HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 1999-05-12, Page 1Huron •
May 12, 1999
si
(includes GS11
local weather
Wednesday --Sunny. High
near 14.
Thursday --Sunny with
cloudy periods. High 14,
low 3.
Friday --Becoming mainly
sunny. High 19, low 6.
Saturday --Sunny' High.
near 20, low near 7
From Environment Canada
In brief
Publishing
finances
frivolous
Publishing the school
board's financial
statements is a "frivolous
expense with no benefit
to children in the
classroom" and the Avon
Maitland District School
Board should petition the
provincial government to
remind it of the "huge
cost" of " publishing
financial statements
across the province. said
vice -chair Bob Allan at
the board's April 27
meeting.
Allan said the
Education Act
requirement that board'
financial statements and
auditor's reports be
published; every year
exactly as written without
any interpretation,
presents a "very technical
.document that is not very
understandable" to the
general public.
"The cost has staggered
me over the years and
one -wonders ifwe get
any return from it. My
guess is they'reseldom
read or, understood," he
said.
Business superintendent
Janet Baird -Jackson said
the board spent
approximately $2.900
recently to publish full-
page ads of its financial
statement and auditor's
report in various
newspapers throughout
Huron and Perth
Counties.
"There is no one paper
that covers the whole
jurisdiction and that's a
challenge in rural areas.
The cost across the
province is tremendous,"
she said.
Trustee Donald
Brillinger said it would
be more cost-efficient to
publish small ads in local
papers tellingmembers
of the public how to go
about getting the board's
financial statement _ "for
those who wish."
- "We'd probably get 23
requests from 2.300
parents," he said.
However truster .Ray
Ford said, considering
how the public has
"badgered" the board
"meeting after meeting"
about its finances. the
financial statements had
better be published.
"WS ,need to make
every effiiitTO show -a
full and frank disclosure
of our numbers in black
and white;" he said.
The Investment
Centre makes
its move
Pape 5
of•N
A day in the fife
of...
a counsellor.
Pope 6
Children visit
vet conic.
Pegs !1
Township
residents
see their
fate sealed
Lottery fills council seat,
angry" ratepayers walk out
By Scott Hilgendorff -
Expositor Editor
Angry ratepayers walked out of a Tuckersmith -Township.
council meeting before its newly selected councillor could be
-sworn in.
A council deadlock about whiclrof two candidates to select
tor one vacant council seat wassettled by lottery and left
ratepayers concerned that whoever won the lottery. would
- -decide the fate of the township's restructuring plans.
Harpurhey resident Jim MacLeod was selected.
The 'selection was overshadowed by a public meeting May
4 to gather input into which direction council should take for
restructuring: with Stanley Township, Hay Township;
Bayfield, Zurich and Hensall to the west (with a committee of
councils known as the Municipal Restructuring Committee or
MRC) or Seaforth and McKillop Township to the east.
Council had been deadlocked on motions relating to those
decisions as well and founa. itself choosing between McLeod,
a resident from Harpurhey and retired OPP officer, ora
former councillor.. Bernie MacLellan, a Brucefield resident. in
support of the MRC group.
Councillors Doug Vock and, Deputy Reeve Bill Dejong
were in favour -of selecting MacLellan while Reeve Bob
Broadfoot and Coun. Paul Spittal were in favour of MacLeod.
The two were the only who responded to an advertisement
from the township for applicants for an empty council seat.
Ratepayers were angry to learn the choice would be made
by lottery. concerned that after having a chance to voice their
opinions about which direction to go with restructuring, the .
decision would end up being made by a new councillor who
would break council's deadlock after his name was drawn
from a hat.
But before council could begin to vote on the two.
candidates. a ratepayer asked Reeve Broadfoot to abstain
from voting since he had already voiced his opinion against �+
MacLellan at a past meeting. . .
The ratepayer said council traditionally replaced a
departing member: of council with the candidate from the last
election that had the next highest votes. He said current.
councillor Spittal had been placed on council that way and
that would make MacLellan the next candidate. •
At an earlier council meeting. he said MacLellan was
suggested as the replacement councillor. needed to fill a seat'
left empty when Reeve BillCarnochah died earlier this year.
He said Broadfoot, who was deputy. reeve and replaced
Carnochan as reeve, said at that time he did not think Tickled '
MacLellan was a good candidate. Amanda ruston gets ticketed by o ferret at Seaforth Veterinary Clinic's open house on
Since Broadfoot had `already voiced his opinion about- Wednesday. The clinic invited the public 16 tour the facility and meet some critters lost week.
Soo REEVE, Pogo 2
Elementary teachers vote on strike
Scott Hilgendorff photo
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff
Staffing is the biggest
concern of Avon Maitland
District School Board
-'efementary teachers who met
last night to hold a strike vote
at the Seaforth Community ,
Centres.
"We don't want a strike.
We're hoping for a"strong
mandate so we can move
forward with negotiations."
Alma Westlake, vice-
president of the Avon
Maitland local ' of the
Elementary • Teachers'
Federation of Ontario, said
yesterday.
if the teachers voted to
strike last night. they could
-be on strike by May 25 if,
during the mediation period
from May 19 to 21,' an
agreement is not reached
with the board.
"That's the eXtr'eme and
we're hopeful we don't have
To .go that route," said
Westlake.
Elementary teachers want
class sizes. particularly those
with ratios as high as 37-1 in
some Grades 7 and 8 classes
reduced, to the 25-1 ratio
recommended by the
province. said Westlake.
"The whole thing bridges
on the fact that we now have
equal .funding per pupil
across the province. Other
boards have been able to
improve their student -teacher
ratio but the Avon Maitland
board continues to be the
lowest -spending board in the
province. The teachers ate
saying. 'Why is that so?"'
she said.
Westlake also said the
teachers are upset that the
board has plans to take
qualified teachers out of
school libraries -and replace
'them with classroom
assistants.
She said librarians who are
qualified teachers can
coordinate library materials
with curriculum,share
planning with classroom
teachers and provide
enrichment for students in
ways classroom assistants
cannot.
She added that teachers.are
not happy with the board's
plans to get rid of qualified
music teachers in Perth
County in an effort to
"harmonize" the system since
Huron County does not have
qualified music teachers at
each school.
"There is a value in the
existing .music program that
provides much more than the
hit and miss music program
the board is proposing," she
said.
The elementary teachers
have been without a contract
• since the end of last August.
The board's chief of human
resources Jeanne Dionne said
while trying to harmonize
two old collective agreements
from the former Perth and
Huron school boards, old
agreements have been
adhered to.
"Any situation with a larger
class size existed before and
continues to exist. 1 have no
opinion if that' a good thing
See OPTIMISM, Popo 21
Candidates begin
provincial election
campaigns
Helen Johns
Ross Lamont
By Dave Sykes
Goderich Signol-Star Editor.
The four candidates in tele
expanded riding of Huron -
Bruce were off and running
this week after the
announcement of a June 3
provincial election.
With a compressed
campaign period and an
inordinate amount of
geography to cover, local
riding associations and
Tony McQuail
candidates were well in
place and ready to go.
By the time Premier Mike
Harris asked for the
dissolution of parliament
Wednesday, May 5, the
campaign was in gear
across the province.
The election stage in the
newly -created riding of
Huron -Bruce, which now
coincides with the federal
riding, was set weeks
Soo ALL, Pogo 21
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