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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1988-04-13, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1988. County reform proposal supported by Huron Despite dire predictions that adoption of the recommendations of “Patterns for the Future, The Report of the Advisory Committee on County Government’ ’ would lead inevitably to regional govern- mentforthe county, Huron County councillors voted 22-9 in a recorded vote Thursday to accept all but one of the 36 recommendations in the report. Representatives of the county’s two largest municipalities, God erich and Exeter, led the opposi tion to approving the recommenda tions which deal with reforming the 140-year-old county government structure, proposing such reforms as having the heads of all municipalities sit on county council and having all council head, rural or urban, be called mayors. The report also proposes to give counties permission, with a two- thirds vote of council, to take over any municipal function at the county level. Several councillors led by Exeter Reeve Bill Mickle saw this as the beginning of a move toward regional government. “As reeves and deputy-reeves to accept this report as written is to abdicate your responsibility to your citizens and your municipali ty," he warned. “Do you want an outside jurisdiction with its inher ent lack of sensitivity and history of empire building setting the course for your communities’ future? I hope not." He asked that rather than approve recommendations two through 36 in a blanket motion of support as recommended in a report from the county’s executive committee, council should vote on the recommendations one at a time. He was supported by John Doherty, deputy-reeve of Goderich who said he was opposed to * * pretty well every recommendation in this report." He said he couldn’t see how the executive could recom mend accepting the proposal and asking John Eakins, Ministerof Municipal Affairs to move as quickly as possible to implement the recommendations when the minister himself had been quoted in the newspapers as saying he was in no hurry to implement the report. But other councillors came to the defence of the proposal to adopt the report. County Warden Bob Bell said he didn’t see the problem, saying he was of the opinion that the recommendations were not telling the county what to do but giving it permission to do what it wants. Past Warden Brian McBur- ney of Turnberry said the report has many of the recommendations the county had made in its presentation to the committee. He argued against voting on the report clause by clause saying it would mean the motion couldn't be voted on that day in such acase and would thus delay approval even longer. (A vote had been scheduled on the same motion at the March meeting of council but had been deferred until April to give councillors more time for study of the report). Blyth students prepare for Education Week Continued from page 3 senior students. Everyone is wel come! THEY SHOOT AND SCORE ’ by Karin Lee and Dawn Gross Last week Mr. Livermore organ ized floor hockey for boys and girls from grades 6 to 8. They play every other day during lunch hour. The first game starts at 12:15; the second at 12:35. The timing of this intramural activity is excellent because of the Stanley Cup Play-offs on TV. Soon the hockey season will be over and we will see who wins the NHL award as well astheB.P.S. award. Russel Kernighan, Reeve of Colborne said he had studied the report carefully, had read com ments on the report and had given the matter a lot of thought and “I would like someone to show me why I should vote against it because I’d like to vote against it because 1 feel things in Huron county are going pretty well - but 1 can’t see anything to hurt Colborne township or Huron county." McKillop Reeve Marie Hicknell said she had taken the report to her council and no one had any comment at all. She said she couldn’t see delaying the vote any longer. But Tom Tomes, Reeve of StephenTownship, saidhefound it hard to support the motion because it didn’t even have the support of everyone at the executive commit tee meeting. Bill Hanly, county clerk-treasurer pointed out thatthe motion proposed had been approv ed by the majority of the executive committee members. Dave Johnston, reeve of Bay field argued against leaving the SPRING FLOWERS by Debbie Logue On April 8, the grade 8’s sold daffodils for the Cancer Society. The cost was $2.50 for 10 flowers. The class split into groups and toured the village with their bouquets of beautiful spring daff odils. Approximately $220 was raised for the Cancer Society. The students would like to thank everyone who purchased some daffodils. ANOTHER SPECIALEVENT On Tuesday, April 19, there will be an Authors’ Day held during the afternoon. Our guest will be Lise Gunby; editor of the “Rural Voice” and author of “Early Farm Life". Also, pupil-made books will be on display. Please come and join us! reports first recommendation out of the voting process. The recom mendation asks the minister to conduct a review of very small municipalities and separated municipalities (Municipalities within a county that do not take part in county government). “What’s small? 50, 500, 5,000? No one has given me a definitiion,” he said. ‘ ‘A lot of us may have to defeat a very good report because we don’t support some of the recommenda tions,” he said. He felt to approve the reports other recommenda tions, the first recommendations should also be included. He worried that, although the first recommendation was not part of the mandate of the advisory committee, it was the number one recommendation in the report and somebody wanted it there. He worried that perhaps the minister was trying to slip something through. Reeve Mickle supported him saying although the small munici palities portion of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) did not recognize recommendation one as part of the report the large municipalities of AMO still con sidered it an integral part. “It’s in here and it should be studied,” he said. “Icanlistabout 15recom mendations where it will have an impact on other recommenda tions.” Despite the protests council Did You Know That when young children are forced to breathe cigarette polluted air, their heart beat speeds up, their blood pressure rises, and carbon mono xide enters their bloodstream. BEST I GIC RATE investments 122 Courthouse Sq., Goderich 524-2773 ’’ 1-800-265-5503 voted on the approval of recom mendations two through 36. Vot ing against it were Bee Cooke, reeve of Clinton; J.P. Doherty, deputy-reeve of Goderich; Harry Worsell, reeve of Goderich (two votes); Reeve Mickle; Lossy Ful ler, deputy-reeve of Exeter; Reeve Johnston; ReeveTomes; and K. J. 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