HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-09-29, Page 27ByJACK RIDDELL
'MPP Huron-Middlesex
From September 12 to 16, the
Canadian Conference of
Legislative Ombudsmen was
held at the Sheraton Centre in
Toronto, on the initiative of
IT
EY!
S ASTHMA
WEEK!
KINSMEN EXECUTIVE — The Exeter Kinsmen have commenced fall activities under their new executive,
Seated in the front from the left are: president Eric Finkbeiner, first vice-president Ken Snedden and past
president Bob Reynolds. Standing are registrar Gary Eagleson, secretary Dennis Hockey, directors Wayne
King and Terry Romphf. Missing from the photo are other executive members Tom Humphreys, Jim Neil,
Gerald Willis and Briand Sanders. T-A photo
Huron rejects higher speed limit
Conestoga College of Applied Arts and Technology
CONTINUING EDUCATION CUNTON CAMPUS FALL '77 COURSES
The following courses are being offered this toll semester, Students are already
enrolling. To ensuee yourself a place' in the course of your choice, please
telephone 482,3455 Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or visit our campus of
Vonastro Rd., Clinton, Ontario.
Home Study (Math & English) $50.00
Bookkeeping-Basic to Advanced $23.00
Effective Supervision-Communications $50.00
Successfully Operating your Business $50.00
Basic Blueprint Reading-
Mechanical & Fabrication $23.00
Advanced Blueprint Reading
-Mechanical & Fabrication
Defensive Driving
Small Engines Servicing 8. Repair
Bartending Techniques
Introduction to Real Estate-Segment I
Segment II
Segment II
$23.00
$12.00
$20.00
$32.00
$60,00
$90.00
$110.00
$140.00 Principles of Appraisal.
Fri.
Fri.
Fri.
to
to
to
to
Introduction to Coronary Core Nursing $53.00
Mon.
Mon.
Tues.
Mon.
Wed.
Wed.
Mon.
Thurs.
Mon.
Mon.
Mon.
Mon.
Wed.
* You are invited to attend an Information evening on Monday, September 12
between 6:05 • 9:00 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.
CONESTOGA COLLEGE We've got a lot to share ....
.0 •
Hay township
plan meetings
Dates have been set by Hay
Township for workshop meetings
in regard to the township's
Secondary Plan. These are open
to the public. Participation by
residents is urged.
The meetings will be held at
the Township Hall in Zurich at 8
p.m. on October 27, November 2,
November 10, November 17,
November 24 and December 1.
Details will be published later. Treat
yourself
to
the
good
life!
Freedom of
Arthur Maloney, the Provincial
Ombudsman for Ontario.
Former Canadian Finance
Minister John Turner chaired the
session of the Conference which
was concerned with "The
Ombudsman and Access to
Information", It was his belief
that the ultimate adjudicative
authority in this connection "
should rest with the courts, that
the Ombudsman's function was
quite distinct, although there is
considerable overlap,
Gerald Baldwin, ivt.p., a long-
time proponent of freedom of
information expressed the view
that secrecy led to incompetence,
indecision and scandal. He
favoured the idea of the
Ombudsman • intervening' to
secure documents which had
been denied.
Donald MacDonald, M,P,P.
maintained that the
parliamentary system cannot be
truly democratic unless there is
freedom of information. He
believes that freedom of in-
formation will lead to genuinely
responsible government and
reduce the alienation of people
from government.
Margaret Campbell, M.P.P.,
dealt directly with freedom of
information available to the
public through the Legislature,
one of her concerns being the
right of the individual to see his
or her own file. She also dealt in
specific terms with the right of
the citizen to know what the
government is doing, citing
experience in the provincial
legislature.
For example, she mentioned an
11-page document reporting on
efforts to obtain information
from the government, par-
ticularly the MiniStry of Health,
on a private enterprise which
receives some seven million
dollars an:- from the
Province. Oral questions and
Order Paper questions failed to
obtain the onformation, and we
resurrected a little known
procedure called "A Notice of
Motion for Production of
Papers", in addition to letters to
the Minister. All to no avail.
Then there is the matter of the
Toronto Island Airport, and its
possible use for STOL (Short
Take-Off and Landing) 'planes.
In April 1974, we learned of the
existence of a Committee
meeting behind closed doors to
review "technical information"
on this, matter. (Incidentally, not
all the members serving on this
Committee had technical ex-
pertise.) Originally, we sought
membership ef the Committee,
Subsequently ,the stoats
was requested. This too was
denied, although it was resolved
that the minutes of meetings be
made available.
However, the minutes we
received were considerably less
than complete, The matter was
referred to the Attorney General
on the basis of an investigation
into the falsification of public
documents, but he ruled the
Chairman of the Committee had
prepared a summary of
proceedings which contained
"All the essential and basic
points that were discussed". The
Minister stated: "In creating
this summary there was no at-
.v.35'w,WPni,i.t:Imw..1.11Covvifteft004001. - kit
information
tempt to distort the facts or
mislead people as to the Com-
mittee's considerations".
It is interesting to note that
among those matters deleted
from our minutes were the
numbers of passengers which
might be expected to use a STOL
airport, alternative airport sites,
the full name of a provincial
government study and a
statement regarding provincial
policy towards introduction of air
service in Southern Ontario.
Experience with government
information offices is equally
discouraging. Earlier this
summer we requested reports
from the Ministry of Health, one
on ambulance service, the other
on allegations by the Canadian
Civil Liberties Association that
people had been improperly
detained in mental hospitals. To
date neither report has been
received from the Government,
although the report on am-
bulance services has been sent to
us "in a brown paper envelope"
from an unknown source.
Replying to questions in the
House from the Liberal Leader,
the Premier said, on July 7th, this
year that his "experience has
been that there has been very
little that hasn't been made
public in one form or another."
This may be true if one searches
the archives, but hardly answers
the present burning problems.
It has been suggested that
creation of the Office of
Provincial Ombudsman is a big
step forward: this may well be
true as far as individuals are
concerned. However, one flaw in
the legislation is the question of
the confidentiality of the
Ombudsman's Office. For
example, a Select Committee
wrestled for some time with
problems in correctional in-
stitutions, as a result of a report
of the Ombudsman, and
discussions were deferred
because his office was preparing
a comprehensive report on the
subject,
Finally, he concluded that be
could not introduce the report,
either to the Speaker or to the
Committee, although it had been
received by the Ministry.
Other prat kerns have arisen
from the practice of tabling
"interim" answers to questions
and from questions which have
died on the Order Paper, as well
as the habit of Ministries
resorting to the device of Cabinet
confidentiality in refusing to
release reports.
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,Kin hearspeentd
events.
d iscussing upcoming By LARRY LICNTY
Bill Batten, editor of The
Times-Advocate was guest
speaker at the ;Exeter Kinsmen
club second general meeting held
at the Huron Restaurant,
Thursday,
Mr. Batten spoke on how
community clubs 'such as the
Kinsmen can best use the local
paper as a source of com-
munications to explain the
relationship between the club's
activities and the community,
He emphasized that groups
such as ours should let the
community know what work we
are doing for it.
A lesson for all community
clubs could be learned from Mr.
Batten's speech.
The rest of the evening was
concur with a resolution from the
Regional Municipality of
Durham requesting additional
financing from MTC on a "per
sign basis" for metric con-
version.
The road committee told
council the cost of government
setting up this one time program
would out-weigh the benefits each
municipality would receive.
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Family asthma programs
Day Camps
C
Huron County Council did not
accept a proposal of the County of
Middlesex to increase the speed
limit on County Road 5 from
Highway 4 to Highway 61 from 80
km h (50 m,p.h.) to 90 km h (56
m.p.h.),
According to the road com-
mittee, who recommended the
proposal be rejected, the speed
limit on County Road 5 should
conform with the speed limits on
Highway 4 and Highway 81.
It was pointed out by Reeve Bill
Morley of Usborne Township
that when people from his part of
Huron County go into London,
they often use Highbury Ave. in
Middlesex County where the
r1; For information contact
your Lung Association
ASTHMA WEEK
OCT 3-9
Sponsored lay.1-luron Perth Lung Association
WINTER
COATS
and
SNOW SUITS
We have Exeter's largest
selection of quality
speed limit remains at 60 m.p,h.
According to Morley, this is
advantageous "if you're a little
behind time".
Ed Oddleifson of Hayfield
cautioned Morley that just
because the signs have never
been changed, drivers do not
have the right to travel at that
speed. He said he'd been caught
for speeding in Middlesex.
Engineer Robert Dempsey said
Middlesex is one county in this
part of the province where the
speed signs have not been
changed, and he suspected it was
just a temporary delay, Some,
counties, tie said, had not'
changed their road signs when,
the speed limits were changed,
because they were expecting.
another change to metric this'
summer.
Dempsey also said that if,
speeders were caught on roads
posted at 60 m.p.h, it might be
difficult for the courts to make a
charge stick if someone was.
charged with exceeding the 80
km h limit.
Huron's metric speed limit sign
conversion program is com-
pleted. About 400 speed limit
signs were changed at a cost of
about $10,000. This work is
subsidized by the Ministry of
Transportation and Com-
munications.
The county council did not
Timili-Advoc to, Sfilptimbir 29, 1977
Paso 25
$30 //
In
Brown
/
Progress on the bridge that the
Kinsmen club is replacing over
the Ausable River in Riverview
Park is nearing completion.
Dennis Hockey project chairlttan
expects it to be done by October 3,
A dance sponsored by the
Kinsmen club has been planned
for the latter part of October or
early November in ,the new
community centre.
The annual Kinsmen ball
tournament will be held October 2
at the Huron Park nail diamond
providing the weather holds out,
The Exeter Kinsmen club
hopes it can live up to its motto
"serving the community's
greatest needs,'',
RINGSIDE
le • 4C".
• • 0
CtlARGFIX
VISA
ENNIS
Auxiliary
hears talk
Mrs. Anne St, Jean was guest
speaker at the September
Huronview Auxiliary meeting,
held in the Craft Room on
Monday, September 19. She gave
an invitation to the opening of the
day care centre, to be held on
September 30 from 2 pm to 4 pm.
Plans are for the centre to be
open five days a week.
The meeting was chaired by
Mrs. C. Colciough and opened by
all repeating the Lord's Prayer,
followed by the treasurer's report
and the roll call which was an-
swered by 13 members naming
their favourite fruit, Discussion
followed regarding the Bazaar,
Bake Sale and Tea on October 19.
The meeting adjourned and cake
and tea were served.
Striyth's
SHOE STORE
MAIN ST. EXETER
PHONE 235-1933
$12op
(Main
OA%
Let the Junction keep your family warm this
winter, We have literally hundreds of coats
and snow suits to choose from at what we feel
are very attractive prices, Shop early while
our selection i$ at its best.
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