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Times Advocate, 1994-12-28, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, December 28, 1994 Publisher: Jim Beckett Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord Advertising; Barb Consitt, Theresa Redmond News; Adrian Harte, Fred Groves, Heather Vincent, Ross Haugh Production; Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Robert Nicol, Brenda Hem, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner, Marg Flynn Transoortation: Al Flynn, Al Hodgert Front Office & Accounting; Norma Jones, Elaine Pinder, Ruthanne Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple The Exeter Times Advocate is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership 1 • inion F.1)ITORIA1. A place for bicycles nseasonably mild weather these past few days has only served to extend one of Exeter's common sum- mertime problems into the dead of win- ter. A boy riding a mountain bike down Exeter' Main Street sidewalk last week opposite the flow of traffic, looked over his shoulder to say something to his friend riding behind. He did this just as he was entering an intersection. A car pulled up to the corner to make a right turn, poked its hood around the corner of the building, only to be rammed by the cyclist who looked back and braked much too late. Fortunately, the only result was a couple of scratches on the car, and may- be a bruise or two for the cyclist who fell onto the hard street. This wasn't the first such close call between bikes and cars this year on sidewalks alone. It's not a problem confined to young- sters either. Adults can often be seen riding bikes down Exeter's narrow Main Street sidewalks, without giving fell thought to the consequences. After all, how many times have you bumped into someone who just stepped out of a store's doorway? What if you were riding a bike at the time? For an elderly resident, it wouldn't take much of a collision or a fall to have serious consequences. Broken bones, for instance, are far too common among the elderly, and very hard to heal. The Optimists have a very fine annual bike rodeo, aimed at pointing out to chil- dren that bicycles need to be treated like vehicles and must obey the rules of the road. Unfortunately, far too many think such caution expires the moment the course has been completed. Bikes on sidewalks is a frequent com- plaint at the Community Oriented Polic- ing meeting in Exeter. The police do is- sue warnings, but seem somewhat reluctant to issue the fines that are al- lowed under the town's bylaw. In fact, until late summer, the police were not sure the town even had such a bylaw. , Bicycles are an excellent form of trans- portation for young and old. We need to educate more drivers to give them the respect they deserve on the roads, but we can't expect them to be prepared for them whizzing down sidewalks in either direction. Pedestrians too, need not compete with metal vehicles on the sidewalks. We can boast that the streets of Exeter are safe compared to other centres. Un- fortunately, our sidewalks aren't. rt Support for Bill 119 Smoking will kill eight times more teens than drugs, car accidents, suicide, murder and AIDS com- bined Dear Editor The Huron Chapter of the Heart and Stroke Foun- dation of Ontarig firmly supports Bill 119, newly proclaimed Iegisltion which, among other things, limits and in some cases prohibits, access to tobacco to young people. The facts concerning smoking and young people are quite shocking. One out of every six teenagers smokes. Because they smoke, one out of every five of these smokers will die before they reach seventy. Smoking will kill eight times more teens than drugs, car accidents, suicide; murder and AIDS combined. Recent research demonstrated that tobacco smoke is particularly dangerous to children and pets. Sec- ond-hand smoke - smoke that is inhaled by non- smokers - contains more carbon monoxide and other dangerous chemicals than the smoke inhaled direct- ly by the smoker. We need smoke-free workplaces, restaurants and other public places and applaud the proclamation of Bill 119. The Heart and Stroke Foundation strongly urges young people who have started smoking to quit. and to those who are thinking about starting, don't. Kittie MacGregor President, Huron Chapter Whatever happened to the Ontario New Dem- ocratic Party's grand causes of yesteryear? A group of Innu, environmentalists and hu- man rights leaders turned up at the legislature recently to protest angrily against low-level training fligtfts by British, German and Dutch military planes over Labrador and Quebec. The flights, often only 100 feet above ground, have caused severe mental stress and harmed traditional hunting grounds and are a long- running concern. Critics say the federal government plans to al- low them to increase from the current 6,000 flight* a year and travelled to Ontario looking for support for a moratorium. But not a single New Democrat MPP, al- though there are 69 in the legislature, turned out to lend a friendly word. This was ironic, because when the NDP was in opposition a whole batch of its MPPs, led by Bud Wildman, now environment minister, held a news conference in 1987 and demanded the Liberal government do all in its power to stop giant U.S. bombers 'thundering' over,northern Ontario on low test flights. Wildman wanted the flights assessed for their environmental impact, consultation with all In- dian bands in the area and an explanation of why Liberal premier David Peterson was silent on the issue. But now it is the NDP's turn to be silent. It might argue that this is a problem happening outside Ontario, but this never deterred the NDP in opposition hen it complained loud and often about events f: away as South Af- rica and Chile. \ �t A little earlier, the Canadian Peace Allt e dropped in at Queen's Park, hoping for help l its claim that, although the cold war has passed, nuclbar weapons remain a danger. It said that 50,000 nuclear bombs are still de- ployed or in storage and it is distributing a peti- tion declaring that nuclear weapons are abhor - Publleetlans Mall Registration Number 0388 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: CANADA WIWn 40 miles (65 km.) addressed to non letter carder addresses 830.00 pus 82.10 0.s.T. Outside 40 miles (85 km.) or any letter carrier address 830.00 plus 830.00 (total 80.00) + 4.20 0.8.T. Outside Canada 899.00 pus 88.93 OST (Includes 888.40 postage) Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Main St., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 158 by J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1-4192353331 • Fax: 5192350786 e.e.T. SW105210835 Your Views Letters to the editor if..'. 1 /' What's Lucan's top priority? If those young people allow the school site, which is chosen only because of "free" provincial fund- ing for that location only.... Dear Editor; It is interesting to note that the results of a mail survey of Lucan voters on priorities have changed since the November 14 Municipal election in Lu - can. During a pre-election candidates meeting Rose- mary Gallinger-Beaunne, a new candidate, stated the results of her survey said Traffic Safety in Lu - can was the number one voter priority. specifically that the speed limit on number four highway be re- duced downtown to 40 k.p.h. Since the election Rosemary has twice been re- ported by the Times Advocate as saying a new li- brary is the number one priority. While this fits in nicely with the new councillor's priority and with the old council's priority, it does not fit in with the electors, who showed their support for a new library with an exceedingly dismal (about 12?) response to a library fund-raising event promoted during the all candidates meeting. As a candidate during that election, and after- wards, (as a defeated candidate) I was told by about six persons that they approved of the location for the library being at thc Lucan Elementary School on the outskirts of town. Half of those six were the council. Many more expressed disbelief that that location was a legitimate choice, as it made access difficult, especially for seniors. Lucan is certainly a young person's town. If those young people allow the school site, which is chosen only because of "free" provincial funding for that location only, then those young people will have to blame no one but themselves for increasing provin- cial and federal deficits - the source of that free money. If those deficits contribute to declining so- cial programs for the poor, those young people will have no one but themselves to blame for increasing social problems, including break, enter and theft of their own homcs so that the poor can cat. If those young persons think a handgun is their answer, think of the many hand gun owners' children who have been shot to death by the handgun owner, thinking their child was a burglar. I'm sorry folks, but those are the facts of thc situa- tion in a society built on apathy, tolerance of f al irresponsibility, stupidity of elected representativ and self-interest. Bob Mosurinjohn Lucan, Ontario Silent protest for the grand causes rent and asking the World Court to rule them il- legal. Again not a single NDP MPP turned out to lend support and show that there are people • now in government and authority who endorse this view. Ironically it was the NDP which prodded the legislature in 1986 into approving a resolution declaring Ontario a nuclear arms -free zone and prohibiting testing of nucleareapons, al- though is was never clear what powers the province had, since defence is a federal juris- diction. A more famous case of the NDP abandoning a cause was the visit in November of Premier Bob Rae to China, when; he helped Prime Min- - -islet. Jean Chretien and other premiers promote sal including nuclear reactors and promise technology for a dam that will flood lath where 1.3 million Chinese live and evict them from their homes. The New Democrats in opposition were al- ways exhorting Ontario governments of other political stripes to have no truck with repres- sive regimes and called the massacre of 1,000 demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, Beijing in 1989 a 'terrible event with no moral justifica- tion' . But Rae heartily endorsed trade with a China that continues to repress. When Chinese leaders and other observers denied all knowledge of Chretien's claim that he also raised the issue of human rights, Rae was even there as cheerlead- er to pipe up 'I was sitting two chairs from the prime minister and that's exactly what he said'. It must have been the quietest protest in world hilory and Rae was part of it. grit keeping quiet has now become a regular part of the NDP's policies. In the case of China it put trade first. In the others it has concluded that it has too many bread and -butter battles to fight and no time for grand causes and the least said the bet- ter. 4 1 1