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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-03-28, Page 1, ';B<hetti, • / • ESTABLISHED 1877 ( ,. • Inside this week Coffee Capers Pg. 3 raises funds for epilepsy Bulletts league champs Area hockey teams perform well Brussels Legion Pg, 17 honours longtime member Pg. 8 Pg. 9 Out in the cold 4- Members of the 1st Blyth Cubs were put to the test this past weekend as they took part in a camping excursion at the Wawanosh Nature Centre just as another winter blast hit the area. From 9 a.m. Saturday until noon on Sunday, 18 Cubs and seven leaders worked on becoming aware of the natural world around them. (Vicky Bremner photo) e Citizen BRUSSELs Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 17 No. 13 Wednesday, March 28, 2001 75 Cents (70c + 5c GST) High cost of fuel hits everyone Pg. A Young g. 18 Perspective Looking for good citizens Our communities are blessed with the presence of many dedicated, committed individuals. The Citizen, therefore, is once again extending the deadline for nominations for Citizen of the Year, so that more names of worthy candidates can be submitted. While Brussels has nominated six people, there has only been one name put forward by Blyth. Now is the time to recognize the accomplishments of someone in. your community. Nominations for consideration will be accepted until April 30. The ,award has been presented over the years to: Evalena Webster, Frank and Cenetta Bainton, Winona McDougall, Margaret Whyte, Simon Hallahan, Dr. Richard Street, Bill and Maxine Seers, Margaret Caldwell, Helen Gowing, Don Scrimgeour, John Stewart, Janet Amos, Betty .Battye, Robb Finch, Dave Cook, Doug Walker, Brent Scrimgeour and Murray, Siertsema for Blyth and area; Cal Krauter, Wayne Lowe, Jack Bryans, Ida Evans, Bessie Johnston, Betty Graber, George Langlois, Howard Bernard, Joanne King, Frank Thompson, Audrey Cardiff, Leona Armstrong, Neil McGavin, Beth Earl and Lyle and Alice Brothers for Brussels area. • Time to spring forward While it may not look much like spring, this weekend we're taking one more step towards it. Daylight Savings Time arrives at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead one hour before retiring for the night on Saturday. Springing ahead to spring, is worth getting up one hour earlier. By Janice Becker Citizen staff With hikes of more than 50 per cent in home heating costs for some homeowners this winter, dealing with this long, cold winter which is hopefully nearing an end, has been challenging. Residents who switched to natural gas a few years ago are now seeing prices jump as much as 60 per cent when fixed contracts expire. In a year-end press release, Union Gas was authorized by the Ontario Energy Board to hike prices $6 to $7 per month (six to seven per cent) depending on location in the coverage area. This covered just one rise in commodity prices. Through 2000, the purchasing cost for Union Gas to acquire the supply rose more than 60 per cent, from $3.31 per gigajoule to $5.42 per gigajoule. The seven per cent hike deals with the increase from $4.82 to $5.42. A second increase was allowed as of March I, pushing the price up another $25 per month or $300 per year for the average consumer. The market price of gas rose from $5.42 to $7.63. This was a 21 to 25 per cent increase on top of previous hikes. With the cost of the gas accounting for approximately half of the total bill, homeowners saw a rise of 50 to 60 per cent ($550 to $600 on average per year) during the last 15 months. Locked-in contracts could result in large one-time jumps. • Union Gas reportS" that these increases are due to the rising cost to purchase gas on the North American market though spreading out purchases helped reduce yol4tility. For Chose providing propane to homes and businesses, they have seen commodity prices spike during December and January, but fall off again in February, said Dave Spading of Sparling's Propane in Blyth. After six weeks of high prices, during which time Sparling said, "propane commodity prices reached record highs. They are now back to more reasonable levels." Sparling said their business noticed an interesting phenomenon this year, receiving calls from all fuel sectors for price comparisons. "Heating was more expensive this year, regardless of the energy source." While homeowners struggle with the increasing cost of home heating fuels and drivers shudder at the price to fill up the family vehicle, commercial and industrial businesses are also feeling the squeeze. "We are feeling it the same as everyone," said Gary Dauphin of Dauphin Feed and Supply Ltd. Though the mills are not run with natural gas, propane or fuel oil, Dauphin said the difference is seen in transportation costs. "There is a cost to both incoming and outgoing products." There is currently a $1 per tonne fuel charge on shipments whether coming or going. There are also increased costs realized with sales vehicles on the road. Dauphin's industry is fortunate in some aspects because he is able to recoup some of those increased costs by passing it on to the consumer. Sparling said their transport costs have also increased by five to 10 per cent. "There is a surcharge on getting anything here," he said. "Even the couriers are charging." Bob Foxton of Foxton Fuels Ltd. Wingham, is unable to pass on a fuel oil price increase to customers though his buying price may -go up half a cent. However, he does say there is a point where costs have to be adjusted. The price of home heating oil had risen 24 cents to $34.58 earlier this year. At Howson and Howson Ltd. in Blyth, Jeff Howson said fuel costs have "gone up astronomically." He estimates a low, ball park figure of 50 per cent when considering the rise in trucking costs while saying other businesses have seen increases from 75 to 80 per cent. "You can't cover those costs totally," he added. "You can subsidize in some ways, but it is a no- win situation because of diesel prices. When you look at the costs to income, it is scary." Optimist event to aid Sick Kids By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff Last year, with their first dinner, auction and dance, the Brussels Optimists and community people made a wish come true for four children. This year the second event is being planned for April 14. Proceeds will go towards a District- wide initiative to support the building of a new Sick Children's Hospital of Western Ontario. The facility is one of three regional children's hospitals mandated by the provincial government. The others are in Toronto and Ottawa. It will serve the area from Windsor to Guelph/Kitchener to Thunder Bay. To help finance the $33 plus million project, the board of the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario Foundation approached the Optimist Clubs of the Midwestern and Southwestern Ontario Districts. The request was to raise $1 million over a five-year period, which will provide one of four 12-bed inpatient care zones. The care zone will be for children up to the age of 18 who require an overnight „stay at the hospital. Each patient room will have a cot on which parents may sleep, daytime storage space for the, cot, a computer at each bedside, a nursing supply centre, a nurse call and emergency call system as well as outlets for oxygen, suction and compressed air. Locally, the Brussels Club has committed $30,000 over five years to the effort. And with last year's Continued on page 7 Our mistake In last week's story in The Citizen regarding duplicate street names in the Municipality of Huron East, the numberings on the two Elizabeth Streets were in reverse order. Seaforth has numbers 57 to 114 while, Brussels has 390 to 780. We Apologize for any confusion this may have caused.