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The Huron Expositor, 1995-12-06, Page 14-H Awards 4-H members from across Huron receive annual awards. see page 5 Santa Talks Seaforth kids get a chance to talk to Saint Nick in person. See page 11 ports Seaforth hockey player invited to try -out for national junior team. see page 10 Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 — Seaforth, Ontario Briefly Seaforth PUC set to pass zero increase subject to approval Ontario Hydro has notified the Seaforth Public Utility Commission that there will be no change in 1996 wholesale rates to the utility, says PUC manager 'loin Phillips. The Seaforth PUC also approved its proposed' 1996 Capital and Controllable budget. The utility will pass on the same increase it has in the past three year, says Phillips, a "0" per cent increase to its customers. This proposal is still subject to Ontario Hydro approval. Big '0' lays off, relocates workers Pipe and drainage tile manufacturer Big '0' dosed its Hensall-arca plant and laid off or relocated 26 employees Nov. 24. The president of the com- pany says the closure is temporary and owners are changing the use of the plant. Manufacturing equip- ment was removed from the factory last week. The president blames a "turning down" of the agricultural market and a "disastrous" housing market for the lower demand for Big 'O's products. December 6, 1995 — 75 Cents Plus GST GRF.GOR CAMPBI1.I. PHOTO ONTARIO'S BIGGEST TOY SHOW AND SALE - The parking lots were once again packed at the high school and around the Seaforth Agriculture Complex and Community Centres on the weekend for the local Ag. Society's 8th annual Show and Sale. Seven-month old MacKenzie Beuerman, son of Barb and Greg of Dublin, was one of the many visitors at the two-day event, and at the time this photo was taken was most interested in dolls. Chair Lyle Haney said about the same number of people attended as last year, and exhibitors were actually up a little bit. Attendance at the card show was worrisome though. The annual Seaforth show is the biggest in Ontario, and some say the biggest in the country. Provincial cuts May be fewer libraries in Huron County Huron County libraries, including Seaforth's, appear to be between a rock and a hard place in the aftermath of On- tario's mini -budget last week that took a big hunk of provin- cial grant money for libraries across the province away. "Between the grant cutbacks and county council's objective not to raise local taxes, I ex- pect we'll have to cut services to meet both," says Huron County Chief Librarian Beth Ross. "If we have to absorb all the cuts there will certainly be fewer libraries and they will be open fewer hours." The government announced a 20 per cent reduction in grants for the coming year,. and told public libraries to expect another 20 per cent cut in 1997. There are 18 branch libraries throughout the Huron, and collectively they have received an operating grant of $229,1 10 from the provincial government for the past several years. The 20 per cent reduction in that grant next . year, represents about $46,000 lost, which would lower the grant to about $183,288. The percentages and cal- culated impacts arc based on 1995 figures, Ross notes. In ball -park figures, 80 per cent of the operating cost of our coun- ty library system is paid for through local taxes, with Continued on page 9 Amalgamation with townships a possibility General Coach lays off, shuts down plant A "seasonal slowdown in the RV (recreational vehicle) busk, ness led General Coach in Hensall to layoff all remaining assembly line workers and shut down manufacturing until at least January. Gcncral Manager John Pryde said the layoff's, announced shouldn't have "surprised any- one, and shouldn't be taken as a sign 'of serious trouble for the local plant. "This is a result of a seasonal slowdown, which I can't say is traditional, but happens more often than not," explained Prydc. Pryde said the layoff affects the 90 employees who were kept on after an earlier layoff last September., The September layoff, which affected 40 employees, was the result of "the loss of thc bus business," resulting in thc shut down of a production line which made wheelchair acces- sible busses. "We were fortunate to have been ahlc to keep the workers frotn'the bus line as long as did," said Prydc. Prydc said a recall date for the most -recently laid off workers is "yet to he deter- mined." However, he said "We anticipate these people will all be hack in January. We antici- pate, but of course that will all be dependent on a number of factors, including our sales over the next six weeks." About 20 workers, including sales, parts and service and office workers remain on the job at the plant. BY GREGGR CAMPBELL Expositor Stall Seaforth Council plans to put out feclers.on the possibility of future amalgamation to the townships of Tuckcrsmith, McKillop and Hulk tt, perhaps setting up a meeting with the reeves and administrators of the area Huron County municipalities. "I think we've got to break the ice and sec what's out there," Mayor Irwin Johnston Quick thinking prevents tragedy blin gas station Y ANDY BADt:R SP News Staff Quick thinking prevented a ;tragedy Sunday afternoon in blin. Shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday, u vehicle rolled across Highway 8 in Dublin and pocked over a gas pump at the ai King Station, where a estaurant is also located. here were three young chil- • ren inside the vehicle. and her the vehicle hit the pump, fire with flames nine -to -10 - eel high developed, witness ynn Feeney said. Only the uick thinking of the restau- nUgas bar owners ---who put 1 the fire with a pair of fire xtinguishers—prevented gedy "There's no doubt in my ind they did save a serious bing from happening," itcheii.& District Fire Chief Ill Elliott said. "Their quick inking prevented a serious (nation. Feeney. who was inside the staurant with her three aughtcrs at the time. said onlay that restaurant o aync and Kay Gene. a quickly shut off the and; grabbed their fire extinguishers to put out blaze. The owners of the car able to get their young c dren—all three no older t three -years -old --from vehicle without incident. "It was quite a shoe Feeney said, still shaken'' from the Incident. We d think we'd get the fire out...; thought it would blow up." Feeney said fortunately j her daughters and the thr owners were inside the b ing at the time. Sebtingville OPP Ross Marshall report 1984 Ford, owned by J. White, 24, of S parked in a private north side of Hig Dublin. It ml the highway due failure. he The Ml Department scene withi the time had el Chief- cle a. "1 don't think we should be scared about sharing services." - Reeve Bill Bennett said Monday night. Council backed -off its own timetable for a long-term strategic plan, in the wake of last week's cutbacks and mini- budget from Queen's Park, until it finds out exactly what the provincial government has in mind with its proposed "Omnibus" Bill 26, the details of which are expected to be revealed in the next two weeks, and which might force many provincial municipalities to consider sharing services and towards amalgamation. "Does the vision change'?" Deputy -Reeve Bill Tcall asked Huron County Planner Gary Davidson, who brought recom- mendations and timetable for a community approach to Seaforth's strategic plan, that would cost in thc range of 54,000 to $6,000, to Monday night's regular meeting of council. "Seaforth will always exist...the work doesn't go away," Davidson said, Oxford is the only county in Ontario that has ever voluntarily amal- gamated. However, with Exeter and Stephen Township now of- ficially considering• amal- gamation after studying it for 18 months, the county planner added there is "a fear out there" that the provincial government now has a tote -tier system of municipal government in mind for On- . tario, "although I don't know how true it is." He said there is no doubt municipalities are going to have to adapt and share more in future. Davidson added he doesn't know how effective a one -tier level of government might be in a large county like Huron, but he has also had hints in his travels that the Ontario government feels 26 municipalities in Huron "is too many" to deal with. Davidson speculated that municipalities might not have much time to make up their own minds on amalgamation, perhaps only six months until next May, when amalgamation might be forced on some of them after the government's April budget, when the next round of provincial belt - tightening announcements will probably be made, perhaps amounting to another $7 -mil- lion dollars if the government is to keep its promise get On- tario's fiscal house in order. Exeter and Stephen might have the right idea, the planner noted, because "whoever moves first will start to define the structure." Davidson said there wasn't much interest in amalgamation when Huron County did a report on it earlier this decade. He added one -tier regional -governments in Ontario might be the model the provincial government uses for counties such as Huron, which in tum might be made up of "wards", such as Seaforth and other municipalities. The planner said change is going to come, and noted a recent subtle but important proposed change, that municipalities might now default to the county rather than the provincial government, which might give a hint of the direction Ontario is moving and the shape of those things to come. He said Huron County would be willing to provide input and help with any amal- gamation initiatives amongst municipalities that might decide to share services. "I don't think we should be scared about sharing services," Reeve Bill Bennett said, noting sfrch is already the case with the Seaforth arena and fire -area board, where five area municipalities already work together. Works Superintendent John Forrest noted that urban centres such as Seaforth and Clinton might better share services than urban and rural municipalities, which often have different concerns and priorities. 18 per cent cut Thibert hopes cuts spread over three years Seaforth Community Hospital Chicf Executive Officer Bill Thibert is "concerned" but not enough to press any panic but- tons about the Ontario government's 18 per cent cut in funding to provincial hospitals announced last Wed- nesday. "Everybody's kind of ner- vous," he says. "If we really lost this money it would affect the services we provide, it would significantly impact the number of people we employ, it would be extremely major." The local hospital's annual budget is in the vicinity of 55 - million, about $4.65 -million of which comes from transfers from the province. Eighteen per cent of this works out to about 5900,000 over three years. But Thibert is waiting for details on how the provincial cost-cutting will he implemented. He has heard the Continued on page 9