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THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1998 GRAP Name that bear The 5-foot bear at the Acton li- brary -- this summer's reading camp . counsellor --needs a name and Acton children are invited to enter a con- test to give him one. Summer camp is the theme for two reading pro- grams at the River Street branch, Camp Read-A-Lot for kids who can read on their own and the Bearly Readers Read-To-Me Club is for children not yet reading. Children keep track of what they read, or what is read to them, and get special re- wards after completing a month's reading. Camp Read-A-Lot readers are invited to meet Tuesday after- noon at 2 p.m. at the Acton branch until Aug. 11 for club meetings. On Fridays children aged six and up are invited to drop in for a quick craft and this month the Acton branch has two contests including guessing the number of marshmal- lows in a jar and naming the camp Dewhurst has moved to a church in Cambridge and long-time St. Alban's member Betty Oakes is fill- ing in until a permanent organist can be found. Stitch wizards Competition is tough again this year for the second annual Viewers' Choice contest at the Needle Gnome on Main Street South. Contestants have until July 15 to enter any piece of their handiwork that involves stitching -- everything from cross- stitch to afghans to needlepoint -- and the work will be displayed in the store until Aug. 15 for shoppers, browsers and visitors to vote on. The first prize is a $50 gift certificate from the Needle Gnome, with a $25 Certificate for second prize and $15 for third prize. Store owner Renata Georgeff said this year's contest has generated great interest with over 30 entries so far, including one from last year's grand prize winner, Acton's a m % ing ee By | ~ iS FAIR FUNDRAISER: Posters advertising the 1914 Acton Fall Fair in glorious colour are being counsellor bear. Phyllis Gibson. Fateh : ;: Brees ; 3 ; 3 sold by the Homecraft Division of the Fall Fair Board to aid the building fund. Homecraft president Joy in Mudville Calling all Coronation Renata Georgeff, left, and past president Theresa Lockerbie, right, unroll a poster for Fair Presi- Town Council has improved its Street fans dent Ron White, centre. The original was given to the Acton Fair Board by the Dills family, former baseball record to 1-13-1 following a 12-12 tie with Glen Williams dur- ing last week's Canada Day celebra- tion. Acton Councillor Clark Somerville smacked in the tying run publishers of The Acton Free Press. Cost is $14.95, tax included. They are available at Home Hardware, Acton Pharmacy and The Needle Gnome in Acton as well as Dottie's Diner in Rockwood. = If you're a Coronation Street fan mark July 25 on your calendar be- cause that's when Wetherby's holds its annual Coronation Street giftware -- to the eternal gratitude of his fel- low teammates who really didn't want to suffer another loss. Musical search St. Alban's Anglican Church is looking for a new choir leader and organist following the recent resig- nation of Andrew Dewhurst who had been at the church for seven years. and memorabilia sale, including many scratch and dent items at great prices. The annual sale draws Coro- nation Street lovers from far and near to shop, chat about recent events on the Street and to check out the latest giftware in a marquee in Wetherby's garden. The afternoon event includes a Coronation Street quiz with a draw. for prizes and refreshments. In rural Acton? ....... Public Survey On Old Arena (check your responses) oS Are you in favour of restoring the old arena in Prospect Park as a community building? .. As acommunity building with an ice surface? ............ cate aat O bo te eee O Or are you in favour of tearing it down? O Do you reside in Acton? ...........0ecccse0e O Tn Georgeto Wii 7S ates Sedisainccesss O In rural Georgetown? .........cecesesssseeeseees O In-Rockwood ? --iisisis. disso dass Please place your ballots in boxes provided at The New Tanner, Acton IGA, Acton Pharmacy, Home Hardware, Andy's Restaurant, Royal Jug City, or the Trunk Sale. Much has been written about the Jane Doe decision which judged the Toronto police to be "grossly negli- gent" in their investigative techniques of the so called "Balcony Rapist" dur- ing the mid-'80s. Jane Doe (a pseu- donym) was the fifth victim of the balcony rapist. For privacy reasons (she is a victim after all) her real iden- tity is protected. According to news reports, Doe has similar physical characteristics to the first three victims (hair, race, etc.) Her apartment location also fit the per- vert's M.O. According to the judge- ment, two Metro investigators decided not to issue warnings about the serial rapist in Doe's neighourhood due to a "stereotypical discriminatory belief that as a woman she, and others like her, would become hysterical and panic and scare off an attacker." The judge found that these actions had the effect of the police using Doe and oth- ers as "bait" to catch the rapist. Now think about that for a moment. Firstly, I find it hard to believe that in the mid-'80s the Toronto police, or any police, didn't take rape seriously. Certainly today sexual assault is a most serious offence. I think that when our politicians dropped the term rape and lumped this cowardly attack in with other sex crimes they, not the po- lice, downgraded this crime. But what I find interesting is the judge's conclusion that, by not publi- cizing the possibility of future attacks the police, ipso facto, caused Doe to be "bait." "This they did in the face of the almost certain knowledge that the rapist would attack again and cause irreparable harm to his victim," Madam Justice Jean McFarland said. "In my view their decision in this re- spect was irresponsible and grossly negligent." MacFarland found that Doe's con- stitutional rights were breached by the oma officers. She found that "'in the : Jane Doe opens can of worms The Way I See It with Mike O'Leary circumstances of this case, the police failed utterly in the duty of care they owed (Jane Doe)." Whilst Doe and her supporters see this decision as a great victory, and per- haps it is, I think it opens up a whole other can of worms. If the decision stands (it could be appealed) the police will be open to suits for damages if they don't warn the people when they may be in danger. As Doe herself observed, this decision will make it easier for others to sue police for their actions during inves- tigations. Regular readers will know that, for years, I have been writing that danger- ous pedophiles should not be released into the community without some noti- fication. Several years ago we had one here who had many previous convictions. Who knows how many others were or are here? I think it's generally acknowl- edged that pedophiles cannot be cured. Therefore, if a pedophile with several convictions comes to town, would not the police have "almost certain knowledge" that he will re-offend? Many of these slimeballs have 10, 20 or more previous convictions. If the police keep the infor- mation secret but watch the guy, aren't they, by the Jane Doe rules, using the children as "'bait?" Such an attack on a child would cer- tainly cause "irreparable harm." Will the Halton Regional Police now, as a matter of policy, start advising the community when a violent offender moves to town? I intend to ask. I'll let you know the an- swer, if I get one. In the past all I heard was gobbledegook about privacy laws. How will this decision change the Young Offenders Act? Now, violent teens, even murderers, are released without ever having their names, or pictures made public. Doesn't this decision mean that the justice system owes it to us to advise us if there is a psychopath in our midst? Surely, this decision is not meant just to apply to Toronto police. Would the good jus- tice not expect all police and other law enforcement agencies to conform to the standard she has set? Do our wives and children deserve any less protection than Doe? I think not! The problem is going to be -- where do we draw the line? I don't need to know that the guy down the street lost his licence in a spot check. By the same token, if he has had four or five convictions, is a raging alco- holic who has been caught driving while suspended shouldn't I know not to let my kids play on the street? So, is frequency to be the test? Not necessarily. If a killer moves in I'd like to know so I can take precautions. The police publicized the Scarboro rapist case. He moved to St. Catharines and escalated his crimes to kidnapping, rape and murder. Should they not have gone public in that case? Did the publicity push that pervert over the edge to even more violent crimes? Is publicizing ongo- ing investigations always a good idea? The police forces are between a rock and a hard place on this issue. With everyone second guessing them after the fact, they can't win. It will take political action to resolve. But for some reason, our politicians seem reluctant to upset the criminal ele- ment in society. Perhaps this case will force the issue. On hearing the verdict Doe said, "That was a really big win." "Ya know -- it just might be. For all of us. ay If you're looking for a truck that's tough and versatile too, it doesn't get any better than the new Mazda B-Series Cab Plus 4. Achilles Mazda 357 Queen St. E., Acton 519-853-0200 905-453-8965 1998 Mazda B4000 4X4 SE Cab Plus 4 Get in. Be moved.