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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2003-03-12, Page 1Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 19 No. 10 Wednesday, March 12, 2003 75 Cents (70c + 5c gst) I NORTH HURON PUBLISHING COMPANY INC. Inside this week Pg. 6 Pg-7 Pg-8 Pg-12 County approves 8% tax hike Midgets advance in OMHA play Pg. 11 Woman celebrates 100th birthday 2 women, 1 man still survive Rebels with a cause For the third time in recent years, the Blyth Rebels women’s broomball team will be competing at the provincials. The squad made it to the provincial play-offs by first finishing in the top two in the local league of six teams, said broombailer Diane Howson. From there, they competed in the two-weekend tournament, Feb. 21 - 23 and Feb. 28 - March 2, for the Central West division. The division includes teams from Seaforth to Mount Forest and Palmerston. Though just two teams normally advance beyond that level, Howson said the top team in the tournament had already qualified for the provincials in Lindsay so the Rebels’ third place earned them a berth. The Rebels will play their first game at noon on March 21 with further game times contingent on a win or loss. The tournament runs through March 23. Though the Rebels have been to the provincials before, they have never made it to the finals, said Howson. That is a goal for this year. Teachers continue work-to-rule action By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen Contrary to the optimistic predictions of union official Bill Huzar prior to last week’s meeting with the Avon Maitland District School Board, the work-to-rule by high school teachers was not brought to a close by a single day of negotiations. Public high school teachers in Huron and Perth Counties will continue to provide only the minimum .services required under Ontario’s Education Act, after no collective agreement was reached on Thursday, March 8. That means teachers will only be available between 15 minutes prior to the beginning of classes and 15 minutes after the conclusion of classes, and will only provide marks but no comments for student evaluations. Prior to last week’s meeting, Huzar, head of the local branch of Tea with friends It was a special day in the East Wawanosh Public School kindergarten room Friday. The room was packed as parents, grandparents and friends visited for the Friendship Tea. These youngsters were among the many enjoying the yummy treats and the social time. (Bonnie Gropp photo) the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF), said it was possible a deal could be reached in a single day. However, he also expressed frustration that it had been difficult to arrange meeting times with the board. And that frustration will surely remain, considering the month-long delay before the two sides meet again. April 14 and 15 are the next scheduled negotiation dates. Speaking after the March 6 meeting, Avon Maitland Education Superintendent Geoff Williams explained the board is also negotiating with a number of other employee groups, and can’t set everything aside to talk with OSSTF representatives. “We have a number of sets of negotiations on the burner at the moment,” Williams said. These include elementary teachers, along with a group that includes office, clerical and technical workers, as well as educational assistants. The board already has a deal with supply teachers, as well as a tentative agreement with a group that includes speech language therapists and psychologists. There are other complicating factors which have prominence in delaying the negotiations until mid­ April. According to Williams, the board is confident that, by that time, it will have at least preliminary notification of its provincial funding level for 2003-04. He suggests this will help the board come up with possible terms for a two-year deal - something the provincial government is now requiring as it strives to force boards and teachers to sign long-term agreements. In addition, boards across the province are currently awaiting word on how the government will address what many see as a looming crisis in Special Education. The concern stems from a rather convoluted funding equation, put in place by the province after the release of last fall’s Rozanski Report on educational support. Shortly after the report’s release, the government handed out $130 million province wide to cover the 2002-03 school year, and promised an almost additional amount for next year. But now it has sent out a calculation method for next year’s money, and early analysis suggests much of the original commitment will be “clawed back” due to what the government’s figures show was an overly generous assessment of the number of students in need. In the Avon Maitland board, according to chair Meg Westley, it could actually mean paying back approximately $400,000 - about the same amount the board initially received after the release of the Rozanski Report. And that would put the board back to where it was under last June’s budget - using almost $2 million from other sources Continued on page 6 Fewer on council equals more money By Keith Roulston Citizen publisher Amalgamation may have dropped the number of Huron County councillors but the costs for council continue to soar. Remuneration and convention expenses for 18 councillors in 2002 reached $269,258, up from $196,734 in 2001. In 2000, the last year before amalgamation when there were 26 on council, councillors collected $144,295. As well, remuneration and convention expenses for non­ councillors appointed to county boards increased to $18,222 from $10,845 in 2001. Warden Ben Van Diepenbeek collected $40,811.22 in remuneration and expenses and $11,683.71 in convention expenses for a total of $52,495. Other local councillors remuneration packages included: Bert Dykstra, Central Huron, $9,948.59 remuneration, $1,878.88 conventions, for a total of $11,827.47; Norm Fairies, Howick, $15,867.82, $2,500, $18,367.82; Keith Johnston, Morris-Tumberry, $10,078.12, $1,116.19, $11,194.31; Doug Layton, North Huron, $12,111.90, $1,782.48, $13,894.38; Bernie MacLellan, Huron East, $10,730.04, $1,075.15, $11,805.19; Carol Mitchell, Central Huron, $15,080.70, $2,217.80, $17,298.50; Neil Rintoul, Ashfield-Colborne- Wawanosh, $10,237.66, $1,270.60, $11,508.26; Murray Scott, North Huron, $9,198.21, no convention expenses for a total of $9,198.21; and Lin Steffler, Huron East, $8,638.22, $1,008.56, $9,646.78. Huron’s welfare numbers plunge Since reaching a high of an average of 673 cases per month in 1993, Huron County’s welfare numbers have plunged to 348 per month in 2002. The figures were contained in a report showing 13 years of welfare statistics from 1990 to last year. The lowest average monthly caseload was 210 in 1990 but the figure had soared to 673 in 1993. The 348 average in 2002 was down from 430 in 2001 and 508 in 2000.