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ss pe OT GS So oz rn igs » - 0. SAW Tr iw™ in rea eT SA Le ar" a ~ la in) » wt (5 2 we ro lil Kir 3 2 '4 oy CT WAAL AST ER EAGER) CTR = Xt Pd € FRENY A SS "Nea "oes A SEES wr Ps Tale 3 AA rN \ + AS a hy FE EE Rh SRE oy Tia aR Ae February Election Depending on which side of the political fence you happen to be sitting on, there are a lot of interesting theories developing in the wake of last Thursday night's vote of no confidence and the subsequent election call for February 18. Whatever theory the individual may choose to believe, there is no escaping the fact that as we head into the dead of winter, we are also heading into a national election campaign. The central issue in this campaign is the budget which brought down the government, a budget which offered little for the average Canadian, but at the same time was considered necessary in these tough economic times. The results of the election February 18 will tell Canadians one thing: are we ready to bite the bullet and tuck in the belt a notch or two, or are we hoping that a less severe solution can be found to turn the economic fortunes of this country around? Shocking!!! While the festive season may be upon us, Ontario motorists can hardly be blamed if they express horror and outrage over a report released last week which says that one in eight drivers on our roads and highways has consumed enough alcohol to be considered "significantly impaired.' Studies conducted last spring on almost 10,000 drivers in all parts of Ontario showed that at certain times of the evening, slightly over 13 per cent of those drivers were impaired by alcohol. If the figure is one in eight on average during May, one must assume that it is higher at this time of year during the Christmas holiday season. A committee of the Ontario legislature was given copies of the survey last week, and attorney-general Roy McMurtry reacted this way: "It is frightening to think that statistically one car out of every eight coming towards you on the highway at night is driven by someone whose ability is impaired to some extend." Frightening? You bet it is, Mr. attorney-general, especially when one considers that five years ago, another study indicated that almost 30 per cent of fatal accidents in this province involved drivers who had been drinking. Has that figure gone up since 1974? Obviously, the problem of drinking and driving in this province is extremely serious, to the point where you are almost playing Russian Roulette every time you get behind the wheel of your car at night. The Legislative committee has recommended that police be given the powers to suspend for 24 hours the licence of any driver found to be impaired. That would be a drastic step, and there are some who would argue that the police should not be given this kind of extended power. However, if the statistical findings are correct, it would seem obvious that present laws against drinking drivers are not strong enough to act as a editorial poge AVOID FRAYED CORDS, DAMAGED PLUGS KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT KEEP TREE IN REGULARLY-FILLED WATER CONTAINER Am HERES HOW TO MAKE YOURS FIREPROOF! -- SAYS BUSY BEAVER -- USE ONLY LIGHTING SETS MAKE A FRESH DIAG- ONAL CUT AT BUTT Ontario Safety League TORONTO also in order. That would include severe penalties for first time offenders, more money for police forces to set up year-round spot checks on the highways, and possibly a stepped-up information program to make the public more aware of the dangers of drinking and driving. In some European countries, the penalties for drivers convicted of impaired driving are exceedingly harsh, but they seem to be having the desired effect. If it takes harsh measures to keep our highways safe from the menace of significant deterrent, and much tougher steps are needed. While giving police the powers to take away the car ys of a drunken driver for 24 hours might help, a complete overhaul of the entire system is the drinking driver, so be it. For the measures we have in force in this province now simply don't mean anything to a lot of drivers. It is time they did. » bill ® FAMILY CHRISTMAS It looks as though the Smileys are going to have a family Christmas this year, for the first time in quite a few. As I write, son Hugh is to arrive tomorrow from Paraguay. There's no way we're going to get rid of him inside a month. Daughter Kim and the grandboys are going to get out of Moosonee for Christmas if they have to hire a dog-sled. We are a very close-knit family, and it should be a grand occasion. Close-knit. As in pulled together by needles. Hugh, in his inimitable way, has wan- dered from Paraguay by easy stages, spend- ing a few days here, a few weeks there. He seems to have friends, more commonly known as "marks", all over North and South America, who will put him up for a few days, and feed him, for the sheer pleasure of his companionship. He started out from Paraguay in Septem- ber. In October we had a letter from Florida saying he was staying with friends and ley taking a course in massage and something from an ancient Japanese gentleman. A month later he phones from Toronto, collect, and announces his second coming. Actually, its about his fourth. His mother was ready to welcome him with open arms and a half-open wallet. But the more he dallied and dillied, the hotter she grew. By the time he phoned, collect, she had a full head of steam on, and the conversation went something like this: "I suppose you have no money, as usual." "Right, Mom." : "I don't suppose you have a winter overcoat?" "No, Mom." "Well, I'm sick and tired of you kids (he's 32) coming home without a penny and expecting to be taken in and coddled." And more of the same. Hugh hung up. My wife, in an agony of guilt, promptly phoned everyone who might know where he called from. No luck. Then she called her daughter, who retorted. "Do you want to hear another of your children hang up on you?" And promptly did. I was quietly watching the Grey Cup game, and wondering why I should be interested in a lot of burly young Americans smashing each other around. About 24 hours later, Hugh put through another call, this time not collect. He was sticking somebody else for the phone call. He knows his mother. She apologized all to hell. He said, typically, "Mom, you could have bought me a winter coat with all the money you spend on long-distance calls." It made her mad again, but she couldn't help laughing. That's what I mean. We're a close-knit family. With needles. All I do is hold the wool and try to stay out of needle-range, not always with success. I remember when I used to tell the kids stories about what happened to me in the war. They liked them better than the usual bed-time stories and fairy tales. Most of them were fairy tales, come to think of it. I can see what will happen this Christmas. Hugh will be regaling us with stories of swimming in a barracuda-infested river, struggling in the coils of an anaconda, being shot at with poisoned blow-pipes. My wife will be wide-eyed. Kim will be regaling us with stories of the tough Indian kids she's teaching, who arrive spaced out, drunk or pregnant, and the horrors of the unreliable taxi service into town. My wife will be absorbed, terrified, and fascinated. The grandboys will be eating peanut- butter and honey sandwiches all over our brand-newly-recovered chesterfield suite. Their grandmother will be just plain furious. And I'll be sitting in a corner, relegated to getting some more wood for the fireplace, taking squealing, furious Balind off to bed, and wondering when I can get in a word about the dreadful kids I have in Grade 9 this year, my battles with the administra- tion, and the shrinking of my potential pension through inflation. In the face of all that exoticism, I'll probably be driven to the grave. If this happens, the turkey won't be prepared 'cause I always do it. There'll be rivalry in the horror stories. Both of our children will plead extreme poverty, demur the value of the presents they got, and nip out to visit friends on Christmas Eve, while the Old Battleaxe and I make the gravy and whip the turnips. And beat the grandboys, if we can catch them. "Ah, but it'll be grand to have the family together again. There's nothing that can touch getting up on Christmas morning, hung, and looking after the grandboys for five hours while the "young people" sleep till noon. On the other hand, there just might be. 1 am investigating a return ticket to Hawaii, single, for the holiday season. If I left quietly, without fuss, and nobody knew where 1 was, I could come back on January 2, knowing full well that my wife would have kicked the whole mob out. }] 3 Li 9 » f\} -