The Goderich Signal-Star, 1976-09-30, Page 13• „I
L'ewi fl.�..R.
GODERICH SSIGN:A.L•STAR,^THURSDA*C, SEPTEMBE
1976.P•AGr
_ -,- :enri Tafiar€ ata vteln.
those Participaction 'ads on television
lately so when ,..is buddy Joe from down
• at the plant suggested Haat he come. out
and join the "Old Men's" hockey club he ;
agreed. . •
Granted he didn't agree all that
readily: Afterall it had beep 25 years
since Henri had laced up a pair of skates,
and even longer since he'd held. a hockey
stick.
There were the usual stock excuses for
not going out. "1 haven't got any
equipment," .Henri explained. Joe said
he'd find some Henri could borrow.
"I really should stay home with the
wife and kids," Henri pointed out. Joe
said his wife wouldn't mind and the
garnes were Sunday evenings at 9:30
p.m., after the kidswere in. bed. -
Henri suggested, "I could get. hurt and
—be off work for who knows how long."
Joe said he wouldn't. gest hurt because it
was a no checking, no slap shot league. •
Henri managed to come up with a few
{
more-reaSons_ tby he,`shouldn`t ply
hockey but the excuses• betaine' more
and more feebleas he went along. In the
end he had to agree.
When Sunday night relied around Joe,
and some of the other 'chaps, came by
and picked up Henri for the trip to the
arena. There was much bravado in the
talk as they drove along and Henri threw
in his fair share, recounting exploits on
ice in years gone by., (long since gone,
by),
ThingS started to. go badly as soon as
they reached the arena parking lot. To
Henri's eye the duffle bag of equipment ,
was big enough for any. sailor going to
sea for a three Year cruise and as he
tried to hoist it to his shoulder, with the
hockey stick under one arm, the damn
thing fell and dented..the hood -Of Joe's
car.
In the dressing'room •things weren.'r
much better. Henri had to repeatedly
ask direction as to what to do; and where
to out, the various pieces of .etjuipment
which tori d a flioun
front of him: Shim pads,.nkie wards;
elbow and shoulder pads, a garter belt
(of all things!) to hold up the socks, then
the padded shorts, a sweater and -a
helmet.
Bending over in full dress to tie his
skates nearly .ended Henri's hockey
come hack before it got started. Finally
they were laced up and he lurched to his
feet gatsping for breath.
As he regained his breath Henri made
• a terrible discovery, He had to visit the
toilet.
Twenty minutes after his teammates
were on the ice, Henri emerged from the
.dressing room. His uniform and gear •
were in disarray. but he was greatly
relieved. He pushed off from the gate
and made a relatively graceful turn at•
centre ice, Everything was looking fine,.
until the puck was dropped for the
first face off.
Three minutes later Henri was in
agony.`He Was terribly. afraid he .might,
mound on
the floor in die. Another three• minutes.:his torture
`Wad reached xxew" iaet is ; :;as be- lay „:
gasping and gurgling on the bench.
devoutly hoping he would die.
By the seeond shift his feet began to
swell.`They felt four sizes bigger than his
skates, throbbing, pounding, begging to
be Set free from their leather and steel:
rack. Henri's breath came in agonized
squeaks.. His head reeled, • his . back
ached, his arms weighed a. ton and his '
legs ceased to "respond in any co. `• 1;
ordinated fashion Henri looked up at the
clock, they had playeA 1;0 minutes of an
-allotted 90 minutes ice time.
By spending a great deal of time on the'
bench,, and on his .back at various places.
on' the ice, Henri survived the game, On
the way -homle he heard; through his
delirium, a, comment which .nearly
finished hini off.
Joe turned to the human wrecks in .the
back seat and dryly observed, "If you.
think this is bad, wait `til you see how
you feel in the'morning.'
INFORMATION, % BACKGROUND .AND OPINION
•
Sometimes it 'seems the larger a
community. : becomes, the denser its
population, thefurther its people are.
apart and the.: more apathetic they
become.
The residents -of small town Canada
like to talk about how clean their com-
munities are, -how close knit its residents
and how friendly the people. All this in
comparison to the big city., and in all
honesty correct in most ways. •
The rule- ' of thumb doesn't stop there
however. It seems toapply right on down.
the scale. Appareet y the residents of
m ifies in Hurn County the size of
Goderich are just as distant, apathetic
and insularsas are those in the city if a
comparison is drawn•with small villages
and rural communities:
With the closure ofarenas all across
Ontario by the • Provincial- Government,
for safety reasons, and the . effort the
affected communities .must put into
reopening thein (through fund raising)
this fact seems to be brought home very,'
•
clearly: `_ `*
While larger communities, with.
Goderich as a -classic example, Wallow
in apathy andattitudes of "let Joe do it",
UR
smaller places, such as Blyth, will
already be using their new or repaired
facilities.
Construction is already well underway
on the new $386,000 Blyth and District,
,Community Centre and Arena. The firm
of Tri-Dign Construction of Guelph has
been laying footings for the new arena
and auditorium.
The company has promised the shell of
the 'building• will be completed by,
Nove fiber to allow installation of ice fel-
the Winter
orthe'Winter season. If the target date is
•
met it will represent one .cf the fastest'
closure'fo reopening sequences in all of.
the communities hit by. the Ontario
Labor Ministry's safety campaign. r •
The decision to close Blyth's old arena,
came in June followingthe engineer's
report that the old building was unsafe'
and • yirtually beyond repair. A public
meeting ' was , quickly held and the
unanimous decision •"Was to demolish
the old arena and build a new one.
Building and fund raising committees''
were quickly forrtied.and, withthe aid of
• Ani,ish workmen, the old arena was
levelled within four weeks of the closure
decision. A salvage auction, to help raise
funds, was held July 24.
Fund raising has been amazing. When
the fund reached $75,0Q0 the • community
committed themselves by signing the
contract with Tri-Dign, even though -the
fund raisers recognized that the hardest
part of fundraising was still tocome if
the total of $1.68,000 from local sources
wasto be .net.
No public funds are to be used to build
the new facility, all money will come
from money raised by the community
and thematching grants' available.
So the work --goes on. Recently area
residents walked or bicycled 25 miles to
raise another $7,000. The event was
organized by the young •people of the
Christian Reform Church.
The total raised to date stands at about '
$100,000 which °leaves a considerable
balance to raise but 'the committee'
already has plans prepared to do just.
that. • '
-With the pastperformaece to judge by :
there seems little doubtBlyth arena will
be in operation- 'early this winter. How
many other communities will do so well?
The first stage of
the Ontario Ministry
coveringsoft drink
into effect across
October 1.
new regulations of
of the Environment
containers will go•
the province on
•
The regulations as a whole will ensure
province wide availability. : anduse of •
• carbonated soft drinks in, . refillable
containers and reduce, undesirable
environmental effects of non refillable
containers, according to George A. Kerr
the enyironment minister.
The regulation under the .Environ-
mental Protection Act requires the
dis lay- and sale of refillable ,bottles:
P
O\/-INCIL
wnerever soft drinks., are sold and
establishes a mandatory ' desposit and
cash refund on all_ 'refillable soft drink
containers: It also bans soft drink and.
beer cans with detachable .:pull 'tab.
openers.
•
"These regulatory' 'rrieasurers will
result'in a'progressive reduction inthe
quantity of throwaway containers. which
add materially to our solid waste load:;,"
Mr. Kerr has said. "The controls are
being phased in.over a reasonable time
to avoid confusing :the: consumer in the
market place, to minimize economic anis
employment•lossin the industry and`to
avoid disruption to the soft drink
•
•
distribution system.''
According to the Minister. the
regulation is the first phase of a new
attack on waste cauSed by the
proliferation of, throwaways. "I am
prepared to introduce other measurers .
as required and as recommended by, the
Waste ManagementAdvisory Board."
Effective October 1 the regulation will
require retail vendors 'to' accept the
return of clean, intact refillable bottles
up to a limit of 48 per person per day and
to refund, in cash a minimum mandatory
deposit of'' 10. •cents on-indi•viduaL:size
bottles and 20._ cents on family sizes..
POINTS
4.
•
Retailers must also display a public
notice, provided by the Ministry of the.
Environment outlining ••. the deposit
refund system.
Where prices are advertised or
displayed,- the content' -'price :arid.
refundable deposit on refillable bottles
must be shown clearly and separately.
Second stage ofthenew legislation will
.follow on March 1, 1977. By, thsit date
cans with • detachable opener --s will be.
Armed. By April 1, 1977 a retailer inay
not offer non refillables unless he also
offers the • same . sizes, flavors and
brands, in refillable containers.
By that same datebars will have to,
serve soft 'drinks in containers . larger
that 480• milliliters (17 ounces). April 1,
1978 will see the introduction of only five
sizes . of refillable carbonated drink
containers.
This regulations, in••effect, limits' the
sale of soft drinks to three sizes of any
given brand or flavor and eliminates the
confusing .proliferation _of. sizes:, pow
offered on retail shelves. ^
According to the Ministry of the
.Environment the new regulations reflect
• the 'extensive study ... of the soft drink
industry and retailing undertaken by the
- Ministry's,. Waste: Management
Advisory Board and the „Solid . Waste
Task Force which preceded the board.
Mr. Kerr also says that he expects the,
soft,, drink • industry to., work ,with
Ontario's resource ---red ery program;
and assume a more active role in the
reclamation. of waste generated by non.
refillable containers. -"Iris practical to
.Vt•
to some lower flnon
tolerate
refillable containers in the waste stream,
if we get greater commitment from the
industry in impro vitt reclamation
technology and in expanding the,
markets . for recovered waste
- materials.'
•
•
'Canada 'is beginning to tighten up its
immigration . policies in earnest. Gone
are the days of wide open doors and few
questions asked:
.Immigration Minister Robert Andras
indicated -Pa's't week that some -ini-
migrants to Canada may, have 'to un-
dergo three months' ,pr.o'bation before
they are awarded landed immigrant
status. '
A new federal proposal is to be in
troduced as, legislation to• the House of
Commons in the. near future. In addition
to the probationary period it will also
-include, regulations. which will force
unsponsored immigrants: to settle , in
•
ANADA IN SEVEN
smaller towns,,' away from Toronto,
Montreal and Vancouver.
Over the past 15 to 20 years more than
half` of the landed immigrants have
taken up '. --residence .in these centres
accgrding to Mr' Ahclras.
The Immigaration Minister also
suggested that the new tighter controls
being put into force are expected 'to
reduce immigratian to 140,0Q0 Persons in
1976. Last year the figure as 187,881 and
in 1974 totalled • 218,465. .
At the outset the pioposedregulati:ons
w
'would not apply to those immigrants,
coming to Canada under the sponsorship
of relatives already in the country. The
majority of those • given .erttry. 'into
Canada last year fell • in this category
Mr. Andras admits. •
A . point system is used by, the
Immigration` Department to determine
whether or not entry is to be granted and
those on the margin would have to settle -
in regions where employment, matching,
their skills, is available and where
people are needed.
Should such ah immigrant choose to go
after the immigrants arrival before this
was completed. -
The new policy will .provide for the
issue of probationary visas ,granted to
prospective immigrants at overseas •
posts, usually before they ever left their
home country.
The Minister has been reluctant td
discuss the new praposals'in any further
detail until'such time • as the final
legislation is introdu9ed to the Com-
tq Goderich, he wouldnot be given mons. 4.
landed immigrant status at the point !Of ' He did suggest that tinder the new laws
..entry to Canada as has been the practice added weight wouldrbe given to the point
in past.. Imrrrigration. landing papers ` system' already in use where points are,
further revisions during consultation
with the various provinces.
Although the new policy: has yet to be
.acted on recent figures released by the.
Department of Immigration indicate
that officials are 'already beginning to
tighten up. The number, of landed
migrants to Canada so far this year is
down considerably from the same period
-in 1975 and ever more so from 1974.
It is9unii'kely tohave much effecton
the new immigration proposals butin
the aftermath d'f Mitchell Sharp's
resignation from the Trudeau cabinet a
in M
would beconfirmed in Goderich and Mr.:granted for location in underpopulated major shake up occurred mov . g r.
I'Andras said it might be three months areas. This part of the plan is to undergo Andras from` thePostof Manpower; and„difficult to say.
Immigration to the treasury board. Bud
Cullen, formerly ..at revenue,will be
taking over the duties of Minister of
Manpower and Immigration.
The theme of immigration policy
changes, as. outline last week. by Mr.
Andras, will, no doubt remainthe same •
but a cabinet shuffle on the' scale wit:
nessed in Ottawa is likely to present
spine initial administration ' problems
and a possible slowdown. in work on the
bill.
Originally Mr. Andras had indicated
that the proposed legislation would go,
before the government in • October.
Whether that will still. be possible is
1
After holding out against world
opinion, and . in' the face of United
Nations sanctions, for eleven years the
regime of Ian Smith -in Rhodesia finally -
may have thrown in the towel and bowed
to demands bf blacks in that, and other
African countries, to'majority rule.
tate -last week the world press was
hailing "peace at . last in ' Southern
Africa” and ' "freedom for Rhodesia's',
black majority" in the, wake of a round
of shuttle diplomacy by•the inventor of
the act, American Sie e'Ta'ry of State
,Henry Kissinger.
It is true that the troubled situation
that African country has never been
closer to a negotiated settlementsince
Smith made his'Unilatetal Declaration
of .Independence (U.13.I.) eleven years
,•ago and pulled his country out • of the
'`ritish Commonwealth because he
feared a British turnover of power to the
blacks. •
It may' be soniewhat•less than' true,
• however, that there is "peace at last" -in
that part of the African continent".' '
Leading black ^nationalistswere ex•
pressing milted reactions and some.
criticism „of the :terms of the historic
settlement that will give Rhodesia's
blacks majority ' . rule in two years,
"something Smith had claimed, until only
recently, would never happen "•in my
lii~eti'me "
White hodesians .in positions with the
Smith.government expressed optimism
for, the, future but it is questionable
Whether or not • the ordinary white
'Rhodesian shared that optimism.
Signal Star reporter. Ron Shaw was in
Rhodesia last April andreports at that..
time white Rhodesians were saying
majority rule would come but thatit was '
totally:inconceiveable to: consider such a
prove .wit'hinten years. 'Could 'public
opinion have changed so rapidly in only
five months, even–with ..the added
pressure of sporadic terrorist activity?.
Not only will the new 'agreement hand
over power to the majority in two oars
but it calls for immediate establishsrnent
•
of a 'mixed white and black interim
government:
'The key to Smith's unwilling
agreement seems to lle a third clause
which will provide for the establishment
of an international trust fund to corn-
, pensate • Rhodesians affected by the
change. The agreement also calls for
!guarantees, from. the. United States and
Britain that sanctions will be lifted and•'
the guerrilla war stopped.
The compensation agreement will
remove much'of'the white Rhodesian's
determination tp hang a on, to. be sure..
Under the situation of the past 10 years a
white Rhodesian had his back to the
wall. Unless hie was fortunate enough to
still hold a British passport -there was no.
where to go even if he did wish to
abandon his country, only South Africa
and Portugal • would . recognize.
Rhodesian travel documents
Furthermore his .rnoney was useless
everywhere except in S6uth Africa.
To, what point the guarantor. powe'n
will honer the trust' fu -n -d agreement is
'nest important. Doubtless a number of
Rhodesian farmers unci • businessmen
will get out now, While the getting is good
and they are likely to receive some
compensation for the property • or
businesses they leave behind. But most
white .Rhodesians are third or fourth
generation' and consider that country
0
•
•
their home,. They really have no place to
go and will want to stay.
Will they still be eligible for corn-
pensati;on five`. years down the road when
the black • majority government begins
expropriating thefarms and, business
established " and developed by the
grandfathers and fathers of the existing . .
'white generation?
If the history of countries like Kenya,
/arnbia and Tanzania can be taken as
any indication, the answer is no. •
Por this reason alone itis''doubtful:that
the average•'white'Rhodesian .shars in
the celebration .of. "peace at last" lir
Rhodesia..