As published in The Erin Advocate
If someone asked you to find Myanmar on a map of the world, would you know where to look? Before going to the Myanmar cultural event at Centre 2000 recently, I knew only a few things about the country (known as Burma until 1989).
I remember U Thant, the Burmese diplomat who was Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971. I have read about Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader who has been kept under house arrest by the military government, since her party won an election in 1990.
And of course, most people have heard about the terrible cyclone there, which left more than 140,000 people dead or missing last May, and about the government’s initial reluctance to accept foreign relief aid.
That’s not really a lot to know about a land of 50 million people, which was conquered and named Burma by the English in the 19th century. It is the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia, located east of India, south of China and west of Thailand.
As so often happens, the controversies that make it into the news shed very little light on the everyday people and customs of a country.
Kim Terzi of Erin organized the event at Centre 2000, with members of the Myanmar Cultural Association of Brampton (MCAB), featuring crafts, dance and cuisine. (I can highly recommend the curried beef and mango salad.)
“I wanted to help people know about the culture – it is a very peaceful country,” she said.
Erin residents, including Mayor Rod Finnie, were entertained with a series of graceful dances, including the Candlelight Dance of the Rakhine State, part of the Festival of Lights, which pays respect to elders in the community.
The Brampton association has been prominent at that city’s Carabram festivities, with more than 4,000 people visiting their pavilion this year. They also won an award for their booth at the CNE. More information can be found at www.mcab.ca.
The association is helping three villages back home recover from the cyclone, raising money for medical supplies, tillers, seeds, food and clothing. Many communities in the severely-damaged rice-growing region near the Bay of Bengal are not accessible by road, making relief efforts especially difficult.
Myanmar is primarily a Buddhist nation, and is known for its golden pagodas, or temples. The environment ranges from mountains in the north, to tropical jungle, to the vast Irrawaddy Delta to the south, near the capital city, Yangon.
MCAB Secretary Bessie Terzi helps operate a family business, Mya Yadanar, which imports handcrafted treasures directly from artisans in Myanmar.
“It is called The Golden Land,” she said.
The country is famous for its lacquerware, elaborate bamboo bowls and containers with a high-gloss finish inlaid with gold or other elements, often presented as gifts by the country’s kings.
Then there are the creations in Amboyna Burl Wood, an aromatic hardwood with spectacular grain patterns, the intricate hand-painted umbrellas and the gold-embroidered scarves and tapestries, many featuring images of the elephant. Find out more at www.myayadanar.com.
The country is also a major producer of gemstones, especially jade. The Unites States has imposed economic sanctions on Myanmar because of the poor human rights record of the military government, including a ban on importation of gems. Gems are still sold, of course, mainly to Chinese and Thai merchants, with a recent auction raising about $175 million, according to an Associated Press report.
October 29, 2008
October 22, 2008
Jamboree is quite the party
As published in The Erin Advocate
I dug up my old cowboy boots a few weeks ago, found the oilskin cowboy hat I use for working outside in the rain, threw my new guitar into the back seat and headed on down to the Olde Tyme Country Jamboree at the Erin Legion.
My singin’ and guitar-playin’ normally happen either at church or at folk music circles, so most of it is not country. Still, there ain’t much music I don’t like, and working up a moderate country twang is as easy as rollin’ off a log.
I was expecting a concert-type event, but it is really a big party, with lots of people up dancing to every song. As a newcomer, I was made to feel extremely welcome. Folks were more than just polite, they were eager to sit down and talk.
“People are very friendly,” said Legion Entertainment Chairman Mark Southcott. “They come from all over the place.”
The Jamboree happens monthly at the Legion, except for December. The next one is this Sunday, October 26, 1-5 pm, followed by a roast beef dinner. Regular admission is $5, but if you sign up to sing or play a couple of songs, you get in free. Dinner is $10, with $2 off for entertainers.
It got going ten years ago, at the suggestion of Ken Paisley. From the start, the musical energy has been provided by Rod’s Country Classics, the house band that will back you up on just about any song you can come up with. It features Brian Stevenson on drums, Boyd Dolson on electric guitar, Wilma Dolson tickling the keyboard ivories and Rod Salisbury playing the fiddle.
“It was a success right from the start – Rod brought in an audience,” said Mark, who is retiring and moving to the Sarnia area soon. The Jamboree is an important fundraiser for the Legion, and organizers would love to have more people from the Erin area come and see what it is like. Cowboy attire and the ability to square dance are not mandatory.
When I was there, about 25 people got up to entertain with the house band, creating an amateur talent show that was lots of fun. When it was my turn, I did Yankee Lady by Jesse Winchester and Kisses Sweeter Than Wine by Jimmy Rogers, and was surprised to have lots of people not only dancing, but singing along.
Jamboree lovers will travel all around southern Ontario to meet their friends at events in places like Grand Valley, Shelburne and Caledon East.
The Erin Jamboree is “the best one”, according to Al Anscomb of Inglewood. Three years ago, he had an elderly friend who was no longer able to attend jamborees for health reasons. Al and his buddies put together a musical group, now known as the Caledon Country Boys, to play at the nursing home.
“We would take the jamboree to him,” said Al. “So many good things can happen when you do something nice for someone else.”
Word spread about the group and before long they were being booked to play in many locations – including a recent gig on Main Street in Erin during the Fall Fair.
The Erin Legion, Branch #442, is located at 12 Dundas Street East. For more information on the Olde Tyme Country Jamboree, give them a call at 519-833-2212.
If you have ideas for future Erin Insight columns, or other information for my edification, send an email to: erininsight@gmail.com. Those with spare time can go on line to check out previous columns at www.erininsight.blogspot.com.
I dug up my old cowboy boots a few weeks ago, found the oilskin cowboy hat I use for working outside in the rain, threw my new guitar into the back seat and headed on down to the Olde Tyme Country Jamboree at the Erin Legion.
My singin’ and guitar-playin’ normally happen either at church or at folk music circles, so most of it is not country. Still, there ain’t much music I don’t like, and working up a moderate country twang is as easy as rollin’ off a log.
I was expecting a concert-type event, but it is really a big party, with lots of people up dancing to every song. As a newcomer, I was made to feel extremely welcome. Folks were more than just polite, they were eager to sit down and talk.
“People are very friendly,” said Legion Entertainment Chairman Mark Southcott. “They come from all over the place.”
The Jamboree happens monthly at the Legion, except for December. The next one is this Sunday, October 26, 1-5 pm, followed by a roast beef dinner. Regular admission is $5, but if you sign up to sing or play a couple of songs, you get in free. Dinner is $10, with $2 off for entertainers.
It got going ten years ago, at the suggestion of Ken Paisley. From the start, the musical energy has been provided by Rod’s Country Classics, the house band that will back you up on just about any song you can come up with. It features Brian Stevenson on drums, Boyd Dolson on electric guitar, Wilma Dolson tickling the keyboard ivories and Rod Salisbury playing the fiddle.
“It was a success right from the start – Rod brought in an audience,” said Mark, who is retiring and moving to the Sarnia area soon. The Jamboree is an important fundraiser for the Legion, and organizers would love to have more people from the Erin area come and see what it is like. Cowboy attire and the ability to square dance are not mandatory.
When I was there, about 25 people got up to entertain with the house band, creating an amateur talent show that was lots of fun. When it was my turn, I did Yankee Lady by Jesse Winchester and Kisses Sweeter Than Wine by Jimmy Rogers, and was surprised to have lots of people not only dancing, but singing along.
Jamboree lovers will travel all around southern Ontario to meet their friends at events in places like Grand Valley, Shelburne and Caledon East.
The Erin Jamboree is “the best one”, according to Al Anscomb of Inglewood. Three years ago, he had an elderly friend who was no longer able to attend jamborees for health reasons. Al and his buddies put together a musical group, now known as the Caledon Country Boys, to play at the nursing home.
“We would take the jamboree to him,” said Al. “So many good things can happen when you do something nice for someone else.”
Word spread about the group and before long they were being booked to play in many locations – including a recent gig on Main Street in Erin during the Fall Fair.
The Erin Legion, Branch #442, is located at 12 Dundas Street East. For more information on the Olde Tyme Country Jamboree, give them a call at 519-833-2212.
If you have ideas for future Erin Insight columns, or other information for my edification, send an email to: erininsight@gmail.com. Those with spare time can go on line to check out previous columns at www.erininsight.blogspot.com.
October 15, 2008
Few applicants for tax rebates
As published in the Erin Advocate
I saw an ad the other day about a Wellington County program that provides partial rebates of property tax increases for low-income seniors and disabled persons, and decided to get more information. It turns out that very few people are applying.
The program provides a rebate of any increase over $150 on the total tax bill for property owners 65 and older who receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), or disabled persons who receive benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).
People need to re-apply each year to the Town office, and the deadline for this year is November 1.
Only 21 applications came in from the whole county for 2007, down from 47 in 2005, said Emma Reddish, Property Tax Analyst at Wellington County. The average rebate was $300. The program can be of particular value if taxes rise due to property reassessment.
“People should not pre-determine whether they qualify based on tax bill comparison – if they receive GIS or ODSP they should apply or call,” she said. “Applications are extremely easy to fill out.”
All rebated amounts are shared between the local municipality, Wellington County and the Boards of Education. The rebate is only made once all the property tax for the year has been paid. The program used to apply to tax increases over $300, but in the spring of 2006, County Council lowered the threshold to $150.
Low-income disabled persons who do not receive the ODSP may still qualify for tax relief, since eligibility may be determined on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the County Social Services Department.
There is more information at the bottom of your tax bill. You can get an application at the Town of Erin office, the County Administration Centre, or on-line at www.wellington.ca. Call Emma at 519-837-2600, ext. 2940, or email: emmar@wellington.ca.
• • •
I’ve never been fond of idle chit-chat, especially in written form, so the idea of launching a blog had never really crossed my mind.
Recently, however, a number of people have asked if the Erin Insight column is available on-line. The opportunity to publish my writing at absolutely no cost, to an unlimited number of readers, was certainly worth investigation.
It was so simple; I set it up during a lunch break. Now, you can aim your trusty web browser at www.erininsight.blogspot.com, and read, well, what you are reading right now.
That might seem redundant, but it opens up some interesting possibilities. For example, my Mom and Dad can now read the column, as can anyone else who does not get The Erin Advocate. Columns will be posted on the blog in the week after they appear in the newspaper.
When the site appears on your screen, you will see the most recent column, followed by previous ones. You can scroll through them, call up various ones by title, or click at the side to see related columns according to topic.
Over time, I hope it will create a portrait of Erin from many different angles.
A blog (short for web log) is like a diary or scrapbook. You can set a simple one up for free with Google or other companies, or pay a small fee to get a fancier site.
The author has control over who can read it; some blogs are restricted to family and friends, but mine open to everyone.
Some blogs have many authors posting submissions, so they become complex, wide-open forums for debate. I plan to keep mine simple. I will be the only one posting articles, normally the same as what appears in the newspaper, but sometimes with extra material that would not fit onto Page 7.
Many blogs allow readers to attach their own comments to a story, for all to read. I am not providing that option, at least for now, mainly because I do not have time to screen and moderate the process.
If anyone wants to contact me with alternate views, additional information or ideas for future columns, send an email to: erininsight@gmail.com. This will be private correspondence; I will not publish your letter, quote from it or use your name, unless you request that I do so.
To comment publicly, send a Letter to the Editor, to the address on Page 6, or via email: editorial@erinadvocate.com.
I saw an ad the other day about a Wellington County program that provides partial rebates of property tax increases for low-income seniors and disabled persons, and decided to get more information. It turns out that very few people are applying.
The program provides a rebate of any increase over $150 on the total tax bill for property owners 65 and older who receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), or disabled persons who receive benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).
People need to re-apply each year to the Town office, and the deadline for this year is November 1.
Only 21 applications came in from the whole county for 2007, down from 47 in 2005, said Emma Reddish, Property Tax Analyst at Wellington County. The average rebate was $300. The program can be of particular value if taxes rise due to property reassessment.
“People should not pre-determine whether they qualify based on tax bill comparison – if they receive GIS or ODSP they should apply or call,” she said. “Applications are extremely easy to fill out.”
All rebated amounts are shared between the local municipality, Wellington County and the Boards of Education. The rebate is only made once all the property tax for the year has been paid. The program used to apply to tax increases over $300, but in the spring of 2006, County Council lowered the threshold to $150.
Low-income disabled persons who do not receive the ODSP may still qualify for tax relief, since eligibility may be determined on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the County Social Services Department.
There is more information at the bottom of your tax bill. You can get an application at the Town of Erin office, the County Administration Centre, or on-line at www.wellington.ca. Call Emma at 519-837-2600, ext. 2940, or email: emmar@wellington.ca.
• • •
I’ve never been fond of idle chit-chat, especially in written form, so the idea of launching a blog had never really crossed my mind.
Recently, however, a number of people have asked if the Erin Insight column is available on-line. The opportunity to publish my writing at absolutely no cost, to an unlimited number of readers, was certainly worth investigation.
It was so simple; I set it up during a lunch break. Now, you can aim your trusty web browser at www.erininsight.blogspot.com, and read, well, what you are reading right now.
That might seem redundant, but it opens up some interesting possibilities. For example, my Mom and Dad can now read the column, as can anyone else who does not get The Erin Advocate. Columns will be posted on the blog in the week after they appear in the newspaper.
When the site appears on your screen, you will see the most recent column, followed by previous ones. You can scroll through them, call up various ones by title, or click at the side to see related columns according to topic.
Over time, I hope it will create a portrait of Erin from many different angles.
A blog (short for web log) is like a diary or scrapbook. You can set a simple one up for free with Google or other companies, or pay a small fee to get a fancier site.
The author has control over who can read it; some blogs are restricted to family and friends, but mine open to everyone.
Some blogs have many authors posting submissions, so they become complex, wide-open forums for debate. I plan to keep mine simple. I will be the only one posting articles, normally the same as what appears in the newspaper, but sometimes with extra material that would not fit onto Page 7.
Many blogs allow readers to attach their own comments to a story, for all to read. I am not providing that option, at least for now, mainly because I do not have time to screen and moderate the process.
If anyone wants to contact me with alternate views, additional information or ideas for future columns, send an email to: erininsight@gmail.com. This will be private correspondence; I will not publish your letter, quote from it or use your name, unless you request that I do so.
To comment publicly, send a Letter to the Editor, to the address on Page 6, or via email: editorial@erinadvocate.com.
October 08, 2008
Is victory possible?
As published in The Erin Advocate
It was a simple question, but there could be no simple answers.
I attended the federal all-candidates meeting at Main Place in Erin last week and posed the following question about the war in Afghanistan: Has the mission been worth the cost, and is victory possible?
The commentary that followed for the next ten minutes was thoughtful and passionate. The candidates, perhaps wisely, avoided answering the question directly.
Noel Duignan of the NDP said our troops should be immediately withdrawn from their combat role, but that Canada should continue its commitment to strengthening the government of Afghanistan.
“Whether the war can be won or not – I can’t speak to that. I’m not an expert in that field,” he said. “Whether it was worth it or not, it’s an open-ended debate. I believe to a point it has been worth it. Our soldiers have died over there. Hopefully they haven’t died in vain.”
He said Canada should try to eliminate corruption in the Afghan government. “If that doesn’t happen, then I believe maybe everything was in vain.”
Brent Bouteiller of the Green Party said the US-led NATO force should be replaced with “a more culturally-faced” United Nations force.
“This will allow us to remove our forces by the end of 2009,” he said. Canadian troops could remain to provide logistics training to the Afghan army, he said. He deplored the destruction of valuable food crops in the attempt to destroy poppies being grown for the opium trade. He supports a Poppy for Medicine program that would build legitimate production of morphine and codeine.
The website poppyformedicine.net says that in 2006, Afghanistan produced 92% of the world’s total illegal opium, directly involving at least 13% of the country’s population.
Jeffrey Streutker of the Christian Heritage Party said Canada should act independently, not being told what to do by NATO or the UN.
“The purpose of the military is to guard our borders,” he said, suggesting that a continued role in Afghanistan would be justified “if it can be proven that our military’s actions are still helping prevent attacks into Canada, and at the beginning that was the reason. I believe that requires some study.”
He suggested that efforts to reduce corruption, redevelop land, build the economy, and “help them realize that they can be self-sustaining” would reduce the chances of an attack on Canada. He said setting a withdrawal date would be “very dangerous”.
Bruce Bowser of the Liberal Party, who grew up in a Canadian military family, said he is pleased that the mission has not been an election issue.
“The best we can do when our soldiers are in harm’s way is to support them in the way we have, keep them in our prayers and stand behind them,” he said. “I think the government has done a good job of collectively saying we’re committed to having our troops in Afghanistan to play a role in fighting against terrorism.
“I don’t think there’s a question in anybody’s mind we want our troops back home as quickly as possible, and there’s a date we’re working towards, but in the interim I think the best thing we can do is continue to support our troops and cheer them on.”
MP Michael Chong said we have a responsibility to “stay the course” and help the people of Afghanistan establish a stable government.
“It would be the height of irresponsibility to unilaterally withdraw our troops immediately, leaving in our wake chaos and destruction that would quickly fill the vacuum.”
He voted in favour of the parliamentary motion to withdraw forces from Kandahar province by the end of 2011. He said it is premature to say whether “Canada’s military presence in another part of the country” would be appropriate.
“There are three intractable problems that we have to tackle. First, we are not going to defeat the Taliban – they are part of the solution. Secondly, we are not going to eliminate the opium trade.
“Third, we have to work with the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to mediate the fundamental differences that these two states have between where the international border is and who is responsible ultimately for the Pashtun people, in terms of their security and their presence on both sides of that border.”
It was a simple question, but there could be no simple answers.
I attended the federal all-candidates meeting at Main Place in Erin last week and posed the following question about the war in Afghanistan: Has the mission been worth the cost, and is victory possible?
The commentary that followed for the next ten minutes was thoughtful and passionate. The candidates, perhaps wisely, avoided answering the question directly.
Noel Duignan of the NDP said our troops should be immediately withdrawn from their combat role, but that Canada should continue its commitment to strengthening the government of Afghanistan.
“Whether the war can be won or not – I can’t speak to that. I’m not an expert in that field,” he said. “Whether it was worth it or not, it’s an open-ended debate. I believe to a point it has been worth it. Our soldiers have died over there. Hopefully they haven’t died in vain.”
He said Canada should try to eliminate corruption in the Afghan government. “If that doesn’t happen, then I believe maybe everything was in vain.”
Brent Bouteiller of the Green Party said the US-led NATO force should be replaced with “a more culturally-faced” United Nations force.
“This will allow us to remove our forces by the end of 2009,” he said. Canadian troops could remain to provide logistics training to the Afghan army, he said. He deplored the destruction of valuable food crops in the attempt to destroy poppies being grown for the opium trade. He supports a Poppy for Medicine program that would build legitimate production of morphine and codeine.
The website poppyformedicine.net says that in 2006, Afghanistan produced 92% of the world’s total illegal opium, directly involving at least 13% of the country’s population.
Jeffrey Streutker of the Christian Heritage Party said Canada should act independently, not being told what to do by NATO or the UN.
“The purpose of the military is to guard our borders,” he said, suggesting that a continued role in Afghanistan would be justified “if it can be proven that our military’s actions are still helping prevent attacks into Canada, and at the beginning that was the reason. I believe that requires some study.”
He suggested that efforts to reduce corruption, redevelop land, build the economy, and “help them realize that they can be self-sustaining” would reduce the chances of an attack on Canada. He said setting a withdrawal date would be “very dangerous”.
Bruce Bowser of the Liberal Party, who grew up in a Canadian military family, said he is pleased that the mission has not been an election issue.
“The best we can do when our soldiers are in harm’s way is to support them in the way we have, keep them in our prayers and stand behind them,” he said. “I think the government has done a good job of collectively saying we’re committed to having our troops in Afghanistan to play a role in fighting against terrorism.
“I don’t think there’s a question in anybody’s mind we want our troops back home as quickly as possible, and there’s a date we’re working towards, but in the interim I think the best thing we can do is continue to support our troops and cheer them on.”
MP Michael Chong said we have a responsibility to “stay the course” and help the people of Afghanistan establish a stable government.
“It would be the height of irresponsibility to unilaterally withdraw our troops immediately, leaving in our wake chaos and destruction that would quickly fill the vacuum.”
He voted in favour of the parliamentary motion to withdraw forces from Kandahar province by the end of 2011. He said it is premature to say whether “Canada’s military presence in another part of the country” would be appropriate.
“There are three intractable problems that we have to tackle. First, we are not going to defeat the Taliban – they are part of the solution. Secondly, we are not going to eliminate the opium trade.
“Third, we have to work with the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to mediate the fundamental differences that these two states have between where the international border is and who is responsible ultimately for the Pashtun people, in terms of their security and their presence on both sides of that border.”
October 01, 2008
Terra Cotta Conservation Area gets a boost
As published in The Erin Advocate
The Saturday night dances at what is now the Terra Cotta Conservation Area are well before my time, but I do have good memories of camping and skiing there and bringing my young children to swim in the huge, one-acre pool in the early 1990s.
That all ended with funding cutbacks in the mid-1990s, but the 20-km network of trails, with links to the Bruce Trail, is still great for dog walking and getting away from urban noise.
Last week the Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVCA) held an open house to launch a new management plan for the Terra Cotta and Silver Creek Conservation Areas, which with nearby CVCA forests form a protected zone of about 2,000 acres along the Niagara Escarpment from Winston Churchill Blvd. to Trafalgar Road.
“This gem of a property needs more attention,” said Judy Orendorff, CVCA Director of Lands, who is hoping to have an official reopening with new facilities next year. “We are ready to move from planning to action.”
Terra Cotta Conservation Area is to become a “Centre for Environmental Learning”. Located just south of Erin and north of Terra Cotta village, the Area has undergone some major transformations.
After the CVCA acquired the land in 1954, they got rid of the dance hall (near the current picnic pavilion) and eventually turned the roadside lake into a concrete swimming pool.
At the height of its popularity as a recreation destination, there were more than 100,000 visitors annually, for camping, picnics, mini-golf, swimming, fishing, ice-skating, cross-country skiing and hiking. The cars would line up all the way to Terra Cotta.
It was quite the attraction, but the activity trampled one of the finest natural areas in the Credit River watershed. The funding cutbacks created an opportunity to restore the hardwood forest and turn the concrete pool into an attractive natural wetland.
Lack of funding has meant minimal care. The Area has remained open for hiking and fishing (there are three small lakes created with dams), but the unused buildings have been in poor condition and there was little educational activity.
The Regional Municipalities of Peel and Halton have each contributed $372,000 for 2008, and improvements have started, mainly with new public washrooms in the former pool changehouse building.
The same amount is being requested from Peel and Halton for 2009, and the Credit Valley Conservation Foundation is seeking grants and corporate donations to increase the funding. Like all local municipalities, the Town of Erin financially supports CVCA operations, but no special levies are planned for this project.
Most improvements are designed to make the area more accessible, interesting and convenient for visitors, boosting appreciation of the natural features and general support for environmental protection.
Next year, a Watershed Learning Centre will be built. There will also be a Visitor Welcome Centre, a new gatehouse and expanded office space. The picnic shelter will be upgraded with a locked room to be used by groups renting the facility.
New signage is intended to make the area an outdoor classroom.
There will be a new fishing pier to reduce wear and tear on the shoreline, trails will be rehabilitated and water flow will be re-channeled to improve fish habitat. Harmful invasive species such as Giant Hogweed and Garlic Mustard will be removed.
The public is being asked to support the newly-created Friends of Terra Cotta, not only with donations, but also with time and energy for things like fundraising events and trail restoration. To get involved, call Partnership Development Coordinator Sharlene Hardwar at 905-670-1615, ext. 447, or email: shardwar@creditvalleyca.ca. More information is available on line: www.creditvalleyca.ca.
There is a $5 fee to park at the Terra Cotta Conservation Area (on the honour system) and $50 will get you an annual pass to all 10 CVCA Areas, including Belfountain Conservation Area.
Rae Horst, CVCA’s Chief Administrative Officer, points out that the local environment is facing some serious deterioration, with water shortages in Georgetown and Orangeville, rivers that are not suitable for swimming or drinking, and a decline in bird populations.
“Natural corridors will help species survive,” she said. “Hope is not lost. We can substantially improve the environment in the GTA, and this project is part of that. We need an aware and supportive public.”
The Saturday night dances at what is now the Terra Cotta Conservation Area are well before my time, but I do have good memories of camping and skiing there and bringing my young children to swim in the huge, one-acre pool in the early 1990s.
That all ended with funding cutbacks in the mid-1990s, but the 20-km network of trails, with links to the Bruce Trail, is still great for dog walking and getting away from urban noise.
Last week the Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVCA) held an open house to launch a new management plan for the Terra Cotta and Silver Creek Conservation Areas, which with nearby CVCA forests form a protected zone of about 2,000 acres along the Niagara Escarpment from Winston Churchill Blvd. to Trafalgar Road.
“This gem of a property needs more attention,” said Judy Orendorff, CVCA Director of Lands, who is hoping to have an official reopening with new facilities next year. “We are ready to move from planning to action.”
Terra Cotta Conservation Area is to become a “Centre for Environmental Learning”. Located just south of Erin and north of Terra Cotta village, the Area has undergone some major transformations.
After the CVCA acquired the land in 1954, they got rid of the dance hall (near the current picnic pavilion) and eventually turned the roadside lake into a concrete swimming pool.
At the height of its popularity as a recreation destination, there were more than 100,000 visitors annually, for camping, picnics, mini-golf, swimming, fishing, ice-skating, cross-country skiing and hiking. The cars would line up all the way to Terra Cotta.
It was quite the attraction, but the activity trampled one of the finest natural areas in the Credit River watershed. The funding cutbacks created an opportunity to restore the hardwood forest and turn the concrete pool into an attractive natural wetland.
Lack of funding has meant minimal care. The Area has remained open for hiking and fishing (there are three small lakes created with dams), but the unused buildings have been in poor condition and there was little educational activity.
The Regional Municipalities of Peel and Halton have each contributed $372,000 for 2008, and improvements have started, mainly with new public washrooms in the former pool changehouse building.
The same amount is being requested from Peel and Halton for 2009, and the Credit Valley Conservation Foundation is seeking grants and corporate donations to increase the funding. Like all local municipalities, the Town of Erin financially supports CVCA operations, but no special levies are planned for this project.
Most improvements are designed to make the area more accessible, interesting and convenient for visitors, boosting appreciation of the natural features and general support for environmental protection.
Next year, a Watershed Learning Centre will be built. There will also be a Visitor Welcome Centre, a new gatehouse and expanded office space. The picnic shelter will be upgraded with a locked room to be used by groups renting the facility.
New signage is intended to make the area an outdoor classroom.
There will be a new fishing pier to reduce wear and tear on the shoreline, trails will be rehabilitated and water flow will be re-channeled to improve fish habitat. Harmful invasive species such as Giant Hogweed and Garlic Mustard will be removed.
The public is being asked to support the newly-created Friends of Terra Cotta, not only with donations, but also with time and energy for things like fundraising events and trail restoration. To get involved, call Partnership Development Coordinator Sharlene Hardwar at 905-670-1615, ext. 447, or email: shardwar@creditvalleyca.ca. More information is available on line: www.creditvalleyca.ca.
There is a $5 fee to park at the Terra Cotta Conservation Area (on the honour system) and $50 will get you an annual pass to all 10 CVCA Areas, including Belfountain Conservation Area.
Rae Horst, CVCA’s Chief Administrative Officer, points out that the local environment is facing some serious deterioration, with water shortages in Georgetown and Orangeville, rivers that are not suitable for swimming or drinking, and a decline in bird populations.
“Natural corridors will help species survive,” she said. “Hope is not lost. We can substantially improve the environment in the GTA, and this project is part of that. We need an aware and supportive public.”
September 24, 2008
Stirring up trouble
As published in The Erin Advocate
While visiting the Wellington County Museum near Fergus recently, I opened the door of the County Archives office, not really knowing what to expect.
Turns out they have friendly staff who can help you find information about people and places back into the mid-1800s. Having nothing in particular to research, I asked to see their oldest copy of The Erin Advocate.
Out came the microfiche and there it was, tattered but intact, dated December 17, 1880, in its first year as a weekly paper. Published by Sylvester Dilts, it had subscriptions at $1 a year if paid in advance, and ad rates at 8 cents per line for the first insertion.
I enjoy the ads in old papers, like the one from the Erin Furniture Depot, in which D.S. Travis promises, “Furniture of a superior make to any hitherto sold in Erin”. Or an in-house promotion by The Advocate for job printing of posters and cards: “Neatest and Latest Style of the Art…Executed on the Shortest Notice”.
What really caught my eye, at the top of page one, was the headline: WOMEN: Schopenhauer’s Peculiar Opinion of the Sex. Here is a brief excerpt, for educational purposes, from a piece of writing that even in its day would have been considered outrageous and inflammatory.
“The mere aspect of woman proves that she is destined neither for the great labors of intelligence nor for great material undertakings. She pays her debt to life not by action but by suffering; she ought therefore, to obey man, and to be his patient companion, restoring serenity to his mind.”
“Women perjure themselves so readily in Courts of Justice that it has often been a question whether they ought to be allowed to take an oath. …What may be called the European Woman is a sort that ought not to exist. Those who help in the house and look after the house ought to be the only women in the world.”
Two questions stand out. Who was Schopenhauer, and what was his misogynist tirade doing on the front page of The Advocate?
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher who lived from 1788 to 1860. He is known for his analysis of human motivation, arguing that basic human instincts supersede reason, and that human desires can never be truly fulfilled. He extolled the value of negating the will.
As a prominent Pessimist, he held that we live in the worst of all possible worlds, since if things were any worse, we would be extinct. He said that evil was the only real force in the world, and that anything good was just a brief respite from a boring, painful existence.
His ultra-intolerant views on women probably stem from tempestuous relationships with his mother and other women – though he also had praise for some.
He was a strong advocate of animal rights, remarking that animals are incapable of deception. He praised artistic achievement as more essential than science and reason. His work was considered influential on composer Richard Wagner, psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
In 1851, at the age of 63, he became famous throughout Europe and North America with publication of a series of essays that include: On the vanity of existence, On suicide and On women – a translation of which found its way into Erin’s newspaper, 29 years later.
Publishers in that era often mixed classified ads with local, national and international news, fiction and trivia on their front page. Anything to attract readers.
I doubt there were many students of European philosophy in that little village.
My guess is that Mr. Dilts figured he could get away with printing part of a philosophy essay from a published book, titillating some male egos and enraging some female ones.
That was in the old days. Enlightened media outlets in the new millennium would never give attention to extremist views just to stir up trouble.
While visiting the Wellington County Museum near Fergus recently, I opened the door of the County Archives office, not really knowing what to expect.
Turns out they have friendly staff who can help you find information about people and places back into the mid-1800s. Having nothing in particular to research, I asked to see their oldest copy of The Erin Advocate.
Out came the microfiche and there it was, tattered but intact, dated December 17, 1880, in its first year as a weekly paper. Published by Sylvester Dilts, it had subscriptions at $1 a year if paid in advance, and ad rates at 8 cents per line for the first insertion.
I enjoy the ads in old papers, like the one from the Erin Furniture Depot, in which D.S. Travis promises, “Furniture of a superior make to any hitherto sold in Erin”. Or an in-house promotion by The Advocate for job printing of posters and cards: “Neatest and Latest Style of the Art…Executed on the Shortest Notice”.
What really caught my eye, at the top of page one, was the headline: WOMEN: Schopenhauer’s Peculiar Opinion of the Sex. Here is a brief excerpt, for educational purposes, from a piece of writing that even in its day would have been considered outrageous and inflammatory.
“The mere aspect of woman proves that she is destined neither for the great labors of intelligence nor for great material undertakings. She pays her debt to life not by action but by suffering; she ought therefore, to obey man, and to be his patient companion, restoring serenity to his mind.”
“Women perjure themselves so readily in Courts of Justice that it has often been a question whether they ought to be allowed to take an oath. …What may be called the European Woman is a sort that ought not to exist. Those who help in the house and look after the house ought to be the only women in the world.”
Two questions stand out. Who was Schopenhauer, and what was his misogynist tirade doing on the front page of The Advocate?
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher who lived from 1788 to 1860. He is known for his analysis of human motivation, arguing that basic human instincts supersede reason, and that human desires can never be truly fulfilled. He extolled the value of negating the will.
As a prominent Pessimist, he held that we live in the worst of all possible worlds, since if things were any worse, we would be extinct. He said that evil was the only real force in the world, and that anything good was just a brief respite from a boring, painful existence.
His ultra-intolerant views on women probably stem from tempestuous relationships with his mother and other women – though he also had praise for some.
He was a strong advocate of animal rights, remarking that animals are incapable of deception. He praised artistic achievement as more essential than science and reason. His work was considered influential on composer Richard Wagner, psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
In 1851, at the age of 63, he became famous throughout Europe and North America with publication of a series of essays that include: On the vanity of existence, On suicide and On women – a translation of which found its way into Erin’s newspaper, 29 years later.
Publishers in that era often mixed classified ads with local, national and international news, fiction and trivia on their front page. Anything to attract readers.
I doubt there were many students of European philosophy in that little village.
My guess is that Mr. Dilts figured he could get away with printing part of a philosophy essay from a published book, titillating some male egos and enraging some female ones.
That was in the old days. Enlightened media outlets in the new millennium would never give attention to extremist views just to stir up trouble.
September 17, 2008
We’re all on the health team
As published in The Erin Advocate
A lot of things need to happen for the new Family Health Team to reach its full potential, and strong community support will be a key factor in its success.
The team approach to local health care is new to some people, but it has worked well in other areas. The East Wellington Family Health Team (EWFHT) is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health to provide service to Erin, Hillsburgh and Rockwood – the entire region from the Guelph city limits to Winston Churchill Boulevard, and from Ballinafad to Orton.
It came into being on May 1 this year, and is led by Executive Director Michelle Karker and Clinical Lead Dr. Duncan Bull. Patients of local doctors continue to be served at the existing medical offices in Erin and Rockwood, but major changes have started and many more are planned – including a new $3 million medical clinic in Erin and a smaller one in Rockwood.
The doctors are on staff. They do not bill OHIP for patient visits, and they are part of a collaborative team that will initially include a nurse practitioner, a dietician, a mental health counsellor, a program lead (for health promotion activities), registered nurses and a registered practical nurse.
“It is a personal choice for doctors,” said Karker. “They can earn a good living and not have to worry about running a business. Many doctors want a better quality of life.”
The team now includes doctors Duncan Bull, Carla Lennox and Shane Neilson in Erin and Jane Hosdil in Rockwood, but they are not accepting new patients. There is funding for three more doctors in Erin and two more in Rockwood, but with the shortage of doctors and nurse practitioners, recruiting is a major challenge. About 6,000 people in the area have no family doctor.
In the team model, patients have one primary doctor, but can be treated by other local doctors when needed. Treatment by other professionals will be conveniently available in the same building.
There will be no need to travel to Rockwood, since some staff will split their time between the two locations, though patients will still be referred out of town as necessary for testing or to see specialists. Patients will retain the right to have a family doctor outside the EWFHT.
For now, the team has leased office and treatment space in the basement of Dr. Jon Walcott’s optometry office at 18 Thompson Cres., near Kennedy Flags. Patients should be receiving some of the new services there by the end of October.
The team approach is a huge leap forward, not just because of the addition of provincially-funded staff positions, but also because of the more modern philosophy on which the team is based. They will treat illness, of course, but they will have the time and the mandate to work on prevention.
They will work for the whole community, not just their registered patients. For example, there will be health promotion activities in areas like diabetes care and heart health. Services may also be extended to outlying communities in the team’s region.
“It is for the community at large. This hasn’t existed before,” said Karker. “We are also a registered charity, so we can fundraise for things we need.”
What can individuals do to help? First of all, talk it up. If you know people in the health care field, promote Erin as a great place to live and work. The team has a volunteer board of directors – call the team office at 519-833-7576 to find out more. Mayor Rod Finnie is helping to initiate fundraising efforts – contact him at 519-855-4407 ext. 232 or rod.finnie@town.erin.ca to find out more.
When the fundraising starts, consider making a contribution. You will likely be helping to buy extra medical equipment that is not covered by the clinic budget.
The province will cover the cost of leasing the two clinic buildings, with the lease to be renewed every five years, but they will not build them. The team itself wants to focus on health care, not construction, and Mayor Finnie says the private sector has not been prepared to take on the Erin building.
That leaves the Town and the County as potential landlords. Either government could borrow to finance construction, and recover the money through the lease. The mayor and County Councillor Lou Maieron have urged County Council to do the borrowing, but the matter is unresolved.
It shouldn’t stay that way too long. A modern medical office is an important part of attracting medical staff. Discussion has started about potential direct financial contributions from the County and even the Town, and about whether the clinic would be on Town-owned land, said the mayor.
“It is about improving the health of the whole community,” he said.
Now that the province has come through with funding, the project should proceed as soon as possible.
A lot of things need to happen for the new Family Health Team to reach its full potential, and strong community support will be a key factor in its success.
The team approach to local health care is new to some people, but it has worked well in other areas. The East Wellington Family Health Team (EWFHT) is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health to provide service to Erin, Hillsburgh and Rockwood – the entire region from the Guelph city limits to Winston Churchill Boulevard, and from Ballinafad to Orton.
It came into being on May 1 this year, and is led by Executive Director Michelle Karker and Clinical Lead Dr. Duncan Bull. Patients of local doctors continue to be served at the existing medical offices in Erin and Rockwood, but major changes have started and many more are planned – including a new $3 million medical clinic in Erin and a smaller one in Rockwood.
The doctors are on staff. They do not bill OHIP for patient visits, and they are part of a collaborative team that will initially include a nurse practitioner, a dietician, a mental health counsellor, a program lead (for health promotion activities), registered nurses and a registered practical nurse.
“It is a personal choice for doctors,” said Karker. “They can earn a good living and not have to worry about running a business. Many doctors want a better quality of life.”
The team now includes doctors Duncan Bull, Carla Lennox and Shane Neilson in Erin and Jane Hosdil in Rockwood, but they are not accepting new patients. There is funding for three more doctors in Erin and two more in Rockwood, but with the shortage of doctors and nurse practitioners, recruiting is a major challenge. About 6,000 people in the area have no family doctor.
In the team model, patients have one primary doctor, but can be treated by other local doctors when needed. Treatment by other professionals will be conveniently available in the same building.
There will be no need to travel to Rockwood, since some staff will split their time between the two locations, though patients will still be referred out of town as necessary for testing or to see specialists. Patients will retain the right to have a family doctor outside the EWFHT.
For now, the team has leased office and treatment space in the basement of Dr. Jon Walcott’s optometry office at 18 Thompson Cres., near Kennedy Flags. Patients should be receiving some of the new services there by the end of October.
The team approach is a huge leap forward, not just because of the addition of provincially-funded staff positions, but also because of the more modern philosophy on which the team is based. They will treat illness, of course, but they will have the time and the mandate to work on prevention.
They will work for the whole community, not just their registered patients. For example, there will be health promotion activities in areas like diabetes care and heart health. Services may also be extended to outlying communities in the team’s region.
“It is for the community at large. This hasn’t existed before,” said Karker. “We are also a registered charity, so we can fundraise for things we need.”
What can individuals do to help? First of all, talk it up. If you know people in the health care field, promote Erin as a great place to live and work. The team has a volunteer board of directors – call the team office at 519-833-7576 to find out more. Mayor Rod Finnie is helping to initiate fundraising efforts – contact him at 519-855-4407 ext. 232 or rod.finnie@town.erin.ca to find out more.
When the fundraising starts, consider making a contribution. You will likely be helping to buy extra medical equipment that is not covered by the clinic budget.
The province will cover the cost of leasing the two clinic buildings, with the lease to be renewed every five years, but they will not build them. The team itself wants to focus on health care, not construction, and Mayor Finnie says the private sector has not been prepared to take on the Erin building.
That leaves the Town and the County as potential landlords. Either government could borrow to finance construction, and recover the money through the lease. The mayor and County Councillor Lou Maieron have urged County Council to do the borrowing, but the matter is unresolved.
It shouldn’t stay that way too long. A modern medical office is an important part of attracting medical staff. Discussion has started about potential direct financial contributions from the County and even the Town, and about whether the clinic would be on Town-owned land, said the mayor.
“It is about improving the health of the whole community,” he said.
Now that the province has come through with funding, the project should proceed as soon as possible.
September 10, 2008
Remnants of simpler times
As published in The Erin Advocate
As I was browsing through antique stores the other day, I got to thinking about the future. In the year 2108, what will they treasure as antiques from the things made in 2008?
Will they have gadget museums, and marvel that many of our inventions became obsolete within months? It is more comforting to contemplate the past.
I wandered into Beaver Mills Design on Main Street. There I saw beautiful 19th century papier mâché trays and hair brushes with silver handles. Often it is the infusion of art into practical items that makes them so attractive.
The quality of wood in some antique furniture is also a marvel, not to mention the skill of the makers. Polished mahogany, fruitwood and walnut are a pleasure to behold.
The most unusual thing I saw at Beaver Mills was a military campaign stool from the 1800s. It is like a lawn chair without the seat, a wicker panel that props up at various angles, allowing an officer to sit on the ground in relative comfort.
Further along the street, I was intrigued by a day bed at the Renaissance store. The intricate woodwork and upholstery were very interesting, but I liked it because it suggested a more leisurely era in which napping was more common – at least among the well-to-do.
One would need a large house for some of the pieces, like a set of 12 dining room chairs with carved wooden arms, or a huge mirrored wardrobe.
Antique shops like these do not have the space for large quantities. It is quite the opposite experience stepping into Rainbarrel Antiques, in the Old Community Hall, just inside Stanley Park.
It is a bit like a giant garage sale, but the selection is more interesting, with antiques ranging from Early Canadiana (1870s) up to the 1940s. There are so many objects of everyday life from bygone times that it is hard to take it all in. In this type of browsing environment, the pleasure is in the little things that spark memories.
For example, as a child I collected pennants, triangle-shaped souvenir flags of places I visited. My collection is long gone, but I enjoyed looking at Rainbarrel’s collection, complete with corny illustrations like a grizzly bear for Field, BC or a hunter shooting a deer for Shediac, NB.
I bought a pair of books called A Pictorial History of the World’s Great Nations, from the Earliest Dates to the Present Time, published in 1882.
There are treadle sewing machines, cedar chests, pioneer-style tools, furniture, framed art, fancy hats, yellow glass dishes from the 1930s and a stunning bridal dress and lace veil from the 1940s. There is a small forest of lamp stands, and re-usable materials like windows and table legs.
Rainbarrel owner Shirley Campbell is retiring and the store will close in October, so don’t wait too long if you plan to visit.
Where else will you find the Mork and Mindy board game? How about the K-tel vinyl recording of the Greatest Hits of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons?
You can now buy a USB turntable (not at Rainbarrel) – just plug it into your computer, play the old record and it creates MP3 files of the music. I have been thinking of getting one so I can put favourite songs from my LP collection onto my iPod, before it too goes the way of the dodo.
As I was browsing through antique stores the other day, I got to thinking about the future. In the year 2108, what will they treasure as antiques from the things made in 2008?
Will they have gadget museums, and marvel that many of our inventions became obsolete within months? It is more comforting to contemplate the past.
I wandered into Beaver Mills Design on Main Street. There I saw beautiful 19th century papier mâché trays and hair brushes with silver handles. Often it is the infusion of art into practical items that makes them so attractive.
The quality of wood in some antique furniture is also a marvel, not to mention the skill of the makers. Polished mahogany, fruitwood and walnut are a pleasure to behold.
The most unusual thing I saw at Beaver Mills was a military campaign stool from the 1800s. It is like a lawn chair without the seat, a wicker panel that props up at various angles, allowing an officer to sit on the ground in relative comfort.
Further along the street, I was intrigued by a day bed at the Renaissance store. The intricate woodwork and upholstery were very interesting, but I liked it because it suggested a more leisurely era in which napping was more common – at least among the well-to-do.
One would need a large house for some of the pieces, like a set of 12 dining room chairs with carved wooden arms, or a huge mirrored wardrobe.
Antique shops like these do not have the space for large quantities. It is quite the opposite experience stepping into Rainbarrel Antiques, in the Old Community Hall, just inside Stanley Park.
It is a bit like a giant garage sale, but the selection is more interesting, with antiques ranging from Early Canadiana (1870s) up to the 1940s. There are so many objects of everyday life from bygone times that it is hard to take it all in. In this type of browsing environment, the pleasure is in the little things that spark memories.
For example, as a child I collected pennants, triangle-shaped souvenir flags of places I visited. My collection is long gone, but I enjoyed looking at Rainbarrel’s collection, complete with corny illustrations like a grizzly bear for Field, BC or a hunter shooting a deer for Shediac, NB.
I bought a pair of books called A Pictorial History of the World’s Great Nations, from the Earliest Dates to the Present Time, published in 1882.
There are treadle sewing machines, cedar chests, pioneer-style tools, furniture, framed art, fancy hats, yellow glass dishes from the 1930s and a stunning bridal dress and lace veil from the 1940s. There is a small forest of lamp stands, and re-usable materials like windows and table legs.
Rainbarrel owner Shirley Campbell is retiring and the store will close in October, so don’t wait too long if you plan to visit.
Where else will you find the Mork and Mindy board game? How about the K-tel vinyl recording of the Greatest Hits of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons?
You can now buy a USB turntable (not at Rainbarrel) – just plug it into your computer, play the old record and it creates MP3 files of the music. I have been thinking of getting one so I can put favourite songs from my LP collection onto my iPod, before it too goes the way of the dodo.
September 03, 2008
Gift horse needs a close look
As published in The Erin Advocate
The premier was in fine form last week, speaking like a father figure to his needy and troublesome children, the municipalities of Ontario.
“We want build even more infrastructure. But our government can’t do it alone. We need a partner. That’s where you come in,” he said to officials gathered in Ottawa for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario annual conference. “True partners always treat each other fairly.”
Does Dalton McGuinty really have to lay it on so thick?
It was a case of wrapping bad news with good as he announced $1.1 billion in extra one-time funding for towns and cities to make whatever improvements they want to their roads, bridges, public transit, water pipes, community centres or social housing.
Chronic under funding, however, has left a provincial backlog of $50 billion in municipal infrastructure projects.
Still, a drop in the big bucket is better than nothing, and some say we should not look a gift horse in the mouth. (Gift horses are not the same as Trojan horses, though it is best to wary of both.)
Inspecting a horse’s teeth is a way to check its age and state of health. If you get a horse as a gift, and immediately look in its mouth, the giver may be offended. Looking a gift horse in the mouth is to appear ungrateful. Spending by the province, however, is not a gift. It is our own money finally coming back to us.
Wellington County will get an extra $3.3 million and the Town of Erin an extra $622,448. To put that in perspective, Town budget figures show capital improvements in the roads department at $766,500 in 2007, and $1.9 million in 2008.
I am sure something worthwhile will be done with the money. But one question will be: do we spend it on things we would likely have done anyhow, and lower property taxes, or spend it on extra projects and forego the tax benefit? Personally, I would go for the extra projects.
Often it is not a matter of building new infrastructure, but of fixing the old stuff before it crumbles away. The work is too expensive for towns to handle on their own, but they do not know from year to year how much help they will get from Queen’s Park.
This new flow of cash comes from a $1.7 billion budget surplus the province had last year. Surpluses are based on the government’s own estimates, and tend to make them look good, even though the money is spent a year later. The first $600 million is going (by law) to reduce the debt, and the rest to what McGuinty calls “a priority of our choosing”.
He didn’t call it a gift, but it was delivered with pomp and a superior tone. He made it clear that he could have decided to spend the $1.1 billion on health care or education instead. In the same speech, he also warned that since Ontario’s economy is not doing well, there would be no extra money next year. But the real bad news, especially at the county level, was his warning that plans to reverse the downloading of social service costs would proceed slowly.
“We won’t be able to move as quickly as we first thought we could when it comes to taking on new financial obligations,” he said.
Progress has been made as the province takes back some of the costs that Mike Harris dumped on municipal governments. But if they could take back much more, municipalities could make more progress on infrastructure.
Conservative MPP Ted Arnott has been rightly critical of the government for not providing stable funding for small towns from gas tax revenues.
Mind you, the Conservatives were not known for stable funding. And let us not forget one of the reasons Harris downloaded so many costs: the tag team of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin had severely cut funding to the provinces to control the federal deficit in the mid-1990s. And why did we have a huge federal deficit? Could it have been all that borrowing and spending by Trudeau and Mulroney on things like infrastructure?
I don’t expect the province to spend wildly during an economic downturn. But I am offended when they treat the spending of my money on my community as a gift for which I should be grateful.
It is within their means to make infrastructure funding more stable and predictable, so that municipalities can do a better job of planning projects that are badly needed.
The premier was in fine form last week, speaking like a father figure to his needy and troublesome children, the municipalities of Ontario.
“We want build even more infrastructure. But our government can’t do it alone. We need a partner. That’s where you come in,” he said to officials gathered in Ottawa for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario annual conference. “True partners always treat each other fairly.”
Does Dalton McGuinty really have to lay it on so thick?
It was a case of wrapping bad news with good as he announced $1.1 billion in extra one-time funding for towns and cities to make whatever improvements they want to their roads, bridges, public transit, water pipes, community centres or social housing.
Chronic under funding, however, has left a provincial backlog of $50 billion in municipal infrastructure projects.
Still, a drop in the big bucket is better than nothing, and some say we should not look a gift horse in the mouth. (Gift horses are not the same as Trojan horses, though it is best to wary of both.)
Inspecting a horse’s teeth is a way to check its age and state of health. If you get a horse as a gift, and immediately look in its mouth, the giver may be offended. Looking a gift horse in the mouth is to appear ungrateful. Spending by the province, however, is not a gift. It is our own money finally coming back to us.
Wellington County will get an extra $3.3 million and the Town of Erin an extra $622,448. To put that in perspective, Town budget figures show capital improvements in the roads department at $766,500 in 2007, and $1.9 million in 2008.
I am sure something worthwhile will be done with the money. But one question will be: do we spend it on things we would likely have done anyhow, and lower property taxes, or spend it on extra projects and forego the tax benefit? Personally, I would go for the extra projects.
Often it is not a matter of building new infrastructure, but of fixing the old stuff before it crumbles away. The work is too expensive for towns to handle on their own, but they do not know from year to year how much help they will get from Queen’s Park.
This new flow of cash comes from a $1.7 billion budget surplus the province had last year. Surpluses are based on the government’s own estimates, and tend to make them look good, even though the money is spent a year later. The first $600 million is going (by law) to reduce the debt, and the rest to what McGuinty calls “a priority of our choosing”.
He didn’t call it a gift, but it was delivered with pomp and a superior tone. He made it clear that he could have decided to spend the $1.1 billion on health care or education instead. In the same speech, he also warned that since Ontario’s economy is not doing well, there would be no extra money next year. But the real bad news, especially at the county level, was his warning that plans to reverse the downloading of social service costs would proceed slowly.
“We won’t be able to move as quickly as we first thought we could when it comes to taking on new financial obligations,” he said.
Progress has been made as the province takes back some of the costs that Mike Harris dumped on municipal governments. But if they could take back much more, municipalities could make more progress on infrastructure.
Conservative MPP Ted Arnott has been rightly critical of the government for not providing stable funding for small towns from gas tax revenues.
Mind you, the Conservatives were not known for stable funding. And let us not forget one of the reasons Harris downloaded so many costs: the tag team of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin had severely cut funding to the provinces to control the federal deficit in the mid-1990s. And why did we have a huge federal deficit? Could it have been all that borrowing and spending by Trudeau and Mulroney on things like infrastructure?
I don’t expect the province to spend wildly during an economic downturn. But I am offended when they treat the spending of my money on my community as a gift for which I should be grateful.
It is within their means to make infrastructure funding more stable and predictable, so that municipalities can do a better job of planning projects that are badly needed.
August 27, 2008
Make a connection with Erin artists
As published in The Erin Advocate
Getting art into my home could be such a simple process. See it. Like it. Decide if I can afford it. Buy it. Enjoy it.
Browsing through galleries, studios and craft displays is one of my favourite activities. When it comes to parting with my cash, however, doubts get in the way.
What if I do not like the piece two months from now? What if I am paying too much? Will I know what to say when friends ask why I bought it? What if I get addicted to buying art and spend all my money on it?
When I was young, I did not have the money to buy art. Now that I can afford some modest purchases, perhaps I still see art as a luxury. Maybe I am frugal to a fault.
Monica O’Halloran-Schut, an Erin sculptor, says my condition is actually quite common. And fortunately, there is a cure.
She is one of the founders of the Hills of Erin Studio Tour, now in its 20th year. It has grown from six artists at five locations, to 37 artists at 17 locations. Drop in at some or all of the studios and galleries on the weekend of September 27-28, 10 am to 5 pm. For details, check the website, hillsoferinstudiotour.com, call (519) 855-6320, or email: norbert.baumgartner@sympatico.ca
“The Studio Tour is a good way to meet the artists,” said Monica. “Stop and take a look at the art. It is handmade, one-of-a kind. Art can become part of your everyday objects.”
For those who rarely buy art, she points out that many pieces are not expensive. And once you do buy something from an artist you have met, you have a relationship that would not exist if you bought something that was mass-produced.
“You will see things you have never seen before, and you will meet your neighbours.”
It was a desire to make artistic connections with people that took Monica from the insurance industry to the floral design business back in the 1970s. Eventually, she and her husband Dave moved from Toronto to Erin Township. In 1988 she saw an advertisement in the Erin Advocate from Rosalind Baumgartner, looking for fellow artists to organize a tour for the public. The original group, from the Hillsburgh area, included Rosalind, Monica and Dave, Jim Reid, Stan Hall and Carol Tyler.
The work of the current artists includes weaving, oil painting, furniture, pastels, concrete, drawing, watercolours, acrylics, wreaths, collages, jewellery, reclaimed objects, turned wood, photography, hats, sculpture, pottery, book binding, baskets, glass, forged metal and figurines.
“These artists continue to push themselves,” said Monica, noting that Erin’s rural setting creates a good atmosphere for creative endeavours.
Some of the Erin artists are also involved in the Headwaters Arts Festival, which has events and workshops over a wide area that includes Erin, Caledon, Orangeville, Hockley, Mono and Shelburne. It includes an Art Show and Sale September 27-28 and October 4-5 at the SGI Centre in Alton. Check the website, www.HeadwatersArtsFestival.com.
Monica last month received the Artisan of the Year award from the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association, for her work with the Erin tour, the Headwaters festival and the Headwaters Arts organization.
Her studio is called Croi go Lamh, meaning Heart to Hand in Irish Gaelic. She has gone from weaving fibres to explorations of mineral textures and metal techniques, with inspiration drawn from natural objects.
She carves her larger pieces from lightweight building insulation, and then applies architectural surface materials. Other work includes wearable silver sculpture, made by coating small natural objects with art clay silver, a putty made with silver reclaimed from used X-ray film. A firing kiln burns away the original object, leaving a unique, shiny creation. Find out more at www.croigolamh.ca.
Many of the artists in the Erin Tour are also participating in a Preview Showing at the Burdette Gallery near Orton, which continues until this Sunday, August 31. Get directions at www.burdettegallery.com.
Getting art into my home could be such a simple process. See it. Like it. Decide if I can afford it. Buy it. Enjoy it.
Browsing through galleries, studios and craft displays is one of my favourite activities. When it comes to parting with my cash, however, doubts get in the way.
What if I do not like the piece two months from now? What if I am paying too much? Will I know what to say when friends ask why I bought it? What if I get addicted to buying art and spend all my money on it?
When I was young, I did not have the money to buy art. Now that I can afford some modest purchases, perhaps I still see art as a luxury. Maybe I am frugal to a fault.
Monica O’Halloran-Schut, an Erin sculptor, says my condition is actually quite common. And fortunately, there is a cure.
She is one of the founders of the Hills of Erin Studio Tour, now in its 20th year. It has grown from six artists at five locations, to 37 artists at 17 locations. Drop in at some or all of the studios and galleries on the weekend of September 27-28, 10 am to 5 pm. For details, check the website, hillsoferinstudiotour.com, call (519) 855-6320, or email: norbert.baumgartner@sympatico.ca
“The Studio Tour is a good way to meet the artists,” said Monica. “Stop and take a look at the art. It is handmade, one-of-a kind. Art can become part of your everyday objects.”
For those who rarely buy art, she points out that many pieces are not expensive. And once you do buy something from an artist you have met, you have a relationship that would not exist if you bought something that was mass-produced.
“You will see things you have never seen before, and you will meet your neighbours.”
It was a desire to make artistic connections with people that took Monica from the insurance industry to the floral design business back in the 1970s. Eventually, she and her husband Dave moved from Toronto to Erin Township. In 1988 she saw an advertisement in the Erin Advocate from Rosalind Baumgartner, looking for fellow artists to organize a tour for the public. The original group, from the Hillsburgh area, included Rosalind, Monica and Dave, Jim Reid, Stan Hall and Carol Tyler.
The work of the current artists includes weaving, oil painting, furniture, pastels, concrete, drawing, watercolours, acrylics, wreaths, collages, jewellery, reclaimed objects, turned wood, photography, hats, sculpture, pottery, book binding, baskets, glass, forged metal and figurines.
“These artists continue to push themselves,” said Monica, noting that Erin’s rural setting creates a good atmosphere for creative endeavours.
Some of the Erin artists are also involved in the Headwaters Arts Festival, which has events and workshops over a wide area that includes Erin, Caledon, Orangeville, Hockley, Mono and Shelburne. It includes an Art Show and Sale September 27-28 and October 4-5 at the SGI Centre in Alton. Check the website, www.HeadwatersArtsFestival.com.
Monica last month received the Artisan of the Year award from the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association, for her work with the Erin tour, the Headwaters festival and the Headwaters Arts organization.
Her studio is called Croi go Lamh, meaning Heart to Hand in Irish Gaelic. She has gone from weaving fibres to explorations of mineral textures and metal techniques, with inspiration drawn from natural objects.
She carves her larger pieces from lightweight building insulation, and then applies architectural surface materials. Other work includes wearable silver sculpture, made by coating small natural objects with art clay silver, a putty made with silver reclaimed from used X-ray film. A firing kiln burns away the original object, leaving a unique, shiny creation. Find out more at www.croigolamh.ca.
Many of the artists in the Erin Tour are also participating in a Preview Showing at the Burdette Gallery near Orton, which continues until this Sunday, August 31. Get directions at www.burdettegallery.com.
August 20, 2008
Googling the Town
As published in The Erin Advocate
Have you ever Googled the place where you live?
Like searching out your own name on the Internet, checking the hits on Erin can lead to some interesting, but time-consuming tangents.
The Google search engine produces 54.9 million references to Erin, but if you narrow it down to “Town of Erin”, the total is a mere 10,100.
You could inadvertently learn all about Erin Mills, or Erin Brockovich, or the many companies that use Erin in their corporate name.
Are you curious about Erin, New York, located east of Elmira in Chemung County near the Pennsylvania border? How about Erin, Nigeria, south of Abeokuta?
Wikipedia, the popular on-line encyclopedia, lets us know that the word Erin is derived from Éirinn, a form of the Irish word for Ireland, and that it originated with the Gaelic name Eireann.
Wikipedia also has a very brief article (a “geography stub”) on our Erin. In addition to some basic facts, it says, “The town’s new industrial park is attracting a number of new industries, due to its cheaper tax rate, accessibility to transportation, and its location within the ‘Technology Triangle’, a series of high-tech driven cities including nearby Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.”
Fascinating stuff. The Town, or anyone for that matter, is welcome to edit or add to the Wikipedia article. Fortunately, it has a link to www.erin.ca, an excellent source for local information.
The Town of Erin website is a treasure trunk of interesting stuff. Of course there are the municipal things, like agendas, minutes and permits. But you will also find an excellent photo gallery, lots of local history articles, details on coming events, and directories of businesses and community groups. It is an attractive marketing tool that will be seen by people thinking of buying a home or setting up a business here.
It also links to many other sites of local interest, such as: Credit Valley Conservation, Wellington County and Health Unit, erincinema, Hills of Headwaters and the Agricultural Society.
I got caught up in this web of Erin links while researching another burning issue – what to name this newspaper column. When naming something these days, it is wise to go on-line to see who else is using the name. Many thanks to the readers who gave the matter some thought, after I requested help two weeks ago.
John Sutherland phoned to suggest Erin Gleanings, since I tend to gather up things that have not made it into the regular news.
Jane Vandervliet suggested Teetering on my Soapbox. “Reflects need for firmer stance,” she said. “After all an ‘opinion’ column requires the writer to actually have one.” Ouch.
“Don’t be afraid of ticking people off. Persuasive writing is all about challenging others to think with the goal of change for the better for all.”
No offence taken, Jane. It is true that I tend to cautious, trying to see various sides of an issue. Also, my intent is a mix of news, trivia and opinion. Maybe I will take a few more risks when the time is right.
Hill Cox emailed a series of ideas, including: Shades of Green, The Spirit of Erin, Phil’s Focus, Erin’s Advocate, Village Views and Erin Perspective.
I liked Shades of Green, since it is a bit Irish (like me), and a bit environmental (all the rage these days). Google has almost 1.5 million references to “Shades of Green”. I would be sharing the name with a hosta nursery in Aylmer, Ontario; a forest website; an environment series on CBC; a housing estate on Vancouver Island, various landscaping firms and an Armed Forces Recreation Centre at Walt Disney World in Florida. Ultimately, it was too ambiguous.
Heidi Duncan (who named her business Heidi Hoe) dropped off a list that includes: Soapbox Stories, A Wee Tale to Tell, Much Ado About Nothing, Erin’s Hullaballo, Shamrock Stories and – meant with good intentions I’m told – The Phillage Idiot. I am feeling inspired. Less need for self-deprecation when readers are willing to help.
Anyhow, it is thumbs down on all the above. My favourite is Erin Insight, suggested by Hill Cox. The term doesn’t turn up in Google, except for a couple of references to insightful people named Erin. Not as racy as some, but it is likely to stand up better over time.
Of course, the column name does not refer just to “insights” of mine, but to those of people I interview or who send me their views. I have avoided putting my own email address in the column, but I will soon set up a new one for dialogue on column topics.
Have you ever Googled the place where you live?
Like searching out your own name on the Internet, checking the hits on Erin can lead to some interesting, but time-consuming tangents.
The Google search engine produces 54.9 million references to Erin, but if you narrow it down to “Town of Erin”, the total is a mere 10,100.
You could inadvertently learn all about Erin Mills, or Erin Brockovich, or the many companies that use Erin in their corporate name.
Are you curious about Erin, New York, located east of Elmira in Chemung County near the Pennsylvania border? How about Erin, Nigeria, south of Abeokuta?
Wikipedia, the popular on-line encyclopedia, lets us know that the word Erin is derived from Éirinn, a form of the Irish word for Ireland, and that it originated with the Gaelic name Eireann.
Wikipedia also has a very brief article (a “geography stub”) on our Erin. In addition to some basic facts, it says, “The town’s new industrial park is attracting a number of new industries, due to its cheaper tax rate, accessibility to transportation, and its location within the ‘Technology Triangle’, a series of high-tech driven cities including nearby Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.”
Fascinating stuff. The Town, or anyone for that matter, is welcome to edit or add to the Wikipedia article. Fortunately, it has a link to www.erin.ca, an excellent source for local information.
The Town of Erin website is a treasure trunk of interesting stuff. Of course there are the municipal things, like agendas, minutes and permits. But you will also find an excellent photo gallery, lots of local history articles, details on coming events, and directories of businesses and community groups. It is an attractive marketing tool that will be seen by people thinking of buying a home or setting up a business here.
It also links to many other sites of local interest, such as: Credit Valley Conservation, Wellington County and Health Unit, erincinema, Hills of Headwaters and the Agricultural Society.
I got caught up in this web of Erin links while researching another burning issue – what to name this newspaper column. When naming something these days, it is wise to go on-line to see who else is using the name. Many thanks to the readers who gave the matter some thought, after I requested help two weeks ago.
John Sutherland phoned to suggest Erin Gleanings, since I tend to gather up things that have not made it into the regular news.
Jane Vandervliet suggested Teetering on my Soapbox. “Reflects need for firmer stance,” she said. “After all an ‘opinion’ column requires the writer to actually have one.” Ouch.
“Don’t be afraid of ticking people off. Persuasive writing is all about challenging others to think with the goal of change for the better for all.”
No offence taken, Jane. It is true that I tend to cautious, trying to see various sides of an issue. Also, my intent is a mix of news, trivia and opinion. Maybe I will take a few more risks when the time is right.
Hill Cox emailed a series of ideas, including: Shades of Green, The Spirit of Erin, Phil’s Focus, Erin’s Advocate, Village Views and Erin Perspective.
I liked Shades of Green, since it is a bit Irish (like me), and a bit environmental (all the rage these days). Google has almost 1.5 million references to “Shades of Green”. I would be sharing the name with a hosta nursery in Aylmer, Ontario; a forest website; an environment series on CBC; a housing estate on Vancouver Island, various landscaping firms and an Armed Forces Recreation Centre at Walt Disney World in Florida. Ultimately, it was too ambiguous.
Heidi Duncan (who named her business Heidi Hoe) dropped off a list that includes: Soapbox Stories, A Wee Tale to Tell, Much Ado About Nothing, Erin’s Hullaballo, Shamrock Stories and – meant with good intentions I’m told – The Phillage Idiot. I am feeling inspired. Less need for self-deprecation when readers are willing to help.
Anyhow, it is thumbs down on all the above. My favourite is Erin Insight, suggested by Hill Cox. The term doesn’t turn up in Google, except for a couple of references to insightful people named Erin. Not as racy as some, but it is likely to stand up better over time.
Of course, the column name does not refer just to “insights” of mine, but to those of people I interview or who send me their views. I have avoided putting my own email address in the column, but I will soon set up a new one for dialogue on column topics.
August 13, 2008
Hazardous waste service inadequate
As published in The Erin Advocate
As a dedicated saver of the planet, I have been obliged in recent years to set up my own Hazardous Waste Depot. It is also known as my garage.
So it is with some eagerness that I await the annual Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Event Day, hosted by Wellington County staff.
I missed the event last year, so I will be bringing two years’ worth of toxic material to the Centre 2000 parking lot, on Boland Drive in Erin, this Saturday, August 16, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no charge.
The cars and trucks will be lined up, loaded with old motor oil, compact fluorescent light bulbs, latex and oil-based paint, automotive and household batteries, medical sharps, glue, gasoline, pesticide, drugs, mercury thermometers, cleaners, antifreeze, propane tanks and aerosol cans, to name only a few. (Check the Solid Waste Services page at www.wellington.ca for a full list.)
Of course, I could always drive my HHW to the City of Guelph HHW Depot, formerly the Wet-Dry facility, at 110 Dunlop Drive, Tuesday through Saturday. (Call 519-767-0598 or visit www.guelph.ca for details.)
But I don’t have a large quantity of HHW, and it is just not worth a special drive to Guelph. I also do not illegally burn it, dump it in the ditch or throw it in with the regular garbage.
If I lived in another part of Wellington County, I could bring a certain amount of HHW to my local transfer station or landfill site (Aberfoyle, Belwood, Elora, Harriston or Riverstown) throughout the year. I am also welcome to drive to these other stations and use them at no charge.
These locations are set up as “Selected HHW Depots”, and will accept ONLY: Automotive Motor Oil and Filters, Antifreeze, Batteries, Aerosol Cans, Propane Cylinders and Medical Sharps.
The Hillsburgh and Rothsay Transfer Stations are the only ones that do not take any hazardous waste. County Councillor Lou Maieron is surprised at the inconsistency.
“It is unfair that the eastern portion of the county is not serviced,” said Maieron. “They should give us the same standard of service. People are definitely paying enough in taxes.”
The councillor has long advocated a comprehensive waste plan that would include rural collection, composting and local drop-off of household hazardous waste. There is a rural collection pilot project for regular garbage and recyclables being conducted in Guelph/Eramosa and Minto, and County Council will decide this October whether to expand it to other areas.
Meanwhile, there has been protracted wrangling about whether the Hillsburgh Transfer Station will stay at or near its current location. I have not been able to find out if that debate has affected the question of making the Hillsburgh station a Selected HHW Depot.
The facilities to handle limited types of hazardous waste would be inexpensive, and easily moved if a new location was established elsewhere, according to Councillor Maieron.
Hillsburgh is the second-busiest station in the County, which means that a year-round depot could divert a significant volume of hazardous waste from residential garages, or from improper disposal.
“If you make it convenient, people will use it,” said Maieron.
If a community is to treat environmental protection seriously, once a year for hazardous waste is not enough.
Here are a few more pertinent facts for handling your HHW.
• Alkaline batteries up to size D can also be disposed of in special tubes located at all County libraries.
• The County does not accept industrial, commercial or agricultural hazardous waste. If you live on a farm, only the household portion of your hazardous waste can be dropped off.
• Do not bring empty containers to the HHW event, even if they previously held paint, oil or pesticide. Treat them as regular garbage or as recyclable plastic. Let any wet empty paint cans or brushes dry out, leave the lids off and put them with regular garbage.
• If you have medical sharps (needles, syringes, lancets), put them in a rigid puncture-proof plastic container (like a bleach bottle) labeled “SHARPS”. Soak them in bleach for 24 hours, pour off the bleach, seal the container and tell the attendant that you have it.
Call Solid Waste Services at 519-837-2601 for more information.
As a dedicated saver of the planet, I have been obliged in recent years to set up my own Hazardous Waste Depot. It is also known as my garage.
So it is with some eagerness that I await the annual Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Event Day, hosted by Wellington County staff.
I missed the event last year, so I will be bringing two years’ worth of toxic material to the Centre 2000 parking lot, on Boland Drive in Erin, this Saturday, August 16, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no charge.
The cars and trucks will be lined up, loaded with old motor oil, compact fluorescent light bulbs, latex and oil-based paint, automotive and household batteries, medical sharps, glue, gasoline, pesticide, drugs, mercury thermometers, cleaners, antifreeze, propane tanks and aerosol cans, to name only a few. (Check the Solid Waste Services page at www.wellington.ca for a full list.)
Of course, I could always drive my HHW to the City of Guelph HHW Depot, formerly the Wet-Dry facility, at 110 Dunlop Drive, Tuesday through Saturday. (Call 519-767-0598 or visit www.guelph.ca for details.)
But I don’t have a large quantity of HHW, and it is just not worth a special drive to Guelph. I also do not illegally burn it, dump it in the ditch or throw it in with the regular garbage.
If I lived in another part of Wellington County, I could bring a certain amount of HHW to my local transfer station or landfill site (Aberfoyle, Belwood, Elora, Harriston or Riverstown) throughout the year. I am also welcome to drive to these other stations and use them at no charge.
These locations are set up as “Selected HHW Depots”, and will accept ONLY: Automotive Motor Oil and Filters, Antifreeze, Batteries, Aerosol Cans, Propane Cylinders and Medical Sharps.
The Hillsburgh and Rothsay Transfer Stations are the only ones that do not take any hazardous waste. County Councillor Lou Maieron is surprised at the inconsistency.
“It is unfair that the eastern portion of the county is not serviced,” said Maieron. “They should give us the same standard of service. People are definitely paying enough in taxes.”
The councillor has long advocated a comprehensive waste plan that would include rural collection, composting and local drop-off of household hazardous waste. There is a rural collection pilot project for regular garbage and recyclables being conducted in Guelph/Eramosa and Minto, and County Council will decide this October whether to expand it to other areas.
Meanwhile, there has been protracted wrangling about whether the Hillsburgh Transfer Station will stay at or near its current location. I have not been able to find out if that debate has affected the question of making the Hillsburgh station a Selected HHW Depot.
The facilities to handle limited types of hazardous waste would be inexpensive, and easily moved if a new location was established elsewhere, according to Councillor Maieron.
Hillsburgh is the second-busiest station in the County, which means that a year-round depot could divert a significant volume of hazardous waste from residential garages, or from improper disposal.
“If you make it convenient, people will use it,” said Maieron.
If a community is to treat environmental protection seriously, once a year for hazardous waste is not enough.
Here are a few more pertinent facts for handling your HHW.
• Alkaline batteries up to size D can also be disposed of in special tubes located at all County libraries.
• The County does not accept industrial, commercial or agricultural hazardous waste. If you live on a farm, only the household portion of your hazardous waste can be dropped off.
• Do not bring empty containers to the HHW event, even if they previously held paint, oil or pesticide. Treat them as regular garbage or as recyclable plastic. Let any wet empty paint cans or brushes dry out, leave the lids off and put them with regular garbage.
• If you have medical sharps (needles, syringes, lancets), put them in a rigid puncture-proof plastic container (like a bleach bottle) labeled “SHARPS”. Soak them in bleach for 24 hours, pour off the bleach, seal the container and tell the attendant that you have it.
Call Solid Waste Services at 519-837-2601 for more information.
August 06, 2008
Column could use a snappier name
As published in The Erin Advocate
When I told a friend I would be writing an opinion column, she said, “That sounds great. You won’t even need to know what the heck you’re talking about.”
Fortunately, being right all the time is not in the job description, at least when it come to opinions. I may be right all the time, as I sometimes convince myself, but it is not a requirement.
When I was a news reporter, it was simple. You found out the important details of an issue and got other people to give their opinions on it. They were the ones who would feel the heat if others disagreed.
Now here I am with the freedom the pick my own topic, and sound off as I please. I have not been elected, but I have my own little soapbox to stand on. I have not been ordained, but I can preach weekly. It is a frightening prospect, both for myself and for readers.
I have been cautious so far, and I know of no complaints to the editor. Perhaps I need to try harder.
Often it is not about being right, but about covering the interests of people who care about a topic. Recently I wrote about tourism, mentioning local shops, restaurants, natural attractions and accommodations. My friend Neville Worsnop, of Century Church Theatre in Hillsburgh, pointed out that I did not mention theatre. It was a valid point, because live theatre does draw people to small towns, and they spend money on other things while visiting.
Theatre never crossed my mind while writing that piece, though I have spent years volunteering to support it in Erin. When I fail to notice the obvious, I blame the advance of years, but I never get any sympathy.
Concentrate, Phil. The column is almost half done. Time to broach the main topic.
When I wrote the first column, I suggested to Joan Murray that we not have an official name, since I could not think of a good one. To my surprise, she gave it a name anyhow: “Life in the Town of Erin”.
This is intended to serve until we come up with some other inspiration. Or we could make it permanent, which would be all right. It stresses the local angle and imposes no other restrictions.
But maybe the column could use a snappier name. Something a little edgy, but not so edgy as to alienate any major sectors of the population. A clever combination of words to entice busy readers to tarry a while.
And who better to help with naming than the valiant readers who have made it this far? If you have suggestions for a column name, mail them to the address on page 6, or email them to: editorial@erinadvocate.com. There is no prize, other than having your name in the paper (plus bragging rights) if yours is chosen. I may mention other submissions as well, and I promise not to make fun of any of them.
To help the process along, here are some of the name ideas that have already been considered.
The Way I See It: I was thinking of this one, but while I was thinking, my tennis buddy Bruce Hood went and took it for his column. Sheesh. As they say at Sunday Morning Tennis, if you snooze, you lose.
Horsefeathers: A bit too agricultural.
Off on a Tangent: Still a possibility, since it describes my normal method of processing ideas, but it is unclear if that should be encouraged.
The Devil’s Advocate: Somewhat appealing, since it plays on the newspaper name. It suggests a writer who takes a contrary view just for the sake of argument. That is not how I want to be, especially not all the time, and the negative slant would be hard to maintain.
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Green Town: Upbeat, but presumptuous, to say the least. The Irish twist is insufficiently subtle, and the extra-terrestrial allusion (little green men) could cause some to take offence. Nothing but trouble. Rejected.
Some people say I have a slight tendency to over-analyze. Others call it severe. I am still trying to figure out which group is right. What if the first group is just being polite, or worse – sarcastic? Maybe they are both partially right. In any case, I doubt that both are completely wrong.
My computer has an alarm that sounds when a column hits 700 words, and it has been going for a while, so I must wrap it up.
Maybe I should stick with Life in the Town of Erin. Let me know.
When I told a friend I would be writing an opinion column, she said, “That sounds great. You won’t even need to know what the heck you’re talking about.”
Fortunately, being right all the time is not in the job description, at least when it come to opinions. I may be right all the time, as I sometimes convince myself, but it is not a requirement.
When I was a news reporter, it was simple. You found out the important details of an issue and got other people to give their opinions on it. They were the ones who would feel the heat if others disagreed.
Now here I am with the freedom the pick my own topic, and sound off as I please. I have not been elected, but I have my own little soapbox to stand on. I have not been ordained, but I can preach weekly. It is a frightening prospect, both for myself and for readers.
I have been cautious so far, and I know of no complaints to the editor. Perhaps I need to try harder.
Often it is not about being right, but about covering the interests of people who care about a topic. Recently I wrote about tourism, mentioning local shops, restaurants, natural attractions and accommodations. My friend Neville Worsnop, of Century Church Theatre in Hillsburgh, pointed out that I did not mention theatre. It was a valid point, because live theatre does draw people to small towns, and they spend money on other things while visiting.
Theatre never crossed my mind while writing that piece, though I have spent years volunteering to support it in Erin. When I fail to notice the obvious, I blame the advance of years, but I never get any sympathy.
Concentrate, Phil. The column is almost half done. Time to broach the main topic.
When I wrote the first column, I suggested to Joan Murray that we not have an official name, since I could not think of a good one. To my surprise, she gave it a name anyhow: “Life in the Town of Erin”.
This is intended to serve until we come up with some other inspiration. Or we could make it permanent, which would be all right. It stresses the local angle and imposes no other restrictions.
But maybe the column could use a snappier name. Something a little edgy, but not so edgy as to alienate any major sectors of the population. A clever combination of words to entice busy readers to tarry a while.
And who better to help with naming than the valiant readers who have made it this far? If you have suggestions for a column name, mail them to the address on page 6, or email them to: editorial@erinadvocate.com. There is no prize, other than having your name in the paper (plus bragging rights) if yours is chosen. I may mention other submissions as well, and I promise not to make fun of any of them.
To help the process along, here are some of the name ideas that have already been considered.
The Way I See It: I was thinking of this one, but while I was thinking, my tennis buddy Bruce Hood went and took it for his column. Sheesh. As they say at Sunday Morning Tennis, if you snooze, you lose.
Horsefeathers: A bit too agricultural.
Off on a Tangent: Still a possibility, since it describes my normal method of processing ideas, but it is unclear if that should be encouraged.
The Devil’s Advocate: Somewhat appealing, since it plays on the newspaper name. It suggests a writer who takes a contrary view just for the sake of argument. That is not how I want to be, especially not all the time, and the negative slant would be hard to maintain.
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Green Town: Upbeat, but presumptuous, to say the least. The Irish twist is insufficiently subtle, and the extra-terrestrial allusion (little green men) could cause some to take offence. Nothing but trouble. Rejected.
Some people say I have a slight tendency to over-analyze. Others call it severe. I am still trying to figure out which group is right. What if the first group is just being polite, or worse – sarcastic? Maybe they are both partially right. In any case, I doubt that both are completely wrong.
My computer has an alarm that sounds when a column hits 700 words, and it has been going for a while, so I must wrap it up.
Maybe I should stick with Life in the Town of Erin. Let me know.
July 30, 2008
Low literacy a stubborn problem
As published in The Erin Advocate
The news was discouraging to folks who write for a living.
A report last month from the Canadian Council on Learning says that 48 per cent of Canadian adults have low literacy skills. That does not mean they are illiterate (cannot read or write), but that their abilities fall below internationally-accepted standards for coping in a modern society.
The study, Reading the Future, contradicts the idea that literacy is improving in Canada. As the population grows, the proportion of people in the low literacy categories is expected remain the same, with the total rising from 12 million to 15 million by 2031.
This is in spite of the serious efforts of parents and teachers to instill a love of reading and writing in young people. While these efforts are worthwhile, they are only partially successful.
The low literacy group spans all age groups, English and French speakers, immigrants and those born in Canada, and includes some with high school diplomas and post-secondary education. Most are employed, have a strong dislike of computers and believe their skills are “adequate” for their work. Most are relatively close to meeting the international standard.
At the lowest level, a person may, for example, be unable to determine from a package label the correct amount of medicine to give a child. Those at the next level are literate enough to get by from day to day, but their poor literacy makes it hard to conquer challenges such as learning new job skills.
“Millions of our fellow citizens may learn to read, but they cannot read to learn,” said Dr. Paul Cappon, President of the Canadian Council on Learning. Adult literacy levels have been shown to have a profound influence on the growth or decline of a country’s economy, according to the report.
"The Canadian economy will suffer as the number of Canadians with low literacy skills increases, so we need to prepare workers for shifts in their industry and new technologies," said Margaret Eaton, president of the private-sector ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation.
“The issue of literacy in Canada cannot be solved by any one group,” said Dr. Cappon. “Achieving success will require concerted effort from all levels of government, educators, employers, workers, community groups, families and individuals.”
Reading tends to be a quiet, inexpensive activity. Flashy entertainment on television / internet and a whirlwind of activities outside the home don’t foster a reading environment.
“In our busy world, it is hard for people to sit down and read a book,” said Beverley Picken, Supervisor of the Erin branch of the Wellington County Library. “It is important for children to see their parents reading.”
The library runs programs like the Summer Reading Club for children, using posters, stickers, activity books and prizes to make reading more fun. In the Summer Reading Challenge, teens can get a ballot for every book they read, in hopes of winning an iPod. Adults can read from a list of 10 nominated books and vote to choose the winner in the Evergreen Reading Award Programme. Check www.wclib for more library information.
Word literacy is not an end in itself. It is about having the skill and confidence to be a communicator, which can include physical touch, speech, spirituality, music, theatre, visual arts, academic learning and athletics. The school system is dedicated to helping kids reach their potential as well-rounded citizens, but the process starts at birth.
“Early infant reading develops an attitude towards books and print that is vitally important for reading later on,” says Paul Kropp, in his book How to Make your Child a Reader for Life (available at the Erin library).
“We encourage parents to read to their children right from birth,” said Marlene MacNevin, Children’s Services Manager at EWAG (East Wellington Advisory Group) in Erin.
“Each time they help their child connect books to their own experiences – their toys, friends and activities – they are introducing them to literacy by allowing their children to use their imagination.”
EWAG runs provincially-funded “Ontario Early Years” programs in Erin and Rockwood for children up to six years old. Activities include crafts, songs, finger plays, games and stories. Call 519-833-9696 for details.
At the other end of the spectrum are the program offered by agencies like the Wellington County Learning Centre (see www.thewclc.ca) for adults who want to improve their skills. But that is a topic for another day.
As a society, we are right to set high goals for literacy. People should not, however, pass negative judgment on those with lower (or higher) skills than their own. No one should be afraid to expand his or her horizons.
The important thing is to provide opportunities for everyone to improve, at every age. It is a basic democratic right.
The news was discouraging to folks who write for a living.
A report last month from the Canadian Council on Learning says that 48 per cent of Canadian adults have low literacy skills. That does not mean they are illiterate (cannot read or write), but that their abilities fall below internationally-accepted standards for coping in a modern society.
The study, Reading the Future, contradicts the idea that literacy is improving in Canada. As the population grows, the proportion of people in the low literacy categories is expected remain the same, with the total rising from 12 million to 15 million by 2031.
This is in spite of the serious efforts of parents and teachers to instill a love of reading and writing in young people. While these efforts are worthwhile, they are only partially successful.
The low literacy group spans all age groups, English and French speakers, immigrants and those born in Canada, and includes some with high school diplomas and post-secondary education. Most are employed, have a strong dislike of computers and believe their skills are “adequate” for their work. Most are relatively close to meeting the international standard.
At the lowest level, a person may, for example, be unable to determine from a package label the correct amount of medicine to give a child. Those at the next level are literate enough to get by from day to day, but their poor literacy makes it hard to conquer challenges such as learning new job skills.
“Millions of our fellow citizens may learn to read, but they cannot read to learn,” said Dr. Paul Cappon, President of the Canadian Council on Learning. Adult literacy levels have been shown to have a profound influence on the growth or decline of a country’s economy, according to the report.
"The Canadian economy will suffer as the number of Canadians with low literacy skills increases, so we need to prepare workers for shifts in their industry and new technologies," said Margaret Eaton, president of the private-sector ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation.
“The issue of literacy in Canada cannot be solved by any one group,” said Dr. Cappon. “Achieving success will require concerted effort from all levels of government, educators, employers, workers, community groups, families and individuals.”
Reading tends to be a quiet, inexpensive activity. Flashy entertainment on television / internet and a whirlwind of activities outside the home don’t foster a reading environment.
“In our busy world, it is hard for people to sit down and read a book,” said Beverley Picken, Supervisor of the Erin branch of the Wellington County Library. “It is important for children to see their parents reading.”
The library runs programs like the Summer Reading Club for children, using posters, stickers, activity books and prizes to make reading more fun. In the Summer Reading Challenge, teens can get a ballot for every book they read, in hopes of winning an iPod. Adults can read from a list of 10 nominated books and vote to choose the winner in the Evergreen Reading Award Programme. Check www.wclib for more library information.
Word literacy is not an end in itself. It is about having the skill and confidence to be a communicator, which can include physical touch, speech, spirituality, music, theatre, visual arts, academic learning and athletics. The school system is dedicated to helping kids reach their potential as well-rounded citizens, but the process starts at birth.
“Early infant reading develops an attitude towards books and print that is vitally important for reading later on,” says Paul Kropp, in his book How to Make your Child a Reader for Life (available at the Erin library).
“We encourage parents to read to their children right from birth,” said Marlene MacNevin, Children’s Services Manager at EWAG (East Wellington Advisory Group) in Erin.
“Each time they help their child connect books to their own experiences – their toys, friends and activities – they are introducing them to literacy by allowing their children to use their imagination.”
EWAG runs provincially-funded “Ontario Early Years” programs in Erin and Rockwood for children up to six years old. Activities include crafts, songs, finger plays, games and stories. Call 519-833-9696 for details.
At the other end of the spectrum are the program offered by agencies like the Wellington County Learning Centre (see www.thewclc.ca) for adults who want to improve their skills. But that is a topic for another day.
As a society, we are right to set high goals for literacy. People should not, however, pass negative judgment on those with lower (or higher) skills than their own. No one should be afraid to expand his or her horizons.
The important thing is to provide opportunities for everyone to improve, at every age. It is a basic democratic right.
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