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In an open letter dated Jan. 15, MPP for Lake Nipigon Gilles Pouliot said that fatalities, injuries and near-miss in- cidents are reaching epidemic propor- tions on Highway 11-17 between Nipigon and the Manitoba border. The letter, sent to the Minister of Transportation, John Crosbie, and the Minister of Transportation and Com- munications, Ed Fulton, stated that despite Pouliot's numerous appeals for immediate corrective action, the two ministries are defiant in their refusal to join forces and take remedial steps by upgrading the highway to prevent fur- ther carnage. Severe winter weather conditions, coupled with the ever-increasing transport truck traffic, stated the letter, are causing havoc for local motorists who are forced to travel this highway of terror daily. Terrace Bay-Schreiber News, Wednesday, January 28, 1987, page 5 Pouliot writes to government concerning Highway 11-17 ""My correspondence to you of Oc- tober 30, 1986, made two specific recommendations for the overall im- provement of this problem, however, your replies were non-committal and a further indication of the apathy which is prevalent when dealing with matters which are of significant importance to Northern communities," said Pouliot, MPP and NDP Transportation and Communications Critic. Narcotics Anonymous group holds meetings every Wednesday night People sometimes believe that Cor- rectional Services are simply concerned with probation, parole and rehabilita- tion of offenders. This is hardly the case in our region of Schreiber and Terrace Bay. On Tuesday, January 20, Mary Burnett, our local co-ordinator, was busy visiting the local high schools and organizing a forum on cocaine addiction. In both compuses of Lake Superior High School, Mary presented a film 'Cocaine: Beyond the Looking Glass', to give students some further insight in- to the dangers of coke addiction. There are ways of measuring A series of questions and answers by Dr. Mark S. Gold, founder of 800-Cocaine telephone hotline in the U.S., were distributed to the youth. Tuesday night the public joined the Corrections Board for the same film, and a discussion with recovered co- caine abusers on the prevention of co- caine abuse. The consensus which seemed to be reached was that cocaine and other forms of drug abuse (including alcohol) were common in our region. Many seem drawn to experimenta- tion by various forms of peer pressure. The result is often tragic... the in- dividual can become addicted very easily, physically as well as psychologically, to this most expensive drug. Today a Narcotics Anonymous or NA group exists in our region. NA meets every Wednesday night in Ter- race Bay. For more information call 825-9052 or 825-9621. Part of Mary's work in our com- munities is with Chemical Education. She and the Corrections Board invite suggestions on ways to follow preven- tive policies. She can be reached at 824-3036 or at her office in the Old Town Hall in Schreiber. normality and abnormality By Hadley Koltun Mental Health and You is provided as a service of the North of Superior Community Mental Health Program. These articles will appear every two weeks and will cover a variety of men- tal health issues. We invite feedback by the communi- ty at large by writing the News office. Any opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the management of the North of Superior Community Mental Health Program. Normality/Abnormality Suppose that you were standing on a street corner of a large town and you saw a man who took off his shirt and proceeded to whip himself. As a concerned bystander, you could call the police. The police would take this man to a psychiatric emergency ward. He may be diagnosed as being mentally disturbed. However, in the fourteenth century, during the menace of the Bubonic Plague, groups of these people, call flagellants, whipped themselves to atone for the sins that provoked God to bring about this plague. The typical medieval citizen looked upon these flagellants with awe and respect. They would have never thought of the flagellants as being men- tally disturbed. We know the Bubonic Plague was caused by germs and not by our sins. With this in mind, we would view the flagellant's behaviour as abnormal. Response in agreement to minor hockey inadequacy Dear Sir, In reply to Mrs. Elise Kenny's let- ter, I too was the mother of a ben- chwarmer, and I Know exactly how she feels. I can tell you that she is fighting a losing battle as things haven't chang- ed in over twenty years. My son played hockey from Pee Wees up to Juniors, and if your son is not a star , or his father a coach, FORGET IT. Peggy Regis. Letters to the editor are welcomed. Please sign and enclose address. You can send letters to The Editor, P.O. Box 579, Terrace Bay, Ont., POT 2wo. This tells us that psychological abnor- mality is not an absolute but a relative label, changing from time to time and from society to society. How does society determine what is 'psychologically abnormal'? In other words, where does society draw the line between acceptable and unaccep- table patterns of behaviour and thought? There are several ways that society measures what is acceptable. 1. Value setting The first method involves setting what is 'right' and what is 'wrong' by society. Society also decides 'where', 'when', and 'with whom to do it with'. A person who does the 'wrong' thing with the 'wrong' circumstances is con- sidered to be abnormal. In larger societies, such as our own, this is a pro- blem, since there may be disagreement between different groups as to what is right. The value setting yardstick is relative; it only decides what society thinks is correct behaviour and thought. 2. Statistical rarity Some persons view abnormality as a significant difference from a calculated average (either above or below average). This criterion is used to diagnose certain psychological abnormalities. For instance, individuals who are diagnosed as being mentally handicap- ped are those whose tested intelligence (IQ score) falls below an average range of the general population. anny realty inc. 574 memorial ave 344-0701 52 SOUTHRIDGE CRESCENT EXECUTIVE LIVING Cathedral Ceilings. 3 bedrooms, open concept, kitchen, dining room, Solariumn, 2 fireplace, European cabinets W/Genaire & dishwasher. Call DOUG TALARICO at 345-8903 representing RAM REALTY INC. 344-0701 However, being abnormal by this yardstick (above or below average) is not always bad because it may mean that you are better than the general public at something (example: gifted individuals have IQs above the average range of the general population). 3. Personal and_ societal discomfort If a person's thoughts and behaviour pose a danger to himself or to others, then he may be considered abnormal. That is just like the example of the flagellant that was given at the begin- ning of this article. By whipping himself, he poses a danger of self-injury. As you can see, all three of these yard- sticks have serious shortcomings. A competent therapist (eg. psychiatrist, psychologist or counsellor) recognizes these yardsticks and their limitations. From that, the therapist makes an ap- propriate judgement or diagnosis. Each of these yardsticks depends on shifting standards, which will vary from time to time and from one society to another. As a result, society's conception of abnormal thought and behaviour will vary likewise. You can contact the Community Mental Health Worker in Terrace Bay at 825-3238 or in Schreiber at 824-2597. 'To cite the national deficit as be- ing the Federal Government's reason for non-involvement, is nothing more than a cop-out and a relinquishment of obvious responsibilities," Pouliot wrote. '*The Province on the other hand, prefers to massage the issue rather than initiate any positive steps to correct it. Gentlemen, the time for action is long overdue. How many more of our peo- ple must give of their lives before you embark upon a joint program to address this matter." The present situation not only im- pacts.on the community in human terms, but has obvious economic im- plications as well. The highway in its present condition prohibits an influx of tourists and prospective industrial in- vestment, both of which are desperately needed to help bolster the North's sag- ging economy, Pouliot wrote. Trucking accounts for 50 per cent of our nation's transportation, and has an- nual revenues of almost $3 billion. A large number of these heavy vehicles travel this stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway to reach their destinations, Pouliot said. The highway's capacity to accom- modate existing traffic has reached its saturation point, and with the potential for further growth within the industry due to possible deregulation legislation, the situation can only deteriorate fur- ther, he noted. Petitions from concerned consti- tuents are reaching my office daily, with well over 2,000 signatures to date, and many more forthcoming. You can- not afford to ignore these pleas for ac- tion any longer, said Pouliot. "I urge you to jointly develop a plan to double the capacity of highway 11-17 between the Nipigon and Manitoba Border, effective immediate- ly," Pouliot concluded in the letter. WEIGHT WATCHERS BEGINS A NEW 10 WEEK SESSION. THURSDAY JANUARY 29, 1987 at 7:00 p.m. NEW MEMBERS COME AT 6:00 p.m. Held in PENTECOSTAL CHURCH TERRACE COURT Plan now to join during our JANUARY SPECIAL For further information - CALL 1-800-461-2246 Weight Watchers and Quck Start Pius we regatered tademarks of WEIGHTWATCHERS INTERNATIONAL INC * WEIGHTWATCHERS INTERNATIONA, INC 1986 HOLIDAYS ACT. Pouliot. NOTICE ON DECEMBER 18th, 1986, the SUPREME COURT OF CANADA, UPHELD THE RETAIL BUSINESS ST. MARTIN'S CATHOLIC WOMEN'S LEAGUE, would like to take this opportunity, to thank all one hundred and seventy-seven concerned citizens, for their interest in taking the time to sign the petition which we had placed at Costa's Foodmarket. The petition stated that we the undersigned were AGAINST SUNDAY SHOPPING and wanted the RETAIL BUSINESS HOLIDAYS ACT UPHELD. This petition was then forwarded to our M.P.P. Mr. Gilles Once again THANK YOU. DOLORES MORRISEAU PRESIDENT, ST. MARTINS, C.W.L. MIDLAND DOHERTY 127 S. May St., P7E 1A9 INDUSTRIAL GROWTH FUND RRSP 19.8% PER YEAR How Do Your Investments Compare?? To Find Out More Call Collect: Robin Smith Vice President, Financial Advisor 1 - 623-5005 MIDLAND DOHERTY LIMITED Thunder Bay, Ontario * Annual compound rate of return as at November 10th, 1986