Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1988-04-13, Page 19 CELEBRATE IN 19 .. LUCKNOW'S 130th CELEBRATION JUNE 30 - JULY 3, 1988 PUBLISHED 1 LUCKNOW ONTARIO Wednes ' ay, • p 1 , 1988 40C PER COPY Ian Scott defends the Sunday shopping policy By Paul Rudan BLYTH - Past agreements between the Ontario government and the municipalities is one of the reasons for the Liberals' stand on Sunday shopping. At the annual meeting of the Huron Pro- vincial Liberal Association, here at the community centre on April 6, Ian Scott spoke to the audience on: Sunday shopp- ing, abortion and Liberal policy. Mr. Scott is Ontario's Attorney General and Minister responsible for Native Affairs. According to Mr. Scott, the Liberals looked at Ontario's history when they made the decision to let each municipality decide whether to open stores on Sunday. He stated that 35 years ago, the Municipalities wanted the power to regulate store closings Monday through Saturday and they were given that right. In the 1940s, some municipalities wanted. restaurants and movie theatres open Sun- day and the provincial government gave them the authority. Also, playgrounds us- ed to be closed and sporting events could not be held on Sundays; the municipalities were once again given the power to make those decisions. ,Another reason for the Liberal's Sunday shopping policy was the competition faced by border cities competing against the Americans. "We looked at what the reality of life in Ontario was," said Mr. Scott. "We recognized that in many of the big cities, particularly those on the border which face competition from the American side, like Sault Ste. Marie, Windsor and Kingston; there was enormous pressure to open some shops on Sunday, so that people working in those stores could make a livelihood. "Instead of imposing one view on everybody who lives in the province, was it not right...if a municipality doesn't want to touch the thing (Sunday shopping) with a 10 foot pole, they don't have to. "Is there any reason why Sunday in Toronto must be exactly the same as Sun- day in Tillsonburg." Mr. Scott noted that if a municipality wants to deem itself a tourist area, they can open on Sunday. He used Blyth and Bayfield as examples. Mr. Scott concluded by saying the government's policy takes into account the diversity of Ontario. On the issue of abortion Mr. Scott said, "We (government) decided to live with the result the Supreme Court of Canada declared." He criticized British Columbia for not abiding by the supreme court judgement. The law, he stated, is the, "decent, orderly and responsible way to live." When the Liberals took office in 1985, Mr. Scott said that their government was going to work by three principles. The first was, "To be open with the peo- ple we (MPPs) represented. He used ex- amples such as the Freedom of Informa- tion Act and the Conflict of Interest Act, which he called, "tough, man rules." He said that the government enacted the tough guidelines so that the provincial government did not have the same pro- blems as the federal government. The second principle was called, "the highest policy priority." The goal was an, "attempt to repair and restore social pro- grams." Mr. Scott stated that social ser- vices such as hospitals and educational in- stitutions at all levels had been under fund- ed for many years. To repair these ser- vices would take many years, he noted. So far, the government has embarked on the most ambitious hospital and clinic con- struction since the 1960s, he said. Also, grants to primary, secondary and post- secondary institutions have increased. Finally, the Peterson government were committed to making the ."tough deci- sions," Mr. Scott stated. He used as ex- amples, the government ban, on extra - billing by doctors and the the full funding for separate schools. The government will continue to make the tough decisions, he said. At the conclusion of Mr. Scott's speech, the 1988 executive for the Huron Provincial Liberal Association were chosen. The new president is Joe Hogan; first vice- president; John Jewitt; second vice- president, Graeme Craig; secretary, Nan- cy Harper; treasurer, Zowie Wrathby. The 10 area vice-presidents were also selected: Jack Horan, Walton; Fred McGee, Wingham; Norman Pickell, Goderich; Jim Love, Zurich; Joe Semple, Ethel; Peggy Menzies, Clinton; Eileen Palmer, Goderich; Geoffrey Walker, Goderich; Bob Swartman, Exeter; Janet Laurie, Blyth. Carolyn Love from Zurich was selected as the youth representative. Grass fire not serious The Lucknow Fire Department was call- ed out to a grass fire on Friday, April 1. The alarm took the fire fighters to the home of Ron Hodges at Port Albert. When the crew arrived on the scene, the blaze had been brought under control and required no further action on the part of the fire department. A reminder from Fire Cheif Bud Hamilton this week: be sure to take extra care when burning off grass this spring. It doesn't take long for the wind to shift and tragedy to strike. The fire alarm was also sounded on Mon- day of this week, although this turned out to be a false alarm. The alarm was ap- parently tripped when foundation digging behind the Lucknow Service Centre broke a wire causing the alarm to sound. No harm was done and fire fighters, at least, enjoyed a moment's break from their regular daily duties to respond. Final donations c> The final six donations to the Lucknow Fire Department's Training Program have now been received. Thanks to Donald Huffman, the Fairview Dairy, Mrs. Rena MacNale, the St. Helen's Women's In- stitute, Ted Collyer Sr. and Robert McKen- zie for their thoughtful participation in this worthy cause. Ontario's Attorney General, Ian Scott, was in Blyth last week to address a meeting of the Huron Provincial Liberal Association. At the meeting, Scott defended the govern- ment's Sunday Shopping policy. The 1988 executive of the Association was set at the meeting as well. (Paul Rudan photo) What are they building? Residents in and around Lucknow have been watching with interest and specula- tion the work being done in a field less than two kilometers south of the village. At first it appeared that some sort of ir- rigation was being done. Then it looked like drainage pipes were being installed. The site has seen a small work crew and equipment including a front-end loader and grader busy pushing earth for almost two weeks. Before long, a small sign bearing the logo of Ontario Hydro sprung up on a fence post giving us a clue as to the nature of the work. Further investigation, by way of a call to the Ontario Hyrdo Office in Walkerton, has shed some light on these goings on. We were directed to the office of Jack Barclay of the Construction Department who, at first, insisted the work had nothing to do with Ontario Hydro. Further probing revealed that this may have somthing to do with the tower line to be constructed { west of Luckno . A return phone call from Mr. Barclay brought the fact that this small corner of land will be a temporary field office for the crews involved in the installation of this tower lin which will carry power from the brute Power Plant to areas south of London. "My experts tell me the crews near Lucknow are building a temporary head- quarters," admitted Mr. Barclay. "The site will eventually house a mobile trailer so culverts and a drive -way are being constructed." Mr. Barclay also told us that the footings for the tower line are ready to be poured and that the towers and just waiting to be erected. We can expect to see a flury of ac- tivity in the area very soon thanks to On- tario Hydro. As this is a massive undertaking, we can expect to have work crews in the area for some time to come.