HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2000-03-01, Page 1...,.,.ra._<..r
March 1, 2000
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�i_ncltxdes Gsu
L ocal weather
Wednesday --Cloudy
with showers High 8.
Thursday --Mix of sun.
cloud. Isolated flurries.
High 2 Low -3.
Friday -Mainly sunny.
High =1 Low -8.
Saturday--Main1'y.
sunny High 0: Low -9. .
From Environment Canada
In brief
Scott
warns
council,
public is
watchin#
who is at
school
meetings
A warning went 'out
from Mayor Dave Scott
to the rest of Seaforth
Council at last week's
meeting that the public is
paying attention to which' councillors are attending,
school closure meetings.
"The public is very
aware'',of .council's•
_presence," he said of a'
series of public meetings
the school board has held
to hear delegations
regarding.. the school.
Closure meeting.
He addressed the issue
with council at its _Feb.
22 meeting, just ,hours
before the board was
expected to vote on the
issue. ,
Council had moved its
meeting to an earlier start
time so councillors and
staffcould be. at the
. school board meeting..
"It's probably the most
important issue We'll
have to deal with if it
doses." said Scott of the
high school.
While a civil court
hearing has, delayed any
action the school board
can take. it did vote to
'close the high school
later that night. -
Scott warned that.those
planning to run for
council again in the next •
election should have
gone to that meeting.
"Even it' you're not
[running], you're .still"
.part of this council and
should be representing
the town at these
meetings." he said. .
This was the second
time Scott : placed
pressure on council about
the school closure issue.
The first was in January
when he encouraged
council to take a strong
stand and give him a
direction he should he
taking to meetings he
.was attending and
addressing.
"les a very important
issue," he said.
By Scott Hilgendorf
More student
reaction to
closures ..
Pone
Manage
ihspy
Pose •
*add Olonpic
bowing
Pepe 14
Board
votes
to close
schools
By tutors Hued.rtrnork
Expositor Staff
-A .block, of about 50
Seaforth residents,stood up-
' to force Avon Maitland .'
District ' School Board
trustees 10 look them in the
eye while 'voting. almost
uttanimolisly last Tuesday.
to close Seaforth's schools.
During a highly -charged
'meeting that packed. the
Seaforth district High
School gyro, stage and •
balconies with close to 500
•.'people. trustees dosed each
of the six schools, five of
them in Huron County.
recommended for cloture. by
education director Lorne -
Rachlis.
Goderich-area trustee
Vickie Culbert was the only
dissenting vote in' otherwise'
unanimous recorded
decisions to close Seaforth
District High School and
Seaforth Public School'
"1 will not be able to
support this motion. I'll be
voting to put the Grades 7s
and 8s into the high school
if .1 have the chance," she
said to an explosion of
applause. • -
Culbert. however joined
' the rest of the trustees in
unanimous decisions to
close Vanastra. 'McCurdy.
\Salton and Falstaff public
schools.
Parents were equally
demonstrative of their
displeasure with constant
jeering and heckling of
trustees who explained why
they, thought they had no
choice but to vote in favor
of the closures.
A quarter flipped down
from the balcony in front.of
the trustees as they voted to
dose one of the schools.
Soo DIRECTOR, Page !
Lisa Campbell offers words of encouragement to a distraught student: Sarah agar after the. Avon b}oiticr( :Astrid School Board
'voted last Tuesday to close the high school
:ca-ilgendorff photo
Students upset and angry
hijhschoo1 could be closed
By Scott Htlpendorff
Expositor Editor •
Students reacted with anger and tears
after an Avon Maitland Distract School
Board decision to dose Seaforth .District
High School last, week but students si!,
they are trying .to make the best 'of 4.
• "I think the general: feeling of the
school would. be described as subdued:"
said Principal Jim Moore last week: two
'days after.the school board's decision.
Grade 12 student Wayne Babineau
said students were .till pretty quiet
through most of last week but now, a
week after the,decision. he said you can.
heat students in the hallways 'making
tentative .plans about the high schools
they can attend next year if the closure
goes ahead
'They're still -pretty upset but they
just think it's going to happen anyway
so they might ;is well make plans is e,r
they can. said Babineau.
'
A civil court case nextweek will
decidewhether or not the :town has been
treated fairly by the school board and
could mean the board ,will have to revisit
its decision at a later time: to be
determined by a judge. ' .
Pending a court decision: the board is
net able to plan what schoula •the•
students will be attending. next • year:
assuming'the high school doses •
Regardlessot what happens. Babineau
said he doesn't want to see the school •
close: He saiid' thele are good teachers and
learning environment at theschool and
would like his two sisters. both in=
Seaforth Public School. to havethe
chance to attend .Seaforth Distnct High.
School. .
•
"•.t think'everybody ' hind of given
:sip.'' • said OAC student- Amber
Naltpenny.' :
. Even with a court ruling in favour of
rhe community. ,roup that launched. it
against the board. Halfpenny said she's
not, sure what can be :done. to keep the
school Open now that the board has
reached." decision:
"We" re lust hoping. they .:an turn it
around: she said of the ummunity
group'; efforts. - .. •
. "'Meres. a bit of hope.".slie said. It's
prem: quiet around the school."
She fs concerned about the future of
• the &win without a high school.
"Nobodv'> going to want to come
here." she said.
•. She also thinks the board is going to
doe a lot of students to the Catholic
• school system if the high-school actually
• ' Sea STUDENTS, Popo a
Largest job fair in •Southwestern Ontario
I at Agriplex
More than 70 area
employers will be pail of the
largest job fair in
Southwestern Ontario at the
Seaforth Agricompkx today.
March 1.
Sponsored by the Huron
Employment Liaison
Program (H.E.L.P.) and
funded by the Rural Youth
Job Strategy of the Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural
Affairs (OMAFRA), the job
tair is designed to help young
people'to age 30 with a
variety of jobs. skills and
employment leads.
H.E.L.P., which offers
employment
counselling. resume
services and career
planning from it.
Clinton office, hopes
that initiatives like
the job fair will sen c
to. encourage youth
retention and job
creation in Huron
and Perth counties.
The keynote
speaker at the job fair is
Olympic Gold Medalist and
and seven -time world record
holder, Mark Tewksburyata
accomplished .Canadian
swimmer. He will address the
\lore
ew ksb+,r v
audience at noun
and be available
throughout the
afternoon to talk
with students and
employers.
ow • an
accumplishe business s
entrepreneur and''
community leader.
Tewksbury is the
author of "Visions Of
Excellence -the Art_ .of
Achieving Your Dreams."
He helped launch OATH -
Olympic Advocates Together
Honorably. an international
organization committed to
restoring and maintainitrg_
Olympic Spirit and aims iii
• be an. independent watchdog -
.and advisory group. the
;group was launched by
Canadians. .
The job fair is "test profect -
through the. Rural Youth lob
Strategy and will 'Offer
workshops and access to
many. of the area's
employers and recruiters.
Mary Beth AleiandeC of
H.E.L.P., and one of the
' fait's organizers: is
encouraged by the employee
response to the initiative and
is confident it will achieve its
ebjectises.
"We. are• targeting young
people up to :Age 31) and the
fair is open to everyone." she
said. "Young•peuple will be
able to meet top employers
• from the area and many of
them baser jobs available." •
Free workshops will cover
everything from resume tips
• and techniques to motivation
and Interview .strategies.
.These workshops will be
offered through the day.
About 70 employers are
already registered for the job
• See ANYONI, Pogo!
Former Hensall-area couple face animal cruelty charges
Ily NSMle lttwtI
take shoo Adrenoe hear
Huron County residents are
sickened by the recent discovery of
.10 dead dogs, some of them
-cannibalized, and 13 live animals
removed from a locked garage in
Hay Township northwest of Hensall.
This discovery announced on Feb.
23 turned cwt to be just the beginning
as 29 more abused dogs - seven of
them puppies - were found last
Thursday (Feb. 24) near Parkhill.
And two more homes in St. Thomas
and Yarmouth Township were
'revealed by a daily newspaper
Monday to be damaged by the same
couple after being turned into dog
pounds in the past five years.
Bill Pratt and Jane Thomlinson
have been charged in the Parkhill
incident with failing to provide
adequate care for an animal. The
charge has been laid by the London
Humane Society. They will appear In
court in early April.
They are the same couple
responsible for the abused dogs at the
Hensall-area home. said Sherry
Palmer. manager of the Pea& County
branch of the Ontario Society. for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(OSPCA) on Monday. She plans to
charge them this week for this
incident.
• The incidents are being treated as
two separate cases.
"To my know edge it is," said
Palmer when asked if this is the
worst case of animal cruelty in
Ontario. "h's pretty gruesome:. These
poor dogs were in four inches of
urine. (The couple) lived there tin
Parkhill) for two Weeks. There was
•
teces everywhere."
Palmer said there are neighbors
near the Parkhill, houid watching in
case the couple. who have a daughter,
tries to flee.
"We've gotta stop them," she said.
"Everybody is just sick," said Laura .
Simpson, who owns a variety store in
Zurich. "I can't imagine how anyone
can be so cruel." Her husband Jim is
angry that the police aren't involved.
On Feb. 11. agents of the Perth
().SPCA were called to a garage near
Hillsgreen. a hamlet northwest of
lee MOA*, Pege $
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