HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-10-12, Page 1Who s runningV.
Municipal politicians
polled for intentions
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Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel,
Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships.
VOL. 4 NO. 41 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1988. 45 CENTS
McQuail acclaimed NDP federal candidate
An expected competition for the
New Democratic Party nomination
became a coronation Saturday
night when a conflict between the
dates of the municipal and federal
elections caused one of the two
candidates for the nomination to
drop out of the running.
TonyMcQuail.aWestW awa-
nosh township farmer, won the
nomination unopposed at the NDP
nomination meeting in Dungannon
after Norma Peterson of Kincar
dine dropped out saying she still
had things she wanted to do in
municipal politics. The Kincardine
town councillor says she intends to
seek the Reeve’s position in
Kincardine in the Nov. 14 munici
pal election.
Mr. McQuailwillfindhimself
contesting both the Nov. 21 federal
election and the municipal election
where he is a sitting member of the
Huron County Board of Education.
He said he’ll let his name stand for
the board of education on the
urging of some of his constituents.
Mr. McQuail, who operates an
organic mixed farm near St.
Helens with his wife Fran, said
environmental issues will be im
portant in the election. “Until we
get an economy that realizes its
dependence on the environment,
we won’t have a society that cares
about the environment," he told
the 50 people in attendance at the
Dungannon'Senior Citizens Hall.
The environmental costs must be
represented in the economic costs
of manufactured goods, he said.
He said he was also worried
about defence projects, saying war
was the greatest danger of all to the
environment.
He stressed that the New
Democrats are the one party
ordinary Canadians can count on to
represent their interests because
the party is funded by ordinary
citizens, not receiving money from
big industry or banks like the
Liberals or Progressive Conserva
tives.
Mr. McQuail said he hadn’t
expected to receive the nomination
so easily and said he had worn his
Norma Peterson T-shirt under his
suit so he could join her team if she
had been victorious. Both have
beencandidatesforthepartyin
provincial or federal elections
previously and Mr. McQuail is
president of the Huron-Perth
riding association while Mrs.
Peterson is vice-president. Mr.
McQuail is also a past president of
the Huron County Federation of
Agriculture and was a leader of the
Foodland Steering Committee ne
gotiating the route for Ontario
Hydro power corridors through
Western Ontario.
In her speech Arlene Rae, wife of
Bob Rae, Leader of the Opposition
in Ontario hit out at the confusion
caused by the proximity of the
federal and municipal elections.
She said the situation is made
worse bv a provincial by-election in
November in Welland, where her
Tony McQuail makes a point during his speech Saturday night in accepting the New Democratic Party
nomination for the federal riding of Huron-Bruce for the Nov. 21 election. He won the nomination by
acclamation after Norma Peterson, the other declared candidate withdrew so she could concentrate on
running for reeve of Kincardine in the Nov. 14 election. Arlene Rae, wife of Ontario NDP leader Bob Rae
and guest speaker at the meeting, looks on.
Brussels councillors will run
Brussels Reeve J. Gordon Work
man will be seeking a return to the
same office in the Nov. 14
municipal election after serving on
Brussels council since 1979. He
was appointed reeve in July, 1987,
upon the resignation of Hank Ten
Pas.
Reeve Workman said Monday
his main desire is to see the
establishment of some industry in
the village and/or surrounding
townships,, but added that apart
from that, he didn’t like to plan too
far ahead. ‘‘A lot of things can
happen," he observed.
Malcolm Jacobs, council's next
longest-serving member, said
Sunday he hadn't decided if he'll
run again; but he indicated that he
felt that The Citizen’s "bad
reporting" had made his pastthree
years “much more difficult."
Ruth Sauve, appointed to coun-
ciltofillavacancyinJuly/1987,
said she will definitely run, but
hadn’t decided on Sunday for what
position. ‘ ‘ I have been asked to run
for reeve," she said.
Although this is her first time in
elected office, Mrs. Sauve has had
extensive experience with munici
pal politics, having served for 13
years rn the Brussels clerk’s office,
and as deputy returning officer and
poll clerk in Sudbury.
Her chief goal for the next three
years is to see the establishment of
sorpe industry in the municipality;
but high on her wish-list is also the
desire for more consensus on
Brussels council.
‘ ‘ If a decision has been made and
is done with, it should be left
alone," she said. “I really hate to
see history dug up again and
again."
The village’s two newest coun
cillors, Gertie Kellington and
Bruce Hahn, both appointed in
July to fill vacancies, both say
they will run for election to council
on November 14, and both say the
establishment of more business
and industry top their ambitions
for the next three years.
"Youhaveto listen and learn
what’s going on before you can
really do much,’’ Mrs. Kellington
said.
Sealed-down
Huronview
approved
The replacement of the present
Huronview with up to three new
smaller homes for the elderly took a
step closer to reality Thursday
when Huron County Council ap
proved a motion to apply to the
Ministry of Community and Social
Services for authorization to pro
ceed and for funding for the
project.
In a recorded vote of 23-5,
council approved the plan to
provide 220 beds, 39 residential
care and 181 extended care in three
sites, at the present Huronview
site, at a new site in the north of the
county and at a new site in the
south. Council also approved the
hiring of an architect for the first
phase of the proposal, a new
building with 72 extended care and
28 residential care beds at the
present Huronview site.
The approval of the recommen
dation from the Huronview Com
mittee of Management and the
county’s Executive Committee
came after a lengthy discussion by
councillors worried about the cost
of the project. With an estimate of
$65,000 per bed from the report of
the Seniors Care Facility Commit
tee which was presented to council
in July, the cost of the 100 bed
initial phase would be $6.5 million.
The north and south Huron homes,
proposed to be built after the
Huronview project is completed,
would each have 60 beds or a cost of
$3.9 million each, based on the
study’s figures.
The size of the project has been
pared down from the study’s
original proposal which would
have seen two 80-bed units at
H uronview and one 80-bed unit
each in the north and south.
Councillors were clearly worried
about the costs of the project and a
commitment to complete all three
phases of the project. Brian
McBurney of Turnberry, one of
those reeves who voted against the
approval said he had expected the
executive committee to provide
more financial information on the
effect on the county of the project.
Bill Hanly, county clerk-trea
surer said there was no doubt there
were a lot of questions unanswer
ed. The county will have to decide
whethertopayfortheprojectof
current revenues or debenture it
over 10 or 20 years. Debenturing
the project over 20 years would at
least double the cost, he said.
Ontheotherhand, payingforthe
project out of current revenues
would mean a tax increase of
one-half mill across the county for
three years to pay for the county’s
share of the project. It would mean
the taxpayer with a $100,000
residential assessment would pay
an extra $50 per year for the
Huronview project alone. “When
you add all those $50 together, it
adds up," Mr. Hanly said.
Bayfield Reeve Dave Johnston
wondered if the half-mill would
come off at the end of the project.
Ken McCann, Deputy reeve of
Stephen township worried about
the lack of information about the
operating costs of the three-unit
Huronview as did Zurich Reeve
Robert Fisher. Reeve Fisher, a
frequent critic of the high cost of
running Huronivew, wondered if
any research had been done on the
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