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Times Advocate, 1999-06-30, Page 66 M Exeter Timer*Advocate Wednesday. June 30, 1999 AVE "44" Editorial&Opinion TIMFS-AI)VOC'ATE PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 dim Beckett Publisher and Editor Don Smith General Manager Production Manager Deb Lord Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Journalists get to meet all sorts of celebrities Recently, a group of high school stu- deists expressed the desire for employ- ment as journalists because they would get to meet celebrities. Come to think of it, meeting interesting people is one of the benefits of the job. But some of the most fascinating and delightful individuals would proba- bly not be considered celebrities in the conventional sense of the word. They are not rock stars - at least not yet. Their names are not household words anywhere except their own homes. Few have had their photographs published in a national newspaper. Their wealth can be measured not in billions of dollars but in hundreds. But to their families, friends, co=workers and communities, they are extremely important. Communities couldn't function without these local celebrities, these small town heroes. Consider the school custodian who has turned a corner of the boiler room into a cosy sitting room, complete with. couch. (which in a former life was a car seat), end tables, a couple of lamps, and lots of original artwork on the walls - some of it on paper, and spme right on the walls; Crayon is hard to wash oft. There is always a box of Kleenex on her desk, for her empire of mops and brushes has become somewhat of a haven for little ones, as well as most of the teachers, when they are troubled about something at home, in the school yard, or the class- room. She may not have a degree in psychology, but her kind heart, sympathetic ear and common sense advice have helped a lat of people. In her school and community, she is very much a celebrity. Consider a high school kid who hid phenomenal organizational skills and tremendous musical talent under an oversized military overcoat and spiked hair. While still,a young teenager, he had a tenden- cy to do things like organize rock concerts as suc- cessful fund raisers for local charities. It was a remarkable experience to watch this odd-looking young kid get up on stage, make an eloquent and dignified speech, then grab his guitar and blast everyone's ear drums. He likely would have ended up as a world famous rock star arid/or political activist, but sadly, his career was cut short before it ever began =' fr'affic accident, drunk driver' He never got to be a celebrity outside his own commu- nity. .Nonetheless, he made his mark, and changed anyone who met him for the better. Then there was the small town businessman who, at the time of a memorable disaster, happened to be dabbling in municipal politics as well as being a volunteer firefighter. The big city press came with, their list of local notables to interview on camera, with the fire raging in the background. They got them all, too, except one. "We got the mayor, we got the councillors, but where the heck is Ernie?" they grumbled. Ernie (Hardeman) was where all the townsfolk knew he would be, right in the middle of the inferno, holding a fire hose. So what, if he missed his chance to get his name in the paper that round? Small town celebrities include the garbage guy who waves at all the kids, the police officer who advises senior citizens on home security, the volun- teer with the dog who keeps going back to the nurs- ing home week after week to visit total strangers. They include the president of the local Kinsmen Club, the ladies who make beautiful quilts for chari- ty, the little kid who calls the police to squeal on the :teenagers who are stealing manhole covers. Journalists get to meet them all, plus some of the famous big shot celebrities. The local ones are by ' far the more interesting. , ? .,,:, reprinted front Saugeen City News Tough drunk driving laws a step in the right direction It is shocking and appalling how prevalent impaired driving is on our area roads. I'm not naive but I truly thought people understood the message — don't drink and drive. Since I've been assigned to cover the Exeter court beat I've been nause- ated about the high number of impaired driving charges regularly appearing on the docket. What is scarier still is these are just the people the police have managed to catch. The Canada Safety Council reports drunks generally operate their cars 200-2,000 times before getting caught. When is society going to truly condemn this type of behaviour? The costs are incalculable. On a monetary level, impaired driving only serves to increase our policing and court costs not to mention our car insurance rates. On a human level, each year thousands of Canadians lose their lives or are injured because of some idiot who thinks its OK to drive home after hav- ing a few to many. While the driver gets a fine or some jail time the victim's family and friends are left to pick up the pieces. According to the Canada Safety Council, there are 1,300 deaths and 90,000 injuries reported every year on Canadian roads because of impaired driving. In the grand scheme of things that means nearly 40 per cent of all car accidents in Canada are alcohol-related. Where is the justice? This past spring the federal government finally woke up to the seriousness of this crime and passed legislation with some real teeth. The wheels were sent in motion after the government ordered the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights "to prepare and bring in a bill to amend those sections of the Criminal Code which deals with impaired driving in order to a) enhance deterrence; and b) ensure that the penalties reflect the seriousness of the offence. While I'm not convinced tougher legislation will com- pletely eradicate this problem from our roads, it will send a clear message this is a real crime with real con- sequences. Highlights of the legislation to amend the Criminal Code ipclude: • Maximum 14 years in, prisoAtitillaPerivers involved in fatal collisions; • Maximum 10 years in jail for causing bodily harm; • Doubling the minimum fine for first offend- ers to $600; • Maximum of five years in jail for driving while driving under suspension — up from two --c-years; • Licence suspensions of up to one year for first offence, five years for second and lifetime ban for subsequent offences; • Mandatory alcohol abuse treatment as a con- dition of probation for offenders. During the fall legislative session, the federal government will also be voting on a stand-alone bill to include a clause imposing life sentences for impaired drivers involved in fatal collisions. The Manitoba government under the leader- ship of Premier Gary Filmon also wants to crack down on impaired driving. Last month, they passed legislation to amend their Highway Trac Act to severely penalize drunk drivers. " Now if you are caught driving with more than the legal amount of alcohol in your blood in Manitoba, your car can be impounded by police for 30 days, whether you are convicted under the Criminal Code or not. Motorists who refuse a breathalyser test will also have their car sent on a 30 day "vacation." Whatever your take is on all this new legislation the bottom line is drinking and driving won't be tolerated by our legislators — too much blood has besets shed already. When is- the rest of society going to wake up to the same reality? KATHERINE HARDM 0 IT HAD T BE SAID. About the Times -Advocate Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. 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