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SON TL DURY. \ ENA SLA PS RE RCI Lal RE) HOR) 13h WE . The confusing chain of events this past week involving the illegal parking of trailers at the campsite and marina of Goreski Resorts on Scugog Island raises several disturbing questions that demand explanation and action. The first is the long-simmering feud between the residents of Platten Island and the owner of Goreski Resorts. This feud has boiled over several times in the past few years, and there has been intimidation, threats, and legal action by both sides. The second involves the actions of the two authorities that have legal jurisdiction over what a CE resort operator in the province of Ontario and Scugog Township can and cannot do. If the violations of existing agreements and regulations on the Goreski property are true, and it appears that they are, and they have been repeated more than once, then both the Ministry of Tourism and the Township need to take a tougher line to ensure that violations are stopped. : . . In the present dispute, the Ministry has threaten- ed to revoke the licence of Goreski Resorts if trailers parked on two sites are not moved by June 26. The Township, meanwhile threatened to prosecute under ChatterBox by John McClelland The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation dropped a bombshell with its two-part series last week on organized crime. By all accounts it was a masterful piece of television journalism that cost a bundle to produce and was more than a year in the making. You may agree or disagree with the way the CBC has spent our money in its long history, but this two-part series could turn out to be the most important thing the network has ever done. Already the repercussions are beginning to be felt. The cry is going out for a variety of inquiries and investigations into orgainzed crime, and we may even get a Royal Commission out of it. But is this the way to deal with a problem such as organized crime, that obviously is running deep through out society? Commissions and studies take time, sometimes years, before the recommendations are made and acted upon. Can we afford to wait? If organized crime is indeed as wide-spread in Canada as the CBC suggests, the time to act is now. And the the law enforcement of civil liberties should maybe talk to the victim of a loan-shark enforcer, or watch the human being through heroin addiction. The time has come to fight fire with fire. The CBC program comes hard on the heels of a parliamentary inquiry into the Canadian prison system. They both suggest there is a malaise in this country that runs deep just beneath the surface. How long will it be before that malaise bubbles over and confronts average Canadians as go about _their business? It is a frightening t for Canadians who for so long have believed that things were pretty good in this country. The chickens hatched by our complacent smugness and I'm all right, Jack" attitudes aré now coming home to roost, CANADA DAY -- CANADA WEEK Coming the mail recently has been an absolute torrent of information from our federal government extolling Canada Day (formerly Dom- inion Day, July 1). The government 8 are churning out fancy folders just chock full of all kinds of information tid-bits about Canada, and how the i RR re citizens of this good country should celebrate Canada Day with gusto. The slogan this year is 'Canada, I want to shake your hand'. Canada Week, from June 25 to July 1 and sponsored by the Council for Canadian Unity has also sent our folders full of information. Their slogan is "Put your heart into it". The cost of all this type is going to be high, of course. Haven't they learned yet that you can't buy patriotism with slogans, fancy brochures and tacky celebrations on Parliament Hill? It either exists or it doesn't exist. "Canada, I want to shake your hand". Have you ever heard anything quite so silly? If the government has to lay on the entertainment, so to speak, so that citizens will show some kind of recognition of July 1, then we're all in trouble. Does the government in this country have to do everything for us? It seems so. VIOLENCE And finally, the Report of the Royal Commission on Violence in the Communications Industry was released last week. You recall that Commission, the one with Judy LaMarsh and Scott Young. The document is a massive one, running almost 500 pages. The Commission heard briefs from over 1000 groups and organizations, studies television in several coun- tries including some behind the Iron Curtain, and .among other things did content analysis of program- ming to determine the amount of violent shows, sports, news etc. the prime time, After all is said and done, 87 recommendations are made, and right up there number 2 on the list is the need for another i , this time into "the future of Canadian broadcasting". Oh, good grief. Of course, since the Commission was set up to study violence, it is not surprising that they found there is a lot of violence on the tube. Therefore, "program content should be monitored, especially for violent and other anti-social acts". So, what else is new. Tell that to the advertisers who spend millions to bring up Kojack, Police Story and the Roadrunner, simply because they know that millions of people are watching. Some of the recommendations are novel, but reading through them all, one can't help but get the feeling that somewhere we've been through all this ore. 2 oh ~~ WATCH FOR TORIES Legal Action Sometimes The Only Option by-law on two occasions this week. But it seems that the Township would prefer that the action be taken by the Ministry, and the Ministry would prefer that the action be taken by the Township. In fact, the Ministry has offered to back the Township should it decide to prosecute. Obviously, the Township would like to avoid a legal battle in the courts which could be a drawn out and costly affair. And the Ministry would not relish the idea of revoking a licence in the middle of the summer tourist season. That action would undoubt- edly end up in the courts as well, as the licencee has the right of appeal within 15 days of a licence suspension. But as messy as either action might be for either the Ministry or the Township, the fact remains that they alone have the power and authority to enforce their laws and regulations. If it is determined by Ministry officials or elected representatives ot Scugog Township that these regulations and laws are indeed being ignored and violated, then there really is only one option. Laws and regulations have a purpose; to ensure that order prevails over chaos. And officlals and elected representatives are charged with the respon: sibility of enforcement in the courts. Failure to enforce after repeated violation renders laws and regulations useless. If a law or regulation is perceived to useless, it will be treated as such. There Is more at stake in this incident than simply moving a couple of trailers a few feet to comply with a site plan agreement. ; A Week For Senior Citizens June 19th to the 25th is Senior Citizen Week, and it might be appropriate at this time for all of us who are not seniors (yet) to give a little credit where credit is due. After all, those members of society known as seniors played no small role in building the present way of life that so many of us enjoy, and at times take for granted. Their hard work, determin- ation, and visions have made things a good deal easier for most of us today. Hon Nobody would dispute the contributions made by the present seniors. What we should not forget for "one minute is that these contributions are ongoing, and that the value of a human being doesn't stop at retirement age or older. But in our society With the accent and emphasis on youth, we tend to overlook the senior citizen when in fact we should be listening more and more to those who have gained knowledge and wisdom and insight through the many years. For there really is no teacher like experience. . : It seems odd somehow that we should have to have a week' for senior citizens, just like it would seem odd to have a "'week" for teen-agers, or for those between 40 and 50. However, let's take this week to salute them and say thanks. And maybe we should do the same In the other 51 weeks of the year. w a Sa 4 & L -| ow v 1 oe E 3 < y | SE) EZ ¥ RJ aR "5 - ca "