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The Canadian Champion, Friday, JuP' 8, 2005-A7 Young hooligans causing *OUR READERS WITE mischief throuqhout town extracted ft>m past issues of The Champion and other publications in order to provide a window into Miltons past. Explanatorv comment is sometimes pro- vided to place the situation in contexi. November 1905 On Saturday four or five boys held an elderly lady on Queen St. while one blew a horn in her face. Neighbors who went to the rescue and drove the boys away had their ears assailed by bad language. On Tuesday evening a gang of boys invaded the stairs and lower part of the town hall while the American Concert Co. were giv- ing an entertainment. They made a great noise, went outside and pelted the win- dows with gravel and finally locked the door at the top of the stairs and made off. When the entertainîment was over the audi- ence could not get out until a man went behind the stage and opened the door. A number of residents on Main St. and in the east end of the town have had pickets and boards broken off their fences lately and it is supposed to be the work of the same boys. A little attention from the town authorities and the imposition of a few fines would do the boys good. Joseph Timbers is now a County consta- ble. Judge Gorham made the appointment yesterday. A meeting of the Minto Curling Club was held on Tuesday evening. When the rink (on Mill St.) was built many curlers contributed on an agreement being made that the curlers should have the use of the ice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening. This arrangement has not been carried out. Last season, for instance, the ice was appropriated for hockey matches etc, on curling nights so often that many curlers became disgusted and ceased to tum out for practice, and the club, which had flourished for many years, was almost dead. On Tuesday evening it was unani- mously resolved that in future the curlers will not give up the ice on any Monday, Wednesday or Friday night during the sea- son without the consent of the board of management. This means that when the ice is wanted from the curlers, application must be made for it and it must be made clear that the event for which it is asked cannot come off on any but a curling night. The sad news has been received by cable lon ~ Declining quality of Canadian health-care nitre needs to be addressed without the politics ]VIR ,1 m of the death of Dr. Robert Douglas Sproat at London, England. (The body is on the way home per the Virginian). Dr. Sproat was the younger son of the late John Sproat, of Milton. He passed his final examination at Toronto University a few years ago and shortly afterwards was attached as surgeon to a regiment of British regulars stationed at Bermuda, when his duties were principally to attend Boer pris- oners. About a year ago he went to England where he was given an appoint- ment as resident physician in one of the leading London hospitals, which he held up to the time of his death. He had held a commission as lieutenant in the 20th Lome Rifles, having qualified at the School of Infantry. He was 26 years of age. Don't fail to hear Prof. Firth, baritone, Miss Higgins, contralto, and M. Eaton, impersonator, at the school concert on Friday evening. Proceeds to buy maps etc. for the school. The bell, maps, charis, etc. were bought with the proceeds of past entertainments. December 1905 At Friday's meeting of the county coun- cil it was decided to buy a stone crusher and horse roller, the best that can be obtained to be owned by the county and lent to the mnor municipalities for use in making their roads. Whether anything is to be charged for the use of the machinery was not stated but if any charge is made it will be small. While many regret that a county good roads system has not been adopted and financial assistance thus secured from the goverment, the action of the council is a decided step in the right direction. It should result in a speedy and permanent improvement of county roads. Neither of the two tenders for rental of the skating and curling rink received last week was accepted by its owners, who will manage it themselves during the coming season. They hope to do so to the satisfac- tion of al] on account of difficulty in get- ting sufficient water. This material is assembled on behalf of the Milton Historical Societv bv Jim Dills, who con be reached at jdills@idirect.com. Dear Editor: I'm writing this letter in reply to The Champion's June 28 editorial concerning the recent Supreme Court of Canada decision that quashed a Quebec law banning res- idents from purchasing health insurance for services provided under the public health-care sys- tem. In my opinion, the decision was a breakthrough for many patients, including those with cancer who were waiting beyond the medical- ly-acceptable number of weeks to receive treatment. The doctor who launched this legal challenge 10 years ago was tired of watching patients die waiting for treatment. And isn't that what a doctor is sup- posed to do - save lives? The Supreme Court of Canada recognized that the survival of a patient is more important than the survival of an ideology. I feel our elected representatives have attempted to politicize health care rather than address the com- plexity of the issues of health-care delivery. It seems easier to make this a bat- tle of private versus public health- care, with scary American scenar- ios thrown into the mix. Canada's health-care affects every Canadian, yet politicians and joumalists seem quick to abandon any intelligent appraisal of facts or real debate in favour of left versus right ideolo- gies. In Canada, long waiting lists for diagnostic and therapeutic services persist due to a shortage of equip- ment and trained-medical person- nel. Ask patients, or better yet talk to a technician who's now doing the work of three. Look at the average waiting time for treatment by a specialist, with figures available at www.fraserinstitute.ca. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude that diagnostic imag- ing and medical treatment in Canada is in crisis thanks to years of govemment-funding cuts. With regard to the public versus private debate, I met a gentleman who went back to India for his hip replacement surgery rather than I suffer with chronic pain waiting for surgery in Canada. When develop- ing nations are providing health- care for Canadians, the political rhetoric about two-tiered health- care seems rather hollow. The option to seek treatment abroad means, in my opinion, Canada does in fact have a two- tiered system - where the private option is supplied by other coun- tries. The Supreme Court has ruled that waiting times that put patients at risk are clearly not acceptable. It's imperative to resolve the issues that are compromising medical care in Canada in order to preserve our system of universal health- care. A non-partisan approach to working with health-care providers and researchers to find the best solutions would go a long way to addressing these concers and would achieve far more than the present political in-fighting. Sophie Cheney Campbellville Care by Allendale staff was simply fantastic (The following letter wvas addressed to the staff at Allendale Home Lo»ng-Term-Care Facility, and a copy wasfiled with The Champion.) Dear Editor: My sisters, cousin and I would like to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the care given to our mother, Mary Morgan, during her three years at Allendale by the present and past staff. In our opinion, the atmosphere at Allendale is one of family. Every person on staff treats and speaks to all the residents by name and with personal concern and dignity. The residents feel that personal concem, and the family of the residents feel like their concerns and questions matter. Our mother passed away on June 24. The staff at Allendale made it possible for us to stay there for two days during this trying time. During this period. there wasn't more than two hours that passed that someone on staff didn't look in on us and our mother - checking to see if we were okay or needed anything. "Was mom comfortable?", we comfortable," "Did we want coffee?" and "Did we have any con- cems?' were among things asked upon their regular visits. And we can't express what the hugs from the staff meant to us. Should any family bc faced with the decision of finding a nursing home for one of their loved ones, they shouldn't hesitate to choose Allendale. The staff there will ensure that this transition is as painless as possible. Our family thanks the staff from the bottom of our hearts. Toni Morgan-Neller, Carolyn MacAuley, Pauline Haydar and Jane Pierce F r o m Downtown M i l t o n ... T o A ch il e s M a z d a ... I t ' s O n 1 y 18.3 Kilometers 19.7 Minutes 90.9 Furlongs 11.4 Miles 20013.1 Yards 909.7 Chains 60039.4Feet oe1 No matter how you measure it, let Achilles Mazda show you why it's "Worth the Drive". NewVehltts i PreOwnedi Parts i Sevie Be sure to include your name, address and telephone number when submitting a letter to the editor for publication. ' A L'iLLES amrn. 3 5 7 Que en S t . , AC TON 519-853-0200 info@achillesmazda.ca àai 40