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Times-Advocate, 1988-01-13, Page 4• Itrims-fie. January 13. 1908 Times Established 18-1 Adsocale Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 • dvocate Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 ROSS HAUGH Editor DON SMITH Business Manager €NA JIM BEEAETT Publisher & Adsertising Manager HARRY Dt%RIES DICk IO' GIO D .Composition ♦tanager %ice•President • SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 Let's oppose Sunday shopping Quite often over the -years we have heard complaints from municipal offi- cials that too many decisions are being made at the federal and provincial level with not too much decision making for local councils. • Now the shoe is on the other foot with the province trying to hand the final say down to smaller authorities. We are referring to Ontario's "passing the buck" on the Sunday shopping issue and their proposal to Delegate approval. in subdivision agreements and a couple of other planning items to the county level. If local municipalities are .forced to make their own decisions on Sunday shopping, there will certainly be a mish- mash of shopping opportunities. . - Thin is only a local example, but would - it be fair to Exeter merchants if Exeter council decided to ban Sunday shopping, but some of our neighbours say in Ilen- sal 1, Zurich or Lucan or as far away -as Godcrich .or London decided it was okay?' Although a recent survey conducted by this newspaper revealed only one of 60 sending in responses was in favour of Sunday openings, we would guess there would he many take advantage of the chance to go for a Sunday drive and pos- sibly pick up a bargain. While our Sundays are not kept holy the'way they were say only 25 years ago; let's not make it any easier for our resi- dents -to forget that it is the Sabbath. In addition,"six days shalt thou labour and do alt thy work". In a, similar situation the province is trying to put the decision making on some municipal planning matters on the shoul- ders of county council. Exeter council is and rightly so, oppos- ing the proposal on the grouilds the coun- ty planning department does the legwork planning for most municipalities and would also be making the recommenda- tions for the final decison. What it amounts to is all members of county councill wquld have a vote on subdivisions and condominium applica- tions in all of the municipalities in Hu- ron. At a recent Exeter council meeting. Deputy -reeve Lossy Fuller said "We v.re not planners and shouldn't 'be asked to make decisions on such matters." Exeter council has already seceded from using the services of the county planner and have hired a private consul- tant on a fee basis. Canvassers needed it's getting these days that almost every week or month is designated as special for some organization and sometimes there are several in this category. One of the most important of these throughout the enjire year is. Heart and Stroke month and/volunteers are needed to carry out.the job of canvassing in this area. • Chances are you know someone who is suffering from heart disease or disabled frizt21 a stroke. In fact, the odds are that you jourself may be .in that same situa- tion some day.. • 1 leart disease and stroke are the leading' causes of death in Canada. The figure stands at about 80,000 annually and that's twice as many as those who die from can- cer. Nother form .of medical research has saved : many lives as heart disease and stroke research. This research and in- creased public education about risk fac- tors.have resulted in a decline in the inci- • dence of heart disease and stroke by 34 and 25 percent, .respectively since 1955. More than three million Canadians suf- fer from some form of heart or blood disease and the annual cost for these dis- by Ross Haugh eases is $3,700,000,000. Total funds raised by 'the Ontario Foundation since 1960 is over 13.5 mil- lion and this group .is committed to a five-year one million dollar fund raising campaign in southwestern Ontario in support of the Robarts Research Institute in London. The Robarts Institute is a ma- jor centre for heart disease and stroke research. President Barney Goldsmith and cam- paign chairperson Chuck Rowland of the Iluron County Chapter ask everyone to support this year's drive for funds when the dedicated volunteers call. If you are willing to join 70,000 other Ontarians in volunteeringyour time there is a need forcampaign fund raising help- ers in the Exeter area. The local contact persons are Lois' Armstrong in Exeter and Marg Cook of Centralia for the townships of Hay, Ste- phen and Usborne. The South Huron Jun- ior Farmers will again be doing part of the Usborne canvassing. Let's everyone get behind this worth- while project. We will all benefit in the long run. Don't miss the cold Although it has been a relatively mild winter. this last week has been a, cold one. Most of us arc blessed with central heating these days and wc tend to forget what it was like back with the wood or coal stoves. When you talk to kids about that their faces go a little blank. They just. can't picture what it was like . then. i probably wouldn't either since my parents always had an oil or coal fumacc as long as 1 can remember. But at my grandrnothers house it was a different story. The only heat in her little house was pro- vided by the huge cooking stove in her kitchen. Our job was to trudge outside to the box where the coalman dumped a load of thc barbecuc,charcoal-size pieces of coal, and get a couple of pails for the night's heat. By the time you went to bed the stove was glowing cherry -red hot and the heat in the place got so high that you stand peeling off clothes. As the night progressed though and the wind howled time morning came you could scc your breath in the room and the through the cracks of the house the temperature in thc back bed- rooms would plummet. By the tr by Ross Haugh windows were decorated with a. quarter -inch of frost. Today, with double -glazed windows you might see a little frost around the bottom of the pane but that's about it. I'm not complaining, mind you. After we heard Grandma clank- ing -around the stove, shaking down.thc,coals and stoking up thc fire it was safe to get up. Mind you, wc didn't stand there and dress leisurely. it was a mad dash to get covered up and head for the kitchen where we could get a little bit of warmth. Do I miss those cold morhings? Not on yo'ur lift. You -know though, I'd give -up an awful lot just t� sec Grandma poking around that old stove just once more. Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited HOW CAN WE TELL WHAT 1, THE SIDE-EFFECTS ARE IF You DON'T SWALLOW IT? J Keep all heritages It's with humble heart we write this first column since of- ficially becoming editor of this newspaper: Following in the foot• •s of Bill Batten is an afmost impossi- ble chore. 'His shoes were large as far as being replaced or filled are concerned. The job really isn't ncw. We were called on to fill in for Bill a couple of years ago for about three -months when he had a heart bypass operation and again for five months during his latest illness. Regardless of these facts, it's a hard act to follow. Most thipgs that can be said about Bill were printed last week in tributes from Jim Beck- ett, Mark Bisset, Bruce Shaw, Ron Bogart and yours truly. It's nice to know that a memo- rial fundis being set up in his memory with minor hockey to be the beneficiary in some way. Donations will bc accepted at the Exctcr town office and tax de- ductible receipts will be issued for gifts of $10 or more. ******* One of our readers dropped in this week with some informa- tion which is thought provoking to say the least. A press release from the Brit- ish Heritage Institute (Canada) says there is a threat in Canada today that those of British drigin face the downplaying, ignoring and steady erosion of the British heritage. An article by Judi McLeod in the Toronto Sun indicated that input by 20 various ethnic groups to Bill 80, which is the Heritage Language Bill did not include representation from any . inadian-British group. ►Vhile the government was possibly in a hurry to get "official multiculturalism", the absence of the British influence h► Rrr.s hough seems to bc sort of discrimina- tion in reverse. Cecil Thom, the founder of the British Heritage Institute points out that Canadians of British ancestry are quickly slip- ping into the background. Much of our country's founda- tion was provided by the British influence. Our legal system stems from English Common Law, our Parliament is patterned after Westminster and our women's rights are rooted in Britain's suf- fragette movement. In recent years there has been frequent talk about having a Heri- tage Day in February. Sure we celebrate Canada Day on July 1, but it would be great to have an- other holiday in February right in• the middle of the winter blahs and blues. The original idea of a February holiday. µ`as10 recognize and re- member our Canadian heritage regardless of which country or nationality we cherish. Our friends in the United States have a number of holidays in memory of their first presidents. Why not have Heritage Day here in Canada on the first Monday in February to honour our first Prime Minister Sir John A. Mac- donald? By thc sound of our comments here, it looks as if this writer is thc first one needing an extra hol- iday. Only 347 days to Christ- mas. If anyone is interested in get- ting further information on the British Canadian "Institute they may contact Cecil Thom at Box 7388 , .Oakville, Ontario. 1;64 6L6. * * * * Exeter had a .number of na- tional and international visitors over thc just concluded holiday season. Our good friend Trevor Wil- son at Huron Apothecary tells us he filled prescriptions tor folks from as far away as West Germany. Also included in his list of vis- itors needing some medical help .hilt traveling were some from Alberta. Manitoba, Quebec, Washington . DC and right from the centre Of thc Big Apple on Park Avenue in New York City. Thanks Trevor for keeping sonic of our visitors healthy and happy while they wcrc away from home. Sticks and stones Heritage ranks very ,-low on most people's totem • poles. • Progress is what our world has been about throughout this century. If you can have the newest plastics, the latest hi Ic; h. the most recent design you're in and you're it. i remember thc fifties when the Americans transported truckloads of Canadiana to auction houses in New York and Philadelphia. Everywhere farmers wcrc 0 -acv. -int; out their pine !:itch,m tables and arrowback chairs, replacing them with shiny ncw "chrome kitchen sets". Spinning wheels were traded in for TV consoles. armoires and dry sinks for arborite cupboards and counters. Logs and clapboard sidings were covered up with imitation brick. Porches had to be of wrought -iron, doors . and windows of aluminum. Progress meant tearing down One -room school houses and century -old log barns. Progress meant demolishing historical churches, town halls, railway stations and homes by the thousands all over this country' and replacing them with piles and bores of concrete, glass and "Angcls1one . Around centennial year — 21 rears ago — Canadians discovered inc word heritage: Everybody lumped on --the bandwagon and have lip service to we Tact that this country. was beginning to PETER'S- P01NT' • mature. Hcntage groups and local historical societies wcrc formed in every community with more than three houses. And people became interested in their family roots. The trouble is, it didn't last. Here we arc close to the 21st century — and what .is happening.? We're right back in the dark agcs. Thc� demolition crews are having a heyday, and "dcJclopers" claim thcir human rights are 'violated by heritage laws. in the last six months alone, several Canadian towns have lost their oldest buildings — not to fires. but to deliberate destruction by council decision. And this may be just the beginning. Don't we care about our architectural heritage? Arc we blinded by this so-called progress? Don't we realize that wc're robbing future generations of thcir inheritance? Why do millions of North Americans tiavel to Europe year after -"ear? Not 13 enjoy the weather (which is rotten in comparison with ours), not for the scenery .,(ours. is far more spectacular), surely not for the quality of their air and water. Tourists from around the world pay billions of dollars every year to see Europe because Europeans care about their heritage. What makes Europe so attractive is not just its multitude of castles -and gfeat cathedrals, but especially its well-preserved or faithfully reconstructed villages and towns, Please tum to page 5