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The Times Advocate, 2008-07-09, Page 66 Times -Advocate Wednesday, July 9, 2008 Opinion Forum News Water rates "unconscionable" Dear Mr. Oke: I would like to add my name to the cho- rus of citizens who beleive that the proposed water rates are ridiculous; they are unfair, unreasonable and uncon- scionable. At the same time, I would like to ask a few questions and suggest a couple of strategies as to how we might all suffer a little less. In the first place, nothing can be done about the deci- sion of the past council to move ahead with the water line from the lake. Walkerton, improvement to the wells, the needs of the `Canners' and the ethanol plant pretty well dictated that Exeter would probably have to take lake water. There are definitely arguments on the other side, but I'll give the last two councils their due and concede that they might have made the best decision with the information they had at hand. Two important questions must now be asked in light of this concession (and with the added loss of the canning plant and probably the ethanol operation). The first is: What happened to all the money that the town reaped from the sale of its Public Utilities - both the hydro plant and the building on Main Street? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was $4 million or more? Add that to the $4.3 million grant that South Huron received, this Pro-choicers tell us a woman has the right to do what - would certainly help towards the cost of the pipeline. ever she wants with "her body." So, when a woman Grand Bend wisely created a local committee to learns she's pregnant, she has the right to abort the administer the funds realized from the sale baby (lump of flesh, cluster of cells). It's her body. become a have-not province. Now is not the time to increase spending, costs and, of course, taxes. I appreciate your time in reading this letter, and I look forward to an early reply. VAL GOULD, Exeter Alzheimer Society thanks supporters The Alzheimer Society of Huron County sincerely thanks our wonderful and dedicated volunteers and the support of the residents of Exeter during our annual tag days held in June. Volunteers collected $1,344.80. County -wide $7,356.11 was raised to help support local programs and to provide "Help for Today and Hope for Tomorrow" for those affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. CATHY RITSEMA , Executive director Alzheimer Society of Huron County The abortion debate The abortion debate brings an interesting question to mind. of its electric utility, and that body operates at arm's length from council. It is empow- ered to add to its capital and spend the interest on local projects without the inter- ference of political whim and `needs'. The fund has grown, and many groups and organiza- tions have benefited from the generosity of the commit- tee. Is there any of 'our' money left? How has it been spent? Do any non -elected members of Exeter act on an advisory panel, in a similar fashion, to oversee the spend- ing of these funds? Are any of the dollars available for the capital costs of the pipeline? Assuming that none of this money is available to help Exeter residents with their water obligations, the second important question is: What thought has been given to reduce spending in other areas to protect the interests of the people of Exeter, who, it appears, must bear the lion's share of the increase? Did council ask itself: The people in Exeter pay as much or more in taxes than the residents of London, what then can we do to reduce spending in other areas, because we are now obligated to impose a huge burden on home owners and apartment dwellers in our community? One of the primary theories behind amalgamation was that there would be cost savings with a sharing of resources and a gradual reduction in total staff. I would think that nothing like that has happened in South Huron. On the contrary, I would suspect that, in spite of the increases due to inflation, the people in South Huron pay much more for services than they did eight years ago. We can talk of downloading from the county, but what are we doing more efficiently now than we did before? What links have we created with other bodies, groups and municipalities to share in the cost burden of governing South Huron? So, let's apply any surplus hydro dollars to the project or cut spending! We have a great town with tremendous civic -minded men and women who want a strong, thriving community, and not one of us deserves such a huge burden thrust on us at this time, when some say that Ontario may soon Letters Now suppose that same woman, at the same to the moment, decides to keep the baby (lump, clus- Editor ter)? Will she then light a cigarette and pour a martini? Many women who smoke and drink choose to abstain during pregnancy. Why? Isn't it still "her body?" Physically, nothing has changed. It's a healthy choice, but so it was before pregnancy. What's changed? Is the lump of flesh now worthy of consideration, and if so, why was it not worthy of consideration while choosing abortion? Remember, same woman, same circum- stances, different decision. Does the woman's decision transform the lump into a person in her esteem? If so, that's miraculous because it gives woman sole power to create human life. Without man. Without God. Only mom can decide if it's human or not. Yes, a woman can do whatever she wants to her body. Abuse it all she wants. But in pregnancy, it's not just "her body" anymore. THOMAS BAILEY, Grand Bend Morgentaler undeserving Henry Morgentaler does not deserve the Order of Canada. He has been convicted of performing illegal abortions, has been operating his private abortion clinics where he charges higher fees than hospitals and is a notorious humanist activist. He has been reported to, and reprimanded by, the CMA for reusing disposable, non-sterile curettes to abort women — so much for him really caring about women's health. He is personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of defenseless, unborn babies. This award to Morgentaler must be revoked or it will reflect badly on its significance to the present members of the Order, and to its future members, let alone denigrating it in the eyes of the Canadian public. CARLA REVINGTON, Lucan Using the Internet EXETER — To be competitive in today's job market, you can use the Internet to your advan- tage. From electronic resumes to online job searches, the Internet can help you plan your career by helping you answer the following questions. What career is right for you? Do you have what it takes to become a dentist? A welder? A medical recep- tionist? The Internet can help you learn about different careers, growth industries and job prospects in various areas of Canada, including average salaries. To find out more, check out the following sites: • Service Canada at servicecanada.gc.ca • National Job Futures at jobfutures.ca • MazeMaster at mazemaster.on.ca • Career Navigator at jobsetc. ca/toolbox/quizzes/ quizzes_home. do?Zang=e Do you have the right education? You can use the Internet to find out the educa- tional requirements of your chosen career, and you can find out which schools offer the courses you will need to take. You can also learn about study -abroad programs and volunteer programs designed to help you build experience. To find out more, check out the following sites: • careerccc.org • career -college. com • servicecanada.gc.ca How do you find a job? The Internet can help you research possible employers, prepare a hard copy and online resume, look for job postings and learn how to succeed in interviews. The Internet has thou- sands of websites designed around these topics. To find out more, check out the following sites: • canadiancareers.coin • servicecanada.gc.ca • jobsetc.ca Online resumes are different from their hard copy predecessors. There are many places where you can create and post an online version of your resume. Some companies even provide a blank template for you to fill out when applying for a position. Accessing the Internet You can access the Internet from a variety of public places in this area, including the public library, schools and the Service Canada Centre for Youth (SCCY) in Exeter open between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 349 Main St. Job postings are avail- able online at www.jobbank.gc.ca under "Student Job Search," "Ontario," "London and Area," and then "Exeter." For more information on Service Canada services for youth call 1-800-935-5555 or visit servicecanada.gc.ca ASHLEY BLAKE YOUTH SERVICES OFFICER Fun at the playground EXETER — The first week of Playground has come and gone! The weather held up for us and the kids were able to enjoy both Wednesday and Thursday afternoons at the Exeter Pool. Also on Thursday, Playground held Silly Olympics 2008, where the youngsters competed in events such as cotton ball shot put and popsi- cle stick javelin. We ended the week with a lovely picnic lunch in MacNaughton park. As we ventured into week two the kids were encouraged to get in motion. This week's goal is to give the children a positive outlook on physical activity and to remind everyone about the benefits of staying active. So far the highlights were running relay races on Monday and playing soccer baseball on Tuesday. Today is let your talent groove,' where the kids will be showing off their coolest and craziest talents. If you aren't planning to already, I highly recom- mend attending Playground on Friday morning for our trip to New Orleans Pizza. Just as a reminder, it is important for the children to bring their bathing suit and towel everyday. On top of our regular swimming days we may attend the pool additional afternoons. As well, we have JESS BICKELL EXETER PLAYGROUND sprinklers and slip -n -slides that are great to bring out on a warm day. Please feel free to e-mail any questions to exeter- playground@gmail.com Shuffleboard enjoyed in Hensall By Liz Sangster HENSALL CORRESPONDENT HENSALL - At Carmel Presbyterian Church Rev. Andy Meinen was the minister. Rev. Meinen referred to "Amazing Grace" to illustrate his message. The offering was received by Al Hoggarth and Frank Varley. The ser- vice closed with benediction. Shuffleboard scores The Hensall shuffleboard scores for June 24 are as fol- lows: (4 games) Doris Hamilton 471, Harry Pennings 382, Rebecca Wilder 308. (3 games) Hank Dorssers 305, Doris Muir 267, Cor DeCorte 169, Theo Vandenboom 149. The Hensall shuffleboard scores for July 1 are as fol- lows: (5 games) Joyce Pepper 472, Bert Bachert 470. (4 games) Cor DeCorte 467, Joe Van Dorren 416. (3 games) Lorraine Alexander 410, Ann Van Dorren 385, Charlotte Norton 337, Gord Ross 279. Communities in Bloom Zinnia days in Exeter Attention all gardeners! This spring has been a test for any gardener but we hope you've been able to put your green thumbs to work. There are different ways to be a part of Zinnia days. Please look at the following activities which are open for all ages. Cut Flower Competition - Sat., July 26 Location - parkette downtown Time - 10 a.m. to 11 a.m • Submit entries Judging at 11 a.m. • Prizes awarded Categories: Largest bloom, Thumbelina - Three best stems, Trzt,"," Multi -coloured, Single stems, Three stems - assorted colours, 8� part o f rt1 Zinnia centrepiece Zinnia photos: can be submit- ted at any time at the town hall office marked "Communities in Bloom". These photos will be dis- played in a Main Street store window. Zinnia garden judging - committee members would love to see your Zinnia flowers in your garden or container. Contact us for a visit. Cathy 235-2828 , Deb 235-1703, Dianne 235-1902, Linda 235-0037, Carla 235-4611 Dave 235-2833 `i Comm Bloom