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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-10-04, Page 44 TO Wind= abbacnce -iinteo Published each Wednesday at: Box 390, 5 Diagonal Road, Wingham, Ontario Phone (519) 357-2320 Fax (519) 357-2900 J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 We are: Jim Beckett — Publisher Audrey Currie — Manager Cameron J. Wood — Editor Cathy Hendriks — Ad. Sales Stephen Pritchard — Production Jim Brown — Reporter Margaret Stapleton—Reporter Eve Buchanan — Office Louise Welwood — Office Z O Member of: OCNA CCNA Editorial Viewpoint f someone chooses to take days, months, or even years off their life by opting to puff the wicked weed, at least as of today, it is still their right to do so. Much ado is being made of the Supreme Court of Can- ada's 5-4 majority decision to strike down the Tobacco Products Control Act. The decision effectively elimi- nates the ban on where and when tobacco products can be advertised. Tobacco industry officials have said this will not mean that a glut of cigarette advertising will permeate society. They say everything will remain the status quo until more information about the decision can be gleaned. One anti-smoking spokesman said, in a release sent to our office, that young people will be certain victims of this decision which, he said was based on legal grounds not public health protection grounds.•, Dr. Ian Warrack, president of the Ontario Medical As- sociation says 13,000 Ontarians die from tobacco -related illlnesses each year, making smoking the number one preventable cause of disease and death in the country. Everyone knows someone who either has survived or succumbed to cancer. The numbers speak for them- selves. So what is it that keeps people smoking .4 or more importantly — what gets them started. Studies made public over the last few years have shown an increase in the number of people smoking, par- ticularly in the teenaged set and especially young girls. Of all the demographic groups, you would think young girls would be the last group to show an increase. They've had enough information pounded into their heads about the dangers of breast cancer that they should know about the risks to their health. This, of course, is a little too logical for the indestruct- ible teenager of today. It's no different than when any o the older set were teens, either. ,,Everybody thinks they are invincible when they have youth on their side. There is no doubt these kids wil learn smoking is a mistake. But when will they learn i the question. Sadly, part of the attraction for even more kids t smoke is the feeling of getting away with something the shouldn't be doing. If cigarettes are going to be legal — and they still are the tobacco industry should be free to market their prod- uct. The question should be: should tobaeco remain a le gal product? The West Lincoln Revie The Wingham Advance -Times is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership. Letters Policy rill letters to the editor must bear the writer's name, telephone num- ber and address. The Advance -Times wel- comes letters. We re- serve the right to edit, but will endeavor to preserve the author's intent. Deadline for letters is Monday before 10:00 a.m. Some exceptions may apply. Fax: 519-357-2900 or mail to: P.O. Box 390, Wingham, Ontario NOG 2W0 A reason to smile Wingham Wingham Council...for the most humour debate ever entered by a council. Their idea to prevent horse droppings from soiling our streets is good for a chuckle. More next week. WEDNESDAY, OM111BER 4,199S with Margaret Stapleton OCTOBER 1948 The Progressive Conservative Party chose Premier Drew of On- tario as the new national leader Saturday at Ottawa. Drew's clos- est threat for the leadership was mounted by John Diefenbaker of Saskatchewan. Helena Skinn, Doreen Machan and Patsy Dawson were girls' champions at a recent field day held at Wingham Public School, while Bob Young, George Waine and Douglas Murray took top honors for the boys. About 60 Belgrave area resi- dents gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Procter to con- gratulate them on their recent marriage. The bride is the former Elizabeth Speakman of Weston. Last Friday morning, the pupils and teachers of Wingham Public School assembled in the main hall to to do honor and bid farewell to Mr. Hammond, who has been caretaker for the past 14 years. OCTOBER 1961 Jim Mitchell is this year's re- cipient of the I.egion trophy for the Junior Conservation Club. Marjorie Kieffer, a home eco- nomics student at Macdonald In- stitute, Guelph, has been awarded the Huron County WI Scholar- ship. Marjorie is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Kieffer, RR 4, Bluevale. Wingham Mayor R. E. McKin- ney has announced the fact that he does not intend to seek re-election after 10 years on council and as chief magistrate for the past seven of them. We are hearing a lot of com- ments from' oldtimers on the unu• sually warm fall season we have enjoyed so far. Very few days have been any cooler than normal summer weather. The trees, how- ever, are not nearly as colorful as one would expect at this time of the year. OCTOBER 1971 A plaque honoring the late W. T. "Doc" Cruickshank was un- veiled Sunday afternoon at the memorial park on Josephine Street which bears his name. On hand for the occasion were Mr. Cruickshank's widow, his daugh- ter Lois (Mrs. Ross McCall) of Brussels and son G. W. "Bud" Cruickshank of Wingham. All municipal police cruisers in Ontario will be blue and white within one year's time, Councillor William Harris reported to the October meeting of town council. Steven Lewis, leader of the pro- vincial New Democratic Party, came to town last week to tape an interview at the local television station. A pretty fall wedding was sol- emnized at Sacred Heart Church when Robert Christopher Skinn exchanged vows with Elizabeth Rosa Barber. The couple is resid- ing in Wingham. OCTOBER 1981 Following a lengthy and at times bitter debate Monday night, the Wingham Town Council again turned thumbs down on a request by a local hockey club to operate a private bar at the Wing - ham arena. The request was made by the booster club of the Wing - ham Royals Intermediate hockey team. Councillor Patrica Bailey of Wingham has been appointed deputy reeve of the Town of Wingham, taking the place of the late Harold Wild, who had held the post for many years. A dozen members of the Wing - ham Canadian Girls in Training rocked around the clock last weekend to raise money toward a new wheelchair for the hospital. Susan Jane Foxton and David Bruce Heffer exchanged wedding vows in St. Andrew's Presbyteri- an Church in Wingham. Royal Homes supports local airport development plan Dear Editor: Royal Homes is pleased to add our support for the opening of the new Wingham Airport. The trans- portation link will be a vital part of the social and economic develop- ment of our community. Over the past two years, Royal Homes has toured over 250 foreign visitors;' primarily from Japan, through our Model Show Court on Highway 86, just across from the proposed Airport site. The Airport link to Toronto will facilitate promotion of the Town of Wingham and further international business opportunities for our com- pany. All of our homes are built in the local community and the poten- tial additional jobs 'will no doubt be of substantial benefit to our Town and the surrounding community. Congratulations to the Wingham Airport Development Committee. Your foresight and efforts to pro- mote our community are appreciat- ed. Pieter Venema, President, Royal Homes Limited Organizers of Wingham's Fox Run offer thanks for support Dear Editor: Wingham's Eighth Annual Terry Fox Run was again a tremendous success. One hundred and twenty four participants gathered together to raise money for cancer research. We are very proud to announce that over $18,000 was pledged for the Terry Fox Run. As organizers, we would like to thank our many volunteers, and to the local businesses who donated food and refreshments to make this year's run go smoothly. Thanks to our Terry's • Team Member Mary Alice Smits and the pipe hand for getting us off to a great start on our run. A very special thank -you to the participants who gathered pledges, and to those who made donations to ensure that our community would make a difference in 'the battle against cancer. We look forward to seeing you all again next year. Thanks again, Dale and Linda Edgar Organizers, Terry Fox Run Liberals see glimmer of hope TORONTO -- Ontario's opposition Liberals have not had much to cheer about lately, but they have been of- fered a faint glimmer of hope in an unusual candidate for leader. Sean Conway, who was deputy leader when Lyn McLeod was tram- pled by Mike Harris's Progressive Conservatives in the June election, has the most impressive credentials on paper of any leadership candidate in a couple of decades. Conway, an MPP for 20 years al- though still only 44, has been gener- ally premier, William Davis, as "like the old Colonial Railway, which twisted and turned, chugged up hill and down dale and meandered through the remotest sidings before eventually reaching its destination." When earlier Tory governments gave most of their summer jobs to party members, Conway quipped "there are more young Tories in Al- gonquin Park this year than deer" and he described an abrasive New Democrat leader, Michael Cassidy, as "an ice -cube wrapped in sandpa- per". Conway was so admired the federal Liberals drafted him in the 1984 election to travel the country and introduce and warm up audienc- es for then. prime " minister John Turner and listeners liked Conway more than Turner. Conway was house leader and ed- ucation minister when the Liberals were in government. MPPs still commonly stay in the legislature to listen to him, a tribute accorded few, with Eric Dowd and apologize they may not be able to match him when forced to follow in debate. Only the current NDP leader and former premier Bob Rae comes close to rivalling Conway's way with words. On the debit side, Conway's clas- sic oratory with its long, flowing, grammatical sentences, well mar- shalled arguments, historical refer- ences and colorful phrases is a bit out of fashion, particularly because snappy one-liners suit TV better, and he needs substance as well as patter, which McLeod's Liberals were short of. But he would give Harris, who is not strong on rhetoric, a good run in any argument. Conway also passed up several earlier opportunities to run- for lead- er. He could have run theoretically when Stuart Smith was chosen in 1976. Both entered the legislature at the same item. Conway would have been a credi- ble candidate when David Peterson became leader in 1982 and later pre- mier and would have won in a walk in 1992.but encouraged McLeod to run, which also casts doubt on his judgment because she was outman- oevred by Harris. Conway as welt has mused often about leaving poli- tics for anew career. All this suggests Conway lacks ambition to be leader and staying power. He says he is running for leader this time because he has been shocked by Harris's "radical conser- vatism and mean spirit" in cutting services built over decades by par- ties including the Tories and could never have got so worked up at earli- er, moderate Tories led by Davis and John Robarts. Even more intriguing is why someone who turned down leader- ship when polls were encouraging would feel he has a chance of defeat- ing a party that won by a landslide in June. Conway points to possibilities that harris's cuts will offend many who by the next election will have had enough of being governed succes- sively by extremist parties in the har- ris Tories and NDP. The NDP having had a turn at government also has lost its ability to promise paradise and is losing its star turn, Rae, torn by griping and not much of a rival so that voters will turn to Liberals expressing bal- ance, moderation, compassion and tolerance. This scenario is imaginative as one might expect from a master sto- ry teller, but is still cannot be written off as pure romantic fiction. 411