The Citizen, 1996-03-20, Page 4Letters
THE EDITOR,
The success of MADD
Huron/Bruce's "Red Ribbon
Campaign 1996" shows that the
concern of citizens of and visitor's
to the towns, villages, and rural
areas of the counties of Huron and
Bruce regarding the pervasive
problem of impaired driving
continues to grow! Over $3,000
was raised in this campaign, 100
per cent of which will be used
locally to aid in the fight against
impaired driving, the most common
form of potentially violent crime in
our society today.
MADD strives to change
prevalent attitudes to the operation
of all forms of vehicles and
machinery, including automobiles,
watercraft, snowmobiles, motor-
cycles, ATV's, and farm machinery
by persons impaired by the use of
alcohol or other drugs. Programs
include visits to schools, work-
places, and community groups to
present the facts about impaired
driving and the terrible
consequences involved, both to
individuals and society. MADD
and its friends lobby government at
all levels for necessary and
appropriate legislative changes as
well as proper enforcement of
existing legislation and sentencing
of convicted impaired drivers to a
degree reflecting the severity of
their crime. MADD serves the
victims of drunk drivers, including
family members of the drinking
driver, and is often the only support
line these victims have.
The funds raised in "Red Ribbon
Campaign 1996" will be used
entirely in Huron/Bruce to expand
MADD's current programs and to
establish new ones all with the
purpose of reducing the incidence
of impaired driving in our two
counties and beyond.
We would like to thank all who
donated and displayed the Red
Ribbon symbol for all to see, the
volunteers who distributed and
collected the boxes and ribbons,
and the businesses and profes-
sionals who welcomed the boxes
into their establishments. Particular
mention must be made of the
outstanding support shown to
MADD by Brian Dent of
McDonalds restaurant in Goderich
and Sally and Brian Roes of
Wingham's Brian's Valu-Mart. We
would encourage other business
people to follow their example!
MADD Huron/Bruce will be
hosting an open information
meeting at Lucknow Arena
Complex on the evening of
Thursday, May 2. All interested
people are invited and several well
informed guests will provide
further insight into the fight agains
impaired driving. Details of this
meeting will be published through-
out Huron/Bruce in the coming
weeks.
Please come out and see what
you can do to protect yourself and
your family from the devastating
effects of this all-too-common
crime. MADD Huron/Bruce can be
reached at 519-357-4552 (phone/
fax/voice mail).
Sincerely,
David Magee,
Vice-president, MADD
Huron/Bruce.
THE EDITOR,
The following is an open letter to
all members of Huron County
Council:
Dear Madams or Sirs:
We have recently become aware
that Joanne Jasper has been
dismissed from her position as the
administrator of the Home Care
Program Huron County.
To say the least, we found this to
be most incredible. This reaction of
incredibility was to be found in
virtually every healthcare worker
we could reach in the county.
The overwhelming reaction was
a mixture of disbelief and anger.
The disbelief has its origin in the
experience of working with an•
extremely effective and valuable
service to sick people .in this
county. During the six years of
Joanne's leadership, we have
Continued on page 6
PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1996
C The North Huron
itizen
CNA
BLUE
RIBBON
AWARD
1995
P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, Publisher, Keith Roulston
BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. Editor, Bonnie Gropp NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0
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FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil
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Only power matters
There has been no one for farmers and operators of small abattoirs to
turn to for help as they got caught in the crossfire between the
government and the Ontario Public Services Employees Union
(OPSEU). The lesson to be
learned, apparently, is that
fairness doesn't matter in our
system — only power.
Over and over again these
small business people have
been told, "Sorry, it's not our problem" as they watch their business dry
up because they're not allowed to kill livestock without a government
inspector present, yet the inspectors are on strike.
The NDP government closed a number of small abattoirs for chicken
and rabbit processing by prohibiting selling any meat that hadn't been
processed in a government inspected plant. Many small processors
couldn't afford the improvements required to meet the needs of the
inspectors. Now those that did make the switch are out of business
because they can't get the inspectors.
Ask the OPSEU workers about the fairness of putting others out of
work to fight for their own jobs and they shrug and say, "I've got to
look after myself." In fact, the controversy over the issue strengthens
the OPSEU bargaining position since those angry packers and workers
and farmers will be pressing MPPs to get something done.
The government, of course, says it's doing all it can to help thee
affected. Last week it appeared before the labour relations board to
argue that meat inspectors should be declared essential services workers
and sent back to work. The board, however, said, "Hey it's not our
problem" and denied the application. There are still lots of big packers
providing federally inspected beef, pork and poultry to the
supermarkets so who cares about the little guys. The unions are more
important than small business owners, their workers and clients. So
what if producers of products like sheep and lambs, rabbits, emus and
other small niche products which are almost all processed in
provincially-inspected plants, have their futures endangered?
In some areas packers have turned to their local municipality for
help and retired meat inspectors have been hired to allow processing to
continue legally. In Huron an attempt to have the Board of Health
provide inspection services was turned down. "Sorry, but we don't want
to take on the added responsibility," the board in effect told the
processors.
So the message to these little guys in society is that nobody in power
will lift a finger to help them. Is it any wonder then that some will no
doubt, in an attempt to protect their own livelihoods, now thumb their
noses at the laws and find a way to get around them? If you can't
demonstrate that the rules are reasonable and just, people are going to
reject them. The lesson here is that the powerful will win and the only
way around the powerful is subterfuge. — KR
So who won in free trade?
Despite the fact Senator Bob Dole has pretty well sewn up the
Republican presidential candidacy following last week's primaries, the
undercurrent of anti-free trade anger that fueled the surprising strength
of radical Pat Buchanan could tip the balance of U.S. politics to
protectionism as the election approaches.
Like Ross Perrot before him, Buchanan touched a nerve with
Americans when he said they had been betrayed by their government
and big business in signing free trade agreements with Canada and
Mexico. The feeling on the part of many ordinary Americans, as they
see their economic progress stagnate at a time of record profits for
multi-national firms, is that they've been shafted.
But if the Americans have lost in free trade, as is their impression,
who the heck won? It's easy to make a case for the benefits of free trade
in Canada because the only sector of our economy that's growing is
trade, but Canada plunged into a recession a year after signing the
Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and we haven't recovered since.
Mexico, which hoped to benefit from NAFTA/ has seen its economy
destroyed by currency speculation.
The only people who really seem to be doing well are the leaders of
big business. They've been taking record profits in the name of
preparing for global competitiveness but they're not delivering the jobs
they promised would come after ea: short-term pain. — KR
E ditorial