Huron Expositor, 2006-08-30, Page 7News
The Huron Expositor • August 30, 2006 Paps 7
Huron East supports Steckle's efforts to exempt
farmers from paying employment insurance
Susan Hundertmark
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In an attempt to give one more
break to local farmers, Huron East
council passed a motion supporting
Huron -Bruce MP Paul Steckle's
request to stop asking farmers to
pay employment insurance on their
off -farm jobs.
"Farmers with off -farm jobs have
to pay employment insurance but
they can never collect on it so Paul
Steckle is trying to get a bill on . the
floor that farmers be . exempt," said
Mayor Joe Seili, who suggested
council support Steckle's efforts.
"If municipalities can start sup-
porting Paul, maybe we can get
something going. It's not much but
it's one more way to support our
farmers," he said.
Steffler r
again for
The only Huron East
councillor to file his
papers so far to run again
in the November munici-
pal election is Seaforth
Coun. Joe Steffler.
Steffler, who says he's
enjoyed . the last three
years on council, is raring
to run again.
"The council has done a
good job. The mayor has
kept spending under con-
trol and democracy still
exists, even if we don't
always agree," he says.
Steffler looks back at
his achievements during
the current term as being
the "driving force" behind
the formation of a water
andsewer committee.
"And, that's really
important with all the
water and sewer issues
coming up," he says.
Seeing the Seaforth
water system back on
track is one of Steffler's
goals for the coming four-
year term.
"That project has got to
be done - we've been
under the gun for the past
four years," he says of the
search for a well in
Seaforth that will provide
clean water free of
radionuclides.
He adds that giving
Egmondville the opportu-
nity to join the Seaforth
lagoon with a sewer - sys-
tem is another one of his
Steckle, the associate critic for
agriculture for the Liberal party,
described his efforts in a recent
press release.
"Our primary producers are cur-
rently facing their greatest finan-
cial crisis since the 1980s and while
government
can't alone over-
come every hur-
dle facing the
industry, we
must offer farm-
ers whatever
help and sup-
port that we
can," he said in
the press
release.
He said farm-
ers can't collect
unning
council
goals.
"Personally, I think
there should be service in
Egmondville but they
should have a say. It's
going to be costly and it's
not going to happen
overnight," he says.
Steffler is also happy
about council's involve-
ment supporting the
Seaforth medical clinic
and the family health
team over the past three
years.
"The municipality and
the. (Seaforth Community
Development) trust put
money into it," he says.
As well, he sees the
beginnings of a beef plant
in Brussels, the opening of
the -Bridges development
and the Georgian College
nursing course in Seaforth
as other positive develop-
- ments aided by Huron
East council.
Steffler, who ran in the
last municipal election
with the plan to next con-
quer the mayor's or
deputy -mayor's position,
moving on finally to
become Huron County
warden, says he's not
ready yet to move on from
a councillor's seat.
"I still have ambitions
but I've got a bit to learn
yet as a councillor and
every meeting, you learn
something," he says.
By Susan Hundertmark
EI since they are also working on
the farm at the same time.
"Many years ago, a farmer told
me that he worked on the farm to
feed his country and off of his farm
to feed his family. Those words were
never truer than they are today and
we must recognize that reality and
stop penalizing hard working
Canadians," he said.
Steckle will be drafting a letter to.
every member of the House �f
Commons and the Senateto ask for
their support oh the issue.
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