HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1985-10-09, Page 2Huron
po.e
E x sitor
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
ED BYRSKI, General Manager
HEATHER McILWRAITH, Editor
The Expositor is brought to you each week by the efforts of:
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SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1985
Second ;class mall registration Number 0696
Broken promises
The main victims of the recent federal budget were to be two very
disadvantaged groups - senior citizens and mothers.
Strong political pressures have succeeded in reinstating the full value
of old -age pensions but mothers are still in jeopardy.
In September, Bill C-70, a bill to de -index Family Allowances, was
introduced to the House of Commons. It was approved in principle last
week. The bill calls for the reduction of family allowances by three per
cent starting in 1986. This means family allowances would lose a third of
their value in 10 years, two-thirds in 20 years and so on,
The bill doesn't come as much of a surprise since the history of family
allowances is one of constant erosion. Twenty years ago, family
allowance represented a six per cent expenditure of Canada's gross
national product. By 1973 the Liberals reduced it to three per cent of the
gross national product. In 1974 the New Democrat Party launched a fight
to have the family allowance doubled and won, Now the Conservatives
are attempting to take the benefit of fully indexed family allowances away
from children and families.
in future months further measures will be introduced to change the
Child Tax Credit, the Child Tax Exemption and to impose unfair taxes on
families. The combined effect of these measures will take over 1,000
annually out of the pockets of two -child families by 1990. The hardest hit
will be the poor families.
In proposing these changes the Conservative government argues it has
to cut back on spending because of the deficit. These same Conservatives
gave a half a million dollars capital gains tax holiday to the wealthy in the
last budget and just recently bailed out the banks for over a billion
dollars.
Why should a family with three children and an annual income of
$26,000, which stands to lose $270 next year, make sacrifices in order to
bail out the Northlands Bank? Any why don't we forget about the planned
cutbacks of $55 million in family assistance programs by 1987 rather than
spend $56 million to change the color of our soldiers' uniforms?
Family allowance, for one, recognizes the value society places on child
rearing. It is more than just an amount of money, it is a recognition that
children•are the future's most valuable resource. Family allowances are
paid for by everyone without making a contribution to the next
generation.
Bill C-70 is an attack on children and especially on women who receive
the monthly family allowance cheque.
The bill runs totally contrary to the Conservatives' election promises of
giving priority to the interests of women. It also contradicts Brian
Mulroney's personal assurances that universal benefits would be a
"sacred trust" and that no monies would be taken out of children's
benefits to reduce the deficit.
In most parts of Canada, family allowances now amount to $31.27 a
month for every child under 18. The latest statistics from Health and
Welfare Canada show the monthly payments go to 3.6 million families.
Lacked freedom
Canadian lawyers have long lacked the freedom to advertise their
services, enjoyed by their American counterparts. The restrictions
against advertising are kept in place not by law, but by law societies. In
Ontario it is the Law Society of Upper Canada which holds sway over the
promotional privilege of Ontario barristers, and that body is now under
pressure to relent.
A recent report by the Ontario division of the Canadian Bar Association
Indicates the time has come to allow lawyers the thrill (or burden) of
competition, by easing advertising restrictions. Legal societies should
take heed.
The report contends that giving lawyers access to marketing tools
common in other service business or professions would lower legal fees
and increase public awareness in matters legal. Who, in need of legal
assistance, has not bemoaned the high price of justice? Here is a chance
to do something about it.
The main argument against advertising by lawyers seems to be a fear
that hard -sell, misleading advertising practices common in today's
marketplace would damage the image of the legal profession and cause
public mistrust. It is unlikely this would happen for the simple reason
that the Canadian lawyer is not a media creature.
This became evident when. attempting to elicit the views of local
lawyers on the subject of advertising. Of three Seaforth lawyers, one
declined to comment on the issue when informed he would probably be
quoted; another returned not one, of several telephone calls; while a third
expressed only guarded enthusiasm for the proposal.
Surely a group so reluctant to gain media exposure by simply replying
to a reporter's queries, is unlikely to become Involved in promotional
campaigns worthy of a used -car salesman.
The one local lawyer who did offer his views on the subject was
adamant that advertising should only be used to give the public
much-needed information on the mysteries of obtaining legal assistance.
Lawyers are now placed on a pedestal which tends to inspire awe in the
people they have been trained to help. if advertising would narrow the
gap caused by such near -idolization, perhaps the average person forced
to seek justice in the courts would feel more comfortable in doing so.
It is time to life the mythical aura which presently surrounds the legal
system and give the courts back to the people for whom they were
originally designed to protect. — P.R.
NEW LOOK—The Commercial Hotel, built In 1885 has undergone
extensive renovations over recent months. Brick work, wood work
and landscaping_ have all combined to give It Its new look.
(Mcllwralth photo)
Made out the bad guys again
Darn that David Peterson. He's made us
the bad guys again.
Mr. Peterson is the only politician in power
in Canada who is against free trade between
this country and our giant neighbor to the
south and as such, he's cultivating our image
as the "ugly Ontarians" again.
I listened to a radio interview with Peter
Lougheed the other day and knew I should
feel ashamed to come from this province.
We're a greedy, ignorant lot. We know
nothing about what the Prairies are like, or
the Maritimes or B.C. either. like the
Americans, we can see only the picture
postcard scenes of those far off parts. We're
not like the Albertans who know so much
about how we live. They know we all live in
Toronto or Hamilton, that we all live fat -cat
lives and want to keep everyone else in the
country from living the same way.
W e' re a sneaky, greedy lot, not looking out
for the good of the country at all but simply
what's best for ourselves. That's why Mr.
Peterson is trying to block free trade. We
can't compete with the rest of the world so we
rig the rules in our favor, We're always
scheming and conniving like that Trudeau
fellow to help us set the rules to help us stay
on top of the country. Everybody knows the
National Energy -Program was a plan to
destroy those upstarts out west who were
getting too uppity.
BEHIND THE SCENES
by Keith Roulston
Mr. Lougheed can speak with perfect
conviction that his province is always the
victim and we are the bullies. Like a victim of
a traffic accident, he knows none of what has
happened is his fault. It was always the other
guy (that'stt s) who was at fault. Questioned if
he was unhappy so many negotiations he had
taken part in as premier of his province had
been so acrimonious. He was, he said, but
what could he do? It was all that man
Trudeau's fault, or that man Bill Davis or that
man David Peterson.
When things go wrong with the dream of
western supremacy such as western banks
going broke, it is not because management
was bad (or perhaps even a little dishonest) it
was because that man Trudeau ruined the
economy with his national Energy Program,
and because those horrible eastern bankers
pulled their loans so as to destroy the western
banks.
All that industry irk Ontario isn't there
because by.afreak efggpgraphyjlpd history,
there is a finger of Canadian land that
stretches right down into the heartland of the
major population centres of the U.S. Our
growth, Mr. Ihugheed and all westerners
know, is because we rigged the railway rates
to keep the West producers of raw materials
and consumers of manufactured products.
Probably we even rigged the weather so
there were more frost -free days down here so
our farmers (woops, we have farmers? 1
thought we all lived near Bay Street) can grow
crops like soy beans and tobacco that really
make money.
Now I know Mr. Peterson likes to think of
himself as a nice guy. So do our local cabinet
ministers Jack Riddell and Murray Elston.
But they can't be nice guys because they
come from Ontario. Being a nice guy from
Ontario is like Ronald Reagan discovering a
nice guy in the god -less evil empire of Russia,
like saying the New York Yankee fans who
boo national anthems are nice guys. If you
guys want to be nice guys on the side of
righteousness, with no feelings of guilt,
you'd better move west.
Summers not like they used to be
Ah, summers are not what they used to be,
except for the young. They're not as long, not
as hot. and not as mysterious. That's the
story of our recent one, at least in my books.
it was cool and wet, fine October weather in
..July, not one night sweltering in bed,
listening to the one mosquito that had
penetrated the screen In fact, even the bugs
were hibernating' "Too cold for me, Mama.
Too wet for me. Daddy." Only a few intrepid
earwigs seemed to tough it out "
Do you panic and start smashing and
squashing when an earwig scampers across
your bathtub? i do.
August was even more of a disaster, at
least for me. The toilet tank on my downstairs
Johnny burst one night after a fierce
thunderstorm. I'd heard water running. but
thought it was off the roof
Went downstairs and walked (in my
slippers) into half an inch of water on the
kitchen floor, a river running down the
basement stairs, and, when i waded to the
basement. two inches down there, with more
pouring down every second.
Started throwing towels all over the place
The water kept gushing out of the tank.
Fiddled with it It kept spurting through the
busted tank, like an elephant having a leak.
Thank the Lord for plumbers, especially
when they're old friends and good Anglicans.
We got her stopped That is, I dashed about
in my sodden slippers, trying to keep it from
flowing onto the hardwood and under the rug,
and Tom had enough sense to turn the water
off, at some secretive tap in the basement,
which f hadn't been able to find.
Then came a man from the insurance
company, with a sixty -foot snake that sucked
up all the water Jolly good. But it was not to
he. Next morning. my upstairs toilet
SUGAR AND SPICE
by Bill Smiley
overflowed and I went through the throwing -
towels routine again.
Oh, well, these things are sent to try us. i
don't know for what. I don't want to be in
charge of the towel -throwing department
when the next flood comes along. Meantime,
I'm going to have an awesome plumber's bill,
Summer, of course, was not all bad. Some
old friends sought me out. i was invited to
Victoria, B.C., the Ottawa Valley, to
Godericir, Ont., by old airforce friend
Anderson, to Georgetawn• _for a meal any
time, to the Bruce Peninsula, and so on.
And I got gifts. Don McCuaig, an old
newspaper friend, gave me a copy of Dieppe
and Beyond by John Patrick Grogan (isn't
that a lovely Ottawa Valley Irish name?)
describing the life of a young Canadian
captured at Dieppe, and his life as a P.O. W . it
is a good read, and can be bought from
Juniper Books, RR 2, Renfrew, Ont.
. Another old newspaper friend, George
Cadogan, dropped around and I stuck him for
lunch and a good reminisce.
An old golfing buddy, Bruce Coran, turned
up. Hadn't seen him for twenty -odd years.
He didn't bring me a present, but a memory.
One time, he took four swings with a 4 -wood
and moved the ball forty yards. Then he
calmly took his golf club, put his foot in the
middle of the shaft, bent it double, and threw
it into the woods, without altering his
composure, except for the face turning
purple.
Back to gifts. My son. Hugh, brought me
an eight -pound Arctic char (frozen, of course )
from Baker Lake, N.W.T.. Hugh was quite
pleased with himself, but what does an
aging widower do with a great, hairy
eight -pound fish? We solved it by giving half
to the neighbors, cooking up some steaks.
and making a massive fish salad. it's
delicious, just like salmon.
Even Ben. my grandboy, left me a
souvenir. Of course, he usually does. Last
March Break, it was a rung kicked out of the
bannister. This time, it was a baseball
through a storm window and screen.
And i received numerous gifts by mail
everything from being accused as a male
chauvinist to an excellent writer: but i'll deal
with these in another column.
Another gift, as summer waned (how does
one wane?) was an evening with old student
and comrade, Julie, home after a year In
France, and oh, so sophisticated We split a
bottle of wine (not chilled. as she scolded(,
she gave me good advice, and we parted with
a hug and kiss. First time i've kissed a girl in a
year or two. It wasn't bad. In any way.
The lady who keeps my house from looking
like a hovel, Evelyn, keeps bringing me corn
and tarts and muffins. Gerry, the young guy
who keeps my place from looking like a
jungle, kept it looking like a well-bred jungle
Not a bad summer? Except. Except, f got
word that my little brother had died. I'd
thought of visiting him this fall, in England
Too late.
Lieutenant Governor sworn in
Amid the skirl of bagpipes and the
booming echoes of a 15 gun salute, the
Honorable Lincoln Alexander was officially
installed as the 24th Lieutenant Governor of
Ontario last week. Met by Premier and Mrs
David Peterson. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander
were escorted up the front steps of the
legislature at Queen's Park and into the
house. There before family, friends, mem-
bers of the provincial parliament and other
groups, the installation ceremony took place.
In his first remarks as Lieutenant Govern-
or, His Honor acknowledged his office is
designed to be apolitical. He stated,
however, he has strong convictions when it
comes to addressing the hopes and dreams of
young people and the concerns of the many
people who are not in the mainstream of like
in Ontario.
The lieutenant Governor said he will raise
their concerns as befits his office. "in a
dignified but forceful whisper."
Outside Queen's Park, both the Cabinet
and Caucus of the Liberal government held
day long meetings in Haliburton. There they
reviewed the items of concern to be on the
agenda for the sitting of the Legislature
which begins on October 15. During the
sessions, the Cabinet announced the decision
to give the Canadian Red Cross $500,000 to
JACK'S JOTTINGS
by Jack Riddell, MPP
help relief efforts for the destruction caused
by the recent earthquakes in Mexico.
Turning to health, Minister Murray Elston
has released the report of the Task Force on
Kidney Donation. Mr. Elston said the key
recommendation of the report calls for the
development of programs to educate both
members of the public and health care
professionals about the need for more organ
donors as well as the success of kidney
transplants. Each year there are 400 patients
in Ontario who need new kidneys, but only
half this number are donated. As well, a
study conducted in Ontario in early 1984
revealed about 72 per cent of those surveyed
had not signed the donor consent form on
their driver's licences.
Acting on the recommendations of this
report, said Mr. Elston, "will mean that
many kidney patients who now must undergo
dialysis, can receive the transplants they
need to live more normal and healthy lives."
Meanwhile. Consumer and Commercial
Relations Minister, Monte Kwinter recently
endorsed a compensation plan which would
protect policy holders and claimants from
suffering a financial loss resulting from the
collapse of a general insurance company. •
Speaking to a conference of insurance
superintendents in Toronto. Mr. Kwinter
supported the idea of a compensation plan
which would be financed by the insurance
industry. The plan would cover individual
claims up to $200,000 against companies
which fail or become insolvent.
Pointing to the need for such a plan, the
Minister said six general insurance comp-
anies have failed or become insolvent in the
past four years. He said even the remote
possibility another company might fail made
it essential a plan be put in place to protect
consumers.
On another track, Premier Peterson
announced Frank Drea will become the
full-time Chairman of the Ontario Racing
(Continued on page A 10 )