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Home Newspaper of Hills Established A Division of Canadian Newspapers Company Limited Guelph Street Georgetown Ontario DAVID A BEATTIE Publisher and General Manager Anand resigned over policies BRIAN MacLEOD Editor Phone DAN TAYLOR Advertising Manager Strand Clan Mill na Page THE HERALD Wednesday June 1989 Save the Games Behind the drone of bagpipes played by 28 bands from all over North America aside from the colorful tartans donn ed by highland dancers and apart from the grunts of the heavy lifters at Saturdays Highland Games some Halton Hills councillors sensed an antitown sentiment Games organizer Keith Spicer said this years event should pay for itself and thats good news But its un fortunate that an event which should spawn camaraderie in a town with a high percentage of people with a British heritage should have underlying grumblings Organizers were apparently angry that the town had failed to provide utilities on time and that overnightcamping privileges so essential to the success of the games were not granted In the past Highland Games organizers have appeared before town council to explain that camping important because hundreds of dancers and band members must be up and on the site early in order to prepare for the games We understand that there can often be some confusion surrounding large events but in these days when the town and other organizations are pushing tourism so heavily the confusion should be overcome in pursuit of success Coun Joe Hewitt said Monday he heard people asking why is the mayor letting us down during the games The problems which arose during the Highland Games cant be pinned on one man There are seasoned veterans on both sides but it must be remembered that organizers of the Highland Games are volunteers who have little or no control over things like the installation of water and hydro facilities Coun Norm Elliott said there were rumors that Satur days event would be the last Highland Games in Georgetown We trust that wont happen The organizers of the games are dedicated to the event which is one of a series in Canada drawing professional athletes And we know that the town is serious about its tourism campaign Ideas and Art Editors Notebook Brian l Here at the Herald we try to stay on top of all aspects of life in Hills and our newest colum nist will help us better understand the cultural scene John Sommer will be writing two columns each month covering all aspects of the arts Mr Sommer is the owner of Mr Sommer has indicated he in tends to covera wide variety of cultural events locally Mr Sommers insight into the arts and his genuine appreciation of all artistic endeavors from photography to canvas to the writ ten word will help give all those in terested in culture locally a stimulating and thoughtful view point Gallery House Sol on Charles Street in Georgetown and his ef forts in the arts field In town have been well documented His column Is entitled Ideas and the Arts and While some people may have felt an antitown sentiment down at the Highland Games at the Georgetown Fairgrounds on Satur day I was Impressed with the massed bands the energetic danc ing and the heavy lifting events must admit being an avid weightlifter myself I was temp ted to grab that 28 lb weight and give it a heave But the chaps In the seemed to have a 50 lb ad vantage on me in size so I thought the better of it Oh yes I was glad to see at least one black and yellew MacLeod kilt heaving the cabers on Saturday Still the highlight of the event was the massed bands Those of you who were there or even if you live In the bad to hear and see the drone of the bagpipes and appreciate the color ful kilts of the dans Anyone with a hint of Scottish blood still has to stop and watch when the pipes start blaring Queens Park Derek Nelson TORONTOThe path to a better Ontario is neither straight nor phosphorescent It has to be chiselled through layers of contrasting bedrock sometimes permeable other times apparently impermeable The contrasts include ma jorities and minorities different physical and mental abilities workers and employers landlords and tenants owners and users government and citizen Those are quotes from Ontario Human Rights Commissioner Raj resignation statement What is the man talking about It tough to take seriously so meone using such purple prose One would like to think such fuz zy thinking contributed to his resignation But no such luck lost the job because he didnt hire enough nonwhites in senior positions at the commission Its that simple Since he was appointed by the Liberal government 17 months ago five senior people have left the agency Anand has brought in seven newcomers Two of those who left were non- whites All the newcomers are white himself is a very paleskinned East Indian which makes him in Ontario government eyes anon- white This hiring ratio brought Anand under attack In the coming new multicultural Ontario taking on only whites for anything will be ip so facto proof of discrimination The allegations went further with talk of rigged competitions and improper terminations of the oJd crowd so Anand could hire his buddies An internal government review of the charges suggested there was no evidence of discrimination favoritism or competition rigging in the hiring process But the review also concluded that the commission sometimes didnt follow normal luring pro cedures and for one particular job rejected nonwhite applicants with better qualifications than the successful white applicant MISSING Interestingly notes of candidate interviews and other information which could have helped those do ing the review judge whether hir ing was done fairly were missing The data bad not been kept In his resignation statement Anand accurately noted the reviewers had said his personal honesty and integrity is not questioned by them Even so considerable damage has been done The complex com munity of human rights activists and the public at large is confused The commission I want to see the commission which Ontario needs cannot be built in this en vironment The work which I started must continue and my presence must not divert attention for Us completion And what is this work My aspiration to lead the way to genuine equality of all our many peoples must take se cond place to the realization of the ultimate goal I of a haven for vic tims of discrimination of a beacon of compassion and strength in an environment of mistrust ig norance and prejudice And so on This kind of flowery language which mostly disappeared with the death of the Saturday afternoon matinee four decades ago masks the hard reality of Anands goal a goal shared by the provincial and federal government They all call it employment equity Anand wanted it made mandatory in all firms It would require goals and timetables by companies and government for the hiring of nonwhites Failure to meet these openended quotas would be proof of discrimination and bring the wrath of the commis sion down on ones bead And if anyone is wondering how severe that punishment would be look no further than Raj Hes the first victim RCMP wants to stop flow of smuggled cigarettes By RENNIE MacKENZIE Ottawa Bureau Thomson News Service a few subtle changes to its regulations the federal Revenue Department ex pects to scuttle tobaccosmuggling operations that cost governments more than a hundred million dollars each year The proposals to extend tobacco- labelling requirements and penalties for selling taxexempt cigarettes were all but buried in Finance Minister Michael Wilsons April budget But the changesare high on the priority list of RCMP and customs officials They want to halt the multtmUUondollar flow of Cana dian cigarettes exported to the and smuggled back free of the heavy excise taxes applied to tobacco that is sold directly on the domestic market The untaxed cigarettes that flow into the country mainly through Mohawk Indian reserves outside Montreal and Cornwall find their way into several major cities and other reserves Authorities estimate that the smugglers rake a profit off the contraband sold to con sumers who are unhappy with tobacco taxes that have tripled over the last dozen years Up to million worth of cigaret tes are said to pass through the Reserve on Cornwall Island each week The Mohawks there are in a unique geographic position Their land straddles On tario Quebec and New York State Lightning raids by hundreds of police over the past year have resulted in scores of arrests and the seizure of more than million in contraband But the flow of tobacco continues By fall however it could get tougher for the smugglers An Ex cise Act amendment will require manufacturers to put distinctive markings on export products It will become illegal to possess or sell Imported tobacco products that are not marked MORE EXPENSIVE It will also become more expen sive for those caught with the con traband tobacco The amendments boost the fines from the current to to an amount equal to dou ble or triple the excise that would apply to the contraband shipment That will make It a formidable penalty said Sandra Corbeil chief of the departments excise duty office Corbeil explained that close in spection is required now to detect the Canadian product smuggled through the US It should be ob vious to anyone who goes out of bis or her way to purchase cigarettes at the dutyfree shops that dot the roadsides in the areas around the Mohawk lands But it may not be so to someone buying through a retailer in a major city Apart from the absence of a tear- strip that states the duty has been paid the differences are minor and a buyer could be excused for not noticing them There tends to be more cardboard and less foil in packages destined for the US market the printing is English only and the health warning is that issued by the US surgeon- general Corbeil said Customs officials figure the federal losses along the Mohawks tobacco road are near million each year Quebec claims it loses about 52 million With losses of that magnitude its likely the department will be working swiftly to take advantage of the new regulations