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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1987-09-02, Page 1dtaF::!':TLSYk7iil am ESTABLISHED IN 1873 "THE SEPOY TOWN" ON THE HURON -BRUCE BOUNDARY Wednesday, September 2, 1987 PC's ask MPP Elston "Where's the shovel?" By Rob Bundy In an effort to bring attention to his cur- rent campaign and to the delayed expan- sion of the Kincardine and District Hospital, PC candidate Mike Snobelen pos- ed in front of the hospital last week with a shovel "just in case Murray Elston lost his". Snobelen, speaking of the approval for an addition of 20 chronic care beds to the hospital two -and -a -half years ago, says the people of Bruce County deserve better. "The Liberals approved the design two - and -a -half years ago, and construction was to have started in May," said Snobelen. "On July 8 a tender was awarded to a con- tractor awaiting final approval from the ministry. And we're still waiting. My ques- tion is, has Elston lost his shovel?" The $2.1 million project may have to be re -tendered if the delay continues, says Snobelen, and that will cost money. "There is also a human aspect here," said Snobelen. "Action must be forthcom- ing. People are concerned and as a former governor of this hospital, I'm concerned." Snobelen added that if the Minister of Health announced his final approval next week, he would be happy and would set politics aside. The Kincardine Hospital isn't the only area in which Snobelen feels the Liberal government has let the taxpayers down. In an interview with the Sentinel last week, Snobelen said the recently announced campaign promise to increase the number of teachers by 4,000 and to implement more computer technology in the provin- cial education system will simply mean higher education taxes for Bruce County taxpayers. "Peterson promises to pay for the wages, but who will pay for the classrooms, heat, hydro and cleaning? ....I fear it will be you and I, said Snobelen. "I'm concerned with the Liberal education policies. It will be a massive tax drain and that money comes from our pockets." Snobelen says, if elected, he'll strive to maintain the basics in education while, keeping the taxes down. "I beleive it should be quality first, quantity second," said Snobelen from his campaign headquarters located in Kincardine. Snobelen has been a member of the Bruce County Board of Education as well as serving on the Township Council and as Reeve. He lives with his wife, Judy, and their three children on a farm near Ripley. Second campaign The September 10 call to the polls will be the second time Snobelen has tried for a seat in the Provincial. Parliment. The first campaign, in 1985, was his "learning experience". "We have a much greater understanding now," said Snobelen, "and I feel we have them on the run. A week is a long time in politics. People are just now getting in- terested in this election." He adds that there are "great rewards in serving the people" and that he "loves campaigning". "Now is the time when we must reach the `swing voters' - the people with no strong political affiliations," said Snobelen. "If we can do that we'll do very well in this election." On the subject of free trade with the United States, Snobelen is quick to point out that PC leader Larry Grossman is the only candidate to take a firm stand on the issue giving it his full support. "We feel Canadian producers and manufacturers can compete on the world market," said Snobelen. "Eighty per cent of our trade with the U.S. is already free." Small communities On a more local note, Snobelen says the government could be doing much more for the small communities which make up the province. He cites the numerous grants available to small centres as good, but not good enough. "Lucknow is a prime example of what small town Ontario can do," said Snobelen. "It has a thriving economic base but we must be careful to promote small business and not discourage it. It is very difficult for small communities, for exam- ple, to raise money to match the grants they are given. So really, we aren't getting our fair share." Snobelen says he feels the government should look at a community's ability to pay on a per capita basis and should work at "getting Wintario grant monies back into the communities and out of the general revenues of the government". Regrading agriculture in the county, Snobelen says he would strive for set-aside policies for farm land in an effort to cut surpluses and feels an increase in' initial subsidies paid to farmers would allow them to produce less crop and thereby in- crease demand. Close call with. PCB A close call with the cancer-causing chemical polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) has raised the environmental awarness of cottager Bonnie Heath of Kit- chener and her family, and now, Heath wants to spread a warning to others in the area of her situation, which is not yet en- tirely resolved. The Ministry of the Environment an- nounced last June that as many as 4,000 of the 460,000 private wells in Ontario might have submersible pumps containing the oi- ly, cancer-causing chemical which was widely used in electrical equipment until declared dangerous a few years ago. Heath's pump, at their cottage in Bayfield, was made by the F.E. Myers Co. of Ashland and is one of those with a possi- ble PCB contamination. After contacting the manufacturer, she was first assured there was no possible way her pump was contaminated. Later, however, she learned from the Ministry of the Environment that her pump was among the 4,000 thought to be contaminated. "I didn't want to eat the food, I didn't want to wash here, I didn't want to be here," Heath said. Heath said the extent of her plight hit her hard one weekend when she arrived at the cottage to, find the freezer had been off all day and her food spoiling. She immediate- ly began cooking the food to try and preserve it. "Here I was trying to save all this food for my family - I had borrowed pots and pans from my neighbours to do it all - then I realized I was cooking all this stuff in that Turn to age 9 • • 1 PC candidate for Bruce County, Mike Snobelen, wants to know if Murray Elston has lost his sod -turning shovel. If this is the case, says Snobelen, there's one waiting for him here. Snobelen staged the mock sod -turning to protest the delayed approval of the addition to the Kincardine Hospital by the Minister of Health. (Rob Bundy photo} Support Night for Neil On February 3, 1987, a large straw bale fell backwards pinning Neil Stapleton to his tractor seat. The accident broke his vertabrae and drove broken peices of bone inward severing part of his spinal cord. At the outset, Neil's life was in danger and it seemed that he would never have use of his lower body again. The only medical care which could be done for him was complete bed rest. But Neil Stapleton is a man who possesses tremendous strength of will. This determined gentleman, after six mon- ths of extraordinary effort, is partially mobile again using a pair of canes and aid- ed by the plastic ankle -foot orthoses that keep his feet from tipping forward and tripping him. These mechanical aides were donated by the Lucknow and Goderich Lions Clubs. Neil and his wife Nancy, along with their five daughters, farm on the sixth conces- sion of West Wawanosh. Neil is a succesful beef cattle operator and a local leader as a director of the Huron County Cattlemen's Association. He is also a director of the Lucknow Co-op as well as the Deputy Grand Knight of the local Knights of Columbus. The unfortunate accident of last winter has prompted Neil's neighbors and friends to stage a4 `Support Night' for this courageous man. On September 11, 1987, starting at 8:30 p.m. in the Lucknow Community Centre, Neil's friends and interested people of the area are encouraged to be present at this Support Night and help assist him to con- tinue farming, You can dance to the music of Betty Lou's Country Roundup. Refreshments will be served' and the ladies are kindly asked to bring lunch. Donations will be ac- cepted at the door. This event is being sponsored by the Knights of Columbus of Kingsbridge, Lucknow and St. Augustine.