Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-05-07, Page 1Feature 'Ivo Seaforth couples help put roof on Nicaraguan school. See pages 6,7 Entertainment t Women musicians in i Huron release CD to help women's shelter. See page 1? Sports Mac leads IHL in playoff scoring. See page 9 Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 — Seaforth, Ontario. May 7, 1997 — $1.00 includes GST Stuffing a 4 Days of Testimony in Special Report minivan to help the foodbank BY DAVID SCOTT Expositor Editor . - How do you stuff a mini- van? Dave Staffen. of Seaforth, is hoping to do it with food. He is organizing a week-long food -drive in June for the Seaforth and District Foodbank. He plans to do something similar to Toronto radio station 1050 CHUM's "stuff a bus" food drive held at Christmas and Easter each .year where residents fill two TTC buses with food dona- tions. "I think we can stuff at least one minivan," says Staffen. Hart Ford is donating the use of .a van and Seaforth Food Market has allowed the use of their parking lot to locate the vehicle. People are asked to donate non-perishable food items and try to fill the van during the week beginning Sunday, June 8. The van will be open during the hours of the grocery store. The food drive is not being organized by the foodbank as they rely on donations and cannot solicit. Volunteers will be needed to be around the van during the week. If you're interested in helping out, please call Dave at 527- 0183 and leave a message. if the van is filled up during the week, "we'll empty it and fill it up again," says Staffen. He realizes many individuals and groups make regular food donations and say this is not meant to be in competi- tion with those. "The begin- ning of the summer is a tough time for the foodbank, so we're trying to offer aid." Fake gun seized as youths charged for break-in A replica hand gun was seized and four Huron County youths and another young offender have been charged with break, enter and theft, possession of a narcotic and breach of probation after an early -morning incident on April 27 at the Hensall District Co-op, just west of Highway 4 and two kilome- tres south of Exeter. An alarm at the Co-op was sounded at about 2:50 a.m. "Upon arrival police found and arrested one male attempting to flee in a van," according to the Huron County detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police. "Four other males fled on food. A canine unit and two emergency response team members tracked the suspects for two hours, eventually locating the retttaining sus- pects and arresting them in a field east of Highway 4. Charged are: Chris MacDonald, 18, of Exeter and three teenagers from Goderich - 'Tyler Flynn, 18, Leo Courtney, 19, and Douglas Hansen, 18 - and the young offender. Murder trial begins SCOTT HILGENDORFF SSP News Staff Witnesses are placing Mistie Nicole Murray in her father's boat the evening she is alleged to have been mur- dered on the waters of Lake Huron. Her father, Steve Murray, has been charged with sec- ond-degree murder after the 16 -year-old girl disappeared on May 31. 1995. After the fourth day of tes- timony ended on Monday, Crown Attorney Bob Morris was attempting to prove to the jury of five men and seven women, that Mistie was last seen in the Goderich Harbour, leaving with her father on his boat. The Crown is alleging shedid not return. In his remarks to the jury, Morris outlined incidents of the day Mistie went missing. saying Murray neglected to mention to police specific details of a short boat trip he took the evening of May 31, 1995 while giving specific details about trips to Toronto on the following two days. He also pointed to testimo-. ny that would be given about Murray having his boat cleaned when it wasn't dirty and about the couple arriving unexpectedly to visit friends in St. Columban the night of May 31, where he suggested Steve had had too much to drink. He also told the jury there would be evidence presented regarding a trip for breakfast thc following morning that would take Murray 48 km out of his way on a trip to Toronto after getting up unusually early. He told the jury they may wish to consider the possibil- ity that Mistie had run away but said she left all her per- fia STEVE MURRAY in September 1995 speaking to reporters at courthouse in Goderich. (photo by David Scott) sonal effects behind, many of which were packed and ready for a planned trip to meet members of her newly found Fly "The case is exceptionally simple, ladies and gentlemen, but it's also exceptionally complex." Morris said in his opening remarks to the jury on April 30. He explained how there would be a lot of facts to be examined through several days of testimony from witnesses. Day 1, April 30 Identification officer and Mistie's birth mother testi- fy Testimony began April 30 with Senior Constable Richard LeFrance, an identi- fication officer with the OPP in Mount Forest. He was part of the team who investigated Mistie's disappearance and the subsequent criminal investigation of Steve Murray who was charged with second-degree murder on Sept. 12, 1995. LeFrance presented maps, diagrams and more than 25 photos of Snug Harbour, where Steve's boat, Simply Irresistible, is docked, the Park House and Rick's Wash and Wax, where the boat was. taken for cleaning the night of Mistie's disappearance. Photos and maps helped - depict the location of other boats in the harbour, giving the jury an idea of where sub- sequent witnesses were situ- ated in relation to Murray's boat. Anaerial map of the har- bour area, a nautical map and a map of the town was also presented. A statement of fact, agreed to by Morris and Murray's defence attorney, Brian Greenspan, was read stating the boat had been cleaned twice professionally and once by Steve and his wife, Anne, before police seized it and had samples from the boat tested by a forensic lab. No evidence relevant to the case was found. In the statement, Morris said the act of washing and cleaning the boat may have eliminated any forensic evi- dence. Under cross-examination, LeFrance testified he took photographs only of the areas he was instructed to by supe- rior officers in the investiga- tions. LeFrance indicated he was not told to take- any pho- tographs from The Bargain Store wherethere was a "claimedsighting" of Mistie the day following her alleged murder. Nor were photos taken in Clinton where there were other "claimed sight- ings," on June 3, 1995. Greenspan submitted pho- tographs of the A,gawa Canyon which was roading salt at, the time .Mistie is alleged to have left the har- bour on Murray's boat. Next to testify was an emo- tional Darlene Oldfield of Downsview. Mistic's birth mother; who wept as she described the story, of Mistie's infancy. Oldfield, now 38, was pregnant with Mistie when' she was 18 years old and liv- ing in Nova Scotia. She recounted how the father disappeared after learning Oldfield was preg- nant. Oldfield broke down when, she told the jury Mistie was born on October 28, 1978. Before Mistie was born, Oldfield met another man whom she was with when Mistie was born. Together, they had a son, born in 1979 and were living in New Brunswick. Two weeks later, he threw her and the children out. Oldfield moved a couple times before she and her son's father reached an agree- ment that he would take the son and she would keep Mistie. The father and son moved to Toronto and sometime later, Oldfield received a rec- onciliatory call from him, asking her to quit her job and come to Toronto right away. A plane ticket for a specific, immediate flight, was paid for and Oldfield decided to go. Soon after, the couple split again and Oldfield was now on her own, away from her family, with Mistie and with- out a job. "It was very hard. [Mistiel kept on crying for her little brother," Oldfield said. She and Mistie lived in a rooming house where a situa- tion arose between her and others living at the home. The Children's Aid Society became involved and Mistie, who was now two years old,'. was placed in foster care. Oldfield couldn't find work and said, "That's when I finally made the decision she would tie better with a fami- ly." Mistie was almost 'three when she legally gave up custody of her daughter. "It almost killed me to do it but it was for her goad," she said. Oldfield had given up her daughter and had not seen her son since he was 18 months old. • In 1992, her son was killed in an accident. • "He would have been 12," she said, going on to testify that in 1994, she received a phone call from her youngest brother in Nova Scotia with information that her daughter. Mistie, was looking for her. Anne. Murray had contact- ed Oldfield's brother in search of Mistie's mother, wanting to set up a meeting. Anne soon brought Mistie to a mall in Kitchener where she arranged a meeting with Oldfield. Oldfield broke down again when she described' her reunion with Mistie and how tightly her daughter hugged her when they met. ' Mistie remembered her brother and Oldfield had to CONTINUED on page 5 Johns doesn't understand backlash to legislation BY CALE COWAN SSP News Staff To say that educators in Huron County don't trust the Progressive Conservative government may be an over- simplification of the rift between the two. But it also seems to be at the heart of the problem. After demonstrations across the province in March, eluding a massive one at itron MPP Helen Johns' 'office, teachers and support staff watched the Tories push through Bill 104, their con- troversial education reform legislation. It promises, among other `things, to reduce the number t school boards in the vine by almosphalf and tructure the way eaucation ding is meted out. ohne, who served on the b , mittce that designed the 11. says she gave Huron res- idents what they wanted. "Huron residents were the ones who asked for this. We hsd 4,000 parents asking the v.r'nmd,0lr<10*1 reform," she said, wondering why there is a backlash to the legislation now. "It never ceases to amaze me." Huron's public and separate boards are at the bottom of the spectrum when it comes to per -pupil funding, at about $4,200 per student. The disparity emerges when looking at urban boards like Toronto that have over $9,000 to spend on its stu- dents. "We decided we would do something about it," Johns said. "We have voted and approved it, next comes the actual funding formula." But educators in Huron, whose public board will soon merge with Perth County — another of the province's poorer boards --- aren't con- vinced the loss of representa- tion will be made up in more dollars for students. In fact, with fewer trustees from the area sitting on the new Huron -Perth board and the province taking over edu- cation funding, some feel the elected officials ,;fie ducks. ;> p "They'll just be a bunch of Joe Boys sitting on the board," said Huron County board of Education vice- chairman Allan Carter of the new arrangement. "I don't know why they would be there at all." He says that without the ability to raise funds at the local level, the authority of the local board will be severely diminished and they could end up taking their orders from Queen's Park. But while he sees a future with trustees facing all the responsibility with none of the authority, Carter agrees there's a need for finance reform in education. However, he remains unconvinced the Harris gov- ernment will find an equi- table way of distributing the cash. "I'm concerned about the Huron -Perth public board because there is not an oppor- tunity to get any cheaper because we're already at the bottom," he said. Carter said they can make it through this school year, but worries that after the merger in 1998 there could be trou- ble. "Next year we will probably have to cut programs," he said, reasoning there just won't be enough to go around. "We need financial reform, but we can't cut back on teachers." For her part, Johns said the government is committed to an equitable solution and said the bill very clearly outlines for them that they must find a better way of distributing the money. She also stands behind the Education Improvement Commission, which has been charged with overseeing the restructuring of boards. While many in' the educa- tion field worry about the EIC's clout, Johns said that paranoia is unfounded. "It's an oversight body that is there to spend the money where it should be," she said, assuring that issues like out- sourcing non -instructional jobs won't be arbitrarily han- dled. "The EIC is there to ensure the quality of education," she added. "I would think that most education professionals would welcome that account- ability." Outsourcing, however, is a bit of a thorn in the hill for many and has raised the wrath of several unions, including thc Canadian Union of Public Employees. While Johns stresses that jobs will only out -sourced be in the interest of cost -effi- ciency, she's having trouble selling the concept. Carter agrees the EIC is made up of "capable" people but has a lingering concern about its ability to overrule elected bodies. However, he remains hopeful. "Right now they seem will- ing to be flexible." Paul Dyck, Huron president of the Ontario Public School Teachers Federation, is less optimistic, concerned about the commission's "unprece- dented powers". "The EiC has the overview and governing power that is now under the control of local trustees," he said, repeating the concern about CONTINUED on page 15