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HomeNewspapep of Halt an Hills WEDNESDAY AUGUST 1MB A Division of Canadian Newspapers Company Limited 103 Main St South Georgetown Ontario WILLIAM EVDOKIMOFF Publisher PHONE Second Mill Renin red Number of Point is made now lets go The point has been made A large segment of the population in Halton Hills has voiced disapproval of the cost and financing arrangements for the municipal complex addition Now the me for the council to get on with the legislative process and send the bylaw on its way Into the bureaucratic maze at Queen Park Any further delay at this time will only delay the final solution of the question of financing the protect and whether council needs a majority of electors to approve the spending of money to construct the addition It now becomes all a question of time Should the Ontario Municipal Board approve the dispensing of a vote of the electors then the proposal will proceed normally since the bylaw approving the project has been passed The only alternative is to repeal the bylaw to prevent the project from proceeding However with a petition signed by more than people and reported opposition growing each day its unlikely according to one municipal source that the OMB would approve financing without a vote of the electors And that how it should be But the judgement of the OMB will remain unknown until the matter Is placed before it To delay any further action beyond September would be to miss he most opportune time for a referendum Die municipal election in December Its possible that some decision may be made by the OMB before November the latest date a question can be placed on the municipal ballot However since it still remains an uncertainty whether a decision will be known council should consider taking this action voluntarily Not only would this save the town added cost In holding a referendum separate from the municipal dec tions but it would resolve prior to the appointment of the new council the fate of the municipal project It does not seem fair to those seeking office in December to be left to clear away the confusion and among council members created this summer without a clear indication of whether the public does in fact support or oppose the addition The right way is referendum and council should seriously consider such The public will ultimately have a strong voice in whatever decision is taken and now the time to see that the record is set straight On Parliament Hill Must be reason for assessment of bilingualism By Ottawa Bureau There must be some reason why the decided to spend more than half a million for an assessment of its hi 11 program but for no one has explained it We already have an Official Language Commissioner who issues an annual report it really an evaluation of the program and the issue I frequently debated by our elected representatives and constantly studied by various government deportments No issue Is subjected greater public scrutiny And the government with the approval of Parliament baa never wavered in its determination to establish an fcctlvely bilingual public service So It Isn l dear why it was necessary to turn mi Ion another outside study when there never have been any plans to make fun da mental changes In the current program However this report prepared by Montreal linguist Bibeau and weighing more than pounds did provide Treasury Board President Jean Chretien with another opportunity to soy the government will continue with Its current program The study found all sorts of flaws in the program which costs nearly MOO million a year and Prof described It generally as an imposing machine which has numerous deficiencies and whose over all perceptible yield Is not very great MANY REJECTIONS There were recommendations for making the program more effective but Mr Chretien made it clear that most would be rejected said they came from well theoretician who can think in terms of perfection while the government must think in terms of reality Since this could have been predicted from he beginning Us still questionably why the government wanted to spend 00 on the appraisal And Mr Chretien a explanations help oil that much Talking about the proposals in the study he said they aim to make the pedagogical situation more responsive to the particular needs of the student population namely public servants and also more to the concerns within the public service about the total system He offered some other complicated praises as well And the study produced some nice new phrases such as threshold of and the minister responded with receptive proficiency but none of these expressions arc going to bring about basic changes in he current program In fact when Mr Chrestcn held press conference following publication of the report he devoted moot of time to offending what the government is doing And 13 months after he commissioned his expensive study he was criticising it for unaufllclent analysis of underlying facts NO NEW POLICY We are not trying to establish o new policy he declared Were trying to put Into place the policy accepted by Parliament After reading all 12 volumes or tie study he said that the government will stick with the general direction of its language policy And perhaps this is just as well because the Bibeau commission had recommended that a Canadian Language Authority be created to monitor language policy set and conduct research into the leaching and learning of languages This was recommended despite the existence of an affidnl languages branch not to mention the creation of on evaluation and anaysls group a year ago do exactly what Prof suggests If here is one thing we con do without it another language authority Perhaps he most constntuve of Hie report involved the comments made by Mr Chretien as he rejected many of Its recommendations In the 14 years been Ottawa there has been tremendous progress he told his press conference More people ore coming and more of them feel comfortable here And he was confident this trend would continue But ho could hove said without spending half a million dollars Columnist replies to MPs critical letter over Olympics A political football By This week Viewpoint reply to Frank Philbrook a Liberal M letter In the Aug issueof the Herald referring to past column on 1978 Montreal Olympics First let me say that Frank is not your average politician We hove met and talked an several occasions and I have both great deal of respect for his views and a personal liking for the manner In which he presents them Now that our mutual admiration society off lo good start II get down lo he matter at hand Frank you asked for some positive regarding the Olympics well hold on to your hat because here they come First let lake a good look at the cost It rose From on estimated million to a cool BILLION A billion is a nice easy figure to roll the tongue but in terms of dollara It works out to 1233 per man woman and child Quebec or liking Cadillac sis nice too butwecan necessarily and the less expensive model Rets you there Just the One positive thing the Olympics did create was a spirit of of at least or a little while In shopping crowded round the TV sets to catch the events Unfortunately ask your average Canadian to name an athlete or two and the answer you get Is usually something like you know the blond guy or that kid from Poland Canadian athletes What Canadian athletes This is not to take away from our talented young people who have trained long and hard for the but to point out the average Canadian t know who our athletes are Prom my way of looking at things some of our athletes terms of the funding that other countries make available are so badly behind that they I even playing In the same ball park with overwhelming changes we probably see any definite changes within our lifetimes It takes money and public support to train top notch athletes and the government at both the federal and provincial level seem inclined to dip very deep at his point in time The spirit of the Olympics should be one of the highest of competition built on athletic prowess without political overtones whatsoever The Canadian government does not rectify matters by stating that it is not the first country to allow politics to enter Into the Olympics It missed a golden opportunity to allow that Canada Is a country that could be big enough to keep politics out Politics and athletics are like oil and water they just don t mix They cannot mix to try takes owoy from their very purpose The Olympics should be a place for athletes to come for ward hosed on ability as opposed to rationality and closing ceremonies were super spectacular Unfortunately the In dons Inking part In the closing ceremonies were white Quebec school children op rosed of the nine tribes of native people bund in Quebec Another positive statement regarding the Olympics Is the question of status of the athletes why only amateurs why not best in each field In the world Though many or the above ore not necessarily government problems Ihe government could do a good deal more than It has to make things better bcliei e the cost to hove exceeded the over all worth In my mind It is much akin to spreading picnic table with the finest table linen table cloth la really incidental Its the picnic that really counts As far as Canadians being too quick to criticize themselves until people in this country are willing to get off their duff and do a bit more gut level thinking things aren t going to change much Sorry Frank but that about as positive as I con get and probably definitely not what you had in mind Till next week think about It On The Home Front Come on September By SUSAN Either the days ore not long enough or I am so totally dlsorganiied as lo be beyond all help For ten things are haphazardly accomplished around my bouse on a hit and miss basis but July and August are quite simple lost months Now ir one could turn off Ihe world far eight weeks this would be alright commitments have to be kept and I have difficulty getting this message across to my children Louisa fortunately has been no problem at all this summer She look on a volunteer Job with the parka and recreation department at a day camp While one child less around house may not appear on ihe surface lo moke much difference It odds up when one can then also eliminate her constant group of five or six friends My children do not believe in straying they bring their friends home while in theory this is very nice in actuality I appear loberunningaday By three clock each afternoon I reach breaking HIGH JUMP Richard for Instance Inspired by the Olympic coverage he absorbed has set up a high Jump pit In tie front garden of all places complete with poles and crossbar If It can be believed he and a friend raced a garbage truck around Ihe block at in order to reach two mat tresses that had been placed outside a house the previous night for garbage pickup Guess at who home he mattresses now reside and who has about ten youngsters practicing high Jumping at any given moment Teresa meanwhile has decided to play house on the driveway wilh her group of five accomplices their equipment consisting of every doll crib blanket and carriage ihey could muster up between them a not in considerable amount I can assure you Not content with merely turning the front of our house Into something resembling the town dump they also demand constant sustenance After all mother high jumping and playing house are thirst and occupations Water aid peanut butter sandwiches and hot dogs disappear from the house with bewildering speed Meanwhile back In kitchen which I a far removed padded cell hands of the clock spin around I am torn between meeting the deadline for a column praying thai the vegetables won rot In the garden until I have lime lo freeze them getting dinner started so that 1 can reach my evening job on time and trying to write the lyrics for two songs as a favour far a friend BATON Having finally opted for the lyrics I turn on he tape recorder Immediately this is the cue for Teresa and her friends to abandon their dolls favour of practicing their baton twirling tender love song while momentarily expecting to be hit on the head by a flying object Three dock and mother stages her big freakout scene Children scatter oil directions as leaves blown to an October wind Boy Is your ever crabby comments a reluctantly departing six year old Yeah agrees Teresa 1 wonder what the mailer is wilh her Come on September My Thoughts AIB makes it tough to buy a home By BOB I bought a house last year Its been tough living through the first year with hefty mortgage payments and all the other coats associated with a new home Bui It a been worth It II I had to do it again it would have been earlier In my life But for the young couple just married making a living wage In the wage bracket It a going to get tougher And I see no way out of It The anil inflation lines have locked inmany of the people who are position to buy either this year or within the next two years so the wage Increases will be no more than maybe two per cent or so above the cost of living Unless something is done to overcome 1Mb disparity construction which Is a key in will drop because no one can afford buy new housing A simplification yes Admittedly there other factors including mortgage Interest rates which play an important port in the ability to pay for housing But I am ogast when I hear a friend say he s purchased an Ontario government subsidized low income home in Gucjph he Goflh that a considered low Income then the poor fellow working for minimum wage be starving and living In substandard housing And as far as 111 annually is con thotaabouttheaverageweeklywage reported by Stats tics Canada for May There are many people below lhat level Qualifying for a mortage other than hose to corn in my cases as much as 20 or more Certainly the federal government musl be looking at this problem particularly since Candlans arc locked into a 10 eight and six per cent formula under he inflation guidelines It may be fatalistic outlook but should construction and real estate industries suffer setbacks then we may Just be heading for a depression I hope not From here and there Comedy of errors Few members of Parliament can be more tiresome than Tom Cossitt the member for Leeds man who must devote himself full lime to the single task of prying into ihe affairs of Prime Minister Trudeau particularly those having to do with ex at he prime minister residence Mr Cossitt a latest concern Involves on expend lure of to change wiring on the prime minister gift swimming pool to bring in line with provincial regulations and to replace some worn out wiring Ha colled the wiring a comedy of errors for the taxpayer which we suppose it mtghtbe noi knowing who for original Installation II s not easy of course to e me self appointed secret agent in of prime ministerial snooping lor even hough like he CIA he sometimes gets carried away It never hurts lo keep on eye open for possible abuses of power large or small Bui Mr Cossitt ought keep In mind with respect to the pool lhat Mr can lake it with him II stays me house Will our man In Leeds we wonder be equally vigilant If ihe day ever comes when Joe Clark and Maureen McTeer got to use the pool Kitchener Waterloo Record Queens Park Lord Thomson is responsible for feature By DON O Queen Park Bureau Of The Herald Lord Thomson of Fleet was personally responsible for this column II was back In The then Roy Thomson was having a discussion it was about Ms friend Leslie Hack ell who waa contesting the provincial leadership While we were talking he suddenly veered off to ask me Don what about a dairy column out of Queen Park My immediate reaction was there wean the volume of business to warrant this we were a much much smaller place In hose days and I told him so Well all I know he said particularly from my experiences in the smaller centres Is that the lives of a great many people are run or influenced from that place And as a publisher I fed thai If I can let them know how and why this is being done Ihen I u do so Note the word responsibility A NEWSPAPERMAN The column didn start right But soon after someone else did begin it ana when he boobed out in a week or so Roy asked me take over and I ve been doing 11 since The main reason for mentioning this is thai very appreciated Hoy Thomson was that at heart he was a newspaperman and a conscientious and Intelligent one The world Including many of his colleagues termsof a dollar sign But those closer to him early knew also that behind the dollar front In which he revelled there was very much a newspaperman a man who in his very first days in the business In used to take his pad and pencil and cover own Glories THE Then there was Roy Thomson the politician He had in his blood and incidental good fortune In the 19S1 provincial election be wanted to run and mentioned it to me I told turn bluntly he would be bored to death within a week In be did run federally and despite plantgating doorknocking coffee parties and other standard campaign mechanics which be faithfully followed he was defeated It unquestionably the best thing lhat could have happened to him As back bencher he would have been miserably bored a cabinet minister he would have been hopelessly frustrated by red tape Of course this was in earlier years Ho later used to volunteer that losing lhat 1953 election was the best thing that had happened to him