HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1983-06-08, Page 3one foot in the furrow b„bob trotter
Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, June 8, 1983—Page 3
A
Hydro takes favourable attitude to farmers
Ontario Hydro has taken a beating
from farm writers over the years.
Most of the time that roasting in the
press has been deserved. I can recall
talking to farmers 15 years ago who
were so disgusted with Hydro's land -
buying tactics that they refused to let
Hydro representatives onto their
land.
Those buyers, at that time, gleefully
played one farmer against the other.
They would tell one farmer that his
neighbor had settled for $200 an acre.
The naive farmer would reluctantly
agree to the low sum and find out later
that the buyer had told his neighbor
the same thing.
But that cavalier attitude has
changed.
Regional property directors for the
giant utility are making on -the -spot
adjustments for disgruntled farmers.
The directors, although not bending
over backwards, are trying hard to be
fair in their dealings with farmers.
A case in point is along the St.
Thomas -to -Windsor power corridor.
Hydro bought the land from farmers
back in the early 1900s whether the
farmers wanted to sell or not.
In turn, Hydro leased the land back
to the owners for $1 an acre plus pro-
perty taxes. A fair enough deal even
then but it applied only to original
owners and their sons and daughters.
It was not until 1983 that Hydro
decided to re -negotiate the original
deals and that was when the fit hit the
shan. Angry farmers thought they
were getting the whole farm when
they purchased it but found that
Hydro owned the corridors.
Hydro officials, on the other hand,
said the original deals were made in
good faith and new owners would
have to get new agreements.
In April of this year, Hydro officials
sat down with the disgruntled farmers
to discuss terms.
Stressing that Hydro "wanted to be
fair," Fred Ellis, southwestern On-
tario regional property director, gave
the present owners the same rights as
the original owners which satisfied
the farmers involved.
Although Mr. Ellis definitely said
that the settlement should not be a
precedent when other regions of the
province are re -negotiated, the St.
ASHFIELD RECREATION SLO-PITCH STANDINGS
A Kinloss
Kingsbridge
Port Albert
Lucknow
Benmiller
B Lanes
Crystalizers
Outlaws
Nile
Kinsmen
Kintail
AS OF JUNE 5
4
3
1
1
W
5
4
2
2
0
1
2
2
2
0
2
3
4
5
8-
6
2
2
0
10
8
4
4
0
0
Thomas -Windsor corridor is being
viewed by farmers as a refreshing
step forward.
Ellis has said he hopes farmers
won't take it as a precedent because
the St. Thomas -Windsor corridor was
an unique situation. But the farmers
concerned saw a new spirit of
cooperation in the situation and are,
hoping for fair treatment when the
rest of the lease agreements on older
lines are re -negotiated.
It is certainly a far different at-
titude than that displayed by other
utility demands in years past.
Gas companies have had to be taken
to court in a long line of litigation
before land owners got satisfaction.
Only recently has Hydro agreed to
erect power lines in patterns that do
the least environmental damage in-
stead of a straight swath hundreds of
yards wide through farmlands,
swamps, forests and rivers with no
regard for damage caused.
Hydro has developed a set of
guidelines for land acquisition – and
complainants now have the en-
vironmental protection agency behind
them.
Identify Jamboree
pictures
Clem Cote of Point Clark "identified" the picture of the
well known Lucknow woman, Beth Johnstone, which
appeared in last week's issue of the Sentinel.
A collage of pictures included the picture of Dan McLeod
and two of Russell Whitby. Harvey Webster correctly
identified Dan McLeod but no one knew "Buster". Those
who called thought the picture of Buster in the cowboy hat
and chapps was a lady wearing a floppy hat turned back,
sitting in a very "unlady" like position with the chapps
forming her skirt.
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Patio Stones
18"x 18"-24"x24"
Sidewalk Slabs
24" x 30"
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PORTLAND AND MASONRY
JOHN W. HENDERSON LTD. LUCKNOW UNT
BUSINESS HOURS MON. TO FRI. 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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528-3118
Golden Anniversary
Open House was held on Saturday, June 4 to celebrate the
Golden Wedding Anniversary of Edna and Bill Ross of
Lucknow, who were married June 8, 1933. They have two
children, Audrey Barry of Woodbridge and Douglas of
Lucknow and three grandchildren. BW and Edna farmed in
Ashfield Township until 1965 when they moved to Lucltnow.
Bill was employed with the Village for a few years and at
present is assistant caretaker of Greenhill Cemetery. Edna is
a member of the Lucknow Presbyterian W.M.S. and formerly
a member of Ashfield W.M.S. She is a former teacher at
Ashfield Presbyterian Church Sunday School.
(Photo by Sharon Dietz]
LUCKNOW
Hazy,
Lazy,
Days of
Summer
HERE'S WHAT WE'RE
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LADIES SPORTSWEAR, DAY AND EVENING
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528-3533