HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-02-05, Page 1Success story J Development ■ Advice Entertainment\
Ron Vercruyssen
nears end of college
basketball career
See page 3
Steering committee
wants to develop
entrepreneurs
See page 6
RRSPs way to save
taxes, and prepare
for retirement
See page 8
Plans underway
for Blyth's 1993
community play
See page 19
Londesboro teen killed
in Clinton-area crash
A Londesboro teen is dead and a
17-year-old female has been
charged following an accident in
Hullett Township late Friday.
The car was northbound on
Huron County Road 8, police said,
outside Clinton, when the driver
lost control. Jonathon Potter, 16,
who was not wearing a seatbelt,
died after being thrown from the
late-model sedan while it rolled
over several times in the west ditch.
Five teenagers, including the
driver were treated at Clinton Pub
lic Hospital for minor injuries and
released. Their identities have been
withheld because the driver was
charged with careless driving and
can’t be named under the Young
Offenders Act.
Alcohol wasn't a factor, police
said.
Murray Elston gains support
for weekend’s leadership vote
By the end of the weekend
Huron county may be one step
closer to the possibility of having a
premier from its own backyard.
Ontario Liberals will choose a
new leader at a convention at the
Copps Coliseum in Hamilton on
Friday and Saturday and Morris
township native Murray Elston is
leading the way going in.
Delegates will vote Saturday on
their new leader who will become
leader of the opposition in the
province and the person most likely
to be premier if the current NDP
government should fail to win re
election in the next provincial elec
tion. After delegate selection at the
riding level last month, Mr. Elston,
who now represents Bruce in the
legislature, held a 52-vote edge
over Lyn McLeod of Fort William,
his closest of five rivals for the
position of leader. Besides the com
mitted delegates there are another
160 independent delegates and 450
ex-officio delegates: people such as
riding presidents, MPs and former
candidates. It is expected several
ballots will be needed to declare a
winner.
Mr. Elston had originally said
he didn't want to run for the leader
ship because of the added pressure
The victim was the son of Wayne
and Grace Potter.
Funeral services were held at the
Beattie-Falconer Funeral Home,
Clinton, at 2 p.m. on Tuesday,
February 4.
Jonathon was a member of the
stage crew of Central Huron Sec
ondary School's Drama Club.
Stephen Oliver, director of the
drama club says Jonathon has been
a member for three years and was a
hard worker, who was "always able
to find something to do."
As expression of sympathy the
family has asked that memorial
donations be made to the drama
club. Mr. Oliver said the fund will
likely be used for a commemora
tive award or scholarship in
Jonathon's memory.
it would bring on his family life.
He has guarded the privacy of his
wife Trudy and five children
throughout his political career.
Because he was not running, he
was named interim leader of the
party when Robert Nixon stepped
down. Later, however, pressure
was exerted on Mr. Elston to
change his mind and he became the
last candidate to join the race.
Recently he won the support of two
influential Liberals, Sheila Copps,
deputy leader of the federal Liber
als and a former Ontario leadership
candidate herself, and Ian Scott,
former attorney general of Ontario.
On the weekend, the Toronto
Star, Canada's largest circulation
newspaper also declared Elston was
the best person for the role of lead
er of the party, pointing out his per
formance in some of the toughest
portfolios in the David Peterson
government.
As well as a strong band of
well-wishers from Huron and
Bruce, Mr. Elston will be surround
ed by his family at the convention.
His father and mother, Bill and
Isabel, brother Wayne, sister-in-law
Lynda and niece Carolyn are
among the 15 committed delegates
from Huron riding going to the
convention.
On the trail
This lone rider was one of many snowmobilers who enjoyed some outdoor fun on Sunday, as
participants in Walton Sports Club's annual Poker Rally. With plenty of snow for this year's
event, the only drawback, though a minor one, was the mild temperatures, which can often
keep machines from running in top form.
Crime Stoppers tip helps police
uncover stolen property haul
Charges are pending and the
investigation continues after a
Crime Stoppers tip led Wingham
OPP to stolen property in a Blyth
apartment Wednesday, January 29.
A spokesperson from the police
said police recovered a number of
cassette tapes stolen from five
parked vehicles, household items
from an unreported break and enter
and an item later identified as hav
ing come from Gore's Hardware in
Blyth.
Two local people were arrested
and two Young Offenders implicat
ed as a result of the investigation
conducted by Constable Mike
Alexander.
The spokesperson said that a
number of people have come for
ward to report stolen property since
the investigation began, so the case
has become quite complex.
Financial picture ‘grim’ HCBE director tells trustees
"Grim" was the picture painted
by Huron County Board of Educa
tion's Director of Education Bob
Allan as he emphasized budget
restraint to the trustees at the
February 3 meeting.
Mr. Allan reminded the board
that the Premier and the Treasurer
of Ontario have said that transfer
payments to education will be
increased by one percent in 1992,
two percent in 1993 and two per
cent in 1994. Last year the increase
was eight and nine percent he said
and six and seven percent previous
ly;
"This, of course, does not indi
cate the amount of grant which will
be received, to be governed by the
specific guidelines of the General
Legislative Grants. The Minister of
Education has indicated that these
will be available on March 7.
"In spite of the fact that we can
not be specific, we do anticipate a
very difficult problem in develop
ing the estimates for 1992," said
Mr. Allan.
He assumed, he said, that the
grant revenue will not increase.
"Any more than expected will be a
happy surprise."
In 1991 the board's budget was
$60.8 million. According to Mr.
Allan, the payroll in an educational
system is said to be 80 percent of
the total budget, so approximately
$48.6 million of the budget is pay
roll.
A payroll increase of approxi
mately six percent is working its
way through the system, he said,
adding that if payrolls are frozen at
the current levels until the end of
December 1992, the increase will
be approximately $2,916 million.
"If we are successful in freezing
every other item on the budget at
1991 levels - and we know we can
not - these assumptions would
require a $3 million additional
expenditure at the local ratepayer
level," Mr. Allan told the board.
While this doesn't sound like
much, he said it amounts to more
than the yearly salary of 50-60
teachers. "It is an enormous prob
lem," he said, "one that represents a
crisis, the size of which has not
been experienced in the history of
county school board goverance."
Mr. Allan noted some of the
changes administration have
already made. The employees have
decided to have vending machines
brought into the staff room, replac
ing the "open door" refrigerator
presently there for their use. A tem
porary employee was recently let
go and a teacher deployed.
Mr. Allan said that in order to
achieve the zero percent increase,
which the board has already man
dated by resolution, the standing
committees will have to look at
major constraints.
He recommended to the board
that administration take appropriate
action as legally as possible to con
serve the boards assets until the
1992 estimates. The motion, he
said, would be useful in overriding
some existing motions.
Mr. Allan promised the changes
wouldn't be erratic, but it would
help administration begin downsiz
ing the staff complement. "I will
caution that there is going to be
some rough justice," he said.
Trustee Bob Heywood said that
though it appeared to him the
administration should be com
mended on the motion, he was con-
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