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The Huron Expositor, 1995-11-08, Page 1Christmas Local restaurant owner hosting Big Brothers }lers Christmas Party see page 2 Community Newspaper Since 1860 - Seaforth Ontario Briefly sy November 8, 1995 — 75 Cents Plus GST Hensall man injured in arena accident A 24 -year-old employee was seriously injured in an accident at the, Hensall Arena last week. Robert Volland received a broken ankle, pelvis, cracked tailbone and severe lacerations and was still in Victoria Hospital at London this Monday, a week after the accident, although he was expected to be transferred to the Exeter hospital sometime this week. A spokesperson at Town Hall said the "accident could have been a lot worse" and Volland has been working at the local arena for about six months. The incident is under investigation by the Ministry of Labour. Apparently, Volland had just finished resurfaelhg the' ice and was in the tunnel when the unit, that was running, perhaps kicked into gear, trapping and dragging him a considerable distance. The Hensall Arena uses a 1971 Allis-Chalmers tractor with a Champion ice - machine. Hullett opens new municipal building Hullett Township officially opened its new municipal building in ceremonies Saturday. The 2,500 square -foot, eight -room facility is on Huron County Road 15. It includes offices, council chambers, community meeting rooms and storage space. The old municipal office was in the public works garage. The project received $106,375 from the Canada /Ontario Infrastructure Works program with federal, provincial and municipal governments each providing one-third of the funding. Huron -Bruce MP Paul Steckle and Hullett Reeve Thomas J. Cunningham officially opened the new facility. Christmas Bureau accepting donations The Huron County Christmas Bureau is accep- ting gifts of food and new clothing and toys the first week of next month, Dec. 4 to 8. First Presbyterian Church hosts the Bureau around Seaforth this year, which rotates from local church to church annually. Other beureaux in Huron this year are at Goderich, Exeter, Wingham and Clinton. "While it may seem ter- ribly early to be thinking about Christmas, the volun- teers who manage the bureaux have been working since September preparing to help brighten Christmas for more than a thousand needy children across the county," notes a press release from Children's Aid Society of Huron County, which co-ordinates the an- nual charity campaign. Last year the Bureau helped brighten Christmas for 1,100 children in Huron. GREGOR CAMPBELL PHOTO IN STEP - Seaforth Branch 156 of the Royal Canadian Legion held its annual church parade, Sunday, ,in advance ,of Remembrance Day this Saturday. The parade went to Norttt,�U[ted Church on Goderich ILyistuditz0 I -Evatarmernbers haletrtheir annual Poppy Drive. Stephen Murray Preliminary hearing in March for Murray Stephen Murray, 46, will attend a preliminary hearing into second degree murder charges on Mama 5 in Goderich. Murray, who is free on bail, is alar With. pl of has been "missing since May 31. communities under OPP happywith switch future, in the wake of the of policeservices boards in says Exeter Police Services town's switch to Ontario both communities say the Board Chair John Stephens. Provincial Police service a towns have saved money, the "We don't hear any negative week ago Monday. service is as good, if not better, comments on the street." Exeter and Kincardine both and they have a lot less on Stephens says Exeter has made the same switch in the their plates. saved about $80,000 annually past two years and the Chairs "We are tickled . to death, by switching, and no longer BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff Seaforth's Police Services Board may find itself with time on its hands in the very near bears the responsibility for buildings, vehicles, clothing and equipment. "I've resigned from our board effective the end of this calendar year, and our secretary Continued on page 20 County can save$40-million bdumping dump _ BY DAVID SCOTT have also discovered that per cent of what it collects. Court. Bill Weber of Stephen Expositor Editorbeyond the fact that with The remaining waste could be Township said the county has •y accepting the Bluewater plan incinerated, said McQueen. to "look at the Bluewater pm- TharY and saving the monies of con- The Bluewater plan,which posal very seriously." structing the landfill and main- begins as a pilot project in "They (Bluewater) have not taining it - in your own num- 1996 in three test municipal- made arrangements with their bers of upwards to $40- mil- ices, has been the subject of landlord or their local munici- lion," said McQueen. recent local newspaper and pality or this county - as to He also stated that tipping radio reports. what they have to do to pro - fees at the new landfill could Francis Veilleux, Bluewater's ceed. I think we have to be run more than $100 per tonne, president, will attend Huron cautious that we make sure whereas Bluewater plans to County's next Planning and they follow the proper route for pick up waste at $45-50 per ing to further explain the pro- Development Committee meet- this Conundertatinuedkoningpage7 they'r+e looking tonne. Bluewater would recycle 75 po' plan. County landfill site in their township, brought that message to H County ount Council on Huron County can save $40- Spokesperson Rob McQueen million by ditching its plans for told council that Bluewater is a landfill in Ashfield Township proposing to take 100 per cent and accepting a new one-stop of the waste generated in the waste collection plan from county. "In simple math, this Bluewater Recycling, according would mean there would no to a lobby group • from longer be a need for a new Ashfield. landfill because the offer that • The Concerned Citizens of Bluewater has extended is for a Ashfield, who oppose the 10 -year period," he said. establishment of a Huron "From my investigation I CHUMS dissolves Five years of work BY AMY NBILANDS SSP News Staff One year after signing an agreement with the Central Huron Mobility Service (CHuMS), the five member municipalities opted out of financially supporting the ser- vice, which was recently hit by provincial government cut- backs. Of the $70,000 that was budgeted for one year of operation of the mobility bus service, $28,000 was supposed to come from the provincial government. The $28,000 is "raw gone by the wayside," said Ron Latham, chair of the CHUMS steering committee. The service was therefore looking to the five member municipalities, the Towns of Clinton and Scaforth and the Townships of Tuckersmith, Hullett and McKillop, for sup - p• The Huron Adult Day Centre was to cover $23,000 of the operating costs, while $10,000 was slated to come from rider- ship and $9,000 from fundraising. The agreement, signed on Nov. 2, 1994, was accepted under the stipulation that no required funds would come from the municipalities. But just a few short weeks ago, after CHuMS notified its 200 qualified applicants that the bus would be up and running shortly, the service was notified that the province, through the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), would fund the pur- chase of the CHuMS bus, but would not fund the operation of the service. This includes the $3.50 subsidy per trip and the basic operating subsidy. CHuMS then had to decide whether to operate the bus without assistance of the MTO or sell the bus to another agen- cy. CHuMS felt no action should be taken until the five municipal councils were con- sulted and decided on a course of action. It was decided by the CHuMS board of directors that if the municipalities decided not to make up the provincial share of the operating costs, the bus would be sold to the Huron Adult Day Centre, whose bus is in herd of some costly repairs. 'The Day Centre's bus is worn out," said Latham. "They are quite concerned. They have to do something one way or another—If the Day Centre purchases the bus, that has nothing to do with down the drain says Browny "Money will be turned back to those who donated to CHuMS. CHUMS; CHuMS will die." Latham suggested that by further fundraising and an increase in ridership fees, that would make up about $8,000 of the $28,000 cut from the government. "$20,000 is still missing," he said. "That's a m or shortfall." One councilor wonder what these 200 applicants have been doing without the bus. Latham noted that presently they have to rely on family and friends or cabs to take them where they need to go. Bev Brown, fundraising chair for CHuMS, added that their children usual- ly have to take time off work to take them. They usually only ask for rides when it is an emergency or have an ap- pointment, she noted. The question of whether or not the Day Centre could nm the service was raised. It was noted that it would be an ad- ditional cost to the Day Centre to have the bus running full time, and they would have to deal with extra managing and "scheduling. "That's not their job to do," stated Latham. "It doesn't 'matter who runs it, $30,000 is still needed." t/ Some solutions to raise more money presented to CHuMS by the councils were to ask each of the 200 applicants to pay a user fee of $135 per year on top of the fee paid each time the service is used and to ask organizations who have donated money to CHuMS already to donate more and continue to do so on an on- going basis. "It's unfair to expect us to support the same project every year," said Jim Stanley, a representative of the Clinton Optimist Club. "The money we pledge each year changes.' "'Chis may not seem like a lot of money but the unfortunate pan is we are all facing the same dilemma for 1996, said Clinton Mayor Case Buffinga of the tight financial situations area municipalities are already in. "We don't know; there are too many unknowns. It's scaring me to think of what we may face in 1996." "We understand that municipal councils are between a rock and a hard place," said Brown, adding that if a com- munity wants a service bad enough, "they have to make it happen...We just can't do it alone; no group can do it alone." After discussions between individual councils, Clinton and Seaforth voted to support CHuMS financially. while Tuckersmith, Hullett and McKillop voted to have the bus sold to the Huron Adult Day Centre. Since three municipalities don't want to particfipate, that means the bus is sold to the Huron Adult Day Centre, said CHUMS Treasurer Jim Crock- er. Latham noted that the bus for the Day Centre may not stay there forever, and if there is a change in funding, the system may come back. But in the meantime, the money will be turned back to those who donated to CHuMS and the cm.aion will be "moth belled," said Brown, who said that rather than disbanding all together, if some "miracle" comes in the next couple of years, it will be easier to start up, again. s five years of work down the drain," said Brown. "But it's sad more so for the people who were looking for- ward to using the service."