It has been said that oneof the few constants in lifeis change, and health andsafety issues in the workplace are changing aswell.

The Workers Healthand Safety Centre andOrangeville DistrictLabour Council Healthand Safety VolunteerActivists AppreciationDinner was held recentlyat the Train StationRestaurant.

Guest speaker LeahCasselman, former presi-dent of the Ontario PublicService Employees Union(OPSEU), was the guestspeaker and brought up

safety concerns in today’sworkplace that extendbeyond the potential haz-ards of the plant floor.

“It’s no longer just the‘canary in the coal mine’,”said Ms. Casselman. “Weare now talking aboutmodern workplaces wherethe work space is also aliving space and has to betreated as such.”

Ms. Casselman feelsthat employers shouldtake steps to ensureemployees are also pro-tected in the workplace’ssocial environment. Forexample, issues such asbullying need to beaddressed, she says.

As well, Ms. Casselmanbrought up an extremecase where a nurse in

Windsor was stalked andmurdered by a doctor.

She says the stance ofthe hospital where theincident occurred was thatthere was little the institu-tion could do since thedoctor was, in its opinion,an independent contractorand not under its control.

Ms. Casselman arguesthat legislative moves bemade to address thesetypes of situation.

Meanwhile, the dinnerwas held to honour work-

ers in Orangeville whohave made substantialcontributions to theirworkplace’s health andsafety.

This year’s recipientwas Sharon Whitford, alab technician atHeadwaters Health CareCentre. “This award is forthe individuals who showexcellence in the work-place,” said PatrickWilliams of the WorkersHealth and Safety Centrein Brampton. “Those who

make a difference andmake it safer for the com-munity.”

There was also a posterand essay contest that waswon by Emily Roome, 14,a Grade 9 student atOrangeville DistrictSecondary School.

“A lot of young peoplethink safety is an impor-tant issue,” says Ms.Roome. “It may not be thefirst thing on their minds,but they know it’s impor-tant.”

home again. Many werenot so lucky.

From Ottawa, the trainkept adding coaches andpersonnel as it steamedwest. “By the time we gotto the mountains, it hadfour engines,” he said.

It was a joyful tripacross the Canadian Westfor soldiers who had beenseconded to Royal Riflesof Canada and WinnipegGrenadiers from units inQuebec and from, Lesrecalls, the PrincessPatricia Canadian LightInfantry.

It might not have beenso joyful when, at sea, thesoldiers learned they mighthave to fight their way offthe ships at Hong Kong.

Les, who’s a formerclerk-treasurer of GrandValley, has retained vivid

memories of Hong Kongand of the comradeships.He doesn’t speak about the17 days of fierce fightingto hold the island againstthe onslaught of seasonedand well-equippedJapanese.

He does speak about hisluck. Shortly after thearmistice on ChristmasDay 1941, he was walkingwith three comrades inwhat might have been abid to escape. Japanesetroops opened fire on thequartet, Les was struck inshoulder and collapsedunder the body of one ofhis friends. Thus he wasspared. Before long, aChinese “looter” whospoke fluent English freedhim, and he returned to hisquarters.

Les was not among thetroops sent to Japan, wherehundreds died of starva-

tion and other causes. Atsome point, he was told hehad to learn to speakJapanese. Why? “Theysaid it was because theywere going to take overNorth America, and every-one would have to speakJapanese.”

“I told them theyweren’t man enough totake over North America. Iwas lucky I didn’t get shot,but I did get beat up prettybad,” he said.

The occupying Japaneseforces weren’t as we knowthe Japanese today.

Edwin Palmer Hoyt, anAsian war correspondentand a news editor for theU.S. Office of WarInformation, hasresearched all of Japan’swars from 1853 onwards.

Japanese troops onChristmas Day 1941“entered St. Stephen’sCollege and systematicallybayoneted to death all thewounded prisoners in thebeds.,” he wrote. “Anyofficers or nurses whotried to stop them werealso bayoneted.

Corpses were carriedoutside (and burned). Thenurses...were taken outone by one and raped. Theraping went on allChristmas Day andChristmas night,” Mr.Hoyt writes in “Japan’sWar, the Greatest PacificConflict.

Such was the conditionof the Hong Kong that LesCanivet served in.

He feels he was lucky tohave survived. It seems hisluck has held. Clerk ofGrand Valley during the1985 killer tornado, henow likes to attend casinosfrom time to time, and usu-ally wins a jackpot ofsome kind.

A4 November 8, 2007 Orangeville Citizen/Free Press and Economist

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• From page A2

Dufferin has a Hong Kong vet Photo/KATHEY STANTONFILL 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 theOrangeville Food Bank. When donations are made, the donor’s name goes into adraw and the winner gets the fridge. Entries are limited to one per family, or indi-vidual, per day.

Dinner honours goals of health, safetyBy DAN PELTON

Staff Reporter

The Humber Institute ofTechnology & AdvancedLearning OrangevilleCampus will be holding an‘Experience Humber’Open House on Saturday,Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to 3p.m. at its temporary cam-pus location in the AlderRecreation Complex, 275Alder Street.

The event is billed asthe perfect opportunity forfuture Humber students,parents, and families tocome out and speak to fac-ulty, staff, and students ofthe new Humber Orange-ville Campus.

Program representativesfrom the current programmenu; Business

Administration, BusinessManagement, and PoliceFoundations along withthe newly announced ECE(Early ChildhoodEducation) program willbe available.

Also on hand will bestaff from the Registrars’Office, Humber’s StudentFederation, and StudentServices including a ses-sion ‘Higher Education’Financial Planning.

Campus tours will takeplace at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and2 p.m. For more informa-tion contact Joe Andrews,director, OrangevilleCampus, at 1-877-675-3111, ext 5904, or e-mail:joe.andrews @humber.ca

Humber plans campus open house