PAGE 4 - THE PERTH COURIER - March 3, 2011
COMMUNITY NEWS BOWL FOR KIDS
COUNCIL BRIEFS The following are briefs from mostly through fundraising. the meeting of Lanark County “I hope to support them so council held on Wednesday, Feb. that citizens of Lanark County 23, 2011. can stay close to their homes near the end of their lives,” said Warden’s tournament Mousseau.
to support Dignity House
Warden Sharon Mousseau announced the 2011 Warden’s Golf Tournament will be held on Aug. 5 at the Perth Golf Course, with proceeds being split between the United Way and Dignity House Hospice. “I hope this will provide some awareness and will help them with their fundraising efforts,” Mousseau said. The hospice, which opened its day program in January, had asked the county for a grant to start a residential program, but the Feb. 23 decision to eliminate the grants program put an end to that hope. It is the only hospice in the county and sustains itself
Lanark’s new housing director As of Feb. 28, Christine Culham will take the reins of the Lanark County Housing Corporation, replacing Connie Kingston as director. “Christine brings a wealth of experience to the housing area,” said John Fenik, mayor of Perth and LCHC board chair, at the Feb. 23 county council meeting. “She rose to the top quite quickly in the interviewing process. It didn’t take long for the committee to decide.” Culham has been working in the non-profit sector for more than 20 years and as an executive
director for eight years. Most recently, Culham was the community development manager at Ottawa Community Housing, where was responsible for 33 subsidized housing communities with more than 3,500 units and 8,500 tenants. Culham also served as executive director of Ottawa Victim Services, executive director of the Britannia Woods Community House, chair and treasurer of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, and as chair of the Ontario Network of Victim Service Providers. “We would like to acknowledge Ms. Kingston’s work as housing manager and wish her well in her retirement,” said Peter Wagland, CAO of Lanark County. “We welcome Ms. Culham to Lanark County and look forward to her leadership as part of the housing corporation.”
Cameron James, 9, uses the good ol’ underhand bowl to great effect at the Bowl for Kids event in Perth. James is one of more than 225 children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lanark County. Geoff Davies photo
HELPING THE HOSPICE Doug Burt from the Dignity House of Perth Hospice gave a presentation about the hospice’s future to members of the Perth Civitan Club at their meeting on Feb. 24. Members presented Burt with a donation of $2,665 during the meeting. From left, Debra Bowes, Bonnie Waldeck, Carol Kelleher, Bonnie King, Barbara Larmondin, Doug Burt (Dignity House), Don Larmondin, Stan Clark and Bill Kelleher. Submitted photo
Nathaniel Venuta-Mcnamara, 7, celebrates after showing the bowling pins who’s boss. Geoff Davies photo
FROM THE FRONT Stories continued from Page 1
Hillier, Reid seek to enshrine
Hailey Coutts, 10, launches her ball down the lane with the help of her Big Sister Marguerite Boivin. Geoff Davies photo
population. If passed, this would mark the first time in Ontario’s history this method was used, Hillier said. “This is a motion that could be replicated in every single province and territory,” said Nick Kadysh, a spokesman for Hillier. While the guarantee of property rights does appear in the Bill of Rights, a federal statute enacted by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, there is no such guarantee at the constitutional level, the highest form of law. “This is an injustice plain and simple and it’s one that needs to be righted,” said Kadysh. But according to some legal experts, it’s anything but simple. “It’s far more complicated than Mr. Hillier and Mr. Reid make it out to be,” said Errol Mendes, a law professor at the University of Ottawa. There have been several failed attempts to include property rights in Canada’s Constitution since Pierre Trudeau’s government first attempted it in 1971. Since then, attempts at amendment – and the opposition to them – have come from many sides. In one instance, P.E.I. and
Manitoba opposed the guarantee of property rights because it would interfere with farming regulations and land preservation, Mendes said. In another, the federal NDP based their opposition on legal precedents where the property rights of business owners clashed with labour laws. “It goes way beyond a partisan issue,” he said. “It deals with very complicated issues of regulation of agricultural land, land use planning, the role of government in passing socio-economic legislation,” and others. While it’s an issue wor th resolving, just introducing a resolution isn’t going to cut it. There are “huge dangers” involved and extensive study by legal experts is required to find a way around them, he said. And as for the use of the alternative amending method: “That’s total, absolute bunk.” The section 43 amending formula, as it’s called, “only applies to issues relevant to parliament itself.” Since all provinces have a stake in an amendment to the Charter, the only way for Reid and Hillier’s amendment to pass is with their approval, said Mendes. Though amending the Charter
has a “strong symbolic message,” an amendment like this belongs at the provincial level, according to Adam Dodek, also a law professor at the University of Ottawa. The Charter is meant to provide a minimum level or rights. The provinces are able to legislate additional rights, as British Columbia and Quebec have done, he said. “The Constitution is for all Canadians,” Dodek said. “If you’re proposing something just for Ontarians, it should be in Ontario legislation.” So why seek to amend the entire country’s Constitution? “I think it’s more an election ploy more than anything else,” said Mendes. Hillier will be running in the next provincial election, which is slated for Oct. 6. As for Reid, there is speculation a federal election may also be called this year. But election or no election, there’s no telling exactly when Reid’s resolution will be read in the House of Commons. “Mr. Reid is so far down the queue that it’s impossible to tell when that will happen,” said his communications assistant, Phil Joannou.