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WELCOME
FROM THE EDITOR...
READERS’ FORUM has been created as a special
section of Valley East Today where readers can express their
opinions on any topic they wish or pose questions to the
editor and other readers. We hope that this section will
result in a healthy exchange of opinions from local residents
on issues that they find important.
If you wish to participate in READERS’ FORUM, all
you have to do is send an email to the editor. Only your first
name, or a nickname if you wish, will be used unless you
specifically give us permission to use your full name. We will
also need to know which town you come from.
You
can send your emails to rkirwan@infocomcanada.com
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Robert
Kirwan
Publisher
Editor-in-Chief |
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Reader Feels That
Government Should Get Involved In Strike At Vale Inco |
Submitted by Ron:
Our government should really take a good look at
what they are doing to our
Canada
by letting our resources to be sold to
other countries. This is
Canada
. Why should we be letting
companies like Vale take over our recourses. They should have come
up with a plan so that the government could buy this company and
that the profits be used in
Canada
. Too much of our land is sold to other
countries. This has to stop.
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EDITOR'S
RESPONSE…
I think a lot of people would agree with you, Ron.
The situation with Vale Inco certainly has taken a bad turn
considering how nice things were going when they first bought the
company. I guess the government didn't do their homework to find out
what the downside would be. Right now, I don't even know if the
government can do anything, legally. They are not just taking on any
old "company". It is a company that is ultimately owned by
the Government of Brazil. How do you deal with that kind of pressure
when a whole country like Brazil that has unlimited resources and
perhaps the support of the global economic community behind them?
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HOW CAN WE FEEL
WE ARE SAFE IN VALLEY EAST WHEN THE BANK OF MONTREAL CAN BE ROBBED
IN BROAD DAYLIGHT? |
Submitted by Norm, from Val Caron:
I
think it is disgusting that the Bank of Montreal in Val Caron was
robbed on
Friday,
January 22, 2010
in the middle of the afternoon by two masked men.
How
are employees ever going to feel safe about going to work anymore
when this kind of thing could happen at any time of day and in broad
daylight?
What
can we do to make our town safer and protect people from this kind
of thing in the future? Right now I am not at all feeling safe
living in Valley East, but I know that I won't find things better
anywhere else. This is a free country, but is this an example of how
we've lost our freedom to criminals and bullies? |
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EDITOR'S
RESPONSE…
Your
concerns are well-founded, Norm, but we cannot live our lives in
fear just because of a couple of bullies who have no respect for the
law.
The
fact is that we never know where danger is going to come from. It is
all around and could come from the least expected places. There are
many people in society today who feel that they are being forced
into a life of crime because of their circumstances. They get
themselves into a way of life that involves violence, crime and
disrespect and they simply fall into a pattern which they feel is
much safer than trying to become a responsible member of society.
The only way to fend off bullies is to show them that they cannot
make us live in fear. We must simply continue to live our lives in a
way which is acceptable and contribute in a positive way to our
community.
The
robbery in Val Caron was indeed unfortunate, but let’s hope that
the criminals are brought to quick and appropriate justice. These
are not the kind of incidents that we will accept in
Valley
East
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WOULD THE
BARRYDOWNE EXTENSION BE A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING FOR THE FUTURE
OF VALLEY EAST? |
Submitted
by Natalie, from Hanmer:
Once
again we are hearing a lot of talk about the need for a Barrydowne
extension highway to connect New Sudbury to Hanmer and Capreol. This
would save a lot of time when it comes to travelling to New Sudbury,
but I hear a lot of people saying that it would kill small
businesses in the Valley by making it easier to get to the New
Sudbury Shopping Centre. What do you think about the Barrydowne
Extension? |
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EDITOR'S
RESPONSE…
Thank
you for your questions, Natalie. I have gone on record in the past
as supporting the development of the Barrydowne extension. That
being said, I also realize that the process of planning the road,
holding public meetings and convincing City Councillors to vote to
make this a top priority project will be long and drawn out. Once we
convince City Council to put aside the $10 million to $15 million
dollars that will be our share of the costs of constructing this
road, we then have to make a case to the Provincial and Federal
governments for them to fund the remaining 2/3 of the construction
cost. Even before we apply for the funding, we have to expand the
infrastructure in Hanmer to support the development of new houses
and apartments that will result from such a highway. This means more
money to upgrade the sewer and water system in the area. It will
take a few years to get this upgrading in place and I am sure that
the Provincial and Federal governments will not give money for a
highway until the infrastructure is in place to support the
projected growth. One of the greatest obstacles to the Barrydowne
Extension is the Maley Drive Extension which has already been
approved by the City but for which funding has not been approved yet
from the other two levels of government.
Because of all of the above, I am convinced that
it will take a good 8 to 10 years before the infrastructure is in
place in Hanmer, the City Councillors are convinced to move the
project to the highest priority, the local money has been set aside
to build the road, and the Provincial and Federal governments
approve the funding. Construction will then take another five years
to complete.
Therefore, with perhaps up to 15 years before we
can realistically expect this highway to be complete, I really do
not think the Barrydowne Extension will be a threat to any of the
businesses in
Valley
East
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In fact, the resulting increase in population will greatly benefit
the businesses in the Valley and we should even see more businesses
being established. Unfortunately, anyone who thinks that we can
"fast-track" the Barrydowne Extension is living in a dream
world and must come back to reality. Personally, I would love to see
it in place tomorrow. But I just know that won't happen. All we can
do is continue to do whatever we can in the background to get the
project in a better position so it can be moved forward as soon as
possible. As soon as possible, however, won't likely be for well
over 10 and closer to 15 years.
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Hockey Mom Wonders What She
Did Wrong |
Submitted
by A Hockey Mom:
"As a mother with two boys in competitive hockey, I have
now learned a few of the rules and enjoy watching my kids
play. I am one of those parents who cheers loudly.
I am only positive and compliment good plays and often yell go
go go to all of our players! Although I sometimes
yell keep it clean when I see players both ours or opposing
team being unsportsmanlike or checking from behind. My
oldest is in Major Atom so there is no checking till next
year. My oldest has played competitive for the last
three years. Last year we won our division and
made it to the semis in the Championship. His team this year
did not fair well in regular season and we are last in the
playoff list. Both the kids and parents are becoming
more and more frustrated and disappointed. There is only
so many times a parent can share the sunning side of a loss
before your own child states his own disappointment.
Our coach had a parent meeting at the beginning of the year
and claimed that if we had questions or concerns he had an
“open door policy”. I recently took advantage of
this policy and emailed him with a question concerning one of
our goalies.
I thought the proper protocol would be to ask the coach to
address my concern regarding the goalie. I also asked
what the competitive hockey playoffs rules are regarding
shortening lines and benching goalies. He used to be a
house league coach and became a competitive coach only this
year. It appears that he gives equal ice time yet at the
beginning of the year he claimed not all kids would play
equally because it was a competitive team and the objective
was to win.
This coach asked me to attend a meeting with the other three
coaches to address my concerns. I was mortified!!
He chose to get the other coaches involved in something that I
thought would remain confidential. Also if he had a problem
with it he could of simply picked up the phone and spoke to me
directly.
I guess my question is was I wrong to ask these simple
questions?? I replied to him and said I was not
interested in participating in a reprimand type of meeting and
told him I would just refrain from asking any more questions.
I have not heard a reply.
I look forward to your thoughts or insight.
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EDITOR'S
RESPONSE…
Dear
Hockey Mom:
If
you are going to remain in competitive hockey, unfortunately
you are going to have to deal with team politics as well as
organization politics. The only way to beat them is to
"join" them. I think you should look at a meeting with the
coaching staff as an opportunity to influence the "coaching
team". It is possible, based on what little that I know about
your situation, that the "coach" was actually reaching out
to you for support. He could have easily dealt with the matter
himself, but if he is actually being "outnumbered" by the
other coaches, your opinions may have given him the support he
needed to change the policy of the team. I suggest that may be one
of the reasons why he called you in to meet with the whole staff
instead of meeting you on his own.
Think
about it for a moment. If he was going to agree with your position,
he would then have to convince the other three coaches to change
their way as well, so it would make sense for them to hear what you
had to say so that he would not have to "translate" for
them.
If
on the other hand he was going to oppose your position, and if he
thought he would have the support of the rest of the coaching staff,
he may have wanted to have their support to back him up. However,
from all of my years of experience, I can honestly say that if you
had a chance to present your case to four "4" coaches, you
would find "at least" one, and perhaps "two"
assistant coaches who would be more inclined to agree with you. By
you coming out with the concerns, they might then have the courage
to speak up against the "head coach" and the other
assistants.
Realistically,
no coaching staff is all on the same page when it comes to coaching
philosopy. The assistants are usually going to follow what the
head coach says. If the coach was truly in charge, his best move
would have been to meet with you one on one and then pacify you by
saying that he would bring it up with the rest of the staff. That is
why I tend to think he was "one against three" and was
bringing you in for support so that he could change the minds of the
other assistant coaches. After all, he was from the house-league
before. He may not know the way of "competitive" hockey.
In
any event, you have nothing to lose by going to the meeting and
stating your opinion about how the team should be run or to
question the coaching philosophy. Put them on the spot and make them
justify their positions. After all, it is a competitive team,
not a house league team. You may not be any further ahead, but you
won't be any further behind either. Just be civil and if possible
bring in another person with you who also feels the same. After all
is said and done, it is almost the end of the season so it really
isn't going to change much. But it will make you feel good and it
will demonstrate to the four coaches that they will be held
accountable for their actions, at least by one mother.
Another
suggestion I would make is that you put your name up for election to
the Board of Directors for next season. The best way to initiate
positive changes is to be part of the decision-making team.
Good
luck.
NOTE:
Hockey Mom wrote back the next day indicating that the coach emailed
her and asked her to reconsider the meeting. He told her that she
should never apologize for being involved in her child's hockey. She
is going to let me know how the meeting turns out.
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