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* Oi1~n~W~ek1yTimes. W«hxe~day, ~epteml~er 24~ ~997 U Mabeils coffee gang dona tes REMEMBER The coffee gang at Mabel's put a coffee cup aside and and Mabel Ubsdell on the Cafe watchedDave Storey collected money ln apprecia- rlght. workîng on the mural on a tion of Dave's work. Afterwards, Dave (in the regular basis. Presenting the envelope are middle), jolned the coffee gang One day they decided to Gerald Robinson on the left for some reminiiscing. Parliament Hill Alex Shepherd Based on the philosophy something is better than niothlng we should congratu- late our provincial premiers on trying to deal with the issue of national unlty last week. Canadians are pretty long in the tooth over these constant ranglings. But it is clear to Canadians that we have to brlng this problem to an end. Canada doesn't have a constitutional problem but it does have an attitude prob- lem. It's driven by megloma- niac politician s and a media focused on reporting weak- nesses as if they were the norm. Is Quebec unique? Well, if you added hard to get along wlth to the dictionary defini- tion of unique I guess a small argument could be made. But in all seriousness I doubt that the people of Lac St. Jean, the region that is the- centre of separatism in Quebec, will feel any differ- ent tomorrow than they did yesterday because we cal them "unique.» Studies show there is more French spoken in North Anerica now than ever before. Furthermore French Quebecers control the top managerial and business positions in that province. To argue they have to be protected -like some endan- gered specles should be an insult to them. The separatists, through their well oiled propaganda machine, havecast a speli, over some French Quebecers 50 that now they think there Is some past wrong that has to be corrected. That some- how they have to throw off the memory of the Plains of Abraham. Maybe we should shut down the Canada-U.S. bor- der at Buffalo as recompense for the'Americans attacking Fort York during the War of 1812. Again, with ail kiddIng aside, national unity is a much broader issue which Just doesn't only concern Quebec. There is another platform - equality of al provinces. As Ive sald before, there's nothing strange about a bunch of provincial premiers wanting to protect or expand their turf. But there Is some- thing wrong with it when It's going to have a negative Impact on the citizenry as a whole. What about the equality of the Canadian people? You just can't discount that. What about the fact that cardiovascular ,surgery patients have to watt three months in British Columnbia, half a week in Manitoba, and 1.7 weeks in Ontarlo. Is that equality for all Canadians? I don't hear the premiers talklng about these problems. Isn't our medicare system suppose to be one of the things that binds us, togeth- er? Or what about the fact that many tradespeople can't cross provincial boundaries to find work? Is that equality for all Canadians? We need to establish min- imum standards of prograrn delivery whether that be health care, education, employment benefits or count- try-wide pensions. Why doesn't one of the pre- miers ask us if we are pleased wlth how these prograrns are being delivered across Canada? Maybe we should empower the Senate with the ability to break down interprovincial trade banriers, report reglon- al disparities with regard to national standards and pro- mote a national securities by Charlie Trim As a child, I recail our farn- fly travelling to what I thought was the centre of the universe - "The Village With A Difference" - ORONO. Many Saturday aftemnoons were spent shopping in the village as a family. First we would head to the .5 - $1.00 store operated by Mr. Charlie Frost. Mr. Frost would sit behind his huge office desk and look down onto the main floor of bis store from the sec- ond floor office area. Sometimes there was a spe- cial treat of white pepper- mints if we three kçids were good. Mr. Frost would often slip a candy into my hand as he made his way through the store. He was considered a saint sent from above in my mind. Then it would be Urne to visit the hardware stores. I can still see Mr. Bud Rolph greeting shoppers at the door- way of his store. After making the needed purchases at Rolph's. it was off to the Lunn Brother's (Pere and Hop) hardware. Buying goods from both stores was standard commission. Canada is the only OECD country without one. At the same Urne we have a responsibiity to communities and regions to a]low them the abiity to express themnselves culturally. The Senate, with its new powers, could, as an example, give its Quebec members veto powers over national prograxns whlch may erode the linguistic and cul- tural safeguards within that province. Initially the provinces Tell them the facts of life and death. Tell them the is car crashes! Collisions! Bad drivingl Then tell them you're giving them the Young Drivers of Canada program the most demanding driving course in North America. They'l1 learn risk perception. Emergency practice. The grocery and drygoods store, owned and operated by the Armstrong family was next. The friendly helpful ser- vice displayed by Mr. Armstrong and his employees continues at the Armstrong IGA still today. Before leaving the village, often there would be a stop at McLaren's Lumber Yard (Orono Fuel and Lumber). Now we were off for home or s0 we kids thought. Five miles east of the village how- ever, a visit and a meal at the Patterson's fax-m on the 5th Uine was oflen included in our family outing. Stories of shorthorn cattie were the mai n topic of discussion. Late at night the three of us kids would be awakened in order to complete the rest of the joumney. These trips are instantly recalled when the name Orono is mentioned. In fact they are invested in my "treasured" memory bank. Charlie Trlm could appoint equal repre- sentatives to this body but ldeafly they would be elected by the people. We have to promote the evolution of our reglonal coin- munities while ensurlng national standards. At the saine Urne we have to develop institutions to help change regional attitudes about who we are as a nation and how we are going to con- tinue developlng as one. Wouldn't that do us ail a lot of good? braking.The secrets of U en collision avoidance. And so much more. Kids are -always thrilled to get Young Drivers as a present. But as a parent, you know you could be giving thern the gift of a lifetime! Young Drivers of Canada That's what parents arefor, 98 King Street W., Bowmanville REGISTER NOW Next Course Dates: Mon.& Wed. Evenings starting October 6th (4 weeks) Cali 623-7017 For Information ....... .... 07, ut