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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1994-04-06, Page 1osito 65 cents plus 5 cents G.S.T. (70 cents) COMMUNITY Students at Seaforth District High School helped raise $1,717 for Cancer fight. see page six. Briefly Local broomball players compete at nationals Five Local boys will be heading to Regina to play broomball at the National Championships from April 6-10. Brad Pryce, Matt McNichol, Harold Hugill, Kevin VanDenNeucker and Dan Hoggart were picked up by the Windsor All- Star team to represent Ontario at the nationals. The boys play regular season broomball with the Seaforth juven- ile team and are coached by Brian Pryce and Rob Flunking, who will also travel to Regina for the tourna- ment. The Windsor All-Star team will play at least five games against the best in Canada, said Coach Pryce. The boys are wished the best of luck. Huron Liberals elect executive The Annual General Meeting for the Huron -Bruce Federal Liberal Riding Association was held in Walton on March 30. Guest Speaker Paul Steckle, newly elected Member of Parliament for the rid- ing, addressed the meeting on issues he has encountered since becoming the Member October 25, 1993. As Rural Caucus Co -Chair and Committee Member on the standing committee on Agriculture and Agri -Food, Steckle said the new Government is tackling tough issues and making a serious effort to reform outdated and ineffective practises and institutions. The newly elected Executive includes President John Gates, Kincardine Twp., Vice - President Rod MacDonald, Kincardine, 2nd Vice -President Norm Pickell, Goderich, Member- ship Chairman Cyril Gingerich, Zurich, Treasurer Mark Penhale, Usborne Twp., and Secretary Donna Thiel Hay Twp. Delegates were also selected to attend Annual Meetings in London and Ottawa. Reformers name Huron executive The new executive of the: Reform Party in Huron -Bruce is: President - Bob Wells, Port Elgin; Vice - President - Edith Kamermans, Southhampton; Vice President - Ken McCowan, Brucefield; Secretary - Doug Fines, Goderich; and Treasurer - Geoff Schumacher, Goderich. District Directors are Maggie Visscher, Len Lobb, Barb Carbert and Edith Kamcrmans. The party is building for its policy convention to be held in Ottawa this fall. Policy development is an open procedure and submissions are welcomed from interested residents of our Huron- Brucc riding. "We are prepared to fax riding concerns direct to Ottawa so that they receive prompt attention," said Doug Fines, Secretary. INDEX Sports...pages 8-9. Obituaries...page 5. Entertainment ...pages 14, 15. "Your community news- paper since 1860...serving Seaforth, Dublin, Hensall, Walton, Brussels and surrounding communities." MILTON J. DIETZ LIMITED SEAFORTH 522-0608 • Pesticides & Custom Spraying • Spraying Equipment & Parts • Nutrite Premium Fertilizer • Ventilation & Livestock Equipment t�l PURINA FEEDS 1 u1] & PET FOODS HURON EXPOSITOR, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1994, 4 { . Ylrr. •., er if 0 • TAM CUM MING PHOTO SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY - Patty Banks puts an easter bonnet on the head of Neil McGavin during the Walton Patchwork of Talent Auction held at Duff's United Church on Easter Monday. The two were helping to auction different hems to raise money for the church. The event was full of fun and the basement was filled with Walton -area people. New Huron High School planned BY MICHELE GREENE Advocate Staff Two Stratford trustees wanted more details before approving a plan to establish a Catholic second- ary school in Huron County by 1995. Stratford Trustee Betty Jorna wanted to know how much the new school would cost the board. Stratford Trustee Ron Marcy wanted to make sure the board had suitable capital funding and a suit- able agreement with the Huron County Board of Education before he supported the plan. At Monday night's meeting of the Duron -Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board, trustees voted to proceed with a new Catholic secondary school in Clinton subject to an agreement with the Huron County Board of Education and subject to suitable funding from the Ministry of Education and Training. The new school will share unused space at Central Huron Secondary School (CHSS) in Clinton with the Huron board. The school will open in 1995 and offer Grades 9 and 10 with approxi- mately 110 students, based on information obtained from a survey sent out to Grade 6, 7 and 8 stu- dents. About 80 students presently in Grade 6 indicated they would attend the Catholic secondary in 1997. Both Jorna and Marcy had some Some trustees wanted more information questions about cost before they would approve the plan. "I see the student numbers are there to make the school feasible. There is nothing here about what the cost will be to the board," said Joma. Trustee Mike Millet, chairperson of the board accommodation review committee, said that there is no cost that can be determined at this time. After the meeting, Dr. James Brown, director of education, said capital costs to open the school are expected to reach between $1.5 million and $2 million. The board expects a grant to cover 75 per cent of the cost, leaving 25 per cent up to the board An addition with eight class- rooms, an entranceway, and a gathering area for students would be added to the Clinton public secondary school. Under ministry standards, the building can accom- modate 1,440 students but 1,200 is a more realistic number, said Dr. Brown. Currently, CHSS' has a student population of 650 students, 50 of which are Catholic students. The new Catholic secondary school will have a population of 600 stu- dents by the time it is offering all five secondary school years. At that time the additional space and class- rooms will be required. the board can afford to pay its share of the plan. Dr. Brown said it is costing the board about $250,000 a year by not having a Catholic secondary school. The separate school board is responsible for educating all Cath- olic students although they may attend public schools. The board pays tuition fees to the public boards for educating those students. Dr. Brown said the board can teach those students at a lower cost than the public boards. "In fact, it's not a question if the board can afford to operate the school but `can we afford not to,"' said Dr. Brown. Marcy wanted more assurances of finances and agreements. "I can't vote in favor of the school unless there's an agreement with the Huron board and if there's suitable funding," he said. Trustees approved Marcy's amendment. Marcy was concerned about the comments that were on some of the surveys. Although there were some positive comments, there were also some negative ones. He wondered if the plan was really favored by the taxpayers. Some parents were concerned about the cost of the school and didn't feel it was needed. Busing and French immer- sion were concerns of other parents. Miller said not all the comments were negative but these comments were included in the report to show _erne assucmcdadabeurance of ty,inions. Program relieves farm life stress CLINTON - There was an infor- mal meeting on March 23 for the Rural Connections Program at the Clinton Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) to discuss stress and means of dealing with it on the farm. Phyllis Ramer, Rural Connec- tions co-ordinator for Huron County gave a presentation to a group of 16 people on stress management. "When 1 do stress management, 1 talk about the tyranny of the urgent." She explained that things that are important often get steam - rolled by things that arc urgent. "The things that are important aren't yelling at us. No one tells us we need more steep or a holiday. No one tells us we need to spend more time nurturing our friends, our family, our faith. Guest speaker George Stock, the Rural Connections co-ordinator for Oxford Count, expanded on this idea. "I'm going to suggest that, with the future of our family farms, we recognized that as something important but we let the urgencies of our day erode away at it," he said, adding, "What sense is there in talking about passing down the farm to the next generation, if we've broken down our marriage by leading separate lives on the same farm? We've shown them (our children) by example that the farm is not a good place to be because you're always running. All they see is your back." He explained that the stress of everyday life often goes unnoticed by those around you. "All of us recognize what happens to someone when there's a barn fire or a loved one dies. The grief process is well recognized. Everyone rallies around them. Somehow, the things that happen on a daily basis - those daily frustrations - those seem to be the things that we don't recognize." Huron residents to give in HISTORY Col. Van Egmond was one of the area's colourful historical figures. Read some of his story. see page three. .1201.0.6 Education board plans zero increase in taxes BY DON JACKSON The Huron County Board of Education (HCBE) has reduced their expenditures to the point where they will have a zero increase on the mill rate if the province doesn't give them any `surprises', according to HCBE Director Paul Carroll Carroll discussed the 1994 budget projections the board is looking at following the huge cuts in expenditures made this year at the board's regular meeting on Monday. Following the province's pledge to keep transfer payments at the same rate as 1993, there has been a great deal of speculation as to what this will mean to the board. In a background information report Carroll explained, "The recent news that provincial transfer payments to school boards will be `frozen' is not necessarily good news." He outlined several other factors Which could cause the money coming from the province to decrease and/or the local share to increase. He cited Social Contract reduc- tions, transportation grant reduc- tions and a province -wide expan- ding student enrolment as some of the factors. Also in the report was mention of the standard mill rate which has not yet been released by the province. The standard mill rate is the device the province uses to determine what portion of per pupil expenses must be raised from local property taxes. This provincial decision is the key factor in the education share of the local property tax mill rate. At present, if general legislative grants and the standard mill rate "Anything else that happens to the local taxpayer is not your doing." - Paul Carroll. are held to 1993 levels, "There will be a .42 per cent increase at this stage," said Carroll. "Your various actions have in fact brought you to the point where if there are no changes, you will be able to go to the municipalities with a zero increase." This news follows earlier scenerios of an increase of up to 20 per cent if the board merely held their expenditures to the 1993 levels. He added, "If there are surprises (from the province) we'll have new decisions to be made." Car- roll stressed that the board has brought their expenditures under control and that "anything else that happens to the local taxpayer is not your doing." There will be a public meeting at Huron Centennial Public School in Brucefield on Thursday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. At this meeting the board will explain their present financial situation to Huron Coun- ty parent associations. Anyone interested is invited to attend. Another meeting of the same nature will be held the following Wednesday at F.E. Madill Secon- dary School in Wingham. Huron board has tie vote over replacement BY DON JACKSON The Huron County Board of Education has decided to put off the decision of whether or not to replace retiring Superintendent Arnold Mathers, following a tie vote at the board's regular meeting on Monday. The issue has been discussed by the Education Committee, Human Resources Committee, Management Committee and the Executive Committee. It was also looked at as a possible way to reduce expenditures when the board underwent a $2.5 million cutback at a special meeting in an attempt to keep the mill rate at an acceptable level. The issue was brought to coun- cil during the Management Com- mittee's report to the board. Com- mittee Chair Allan Carter moved that "the board replace the retiring supervisory officer and confirm its decision to eliminate the principal of the Learning Resources Centre and Transition Years Co-or- dinator." Trustee Norman Pickell seconded the motion. During discussion on the motion, Trustee Bob Burton said that he would like to receive more information concerning what the superintendent's duties are and how they might be done if BY DAVID EMSLIE Following their election promise of reform to the Goods and Ser- vices Tax (GST), the federal Liberal government is beginning to study possible changes to that taxation. During their campaign, the Liberals released the Red Book, which stated, in part, that the GST would be replaced within two years. The first step in the reform plans will be public consultations on GST reforms, with one scheduled to be held at the Luck - now Municipal Office on Wednes- day, April 6. Jerry Lamport, an administrative assistant to Huron -Bruce MP Paul Steckle, explained that the Mathers was not replaced. It was moved by Joan Van Den Broeck that the vote be postponed until the next monthly meeting so that the board could receive further information before voting. Carter stated that trustees have already received a report which outlines the superintendent's duties. "We'll spin our wheels in the final month and still be no further ahead," he said. A vote was held on the motion to postpone. In a show of hands, the 14 trustees tied in a 7-7 vote. Chair Graeme Craig looked up the regulation for a tie vote and stated that in the event of a tic, the vote is considered to be lost. This vote finished, the board voted on Carter's original proposal to replace the superintendent. This vote was defeated 8-6. Following the board's reluctance to replace the superintendent or to postpone the meeting, Van Den Broeck moved that "the issue of replacing the supervisory officer be brought forward at the May meeting as part of the director's report." She added that additional information would be needed for trustees before the meeting. This vote was carried 13-1. Thus, the board will deal with the decision at their next meeting on Monday, May 12. ut on GST government does need the revenue produced by the OST, and thus it will be replaced. He noted, however, that through the consul- tations, people will have the op- portunity to discuss the relacements. Two similar meetings were held, in Clinton and Kincardine, to discuss social security reform. On the public consultations, Lamport said, "We're striving to do this on a regular basis on a number of issues." During the public forum, group presentations, either written or verbal, will be accepted between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Lamport explained that various groups can make presentations, such as Chambers of Commerce, or groups of restaurateurs or retailers. 1 Your Full Lino Dealer FORD MERCURY Sales - Service - Selection HARTilr� I HIGHWAY 18, SEAFORTH 527-1010 4 { . Ylrr. •., er if 0 • TAM CUM MING PHOTO SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY - Patty Banks puts an easter bonnet on the head of Neil McGavin during the Walton Patchwork of Talent Auction held at Duff's United Church on Easter Monday. The two were helping to auction different hems to raise money for the church. The event was full of fun and the basement was filled with Walton -area people. New Huron High School planned BY MICHELE GREENE Advocate Staff Two Stratford trustees wanted more details before approving a plan to establish a Catholic second- ary school in Huron County by 1995. Stratford Trustee Betty Jorna wanted to know how much the new school would cost the board. Stratford Trustee Ron Marcy wanted to make sure the board had suitable capital funding and a suit- able agreement with the Huron County Board of Education before he supported the plan. At Monday night's meeting of the Duron -Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board, trustees voted to proceed with a new Catholic secondary school in Clinton subject to an agreement with the Huron County Board of Education and subject to suitable funding from the Ministry of Education and Training. The new school will share unused space at Central Huron Secondary School (CHSS) in Clinton with the Huron board. The school will open in 1995 and offer Grades 9 and 10 with approxi- mately 110 students, based on information obtained from a survey sent out to Grade 6, 7 and 8 stu- dents. About 80 students presently in Grade 6 indicated they would attend the Catholic secondary in 1997. Both Jorna and Marcy had some Some trustees wanted more information questions about cost before they would approve the plan. "I see the student numbers are there to make the school feasible. There is nothing here about what the cost will be to the board," said Joma. Trustee Mike Millet, chairperson of the board accommodation review committee, said that there is no cost that can be determined at this time. After the meeting, Dr. James Brown, director of education, said capital costs to open the school are expected to reach between $1.5 million and $2 million. The board expects a grant to cover 75 per cent of the cost, leaving 25 per cent up to the board An addition with eight class- rooms, an entranceway, and a gathering area for students would be added to the Clinton public secondary school. Under ministry standards, the building can accom- modate 1,440 students but 1,200 is a more realistic number, said Dr. Brown. Currently, CHSS' has a student population of 650 students, 50 of which are Catholic students. The new Catholic secondary school will have a population of 600 stu- dents by the time it is offering all five secondary school years. At that time the additional space and class- rooms will be required. the board can afford to pay its share of the plan. Dr. Brown said it is costing the board about $250,000 a year by not having a Catholic secondary school. The separate school board is responsible for educating all Cath- olic students although they may attend public schools. The board pays tuition fees to the public boards for educating those students. Dr. Brown said the board can teach those students at a lower cost than the public boards. "In fact, it's not a question if the board can afford to operate the school but `can we afford not to,"' said Dr. Brown. Marcy wanted more assurances of finances and agreements. "I can't vote in favor of the school unless there's an agreement with the Huron board and if there's suitable funding," he said. Trustees approved Marcy's amendment. Marcy was concerned about the comments that were on some of the surveys. Although there were some positive comments, there were also some negative ones. He wondered if the plan was really favored by the taxpayers. Some parents were concerned about the cost of the school and didn't feel it was needed. Busing and French immer- sion were concerns of other parents. Miller said not all the comments were negative but these comments were included in the report to show _erne assucmcdadabeurance of ty,inions. Program relieves farm life stress CLINTON - There was an infor- mal meeting on March 23 for the Rural Connections Program at the Clinton Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) to discuss stress and means of dealing with it on the farm. Phyllis Ramer, Rural Connec- tions co-ordinator for Huron County gave a presentation to a group of 16 people on stress management. "When 1 do stress management, 1 talk about the tyranny of the urgent." She explained that things that are important often get steam - rolled by things that arc urgent. "The things that are important aren't yelling at us. No one tells us we need more steep or a holiday. No one tells us we need to spend more time nurturing our friends, our family, our faith. Guest speaker George Stock, the Rural Connections co-ordinator for Oxford Count, expanded on this idea. "I'm going to suggest that, with the future of our family farms, we recognized that as something important but we let the urgencies of our day erode away at it," he said, adding, "What sense is there in talking about passing down the farm to the next generation, if we've broken down our marriage by leading separate lives on the same farm? We've shown them (our children) by example that the farm is not a good place to be because you're always running. All they see is your back." He explained that the stress of everyday life often goes unnoticed by those around you. "All of us recognize what happens to someone when there's a barn fire or a loved one dies. The grief process is well recognized. Everyone rallies around them. Somehow, the things that happen on a daily basis - those daily frustrations - those seem to be the things that we don't recognize." Huron residents to give in HISTORY Col. Van Egmond was one of the area's colourful historical figures. Read some of his story. see page three. .1201.0.6 Education board plans zero increase in taxes BY DON JACKSON The Huron County Board of Education (HCBE) has reduced their expenditures to the point where they will have a zero increase on the mill rate if the province doesn't give them any `surprises', according to HCBE Director Paul Carroll Carroll discussed the 1994 budget projections the board is looking at following the huge cuts in expenditures made this year at the board's regular meeting on Monday. Following the province's pledge to keep transfer payments at the same rate as 1993, there has been a great deal of speculation as to what this will mean to the board. In a background information report Carroll explained, "The recent news that provincial transfer payments to school boards will be `frozen' is not necessarily good news." He outlined several other factors Which could cause the money coming from the province to decrease and/or the local share to increase. He cited Social Contract reduc- tions, transportation grant reduc- tions and a province -wide expan- ding student enrolment as some of the factors. Also in the report was mention of the standard mill rate which has not yet been released by the province. The standard mill rate is the device the province uses to determine what portion of per pupil expenses must be raised from local property taxes. This provincial decision is the key factor in the education share of the local property tax mill rate. At present, if general legislative grants and the standard mill rate "Anything else that happens to the local taxpayer is not your doing." - Paul Carroll. are held to 1993 levels, "There will be a .42 per cent increase at this stage," said Carroll. "Your various actions have in fact brought you to the point where if there are no changes, you will be able to go to the municipalities with a zero increase." This news follows earlier scenerios of an increase of up to 20 per cent if the board merely held their expenditures to the 1993 levels. He added, "If there are surprises (from the province) we'll have new decisions to be made." Car- roll stressed that the board has brought their expenditures under control and that "anything else that happens to the local taxpayer is not your doing." There will be a public meeting at Huron Centennial Public School in Brucefield on Thursday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. At this meeting the board will explain their present financial situation to Huron Coun- ty parent associations. Anyone interested is invited to attend. Another meeting of the same nature will be held the following Wednesday at F.E. Madill Secon- dary School in Wingham. Huron board has tie vote over replacement BY DON JACKSON The Huron County Board of Education has decided to put off the decision of whether or not to replace retiring Superintendent Arnold Mathers, following a tie vote at the board's regular meeting on Monday. The issue has been discussed by the Education Committee, Human Resources Committee, Management Committee and the Executive Committee. It was also looked at as a possible way to reduce expenditures when the board underwent a $2.5 million cutback at a special meeting in an attempt to keep the mill rate at an acceptable level. The issue was brought to coun- cil during the Management Com- mittee's report to the board. Com- mittee Chair Allan Carter moved that "the board replace the retiring supervisory officer and confirm its decision to eliminate the principal of the Learning Resources Centre and Transition Years Co-or- dinator." Trustee Norman Pickell seconded the motion. During discussion on the motion, Trustee Bob Burton said that he would like to receive more information concerning what the superintendent's duties are and how they might be done if BY DAVID EMSLIE Following their election promise of reform to the Goods and Ser- vices Tax (GST), the federal Liberal government is beginning to study possible changes to that taxation. During their campaign, the Liberals released the Red Book, which stated, in part, that the GST would be replaced within two years. The first step in the reform plans will be public consultations on GST reforms, with one scheduled to be held at the Luck - now Municipal Office on Wednes- day, April 6. Jerry Lamport, an administrative assistant to Huron -Bruce MP Paul Steckle, explained that the Mathers was not replaced. It was moved by Joan Van Den Broeck that the vote be postponed until the next monthly meeting so that the board could receive further information before voting. Carter stated that trustees have already received a report which outlines the superintendent's duties. "We'll spin our wheels in the final month and still be no further ahead," he said. A vote was held on the motion to postpone. In a show of hands, the 14 trustees tied in a 7-7 vote. Chair Graeme Craig looked up the regulation for a tie vote and stated that in the event of a tic, the vote is considered to be lost. This vote finished, the board voted on Carter's original proposal to replace the superintendent. This vote was defeated 8-6. Following the board's reluctance to replace the superintendent or to postpone the meeting, Van Den Broeck moved that "the issue of replacing the supervisory officer be brought forward at the May meeting as part of the director's report." She added that additional information would be needed for trustees before the meeting. This vote was carried 13-1. Thus, the board will deal with the decision at their next meeting on Monday, May 12. ut on GST government does need the revenue produced by the OST, and thus it will be replaced. He noted, however, that through the consul- tations, people will have the op- portunity to discuss the relacements. Two similar meetings were held, in Clinton and Kincardine, to discuss social security reform. On the public consultations, Lamport said, "We're striving to do this on a regular basis on a number of issues." During the public forum, group presentations, either written or verbal, will be accepted between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Lamport explained that various groups can make presentations, such as Chambers of Commerce, or groups of restaurateurs or retailers. 1