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- - - = ow PF - he 4% 4 " 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, December 17, 1985 Editorial Comments Season's Best As this is the last edition of the Port Perry Star to be published before Christmas, we would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers the very best at this special time of year. This is a time when editorial writers everywhere sit down behind their typewriters and try to put words to paper which best convey the meaning and spirit of the season. All too often, they wind up writing about the paradox of lavish giving and spending in a world where many are wanting just the barest necessities for life. Or they are profoundly elegant about how the true meaning of Christmas has been lost in a commercial panic that starts in October and doesn't end until all the Boxing Day sales are over. Still, other may convey a more traditional message about how Christmas is a time for children, a time of excitement and magic, a time for families and friends to come "home for the holidays." Or we may read of the spiritual significe ce of Christmas: the birth of Christ and Christianity, the message of peace and goodwill on earth. Our Christmas message from the Star to you this year will make no attempt to expound on any of the above themes. We're sure you've heard them all before. We would simply like to say, "Have a very Merry Christmas." Time To Act We have to agree with area councillor Harvey Graham who sug- gested at the December 9 meeting of Scugog council that the time has come for this municipality to seriously consider hiring a person to concentrate on enforcement of local by-laws. In fact, we would go so far as to say that the time for such action Is over-due. It seems incredible that a municipality like Scugog, which Is growing by leaps and bounds, does not have the manpower to do an adequate job of enforcing the by-laws which are passed by the council for the protection of the citizens who live here. In the past, by-law enforcement duties have been the respon- sibility of the building inspector. That might have worked in years gone by. But not in 1985. The by-law enforcement and building inspection duties must be split. §cugog this year issued more than $10 million in building pro- jects warth hundreds of thousands of dollars. And it appears as if there IS going to be no slow-down in the building boom locally in 1986. There simply are not enough hours in the day for one building Inspector to handle all the inspections necessary on construction pro- jects and at the same time insure that Township by-laws are being enforced. At the moment, there are several "problem spots' in the Township where alleged infractions of the local by-laws are taking place. An enforcement officer's job would be to first persuade any alleg- ed offender to stop, and if a suitable warning goes unheeded, the officer must collect the evidence necessary to make a charge stick In a court of law. This is a time consuming and tricky process, one that demands total attention. The last thing the Township needs is to haul somebody into court, only to have the matter thrown out for lack of evidence. We would also suggest that if the Township hired a person to concentrate on by-law enforcement, this in itself would act as a deter- (Turn fo page 6) I I Ji AN N\ NN ND { h] \ Arte A) H 0 POS, Nl, 0 AN | Al A gong, ANT the (ecra area oO) Ede: Ch S RT: =) J PETER HVIDSTEN Member of the Publisher Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Community Newspaper Association Advertising Manager Published every Tuesday by the Poet Perry Star Co Ltd Port Perry Ontario JB McCLELLAND Editor Athor zed as second C188 mail by the Post Yhie Department ONawa and tor cash CATHY ROBB payme' of postage «nn cash News 4 Features Se 01 Cass Ma Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate In Canada $15 00 per year Elsewhere $45 00 per year Single Copy 35 COPYRIGHT All Layout and compos ton of advertisements produced by the adver tising department of the Port Perry Star Company Lim ted are protected under copy (ght and may not be reproduced withou! the wr tten permission of the publisher Chatterbox by Cathy Robb JUSTICE FOR ALL I couldn't believe my ears at first. I was a guest in the home of a friendly ac- quaintance, chatting into the late hours about this and that, when the subject of criminal justice came up. The people there were intelligent, sophisticated graduates of various educational backgrounds and were entering a lively discussion on what happens to young offenders who find themselves in detention centres and penal institutions. "What happens," said one, "when a teenager who drank too much accidently kills someone in his car, gets charged and winds up serving 14 years. What happens when he comes out at the age of 327 What does he have? Nothing. Just a criminal record." Her heart was obviously bleeding on her sleeve, but I saw her point. The case she was referring to involved two teenagers, both of whom were drinking when they decided to drive elsewhere. The car went out of control on a rain-slicked highway. The passenger was killed and the driver was charged. With the new stiffer penalties for alcohol related driving charges, my friend was afraid the driver will be looking at a long jail sentence. "What bothers me the most," she said, "is that passenger made the decision to go along for a ride with his impaired friend." She pointed out that the teenager knew or should have known the risk he was taking when he sat in that car, and that he was equally respon- sible for his own death by taking the risk. Sort of like the old expression, you pay your money and you take your chance. The driver, she continued, would feel enough guilt and remorse over the whole incident without losing "the best years of his life' lodged in a jail cell At which point somebcdy else interrupted with, "Well what would have happened if he had killed another carload of innocent people in the same accident? Those people didn't make the decision to get in his car." I hstened carefully to the discussion but didn't say much Still, the entire conversation stuck with me Just because the passenger made the decision to ride along with an impaired driver, if in fact he was impaired (nothing has been proven), doesn't necessarily mean the driver should be let off the hook At least, that's my own opinion The driver is ultimately responsible for the ton of metal in his control and the passengers in it. Every person in his or her right mind should realize this when they station themselves behind the wheel. They should be able to decide whether or not they are fit to drive. If they're not fit, they should know enough to give the keys to someone else, catch a taxi, or walk. Either that or forefit the whole trip. If they decide to drive in spite of their state of impairment, then they're ultimately responsi- ble for any accident that might occur. I talked to a lawyer the other day and he con- firmed this. If both passengers are drunk, the driver could get off with a lighter sentence because the passenger contributed to his own demise by be- ing drunk also -- but, the driver is still respon- sible for the greater portion of blame. The same goes for fatalities where a passenger isn't wearing a seat belt. The passenger might be partially responsible for his own injuries, but the driver is usually still charged. I also called an insurance company to find out more about driver responsibility. It's handy to know if you're drunk and you total your car, your collision and comprehensive insurance goes out the window and you're not covered for the damage ---- automobile or personal. So from a legal and insurance point of view, the impaired driver is held responsible for his or her actions. As a passenger, it makes little difference whether or not you decided to go along for the ride. As a driver, you're carrying the most precious cargo in the world, human life, and if someone is killed in your car, you better believe you're responsible. What about children who don't have a choice when it comes to getting a ride home with an im- paired parent or parents? And again, what about the innocent lives lost when an impaired driver collides head-on with a sober driver minding his own business" The conversation the other night really bothered me. A few years ago ..npaired driving wasn't a social sin and people charged were more often than not felt sorry for "Poor guy," was the common attitude He only had a few beers and Was charged with im" paired That's cops tor you Heck. it could've hap pened to me I thought ali that had changed. what with the immense publicity against drinking drivers and the ever stiffening penalties for impaired driving (Turn to page 6) NAAN LB