It has been said that one of the few constants in life is change, and health and safety issues in the work place are changing as well. The Workers Health and Safety Centre and Orangeville District Labour Council Health and Safety Volunteer Activists Appreciation Dinner was held recently at the Train Station Restaurant. Guest speaker Leah Casselman, former presi- dent of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), was the guest speaker and brought up safety concerns in today’s workplace that extend beyond the potential haz- ards of the plant floor. “It’s no longer just the ‘canary in the coal mine’,” said Ms. Casselman. “We are now talking about modern workplaces where the work space is also a living space and has to be treated as such.” Ms. Casselman feels that employers should take steps to ensure employees are also pro- tected in the workplace’s social environment. For example, issues such as bullying need to be addressed, she says. As well, Ms. Casselman brought up an extreme case where a nurse in Windsor was stalked and murdered by a doctor. She says the stance of the hospital where the incident occurred was that there was little the institu- tion could do since the doctor was, in its opinion, an independent contractor and not under its control. Ms. Casselman argues that legislative moves be made to address these types of situation. Meanwhile, the dinner was held to honour work- ers in Orangeville who have made substantial contributions to their workplace’s health and safety. This year’s recipient was Sharon Whitford, a lab technician at Headwaters Health Care Centre. “This award is for the individuals who show excellence in the work- place,” said Patrick Williams of the Workers Health and Safety Centre in Brampton. “Those who make a difference and make it safer for the com- munity.” There was also a poster and essay contest that was won by Emily Roome, 14, a Grade 9 student at Orangeville District Secondary School. “A lot of young people think safety is an impor- tant issue,” says Ms. Roome. “It may not be the first thing on their minds, but they know it’s impor- tant.” home again. Many were not so lucky. From Ottawa, the train kept adding coaches and personnel as it steamed west. “By the time we got to the mountains, it had four engines,” he said. It was a joyful trip across the Canadian West for soldiers who had been seconded to Royal Rifles of Canada and Winnipeg Grenadiers from units in Quebec and from, Les recalls, the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry. It might not have been so joyful when, at sea, the soldiers learned they might have to fight their way off the ships at Hong Kong. Les, who’s a former clerk-treasurer of Grand Valley, has retained vivid memories of Hong Kong and of the comradeships. He doesn’t speak about the 17 days of fierce fighting to hold the island against the onslaught of seasoned and well-equipped Japanese. He does speak about his luck. Shortly after the armistice on Christmas Day 1941, he was walking with three comrades in what might have been a bid to escape. Japanese troops opened fire on the quartet, Les was struck in shoulder and collapsed under the body of one of his friends. Thus he was spared. Before long, a Chinese “looter” who spoke fluent English freed him, and he returned to his quarters. Les was not among the troops sent to Japan, where hundreds died of starva- tion and other causes. At some point, he was told he had to learn to speak Japanese. Why? “They said it was because they were going to take over North America, and every- one would have to speak Japanese.” “I told them they weren’t man enough to take over North America. I was lucky I didn’t get shot, but I did get beat up pretty bad,” he said. The occupying Japanese forces weren’t as we know the Japanese today. Edwin Palmer Hoyt, an Asian war correspondent and a news editor for the U.S. Office of War Information, has researched all of Japan’s wars from 1853 onwards. Japanese troops on Christmas Day 1941 “entered St. Stephen’s College and systematically bayoneted to death all the wounded prisoners in the beds.,” he wrote. “Any officers or nurses who tried to stop them were also bayoneted. Corpses were carried outside (and burned). The nurses...were taken out one by one and raped. The raping went on all Christmas Day and Christmas night,” Mr. Hoyt writes in “Japan’s War, the Greatest Pacific Conflict. Such was the condition of the Hong Kong that Les Canivet served in. He feels he was lucky to have survived. It seems his luck has held. Clerk of Grand Valley during the 1985 killer tornado, he now likes to attend casinos from time to time, and usu- ally wins a jackpot of some kind. A4 November 8, 2007 Orangeville Citizen/Free Press and Economist Caressant Care ARTHUR NURSING & RETIREMENT HOME “Caring Families – Yours and Ours Together” Rooms are Now Available • Caring staff • Enjoyable activities • Low, all inclusive rates 215 Eliza St., Arthur 519-848-3795 For other Caressant Care Homes, call 1-800-792-3803 or visit our website www.caressantcare.com 247090 Sideroad #5 ~ 2 ½ Kms E on Hockley Rd. From Hwy. 10 1-866-823-1107 Tuesday, Nov. 13 th OAK ~ CHERRY ~ MAPLE ~ WALNUT ~ EXOTICS ~ KEMPAS Auctioneer: Dan Bailey Terms Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Interac 15% Buyer’s Premium PreFinished ~ 3/4 Thick ~ 3 ½ & Wider ~ Premium Grade www.BaileyAuctions.com Bring Your Van, Truck or Trailer All Product Must Go Sale Day! Viewing from Noon Tuesday AUCTION Hardwood Flooring 7:30 pm @ Orangeville Fairgrounds You are invited to a special screening of GANDHI …examining an alternative to war SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 7:00 P.M. TRINITY UNITED CHURCH, 200 Owen Sound St. Shelburne Refreshments, No Charge for Admission BookLore Location: From the Kitchen to the Table, 125 Broadway Reservations: Phone BookLore 519-942-3830 (limited seating) CHOICE MENUS will help those who are trying to lose weight & control their diabetes BookLore and From the Kitchen to the Table are pleased to present an evening with Marjorie Hollands & Margaret Howard authors of CHOICE MENUS The #1 recommended book of diabetes educators in Canada Wednesday, November 14, 7 p.m. Future Shop CORRECTION NOTICE WHIRLPOOL GU930PWSS Stainless Steel Standard Built-In Dishwasher 10086477. On page 22 of the November 2nd flyer we advertised this item as energy star qualified when in fact it is not. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers. Beauty Supply Wholesale and OPEN to PUBLIC Styling Essentials 80 Broadway, Orangeville 519-942-9314 GREAT GIFTS KAMELYAN 165 Broadway, Orangeville 519.941.7860 Paint with MANOR HALL • From page A2 Dufferin has a Hong Kong vet Photo/KATHEY STANTON FILL THE FRIDGE: The Sears outlet in the Orangeville Mall is encouraging peo- ple to fill a refrigerator outside the store with food that will be donated to the Orangeville Food Bank. When donations are made, the donor’s name goes into a draw and the winner gets the fridge. Entries are limited to one per family, or indi- vidual, per day. Dinner honours goals of health, safety By DAN PELTON Staff Reporter The Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning Orangeville Campus will be holding an ‘Experience Humber’ Open House on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its temporary cam- pus location in the Alder Recreation Complex, 275 Alder Street. The event is billed as the perfect opportunity for future Humber students, parents, and families to come out and speak to fac- ulty, staff, and students of the new Humber Orange- ville Campus. Program representatives from the current program menu; Business Administration, Business Management, and Police Foundations along with the newly announced ECE (Early Childhood Education) program will be available. Also on hand will be staff from the Registrars’ Office, Humber’s Student Federation, and Student Services including a ses- sion ‘Higher Education’ Financial Planning. Campus tours will take place at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. For more informa- tion contact Joe Andrews, director, Orangeville Campus, at 1-877-675- 3111, ext 5904, or e-mail: joe.andrews @humber.ca Humber plans campus open house