The Citizen, 1991-03-20, Page 1Money coming
Cardiff promises
interim payment
See page 15
Champs
Blyth PeeWees Young
Canada consolation winners
See page 11
Farm Section
features stories
on cost cutting
■■MM
New OMAF
office coming
at last
After years of waiting it appears
Huron County will finally get a new
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and
Food office.
Paul Klopp. M.P.P. for Huron
announced the construction of the
new $1.6 million facility Saturday
while attending the Members of
Parliament Dinner of the Huron
County Federation of Agriculture
in Clinton. The annual event brings
representatives of various commo
dity groups together to present
briefs to the provincial and federal
members of Parliament.
Mr. Klopp said the new building
is to be completed by the end of the
1991-92 fiscal year (next spring). It
will replace the current, over
crowded facility at 20 King St.,
Clinton. There has been mounting
pressure from agricultural groups
to get a new office to better serve
the county. The office has been
subdivided into more and more
offices over the years as staff
expanded but space didn’t. The
board room which used to be the
site of many county agricultural
meetings, is in such heavy use for
Ministry meetings there is little
time left for outside groups to use
it.
The province bought property in
the north end of Clinton several
years ago for a new building but
later was negotiating with Huron
County about renovating a portion
of the Huronview building for
offices. This fell through when
renovation costs sky-rocketed.
Earlier this year both the Huron
County Pork Producers and the
Agriculture and Properties Com
mittee of County Council passed
resolutions urging speed in getting
the new building.
Bd. of Ed.
looks at
budget
At the second in a series of
special information-gathering
meetings on Monday night the
Huron County Board of Education
trustees were presented with a
budget estimate package that
showed an increase in the mill rate
of just 4.5 per cent, excluding any
special projects.
The meetings were planned in an
attempt to come up with a liveable,
workable budget; one that would
place minimum burden on the
ratepayer. The first meeting, held a
week earlier, informed the board of
a spending rate below the inflation
level. Monday they learned of an
underspending of the previous
year’s budget, aided by $400,000
unexpected revenue from the
government. A total of $50 per
elementary student and $25 per
secondary student was paid to the
board. On the elementary panel the
board ended in the black with a
balance of $472,606. while on the
secondary panel the amount was
$334,751.
In presenting the estimates to
the trustees. Director of Education
Robert Allan, reminded them that
Continued on page 2
VOL. 7 NO. 11
Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel,
Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1991.60 CENTS
Foul play play
The passengers and crew were alarmed to discover the
captain was dead, during a “Night of Murder" at the
Brussels Hotel last Thursday night. Twenty people
participated in the murder-mystery dinner. Checking out the
deceased Captain Scott Emery (Brussels Hotel owner, Jerry
White) are from left: Neil Hemingway, who played the part
of murderer and first mate Tim Sawyer, Dan Pearson as
Falcon Marlowe, an employee of the British embassy, who is
actually a KGB agent and Diane Huether as Tobie Corbett,
the Captain’s "very close" friend.
Farmers concerned about environmental bill
That the provincial government’s
proposed Environmental Bill of
Rights has farmers nervous was
shown by the preoccupation with
the issue at the annual Members of
Parliament dinner sponsored bv
the Huron County Federation of
Agriculture Saturday.
The Bill was discussed in two of
the nine briefs presented to Murray
Cardiff M.P. and Paul Klopp
M.P.P. An attack on the bill was
led by Chris Palmer of the Federa
tion’s Properties and Land Use
Committee. He attacked the haste
with which the bill is being
prepared wondering why a dead
line of April 5 has been put on
introduction of the bill leaving a
little time for consultation on a
complex issue. He wondered who
would pay the expense of the
changes that might be asked for.
“Farming practices are at risk
here because this Bill would rule
supreme over all other Ontario
legislation including Right to Farm
legislation. How will normal farm
ing practices be protected now?
Urban people moving to the coun
try must accept\he sights, sounds
and smells- or farming is in even
more jeopardy.'! Farmers had
worked for years to get Right to
Farm legislation, he said.
“If this bill passes every day
farmers will be at the mercy of
some idiot with a cause. Anvone
could accuse a farmer of polluting
or chemical abuse, forcing him to
court without proof, and at his own
expense, defend himself.” More
time must be taken in preparing
the bill, he said.
Ralph Scon presenting the brief
from the Federation’s Environment
Comminee also expressed concern
about the haste with which the bill
is being prepared. He also express
ed concern that while Ontario
farmers might be asked for tough
environmental standards under the
bill, they still have to compete in a
global market with other countries
that won't have such tough stand
ards. Without an ability to get
higher incomes they couldn’t pay
for the improvements.
There also needed to be some
study of environmental costs vers
us benefits, he said. If only the cost
side was accounted for and not the
benefits, cars would be the first
casualty, he said.
But Donna Stewardson, Lambton
County farmers and member of the
Board of Directors of Ontario
Federation of Agriculture said
some of. the worry about the bill is
premature. A member of the
23-member committee that advised
officials drafting the bill, she said
Ruth Geer the Environmental Mini
ster “came across as if she was
down on the farm’’ when she was
Continued on page 15