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The Times Advocate, 2007-09-12, Page 166 Times–Advocate Wednesday, September 12, 2007 Opinion Forum News You can make a difference September is Big Brothers Big Sisters month and we would like to ask our readers to help us make a difference in a young person's life. For those of you who do not know about Big Brothers Big Sisters, we are a not-for-profit organization serving the South Huron, Northern Middlesex and Grand Bend areas, promoting positive mentoring relationships for young people in our community. As the caseworker at Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Huron, I hear from parents about the difference they have noticed in their child's life as a result of them having their own Big Brother or Big Sister, or from them being involved in our group pro- gram. They report that their children are happier, they show more independence and responsibility at home and they get along better with their peers at school. Their chil- dren are excited when it comes time to get together with their `Big'. Recently, I asked all Bigs and Littles to share with the agency how their involve- ment is special. Below is a response from Craig, one of our Big Brothers: "Why is my `little brother' special to me? Volunteering has been something that I have thought about and wanted to do for along time. I am very glad that I finally decided to try it and got matched up with my `little brother.' In only a short time I have noticed a building of trust and respect in our relationship. I feel like I am there for him and that it is just important for him to realize that I am someone who cares about him. We also have a lot of fun doing certain activities, but the bottom line is that we have a lot in common and get along so well doing anything. We are both happy just to spend time with each other. You cannot describe the personal satisfaction that you feel when you know that you are trying to make a difference. We both were looking to be matched up with someone and we are both lucky to have found each other." One of our in -school mentees reports: "My Big Sister, Marlene, is special to me because we always do fun things together. It is never boring when I am with her! We like to take pictures and do puzzles together. When I need someone to talk to she is always there. Marlene and I will be friends forever." (Sarah, age 12). You can make a difference by volunteering as little as one evening a month for Big Bunch, an hour a week with In -School Mentoring, or a few hours a week in a tradi- tional match. If you would like to make a difference in a young person's life, or you feel that your child would benefit from this experience, please contact us at 235-3307 or visit our website at www.shbbbs.on.ca for more information. You can create a friendship that lasts a lifetime! AMY SCHWARTZENTRUBER Casework Co-ordinator Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Huron we agree to disagree! (8) In closing, I would like to say thank you to the many local residents, family and friends that have given me many words of encouragement over the past few weeks. Many of them have thanked me for writing the letter to the editor and bringing the problem out in the open for discussion. After all, I achieved the first part of my goal. The ball diamonds were cleaned up and looked immaculate for our year end tourna- ment. I hope they will look the same next year and for future years so the second part of my goal will be achieved. Thanks to whoever cleaned up the diamonds prior to our year end tournament! BRENT GIBSON, Lucan Is clean water really a priority? I recently received a letter from Carol Mitchell's office to her constituents. In their letter there is a paragraph on water quality. I quote, "Water quality was a chief con- cern of the majority of participants at the recent `It all goes into the lake' conferences. Ontario's new Water Source Protection Act and Clean Water Act will begin to reverse the decades of neglect on the province's water and will provide my constituents with the assurance that they will have safe and clean drinking water. Local communities will oversee the pro- gram and they will initiate work that will ensure that the future for clean water is protected at its source." After begging for a grant, the residents of Centralia and Crediton finally got a $1 million grant for our sewer project which we all appreciated. We were on the verge of having it ordered and done with or without the grant by the Ministry of the Environment. But when this same government gives a cricket club $1 million, every resident of Centralia and Crediton should feel insulted. It sure makes me feel that maybe clean drinking water is not all that important. Our contribution to clean drinking water will cost each household of Centralia and Crediton approximately $17,000. If a cricket club can get $1 million, there should be no reason why we could not have got $4 mil- lion or two thirds the cost of the project. The way the government is running around handing out millions today makes me wonder if we asked a little too early. On another note, I wrote Carol Mitchell a letter dated Sept. 15, 2004, concerning using our RRSP money to pay for our sewer project. It was passed on to Finance Minister Hon. Greg Sorbara and I still haven't received a definite answer. I guess he is too busy touring the provinces handing out millions but not for sewer projects. I guess the moral of this story is cricket is just as important as clean drinking water. MEL WINGER, Centralia Letters to the Editor Rodeo debate continues In response to Mr. Doug Fletcher's letter to the editor published Sept. 5, I would like to comment as follows: (1) The last time I checked, the baseball diamonds are within the boundary of the "Exeter Community Park." I realize that other local community members use the "Exeter Community Park" for various activities. I am only discussing the ball dia- monds because that is the only part of the park I had an issue with after the rodeo. (2) I currently live in Lucan, however my roots are in South Huron. I grew up in the municipality (before amalgamation) and attended South Huron District High School. I played minor hockey and soccer in Exeter and Stephen Township. I currently play rec league baseball and hockey in Exeter. I have many friends and family living in Exeter and the surrounding area. What part of "many local residents enjoy the use of the ball diamonds on a regular basis" does Mr. Fletcher not understand? (3) The rodeo has been an annual event for 11 years now; however local residents as well as ball players from neighbouring communities have made use of the ball dia- monds for generations! My article had nothing to do with ball teams from out of town! (4) I am sure from time to time that the "municipal" staff does pick up litter from the fields. They shouldn't have to! It is everyone's responsibility to keep the litter off the fields. I have found myself picking up litter from the fields from time to time and putting it into the designated garbage cans. All public parks get littered with trash to a certain degree on a regular basis, but not horse manure! (5) In response to Aug. 31, are you accusing the Exeter Men's Slow Pitch league or any other local ball league for that matter of breaking legs off a picnic table? I do not have any control over what happens on the diamonds when my team is not playing just as you do not have any control over what happens in the "Exeter Community Park" when you are not walking by. (6) I do not disagree with you that you saw two "municipal" trucks and six staff members cleaning the park. In my opinion, the cleanup was not thorough enough! I thought about taking pictures on both evenings when I was playing ball on the garbage -infested ball fields that "apparently" were fit for use through your eyes. But, I didn't think it was needed. If you had walked through the outfields of both dia- monds, you would have a better understanding what I and many other local ball play- ers saw and felt. The plastic forks, baler twine and horse manure was not visible just by casually walking by the fields. (7) I assure you, Mr. Fletcher, that I was looking at the ball diamonds prior to the start of both games on Mon., Aug. 20, and Wed., Aug. 22, and was disgusted with what I saw. You are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to my opinion. I guess Give our politicians a break The public image of the politician is not an enviable one. Quite unjustifiably, it is universally assumed that most politicians are, if not dishonest, then at least duplici- tous. To get elected, they make promises they know they can't keep. They are eva- sive. They think more about their "entitlements" than about saving taxpayers money. They refuse to face "inconvenient truths" like global warming, probably because they are in the hip pocket of big business. They are too ready to abandon their own party and join the opposition in return for a seat in cabinet, or to bribe one of their oppo- nents to do so. They lose sight of the common good in a mindless antagonism with their opponents. But the fault may not lie altogether with the politicians. It may be largely the result of the winner -take -all, zero-sum game of first -past -the -post that we force them to play. Consider. No matter how well-intentioned, a candidate, or a party, can do nothing until he/she/it is first elected. Once elected, however, and usually by a minority of the electorate, a party gets 100 per cent of the power. (The hundreds of thousands of votes cast for losing candidates are given no weight and achieve nothing.) Then it can do whatever it pleases. Opposition parties have no real power to affect the outcome. Whistle blowers within the governing party can be disciplined in the name of party solidarity. Co-operation and compromise, or concern for minority interest, or even common courtesy are all unheard of. It does not suffer for its behaviour until the next election, by which time most voters have forgotten. We cannot change human nature, of course. What we can do is change the rules of the game so that reasoned co-operation is rewarded and unilateral rule discouraged. In governments based on proportional representation, where the people's interests are more adequately and fairly represented in the legislature, the "opposition" is not on the outside looking in, powerless to affect the outcome, but in a coalition govern- ment an integral part of the governing body. Opponents will and do complain that this means a reduction in the "efficiency" of government, that it becomes more difficult to get necessary legislation passed. But what is "necessary" is a matter of opinion. Too often it appears necessary only to ide- ological zealots. Measures truly necessary to the public good as a whole could be easi- ly enacted. DOUGLAS FRAME, Exeter Update from South Huron mayor SOUTH HURON — As I previously stated, by striving to make individual communi- ties strong and unique, we will be making the Municipality of South Huron a strong municipality. I also commented that the promotion of individual communities should not be at the expense of the municipality. When the Municipality of South Huron was formed, one of the ground rules of the new municipality was that "everyone should be treated equally." This means that every community within the Municipality of South Huron should be treated equally without preference. Preferential treatment of one or more communities could cause animosity among our communities and this would result in a weak and dysfunctional municipality. As a past councillor and now as your mayor, I have and will continue to do everything possible to make this municipality strong with the intent that all rules made by council apply equally to each community. Each one of us should be proud of the community we live in. We should respect our choice to live in our community as well as the choice of others to live in their communities. Elimville does not have the amenities that Crediton has and Crediton does not have the amenities that Exeter has. My community is Hurondale. It is made up of families that would attend S.S. #1 Usborne, if this school still existed. We get together for a picnic each year to enjoy each other's company. Our community event isn't as large as some other communi- ty events, but it is something we look forward to every year. Some events are private and some are public. Despite Exeter's popula- tion, some of the public events put on in that community need the support from other communities if they are going to continue to be successful. Some of these events are the Exeter Rodeo, Sidewalk Days and the Santa Claus Parade. If Exeter didn't have help from the other communities, these events wouldn't be the success that they are. To be a successful municipality, we need all the community events we can get. Therefore, we all need to support our own community events, as well as the events in our neighbouring communities. Other community events are put on by churches and service clubs. Dashwood and Crediton had some major events in the past and perhaps we might be able to revive some of these events. However, the most successful community events are financially supported by community attendance and by the event's supporters, and not by the municipality. Ken Oke