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Home My WebLink AboutClinton News Record, 2015-09-16, Page 5Wednesday, September 16, 2015 • News Record 5 www.clintonnewsrecord.com letters to the editor Reader believes Harper is stifling science Dear Editor, Mr. Harper's attempts in preventing scientific infor- mation produced by federal scientists for the benefit of Canadians and used for sound, scientifically -based government and private sec- tor planning and policy making has been danger- ously successful. It deeply boggles the average mind as to why, in this age of the rapid evolution of important scientific discoveries, we have a prime minister whose stance is anti -science unless the science is in some way supportive of his ideol- ogy, political messaging and goals. Just imagine how you would respond if you found out that your family physi- cian only allowed his patients to be informed about scientific medical research data which benefit- ted your doctor at the expense of your personal health? A correct response would be to fire your doctor as soon as possible and to report him to the college, which held his licence to practice! Fortunately, in my experience it is rare to hear of a doctor who does not hold the wellbeing of his patients as the prime reason for becoming a physician. On September 112014, CBC's Fifth Estate aired a documentary on Harper's censorship of federal scien- tific research, research funded by our tax dol- lars. The following are some of the highlights of this informative program. "Over the past five years, the government of Stephen Harper has dismissed more than 2,000 federally -funded government scientists. World-renowned (Cana- dian) research facilities have lost their funding, and hun- dreds of programs that mon- itored such matters as smokestack emissions, food inspections, oil spills, water quality and climate change have experienced cuts or have been shut down entirely. The government has even taken to disman- tling scientific libraries. More than 800 scientists from 32 countries based at such (prestigious) institu- tions as the Harvard Medical School and the Max Planck Institute in Germany, decried 'a rapid decline in freedoms and funding for Canadian government sci- entists. Canada's leadership in basic research, environ- mental, health and other public science is in jeop- ardy": For the last ten years we have suffered the actions of a prime minister who is a devoted servant of an ultra -right wing ideology, rather than an honest leader who has the health and well being of all Cana- dians in his heart and mind. On October 19 we have the right to decide if we wish to keep our pre- sent federal leader whose abuse of scientists and sci- entific knowledge has been at our expense and to our detriment. Yours sincerely, Jim Hollingworth M.D. All Canadians hurt by limited access to oral care To the Editor: Oral health is crucial to overall health, but more and more Canadians find them- selves without access to dental professionals. In fact, a recent study highlighted that there were, on average, 208,375 visits to physicians annually in Ontario alone for oral health-related diagnoses. Turning to physicians for the treatment of oral health concerns is unacceptable for several reasons. These prac- titioners have limited train- ing and experience in the treatment of oral condi- tions. Moreover, they already face daunting pres- sures on their time related to their normal practice. Ineq- uitable access to dental pro- fessionals is compromising the oral health of Canadians and putting a strain on Can- ada's health care system, likely adding to wait times. All Canadians bear this bur- den as a result. If provincial/territorial and federal governments reallocated public funds to invest in more accessible preventive oral health care, they could reduce overall costs and support better health outcomes for Canadi- ans. Many of the diseases and conditions that are pre- sented at doctors' offices and emergency rooms are preventable and would be best addressed with routine oral assessments and regu- lar plaque and tartar removal by registered dental hygienists. During this federal elec- tion campaign, dental hygienists are spreading the word that prevention is the best approach to take and that all federal parties should commit to advancing oral health in their election platforms. Commitments like this are crucially impor- tant for vulnerable popula- tions, such as Canada's sen- iors and First Nations populations, whose rates of oral disease are much higher than those of the general population. Only one in eight Canadi- ans lives in a province or ter- ritory with programs that fund seniors' dental care. The federal government should show leadership by working with the provinces and territories to ensure that long-term care and homecare regulations and standards include daily mouth care and professional oral health care services. This targeted investment will greatly improve the oral and overall health of seniors. Further, the cost of pro- viding dental services and emergency medical trans- portation for First Nations (a combined $574 billion annually) could be greatly reduced and health out- comes improved if the fed- eral government not only recognized dental hygienists as health care providers in every province and territory, but also increased its sup- port for the Children's Oral Health Initiative of the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch. When candidates come to your door during the elec- tion campaign, ask them how their party will support improved oral and overall health outcomes for all Canadians. Let's put an end to the burden of oral disease in Canada. Ondina Love, CAE CEO, Canadian Den- tal Hygienists Association FROM THE ARCHIVES 15 years ago... • In November 2000 the town of Clin- ton were officially out of the garbage collection and disposal business. A number of years earlier a user -pay sys- tem was initiated for garbage. A deci- sion was reached in September 2000 by council to have ratepayers contact with a private operator to have their garbage picked up or run their trash to the land- fill site themselves. • There was one confirmed case of rabies in Clinton and another under suspicion. According to animal control officer Bob Trick, two rabid skunks was discovered in town after they attacked a dog. • The Holmesville community marked its 165th anniversary. 25 years ago... • The Mid Huron Landfill site signed a deal to buy the land for its new dump- ing area from George Lavis. The price of the 100 acre parcel was $500,000 plus about $25,000 for additional fees. • The Huron Fish and Fame Conser- vation Association hosted the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters zone 6 annual convention. There were 23,000 members in zone 6 and 73,000 in the province at the time. • Clinton police chief at the time, Mitch Latham requested that parents warn their children about the dangers of accepting rides from strangers. An eight-year-old girl was on her way to Clinton Public School when she was approached by a male driver who offered her a ride to school, which he said her mother had told him to do. The girl went to a neighbourhood block par- ent but the police was not enough detail to identify a suspect. • Local residents and several hundred school children met in Belgrave to take in the annual old-fashioned school fair festivities. 35 years ago... • The fundraising campaign for can- cer research continued at an amazing rate. The project was started by Cana- da's Terry Fox in July of 1985 when he began his marathon of hope and had raised $12 5 million dollars. Huron County joined other municipalities in support of Fox with $52,305 raised in the area. • The Clinton Women's Institute cele- brated its 75th anniversary. • A gala pool party was held to offi- cially open the Clinton pool. About 250 people showed their support by raising over $3,000 for the pool fund. clintonnewsrecord.com