Times Advocate, 1991-11-20, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, Novembef 20, 1991
Publisher: Jim Beckett
News Editor: Adrian Harte
Business Manager: Don Smith
. Composition Manager. Deb Lord
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inion
"Men are never so likely
to settle a question rightly
as when they discuss it
freely."
... Thomas MacaLley
Published Each Wednesday Momia�at 424 Mahe St.,
Exeter, Ontario. NOM 181 by J.W. Eedy PvbUsattoas Ltd.
Telephoaa 1511-2361.!31
e.a.T. 011100210iill
1.1)1 '14 )1ZI I.
Why backtrack now?
by did town council decide to
put its development charges
bylaw on hold Monday eve -
Hing?
That's a question that begs to be an-
swered after the evening's performance
that included presentations from the
county planner and the town adminis-
trator explaining how the figure of
$1,500 per lot was arrived at, and how
it compares to what other municipali-
ties are doing across the province.
Certainly, the developers who were
present at Monday's meeting expressed
dissatisfaction with the fee that would'
be added to their building costs had the
bylaw been approved as planned, but
that had to have been expected.
The developers also claimed to have
not had enough warning about the by-
law and insisted on more time to con-
sider it, with the ultimate aim of shoot-
ing it down, of course. If the local
builders fail to keep themselves in-
formed of upcoming town bylaws that
will have considerable bearing on their
business, is that council's fault?
No, the real question that needs to be
asked is why the bylaw was tabled.
What was wrong with it? Nobody said
they disputed the figures provided by the
planners. So are there philosophical
doubts, as suggested by the developers,
that during a recession and overall
slump in local building, that council
should be increasing the cost of develop-
ing a lot, even by a modest $750 (the
current fee is $750 on a single-family
dwelling).
If this is the cam then council; deserves
no sympathy, because the whole ques-
tion of theethics of development charg-
es should have been settled long before
planning staff wasted hours and hours
calculating all the statistics needed for
their presentation. Perhaps the develop-
ers could have been involved in the is-
sue from the start and been given a bet-
ter grounding the development charges
proposal.
Candidates in the election kept harping
on about cutting costs. Surely it does
not help by wasting time on unneeded
studies.
Does council want to follow the devel-
opment charges program or not? If so,
why the wait? If not, why the waste?
A.D.H.
IA�Fs#ful thi
If there is one rule to journal-
ism, it is that reporters should
not pre judge a news item or al-
low personal bias to determine
the outcome of a story.
The Parkhill Gazette, howev-
er, seems to have different prior-
ities, or at least is not willing to
allow the rest of us our ideals.
Last week's Gazette ran an edi-
torial claiming the Times Advo-
cate and the Advance got suck-
ered into miming an election
story about Grand Bend candi-
dates, mainly Tom Lawson, who
claimed the province may some
day buy back the beach it lost to r o
Archie Gibbs [Nov: 6 "G
Bend candidates say province
may really be prepared to buy
Gibbs' beach" - front page of
course].
Or maybe its just sour grapes
that I took the time to head out
to Grand Bend at 5 p.m. on a
cold Friday afternoon for a press
conference which the Gazette
didn't attend and later dismissed
as a non -story.
Sure, all reporters, and the
public too, should have a
healthy skepticism of most of
what candidates have to say be-
fore an election. They call it
campaigning. While all cam-
paigning is aimed at grabbing
media attention and votes, I still
firmly believe the public has a
right to hear whit •ca
their ndi-
dates have to say.
And if some candidates make
wild campaign promises? Gosh,
call the RCMP!
What if a candidate called up
and told me he believed green
tells
aliens had taken over the munic-
ipal office? I wouldn't necessar-
ily believe him, but Fd certainly
want to let the voters know what
was on his mind.
But while Tom Lawson's ex-
Hold that
thought...
By
Adrian Harte
•
cited announcement toufsm
minister Pete North is interest--
rand ed in visiting C3rand Bend this
winter may contain just a little
wishful thinking, I am also pain-
fully aware ministers never trav-
el anywhere without having
some wonderftil announcement
to make (using our tax dollars,
of course).
Does the decision to spend
$67,000 to secure a section of
Port Stanley's beach really set
any precedent for Grand Bend's
beach future? Only time will
tell.
But what 1 considered the
most interesting aspect of the
whole item, is while many have
encouraged council to forget the
beach issue and get on with fix-
ing up the rest of Grand Bend's
woos, the campaign announce-
ment showed the loss of the
beach was still front and centre
in the future council's mind,
even though John McDowell
was the only candidate to broach
the issue at the public meeting.
In other words, if you think
Letter to Editor
you have heard the last of the
seemingly done -to -death beach
case, you're wrong.
So I believe our readers were
better informed because I took
the time to report on what the
candidates were claiming, wish-
ing, or thinking.
Sure, maybe the grand an-
nouncement is only a campaign
"Arse" as the Gazette claims.
The possibility certainly oc-
curred to me, as I expect it oc-
curred to many readers, but I
wasn't prepared to draw my own
judgement on the candidate's
comments and turf the story.
I also disagree with the Ga-
zette's position that "the prov-
ince is convinced the beach is al-
ready public property and that
Gibbs has no case". Frankly, af-
ter the total demolition of the
crown's case in 1989, I wouldn't
at all be surprised to see the
province aim to settle the matter
out of court to avoid a risky ap-
peal. Think of the legal costs
alone.
Maybe Lawson is clutching at
straws. Maybe he isn't. I do
know he's not telling all he
knows, that's for sure.
So whether North will choose
to bestow some generous gift on
Grand Bend in the coming year
(with our tax dollen° :time will
tell. Just remember you read it
here first.
As for the Gazette? Well, I
probably can't say it any better
than its own editorial: "The
Parkhill Gazette? No story."
Be a local hero
Dear Editor:
Following up my regent letter
deploring the closed door policy'
of Corporations which prevent
fundraising within the areas of its
jurisdiction, I want to point out an
advertisement whichon
page B8 of the London �Press,
November 13,1991.
Under the logo of 'Imagine, A
New Spirit of Givhig, it promosed
"A nadonal program k encourage
giving and volunteering' Under the
headingof How to be a Local Hero
it read: "Look for ways you can
tvolunteer
yo u te and make your catnmuni-
to
live. Find �
1111
friel
friends ahere nd
giv ig their time
and money and
join in. Bea local
hero". Un trete.
How aptly pull What blur place
to start than with the South Huron
Hospital Auxiliary and the Exeter
Branch of the Canadian Cancer So -
Both need our
and sup -
Let's all join in
+oand be local
eca.
Sincerely,
Caffrey A.
Cann
" I'm sorry, sir — the prime minister is away and won't be able to ignore
your plight till his return."
And the winners are....
The Great Canadian Poetry
Contest was a great Canadian
success and a lot of fun.
Thanks to everybody who par-
ticipated. I read and carefully
evaluated all your entries. I was
touched by some, moved to
tears (of laughter) by some oth-
ers. There were no limericks of
prize-winning quality. In the
end, the choice was very cliff'.
cult. Some otherwise good
toems didn't quite qualify (I had
asked for originality, humour or
insight, and imagination).
A few entries were "bor-
rowed", others had nothing to
do with any "Peter's Point" col-
umns. The biggest problem was
the process of elimination.
There were many good poems,
and not enough prizes.
The four lucky winners have
already received their cash and
book prizes, and here - as prom-
ised - are the winning entries.
Remarkably, Manitoba won
three out of four.
First prize: Ian Lundri$an
(Birch River Manitoba)
I planted three young trees to-
day.
oday.
Why I did, I cannot say.
I planted them and watered
them
And hoped there'd come the day
When, whisp'ring in the wind's
caress
They'd shade some children's
play.
And laughing, e'er shouting out,
They'd play some tag and climb
about
From limb to limb.
Then they would see.
"Who can climb the highest?"
"Me!"
And jilmping down,
They'd stand up tall.
No longer were they kids at all.
The trees would murmur,
Seeing this:
The beauty of a stolen Ides.
And later on would come the
time
When children (theirs)
Again would climb.
But whoa! Nay, stop! I remiss --
No time should pass as fast as
this.
So, stepping back and crouching
down
I wiped my pants with hands of
loam,
And heaved a sigh and set a
Peter's
Point
•
Peter Hessel
?town,
For Iknew
Td never see them grown. -
I planted throe young trees to-
day.
Why I did, I cannot say.
Second prize: Ethel Day
(Carleton Place, Ontario)
Many Peters I have known,
Oh, there are quite a few.
There's Peter of the Pearly Gate,
And Peter history calls the
Great.
We read about the county bump-
kin
Who put his wife inside-ahp-
kin,
And Peter picking pickled pep-
pers.
There's Peter Mansbridg on the
air.
All Canada, I'm sure remembers
The Peter who was known as
Pierre.
Peter Rabbit hops into view,
And Peter Pan- I loved you, too.
But now that I am old and wise,
The Peter who delights my eyes,
The one the heavens should
anoint
Is he who's known as Peter's
Point.
Third Priii: Dort Meat
(Killarney, Manitoba)
There's a man called Peter Hes-
sel.
Writes to make our days seem
brighter,
As he analyzes Meech Lake,
Tells us of his children's antics,
And advises us on how to clear
our drains.
Now he has proposed a contest:
Says he will reward with dollars
Reader who may have
Ability to rhyme.
But not much goes with "Hes-
sel",
So I'm beat before I start
I will just say how I like to read
his Lines.
Fourth Prize: Marilyn Liles
(Kerrville, Manitoba)
He talks about his children,
And he talks about the news.
He talks of plants, andopt
things.
He shares with us his views.
Some of his adventures
Are sure to make you cry.
How can all this happen
To such a stable guy?
And that's what makes it special,
As I read about his days.
How he acts and thinks and feels
Is like me - in many ways!
Do his house plants really sulk?
(I think that mine do, too.)
Does he put off the chores at
hand?
(I know I sometimes do.) ' J
Is he proud to be Canadian?
(I know I surelyam).
Does he eoumedmes fear for C art
ada?
(1 pf*y for this great land.)
And what about his VCR?
(Well, it's hard to run - like
mine.)
His summers they are far too
short
(We need more sunshine time.)
And on and on its seems to go,
As with us he shares his views.
He seems to write for me as well
As if he's wom my shoes.
So when I put my feet up
And I read of Peter's plight,
I have to chuckle to myself:
How close he is to right!
Honourable mention: Katy
Brown,. age 8 (Regina, Sask.)
My .Dad is great.
My Dad is funny.
My Mom is genii too:
My Mom is not too bunny.
But my on IS 6utll ill.
My big brother is not funny
And he bugs me alot.
But I love them all.
Sincerely.
Cocrgrstulations to the win-
ners! Thanks to the participants
and all newspaper staff who
helped to coordinate the contest.
HAVE AN OPINION?
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