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a O - Orono W.ekIy Thw.s, W.dnosday~ Febuur~ 10, ION vuAgQ of Conoern"f News and Information for Seniors" Come the month of February things really start to hum again around ont local schools. This is once again true, as you are about te see.... At St. Francis of Assis i, the students competed in their annual public speaking event, on February 10. The winners were Joanne Pal, for the intermediate level, and Julie Humphrey for die junior level. The students are also preparing for the annual Science Fait which is te take place on Match 2. St. Francis of Assisi Kindergarten registration wiil be held on February 28, and March 1 at the school. The grade three class is busily preparing to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. This - 1Last week's action on the part of the federal governiment to lower cigarette taxes to stop the alarming rise i smuggling basn't met with a great deal of public approva.. But I agree with the governmnent's decision as the best option for an almost impossible situation and hete's why. The anti-tebacco lobby's big argument is that lower cigarette prices increases use of the product which increases health. care cosus and encourages youth te smoke. Estimates -of contraband cigarettes o n the market in Durham run as high as 30 per cent. Consequently cheap Osmokes" are already available te young people., And manufactures produce so-cailed "kiddy packs," which are cheaper and directed at die younger smoker. So cheaper cigarettes are already available. Another argument pertais te the loss of revenue which, some would have Canadians believe, the federal govemnment wil make up by taxing non-smokers. Current estimates from Revenue Canada say the government is losing $1 billion annualiy through the sal1e of coniraband cigarettes. This means the tax revenue has already been lost. But, by lowering the tax people who aiready smoke wil buy legal cigarettes instead of contraband. This wil increase the governiment revenue presently lost te the smugglers. People have said to me the government is just bowing to pressure from Quebec when it decided te lower cigarette taxes. I think this argument brings out the worst in Canadians. Smuggling is not just a Quebec probiem- but a national one. And, it just isn't a native problem, as some suggest, but a problem affecting the, 90 per cent of Canadians living within 100 miles of the U.S. border. Now the argument that wiil happen on February 23. 101 days of school bave flown by already and the St. Francis students will celebrate this on February 17. There are several activities planned for the primary grades on this 101 day clebration. Over at Newcastle Public school, the students held their annual public speaking contest yesterday, February 15. It was too late to put the winners names i for this week, so, we'il try to get them for you next week 1The weather wouldn't cooperate for the prnmary winter carnival which was originally slated te take place ast Friday. It was just too cold. The carnival is now scheduled- (weather pennitting) for February 18. suggests government is bowing te organized crime I- find particularly weak. The way to combat smugglers is to make the cigarettes less profitable whiie'stepping up enforcement. But there are limits to how much taxpayers ean afford in taxes to step up enforcement, especialiy when you consider we enjoy a 3,000-mile undefended' border. Furthermore smugglers were also dealing in guns, drugs and aicohol. The RCMP pushed for a reduction iexcise tax te hait al this illicit activity. Moving pn to die production of cigarettes, this government concluded Canadian manufacturers were contributing to sm uggling sice 80 per cent of illegal smokes coming across the border were made i Canada. We reinstituted the export tax on cigarettes. The former Progressive Conservative government, which always jumped whenbig business teld them to, gave in to pressure from cigarette manufacturers and eiiminated the export tax on smokes.. This government brought the export tax back i the amount of $8 per carton. We also imposed an income tax surtax-of 40 per cent on the profits of manufacturers which will fund health programs and anti- smoking promotions aimed at women and youth. Some people, particularly members of the provincial government, like te tel this stery another way. The fact is, you can't solve the smuggling problers by ignoring it. This government-has taken a leadership role which is what We were elected to do in the first place. fromn you "Senior" a: Queen's Park - Gord Milis For the iast month 1 have been down at Queen's Park sitting on the committee dealing with tenant rights. The legisiation was introduced as a resuit of the Report of the Commission of the inquiry was Ernie Lightman, Ph.D., and the Commission was created foiiowing the death of Joseph Kendall, a resident of Cedar Glen, an unreguiated boarding home near Orilia., The symboiic centre of the Report is the Commission's overriding principie thatresidents of rest homes come first, and that neceds and interests of ail others are secondary. The Report recommends that a bill of rights for residents of rest homes be enacted as a matter of priority. Some weeks back' in my column, 1 gave the detail of the Bill of Rights for those in Rest Homes. This bill bas become part of the Nursing Homes Act as a matter of poiicy. Community and advocacy groups had great expectations of that bll of rights, for its ianguage is powerfui. Yet there bas not been a single prosecution under the bill, although we are told that threats to invoke it have had How to figure wind chili A couple of weeks ago we wrote about wind chili in our column of From Around Home. Wc had found on driving home from Presquile Park that when the vehicie speed was increased so increased the cover of frost on the windshieid of the car. When the speed was reduced the frost cover decreased as well. It was something we had neyer noticed befre. Since, however, we have come across a number of articles on wind chili with one being re- printed beiow. Q Iow do you figure wlind ChilI? A Pages o mtemta formulas from 1940s ex- periments in Antaàretica are far too compllcated for us, but the partial chart below can help. It shows the comparative dis- comfort resuiting £romi the com- bination of wind and coid tem- peratures. For example, if the outside temperature is minus 15C(5F) and the wind is 20kilo- metres an hour, you feel as cold as if the temperattire were mi- nus 25 (43F) on astill day. The boldfaoe figures on the left are wind speeds ini kMo- metres per hour. The boiface figures aiong the top are tem- peratures i Celius. Beiow them are the corresponding wind chiff effects. effect on occasion. That raises doubts about the effectiveness of the bill, for wit hout effective enforcement, it becomes littie more than a statement of good intentions. The violation of the self- esteem and sense of security of vuinerable'aduits, particulariy those with minimal incomes living in boarding homes, is also a great concern. After al, the residents are only asking for rights the rest of us take for granted: the courtesy of being called by one's own name, rather than some pejorative label assigned by a punitive staff member: the rig ht to remaift in one's residénce, particularly in winter, rather than being forced out înto the streets from breakfast tili dinnertime or at the whim of operators. Informai advocates can play a key role in empowering and protecting vulnerable aduits in rest homes. Informai advocates may be fliendly visitors - family, friends or relatives, local schools, church or community groups. Operato rs who run quality operations should welcomne the regular involvement of the wider ............. . Officiai Opening Saturday, February l9th Village Ceramics GREENWARE, SUPPLIES, CLASSES, FIRING Please dro_ by to Register 5 Classes - $15.ý F~1~ qfle R&ainb6ow Wed4ing Iiwitation Entsem6(es help make your wedding dreams corne true View the latest selection of Wedding Invitation Ensembles for quality and price at the Orono Weekly Times' Main Street, Orono Poe9350 Shepherd agrees with government cig. action The War Amps 5015 MAIN STREET orcailORONO :oro '983-5335 MON. - CLOSED - TUES.. WED. 10-5. 7-9 THURS.. FR1. 10-5 s SAT. 10-3 lý. community. Volunteers can lessen the isolation that afflicts so many residents. Friendly visiting and progmamming of events - such as day trips in and around the community, or shopping at the local mail - can restore a connection to the outside worid that so many residents lose through exten ded hospitalization or abandonment by family and friends. Church groups, community groups and voiuntary groups should be encouraged to visit rest homes reguiariy, thereby serving as informai advocates. Comings and goings of visitors can only accelerate the process of integrating residents into the world outside die rest home. GM posts $328 profit Generai Motors of Canada bas posted a profit of $328 million in the year 1993 which compares with a $72 million profit in 1992. Revenue for 1993 was up by 19 percent over that of 1992 to an amount of $21.8 billion. Phone 983-5'301