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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-03-25, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25,1992. Paying what it's worth The signals are there that it's just a matter of lime before the provincial government tries to stick residents of small rural municipalities with a bill for the "free" policing they're now getting from the Ontario Provincial Police. The build up began last week when a report saying this "free" policing cost the province $100 million a year was splashed all over the front pages of major urban newspapers. For residents of towns and cities that have their own police force, and the high costs that go with them, it could only seem that those in small towns and villages and townships age free-loading at the expense of others. Then last week at a meeting of (he rural section of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Hullett Reeve Tom Cunningham picked up the rumour that the province is preparing to charge municipalities receiving O.P.P. service $350 per household. The fact is, however, that if rural municipalities were to pay for the police service they really get, they'd already be paying what they deserve: nothing. In villages like Blyth and Brussels the periodic O.P.P. patrols do amount to a certain level of policing but rural townships get very little. County roads and provincial highways that run through municipalities may get regular patrols but the major portion of municipalities get service only on an emergency basis. The O.P.P. has made an honest effort to serve villages better by setting up community policing committees and extended service offices but they're short-staffed enough they can't afford to have people in places like Blyth and Brussels as much as they had originally planned. So the province wants to charge $350 per household for this level of service? You've got to be kidding. The charge to Blyth or Brussels would be well over $100,000 a year. The charge to rural townships would be even more. Reeve Cunningham feels the present government is so urban oriented that it just doesn't understand the realities of rural life. The government bureaucracy, isolated in downtown Toronto, isn't any better. One official asked Reeve Cunningham if he saw a police cruiser go down his rural concession once a day. The Reeve jokingly replied that if they ever saw a cruiser they wondered which neighbour was in trouble. It's not that the level of service is bad, Reeve Cunningham points out. There really isn't a need for better service, at least in rural townships. The fact remains however, that at $350 a household, local municipalities would gel better service setting up their own police forces again- heaven forbid. Police forces are a pain in the neck to administer and cost a bundle but at upwards of $150,000 a year for itinerant OJ*.P. patrols, villages like Blyth and Brussels might at least get better service. Perhaps all municipalities will be forced to look into a county-wide police force if the charge comes in. Perhaps that's what the province really has in mind. Or perhaps government officials are just so far from reality they don't know how ridiculous it would be to charge to just about anything for our current level of policing.—KR Time to get tanked up ? Every day rural communities are losing businesses to cities or to other countries these days but there's -one business opportunity that seems uniquely ready for rural go-getters if they're ready to jump in at the beginning. The recent federal budget removed the excise lax on ethanol used in motor fuel and may have removed the last major barrier to ethanol- blcndcd fuels in Ontario. Ethanol is an alcohol brewed from grains such as wheat or com. When this alcohol is mixed with gasoline at a rate of up to 10 per cent, it creates a gasoline that has higher octane and bums with less pollution because of the extra oxygen in the fuel. United Co-operatives of Ontario has announced it will soon be selling ethanol fuels in several of its gas bars across the province. Ethanol is already extensively used in the U.S. and the prairies. There are two exciting aspects to ethanol. First, it will create a market for more of Ontario's com crop. Second, manufacturing ethanol doesn’t have to be left to major petroleum giants. John Cleary, Agriculture Critic of the Ontario Liberal Party, sees 12 plants being built across Ontario by the Seaway Farmers Energy Co-operative, a group from Eastern Ontario. There’s no reason local groups couldn't create their own manufacturing plants to distill local crops. Just those 12 plants, Mr. Cleary predicts, could create 5,000 rural jobs. Here’s a chance for rural people to help themselves for once.—KR Looking Back Through the Years ONE YEAR AGO March 27,1991 The front of the Belgrave Arena was demolished by a team of vol­ unteers to make room for a new community hall being built by the Belgrave Kinsmen. Huron County Board of Educa­ tion trustees managed to bring in a budget with a mill rate increase of just 4.3 per cent, including a priori­ ty list of special projects. MPP Paul Klopp announced that Huron County schools would receive $900,000 in capital funding as part of Ontario's anti-recession program. Ethel post office changed status from being a government-operated post office to being a franchised Retail Postal Outlet. Brussels Sprouts brought home the WOAA Tyke championship by outscoring their opponents 23-2 in the tournament. THREE YEARS AGO March 22,1989 Robert and Donna Wattam of Belgrave were left homeless after two fires, in the same evening, resulted in extensive damage to their house. The Blyth Industrial Team cap­ tured their second title in two weeks by winning the Blyth Indus­ trial Tournament, the 'A' Division Championship. FIVE YEARS AGO March 25, 1987 Fire partially destroyed the McKillop township hog barn of Laverne McClure killing 30 sows and several hundred baby pigs and weaners. Alan and Barb Bragg of Brussels won $500,000 on the Friday the 13th Provincial Lottery draw. Blyth Tykes brought home the "B" championship trophy after a weekend-long Tyke Tournament in Clinton. CitizenTheNorthHuron P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1 HO Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $41.73/year ($39.00 plus $2.73 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A, and Foreign. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copywright. Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Sales Representatives, Sue Wilson and Jeannette McNeil Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 Serving Blyth, Brussels, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and the surrounding townships.