. [don't happen to like the idea that many of us should hand over that much cash, particularly at a time when so many farms in the province are losing money. We don't have much choice. We need a well informed and sympathetic government to help resolve the crisis in the province's agricultural industry. The very existence of the fund raising scheme implies people who do not pay up will have less opportunity to have input to our government. The idea disturbs me. I believe the government of this province should be working for the voters, not just for those who have made cash payments of $1,000 or more. Reflecting on change There have been many changes at Queen's Park since my last column and I u ,uld like to take this opportunity to report on events during that time. Eight days after the historic legislature vote which led to Ontario's first liberal government in 43 years, Premier David Peterson and his Cabinet were sworn in by lieutenant -Governor John Black Aird, I have been given the honor of being named Minister of Agriculture and Food in the new Cabinet. On July 2, the Liberal government met the Legislature for the first time, with Premier Peterson outlining the government's priori- ties to M. P. P s. In his speech, Mr. Peterson reminded Members of the short transition time taken by the liberals from Opposition to the Government benches, As he said: "We have much work to do for the people of Ontario. Speed was necessary because we recognized the importance of moving quickly to tackle the pressing problems confronting this province." Premier Peterson set the tone of the new government, pledging an administration of openness, compassion and competence." In the short time since June 26, Ministers and government Members have been working to meet that standard. On the question of openness. Attorney - General Ian Scott moved to introduce the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The Bill places on government the responsibility to reveal the information in its possession. Exemptions to the information which can be revealed are limited and JACK'S JOTTINGS by Jack Riddell, MPP specific, and may be reviewed by an independent Commissioner accountable to the whole Legislature. Other aspects of the Bill rigorously protect the personal privacy of citizens. Government pledges tor rent reform were quickly fulfilled when Housing Minister Alvin Curling announced a new four per cent limit for rent increases on all private rental dwellings, effective August 1 The rent review process remains, allowing landlords to pass along legitimate costs associated with owning rental housing. A government must be compassionate. Premier Peterson spoke of this when he announced that extra -billing by doctors would be banned. Health Minister Murray Elston is meeting with doctors to determine the fairest way -of meeting this commitment. Programs affecting senior citizens will be developed in a more ettective and sensitive way. Under the direction of Ron Van Horne, the Minister responsible for senior citizens affairs, policies regarding health care. community support and homemakers pro- grams for the elderly will be changed to meet individual needs. The liberal government will move quickly to assist Ontario farmers. In a recent speech to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, I as Minister of Agriculture pledged government assistance in the areas of interest rate relief and price stabilization. These moves will be made quickly in order to resolve long-stand- ing difficulties which have applied up to note. Finally, the government will apply strong standards of competence on its day-to-day operations. Premier Peterson's statement to the Legislature announced an immediate freeze on the government's advertising plans. These will be reviewed in order to achieve the greatest saving of public funds. Treasurer Robert Nixon will conduct an examination of the whole range of govern- ment expenditures. As Premier Peterson declared: "The taxpayers trust us to put their money to the best possible use. W e will not let them down." The Premier's July 2nd speech referred to numerous initiatives to restore to govern- ment the qualities of openness, compassion and competence. During the next few months, 1. look forward to outlining and discussing with you government programs that will achieve those goals. Junk in the mail Because 1 write a syndicated column, I've been put on the hit list of some public relations outfit in New York. As a result, f receive a stream of garbage mail containing fascinating material about some product or other that is being pushed by the PR firm. Usually, i spot it right away and toss it in the round filing cabinet without even opening it. Today came one of these missives and, distracted by something else, I had opened the thing and read a paragraph or two before I realized it was just another piece of puffery. It was headed News From: The Hamburg Group. For Release: Immediately. All press releases say the latter. Anyway, I thought it would be a pitch for Me.Donalds' or a string quartet. It wasn't. It was a senes of little articles about Hamburg and Germany, touting that city's great variety of attractions. Such junk has about as much place in this celumn as an account of the origins of bee -keeping in Basutoland. And £m sup- posed to print it free. What dummies these PR people are. However, I'd already read enough to hook me on the first article, entitles: Brewery's Waste Energy To Heat Hospital. It didn't make sense at first. Why should breweries waste energy to heat a hospital, unless they're trying to make amends to all the people who wind up,in hospital with cirrhosis of the liver from drinking their poison? I took another look at the heading, spotted the apostrophe, and now it made sense. A brewery will deliver heat and hot water to a hospital. As part of its brewing process, the brewery used to end up with a lot of excess heat that must be cooled before it is released into the air. Now, instead of being wasted, that heat will be channeled into the hospital where it will be put to good use. Cost of the deal, equipment and stuff, is about 900,000 marks, to be assumed by the city. The debt will be liquidated through the SUGAR AND SPICE by Bill Smiley savings on energy that would otherwise have to be purchased. Are you listening, Labatts, Molsons et al? Instead of pouring money into sports and all these phoney ads, about as subtle as a kick in the ribs, indicating that beer -drinking will make your life macho, full of fun and beautiful girls in skimpy swim suits, why don't you channel your heat into hospitals? Think of the free publicity! Ain't them Germans something, though? If they didn't start a war every so often and get clobbered, they'd own half the world, with their resourcefulness and hard work. Last time I saw Hamburg was in 1944. and it wan literally hamburg. The RAF had firebombed it by night and the USAAF had pounded it by day until it was a heap of rubble. f was a prisoner of war and saw it from a train Window on my way to an interf'bgation centre in Frankd'urt. Forty -odd years later, it has risen from the ruins like a phoenix, and is a booming city, visited by over a million travellers in 1981 But Hamburg-Schmamburg. I'm not going to urge my readers to go there. it was the article on heating that caught my eye. Aside from the breweries in Canada, this country has another industry that could produce enough heat so that, if it were properly channeled, we could thumb our collective noses at the Arabs. I'm talking about politics. Town and city councils produce enough hot air to heat at least one hospital within their limits. Provincial legislatives produce enough hot air to replace half the oil used in their provinces. And from that vast deposit of natural gas known as Ottawa issues daily enough hot air to heat Montreal's Olympic Stadium, even though it has no roof. And that's only touching the bases, without going to the outfield or the infield. Think of all the hot air produced by teachers and preachers, union leaders, abortionists and anti -abortionists, public relations people, medical associations, school boards And there's lots more where that comes from The squeals of those caught with a mortgage to be renewed, the moans of farmers who are ismall businessmen: eir shirts, the bellows of angry these are wasting energy by blowing hot air into our rather frigid climate, there to be dispersed into nothing. Add to this all the hot air that is poured into our telephone lines, that is batted back and forth over business luncheons and at parties and over the breakfast table. It's perfectly simple. AU we need is a means of bottling the stuff somehow, and distributing it to the right places. if our scientists can send a missile to Mars, surely they can find a method of storing and channeling the incredible quantities of hot air that rise in clouds over our country. Peter Lougheed might have to cap some of his oil wells, but if somebody came up with the solution, we could not only tell the Arabs what to do with their oil. We could probably buy Saudi Arabia. Maybe 111 drop a line to the Mayor of Hamburg, see what he suggests.