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4 - Orono Weekly Times 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Wednesday, January 18, 2012 HEAT Continued from pg 2 lege, not the right some representatives have made it. There was a time when everyone understood that councillors served at the whim of the public and knew that their positions were predicated on how well they served their constituents. Somehow, the current crop of individuals who have chosen this most fundamental form of public service, that is to say the mechanism by which we the people can express our concerns and have our representatives respond effectively to the community's needs, appear to have lost the plot. Without this dialogue between council and constituents councillors are surely surplus to requirement; our municipalities could as easily be run with a small band of salaried staff members to achieve the same or better service than we are getting today. If the censorship of public discourse is to be a long term measure from our municipalities, then councils just might have bitten off more than they can chew. The prospect that Mr. Steele is the vanguard of an army of people who flood into council chambers week in week out, wearing duct tape lipstick and waving neon placards advertising their community concerns, might just prove to be the farcical touch needed to expose this misguided piece of legalized suppression for what it is; at least until there is a by-law passed, that prohibits silent petitioning from the public gallery, enforced by strip searches looking for hidden signage at the door of the town hall. Will our municipalities go that far? Did you ever think you would see a ruling that you and your concerns would be limited to 5 minutes of council's time and that you would be banned from making a second appearance within 6 months? No, neither did I, but maybe the time has come to end this tyranny and institute Mr. Steele's style of lateral thinking to make it perfectly clear to our public servants that they do in fact serve the public and not the other way around. It was the American president Harry S. Truman who is supposed to have said, `If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen'. He was referring to the stress of leadership and the criticism that always comes with public service. But what holds true for a president holds true for a councillor. If you are not up to hearing the barbs as well as the bouquets from your electorate then go and find a stress free job and let the business of democracy run as it should without you. If council is to be effective and transparent in the next year then the first step should be for municipalities to lift this insane and unconstitutional gagging of the public and get back to business through democratic debate and discussion, instead of hiding behind draconian measures to avoid the tough questions raised by their employers. Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority Skip Winter - Think Spring and tree planting The Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority is encouraging landowners to think about tree planting for spring 2012 - many options are available. Consider purchasing tree seedlings (a minimum of 25) to plant at your leisure, or have tree seedlings planted for you by the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (minimum of 500). Funding is available to assist in the purchase and/or planting of tree seedlings. The Clean Water ­ Healthy Land Financial Assistance Program can cover 50% of the cost of a minimum of 500 seedlings to a maximum of $2,500.00. Funding is also eligible to those landowners who plant more than 1 hectare or 2.5 acres of land. If you want to avoid winter this year, consider planning for a spring tree plant project with help from the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority. For more information on how you can participate in the 2012 tree seedling program or funding programs, contact Pam Lancaster, Stewardship Technician at 905-885-8173 x 247 or plancaster@grca.on.ca. To access our Tree Seedling Catalogue please visit /www.grca.on.ca/resources. html and look under the Tree Planting heading. Donations always appreciated at the C l a r i ng t o n E a s t Do you think you have a drinking problem? We can help! ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS www.aaoshawa.org Food Bank * Sorry we are unable to accept expired items. 905-987-1418 905-728-1020