Times Advocate, 1993-07-21, Page 4Pop '4
Times -Advocate, July 21,1993
TatillsberJim Butt
flaw:Ikon Adam Harte
/1111110111111.11.1111111111.11 Din Smith
ittomp)allioninsmogor: Dab Lord
Publications Mali Registration Number 0386
SURSCRlpTJON_RATFS• CAtIADA
Within 40 tunes (6S km.) add susad
foam total emOsimedom ses *10.00 phis 02.10 Q.S.T.
Jae 10 miles (SS km.) or any letter carrier address
580.00 gids $90.00 (total 80.00) + 4.20 G.S.T.
Outside Canada 568.00
Welfare reform needs job creation
'he Ontario 'government's pro-
posals for changing the welfare system
in . the province sound to many like a
step tinthe iight*section.
West people wall .agree that :tag
disincentive to . out of the sys-
tem, and =duo aging those who •are
able to find employment are wealthy ob-
jectives.
Pressuring able bodied wetlfarereap--
lents to enrol in job :raining proms
to .increase their job skills sounds lgreat,
?but where are The jobs for them to come
front?
Without programs to create jobs, job
[training will :not lower the unemploy-
ment rate, it .will only give people a
'greater sense :of frustration as they fail
IcCfmt a productive 'use for their newly
<acquired kills.
'The social contract .and cutbacks in
the public service now dictate that the
Bovemncnt Will be relying on the pri-
vate.sector to create the 'new jobs.
At the same time as it is about to rely
heavily on private industry, the govern
meat in Ontario is viewed as antibusi-
ness at worst, and something to be en
durod- a charac;cer builder at best.
If business in this province is expected
to bear higher costs in certain areas in
order to meet government objectives,
then the government in order to meet in-
creasing employment goals, should find
other areas in which tolower costs.
There will 'always be some =employ -
invent. Even when people talk about full
employment, they do :not mean everyone
has .a job.
'The full :employment level 40 - years
ago was taken to mean four to five per
cent unemployment.
Twenty years ago it was six to seven
per cent ;unemployment, and within the
past 10 years the figure has been around
eight -and -a :half per cent.
If nothing is done to .create jobs our
full employment rate for the nineties
could %>vvial be in the nine -and ahalf per-
cent range.
Fergus -Elora News Express
Government listening to Canadians
't is heartening for Canadian
tizens that—sometimes- theiP'vOic a is
, even by 'Politicians" who .don't
;have .to be elected.
Canada's Senators were called back to
a last Week .to rethink their earlier
decision to vote themselves .a .$6000
increase in, their- expense, allowances.
Thc. ;Senator's had ,voted the increase,
then taken toff »fora lengthy'vacation.
But the uproar over the 'decision was
(deafening as outraged citizens from
coast to coast reacted.
Many cathed for abolition of the Sen-
Facor MtiTtth this-arasati4ra ll! and ►
with an election looming this fall, lead-
ers of all.parties put the squeeze on the
senators to rethink their vote...and
''tee result was that senators returned
from fir vacations for a second vote.
Often citizens' feel hopeless to effect
change. Sometimes it seems nobody lis -
tans..
This time, thankfully someone did.
The ,North !bran Citizen
Letter to Editor
AFS Interculture Canada needs
host families
Dear Editor:
In mid-August 50 foreign stu-
dents from countries all over the
world will be arriving in Ontario
for an 11 -month exchange pro-
gram. AFS Interculture Canada
has had problems finding enough
host families this year, so that
about 40 of these students have no
placement as yet.
They need a good family in a
wekoming community, to experi-
ence life in Canada.
These young people (aged 16-
18) am reaching out for new expe-
riences, from Japan, Thailand, Swe-
den, Germany, France, the Nether-
lands, Portugal, Switzerland, New
Zealand, Australia, Hungary, Costa
Rica, coming to learn, to share, to
communicate.
Could you help? Do
you ' know
someone who
could? Time is
of the essence.
Speaking from ex -
11)
perience, hosting a
foreign student
gives you memories and a friend-
Bi Ut
R1RRON
AWARD
"Men are never so likely
to settle a question rightly
as when they discuss it
freely."
... Thomas Macauley
Pvbliahed Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St.,
Exeter, Ontario, NOM ISO by J.W. Early Publications Ltd.
Telephone 181S-2354331
liR10$210s35
,N4iWASHE'IGcW 'PEM
RIPPLING DEFICn4IkHuNEMPtPY-
MENT LUE$'?
ratMY
NEXT NUMBER*”
The Grade Eight Graduation Present
I have never even heard of in-
line skating. But then the num-
ber of cool things of which I
have never heard is becoming,
increasingly legendary.
Alex had wished for in-line
skates (also known as roller -
blades, although that is not a ge-
neric but a brand name) for a
Grade Eight Graduation Present.
Just to illustrate to you how
much I'm out of it, I hadn't even
counted on (or budgeted for) a
Grade Eight Graduation Present.
Because when I went from
Grade 8 to Grade 9, it wasn't
called graduation. It was a tran-
sition to which nobody paid the
slightest attention. Come to
think of it, I never had a gradua-
,o tion present for anything.
So when Alex mentioned in-
line skates, I was a bit taken
aback. But that's all settled. I
now realize that in-line skates
are sort of like roller skates with
a single row of polyurethane
rollers.
"Where are you going to use
these in-line skates?" I asked
Alex.
"On the road."
We have two kinds of roads
where we live. The quiet and
relatively safe kind is gravel.
Definitely not meant for in-line
skating. The other kind is paved
and would be ideal for skating if
it were closed to traffic. But the
Department of Highways refus-
es to close Country Road No. 23
just to accommodate Alex.
"Sorry, Alex," I said, "how
about a nice new watch?"
ship that will last a lifetime.
We have a photo file of these
students with some information, at
238-2471, or call the National Of-
fice at 1-800-361-7248. You don't
need to have teenagers of your
own - some students go to couples
without children.
All they need is room and board,
a warm welcome, and a willing-
ness to share experiences.
Roberta Walker
Grand Bend
Crirnlnal justice system
should be changed
Dear Editor:
The recent sentence or more cor-
rectly "slap on the wrist" that was
issued to Karla Homotka is a clear
example of the need for reform of
Canada's criminal justice system. A
sentence of 12 years apparently
translates into 4 years until eligibil-
ity for full parole. 1t is suggested
that even less time would have to
be served to receive the opportunity
for temporary lasses, placing this
criminal back into the community.
Is this ample punishment for multi-
ple convictions of manslaughter?
Over the past several years the
Reform Party of Canada rias sur-
veyed thousands of Canadians and
have established policy that repre-
sents their overwhelming call for
immediate change to our criminal
justice system. Reform policy
Spells out the following priorities.
First, the rights of victims must
receive the highest priority in the
justice system.
Second, the Young Offenders Act
should be repealed and replaced
with an act that stipulates that
young people have a responsibility
and an obligation to society.
Third, as in
the Homolka
case, Canada's
Parole Act
should be recog11)nized for the threa
that it implies to
law-abiding citizens.
Changes should be made to the
Parole Act to restrict temporary
passes to only non-violent offend-
ers on work release programs, and
violent offenders should not be
granted parole before their aentcnce
has expired. The Criminal Code
should also be amended] toprovide
that persons convicted of violent
offenses, such as murder and cer-
tain categories of sexual assault, be
obligated to serve their full sen-
tence and then be on parole - with
their place of residence known 10
authorities - for life.
ty of sentence is a long-
ent to crime in Cana -
n
da.
The real story in the Homolka-
Teale case is that Canada's criminal
justice system itself is being put on
trial. Canadians deserve much more
accountability from their invest-
ment in the Criminai Courts of
Canada. The wishes and wisdom of
law-abiding citizens need to fall on
ears of 'a government that listens,
not ignores!
Sincerely, Arthur Whilsmith
Zurich and seven
Concerned Reformers
4
Elizabeth come to his rescue,
in her indirect way: "I'm not
saying he shouldn't have in-line
skates, don't get me wrong, I'm
Only saying...."
Peter's
Point
•
Peter Hesse'
All right, so I was being over-
ly protective.
I said I would make some in-
quiries. But it was a Saturday af-
ternoon. All my sources of in-
formation were either closed
down or at the golf course. And
the in-line skates had to be pur-
chased in the city that very af-
ternoon before the stores closed
at 5:30. So here was my com-
promise:
"111 buy you a pair of these
things under one condition.
They're not to be wom until I
check with the police to see
whether they're even allowed on
a highway."
There was a lot of grumbling,
but I ended up buying a pair of
in-line skates under the condi-
tion that they could be returned
for a full refund if the local po-
lice...
I also brought a helmet, wrist
guards, elbow guards and knee
guards. By now, this Grade
Eight Graduation Present had
Letter to Edito'
cost me more than I had paid for
my first-year university tuition
and half as much as I had paid
for my fintr. I was hoping;to
rearm everything on Monday.
On the way home, I noticed
Alex handling the skates and
helmet and guards. "Don't get
too fond of them," I wanted.
"They're not yours yet."
"I k, . ," he said, and then he
lookec pus mother.
At nine o'clock sharp on Mon-
day morning I called Constable
Wayne. No, there is no law
against in-line skating on high-
ways. But protective gear should
be wom. I phoned the local hos-
pital. No, there have been no re-
ports of injured in-Iine skaters.
In other words, I couldn't find a
soul who would back me up or
share my concern. Except for my
mother-in-law.
All right. 14 -year old Alex,
who even without skates is now
2 cm taller than I am, really tow-
ers over me when he stands on
his brand-new Gretzky Ultra
Wheels.
This is my appeal to readers
who frequent County Road No.
32: please, keep your eyes open
for a tall, colourfully attired boy
"striding" against the traffic,
swinging his .anns wildly.
Please, don't run him off the
road, because he can't skate on
gravel.
I didn't want him to be out
there, honest! But most opinions
and ail the odds were against
me.
NDP problem inherited
Dear Editor:
Once again a letter from Gibby
Gibson has graced the pages of the
Times Advocate and once again he
has managed to insult socialists,
NDP supporters and those with any
kind of speech impediment. In his
zest to support the Tory cause he
has only succeeded in insulting the
very persons whe hold Tory victory
in the palm of their hand.
Although few will admit it today
someone must have Voted for the
NDP in this Province or it would
not be in power with such a majori-
ty. in a tough economic climate
they are making tough decisions.
Whether right or wrong they are
doing something no government ince'sutancial problems were not
has really ever had the nerve incurred by the provincial NDP.
to do in this
MO! province... SAY
Perhaps Mr.
Gibson should
look at the .world
overtop the haze of
his blue tinted lenses. Perhaps then
he will remember the reason why
the Big Blue Machine was so com-
pletely dismantled in the fust place.
Bill Davis did not pay the political
price for the decisions made by his
government. Larry Gassman paid,
and we as Ontarians are continuing
to pay. The majority of this prov-
- -They were brought about by pro-
vincial governments who thought
times would always be good and
there would be no rainy days. Well
;Mr. Gibson it's raining like hell out
,there and the only thing you're let-
ter has done is to remind us of the
annogance that got us here in the
first place.
For the record, I far prefer a poli-
tician who speaks out of one side of
his mouth, rather than both sides at
the same time.
Yours truly,
*key Fsfton Greb