Eye on activism The Importance of Fair Trade items

for granted, and sometimes even complain about, such as chores and school. However, often their family relies on the salary that they bring in, which is almost always less than one dollar per day.

submitted by Zara Zrudlo

In recent times, the quality of certain objects that we buy, eat, enjoy, and rely on every day has downgraded. Something that you could have bought for fifty dollars ten years ago is more expensive and less reliable now! But sometimes it can be worth it to buy things that are more expensive and you know will be better quality because of inequities. Chocolate is a good example of that. Most of the chocolate that you buy in the store was made with pesticides, and in ways that violate human, and environmental laws. Children as young as four might be working to harvest the cacao beans and turn them into the tasty treat that most people enjoy on a daily basis. Most of the kids and teenagers there would love to have some of the things in life that we take

In most cases, the work that people are doing to harvest cacao cannot be called slave labour, they are paid, but they are only paid meager amounts for long hours of work, much longer than the shifts that most people work, sometimes fourteen to eighteen hours. These people are far below the poverty line and some are even starving, physically, verbally and sexually abused by their bosses. It can be really hard to hear about these terrible conditions that people are working, and it isn’t just chocolate that is made by human labor either!

It is estimated that 75% percent of clothes are made in sweatshops, factories that use child labour and have terrible working conditions. People are paid about an average around one cent per hour, which equals about twenty cents per day.

These places that grow food and create clothes are often really bad for the en-

Tid bit musings

submitted by Elva Patterson Rutters RSSW

What exactly is parental love? What are the parameters? Does everyone have parental love to give? Certainly in a day and age where love manifests itself in many forms, even dominates the hallmark marketing world, the definition of love is often ambiguous both spiritually or secularly.

Fundamentally, love is an intense feeling of affection characterized by a deliberate choice to act in the best interest of another person. This incorporates agape love, passionate love, or compassionate love. God demonstrated the ultimate form of love by sending His son to die on the cross, for each of us to gain eternal life. (note- you need to believe that, plus he rose again to gain heaven's entry, it is not automatic entry, John 3:16.) Sex is a by product of love or just plain lust. Rape is a form of power abuse not connected to love at all.

Not every parent is capable of delivering love to their child, mainly due vironment as well, using lots of pesticides which all end up in the water and earth, or using dyes and chemicals that are bad for the environment and people who work with them. Most people know that sweatshops and unfair labor conditions exist, but sometimes it’s hard to fathom how bad it really is when we don’t experience it every day. But this is something really important, people are suffering world wide, we need to do something!

Buying clothes from consignment and thrift stores is a cheaper option, and then the clothes don’t come directly from sweatshops. The less new clothes people buy, the less need there will be for sweatshops. Or buying clothes from brands that are certified for having good labour conditions is a great first step! Sometimes businesses that have good labour conditions still buy fabric harvested by people who are working long hours and aren’t paid fairly, but it can be really hard to find out where fabric comes from.

For chocolate, buying from companies that are Fair Trade Certified, UTZ

Certified or other fair trade companies is the best way to go! Hershey has committed to transitioning to fair trade chocolate, being eco friendly, and honoring their workers, by 2030, so that could be a good company to support as well.

It’s important to invest in fair trade foods, for the environment and for the workers. My hope is that if we all invest where we are financially able, then eventually companies that treat their workers horribly will be forced into fair trade agreements.

Zara Zrudlo is a homeschooled, fourteen year old resident of Kemtpville. They love writing, art, acting, reading and anything to do with music. Ever since they were little, they’ve cared a lot about activism and social justice, and hoped to make a difference in the world. Zara has written two and a half novels, and ran a newspaper for their friends and family for three years. They love hanging out with their dogs and chickens and spending time imagining having dinner with various book characters.

Celebrating Heritage Week

February Council update

by Brandon Mayer

Township of North Dundas Council has had two Council meetings this month – one regularly scheduled meeting on February 7, and one special meeting which took place on February 13. During the regularly scheduled meeting, normal business such as the discussion of by-law amendment requests was mixed with a happy occasion – the presentation of staff recognition awards. Awards were given out for the categories of great customer service, efforts to ensure safe work practices, and “innovation, sustainability, and leadership”.

Council passed a motion to purchase an easement that will allow a secondary water main to be looped from the existing water main at Wellings of Winchester into the Christine Lane subdivision. This will provide an additional water supply should there ever be a water main disruption on Main Street.

to psychological challenges or a lack of role modelling. Every parent tries their best, but many children/adults will say love was lacking. Be sure to question why such a comment is being made. Why is one saying that? Financial restraints on accessibility to events is not the result of a lack of love. This is also not to confuse parental discipline as a lack of love! Parents need to effectively impose limitations and consequences on their children mainly for safety and general well-being. Without learning boundaries and choices, the youth has no safety net and will lack the knowledge to adjust to adult lifestyles. This is often referred to as 'tough love’ when a parent needs to impart the consequences from a negative choice the child made. It is not exceedingly punitive/abusive in nature but sets the adaptive development required for any of society's situations. Perhaps many of the behavioral problems in school today are the result of a lack of discipline. The pendulum swung from strict structure to a free flowing circus. Definitely there are psychological factors, from genetics to the effects of substances abuse (alcohol, pot, etc), to undetermined causes that complicate the ability to comply.

Withholding affection/ love and connection from a child (minus abusive behavioral situations) is parental abuse. This is often a result of a real or perceived infraction of the parent by the child, including adult children. Love is to be reciprocal in the adult form. It is vital you separate the feeling from the action- "I love you, but this behavior is unacceptable."

Take today as the moment to express your love to your offspring, regardless of age! L-O-V-E is a four letter word that some find so difficult to say. Knowing someone loves you lightens the load you carry everyday!

Council also passed a motion to purchase the property for a new municipal well to be drilled. The property will cost $495,000, taken from water system user fees. The reason for the seemingly high cost of the land is that the landowner will need to give up his aggregate resource license for the property as a condition of the purchase. The well will be drilled along Lafleur Road, along the existing pipeline coming from well field #7 on Thompson Road. The well is expected to add 822 water unit allocations, and depending on approvals, will be completed in approximately three years.

Since 20 water unit allocations were returned to Council at the previous meeting, Council heard requests for a number of specific new water allocations. Council members appeared to approve the requests in theory, so a plan was made for an appropriate by-law to be drafted for passing. It was a busy meeting for matters related to environmental services, with other matters being discussed on this topic as well.

Another item of routine business at the February 7 meeting was the discussion of remuneration for members of Council, other Township staff, and members of the Fire Department. Remuneration for Council will be adjusted annually by an inflation factor, and normal adjustments to wages and expenses were discussed for Township full time staff as well. A similar motion was passed to increase compensation for the Township’s firefighters – Councillor Lennox abstained from this discussion and vote due to pecuniary interest, being a firefighter himself.

The amount of business covered in the February 7 meeting was significant, with Council going through most motions with little discussion and a high degree of efficiency.

On February 13, Council met again for a special session, specifically for a closed discussion related to the Municipal Act. Council met in closed session for well over an hour, due to the fact that the discussion topic contained matters that were subject to solicitor-client privilege. Members of the public are not privy to the specifics that are discussed in closed session meetings, which are only allowed to take place in specifically prescribed circumstances.

The next formally scheduled meeting of North Dundas Council will take place on March 7.