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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1985-07-10, Page 1Hensall'/ A5 Legion I All. Obituaries I B5 People / B5 Sports 1 A10 ,Walton / B3 Weddings / B4, 5 Family visits their "home". See page B1. t • SCH(701. IN SESSION — Opening ceremonies for a Fire PreZfen#on School to be held in Seaforth for the next few weeks took place last week The school iVhe first to be held in the area since 1979, when one was conducted in Exeter Offscia1ly 18,0`ening the "school were. Seaforth Mayqr Alf Ross, Huron County Fire Coordinator and V(tingham Fire Chief. Dave Crothers and Chairman of the Seaforth Area Fire Board, Joe Gtb.son.' (Mcl lwradh photos Local, man builds car.. See page A3. INDEX Births / B5 Brussels / B2 Classified / A9, 12, 13 Dublin / A4 Entertainment / A14 Family / A6, 7, B5 Farm / B6, 8 anisalirs• Serving'the communities and areas of ,Brussels,•Dublin, Hensall and Wa!ton SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY,/JU-LY 10, 1985 -- TWO SECTIONS — 22 PAGES Riddell, Elston have tough lobs . 4..;.eit • .? $2,073,763, up Over $41.000 from 1983. There were two demolition permits issued and 18 building permits. • The population of Brussels is 974, with 670 electors and 405 households. The total assessment in the village is $979,248, up, nearly $3,000 from 1983. In 1984 four building permits and no demolition permits were issued. In Stanley, Township, the 'population is 1.613, with 2,057 electors and 1,015 house- l'Olds. Stanley's taxable real property and business assessment last year was $3,658, 084. up by just over $20,000 from 1983. There were 12 demolition and 47 building permits' issued last year. Tuckersmith Township has a population of 2,971, with 2,379 electors and 938 house- holds. Tuckersmith's total assessment was $4,344,008 last year, an increase of almost $53.000 over 1983.. It was the sixth largest assessinent of the 26 municipalities in Huron County. As well, there were six demolition and 80 building permits, issued in 1984. As students in' Huron County said ,good-bye to school last week, the teachers, secretaries and custodians said so long to negotiations •for another year.' Both secondary and elementary school teachers, groups had their contracts ratified last week. The Huron County board of education, besides its teacher groups, approved agreements with its secretaries and custodians at a special meeting on June 25. The agreements represent a 4 4 per cent increase across the board and is within the board's 1984 budget projection. The total cost over the school year is $25 5 million. The following night, 170 of ths. 240 secondary school teachers in the county voted 93 per cent in favor of the collective agreement ' "I think it's a fair and reasonable settlement and I expect the hoard feels the same," said secondary school teacher negotiator Shirley Weary Just over a month ago.-*the secondary school teachers overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike This settlement, -however. was reached after two days of mediation on June 19 and 20. Those mediation sessions marked the first meeting of the teachers and board since the strike vote Mrs. Weary doesn't see any long term effects frofn the strike vote The last time Secondary school teachers took a strike vote was in 1977 when. they actually did walk out A report listing 1984 population and assessment figures for each municipality, along with other demographit information. was presented to Huron County councillors at a recent meeting The report was presented by 'Gerald tlorgan„and Edward Ingham of the assess- ment office, Local municipalities are pre- sented individually below. It should be noted the population statistic`; were taken from the records of the Regional Assessment Office as of the end of September 1983. These figures are not an official population account. Seaforth has a population of 2,146 and has 1,834 eligible electors for upcoming munici- pal elections. There are 876 hoUseholds with a total real property and business assessment 9f $2,832,649. Last year. the town granteb12 building permits and only one demo for permit. The population of Hensall is listed iii 973. with 859 eligible electors. and 411 house-, holds, Hensall's total • assesqment expansion of their benefit package which now will include an extended health plan, dental plan, increased life insurance cover- age and a reduction in long term disability premiuni rates., "We were satisfied with the benefit package, the dental plan in particular," said Mrs. Mathers. She said the Flurim elementary school teachers' are one of the last teaching groups in the province to get a dental. plan. The school board pays 100 per cent of the cost, The secondary school teachers didn't get a new employee benefit package, but received equal dollars in their salary increase. Elementhry school teachers have an average annual salary of $38000 in its one-year agreement. The minimum salary is $17,500 up from $16,880 and the maximum is $45.400, up fronf,.$43,730. The average elementary school principal's salary is $54,000. The 63 secretaries receive an avefage annual salary of , $14,100. They have a minimum hourly rate of 17.72 and a maximum rate of $9.351. The board's -53 custodians have an avermge annual salary of $19,500: They have a minimum hourly rate of $8.78 and a maximum of $9.35. The,Superifitendents and the director of education sill have their salalies reviewed in September"- ,McKillop Township has a population of 1;481 with 1,163 electors and442 households. Its total assessment for 1984was $3,336,856, up' nearly $10,000 from the previous year. There were five demolition and 51 building permits issued in 1984. ' Hullett Township had a population of 1,901 with 1,468 eligible electors and 594 house- holds. Total assessment for it in 1984 was $3,561,415 up $16,000 from 1983. One demolition' permit and thirty-two building permits were issued during the year. Grey township has a population of 1,995 with 1,536 eligible electors and 644 house- holds. Its total assessment was $3,943,276 in 1984 up just over $24,000 from the previous year. Twelve demolition and 32 building permits were issued. In Morris Township the population was 1,684 with 1,381 eligible electors qnd 573 households. Total assessment was $3,215,900, up almost $23,000 dollars from 1983. No building and no'demolition permits were issued. HE'S GOT LEGS — But they don't belong to him Boe Alkemade, last week. The sweltering heat saw the pool lilted. Here he II, was among those who escaped to the pool ai Seaforth. Lions Park examines the conseituences of a failed handstand by his sister Meagan The legs are hers. (Till photo) Employees ratify contracts. "I don't think it (strike vote) will damage the relationship between the teachers and the board," said Mrs. Weary. Personnel committee chairman Graeme Craig said the board was searching for "consistency" In the settlements of its four major employee groups. "We were looking for an agreement that treated all employee groups the same," said, Mr. Craig. Reflecting on the past month of activity with the secondary school teachers, Mr.' Craig said he was concerned about the strike vote. ' ALW A YS 'C'ONCERNED "You're always concerned in a strike vote. However, as . long •as the situation is neutralized is the important result," he said. The new secondary school teacher con-, tract results in an average annual salary of $43,250 for 'teachers and $62,000 for principals. . The two-year agreement has a starting salary of $20,800 and the top figure at $46,200. The agreement resulted in a $75 per teacher increase for the first year of the agreement and a $1,500 across the board increase in the second year. - The president of the Huron biranch of the Federated Women Teachers' Association of Ontario, Tla Mathers, said over 85 per cent of the 380 elementary school teachers voted in favor of their 3.8 per cent-Salary Increase. The big, thing in their contract is the - • The two MPPs for the Seaforth area have set tough agendas for themselves in their new roles as cabinet ministers. Premier David Peterson announced the appointment of Huron-Bruce WIPP Murray --4Fistane-as ittinist* of. Health, and of Huron-Middleisex MPP Jack Riddell as Agriculture Minister. , Mr. Elston says his first priorly is "to learn the job." Once'he'adone that, he gays, he'll set about the difficult task of dealing with extra billing. Extra billing means a doctor can charge his patients a rate beyond that covered by GRIP. During the provincial election, the Liberals promised to end the practise if they formed the government. Mr. Elston says the discussions are now in their early stages. He'll hold meetings in the coming weeks with members of the Ontario Medical Association, Ontario doctors' gov- erning body. "The Canada Health Act is inappropriate" with respect to this matter, says the minister, because it allows doctors to extra bill to the tune of $80 million per year. His next priority, he says, is to take "a look at delivery of services to seniors (to make sure) there are no gaps," ROUGH WEEKS Mr. Riddell, after a rough couple of weeks in the job, says "It's too bad we didn't have more time to acclimatize ourselves" to (he workings of government. "You'can't very well sit in the House and learn your job at the same tithe," he says The major issue he sees facing his ministry is credit for farmers, A lot of them are "in serious financial straits," he says. "The banks are getting tougher, and the farmers are having ti terrible time," says Mr. Riddell. "It's a real problem." To that end. he will propose a program to subsidize interest rates for farmers before the end of this legislative session. (SEE RE, LA rt.t) STORY ON PAGE 31. ' He says, he's also held meetings with Federal Agriculture Minister John Wise' to discuss the farmers' plight. They, he adds, considered setting up a Financial Review Board with full legislative powers, Such a board, with full powers, could not only work out a solution, but enforce it where 'necessary with the weight of the law. It would be a kind of third-party review, says Mr. Riddell, He'll also be•raising the matter with his provincial counterparts and the federal minister at their annual meeting, scheduled for next month in Newfoundland. Mr. Riddell adds that toploading is another big problem. Toploading is where a province includes its subsidies to farmers in the price paid for a commodity, which 'works to the detriment of farmers who don't receive the „ subsidy. . "If toploading continues," says Mr. Riddell, "we'll be subject to countervailing duties (from provinces and states which don't subsidize their farmers. )" One area where toploading problems are particularly acute in Ontario is in hog production. Ontario hog producers are among the lowest pal eQn the country, even though they produce rotigtry one-third of all hogs, QUESTIONS SOLUTION Mr. Riddell isn't sure what the solution is to toploading. Two possibilities, he says, are a tripartitie production management system. or even countervailing duties imposed by the province. The ideal solution, he says, would be a 'national stabilization program. He says he's "totally opposed" to the tripartitie plan. "IN e're getting by without duties Mow 1." he says, "and it'S much better " Provinces which do subsidize their farm- ers, such as Quebec, British Columbia or those in the Maritimes. would oppose a national plan he says. They might land up getting less for`their products if such a plan were approved. *- *He points out, though. that even supply management has its drawbacks. it could' result in a reduced export market In general, he says, "Farming is not looking too bright. Free trade gets caught in the squeeze.* He blames many of the problems on the protectionism of tUS and h.e„44 the European Economic Community "We're looking at some very roc . roads (in the near future)," he says "e have some major decisions to make "And we'd like the producers to take' part." Assessment figures out for municipalities 4