HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-01-25, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1989.
Craig Metzger, a student working with the Huron County Planning
Department and Joanne Richter, Project Co-ordinator with the Huron
County Waste Management Master Plan look at graphs on display at the first
public meeting on the preliminary report held in Blyth Thursday. About 70
attended the meeting.
Government urged
to stop waste at source
Continued from page 1
return he said. Joanne Richter,
Waste Management Master Plan
Project Co-ordinator said the inter
est in recycling has been high in
the county and most of the calls she
has received since beginning her
job last year, have been from
people interested in how to get
involved in recycling.
Norm Fairless, Reeve of Howick
wondered how much pressure the
province, through the Ministry of
Environment is putting on indus
tries to use bio-degradable packag
ing. Cathy Giesbrecht of the Envir
onmental Assessment Branch of
the Ministry of Environment, said
that her ministry has been working
with industry to try to reduce waste
from packaging. McDonald’s Res-
taurams are moving away from
styrofoam containers, she said and
the ministry has charged some pop
companies for having the proper
proportion of returnable to non-re
turnable containers. It’s a very
slow process to change, she said.
Many of the questions from the
audience centred around the fear
that larger municipalities outside
the county might pick Huron as a
location for a waste disposal site.
“The county has taken a stand to
develop a system for Huron,”
Nelson Underwood of Tumberry
townships said. “Do we now have
any assurance that a larger
municipality can’t come into the
county (and open a site).” This
would basically throw away the
money the county has spent on the
Waste Management Master Plan
study, he said.
Mr. MacMillan said that since
early in 1988 any private company
seeking to set up a disposal site has
to go through the same Environ
mental Assessment process as
Blyth redrawing plans for PRIDE program
Blyth village council met last week
in the first of several meetings to
redesign its PRIDE grant proposal to
improve the village with public
meetings on the plan likely by the
end of February.
Art Clark of Maitland Engineer
ing attended the council meeting
on January 11 to inform the new
councillors of what had taken place
with the grant application in the
past and asked them to move the
municipal sites. Under the assess
ment program needs and alterna
tives must be explored and if the
local municipality is opposed to the
site it would make it hard for the
site to be approved.
Gary Davidson, Huron County
Director of Planning and Develop
ment, said the Master Plan is to
prepare for Huron County’s needs
over the next 20 to 40 years. The
county is not planning to take
anybody else’s garbage. Besides,
Mr. MacMillan pointed out, Huron
County’s capacity could be used up
in a matter of months by Metropoli
tan Toronto’s needs.
Ralph Campbell of East Wawa-
nosh was among those worried
about who has the say over what
garbage gets put in a municipal
waste disposal site. Could the MOE
order a municipality to accept
garbage from other municipalities.
Mr. Merrall said the Minister of
the Environment does have that
power but it is unlikely to be used
and has seldom been used in the
past.
Bill Howson of Blyth wondered if
municipalities such as Blyth and
Hullett which have a longer life for
their facilities would have to pay
for a new county-wide waste dis
posal system. Mr. Merrall said it
would depend on the manner of
payment chosen for the new facili
ty. A new facility could be financed
through the general tax or by
charging a “tipping fee” for each
truckload of garbage received at
the site. Under that system those
that generate the most garbage will
pay the most, he said. Following
this meeting and a meeting next
Monday in Hensail the final draft of
the Stage One report will be
prepared and submitted to County
Council.
finalization of the program plans to
the top of their priority list since a
revised plan must be given to the
provincial government by March
31.
Last year the Village found out
that its application for a $300,000
project had been approved, with
half the money to come from the
provincial government and half
from local taxpayers. The project
will be spread out over three years.
Letters to the editor
Rails-to-trails
has its drawbacks
THE EDITOR,
We would like to address some
disturbing issues about the propos
ed “Rails-to-Trails” program as it
pertains to our situation as rural
landowners whose property is divi
ded by a C.P.R. railway track
corridor.
Using the estimated costs equi-k
valent to Collingwood’s conversion
of changing 17.2 miles of rail line to
recreational trail at $900,000. (as
quoted in the “M.T.A. group
wants C.P.R.” article of the Jan.
11/89 issue of the Goderich Signal-
Star) then the proposed conversion
of a 77.2 mile trail from Goderich to
Guelph would be $52,325.58 per
mile for a total of $4,039,534.80. It
should also be considered the
number of bridges and areas of
difficult terrain will increase this
estimate.
This track primarily goes
through rural properties and farm
ers along this line spend thousands
of dollars on pesticides yearly to
ensure minimal crop damage. Will
the supporting foundation or users
of this trail be able to afford the
expense and time needed to pre
vent the formation of a haven for
weeds, insects and rodents?
The problems of pollution control
and invasion of privacy are major
issues to be considered. What
would the controlling factor be to
keep non-complaint users from
travelling onto adjacent private
land, woodlots and pond areas?
Our insurance costs would be
increased in response to our need
for extra coverage to protect our
selves against possible fires, theft
and damage to existing property
and buildings near the trail.
The serene beauty of the
countryside may be respected by
nature-lovers, however will they
also respect the noise, dust storms
or freshly-manure fragrant country
air as created by busy farmers
during spring planting and fall
harvesting seasons?
Since this is a proposed multi
use corridorAvhich can also accom
modate Mennonite buggies, then
the entrance and use/abuse by
three or four wheeled motorized
vehicles cannot be well-regulated.
In our area the use of Mennonites
would be minimal, and we wonder
what type of surface would be safe
for the hooves of a horse and that
could be bicycled on and is natural
and not an environmental hazard.
There are many existing rural
concession roads and highways
that are not marked or protected
that would have to be crossed, and
since user groups would probably
not carry a whistle or light warning
system, there could be a real
danger of accidents at these inter
sections.
The proposed planting of trees
may have some aesthetic value and
act as a buffering system, however
the present gnarled undergrowth
would need to be removed and the
use of heavy equipment to do this
and to prepare the trail base could
disrupt the root systems of existing
trees. Since we also have access
However, Mr. Clark explained,
there may need to be changes from
the original plan the previous
council had in mind when the grant
application was made. The original
intent, he said, was to dovetail the
program with work being done by
the Ministry of Transport in re
building the main street under a
highway 4 rebuilding program.
Improvements such as sidewalk
construction that wouldn’t be in
laneways across the track to our
fields, would landowners have any
choice to the placing of these trees?
Not only would there be the cost of
this new plantation, but you would
then have to ensure care and
protection against natural and
man-made elements and keep oth
er offending vegetation strictly
controlled.
People may use this trail to freely
exercise their pets. Livestock in
nearby pastures may need extra
protection against harassment and
gates and fences would need to be
checked daily to ensure no tamper
ing or damage has occurred for the
safety of the animals and trail
users. Many farmers also own
guard dogs who resent intruders
near their property boundaries, so
many conflicts could result.
In conclusion, as rural landown
ers living near the present railway
corridor, we have some real con
cerns about the issues of: the total
cost from initial investments to
yearly maintenance expenses; the
control of weeds and pests; the
regulation of users; the protection
of privacy and properties; and the
respect to rural livelihood. All
these relevant issues and many
more concerns need to be carefully
taken into account when consider
ing converting “Rails-to-Trails”.
Joyce and Dana Bean
Auburn, Ontario.
Terminology
confusing
writer says
DEAR EDITOR,
I am writing to clarify the
terminology that has been used in
recent articles about the homemak
er agencies’ deficits and the home
maker rates.
The workers employed by home
maker agencies are called home
makers not home care workers.
The Home Care Program is the
name of the 100 per cent funded
Government program, administer
ed in Huron County by the Board of
Health.
Home Care presently buys
homemaker services from Town
and Country Homemakers and
Para-Med Health Services. Other
services provided by Home Care
may include visiting nursing,
physiotherapy, occupational ther
apy, speech therapy and other
professional and support services.
These services are provided to
qualified clients. The client does
not pay for any of these services as
long as they meet program guide
lines.
It is important to understand that
the Huron County Home Care
Program is not out of money.
The Home Care office is located
at 80 Mary Street in Clinton. If you
would like any further information,
please phone: 1-800-265-5591 or
482-3411.
Mrs. Elizabeth Cardno,
Director, Home Care Program.
cluded under the highway recon
struction had been in the village’s
plans.
But after speaking to the project
planner from the Ministry, he said,
it now appeared that the work on
the Blyth Main street would be at
the end of the reconstruction of the
Wingham-to-Blyth portion of High
way 4 and so it’s unlikely the
village will be able to do the work it
originally intended.
WIN
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