Loading...
Times Advocate, 1989-05-17, Page 25Jack's Jottings Jack Riddell MPP Huron From Queen's Park Accessible, affordable and efficient justice system The public and the legal community are applauding the most sig- nificant overhaul of the justice system in more than a century which was announced recently by Auorney General Ian Scott. The reform of Ontario's court system will lead to a unified one -level trial court. "The development of a unified trial court structure will provide a more accessible, fair, well-managed system of justice that will meet the challenges of both today and tomorrow," said Mr. Scott. Through extensive consultation with lawyers, judges and public interest groups the Government's plan will transform the complex, overburdened justice system. The Attorney General noted this is the first major overhaul of the system since 1881. ' The existing trial court structure was found to be confusing and re- mote for the general public. There were eight different trial courts divided into roughly three levels; some courts were located through- out the province while others were centralized, mainly in Toronto. Overlapping jurisdictions in different subject matters resulted in con- fusion to litigants who were faced with a choice of courts in which to bring their proceedings. The existence of different levels also left many with the mistaken impression that some courts were "better" than others. The new system will replace the former High, District, Surrogate and Provincial Courts with the Ontario Court of Justice which will operate under two divisions, General and Provincial, by 1990. This will reduce delays formerly experienced with the multi - tiered courts. The Ontario Court of Justice, General Division will offer the added advantage of raising the small claims limit to $5,000 province -wide. This move will make it easier and less -costly for Ontarians to pur- sue small claims at this level, and will remove the former discrepan- cy where the ceiling for small claims actions was $3,000 in Toionto and $1,000 outside of Toronto. Judgcs who make up the new court will be assigned permanently to one of the eight regions in Ontario. By moving key decision - makers to Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Hamilton, London, Newmarket, Ottawa, Brampton and Toronto, they will be closer to people affected by their decisions. In criminal matters, lengthy Waits were being experienced due to court delays and case backlogs. The more cooperative system which will develop with court regionalization will be a effective means of reducing waiting periods. This initiative complements the decision made last fall to region- alize court administration and the attorney general system and pro- vides local management and greater accessibility to the justice sys- tem. Reducing family violence New funding of $5.4 million for wife assault prevention- programs was announced by Gregory Sorbara, Minister Responsible for Wom- en's Issues. Since 1986/87 the Province of Ontario has.doubled the amount of money committed to eliminating this problem. "The government's determination to protect he quality of life in our communities recognizes the importance of safety and security for. women," said Mr. Sorbara. "There is no excuse for wife assault -it is not a private family matter but a violent crime that affects us all." Every day behind closed doors in Ontario, one in ten women is be- ing assaulted by her husband or partner. While many women live in constant fear of their lives, the damage from this cycle of violence extends also to children and men. For 1989/90 the Liberal Government has committed $40 million to wife assault programs that will provide shelter services for women and children and counselling programs for all family members as well as an increase in child support workers. So far, results have been encouraging. Mass public education campaigns have successfully raised the level of awareness that wife beating is a crime punishable by law. Funds have been allocated to continue public education campaigns throughout the province. Grants to riding Minister of Transportation Ed Fulton has recently announceid a subsidy allocation of up to $12,500 to Goderich Municipal Airport to assist in their operations fbr 1989. , Thames Roadby Rhoda Rohde THAMES ROAD - Rev. Sheila Macgregor was in charge of the church service on Pentecost Sun- day, the birthday of our church and Mother's Day. The season colour is ted The children went to the front to hear their message, "The Birthday of Our Church". During the singing of the Bap- tismal Hymn "Happy The Home" the parents and the children who were to be baptized came forward, namely Derck John and Hillary Ro- byn, children of Rick and Karen Ethcrington; Jody Charlene and Amanda Elizabeth, daughters of Lee and Wendy Hodgert; Jamie Louis William, son of Bradley and Pau- line Johns; Shawn Matthew, son of Scot and Lcah Morgan and Tammy Louise and Amy Ruth, daughter of Ron anti Gail Parsons. Bill Rohde, clerk of session, pre- sented each child with a certificate and a New Testament, and Judith Parker presented each mother with a carnation on behalf of thc Sunday School. During the offering the choir sang "Plenty of Room in the Fami- ly" accompanied by the organist Agnes Bray. The scrmon was entitled "Our Lord's ,Mothcr, and' Our Mother Too". The Sunday School members went to the basement where they " had birthday cake and ice cream. The church's birthday cake was made by Marion Cann. Coming events . The Explorers will meet at thc home of Janet Coward on Friday, May 19 at 7 p.m. The United Church Women Sun- day Service will be a joint service with Elimville at Thames Road on May 28 at 11:15 a.m. Lunch sup- plied by Thames Road U.C.W. Personals Mr. and Mrs. Alex Rohde of Mitchell and Mr. and Mrs. Dave MAKE A DIFFERENCE _ Millar of Exeter, were Wednesday noon guests with Mr. and Mrs. Bill Rohde. Miss Margaret Hall of Regina is visiting with her cousins Miss Dor- is Elford and Ronald Elford. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Gilfillan, Tra- cy and friend, Sherry Gilfillan, Brian Penhale, Mr. and Mrs. Lee Hodgert, Jody and Amanda of Exet- er, Joanne Hodgert of Mitchell, Mr. and Mrs. John Miner, Brcnda, Su- san and Matthew, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Hodgcrt, Amy and Ann Marie, Patricia Hodgcrt were Sunday guests with Mr. and Mrs. Mac Hod- gert. Kir. and Mrs. Richard Maloche, Windsor, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cade, Port Franks, Mr. and Mrs. Al Preece of Centralia, Mr. and Mrs. Dave Regier, Jason and Connor, London, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Ballan- tyne and Suzanne of kCincardine, Mr. and Mrs. John• Morgan, Chrissy and Betky, Mr. and Mrs. Bev Morgan, of Exeter, Mr. John Norris, Cathy Norris, Cathy Cadc, Andy and Brandon, Mr. and Mrs. Gerry Morgan, Jackie, Heather and Paul were Sunday guests with Mr. and Mrs. Scot Morgan and Shawn. Mr. and Mrs. Rick Etherington, Derck and Robyn were Sunday guests with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kcmick. Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Johns and Jamie, Kingsville, family and rela- tives had thcir noon meal at the 3AAA See Restaurant, Exeter, on Sunday. Mrs. Johns and Jamie vis- ited later in the day with her grand- mother Mrs. Laura Dickey of Exet- er. Bradley visited with his father Bill and grandmother Mrs. Ina Johns. Mr. and Mrs. Doug Rohde, Kar- en and Kathy of Exeter, Calvirt Rohde of Hcnsall, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Rohde, Danny and Tammy were Sunday guests with Mr. and Mrs. Bill Rohde. Mr. arid Mrs. Michael' Elford, Brcnda and Nathan attended the bap- tizing of their'cousin baby Casan- dra, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Ball at Thamcsford returning to the Ball home at Ingersoll. A large crowd of people attended the annual sausage and pancake breakfast on Saturday morning, courtesy of Veal's Meat Market at their shop. Drinking EDITOR'S NOTE: This ar- ticle has been written as a commentary on the use of alcohol, and draws on per- sonal experience. The ano- nymity of the author is be- ing maintained by request. Reprinted from . our sister paper The Listowel Indepen- dent In the spring of 1960, an inno- cent -looking farmhouse located in a wooded area of rural Ontario de- ceived everyone acquainted with its ,occupants. Surrounded by a large vegetable garden and colorful flowerbeds, the house appeared peaceful, even invit- ing. The inside of the house told an- other story. The father, having returned from the stockyards very drunk, was up- set on finding the evening barn chores not yet completed. Immedi- ately searching out his nine-year-old son, he demanded to know why the job had been left unfinished. The boy explained that he had home- work to do, whereupon his father flew into a rage. Grabbing his son by the back of *the neck, the father forced his boy over into a bent position and pro- ceeded to kick the child's behind over and over with his heavy work - boots. • As the mother attempted to inter- vene, her husband turned and grabbed her by the hair, ripping out a fistful of locks, and tossing her carelessly aside. Two little girls stood by watch- ing, terrified. At the age of six, I was the youngest onlooker. My Times -Advocate, May 17, 1989 Page 25 affects the entire family older sister and I had become accus- tomed to seeing the frightening vio- lence of my father's heavy drinking. What still amazes me to this day is the number of comments from peo- ple who always thought that Dad was an easy-going, mild -tempered person. In the years since, I have discov- ered that this scene is typical in families afflicted with alcohol - addicted people. When sober, even the worst alco- holics are often gentle, hard work- ing people, thereby deceiving fel- low workers and many others outside the family situation. "Drinking buddies" seldom see the cruelties unleashed within the home. Despite the growing organiza- tions that deal. with alcoholism (AA, Al -Anon, Alateen) alcohol abuse continues to be a growing concern in the so-called "civilized" nations. No longer are alcoholics the underprivileged folk, butnow include the ranks of doctors, law- yers, teachers, and any other namea- ble occupation. Wife battering and child abuse are rampant, often due to over -drinking. Yet the media coni nne to flaunt the product that caus .rltitude of problems. Television viewers may, on the one hand, watch a dramatic warning against drinking and driving. In the subsequent airspace they may envi- ously watch a group of attractive carefree people drinking beer and laughing happily. Half-hour come- dy shows portray over -drinking as a joke. One good example is the pro- gram "Cheers" which is now being aired earlier in the day and exposes Plan RIDE blitz TORONTO - Victoria Day week- end will kick off the first of long weekend R.I.D.E. blitzes this sum- mer. For the first time, the Ministry of the Solicitor General, in con- junction with the Ontario Provin cial Police, regional and municipal forces, is sponsoring a cooperative R,I.D.E. program, to take place on long weekends during the summer. The concept, initiated by a coor- dinated traffic management group looking at ways to solve common accident -causing problems affecting forces throughout the province, will continue through until Thanksgiv- ing Day weekend. R.I.D.E. teams will be out in full force in towns and cities and on roads leading to cottage country, beaches and resort areas. The goal is to reduce drinking/ driving motor vehicle accidents by increasing the risk of apprehension. The program has already proved ef- fective in influencing driving behav- ior during the Festive Season. Long weekends in the summer are traditionally a time when accidents due to impaired driving occur. countless children to a false sense of what it is to be a responsible adult. Even the catchy tune preceding the show itself, stresses "...you wanna be where everybody knows your name." How sad it is that chil- dren, in order to be accepted by their peers, are.brainwashed into patron- izing bars even before they have tasted alcohol. But the blame does not end with the media. Parents themselves tend to pro- mote the careless attitude that an outing is not a good time unless it is accompanied by a few drinks. While children may initially dislike the drinking atmosphere, eventually it becomes a way of life for them, as well. The old adage, "Children learn what they live" is still very true. I am not saying that anyone who has a drink is an alcoholic or is a poor example. Certainly the atmos- phere of a bar can be charming, friendly and relaxing. Socializing with friends and having a couple of drinks may be very pleasurable. But take notice - a couple of drinks! If a person is unable to say no to the third, fourth and fifth drinks, then they must ask- themselves some important questions. Among these questions are: Do you really need this drink? How often do you drink one too many? Do you deny having a problem at all? Is your drinking affecting your job and fam- ily life? And most importantly, do you drink alone? A little soul-searching may be in order, along with'some knowledge about the health hazards of heavy alcohol intake. It has long been known by scientists that too much alcohol destroys brain cells and may cause permanent brain damage. The liver, heart, and nerves may become diseased. Loss of appetite leads to unbalanced diet and vitamin defi- ciencies. Personality changes are in- evitable, making family life diffi- cult and possibly undesirable. Loss of memory may reduce pro- ductivity at work. Eventually, epi- lepsy, hepatitis or ulcers may devel- op. In view of the consequences of frequent intoxication, one would think that alcohol should be illegal. After all, cigarette smoking is vir- tually disallowed in public places and smoking marijuana is out of the question. The interesting comparison be- tween alcohol and cannibis sativa is that while they both do their indi- vidual types of damage to physical health, only liquor is legal. Yet the effects of smoking a joint may be far less hazardous in terms of social behavior than drinking three or four bloody Marys. (If a person must have a harmful addiction in this society of instant gratification, why not sample the leafy green hemp plant and refrain from abusing the family?) (Since drinking and driving is outlawed, certainly getting high and • driving would also be out of the question.) Drinking and driving laws have become much tougher in recent years due to the increasing number of highway fatalities, but it bears mentioning that many violent fatal- ities also occur in private homes because of over -drinking. "Stoned" people don't seem to be as prone to violence as drinkers, yet a pot smoker may spend some time in jail if he is apprehended. No doubt politics are involved as to whether marijuana is legalized or al- cohol is banned. The government apparently pre- fers the severe breakdown of family units caused by alcoholism rather than the enforcement, of a higher age limit for drinking, or perhaps the, legalization of what many feel is a gentler addictive substance. Unquestionably, the bottom line is profit and loss. Ultimately, the ideal solution would be to ban all :iddictive sub- stances such as liquor an 'cgal drugs, and punish anyone responsi- ble for the sale o purchase of such items. However, a total ban would be unrealistic in a world where pri- ority issues •such as AIDS or acid rain must first be solved. We have to make the best of ex- isting laws, possibly enforcing rules of our own within the home. Supervised TV watching, plenty of open communication, and setting a good example arc all excellent means of teaching our children that there arc other -way ,of having fun than drinking or taking drugs. I, personally, will never forget the trauma of growing up in the presence of a father who did net know how to love his family. Alcohol was the only pleasure Dad had in life, so he was unaware of the emotional destruction he was causing. As an adult, I have come to terms with the facts. It takes a lot of con- scious effort and determination on my behalf to impart to my own children just how much I love them. When it comes to the subject of alcohol, I stress the key word - moderation. Hopefully the end results will be worth the effort. Y New member - The South Huron Camp of Gideons International welcomed a new member, to their 1989-90 executive. Shown (back left) are v/p Dave Woodward, church association chairman Earl Miller, honorary, and memorial bibles chairman Bill Ferguson, new member and secretary Harry Stuart and (front) president Pe- ter Reinsma, scripture distribution chairman Earl Desch and chap- lain Ron Heywood. Missing: treasurer Don Jolly and member Har- ry Hoffman. Agrichemicals for a growing world Poasf h/ �jlll.11ll)/��\ 1-800-387-3937 two-fisted grass weed control in soybeans 'For easier harvesting and higher soybean yields, trust the grass control to Poastl • Poast kills barnyard grass. (oxtails, crabgrass. volunteer corn, volunteer cereals and many other tough annual. grass weeds • Poast delivers seasonal control of quackgrass while soybean crops get a good start • Poast is safe to soybeans at any growth stage Ask your local agrichemical supplier for Poast now! Agricultural Chemicals BASF MC90389PE•1 cf— \,•- 1 n,+d,,id q /,)W'.0./ * 1 t1 • Ford New Holland put bigger engines in its smaller tractors. r_ The new Ford compact diesels give.you more power than you'd expect from a compact diesel. They offer a bigger average cubic -inch displacement (CID) than lead- ing competitors so the engine doesn't have to work as hard to generate its horsepower. And that means lower rated engine speeds, less wear and noise and better fuel efficiency. Stop in and see the new Ford compact diesels. There's one just right for you. CARTER'S FARM EQUIPMENT Sales & Service Ltd. (2 1/2 miles North of Exeter) R.R. #1 Hensall 263-3333 1