HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1996-11-13, Page 1Feature
How: two people
survived near death
experiences .
See page 7
Education
SDHS students
go to work
with parents.
See page 8
Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 Seaforth, Ontario
Briefly
Christmas
Bureau open
again soon
The 1996 Christina% Bureau
will be at the First
Presbyterian Church.
Seaforth again this year.
Donations of toys and cloth-
ing will be gratefully accept-
ed from Dcc. 9-13 from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Arca
families who are in heed of
assistance may call Goderich
at 1-800-265-5198 to register.
All calls ,are in strict confi-
dence. Appointments will he
, scheduled for the week,'of
Dec. 16.
Jim and Jannekp • _ ray
are the Christen eau
managers agai § _ is i and
' they can her 5
2407. Thc M ..,. "-`' 'crc
totally ovetiwhclrnes by the
't'stnennsitt: support of the
Seaforth, last year and
they hope. rat 1996 will hey
even better! "It is the goal of
. the Bureau to make- sur that
Christmas is a sheet nd.
joyous time for cvtry inily
regardless of circumstances."
stated Jannekc Murray in it
press release.
November 13, 1996 — $1.00 includes GST
wry.
PHOTO BY CARLY PRICE
HONOURING FALLEN COMRADES - Jack Muir lays a wreath in memory of those who died for freedom at the
Remembrance Day service at the Seaforth Cenotaph, Monday. Despite a cold and snowy day many Seaforth citizens
Citizenship -came ..ay respects.
.ecu
winners
announced
The winners of this year's
Seaforth citizenship awards
have been determined by the
recreation and parks commit
tee.
The committee •voted Peg
Coombs as winner for
humanitarian service. Charles
Perkins for civic service and
Hank Binnendyk for service
to sports.
They awards .will hc:prc-
sentcd at the. annual BIA
Christmas dinner and dance.
New Legion
book on 161 st in
Huron schools
Local branches of the Royal
Canadian Legion have pro-
vided each elementary and
secondary school in Huron
County with copies of clic
just -released special com-
memorative publication
about the 161st Huron
Battalion 1916. called "Lest
We Forget".
Drug awareness
at high school
A lifestyles team from the
Huron County Health Unit
will he at Seaforth District
High School in the noon hour
Monday hosting a health fair.
Its part of drug awareness
week across Canada and the
local fair's theme is "choices.
consequences .and responsi-
bility."
Thc rnost commonly used
drugs arc alcohol and tobac-
co.
According to a survey by
the Addiction Research
Foundation, drug use by stu-
dents in Ontario increased
between 1993 and 1995. The
use of marijuana. cigarettes
and alcohol have all risen
among Ontario students.
Area residents not notified
Cantel tower approved in McKillo
BY GRI (;QR,CA;v1PBE:Lt,
Expositor Staff
What "democracy" means
is at issue as a new tele-com-
• nrunications tower is once
again news in McKillop.
A local delegation attended
council's meeting last week
with question. concerning
the township's' recent
approval of a Cantel tower
for 1.0 31: Conc.' 6. north of
Roxboro. which neighbours
confirm is owned by
McKillop's roads superinten-
dent. Wayne i)olm:►gc.
"Shame is the very (east
description of: your actions."
states Elaine McDivitt in her
letter on the issue\ to council
in support of the delegation.
made up of Paul Vander
Moten and Mr. and Mrs.
Graham Yates.
All. are ratepayers.
"In the future: 1 wi►utd think
it would serve the community
hater if you acted on the
premise of receiving permis-
sion' rather than bullying tac-
tics." her letter continues.
"Your views and actions arc
most certainly not a reflct:-
tion.of mine..
"It is your responsibility to,
inform. not. my responsibility
to try to find out what, you
are hiding. although ypur
actions certainly prove your
unworthiness of such trust."
"BLACK HOLES" ,
Tele -communications tow-
ers are necessary for some of
today's emerging technolo-
gies, probably thc most popu-
lar of which are cellular
phones such as this particular.
tower would accommodate.
A similar Bell Canada tower.
the first for McKillop, caused
a stir around ,Beechwood
before it wens up earlier this
year.
Before then McKillop and
other rural areas immediately
adjacent wcrc considered a
"black hole" in the industry,
whcrc the available scrvicc,
now taken for granted in
much of the province and
industrialized -world, was of
inferior quality or non-cxis'
tent.
Analysis say there are now
2.8 million cellular phone
owners in Canada. and esti-
mate that in the coining
decade that figure will rise to
12 -million subscribers for
cellular and PCS (personal
cominunication system)
phones.
Digital PCS technology is
the most recent advance in
thc`industry. -
There arc rumours another
tower is in the works -for
McKillop. a Clcarnct tower
or "Mike" as currently adver-
tised on television and rise-.
where. Some my C learnet is
now "the company of compa-
nies" in the industry. •
Thc tele -communications
industry is regulated hy the
,federal government and these
businesses negotiate agree-
ments and pay landowners
• for the right to put up towers
on their land.
Critics in the Beechwood
controversy called them
unsightly. among other
things. and wcrc concerned
with the regulating proce-
dure. which they didn't feel
was democratic and struck
them as lax and un-account-
ahle. Some also felt such
towers wcrc a hazard to
health.
Experts argue both ways on
any health hazard. Solid evi-
dence. either way. is scanty,
hut federal regulators appear
comfortable with their stan-
dards and conclude such tow-
ers' "emissions" are of tittle
or no harm._
PUBLIC CONCERNS
The Huron Expositor was
not at the council meeting
where- the issue of the
Roxboro -arca tower arose.
McKillop Clerk Marion
McClure summarized the del-
egation's rnain concerns
Friday:
• arca residents were not
notified: •
• some predict more towers
CONTINUED on page 3
Board accused of unfair competition
BY AMY NEILANDS
SSP News Staff
Huron County, Board of
Education Director Paul
Carroll responded to allega-
tions that the board is compet-
ing with local computer busi-
nesses and Internet providers
Ott the November 4 board
meeting.
Carroll addressed a series of
letters regarding the board's
involvement siting com-
puters to staff' land students
through tile Huron County
*Lineation Foundation as well
as the board's involvement
with Its... itemet provider,
HOMEtown. One letter
accused the board of unfairly
competing with the private
sector, providing students and
families with Tess expensive
equipment and interne! time,
and subsidizing a money los-
ing internet provider that is
pressuring customers to
switch to their services.
Carroll told trusters that he
had only directly heard one
person's complaints and
added that several other com-
plaints were made through the
internet as well as through
Huron. MPP Helen Johns. A
meeting was held with Johns
and local private Internet
providers to talk about the
board's actions. "We were not
invited to the meeting with
Helen Johns regarding this
issue," said Carroll, adding
that he would like to deal with
this in a calm and responsible
manner and on a personal
basis.
The main concern of the
private providers is the func-
tion of the education founda-
tion. Due to downsizing, the
hoard has had to "beef up rev-
enue generation," said
Carroll, so the foundation was
created as a non-profit organi-
zation with the main function
of fundraising for public edu-
cation. The organization was
reviewed by a solicitor and
was found to be fine. "We sell
a lot of things in our school
system - unfortunately," said
Carroll.
An agreement was set up to
create partnerships for Inter-
net services, said Carroll. The
partnerships included
HOMEtown, public libraries,
thc Education Network of
Ontario which is supported by
the teachers' federations and
thc Ministry of Education.
They have already established
about 700 Internet sites acre
the county, and Carroll said
they will have about 1,000
sites hy the end of the school
year.
CONTINUED on page 3
Canadian Tire
gets reminder
of heritage
rules from
LACAC
When it met in October,
Scaforth's Local
Architectural Conservation
Advisory Committee
(LACAC) decided to send a
Tetter to the owner of the
Canadian Tire Store at 126
Main Street South "to remind
them that their building is
part of the heritage conserva-
tion district, and therefore
requires council approval for
any alterations made to the
exterior of the building."
The outside of that store
recently got a fresh coat of
paint.
Minutes of that LACAC
meeting also state the .com-
mittee suggests the chief
building inspector visit 58
Main Street South (United
Auto Parts) "to determine the
nature of work being done
and to provide any informa-
tion -on appropriate tech-
niques and materials that we
have. Council approval for
the work will also be
required, following comple-
tion of the application
process."
Secretary Cathy Garrick
also reported "that after con-
siderable thought and consul-
tation with both LACAC and
council the owners (Jim and
Danika McNichol) of the
store at 33 Main Street South
(Nifty Korners) have decided
to erect an interior lit box -
type of sign to replace the old
Radio Shack sign."
Hak urges
councillors
to support
hospital
At last week's meeting,
Corn. Mike Hak urged fel-
low town councillors to show
visible support for Seaforth
Community Hospital. similar
to other area towns as the
Huron -Perth District Health
Council (i)HC) approaches
its end -of -the month ,
timetable for recommenda-
tions on area hospital .restruc-
luring.
• He said SCH is an impor-
tant part of this community
and a hig employer, and
noted save -our -hospital pres-
sure groups arc becoming
vocal in other arca towns that
might he affected by whatev-
er thc DHC recommends, for
instance St. Marys where an
estimated 700 people recently
attended a public meeting in
support of that town's hospi-
tal.
Coun. Hak commented the
committee of the Huron-
Pcrth DHC whcrc recommen-
dations arc being formulated
has said it will distance itself
from such pressure groups to
remain impartial.
Deputy -reeve Bill Teall said
he agreed with. Hak, and
observed the local DHC
showed in its eventual deci-
sion to locate offices in
Mitchell, despite Seaforth's
formal application that fol-
lowed official guidelines, that
its decisions could be swayed
by unsolicited public opinion.