Ontario Community Newspapers

Port Perry Star, 21 Oct 1986, p. 4

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, October 21, 1986 Editorial Comments Into the 1980's Is the day soon to come when anyone over 19 in this province will be able to stroll into a variety store and buy a six-pack of beer or a bottle of wine? Maybe, but don't count on it. Finally coming good on a promise made in the last election cam- paign, the Ontario Liberals last week introduced legislation last week which would give independent grocery and variety stores the right to sell beer and wine. - However, Ontario residents better not forget where the Brewers Retail Stores are located because the chance of this legislation becoming law is pretty slim. In the first place, both the Conservatives and New Democrats (who hold a majority of seats in the Legislature) oppose the Bill and 'will vote against it. And secondly, let's face it, the Liberals realize there is a lot of opposition to the Bill from various groups in the province (unions, school principals and boards, anti-drinking and c'-iving organizations, the Addiction Research Foundation to name a tew). Faced with a strong opposition lobby from all these groups, it seems most unlikely the Liberals are going to do any strong arm twisting to force the NDP to support the Bill through passage. In fact, the Liberals would probably be not unhappy to see it die. They could, after all, then say they tried to come through with an election pro- mise but were thwarted by the combined opposition of Tories and New Democrats. Although small grocery and variety store owners would obviously love to see the Bill passed, there has not been a stampede of angry voters banging on the doors at Queens Park demanding the right to buy beer and wine at the corner store. it's not a high priority ticket for the Liberals and they are not about to dig their heels in the way they did onthe "extra billing" issue earlier this year. : Although other provinces and many American States have long permitted corner stores to sell beer and wine, Ontario remains one of the few jurisdictions where distribution is strictly controlled. The Bill to change this has surfaced at a time when society is -- (rightly) changing its attitudes to the consumption of alcohol, especial- ly the drinking-driving issue. It's pretty hard to challenge the claim that allowing beer in corner stores will lead to increased drinking and driving. One such incident with tragic results would be one too many. Yet, over the past few months, the Brewers Retail Stores have been extending their hours of operation for the convenience of customers. This issue is essentially about two things: convenience for On- tario adults to have a little more freedom on when and where they buy a legal product. And it's also about maturity. A lot of people in Ontario have felt for too long that the time has arrived for the Govern- ment to abandon it's "paternalistic, big brother" attitude when it comes to the sale of beer and wine. Successive Ontario governments over the years have taken the - position that they know what's best for the adults who live here. That position shows up in many things: where and when an adult may pur- chase six cans of beer; the existence of a Censor Board which dic- tates what adults may or may not see on films. The Liberals, to their credit have at least tried (albeit not too hard) to drag Ontario kicking and screaming into the 1980's. Unfortunate- ly, the Tories and the NDP will drag out a lot of reasons to shoot the beer store bill down in flames. The storm will pass and things will be pretty much as they have always been in this part of the woods. PORT FLOR STAR (O (INITIO 139 QUEEN STEREY #0 002 20 SOIT MEET ONTARO L108 BO (49) 95 738) ( CNA 5 8 J. PETER HVIDSTEN Member of the Publisher Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Community Newspaper Association Advertising Manager Published every Tuesday by the " YELAND Port Perry Star Co Ltd . Port Perry, Ontario J.B. McC Editor Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department. Ottawa, and for cash AT Roe payment of postage in cash News & Features Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 <i (Omnis D Nn, En Ry" \ Aree, ary YCOPYRIGHT -- All layout and composition of advertisements produced by the adver tising department of the Port Perry Star Company Limited are protected under copyright and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher Subscription Rate: In Canada $15.00 per year. Elsewhere $45.00 per year. Single Copy 35° Chatterbox by Cathy Olliffe RIPPING AND TEARING Doug and I have purchased our dream home. It's a sweet little cottage in Cassies, ab- solutely perfect in every way if you close your eyes to the leaky roof, uninsulated walls, and a floor that reminds you of a fun house at the CNE. It's also musty, which is part and parcel of a 47 year old building that's only used in the summertime. But we're not complaining about the must. It's the age of the cottage that intrigues us so much. - Especially since we began tearing out the walls in preparation for insulation. Underneath umpteen layers of panelling, soggy drywall and cardboard, my hubby and I have discovered a time capsule of history in the form of old newspapers and cut-outs from movie magazines dating back to the dirty 30's. Under the living room panelling we found several poster-sized prints from magazines like the Saturday Evening Post, including pictures of King George and the Queen Mother, taken when our present monarch was little more than a gleam in her daddy's eye. But that's nothing in comparison to the elaborate collages we found pasted directly to the inside walls of the cottage, between the studs in the room we've dubbed the sun room. I guess whoever slept in the sunroom when it was new, sometime in the late 30's, was a teenager because the walls are plastered with cut-outs of matinee idols and pin-up queens. A full-colour drawing of Marlene Dietrich is displayed in a prominent spot on one wall, her eyes still misty and romantic as the day the draw- ing was hung. Her mouth and chin is lost to the ravages of mildew and time, but her shining bob is still in one piece, hearkening the viewer back to a time when silent movies were just making way for the talkies. A youthful John Wayne grins down from another wall in an actual black and white photo that the previous owner must have picked up from a mail order fan club. In those days The Duke was still a romantic leading man, with no sign of the pistol-packing, cowboy-hatted movie star he even- tually became. Most fascinating of all is a pin-up of Ronald Reagan. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first spotted this picture. And I wonder what the Presi- dent would think if he knew his mug was found buried in the walls of a tiny cottage in Caesarea, light years away from his present position buried in the walls of the White House! Although the afore-mentioned pictures are displayed most prominently on the sun room walls, they are but a minute part of the entire col- lage. Using cut-outs from magazines, adver- tisements and who knows what else, the former occupant plastered pictures, big and small, all over the walls like wallpaper someone like Andy Warhol might use. Cut-outs of canned peas and soups are pasted alongside pictures of busty, smiling young women, posed in alluring yet wholesome backdrops. This, you must remember, was before the days of Hugh Hefner, Playboy magazine, and the first nude cen- trefold of Marilyn Monroe. I wish we could preserve our discovery somehow. But since the collage is glued right to the outside walls, we don't know of any way to take it down without tearing it. So, by the time you read this, insulation will cover the "work of art", burying it once again for future occupants to one day discover. MONOPOLY UPDATE It's getting closer! The Great Scugog Monopoly Championship is going ahead full steam with only a week and a half to go until the big day of the Preliminary Round, November 1st at Town Hall 1873. I'm amazed at the number of people who have signed up for this event. And the different kinds of people who have signed up! By the looks of things, there will be young teenagers competing against seasoned veterans, politicians rolling the dice along with media types, and Monopoly friends playing against a couple people who think Monopoly is an off-shoot of Scrabble. If nothing else, the match will be an in- teresting one. Can't you just see the faces of the players? Worried faces, creased with horror, as tokens land on a Boardwalk complete with hotel. Joyful faces, as skyrocketing rents are secured. Ah yes, the thrill of victory--and the agony of defeat. Even if you're not a Monopoly buff, it'll be worth your while to drop out to the tournament and check out the heated competition I know will be taking place. There's no admission charge for spectators and refreshments will be available. The game starts at High Noon, which gives everyone a chance to sleep in after Halloween parties the night before. So feel free to drop by. And if you're the gambling type, there's still four positions open for players. If you'd like to take part in the biggest Monopoly game in Scugog's history, drop me a line ° at 985-7383.

Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy