HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-05-21, Page 1Sports I Good Works I Entertainment
Blyth Tykes get season off
to good start with victory
over Vanastra
See page 8
Ethel girl leaves in June
to begin mission work in
China
See page 14
Cast of ‘Booze Days in a
Dry County’ busy
researching
See page 23
Man injured
by explosion
The first long weekend of the
year got off to a poor start for one
Kitchener man when a propane
explosion rocked his trailer, Friday
afternoon.
Jim Wilson, a camper at Family
Paradise Campgrounds, McKillop
Twp. was trying to light a propane
fired appliance, in his trailer, when
it exploded, said Blyth Fire Chief
Paul Josling.
Wilson was taken to Seaforth
Community Hospital by ambulance
with bums to his hands, arms and
face. He was listed in stable condi
tion Friday evening, said Josling.
Further information was not avail
able at press time.
The trailer received extensive
damage, said Josling, probably
between $3,000 and $4,000.
Though the Blyth and Area Fire
Department attended the 4 p.m.
call, their assistance was not need
ed as the ambulance had already
arrived.
Prov. slashes arts budget
The cuts are getting deeper and
cultural organizations are begin
ning to bleed.
In a story in last wcck'sCitizen
Huron MPP Helen Johns said "the
funding level to the Ontario Arts
Council (OAC) would be main
tained." However, later that week
Blyth Festival received word that
the government had cut a further
16.5 per cent from the OAC bud
get. The cuts bring the total reduc
tions for the Festival to 46 per cent
in the last two and a half years, said
Artistic Director Janet Amos.
The Festival has already
absorbed $30,000 in cuts and
expect this reduction to trim anoth
er $10,000, said Keith Roulston,
president of the board of directors.
To absorb the funding cuts, the
theatre will cut back its production
of new Canadian plays, eliminate
all special activities such as Cross
roads Drama Festival, drama work
AMO says let’s get
on to new reality
Neither drizzle, nor chill, nor warm outerwear can keep the avid golfer off the course when
spring arrives. Though the Victoria Day weekend may have been a disappointing one
weather-wise, some golf enthusiasts have waited too long to play to wait any longer.
Unfortunately, this is not the case with everyone, as area golf courses report that the
unseasonable spring has definitely been a deterrent. A spokesperson from the Wingham
Golf and Curling Club says that while membership purchases have been "decent", many
seniors are reluctant to brave the elements and the green fee play is down as well.
However, on the few nice days this year, the course has been packed, so people are
anxious to play, he says, and therefore anticipates a good year if the real spring ever
arrives.
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
Off the roller coaster and on to
the new reality.
This was the hope expressed to
the Association of Municipal
Clerk-Treasurers of Ontario
(AMCTO) Zone 2 meeting in Brus
sels, May 15, by Pat Vanini, a poli
cy analyst with the Association of
Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
Hosted by the Village of Brussels
and Morris and Grey Twps., 135
AMCTO members also heard from
Ministry of Municipal Affairs rep
resentatives.
Vanini cautioned clerks that try
ing to do a financial impact analy
sis for refinancing of services,
based on some of the Mega-Week
announcements, is going to be a
frustrating exercise to this point as
there are still many figures coming
from the province, with regards to
shifts in funding. "There are a lot of
unknowns," Vanini said.
To assist municipalities with
these unknowns, AMO has formed
a transition team to negotiate with
the province. Regarding the farm
tax rebate, for example, Vanini said
last week, that it has never been
AMO's intent to remove it from the
property lax base. She said that
AMO's transition team, in discus
sions with the province, spoke first
to "large ticket items" to get the
province to move. She spoke of the
shops for children and youths and
increase ticket prices, said Amos.
Roulston said to raise ticket
prices, even by $1, will affect atten
dance. He also questioned whether
the government considered the
impact of saving $40,000 in spend
ing on the Blyth Festival when the
theatre alone contributes more than
$90,000 to government coffers
without considering the repercus
sions on village businesses which
rely on theatre-goers.
Amos said Premier Mike Harris
"is moving too quickly in his
attempt to reduce the deficit. This
process is undermining not only the
arts, but universal health care, pub
lic education, social services and
local government."
"He should look to the future
costs of physical neglect, igno
rance, crime and community decay,
which will be the immediate result
of his policies," Amos said.
province's $500 million contingen
cy fund that could offset other costs
for municipalities, due to funding
changes to services. "We are still
pressing the government for impact
to find out if that contingency fund
is going to be enough and how it
will affect other issues."
One clerk expressed her feeling
that the needs of rural Ontario have
not been addressed in the same
manner as those of urban centres.
"The transition team needs to look
at things to help rural Ontario. But
I'm not sure we can do that now.
The province has made their
changes."
A spokesperson from the Min
istry of Municipal Affairs said the
"package is what the province
expects to implement," but for dis
tribution the government expects a
lot of input.
Vanini added, "The government
likes to appear like it's listening and
sometimes actually does. That's the
wild card."
Vanini said the government did
listen, to a degree, to concerns over
the shift in funding for social ser
vices.
Grey Clerk-Treasurer Brad
Knight explained, following the
meeting, that the province has
backed off to an 80/20 split rather
than the 50/50 originally proposed.
Also, municipalties will no longer
be saddled with long-term care
Continued on page 7