Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-11-18, Page 1Community |_____Sports_____■______Farm______J Entertainment Madill parents, students & teachers discuss issues Bulls executive treat Atoms to breakfast Ecological Farmers meet in Ethel to discuss issues Playwright gathers stories about Blyth-area See page 6 See page 11 CitizenTheNorthHuron T. McQuail wins NDP candidacy By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot Farmer Tony McQuail has been chosen as the Huron-Bruce candi­ date for the federal New Democrats. Over 50 people voted at the Nov. 12 nomination meeting in the Luc-60 centsWednesday, November 18,1992 Blyth council jacks up sewage rates know Town Hall between Mr. McQuail and Brussels area fanner, Ross Hemingway. The day after the vote, Mr. McQuail told the Citizen "I'm very pleased to be the candidate and have the support of the people." He said he ran because he feels there are very important issues to be dealt with, including free trade, the economy and ecology. "A fundamental issue is how we can develop a sustainable economy that works to the benefit of the ordinary people to create jobs," he said. "And to develop this in such a way that it works with the environ­ ment." He said he wants to try and change the way people do things so "they don't need to do as much, yet, still have the purchasing power to get what they need." One of the current political issues he's hoping to change is the direc­ tion Canada is taking towards free trade. "I'm opposed to the sweeping nature of free trade," he said. "The last three years have shown the problems predicted of free trade come true, problems such as com­ panies leaving Canada, a reduced trade balance with the United States and an undeveloped econo­ my." He believes Canadians can expect more of the same if a North American free trade agreement is reached. A more sensible option would be building a strong domestic econo­ my that is more self-reliant, he said. "We should work on a more bal­ anced sectoral trade agreement such as the one reached by the auto pact," he said. "Instead of becoming more dependent on the United States, we should balance trade with other countries." Mr. McQuail is also concerned about the level of the Canadian dol­ lar. "With an artificially inflated dol­ lar, we've been penalizing our own economy with the most devastating impact being on our own small businesses," he said. Canadians have to be prepared to have a lower interest rate and a more realistic dollar, he added. Continued on page 6 By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot Blyth council has decided to jack up monthly sewage rates by $2.50 for both residential and commercial owners. This means monthly rates for res- 3 cars swamped on Hwy 4 As the first real hint of winter made its mark on the county, High­ way 4 north of Blyth once again put the challenge back into driving. A spokesperson from the Wing­ ham OPP reported the only acci­ dents over the weekend in their district, occurred on the highway between Blyth and Wingham on Saturday evening. All were caused by slippery road conditions and no injuries were sustained, the spokesperson stated. idential will be $23.50, compared to the present $21 rate, and $29.52 for commercial from $27.02. Blyth council increased the rates at their Nov. 10 meeting of council in an effort to prevent a projected operating deficit. Councillors hope the rate hike will also allow them to build up a reserve in anticipation of future costs related to sewer sludge stor­ age. "We should start collecting extra," said Reeve Dave Lee. "I believe its prudent on our part to stop paying interest on our deficit (to the Ministry of the Environ­ ment.) Clerk Treasurer Helen Grubb explained. "The Ministry requires $128,000 to cover all the expenses for this year including payment toward the operating deficit." Inter­ est charges are 10 per cent. The MOE service charge has risen dramatically because munici­ palities are now being charged for services that were formally provid­ ed free of charge. These services include administrator wages, lab fees and water sampling costs. Due to costs down-loading, the village has an accumulated operat­ ing deficit of $20,134 for 1992. A forecast from the Ministry of Envi­ ronment (MOE) predicts the 1993 service charge will be $128,000 and at the village's present sewage rates, this means the operating deficit for 1993 will accumulate to $26,758. Ms. Grubb told council they have sludge, a $30,000 term deposit which they could use to pay off the predicted deficit and then raise monthly rates to meet the 1993 MOE service charge. "If you don't use the term deposit, you'll have to raise month­ ly rates by $2.50 and you still won't quite meet the $128,000," said Ms Grubb. With a $2.50 per month increase, the sewage works would bring in $127,151.52 per year. Councillors agreed to use the term deposit to pay off the deficit and then agreed to charge the extra $2.50 to build up a reserve for future sewage costs. "If we want to build up reserves, we'd be better to go up $2.50 now instead of raising it a whole bunch all at once," said Councillor Robbie Lawrie. Reeve Lee said council will need a reserve to deal with the village's growing problem of storing sewage Currently, the village's storage facility can only hold two months worth of sludge. This is sufficient in the summer months when the sludge can be spread onto the land but in the winter months, the land is frozen and not suitable for spreading. "The MOE wants us to have a new facility so we can hold sludge for up to six months because they Continued on page 6 TONY MCQUAIL