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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-05-01, Page 4PAGE 4 —GO rERI AP' SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 1985 DAVE SYKES `3kr lir W/1 4611 1111 While some may dutifully ponder and weigh the political policies of the parties, thoughtfully question candidates and research the sues,, the election may very well be decided in the kitchen. That's right! Oh sure, any candidate can promise to work his backside off for the good of the riding regardless of the situation. • ' And naturally every provincial election candidate would be the first to offer his ser- vices to solve nagging constitutents' pro- blems by working at least 25 hours a day. Ontarians have come to expect.that kind of dedication from its politicians. And should Ontario Hydro make a mere attempt to gobble up valuable farmland in the Huron -Middlesex riding with a transmission line corridor, would not our sitting member, regardless of politicial per- suasion, be the first to hurl his body in front of the oncoming bulldozer to prevent the construction of the line. It's all partof the job. MPPs, by the very nature of their job description, are expected to be tireless, in- - defatigable public soldiers whose sole pur- pose is to battle for the rights of the under- dog, champion the cause of the little guy,battle crime and corruption and uphold, justice, the law of the land and motherhood. Politics is pretty lofty and moral stuff. And when the constituents have problems, should the local MPP not take time out from his precious family life to lend an attentive ear for hours. No-one said the job would be easy. All that and more is a routine part of the job for a member of Provincial Parliament and if some happen to nod off during the dai- ly question period, it's quite understandable. The pace is frenetic. But while the contenders in the election may espouse the ideals of fair play and a 'may the best candidate win' philosophy in public, in the back kitchens of the cam- paign, it's all out war. Two established party candidates held those ever popular "things -on -a -bun -shake - my -hand" nights in Goderich this week. Judging by the turnout, it's obvious what the public is looking for in a candidate. Is it that firm handshake, a grasp of the issue affecting the people of the province, the cut of his three-piece suit, an endearing, winsome Sizuae or a vuonuag vw x: No scree! Today a candidate may be judged oi the spread he puts out. for the people Handl $ • turned out at two separate functions Mon- day evening, wreaking havoc among the fold cuts .and buns, while candidates, uriously pumpedhands. While hundreds may have attended both functions,. they moved in packs from one location to the other, sampling the potato salad and tole slaw, remarking on the freshness of the buns, the thickness of the meat, selection of cold drinks and the quan- tity. If political appetites are as voracious, we may experience a hell of an election in this riding. There was a lot 'of buns, beef and ham packed away under the guise of in- terest in politics. Many people ate twice Monday evening and no doubt feel much closer, more intune, to the democratic pro- cess. Next election, candidates would be wise to pay closer attention to their salads, and cold cuts. Maybe there was some merit in that chicken in every pot stuff. THE, NEWS;,PORT FORGODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 Founded in 1543 and pu[zli©had nuary C^Jodneodmly at mann uch, nntarlo. C'iov'�nbe of the CCGi7Gd ons$ nem. Subscriptions payable in advance '20.95, (Senior Citizens '17.95 privilege card number required) In Canada, '55. to U.S.A., '55. to all other countries, Single copies 50t. Display, National and Classified advertising rates available on requeot. please ask for Rate Card No, 15 affective Dcteber 1, 1884. Advertising is accepted an the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services et a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star ie not responsible for the loos or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING. LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher DON HUBICK —Advertising Manager DAVE SYKKS - Editor the P.O. BOX 220 �® de INDUSTR ALSTINDUSTRIAL PARK 5%00' ®ODERICH, ONT. N7A 4BS. Member: Second class mail registration number 0716 FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...please phone (519]524-2814 Cast a ballot May 2 The Gallup people have claimed in one of its most recent surveys that one in three On- tarians couldn't care less about the provincial election. It's been that kind of campaliign. While enthusiasm and spark may be lacking in the 1985 provincial election, it does not necessarily reflect on the fact that the three major party leaders are relative neophytes in the leadership game. It's the first election for Frank Miller, David Peterson and Bob Rae as leaders of their respective parties and by all accounts they have handled themselves capably during the short campaign. . The polls. may indicate a decided lack of interest in this election, but they have also detected a crack in the Tory's secret for longevity. Despite over 40 years of middle-of- the-road conservatism, projections call for a minority government. That may in itself be a reflection on Frank Miller but it also reflects on the positive im- pact both Peterson and Rae have had on the electorate. w.nt,._ ti.•,,botchy While the predictions auger well for the province's bridesmaid parties. Miller• ham ,,.r.r ly suggested he can match and top Davis' winning margin in the 191.1 provincial election. Then, Premier Davis, led the party to 72 out of 125 seats with 44 per cent of the vote. At the dissolution of the Legislature, the Tories held.72 seats with byelection victories. While Miller contends that party polls show his support above that of Davis other polls suggest he has lost 15 percent of the decided vote. Both the Liberals and New Democrats have made marginal gains while the undecided figure is high at 16 per cent. All the leaders have addressed issues of concern to Ontarians in the election and billions of dollars of promises have been tossed out to the electorate. The most important issue is that of jobs, Jar the people of the province and Miller responded with his billion dollar Enterprise 'Ontario program, an offshoot of the Davis government's BII,D program. It was the cornerstone of Miller's campaign. The Liberals were willing to commit .millions each year in tax credits to small businesses in the lorm of refunds for the cost of hiring new employees The New Democrats have offered a $50 million wage subsidy program inviting business to hire young people. :111 have of Iererl policies and promises on a variety of issues, including the sale of wine and beer at the local corner store. Leadership may Very Well he' iheIt' :ingrFlient in file E'Teetirin 5111-Miltet'rriay IFarn' that he clown t hate the same draw ini; puwcr as William Davis Even if the Conservatives slip in the ratings, they are likely to come up on the govern- fiter-rt side of the legislature. But regardless of projections and predictions, it is incumbent and imperative upon each and every voter to exercise that democratic right and vote on Thursday. May 2. _Ea will be open from 9 a.m. to It's a poor argument when, people say their vote doesn't count. Every vote Toun s ;inc democracy. is intended to be a participatory process. So participate and vote. yea Exercise for two By Dave Sykes POSTSCRIPT SUSAN HUNDERTMARK Three cheers for the women of Huron County, particularly Women Today, - the Women Teachers' Association and the Registered Nurses Association, for the pro- fessional and well -researched job of the all - candidates meeting last week in Clinton con- centrating on issues affecting women. Using the model of the first debate on women's issues in the last federal election organized by the National Action Commit- tee on the Status of Women, the organizers presented an opportunity for the candidates to address the concerns of women in Huron. The questions were intelligent and based on well-documented facts. Both the questions and answers demonstrated that women's votes are being treated more seriously all the time. But, while the meeting was an historic event, the candidates were disappointing in their lack of a full understanding of the issues in a lot of areas, said Valerie Bolton, of Women Today. ti-_. Suggestions by the NDP candidate, Paul Klopp, that equality on the farm will happen in to tong ru?l if rainier -are allowed to earn a decent income and the statement made' by Conservative candidate, Bryan Smith, that battered women are the result of economic pressure on husbands show a limited knowledge of the issues. The broad media play and the extensive research by groups like Women Today on the issues are readily avauabfe for anyone who wants to learn about the reality of women's situations. in Huron. Before atten- ding a meeting like Thursday's, -the- can- didates might have been wiser to take ad- vantage of those resources. A very basic mistake was pointed out to Smith by more than one woman in the au- dience. When Smith, relieved the meeting had come to an end, summed up by saying, "You girls weren't as hard on us as I thought you'd be," his remarks were met by some amused chuckles. But, when he continued to relate a story about one "girl" he had trained at his workplace whom, he ensured everyone, was very competent, tempers flared. "Did this girl become a woman after you trained her?" one woman asked. As Smith quickly learned, at the most fundamental level of understanding of women's issues, females over the age of 18 are adults and therefore women. The friendly, yef somewhat condescending title of„ "girls" is not received well by most politically -aware women. Judging from Smith's reaction, I don't thinnk the poor- guy will ever „use .the tern. "girls" again. Critics of the federal debate on women's issues will probably dismiss Huron County's meeting the same way saying women de- l -wan e - m an themselves by separating "women's issues" from the "real issues." But, to the woman at Thursday's meeting. who - as a single parent isstuck.ata $16,000 a year job because she cannot afford to pay for childcare and go back to school tor upgrading, women's issues are anything but secondary. They deal with the real struggles and barriers she faces in an unequal society. The facts are available. Women in Ontario earn 63 cents for every $1 earned by a full- time male employee. Compared to 53 per cent of men, 16.4 per cent of women in On- tario had an income of $15,000 or more in 1981. When a marriage breaks down, a woman who has spent her life caring for the home and raising children is not entitleda share of any business assets of investments her husband has built up. In 1984, close to 300,000 women in the Ontario labor force had at least one child under the age of six while the province has licensed day care spaces for just 91,592 of them. 'Women are concerned with the economy, the arms race, pollution, patronage appoint- ments and separate school funding. But, they're equally concerned with the ine- quities which affect their daily lives. It was wonderful to see the three can- didates in the Heron -Middlesex riding ad- dress (though they sometimes stunibTeci over) issues affecting the women they hope to represent in the provincial legislature. If they were sincere, women and society as a whole can only benefit by the high priority they say they place on the pursuit of equali- ty. On.May 2 tthis Thursday), make sure you vote for the candidate of your choice. When our interest skips easily over a whole lot of other issues and concerns and when a hot dog wagon continues to attract passionate attention and to occupy a disproportionate share of our represen- tatives' time and energy, it must show something about our values, relationships and imagination. it is probably safe to presume that most people in town have no strong views for or against the wagon. Count me among them. I go even as far as to suggest that if his sup- porters gave the young man a little paint to touch up his wagon and if the local authorities added an extra garbage can and perhaps another bench on that corner, much of the irritation would probably simply fade a wa y. i The only reason why I take the time to add some more words to the growing pile of comments, is the uneasy observation that the public dispute is losing sight of some perfectly valid realities and threatens to become a bit lopsided. Somehow this whole thing is being turned into a case of "the little fellow" being push- ed around by a banking giant. It is nothing of the kind. Whatever personal grievancitrone might have against the loan policies and banking prrictices set in head offices, it should not intrude inw a simple case of local public housekeeping. It appears that the bank staff saw certain maintenance problems and it was felt that the presence of the hot dog wagon as the next-door neighbour was a contributing fac- tor. The manager addressed the town's ad- ministrative committee .in a businesslike and polite manner. Over the years local councils have had to face complaints and questions from different sources, concern- ing this rather unorthodox case of an in- dividual insisting that he has a right to do business on the municipal road allowance. Our unique Square means different things to different people. Being the town's core area and main business, , district, it is naturally of greatest interest and concern to established businesses and institutions who pay several rounds of taxes under different headings. One of them is the B.I.A. t Business Improvement Area 1. Under pro- vincial legislation it provides "a means for business communities to improve and pro- mote their business district in co-operation with their municipal council". It follows that the property owners, businesses and in- stitutions on the Square have a definite and special interest in everything pertaining to the area, in order to "create and maintain an attractive and vibrant business com- munity". They have at least an equal right to make their concerns known. The .Square is also a designated Ileritage Conservation District. When the Royal Bank building-, underwent renovations several years ago, the official designation was not yet in place. However, the bank officials went out of their way to keep the outside of the building compatible with the architec- tural character of the Square. A local resi- dent said the other day that the Royal Bank deserves full marks for being mindful of local concerns and for not replacing the building simply with a modern box. It is dif- ficult to blame the bank management for ex- pressing their concerns over what they see -as a degree of deterioration of the conditions in the area. Do the persons who coonect this case with supporting ''young entrepreneurs" mean that any number of portable sales or service outlets should he free to set up shop on the • town road allowance anywhere? For com- pelling reasons, the council could make an exception, but there could hardly be a de- mand for a "right". Every small branches of large institutions are always easy targets for anyone who wishes to make a social issue out of a minor individual situation. Big or small - it is worth trying to be fair. ELSA HAYDON