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THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2004 THE NEW TANNER BY KEITH ROBB OPP Media Relations Officer Wellington Monday, January 12, 2004 was a typical winter day in Wellington County. We experienced snow flurries overnight and depending on what part of the county you lived in, accumula- tions from 10-1 5centimeters. The snow flurries continued through- out the day and into the following night. Officers responded to reports of numer- ous collisions and cars in the ditch. Today, I checked our daily occur- rences, which is my usual routine each _ morning, and I saw a report of an of- ficer charging a motorist for excessive speed. It was 8:10pm on Monday, January 12th, and the officer was con- ducting speed enforcement, which you \ vould think was unnecessary in ad- darkness of nightfall. ' Driving too fast for road conditions ) verse weather conditions. Surely someone he could face a 30-day suspension of wouldn't drive fast when the roads are his drivers' licence will help slow him snow covered, icy and visibility isreduced down. Or maybe the fact that he will due to on-going snow flurries and the face increased car insurance costs. _ I don't think people think about the Yet, the officer observesa 1991 GMCpick- danger they put themselves in as well up travelling at a high rate of speed westbound as other motorists. So often, people on Wellington County Road 8 in Peel Town- lose control of their vehicles and end ship. The officer activates his moving radar up in the ditch or crash into another and the vehicle registers a speed of 135-km/h_ motorist. ina posted 80-kny/h zone. It is so easy to blame the road and Well, the officer charged him. He'll_ weather conditions. The road was too have to attend court in Guelph on March slippery, the snow was blowing so 10th, 2004 and face the Speeding charge. hard that I couldn't see, the guy in The officer was nice, he could have front slammed on his brakes. These charged the driver with Dangerous Driv- are all common excuses that the Po- ing given all of the circumstances lice hear. involved, the weather conditions, the road conditions and the decreased visibility. too fast for the road and weather Maybe the fine will hit home and make conditions. So slow down, drive a) But the truth is, they are driving this driver slow down. Maybe the fact that and live longer. Concerned staff held in low regard To the editor, It shocked me to read that Mayor Clint Martin and Councillor Teressa Gibson Smye demanded after-hours access to municipal offices to search files without staff present and the Mayor at- tacked the township clerk for doing her job: tabling a report in re- sponse to a Council request. The men and women who run for public office deserve Letters our gratitude and support be- cause it takes a great deal of sacrifice and dedication. As voters, we must believe that they put the public interest above all else. We must trust in their motives and judg- ment. We must know they respect each of their constitu- ents. Rockwood amazes To the Editor, Ihave had the pleasure of managing the EWAG food bank for a year now, and I am constantly amazed by the wonderful giving commu- nity that we live in. This has been proven to me time after time, but never more than during this holiday season, when our community really showed how much it cares. There are so many people to thank, that I am afraid of missing someone, however my pile of thank you cards grows daily. I want to ex- press my gratitude to all the great business owners in our town, who donated through- out the year, either in products we use on a con- stant basis, or, during the holiday season. They did everything from donating products to add to the ham- pers, to collecting toys, or providing a gift wrapping service for cash donations. You have all been a tremen- dous help and I thank you for your support. Then we have all the schools and-churches in. our.' - area that have held food drives for me all during the year, and collected an amaz- ing amount of food which we need so much. A Grade 7 stu- dent collected enough money from corporate sponsors to purchase 15 winter coats for the food bank. A little boy had his friends bring a food donation to his 11" birthday party, for the food bank. These are just a couple of the donations that come to mind, there are so many more. Thanks to the families who donated toys with their chil- dren to teach them that there are others who are less for- tunate than themselves. ALL the food and cash donations we received are so important to keep going into the New Year. We are very lucky to be able to provide | such an important service, to our community. Of course, none of this would be possible without all the help from my great vol- unteers who give so much of their time to EWAG and the support of our community. So- thank you,-one and all: What possibly could be the reason for them to de- mand access to files when no staff would be around? These are files that town- ship staff, no doubt, would gladly get for them during office hours. The staff had demonstrated this over many years with the previ- for everything you have done to help. We were able to pro- vide for all our clients:'needs over the holidays. I look for- ward to another year at the food bank and the chance to work with, and meet more of the caring people in our com- Tay: Thank you, Gillian Riseborough EWAG Food Bank Manager ous councils. What public interest is served by nighttime file searches? The reprimand of staff in front of others, at a public meeting, is simply appall- ing and inappropriate. If the mayor believed that the clerk had done something wrong, he should have dealt with it in private. From all accounts, the clerk has been doing her job competently. Did the mayor exercise good judgment when he at- tacked her in a public forum? It concerns me that these two may hold the municipal staff in such low regardas to search their offices and files after busi- ness hours or reprimand them in public. If they treat their staff this way, what respect can they have for the members of the community? D: Heuman RR2, Rockwood look and see quality at its best. 175 Ridge Road, Rockwood. Saturday, lanuary 16,2004 2:00 -4:00 Sunday, January 17,2004 2:00 -4:00 This rome! is understated elegance. Impressive marble tile entrance way welcomes you. Large trend setting living room. What homeowner could resist the maple kitchen with granite counter tops. Pillars, columns and cathedral ceilings. Complete granny flat. Come takea Peak Performance nee 1. Ltd. 519-787-5470 EWAG NEws Songs, Lullabies and Rhymes for Baby and You! The Moon Is Round is an eight week program based on the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program. Come and join other parents with chil- dren aged birth to 18 months and enjoy an hour of songs, rhymes, fingerplays and storytell- ing. The program will run every Friday, beginning February 6 (until March 26) from 10 --11a.m. at the Rockwood Library. For more information or to reg- ister, please call Sue at 856-2113. The Seniors Day Pro- gram is in need of a volunteer. This is a very special program that used to operate the second and fourth Friday of the month in Rockwood, but will now run on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The volunteer would be responsible for assisting with crafts, help- ing with lunch time set-up and clean up and assist staff with whatever may be re- quired while at the program. For more infor- mation, please call Heather at 833-0087 or Lynn at 856-2113. All the folks in the com- munity are welcome to our Diners Club, held at Squires Lodge at 160 Guelph St. in Rockwood. This is a hot meal prepared by our volunteer, Melissa Hillier and she is a wonder- ful cook. The cost is $6 per person and we ask that you please bring your own dishes. If you would like more information about this program, please call Lynn at the EWAG office. The sale in our Thrift Store this month is all clothing items on for half price. You can stock up on all your winter needs for a great price! Come on into the store and check out some great bargains. The hours for our Thrift Store have now been extended to Fridays again. We will be | open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4.p.m. and on Fridays from 12 to 4 p.m. Our office is open from 10 to 4 Monday to Thursday. Please remember our Food Pantry is Tuesdays by appointment only. You need to call ahead if you need this service. Appoint- ments can be made for between 10 a.m. and3 p.m. We are located at 126 Main St. S. in Rockwood. Our phone number is 856- 2113. Our e-mail address is ewag2@sentex.net. Please remember that we offer fax, laminating and photo- copying services for a small fee for those needing any of those services. We also carry government forms such as Social Insur- ance, OHIP and Canada Pension. Apology to" Teressa Smye Apologies to Guelph/ Eramosa_ Councillor misspe under the photo, and a profession, in last week's New Tanner. Somehow in the wireless transmission to the printer the correc-. tions were not made. Gibson-Smye, of course, in not a message therapist, but a massage therapist. Obviously the editor could have used the. formes Intemationally recognized, traditional Japanese Karate skills Beginner classes are starting now January Karate Open House & Registration Saturday January 10th 2-4pm at the Rockmosa Library SP For information call eke Dojo Instructor s,_ Donna MacDonald at: "sL\, Tel: 519-856-2058 11 Agi Cae SO