HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-03-05, Page 1Entertainment
Seaford] Manor
residents enjoy
Mexican Fiesta.
See page 14
Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 Seaforth, Ontario
March 5, 1997 — $1.00 includes GST
Mid -Huron i andfill
No decision
yet on wage
increase
Watt to be on
Leaf's telecast
Jenn Watt of Egmondville
is jumping for joy, having
won a Leafs sweater among
other prizes.
She was informed last week
her entry is one of the "mem-
ories" which is going to be
used sometime in the next
couple of weeks between
periods of a Toronto Maple
Leafs telecast to promote
Bell Canada's "Great -est
Hockey Memories" contest.
Jenn's memory was of her
brother Mike, helping Team
Canada to its World Junior
Hockey Championship in
1996.
She also won the book A
Day in The Life of the NHL
and two passes to the Hockey
Hall of Fame.
Three local
schools at
curling finals
Three area elementary
schools made it to the finals
of their provincial curling
championship Feb. 21 at
Peterborough.
St. James, Seaforth Public
and Huron Centennial
schools all tied for ninth spot
in a field of 64 Ontario
schools. It was the third year
the Seaforth and area elemen-
tary rinks competed at the
provincial event.
Members of these final
foursomes were:
St. James - Danielle Van
den Hengel (skip), Marissa
Hak, Lori Van den Hengel,
Tanis Vandermolen. Ian
McMillan (coach);
Seaforth Public - Pamela
Jewitt (skip), Kim Jewitt,
Marci DeGroof, Lori
DeGroof, Don Jewitt (coach);
Huron Centennial - Kent
Moffett (skip), Amy Gordon,
Paula Renning, Leanne
McGowan, Kelly Gcrger,
Ken Renning (coach).
4-H meeting
at Vincent's
The Huron County 4-1-1
Machinery Club and the
Huron County 4-H
Sodbusters Club will hold a
joint organizational and first
meeting at Vincent Farm
Equipment one mile north of
Seaforth on County Rd. 12 .
7:30 p.m., March 10.
All interested youths 10 tc
21, as of January I, 1997, arc
invited. For further informa-
tion contact Allan Haugh at
522-0248 or Chris Maloney
at 345-2025.
Each Huron County 4-11
member can now join as
many clubs as they want for
one 10 -dollar fee for 1997.
Deputy -reeve
wins million
Goderich deputy -reeve and
former Huron County warden
Bill Clifford won $I -million
in a Heart and Stroke
Foundation of Ontario lottery
draw.
His $100 winning ticket
was announced on the CTV
program Jeopardy on Feb.
21.
He is 58 and also owns Bill
Clifford Real Estate.
OPPOSITION LEADER IN SEAFORTH - The new Leader of the Official Opposition, Dalton Mct3uinty, was on Main
Street Monday night. He spoke to the party faithful at the Huron Provincial Liberal Association's Annual General Banquet
uet
and meeting at Seaforth Branch 156 of the Royal Canadian Legion.
PUCs vote to recommend:
One utilitv for Huron, one for Perth
BY ANDY BADER
SSP News Staff
* with notes from D. Scott
Contrary to a consultant's
recommendation, the 17
Public Utility Commissions
in Perth and Huron voted to
form one utility for each
county.
At a special meeting held
in Mitchell last Wednesday,
commissioners and managers
of the utilities gathered to
discuss a feasibility report
from Dominic Guarasci,
which recommended that one
utility be formed to represent
all 67,30( customers in Perth
and Huron.
But contrary to that recom-
mcndation—which would
save approximately $4 mil-
lion—the utilities decided to •
form two separate utilities,
and proceed with a business
plan for probable implemen-
tation Jan. 1, 1998.
Not Unanimous Vote
The vote for two utilitie
was not unanimous, as PUCs
in Exeter and Hensall voted
against that plan, and no rep-
resentatives from
Dashwood's PUC were pre-
sent. Instead, Exeter forward-
ed a motion to form cight
utilities in Huron and Perth,
another of Guarasci's alterna-
tives, but no utility seconded
the motion so it was lost.
Guarasci was on hand to
explain his report and answer
any questions. Although he
recommended one utility, his
second choice was the two
utilities the group eventually
decided upon.
$61 5
. million in revenue and
s serving 31,000 customers.
Huron County, he predicts,
will save $I.3 to $4.5 mil-
lion, and generate $56.5 mil-
lion in revenue for 36,200
customers.
All plans arc contingent on
the merger of local utility
customers with those current- e
ly served by Ontario Hydro. s
All agreed that some form r
of continuity was essential in s
making the changeover take M
place, so one busii,e�� E
in
e
Savings For Huron
In his report, he predicts
that Perth County will save
anywherc from $1.7 to $4.9
million with the formation of
one utility, depending on any
financial assistance from the
province, while generating
dations, the opportunity
save money and reduce by
rates anywhere from 3.6
eight per cent at the sa
time was noted.
Jim MacKenzie, past pre
dent of the Municip
Electric Association (MEA
was used as a resource t
ntire evening, and
tressed that if self -regulate
estructuring plans of som
ort are forwarded on to th
inistry of Environment an
nergy, they will be used a
put into the ministry'
ventual decision on change
before any change is brough
forward from thc govern
ment.
"If you forward a plan tha
is well thought out, thc min
ister would be interested in
pursuing those," he said.
"It's important to have a
utility plan in place."
The preliminary deadline
for submitting restructuring
CONTINUED on page 3
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SSP News Staff
BY DAVID SCOTT
Expositor Editor
The Mid -Huron Landfill
Site (MHLS) board will hold
off a month on deciding
whether landfill employees
should receive a wage
increase.
The last increase received
by landfill employees was
December 1995 when the
board agreed to match private
RRSP contrihutions by staff
up to 5 per cent of their gross
pay.
At the February 20 MHLS
meeting, hoard members
from eight municipalities dis-
cussed what rate increases
were being approved for their
own municipal employees.
They ranged from zero to
two per cent.
"We'll have to pick a happy
medium on what the munici-
palities are doing," said board
chair Laurie Cox, Reeve of
Goderich Township.
"Municipalities arc under a
lot of pressure to hold the
line because of funding
reductions (from the
province) in the next couple
of years," added Cox.
The last wage increase for
landfill employees was
before the board's RRSP
matching in 1995. "There
hasn't been anything for
quite some time," said Cox.
"It was one year before the
Social Contract."
The wagc issue will be on
xt month's agenda when
nicipalitics have made
isions on their own
loyces' wagc increases.
Wet January
c high amount of rainfall
anuary reflected in the
hate totals for the first
th of 1997 at 95,668 gal-
, up slightly from last
there a trend starting?"
d Rob McLeod of
crsmith Township.
crc's been a lot of rain
of much frost," replied
Higher Landfill?
rd secretary Larry
he .of Goderich asked
her the height of the
11 could be increased
c of recent changes to
nmcntal laws govern-
dfill sites.
ould be nicc for me to
" said site supervisor
Postill. "We've been
all our work on the
g height."
tion was passed to ask
MHLS hoard can
the profile of the
to change the height.
1 send a letter off and
at thc engineer says,"
it Cox.
ell Abandonment
unter, commissioner
s for Goderich, inves-
the possibility of
employees capping
wells 'to the MHLS
n be abandoned this
d saving the board
gineering costs. But
ing to Jim Yardley
gineering firm
ga-Rovers, Hunter
the work has to be
a professional well
ovcrdrill and grout
itard monitoring
one bedrock moni-
."
pian
overlooking the implementa-
tion of the two utilities was
suggested and agreed.
"With the two coming
together, it really becomes a
blend," Guarasci suggested.
"You have to look at what's
best down the road.
"Both Ontario Hydro and
the local utilities should be
driven by one principle—
what's best for the customer."
Reduce Hydro Rates
in the report's recommen-
Teachers take protest to
"Hey -hey, ho -ho, Mike
Harris has got to go."
The chant rolled down
Exeter's Main Street Friday
afternoon as more than 350
angry Huron educators and
support staff went to visit
MPP Iielen Johns.
But they were unimpressed
with the local member of the
legislative assembly as she
• bolted for her car atter a brief
statement to the exuberant
"throng
"1 don't think It's a good
;thing for us to stand on a
street corner discussing poli-
cy," she said. trying to he
heard over the crowd.
s got worse from
However, Johns may be for-
given for leaving before rep-
resentatives of the six unions
in attendance had their say as
she was constantly shouted
down during her address.
"We Don't Trust You"
Catcalls of "We don't trust
you," may still be ringing in
her ears.
Certainly, the 350 -plus
marchers were looking to
make a public spectacle, but
they also had a message.
"We have come out to show
the people of this county that
we are serious professionals
who, if pushed too far, will
stand up for our rights and
for the rights of the children
who are our wards in the sys-
tem," said Wilhelmina Laurie
of the Huron WQr e
'leachers' Association, one of
two speakers on behalf of the
unions.
Primarily at issue for the
unions is Bill 104 which will
realign school boards across
the province and basically
change education gover-
nance. But it also allows for
outsourcing'of some support
services which got members
of CUPE and SEIU marching
as well.
Move to Four Years
Educators are also con-
cerned about secondary
school reform -- which will
reduce high school require-
ments to four years — and
elementary curriculum
changes along with reforms
to province -wide assessments
for fundin
*r:aFafttiiij• 11111111 11111111t .
s1
the Ontario Secondary
School 'Ibachers' Federation,
the Huron Women Teachers'
Association, the Ontario
Public School Teachers'
Federation and the Ontario
English Catholic Teachers
Association held county -wide
protests against Bill 104.
Friday's march on Johns'
office was the next step.
New this time, however,
was the inclusion of support,
workers, whose primary con
cern is a perception that
Education Minister John'
Snobelen is planning to 'out.
source' various non -educe
tianal services in schools.
Outsourcing Not Priority
Johns tried to convince th
crowd that outsourcing wail
not a priority of her gov
CONTINUED on
if the
change
landfill
"We' I
see wh
said cha
W
Ken H
of work
tigated
landfill
testing
which ca
year an
some en
aftcr talk
of en
Conesto
reported
done by
driller "to
four aqu
wells and
toying well
CONTINUED on page 3