Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-11-26, Page 1Giving More information on Christmas Bureau drop-off points and registration. See page 5 SANTA'S COMING! Don't forget the annual Seaforth Lions Club Santa Claus Parade down Main Street Friday night at 7 p.m.! Awards Seaforth citizenship awards presented at BIA party. See page 2 Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 — Seaforth, Ontario Briefly RIDE starts In a continuing effort to make the province's high- way safer, Huron County Ontario Provincial Police announce they are once again cracking down in the festive season's RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign here in Huron from Saturday (Nov. 29) until Jan. 2. "All types of locations will be targeted 1'or enforce- ment," the OPP press release states. "From provincial highways to county roads, township roads and municipal streets, from St. Joseph to Fordwich or Dungannon to Egmondville. Local mail moving Despite the nation-wide postal strike which hegan last week, the Seaforth Post Office remains open because thc workers there arc mem- bers of a different union. Things arc getting slow though. There is no mail coming into local post office or being shipped out. If you arc mailing from Seaforth to Scaforth "it is always deliverable," a local employee says. The striking unions and government worked out a deal concerning pension cheques, which were to he delivered today (Nov. 26). Warden race on Three reeves have so far announced they arc running for warden in Huron County. Four originally did so. but Bill Wchcr. the incumbent reeve of Stephen Township who announced his candidacy in September. was defeated in thc munici- pal elections earlier this month. • Carol Mitchell of Clinton, Jack Coleman of Stanley Township and Norman Fairies of Howick arc thc thrcc already confirmed candidates. In any case, the 26 reeves of Huron County will elect our new warden at a meet- ing of county council next Tuesday. Dcc. 2. Water results later Thc first set of Lakc Huron watershed test results tabulated by the group called "Sol=ve," orig- inally scheduled to he released around this week. is a bit behind schedule and nem won't be released until sometime next month. "The work is proceeding well." Tom Prout of the Ausablc Bayfield Conser- vation Authority said Friday. "We arc working with a lot of groups and its just taking a little longer than we anticipated, but the cooperation is excellent." Thc first round of testing began in late September. The group consists of members from a variety of organizations; The Huron's Edge, ABCA and the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority. local businesses and munici- palities, cottagers associa- tions and various farm groups. 'Iii�1li�Ili�1 [II November 26, 1997 --- $1.00 includes GST PHOTO BY GREGOR CAMPBELL 'JINGLE BELL WALK' - Participants in a new seasonally festive activity in Seaforth, called the "Jingle Bell Walk" pose on the Town Hall steps in the midst of their carolling and various festivities on Main Street Sunday afternoon before venturing on their merry way. The Town Crier in the foreground (complete with bell) is B.J. Shaver of RR 2 Staffa. Oldest parish in Huron, Perth & Middlesex Huron County Board of Education Plan to recover lost time due to strike BY TRISH WILKINSON SSP News Staff Instruction time lost during last month's teachers' walk- out will be recovered through a four method plan, including the loss of holiday time and curriculum alteration. Thc Huron County Board of Education, which passed the plan at its Nov. 17 meeting. has recommended to the Ministry of Education. that lost teaching time be made up througp curriculum alteration, adjustments to the length of the school day, constraining special events and activities and the conversion of three PA and exam days in the sec- ondary panel and two PA days in the elementary panel to instructional days. "School boards are expect- ed to make adjustments to ensure that instructional time is restored following the recent work intcrruption where schools were closed for students," Paul Carroll, direc- tor of education, stated in a report. "It seems reasonable to examine a combination of actions to recover lost instruc- tional time." Carroll stated in a later interview that if the ministry approves their plan. sec- ondary school students will lose two exam days in each semester, as well as the Jan. 26 PA day. He added that stu- dents in elementary school will have their June 24 and 25 PA days converted into school days. Following that, he said, principals will he directed to, where possible. compress cer- tain aspects of curriculum to a shorter time period. St. Columban struggles with future BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff The oldest Roman Catholic parish in this part of the province continues to wrestle with its identity without a "church" and a growing feel- ing the future is looking grim. St. Columban Church, in the parish of the same name, was closed on short notice at the end of September when an architect's report indicated severe structural problems that might not be fixable, and would cost a pile of money, under any scenario. Since then most of the parish has been worshipping at the school next door in the tiny nearby hamlet. There are 125 families in the parish but the "community" seems to be fading away. The general store across the street, a pop- ular gathering place is also now empty on Highway 8, although new owners plan to open it again soon. The church has been fenced off. Parishioners were vocal and out in full force when they met in open meeting with the two other parishes in their cluster within the Diocese of London, St. Patrick's and St. Vincent de Paul, in the church hall at Dublin last Wednesday night. Parishioner after parish- said he was a passionate loner rose to express an obvi- Italian, and added he was ous heartfelt support and "responsible equally" for the expand on the comments of more than 1,000 practising Gerry. Ryan, who said St. 'roman Catholics within the Cglumban feels like it is not entire cluster, and St. Columban concerns were accounting for at least 50 per cent of his calling these days. St. Columban Parish became Fr. Del Ciancio's It is the oldest parish in the charge after Fr. Joseph Hardy, doing anything and slowly being scattered by events. Thc parish was first estab- lished when the community was called Irishtown in 1832. counties of Huron, Perth and Middlesex. The first masses were celebrated in a tavern. A log church was built in 1858. Lightening struck the subsequent white brick church that was built in 1864 and destroyed in 1908. The new church, now closed for safety reasons, was built in 1910-1911. "We (St. Columban parish) need to get together," Ryan said, since it is our fate and it is important to us. "We must get at it," another parishioner said. THREE PARISHES "I am not in favour of one parish getting together to make a decision that affects the other two," Father Tony Del Ciancio, who is now the priest in charge of all three parishes, emphasized. 'I am not going to push any decision or decide for the (St. Columban) parish communi- ty. tf However, Fr. Del Ciancio who was also responsible for St. James Parish around Seaforth, Was transferred to another parish by the diocese last summer. Fr. Del Ciancio opened last Wednesday night's meeting by commenting on a "dis- turbing trend' towards rumour in the frustrated St. Columban parish that "is causing more harm than heal- ing." There is too much "some- one said" about all this talk, and "distrust of 'those people in London'," he said, where the diocese is centered. "I do not share this mis- trust," Fr. Del Ciancio said. "The cemetery is not going to be moved. "We need rational rather than emodonitl atguntent." He then outlined and ran through "tile facts" to counter this "misinformation"he has heard. Most of these facts were made public at another well • of church attended information meeting at St. Columban School after the church• was suddenly closed at the end of September as a consequence of a three-month study. At that time a consulting engineer said he really didn't know what was holding the roof up. Trusses are well out of whack. The work required would cost in a range of from $650,000 to '$800,000 archi- tect Alan Avis estimated, and even then they might not be wotth it since the structure of the 86 -year-old building did not appear very sound. Pr. Del Ciahcio said last Wednesday that a second opinion, since obtained, con- firmed the crux of the origi- nal architect's report, and even took it further "indicat- ing the possibility of col- lapse, in my opinion" the priest said. He said responses from a subsequent survey have been absorbed and the next step for the parish, which he sup- ported, was "a feasibility study on the future of the parish and the church build- ing." IN THE RED Rudy Jansen, vice preside* of the St. Columban Parish council, repotted that as of Nov. 18 it had a current bal- ance of $5,814.73, which CONTINUED on page 3 "This requirement is not foreign to our thinking; we have already started in this direction as part of the intro- duction of new curriculum, grades 1-8, and in anticipa- tion of secondary school reform in other areas," Carroll stated. "It will be nec- essary to exercise caution to ensure that students are not over -burdened through any program adjustments made this way." Carroll added that it is also possible to re-examine the combination of mandatory and 'optional' units in some courses, noting that way stu- dents aren't losing the core part of their classes. Nominal adjustments in the length of the school day, the director continued, have also been passed as a possible way to make up an additional three or four full days between now and June 30, 1998. He noted that this, which would he up to the principal's discretion, could mean having five or 10 minutes less for lunch, or small changes in other break times. Finally, Carroll stated, prin- cipals will he charged with the responsibility to monitor closely and constrain sched- uled non -instructional activi- ty and special events for recovery up to three days, "There are many events in the course of the school year; adjustments can be made to assist in recovering lost instructional time," Carroll said. "We didn't want to say you. have to stop that. but sometimes we (can) make adjustments." The director added that these events could mean CONTINUED on page 2 CWO Derek Hunt Hunt attains highest rank Derck Hunt has become only the second person in thc history of thc Brussels 2467 Army Cadet Corps to attain the rank of chief war- rant officer (CWO), the highest possible for a cadet. Next summer the 16 -year- old from Scaforth is going on an eight-week foreign exchange program ' for cadets, to either Australia or Germany. He joined the local Corps, co-sponsored by Seaforth Branch 156 of the Royal Canadian Legion. whcn he was 12 and began taking courses that summer to fur - CONTINUED on page 6