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The Citizen, 1986-01-29, Page 1Grey insurance costs up 70% Although figures aren't yet complete. Grey Township will spend about 70 per cent more on insurance this year than last, councillors learned at a council meeting January 20. Wayne Erdelac of Frank Cowan Company Limited and Keith Mul­ vey and Doug Shouldice of Cardiff and Mulvey Real Estate and Insurance were at the meeting to review the township’s insurance coverage and the draft insurance contract. The premium for 1986 will be about $17,000. In other business, council pass­ ed a by-law setting the fee for zoning by-law amendment appli­ cations at $250. Another by-law set the borrowing limit for the year for township expenses at $400,000. There will be a regular council meeting on J an uary 30 at 9:30 a. m. W. Wawanosh councillors hold line on their salaries West Wawanosh township councillors virtually held the line on their own salaries for the coming year and made sure they’re going to have to attend council meetings in order to get that much. Under a salary schedule adopted Jan. 10, Reeve Jim Aitchison’s salary was set at $650 plus $76 per meeting for up to 12 regular meetings for a total of $1562 comparedto$15601astyear. He will also receive $15 per meeting for any meetings over and above 12. Councillorswill receive a similar $650 lump payment plus $50 per meeting up to 12 meetings for a total of $1250 compared to $1248 last year. They’ll also get $15 for each meeting over 12. Each member of council will receive $35 per meeting for attendance at committee meetings to which they have been appointed. Clerk-treasurer Joan Armstrong was given a five per cent salary increase up to $18,060 plus $35 for each evening meeting she must attend and 30 cents per mile for travel costs. The township will pay 100 per cent of OHIP costs and four weeks vacation pay. The road superintendent also received a five per cent increase with his wage going from $9.40 per hour to $9.90. He’ll also receive total OHIP coverage and four weeks vacation. The wage for the grader operator increases to $9.55 per hour from $9.10 with 100 per cent free OHIP and two weeks vacation. The casual labour rate was set at $5 per hour and the Dump Superintendent will receive $6 per hour, up from $5.65. The Building Inspector/drain- age Superintendent will receive $9.60 per hour, up from $9.15 per hour. He will also receive $20 for each meeting he attends plus 30 cents per mile travel costs. Council also passed a special motion raising the wage of part- time winter helper Roger Panna- becker to $6 from $5 retroactive to January 1. Council also asked the clerk to write to County Engineer Robert Dempsey with regard to the snow problem at the corner of County Road 22 and concession 10 caused by reconstruction of County Road 22 this past summer. VOL. 2 NO. 5 Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londe&borough, Walton and surrounding townships. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1986.40 CENTS Beef imports cut. Wise says John Wise, federal agriculture minister spoke to the Huron County Cattlemen’s Association in Clinton Friday, claiming his government had cut beef imports from the European Community by half in 1985 and warning the government must get involved in freer trade negotiations with the U.S. to keep beef markets open. A full house was on hand to give him a standing ovation. Huron County Cattlemen, noisy in their protests last year about imports of beef from the European Economic Community (EEC) sat quietly Friday afternoon when Federal Agriculture Minister John Wise told them his government has cut overall beef imports in the past year. Mr. Wise, speaking to the annual meeting of the Huron County Cattleman’s Association, said imports from all sources in 1985 will be below imports in 1984. While the government had sus­ pended the Meat Import Act with its tough standards against beef Delinquent Brussels PUC bills won't be added to taxes council decides Those not paying their Public Utilities bills in Brussels will be pursued through small claims court, not through having their unpaid bills added to taxes, Brussels council decided January 20. Clerk-Treasurer Stuart Parker explained to council that there is a provision under provincial legisla­ tion for public utilities bills to be addedtotaxesbutcouncil felt it did notwanttogoin that direction. Some councillors felt that if there was a problem getting people to pay their bills, their power should be shut off. Mr. Parker explained that in one case a restricter had been installed preventing a deli- quent customer from drawing all but essential power needs until he had paid his bill. When word of this got around, several other deli- quent customers had paid their bills quickly, he said. However, it is difficult to cut someone’s power completely in the middle of winter, he said. Deputy-clerk-treasuer Ruth Sauve put the problem in perspec­ tive saying Brussels has one of the lowest write-off rates for bad debts imports from the EEC, it still cut EEC imports by half from 1984 levels he said. When Glen Coultes, director of the Ontario Cattleman’s Associa­ tion questioned the fact that the United States has a quota for imports from the EEC of only 11 million pounds while Canada, with one tenth the population has a quota of 23 million pounds, Mr. Wise said the rules were different for the U.S. than for Canada due to negotiations during the last round of the General Agreement on Tarrifs and Trade (GATT). Cana­ dian negotiators, he said, didn’t do in utility bills of any of the utilities in the area. In her 11 years working in the office, she said, only about $1000 had been lost due to bad debts. In other business, George Jutzi was present at the meeting to answer complaints about his dog. He wondered what the complaint was and Reeve Hank Ten Pas explained that people had com­ plained about the big German shepherd jumping at people at the end of its chain and also about the noiseit made. Mr. Jutzi said at least his dog was tied up and asked what about al Ithe dogs running loose. He brought his own complaints about a fence on a road allowance near his property. He demanded that the fence be moved and the road allowance be cleaned up. Councillor Gordon Workman declared conflict of interest on the subject since the fence in question belongs to him. When council later considered the question, councillor Malcolm Jacobs agreed to check into the situation of the fence and see if it was on the road allowance and by well by Canadian agriculture while the Americans negotiated a separ­ ate deal. Under the rules of GATT quotascanbe imposed on the basis of historical trade patterns but with importation of EECbeef, there was no uniform pattern. Five years ago and four years ago, he said, we imported no EEC beef. Threeyears ago imports were one million pounds. Twoyears ago imports were 13 million pounds but by 1984 they had jumped to 50.1 million pounds. His advisors, experts in trade matters said if Canada tried to restrict imports to anything less how much. On the question of the dog, council decided that no laws were being broken since the dog was chained as the law required and there is no bylaw against dogs barking in the village. Councillor Workman expressed concern over the set up of the recreation committee saying that although the village does not have a controlling vote on the commit­ tee, as originating municipality it was responsible for the actions of the committee. The Lions Club, with five members on the commit­ tee, has more control than the village does, he said. Reeve Ten Pas pointed out that the Lions members were put on as indivi­ duals, not representatives of the club and should be looking after the interests of the community, not just the Lions club. A pool committee to hire staff and supervise the running of the new pool being constructed by the Lions Club and donated to the village, is to be set up. It is expected to have two members of the recreation committee and three outside representatives. Beverley Brown was present at o than the 23 million pound figure, it would likely be challenged under the GATT rules and stood a 90 per cent chance of being defeated. If the Canadian bill was judged illegal then the entire bill would be thrown out. The advisors said he had managed to get a 50 per cent reduction over trade levels in 1984 andsaidheshouldquitwhilehe was ahead. If the import bill was defeated there were predictions that EEC beef imports might reach as high as 90 million pounds, he said. Canada would be pi essing for agriculture’s inclusion in the next roundofGATTnegotiations, he said. “Our goals are straight­ forward. We want better access to export markets, better controls on export subsidies, and contractural rules that apply equally and fairly to all countries. Free trade questions made up a good part of the lengthy question periodattheendofthespeech. Saying trade negotiators had not done well by Canadian farmers in the past he pledged better results this time, saying there are a series of sector sub committees being set up to help set Canada’s negotiating position for negotiator Simon Reisman and agriculture will be as large as any other committee named, he promised. “The bottom line is it’s going to be a good deal, a square deal, a better deal for agriculture or there won’t be a deal,” he promised. One disgruntled producer how­ ever wondered if he would be putting the same effort into free trade negotiations that he did into efforts to stop some U.S. states from banning imported Canadian pork due to supposed drug use in Canada or the U.S. imposition of a Continued on page 20 the meeting to explain the work of the Town and Country Homemak­ ers in support of a request for a grant to support the program. The Homemakers help keep people in their homes and out of nursing homes for as long as possible by helping them do things they are no longer able to do for themselves, she explained, thus helping cut costs for more expensive facilities and keep people in their own communities, part of the commun­ ity and still paying taxes. The grants are needed to help subsidize the costs for people who can’t afford to pay the full rate of $7.44 per hour for the service. No one gets the service for nothing, sheexplained, but costs are able to be cut to an amount people can afford through fundraising and municipal grants. Since 1977 when the Homemakers started, she said, the average age of people entering Huronview has increased from 76 to 84. Last year about 15 people in Brussels used the service of the Homemakers. Council voted to give a donation to the group of $448.