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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1995-02-01, Page 44—THE HURON EXPOSITOR, February 1, 1995 ... E Lxpositor Huron • Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 TERRi-LYNN DALE • General Manager & Advertising Manager MARY MELLOR - Sales PAT ARMES - Office Manager DIANNE McGRATH - Subscriptions TIM CUMMING - Editor GREGOR CAMPBELL - Reporter LINDA PULLMAN - Typesetter BARB STOREY - Distribution A Burgoyne Community Newspaper SUBSCRIPTION RATES. LOCAL - 28.00 a year, in advance, plus 1.96 G.S.T SENIORS - 25 00 a year, in advance, plus 1 75 G.S T Godench, Stratford oddresses. 28.00 o yeor, in odvonce, plus 7.28 postage, plus 2.47 G.S.T Out -Of Areo addresses. 28.00 a year, in odvonce, plus 1 1 44 postage, plus 2-76 G.S.T USA & Foreign 28 00 o year in advance, plus 576.00 postage, G.S.T. exempt SUBSCRIPTION RATES Published weekly by Signal Star Publishing of 100 Moin St., Seoforth. Publication moil regisha- lion No 0696 held.ot Seaforth, Ontario Advertising is occepted on conditi that in the event of a typogrophicol error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous it together with a rea- sonable allowance for signature, will not be chorged, but the balance of Ifse advertisement will be paid for at the opplicoble rote. In the event of o typographical error, odvertising goods or services ata wrong price, goods or services moy not be sold. Advertising is merely on offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or domoge of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. Chonges of oddress, orders for subscriptions and undeliverable copies ore to be sent to The Huron Expositor Wednesday, February 1, 1995 Editorial and Business Offices 100 Main Sheet, Seaforth Telephone (519) 527-0240 Fax (519) 527.2858 Moiling Address - P.O- Box 69, Seaforth, Ontario, NOK IWO Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Associotion, Ontario Community Newspapers Association and the Ontario Press Council Area boosts development Early February has been earmarked as a time to talk about International Development. So what? In the midst of negative news images from Rwanda and other dismal African stories presented each night by our televisions, let us offer a slightly different view of African development - with a Seaforth twist. Exactly 10 years ago the images of starving Ethiopians flooded our television screens. Many called it a famine of biblical propor- tions. It was. After the television cameras disappeared, relief agencies, in partnership with local communities, turned to agriculture, afforestation, water programs and health care for long- term solutions to Ethiopia's ills. The goal? To prevent a re -run of Ethiopia's horrible images. Although the successes in Ethiopia are only a beginning, they are $ignifigant.to the fwmcirs, whq„ark now living beyond the subsistence level. Damota 1, a project partially funded by 30 -Hour Famine participants from the Seaforth area, is one of those successes. Last year students from across Ontario raised $662,000 for programs like Damota 1 through the annual 30 -Hour Famine event. Over the years, villagers had stripped Damota region of its trees for shelter and firewood to cook meals. Today, through education and village -organized tree nurseries, thousands of trees dot the countryside. New soil conservation techniques and practical irrigation projects have given farmers the edge in fighting the periodic droughts which plague Africa. All this was done by Ethiopian villagers with the assistance of Ethiopian agriculturalists. Although the funding came in part from the Seaforth area, the work was done by Ethiopians themselves. That is development. Good news stories like this don't make great TV images. They rarely even make the news, but it's much more exciting than any fast breaking newsclip from Bosnia or Rwanda. As we ponder Development Week, there is a glimmer of hope reflected in the good works of the Ontario students who took part in the 30 -Hour Famine. These kids did more than talk - they acted. Their actions teach us that caring means involvement. Caring means working with others. And caring means sacrifice. That too is development. • written by Don Hepburn, World Vision Niagara and Mid Western Ontario. Letters to the Editor More funds are needed Dear Editor, As Chair of the fundraising com- mittee for the CHuMS bus I have been excited by the positive response to our current fundraising campaign to start up a mobility bus service in Clinton, Hullett, McKillop, Seaforth and Tuckersmith. As reported in The Huron Exposi- tor (Jan. 25) we are within $4,000 of having enough money for our share of the bus purchase. What I failed to mention is that CHuMS has an agreement with the five municipalities that we will raise an additional $15,000 to provide us with a financial base before we start up the transit service. This informa- tion is in our fundraising letter. Anyone who has started a new business knows it is wise to have money in the bank at the beginning to avoid going into debt. In our case, we need to buy insurance and gas, install a telephone and pay wages before we receive the sub- sidy from the Ministry of Transpor- tation. Currently there is no other trans- portation available for the 200 persons who have applied to CHuMS and are patiently waiting for the service to begin. Do you have a relative, friend or neighbour who would benefit from a special- ized transit service? Perhaps you yourself may be eligible, if not today, then sometime in the future. Can you help us get this mobility bus service on the road? If 200 persons or businesses in central Huron donated $J00 each or 400 persons sent us $50 each, this would put our fundraising over the top. You will be glad you helped when you see people in the com- munity benefitting from this ser- vice. Come on, residents of central Huron! You have helped to build hospitals, community centres and you have supported homemaking and visiting nursing agencies. CIiuMS is also a non-profit chari- table organization and we can issue official receipts for income tax purposes for donations of SIO or MOM. Donations can be mailed to CHuMS, Box 458, Clinton, Ontario NOM ILO. Or you can telephone me at 482-5666 or 1-800-267-0535 if you would like someone to pick up your donation. Please help us if you canl Yours truly, Bev Brown CHuMS Fundraising Chairperson Opinion ACTION, PACE, QUEST...and OPP? 1 know this will date me a bit but I actually went to grade thirteen...I never went to OAC. 1 also went to a high school not an S.S. (Secondary School)...although it used to be a C.I. (Collegiate Institute). To attend SDHS today it's impera- tive to know what a WOW is, what OSAID is and what SPEAR is. It was quite interesting to receive a lengthy two-page list of `acronyms' from the Huron County Board of Education. (I hate to be the one to tattle on a board representing teachers but short forms aren't acronyms... acronyms are when a new word is formed from the letters of different words. SCUBA is an acronymn, OPP is not). Now, some abbreviations are rather amusing. For instance, the short form of Bluewater Second- ary School is BSS...which might be appropriate, I don't know. 1 know some people are prone to PMS which (1 understand) is worse than G.E.-M.S. or F.E.M.S. One could write a whole book using nothing but acronyms and abbreviations...although no one would understand what it meant (except, perhaps, a bureaucrat like the one who renamed a bed a horizontal sleep enhancer). So, here's the SCOOP. An ART (Area Resource Teacher) might not know any- thing about art. "Why the rush to OPP?” Someone from the RCC (Roman Catholic Church) might know nothing about the RCC (Regional Curriculum Council). Someone who went to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) might not know anything about AA (Affirmative Action) but they do know if they take a SIP it will make them SADD. They might run a tab, but how about an OTAB? (I'm not making any of these up...honest). Perhaps you have not MET anyone who belongs to LACAC, and perhaps you can't COPE with CUPE. Maybe you have a QUEST but can't keep the PACE...don't be a REC, just take ACTION. If you SALEP you might fall but just get back up and ADAPT! If you watch TV you might see those cute little muppets Bert and OSCA. If you read up on your American history you would know all about ABE, who probably lived at the CASA blanca. Here's one I used to say to my sister OSIS! In high school days students used to say TGIF when it was Friday...but it sometimes came out like this by the end of the evening: TTBIIF! Just remember, always be OPEN minded and you will be a V.I.P. I think it's time to HITAC my way out of here! SEIU later! * * * If the Ontario Provincial Police aren't going to be cheaper why is Seaforth considering the end of its municipal police force? If there are people who want to keep their municipal force why are they not speaking out? If there are problems with Seaforth Police Services other than cost and provincial regula- tions then let's hear them and have a rational public discussion. If not, why the rush to OPP? Column disturbing to snowmobiler Dear Editor, Get out of the dark It was disturbing to read the opin- ion column (Jan. 18, Huron Exposi- tor) written by Gregor Campbell regarding the access of snowmo- biles to the town of Seaforth. I would like to applaud the delega- tion from the B&W Trailblazers on the effort put forth to provide a common passage through town for local and visiting snowmobilers. The popularity of snowmobiling has grown greatly in the past few years after a slump in the mid 1980s, mainly due to the volunteers of the many clubs throughout Ontario. These clubs have banded together under the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) to pro- vide the trail network that crosses Ontario, mentioned by Mr. Campbell in his article. There are now over 35,000 km of trails in Ontario, covering more distance than Ontario's provincial highways. This trail system has for most snowmobile riders taken the sport Letters i 1 out of Mr. Campbell's age of "dodging barbed wire fences in the middle of a farmer's field." Regarding the economic and tourism benefit that Mr. Campbell fails to see for the province and the area, in the 1993-94 season over 90,000 trail permits were issued in Ontario representing an estimated 165,000 participating snowmobilers. These numbers are the largest in the world (Quebec is number two with 70,000 permits and 29,000 km of trail), yes, making our province the number one snowmobile destination in the world. These participants spent $513 million in the past sea- son ($5700 each, about 40 per cent of the national total of $1.4 Billion spent in the sport. The OFSC also has a charitable connection to f�sl�6ac� Easter Seals, for which over $500,000 was raised last winter. Locally the clubs surrounding Seaforth sell approximately 1000 trail permits of the Provincial total. The B&W Trail system passes by three snowmobile dealers, two of which are new enterprises in the last five years for the business involved. With the number of snow- mobiles they sold this past year (new and used), along with acces- sories, I would estimate revenues well over $2 million before the snow hit the ground. On weekends the parking lots at these dealers are filled with vehicles from points south such as London, Sarnia, Windsor and surrounding area bringing people to ride in the local area. The group of 25 riders stopped by Chief Claus, who could not find their way through Seaforth have a common problem with any stranger in town - the lack of a marked route to get gas, food, etc, in Seaforth. This group represented the LIONS PARK - Seventy years of Lionism in Seaforth and the Lions park and pool are part of many of our childhood memories. The first swimming pool was opened in 1927 on property which was purchased in 1924. tt was an old limestone quarry. This was replaced in 1956 by a concrete pool. Swimming lessons, picnics, dances and the Lions' carnival were popular summer activities at the park. Snowmobile column appalling Dear Editor, After reading the article, 'Snow- mobiles not everyone's cup of tea', 1 was appalled that a person could be that uninformed or misinformed and yet still manage to write an article that would become printed. In this article Mr. Campbell wrote of an incident involving Chief Hal Claus and 25 snowmobilers from London, "who knew not where they were or where they were going." if the trails into town where marked as to the location of food and gas, this incident would most likely have been avoided. 1t was for reasons like this, that Bob Leeming and myself approached the town, on behalf of The B & W Trailblazers, to sign the streets of town to food and gas, for visiting snowmobilers. Mr. Campbell also spoke of watching a video that, "waxed a bit too poetic, and entered the realm of propaganda, when it declared Ontario to soon be the number one snowmobile destination in the world." With over 35,000 km of groomed trails, ranging from flat fields to hilly bush and open lake running, we have a little of any kind of riding to choose from. With over 90,000 permit sales, represent- ing $7.65 million worth of revenue, we ARE #1 in the world, While J Letters 1 i Quebec is second with 29,000 km of trails and 70,000 permit sales. The days of "dodging barbed wire fences in the middle of farmers' fields", is long past. Present trails can be as smooth as the roads we drive on, and 8 ft to 16 ft wide. These trails link from town to town, and county to county. It is quite easy for a group to ride a 100 - 150 mile trip in an afternoon. These trips will quite often require filling the snowmobiles up with fuel $20 or more), and also stopping along the way for food and a warming drink ($10 per person or more). if each of these individuals is to spend this money, why wouldn't the Town Councillors be jumping up and down with enthusiasism at the thought of getting the snowmobilers to spend their money in Our Town. The problems that arise over snowmobilers are mainly created by our local youth and not the money carrying Tourists that would like to stop over in our town. Even if the signs were to cost the local taxpayers some money (which they will not), the long-term paybacks would easily be worth more than the expense. As an example, in one weekend (when the trails are good) there would easily be 200-500 snowmobilers go past our shop, and if only 25 per cent of these were to stop in our town and spend $30 each, this could bring $2,625 of revenue into our town each weekend. Upon waiting for our meeting with the Seaforth Town Council, while sitting in the gallery we over- heard one member of council state that they though they missed the boat on the District Health Council's site selection. How right he was! WAKE UP, SEAFORTNW, no one gets anywhere without act- ing one opportunities, and this is one of them. Andy Van Dorp Extra charge Dear Editor, On Nov. 29 1 moved, taking my dial phone as instructed by Bell. Now I am being charged for touch tone on residence line. This is because Bell has no more dial lines. potential of 25 tanks of gas at $20 each, 25 meals at $10 each plus other miscellaneous purchases or a $750 to $1000 potential. An example of a region com- mitted to attracting snowmobile dollars is evident in the Muskoka region where with help of local tourism groups a floating bridge was constructed across the Muskoka river to improve access to Bracebridge by connecting two clubs in the region. Note also in the recent paper the intrepid snowmo- bile column by Craig Nicholson, (who travelled the area and stopped in Seaforth for lunch) the comments made on Hanover's lack of trail marking in the town, a sure way to miss out on business. In regards to the policing prob- lem, snowmobilers' efforts in other communities have been effective with a number of charges laid in the town of Brussels already this season. A snowmobile can be ident- ified by its registration number the same way your car is by it's licence plate, so if you have problems, get these number and relay them to'the authorities. As well, out of town visitors would not be at all offended if someone stopped them and explained the Town's rules, if approached in the proper way. Finally, I'm glad to see that the town council has agreed to allow signs to the posted, but if Mr. Campbell's attitude is representative of the Town of Seaforth, maybe the best sign would be placed at the points of entry to town and read `Seaforth, the Snowmobile Unfriendly Town - Food, Gas, Lodging in Clinton 10 Miles west, Brussels 20 miles north'. Brussels Walton Trailblazers Club member Paul Dodds Women's Institute responds to article on community hall Dear Editor, Last week the Expositor covered the Walton Community Hall meet- ing. We arc writing to clarify some of the information in that article. Rent for the Walton Hall has been $45. Since that amount doesn't cover hall expenses the Walton Women's Institute has held luncheons to meet expenses. These meals have been quite successful so that the Institute could meet costs. We wanted to keep the cost of the hall rent reasonable so that the community had a useable facility. The true cost for rent of $85 sug- gested by Reeve Murray could be seen as excessive to renters. The Anniversary occasion men- tioned in the article held at the hall began with a fundraising barbecue prior to the entertainment. The program was meant as a Commun- ity Appreciation Night. The finan- cial side was not totally neglected. The Walton Women's Institute are a well organized, effective group who have updated and main- tained the Community Hall nineteen years. We have appreciated the support of the Community and thank the Councils of McKillop, Grey and Morris for handling the public meeting regarding the Hall. Sincerely Walton WI. President Marjory Humphries Sec.TT'reasurer Helen Craig unethical My service charge has increased $2.94 per month for my same dial phone. It is unethical to be forced to pay for something i don't have. From a dissatisfied Bell customer Frances Balt