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The Citizen, 1995-07-05, Page 4C The North Huron itizen Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Sales Representatives, Jeannette McNeil and Julie Mitchell P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1HO NOG 1 HO Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 FAX 523-9140 FAX 887.9021 The Citizen is published weekly In Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $23.00/year ($21.50 plus $1.50 G.S.T.) for local; P3.00/year ($30.85 plus $2.15 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier in Godench, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $62.00/year for U.S.A. and Foreign. Advertising is accepted on the condition that In the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 eNA BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1995 How do you slow them down? Another holiday weekend and the newspapers and TV screens have been filled with more horrific pictures of fatal traffic accidents. Ironically in the midst of a concerted campaign to stop aggressive driving practices, two of the worst accidents were caused by people smacking head-on into oncoming vehicles while trying to pass. Given our often dangerous driving conditions during half the year, traffic accidents are at least understandable during fall, winter and spring. We can ease our consciences saying it's "just one of those things". But in summer with good visibility and dry pavement there is usually just one reason for accidents: human carelessness. Anyone who has driven on our highways recently knows that people seem to be driving faster and faster. A driver doing 90 km per hour, 10 km over the speed limit, is likely to be regarded as a dangerously slow nuisance by a majority of other drivers who feel they must do 100 km or more. People get impatient behind anyone going more slowly than they want, and try to pass — sometimes on a hill or a curve, sometimes past several cars at a time. Why? Is it that the pace of our lives has speeded up to the point that we feel we simply must save those few minutes by risking our lives and those of others? Or is it that we have so little respect for government and laws these days that we see speed limits as silly hindrances to our personal freedoms? Certainly there was a concerted campaign by many against the use of photo radar to enforce speed limits on Ontario's highways. Some of this is due to the fact that people felt it was a cash grab but the fact that opponents were able to convince the Harris government that their first order of business should be to scrap photo radar shows that there were a lot of people against the policy. There were so few photo radar units available that their departure won't likely make much difference to overall highway speeds in Ontario but what is the solution? Certainly Premier Harris's idea of hiring more traffic police isn't going to do the trick. With tight purse strings the government isn't going to spring for the kind of money needed to put enough police on the road to enforce speed limits. Perhaps the reason speeds have been increasing is that OPP detachments all over the province are so short-staffed they don't have time to do the patrols they once did. In the long run, Ontarians must be convinced that the tiny rewards of speeding and aggressive driving aren't worth the risks. Let's face it, travelling an average 10 km an hour faster for a full hour, only saves six or seven minutes in a trip. Is it really worth it to risk lives to save a few minutes? — KR E ditorial Down upon the swampy river Photo by Janice Becker PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 1995. Death of our myth Well, Toronto, that "world-class" city, certainly is world class now. One of its sports heroes says he may have to leave the city because he can't live with death threats from "fans". Just like New York. Just like Los Angeles. It must hurt Torontonians, who pride themselves on being just like American cities only safer, to hear that the threat of a woman to kill him and herself has made Roberto Alomar feel so unsafe in their city that he may choose to play somewhere else (the only somewhere left being an American city). How could he really feel safer in an American city? For Canadians it is another attack on our smugness. After the lurid details of the Bernardo trial we certainly shouldn't be too high and mighty about how different we are from Americans. After looking at the youth gangs in Toronto, after looking at the homeless sleeping in the streets, we shouldn't think the problems of U.S. cities can't happen here. Things aren't as bad as in major U.S. cities yet. The murder rate in Toronto is a fraction of that in most U.S. cities of similar size. Throughout Canada, the murder rate has actually gone down in the years since the death penalty was abolished while the murder rate in the U.S. has increased since capital punishment was re-instated. But many in Canada seek return of the death penalty and other U.S.-style solutions to reduce crime. It should seem obvious by now that turning to the U.S. for solutions to crime is like going to a candy shop to get dieting information. We aren't as safe a country as we'd like to be (and we never were) but U.S. experience shows following their lead isn't the answer. — KR Letters THE EDITOR, Village councillors, at a regular meeting several months ago, set a $50 penalty fee for dog owners who do not "stoop and scoop". Do they not realize we have a cat problem as well! For the majority of people, cats are just as bad, if not worse in some ways, than dogs. They are rooting in people's gardens, messing in children's sand boxes, waking people up at nights with their cat fights and killing and/or chasing birds in our village. What bothers me most is the birds. I realize it is a felines nature to catch mice and birds, but it is absolutely appalling for people to allow a household, domestic pet to run loose, not only all day but having access to be out all night as well, hiding in flower beds, waiting for the birds to come out at dawn; also, waiting for the baby birds to fly from their nest, then killing them. Their owners take no responsibility whatsoever for their so-called pet's action. In larger urban municipalities there are bylaws regarding cats and dogs alike. People have bird feeders and bird baths to help our little feathered friends. Why bother with the damn cats running loose? Sincerely, Lois van Vliet. THE EDITOR, We are overwhelmed with the generosity of the Huron community in response to our appeal for humanitarian aid for the Cuban people. Last Sunday, with the help of two volunteer drivers, we delivered two school buses and a commercial van loaded from floor to ceiling with over 400 pieces of freight for delivery via the ocean port of Montreal to the Martin Luther King Centre in Havana. The school buses - one purchased by student councils in Huron Public Education schools, the other by the Canada-Cuba Friendship Committee - are destined for a residential children's hospital in Havana. The medical and hospital equipment and supplies, generously donated by four local hospitals, will be distributed between the children's hospital and other worthy sites across the island. While the equipm-ent may be 'obsolete' for Canadian needs and standards, the blood bank, the ECG, the portable X-ray, the ultrasound, the differential physio machine, the defibrillator, operating room lights and countless other items will provide significant relief•in the Cuban medical system. The beds, bedding, walkers, wheelchair from the Maitland Nursing Home in Goderich will be valued too. The school supplies, the books (and 25 boxes of university research papers) will be shared Writers express gratitude amongst elementary and Secondary schools, the University of Havana and a small college for sociology studies near Havana. The clothing, shoes and personal hygiene items, donated by individuals and church groups, will be sent across the island by staff at the King Centre, to places of the greatest need. My wife and I, and my parents, Howard and Evelyn Carroll, offer our heartfelt thanks for these gestures. We want to assure the many donors from across Huron and neighbouring counties that the Pastors for Peace non-government agency in Cuba, accompanied by Canadian representatives, will ensure that this significant contribution to the 5th Canada- Cuba Caravan, is put to best use. Give some thought to how we might help once again, next November, when the next shipload will be gathered. We thank you! Sincerely, Mary and Paul Carroll 131 West Goderich Street Seaforth, Ontario. THE EDITOR, The Canada Employment Centre for Students held a barbecue on Monday, June 26 in front of the Employment Centre in downtown Listowel to celebrate Hire-a- Student Day across Ontario. Along with hot dogs and pop, the Student Employment Centre sold portions of a giant submarine sandwich Continued on page 5