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Home My WebLink AboutClinton News Record, 2015-04-08, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, April 8, 2015 Clinton News Record PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 53 Albert St. P.O. Box 39 Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 www.clintonnewsrecord.com SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company MARIE DAVID Sun Media Group Publisher - Grey Bruce Huron Division 519-364-2001 or 519-372-4301 1.. NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher neil.clifford@sunmedia.ca MAX BICKFORD Advertising Manager max.bickford@sunmedia.ca TARA OSTNER Reporter clinton.reporter@sunmedia.ca DAWN JOHNSTON Sales Representative clinton.ads@sunmedia.ca TERESA SMITH Front Office clinton.classifieds@sunmedia.ca SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GSI) 2YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged but that balance of advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of atypographic error advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Ad- vertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at anytime. The Clinton News -Record is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. Publications Mail Agreement No.40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 53 Albert St., Clinton ON NOM 1W (519) 482-3443 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. AO Canada Member of the Canadian Community CriaNewspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association letters to the editor A quote from one of Canada's founding fathers Just the other day I came across a quote that was written over 150 years ago. The message in the quote is rele- vant for today's Canada. It is necessary to give a bit of background before the quote is read. Around the 1850s, Canadians were spreading hatred among themselves. It was Protestants against Catholics and vice versa. Both sides had their radicals and the hatred ran deep. Canada could never become a nation with such divisions. The quote is from Thomas D'Arcy McGee. McGee was born in Ireland in 1825 and quickly became a radical Irish Nationalist. He moved between Ire- land and the USA in his fight for Catholic rights. He was a complex man and some believe he was the deepest thinker among our founding fathers. After years of work and little positive outcomes, he decided to move to Canada because he thought his chances of equality would be bet- ter. Unfortunately, Canada too had its problems. Over the years, McGee went from radical to moderate as he worked to set Canada up for nationhood. Fast forward to today, and I see a federal Canadian government that is encouraging fear; a government that is dividing Canadians. During the month of January 2014, Mr. Oliver and Mr. Harper said Canadians who are envi- ronmentalists are enemies of Canada and they are terrorists. Before that, I saw Mr. Harper on a CTV show say that Islam was the biggest threat to Canada and he did not say radical Islam, he just said Islam. He has bad relations with our Native brethren, our French Canadian friends and he has attacked our citizens in the Maritimes. There are no words of love for Canadi- ans, just lots of talk about how we should be afraid. Fear leads to hatred. Hatred leads to a failing society. Just look at Syria. Now back to McGee. The quote is directed towards a group that was spreading divisions among Canadians. Internal divisions do not make for sta- ble countries. This is what McGee wrote: "Addresses itself only to one order of the intellect- the narrow, the distorted and the unteachable; it builds itself on the lowest level of human nature, on the basis of unchangeable hatred and mistrust. There is nothing in it noble or gener- ous, or attractive to good men." He finishes with saying that the group is "radically and indefensibly anti -Cana- dian." Canadians should think about these words carefully. McGee helped Canadians obtain reli- gious rights. He worked to unite Canada and form a nation. He went from radical to moderate. In the end he was assassi- nated, some believe that this occurred because he was branded a traitor for being a moderate. Canada needs to focus on our many problems such as youth unem- ployment, healthcare, food security, a struggling middleclass, infrastruc- ture and a hundred other issues. We must always be on guard for danger- ous ideology but we do not need to divide our citizens to accomplish this. Please Canada; listen to Thomas D'Arcy McGee once more as our future depends on it. Dan Taylor Clinton www.clintonnewsrecord.com Reader says don't be duped by unskilled workers Dear Editor, Ontarians are in the extremely fortunate position of having access to thou- sands of hard-working, tal- ented and honest contrac- tors in this province. But that doesn't mean that everyone who advertises themselves as skilled and certified are what they claim to be. Over the past several months, there have been a number of unfortunate inci- dents in which Ontario homeowners have been duped, misled and cheated by unscrupulous individuals claiming to be certified tradespeople. The Ontario College of Trades (the College) is the self- regulatory body mandated to oversee and modernize skilled trades in Ontario and protect the public interest. We are regularly con- tacted by consumers who have been taken advantage of, and left with unfinished or shoddily -completed ren- ovations. For some victims, this has resulted in sleepless nights and thousands of dol- lars down the drain. Sadly, these issues are not just found in Ontarians' homes. After a long, tough winter it's not uncommon for many cottage owners to find significant plumbing or foun- dational damage to the prop- erty. Nor is it uncommon for scammers to try and capital- ize on this these problems. If the wiring at your cottage is damaged and buried beneath a layer of insulation, you'll need a certified electrician. If you need to hire a plumber, make sure you are certain they are certified. Whether it's in their homes or their cottages, all families in Ontario should feel safe in knowing that the person per- forming important electrical work or any other compul- sory trade is legally certified. As the weather grows warmer and the skies get sunnier, your only concern when you head to the cot- tage should be enjoying time spent with your family. Don't let the stress and has- sle of a botched mainte- nance or renovation project stand in the way. One of the College's pri- mary goals is to help mem- bers of the public make informed decisions, and protect themselves and their families. Therefore, I encourage all Ontarians to take the steps necessary to combat this kind of fraud. To make sure that an indi- vidual is, indeed, certified, all you have to do is visit the Pub- lic Register on the College's website, www.collegeoftrades. ca, and type in the person's membership number, or their first and last name. If the per- son is a member of the College and a certified journeyperson or apprentice, the name will pop up, as well as details on their qualifications. Check the register, and enjoy your summer. Sincerely, David Tsubouchi Registrar and CEO Ontario College of Trades LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The News Record welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include a daytime phone number for verification purposes. Letters can be sent care of the Internet at clinton.news@sunmedia.ca, sent via fax at 519-482-7341 or through Canada Post care of The Editor, P.O. Box 39, Clinton, ON NOL 1LO. 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