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Times-Advocate, 1988-06-08, Page 2Page 2 Times -Advocate, June 8 1988 Steps,high curbs,sidewalks, impede Gloria Workman, Wingham and Homebound. Continued from front page but should have been lower and very awkward, Mathers said. The two were confronted with more stairs at Rosemary's place of em- ployment, Dr. McGregor's dental office. -Mathers is now aware that "a lot of doors don't open the right way" for the handicapped. * * * * Shopping in Anstctt's with im- paired vision, one arm in a sling, and needing a quadrucane to support a bad right leg is not easy, accord- ing to IIIA manager Dolly Cresces. Although she had deliberately worn low4teels that morning, she soon realized her shoes were not suitable, more comfortable. Dolly conceded that if her impair- ment had been real, she would not have been able to carry out her task. Her assistant, Anne Prout, said _ cars .and .big trucks waiting to turn_ the corner had shown their impa- tience as they waited for the pair to cross the side street. * * * * All whose progress was impeded by their disabilities reported great difficulty in crossing Highway 4. The 10 seconds allowed on the green before the hand goes up is not enough time, all agreed. Some rated drivers courteous and obliging, others found them incon- siderate. There are no legal crosswalks along Main St., one helper ob- served. "People in Exeter are very re- sourceful. They- just jay -walk", Laurctta Siegncr added. Lossie Fuller pointed out that sidewalk bumps are much more no- ticeable from a seat in a wheel- chair. walks "because they arc not in wheelchairs". "I shouldn't be critical of the town until 1 put my own house in order. If I had stayed in this wheel- chair I couldn't have gone to .work today", Hawley said candidly. "Now what?", Ann Prout wanted to know. "That's up to the town", was the reply. Psychiatric Services in Clinton and Arca Day Care Centre for the v; • FISHING FOR HIS QUARTER - Mayor Bruce Shaw was one of the vo - unteers taking part in Access Awareness Day in Exeter. Trying to get a PUBLIC TRY -ON - Lossie Fuller couldn't closethe dressing room door ROOM TO coin out of one's shirt pocket is not easy when simulating the difficulties of to try on a blouse handed to her by Gerrard's saleslady Brenda Coates, as 'ou d there coping with multiple sclerosis. _ her wheel -chair took up too much room.• -Getting around while disabled is a lot of hard work," All were thankful their handicaps were temporary, and all had a great- er appreciation of the hard work and frustration -that are part-of-the-iife of— those who face similar situations every day. - Hawley, who had recently attend - cd a seminar on aging, said many people in town have difficulty with curbs and doors and steps, but arc not perceived as having life made easier by curb cuts or smooth side- * * * * The Huron County Awareness Days Committee consisted of Mar- garet De Jong, Grey -Bruce Huron Post -Polio Chapter of Ontario March of Dimes; Joan Spittal, so- cial worker at Alexandra Marine and General Hospital; Sheila Dolmage, Huron County Home Care Pro- gram; Jeanne Cladding, Town and Country 1-lomemakers; -110- semary Armstrong, Huron Day Care Centre -for-the-Homebound;-Elizabeth Zar- nowiecki, London office of the Ca- nadian Paraplegic Association; Gaie Haydon. London office of the Easter Seal Society; Geri Babcock, Com- munity Services Manager of the Ontario March of Dimes (the origi- nator.- of the "Access Awareness Days".; Kate Moriarty, Community p 4 TAKING A BREAK - Stephen township reeve Tom Tomes stopped in at Standard Trust to get some coffee and cookies from manager Don Thomp son before continuing on to the Devon Building during Access Awareness Day in Exeter. "...0 S4•.5 6'�. ' v' .la:' 'w;'sr�ao'Y� amital?5 s:.. `..5�i.,.Cf�r. ,�i .,n:,�,..�' ,..,..off ... ... . Rural Dignity take Canada Post to task over rural service LONDON - In a quiet roadside cafe, the two women from Rural Dignity sat down to a meal and a chat with the press to explain why they have been travelling across the country to protest Canada Post's ru- ral service policies. They were late in passing through Ilderton. We wondered if they were coming at all, but soon they were laying out their reasons for criticiz- ing the crown corporation's plans to privatize and amalgamate 5,221 of Canada's rural offices within the next eight years. Liz Armstrong from Erin, Onta- rio and Cynthia Patterson from the Gaspe Pcnninsula have taken 20 days to drive in a rented truck from Newfoundland, through the Mari- times, Quebec, and Ontario to de- liver signed cards of protest collect- ed along the way. They claim that towns with pop- ulations up to 5,000 are in danger of having their post offices 'converted', meaning contracted to a private business for counter service. They cite the case of Glcnburnie, Ontario, which lost its post office to a video store. Armstrong said that not even the strong public out- cry, nor the efforts of M.P. Flora MacDonald were enough to -sway Canada Post's decision. "Wc don't call that a post -office," said Armstrong. She added that Glenbumie's office had bccn profita- ble, with revenues of $60,000 per year. Deteriorating service Armstrong feels it should be up 'to thc people and not Canada Post to decide what is in the best Inter - o are o hnl allowed to criti- nity. She says this can add up to. tcrs, wy 8,000 jobs across Canada. cize the government and not Canada Rural Dignity is also concerned Post. that mail will not receive as much Rural Dignity was formed in De - care and sccurity in an RPO as it cember 1986 as a volunteer organi- would in a fully-fledged post office zation and is funded by donations because it means less, financially, from municipalities, rural organiza- to the business. _ tions and sales of their T-shirts, Clouded issues hats and bumper stickers. Armstrong takes Canada Post to Patterson joined as a volunteer task over their policy to provide a and was later asked to become Rural 90 -day warning of office conversion Dignity's co-ordinator and only paid to allow for a meeting with employee. "meaningful consultation". "The only section of Canada Post "Don't talk about meaningful that isn't criticized is the rural post consultation and don't talk about office," said Patterson, noting that equal and better service," said Arm- pride and courtesy should be extend= strong, claiming the words don't ed to the rest of the corporation, not RURAL DIGNITY Liz Armstrong (left) and Cynthia Patterson of Rural Dignity have driven this rented truck from • csts of rural service. "The scrvicc has deteriorated seri- ` ously in the last few years," she said: "They don't even make any promises about rural service any- more." ' Armstrong says that urban centres still have promised guidelines on speed of delivery, guidelines which no longer apply to rural areas. Rural Dignity also notes that 83 percent of rural postmasters are women. When a postmaster retires or leaves and an office is converted to a retail postal outlet, or RPO, the postmaster is replaced by a con- tract. Armstrong said that while a retired position docsn't fire anyone, the job is still lost to the commu- MANOEUVRE - Jo -Ann Middleton, assisted by Liz Bell, was room to get her wheel -chair through the cash at Darling's hold water. She says that once phased out.Newfoundland to collect support for improved rural mail service. The sides of the truck are covered with the Canada Post has decided on convey- Rural Dignity suggests that un- names of the towns they have visited. ` . sion, all public comment falls on profitable rural offices should ex- "�1 • deaf cars. plorc ways to offer more services to While Canada Post accuses Rural generate revenue rather than be Di f misinformation and 1 d Th t photocopy . scare tactics, Armstrong attacks Inc ing, hunting and • fishing licenses, corporation for a lack of informa- and small banking scrviess could be • tion and communication with the provided in those communities public. - which do not already have them. "People just don't seem to under- They are horrified that super stand what is happening," she said, mailboxes are even being consid- explaining that Canada Post's assu- • crcd as a last resort by Canada Post. rances of continued service are too Armstrong says that some post - readily believed. masters arc being equipped with. "The language obscures the mcs- propane torches to open frozen box - sage," said Patterson. es in the winter. While this helps Public support get the mail inside, it docs not help Rural Dignity has gained the sup- the customer get it out again after port of the provincial legislatures of it refreezes. . Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Patterson and Armstrong are en./ Brunswick, Saskatchewan and thusiastic about their reception at Prince Edward Island, all of which the stops along the way. They are have passed resolution condemning billeted in homes of supporters eve - Canada Post's corporate plan for ru- rywhere they go. They wonder ral scrvicc. aloud who•pays for the Canada Post Patterson says sonic politicians employees -who follow them every - have raised concerns over Canada where they go. Post's accountability. Their truck contained 80,001) - "Canada Post feels it knows what's best for rural communities," signed cards of support to be dcliv- she said.. Rural Dignity considers crcd to Ottawa on Tuesday. They Canada Post's policies arc an issue have been packaged in everything for the next federal election and is from fishing nets, milk cans, and • asking the parties for their stance cheese boxes to toed bags. . on the subject. "Wc want to remind the govern - Rural Dignity also claims that ru- ment that the rural economy con- ral postmasters are "gaged" and tributes a lot to -the country," said face suspensions if they speak out Armstrong. against the corporation. Armstrong They think rural Canadians have and Patterson say they arc familiar a right to demand and not ask for fl with the small silent groups who better scrvicc, pointing out that the gather at the back of the room at service is paid for by. the po ula- their rallies • in every town. These tion, either directly or through tax invariabl Incstmas- doll ost office gnity o mtsm orma ton n c os c . The sugges - ILDERTON - Richard Bowncss, acting manager of rural service, was present at Ildcrton on Saturday to defend Canada Post's policy from the accusations of the travelling Rural Dignity organization. Ac- cording to Bowness, the -crown cor- poration is trying to improve rural - mail scrvicc, not cut it back. Cuts in rural routes have ceased since 1986, explained Bowness, and Canada Post has "striven to main- tain rural service, not to take it out." "I'm a little baffled by this ef- fort," said Bowness, who said he did not understand Rural Dignity's at- tempt to discredit the corporation. "We have probably shut down 2,000 offices in the last 75 years," said Bowness, but this has all changed. "In 1986 we closed our last offices." Canada Post will, however, 'convert' rural post offices during its 10 -year plan. As'a postmaster re- tires or sells his general store, Can- ada Post will replace his salary, " usuallyo$15-25,000 a year, tvith a contract agreement for counter ser: vice within the store. This reduces cost 66-75 percent. "Wc have not fired one employ- ee," said Bowness. Hc, suggested that postmaster's salaries are often used to subsidilb thc operation of a village's general store. , s "its an awful expensive way to grdups are y po ars. defends policy provide service," he said, describing the situation as a "hemorrhage of capital." Conversions will take place as the situations arise and when someone is willing to take on a contract. in extreme casts .when no counter scrvicc outlet can be found, Bowness said Canada Post will have to resort to the super mailbox. RI HARD BOWN�SS - -ThOj re lyig, quite frankly.' "Super mailboxes aren't tui.. ,same as your friendly po .Lp aster, but they're better than nothing," he said, while explaining that fewer than five percent of Canada's offic- es will ever go this route. This has happened only twice irn south- western Ontario, hc.statcd. "There hasn't been a groundswell of indignation," said Bowness of .the conversion plan. He cited a public mccting in Fingal over the scheduled conversion of their office on August 11. Ile said only- 1 l •people showed up -for the meeting. Boldness secs no problem with allowing postmasters to he re- placed by counter scrvicc in small communities. lie said that many small retailers arc smart enough businesspeople to give their cus- tomers the good scrvicc they ex- pect. The hest part, he says, is that it costs Canada Post less. "It makes 'rri-c," tic said. In fact the corporation aims to open an additional 200 new offices across Canada over thc l0 -year per- iod. • Bowness directly 'ace uscd Rural Dignity of spreading misinforma- tion and confusion about Canada • Post's policies. ' "They're lying, quite frankly," he stated. Sunday shopping Continued from front page -.open uj+- more jobs. Mothers of young children might find working ',Saturdays and Sundays only more economical than paying sitters. People who work through the week often find Saturday not long enough to do all the required shopping."