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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-05-21, Page 26Times -Advocate, Moy 21, 198 BEST FARM . JE 's Division of er • ro genera manager Jack Urquhart -presents the best farm group project trophy at Thursday's Centralia College graduation to Ray Filson, Terry Hodgins, Robert Thirlwall and James Zavitz. They studied the Ed Robinson farm with Jim O'Toole as tutor. Caught in precarious spot Several people found themselves in a "catch 22" position when the South Huron rec entre board debated a re- quest for free use of their auditorium for the high school's academic honors banquet. When the decision was finally reached to grant the request, meeting observer Mayor Bruce Shaw whim- sically donned two hats for his response. "As principal (of SHDHS) I thank you," he said. "As Mayor I think you should be generating more revenue." The decision was made more com- plex for the board members as they sat in the plush chairs of the teachers' lounge for Thursday's meeting. Stephen representative Tom Tomes explained it was difficult to consider charging the school for the rec centre facility when the board members were enjoying the school facility at no charge. However, not only did the decision to allow the students free use of the hall for their banquest erode the board's revenue picture, they added to that problem by agreeing that the upcoming athletic banquet for the students -would also have the rental fee waived. In the past, the students paid for the auditorium for the athletic banquet and that results in a loss of $94 for this year's event. The motion to waive the rental rate for both functions was accompanied by the provision that the entire mat- ter be considered by the board for next year. Facilities manager Cam Steward - son said the staff had a hard time Plan washrooms at ag building A committee is being established to work on plans for the proposed washroom facilities at the agricultural building at Exeter's com- munity park. Rec board members Kathy Whiteford and Phyllis Johnson volunteered to represent that group on the committee and further membership will be solicited from the agricultural society and Local ball groups. With a government grant and pro- fits from last summer's Lake Huron zone sportsfest, a bank account of $12,362 is available. The committee will propose the type of facility to be undertaken. Facilities manager Cam Steward - son indicated that the building will get liquor licences for some events this summer as long as portable toilets are provided. distinguishing when school functions should be charged for using the rec centre as the board and the Huron board of education have a reciprocal agreement whereby each uses the other's facilities at no charge. However, Stewardson noted the rec board used the school in off -hours and the students used the rec facilities in off -hours and the banquets were ac- tually held during prime evening hours. He and rec director Lynne Far- quhar explained that the rec depart- ment make greater use of the school facilities in town than the students do of rec boad facilities. Shaw said the two groups should continue the reciprocal agreement and he explained the student fund tions were non-profit and there was no way to generate revenue from them. Usborne resident Pat Down presented a motion that the board charge the regular rate for both school banquets and if the students want financial assistance they should make a request to council. "What council?" Dorothy Chapman asked of her counterpart on the Usborne council. Mrs. Down replied that the request should go to Exeter council because they were the ones crimping the board's financial needs. Mrs. Chapman and Shaw both responded that the students at the high school come from throughout the district with the latter noting the vast majority are from out of town. "We're giving money away hand over fist," Mrs. Down complained when it was suggested both school functions should be given free use of the rec centre auditorium. SPECIAL LUNCH SERVICE — A number of local business personnel donned the waiters aprons at Good Times Wednesday noon to serve customers. From the left are Peter Scott of the Bank of Montreal, Zorin Gerrard of Gerrard's and B of M manager Mike Cregan. Pro- ceeds from the venture go to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. EARLY CAMPERS — Ernie Oakley of Dorchester was one of the first campers to arrive in Exeter Friday afternoon. Above, he is welcom- ed by Lois Armstrong of the Ausable River Nomads. Time is now to order your trees for 1987 ABCA is planting 60 km of field wind- breaks, mainly in Norway Spruce. This is the second year of the AB - CA's Plantation Management pro- gram. Under this program the Con- servation Authority will, for an an- nual fee, tend trees that it has planted previously. Fifty landowners are making use of the service this year and 100,000 trees are being tended. Tree planting time is a hectic one for the Conservation Authority because of the numbers of trees handled and the variety of services of- fered. There are 5 crews and a total of 25 people at work (mostly casual labour hired specifically for the tree planting season). Two mechanical planters speed the processs where the terrain is suitable, but much hand planting is also done. Greg Pfaff and Bob Murray are managing the tree handling at the Exeter headquarters. Summarizing the trend in the AB - CA reforestation assistance program, Schwindt says, "It seems like everybody is interested in the pro- gram and although the Ministry of Natural Resources' nursery is pro- ducing more stock, it is not keeping up with the demand for trees." "The waiting list for our services is getting longer all the time." Now is the time to consider order- ing trees for planting in 1987 from the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority. Yes. 1987 is correct. Accor- ding to John Schwindt, Conservation Services Co-ordinator with the ABCA, this year's deliveries and plantings of trees and seedlings are nearly com- plete. "In fact", says Schwindt, "the official cut-off date for the 1966 orders was October 1, 1985." The ABCA's reforestation assistance program is obviously a popular one. There are a number of services offered that include the delivery of seedling stock to Exeter or Parkhill, tree planting, and a farm windbreak/roadside planting program. By the end of the 1986 season, the ABCA will have supplied 150,000 trees - 15,000 of the larger trees for wind- break and roadside planting (2-3 foot evergreens, 610 foot hardwoods) and 135,000 seedlings. A total of 300 lan- downers will have participated in the 1986 program. Schwindt s ys that the field wind- break program has increased great- ly in popularity. "This is good to see because these rows of trees surroun- ding farm fields will significantly benefit the farmer and society, by reducing soil erosion." In 1986, the No'surprise Town insurance up 66 erc Clerk Lis Bell. ' departed, council turned. the in- Tbe error was made about 18 years surance review over to tb4 ve ago, but"just reoentjy erne to tight. committee for remmmu to After the two to ance Caen the next areetlag. * • Having been amply forewarned, members of Exeter, council weren't overly surprised to find out this week that their insurance premiums will in- crease about 66 percent when they are renewed this July. Local agent Mel Geiser and Bob Cowan of the Frank Cowan Company Limited were on hand at the session to advise council that the upcoming premium will be $46,228. While making some recommenda- tions for increases in protection that will also increase those premiums, the two noted that council should look closely at the deductibles if they want to pare some of the costs. "You should certainly look at higher deductibles," Gaiser said at the conclusion of the presentation, which showed two areas where an in- crease in the deductible could shave the premiums by over $3,100. "The Liability explosion which has now occurred is very real and shows no signs of reducing in the foreseeable future," the presentation stated in its preamble. However, Cowan said he was en- couraged by the report of the provin- cial government commission established to study the insurance crisis facing public bodies and said some of the "scare" may be taken out of the insurance industry if some of the recommendations are approved. When Councillor Ben Hoogenboom asked if the town could get a rebate if the situation changes within the next few months, Cowan said he didn't foresee improvements that quickly and council should not expect any relief from provincial legislation until at least next year. He said if the situation does change, more companies may get back into the business of offering insurance to municipalities and other public groups. Gaiser noted that at the present o time there is only one, or possibly two, companies willing to offer a complete package to public groups, whereas there were as many as 10 just a few years ago. While council members were con- sidering the premiums primarily, they did question the duo on a section of the errors and omissions section which can cover past claims as long as the insured had no knowledge of the wrongful act leading to the claim at the inception date of the policy. This year, council learned they face a bill of about $11,006 in the OMERS pension plan for two current employees who were not registered at the appropriate time after joining the town staff. Cowan said he would check on the situation and provide an answer to I'm a procrciStincifor I'm a procrastinator. If there's something I don't like doing, I'll manage to put it off. Each year I end up with the job of collecting for the Canadian Cancer Society in our area. Each year I say to myself, Well, I won't do that again next year -- but each year when the captain calls I agree to take on the job. Now I don't think there's anybody who likes knocking on doors and ask- ing for money. Let's face it -- you're the last person your neighbours want to see when you come around with your receipt book in hand. Because I know I'm not going to win any popularity contests, I keep putting off the job. The Cancer Society would like their canvassers to get on with the job pro- mptly during the first week of April, which is cancer month. But it's easy to procrastinate early in April. I like to do the job on foot, and usually it's too cold to walk around the neighbourhood early in April. Quite often we have snow storms at the beginning of April, so I tell myself I'd better wait a few days. Then I tell myself I might as well wait until all our senior citizens are back from the sunny south. Many of the residents in this area spend their winters in Florida, so I wait until they're all home before I go knocking on doors. The month is slipping by, and final- ly I force myself to go out. At this stage all I need is a little encourage- ment, so I usually try to go to homes where I have found generous givers in the past. If I can start off with three or four generous donations and friend- ly smiles I'm off. Occasionally I run into snags, and that sends me home again for another few days. Snags are such things as having people open the door, look at you and then slam it again, saying "I don't want any." Sometimes you'll knock at a door and hear a flurry of commotion inside. Then you'll hear a mother yelling at a child, "No, don't answer it, it's somebody after money." Then there's a long silence, and you leave empty handed. After a few such rejections I go home and lick my wounds. But the month is slipping away and 1 am forc- ed to go out and finish my rounds. That spell of warm weather really helped me. Most folks were spending their evenings mowing their grass or working in their gardens. It was easy to find them at home, and they couldn't hide! The hockey play-offs also help -- people stay at home to watch T.V., and the men will peel the hills out of their wallets just to get rid of me, so they can get hack to the game. Finally, I have been around to all the households in my area. Actually, asking for money for the Canadian Cancer Society is not all that difficult. It's a good cause -- whose life hasn't been touched with illness or death due to cancer? And I feel that the Cana- dian Cancer Society is a well -nun organization which uses your money wisely. bf each dollar you donate, 55 cents goes for research, 14 cents for education and 20 cents for patient ser - vies. Only 4 cents goes for administra- tion and 7 cents for fund raising. Fortunately, 99 percent of the homes I go to are very generous. Some folks even have the money out and ready on the table when they see me coming. Others actually thank me for going around and making the col- lections! The complete rejections are few and far between. Sure, some peo- ple explain that they support other causes, or maybe they already gave to the Cancer Society through their Mary's Musings By Mary Alderson work, or they sponsored someone in the Great Ride. One woman generously made a donation to the, Cancer Society but asked that I sup- port MS when they come around sell- ing carnations. I'm pleased to tell her that I did. In any case, when someone knocks on your door and asks for a donation, please be generous if you can support their cause. If you can't, be pleasant and give them a reason -- the can- vasser isn't going to be angry. But please, don't hide behind the kitchen cupboards waiting for the person to go away. Will I make the rounds again next year? Probably - because I know it's a good cause. Thank God the resear- chers and (scientists are not pro- crastinatooi like 1 afn. They are mak- ing advafntementsin the fight against cancer every day. Thank you for your donation. Cancer can be beaten! - MIN HON. JACK RIDDELL Minister of Agriculture The 1986 Ontario Budget presented by my colleague, Treasurer Robert F. Nixon, on May 13, 1986 holds the line on general tax increases, provides in- centives to innovation and en- trepreneurship and responds to the needs of individuals, regions and in- dustries that are not sharing in the general prosperity. "This is a Budget that combines social concern and common sense," said the Treasurer. Its goal is "to sus- tain the upsurge in investment, job creation and economic growth that now characterizes the Ontario economy and to build a more reliable and sensitive spectrum of social programs." Mr. Nixon described the province's social programs as an integral part of the wealth -creation process need- ed to help build a healthy economy. The Treasurer expects the Ontario economy to remain buoyant, growing in real terms by 4.2 percent and creating 175,000 new .jobs this year. "The strong economic climate gives us the opportunity to build the foundations of continued prosperity," said Nixon, adding that "the surest route to continuing prosperity is a combination of good business and businesslike government". In announcing measures to im- prove the efficiency and cost - efficiency of government, the Treasurer said restraint programs are false economy when they convert the provincial deficit to "waiting lists for hospital beds, rows of portable classrooms, neglected universities and bumpy roads". The Budget contains funding for number of programs to stimulate in- novation and entrepreneurship, and to promote cooperation between labour and management. Some of these programs were announced in the Speech from the Throne last month. The Government proposed the following actions today: -To stimulate private sector invest- ment in new technology, the Budget sets aside $100 million this year for programs to encourage high-tech development. Some of these pro- grams will be carried out in partner- ship with the federal government, universities and the private sector. This year's allocation is part of a 51 billion technology fund announced in the Throne Speech, to be directed by a council, chaired by Premier David Peterson. -To encourage small business and job creation, the Ontario Develop- ment Corporation (ODC) budget will be increased by $10 million this year. As part of its expanded role, the ODC will administer a New Ventures pro- gram, which will provide loan guarantees for newly established businesses to a maximum of $15;000 matching the entrepreneur's own in- vestment in the business. -To recognize the growing impor- tanc of the service sector, the Small Business Development Corporations (SBDC) program will be broadened to include firms offering certain sup- port services to business. -To encourage Employee Share Ownership Plans, the Budget propos- ed that a 15 percent tax credit for employees on up to 52,000 of annual purchases of eligible shares in their employers' corporations take effect in 1987. The Province plans to reimburse businesses for one-third of the cost of setting plans to a maximum of $10,000. Fartns Regions and Communities -Renewal and broadening of the Community Economic Transforrpa- tion Agreements (CETA) program; which provides Provincial backing for local initiatives to enable long- term job creation. This program is expected to be of particular benefit to c9• ack'dolt hold taxes Eastern and Northern Ontario. -Expanded programs fpr economic development on Northern Ontario. These include a $17 million allocation this year from the Northern Develop- ment Fund; an extra $15 million for health care, transportation and education iniatives in Northern On- tario; a 13 percent increased in the forestry budget; and new funding for the tourism industry. -Assistance to Ontario farmers - who, Mr. Nixon said, "are experien- cing the worst conditions since the 1930s" -by increasing the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to $457 million, an increase of 39 per- cent since the Government took office. -Introduction of a new, updated Mining Tax Act which maintains the maximum processing allowance at 65 percent. Social Programs and the Quality of Life Mr. Nixon also announced impor- tant new social and environmental initiatives: -A commitment to spend 5850 million for a major, multi-year capital program which will provide funding for additional hospital beds and pressing improvements to ex- isting hospital and cancer treatment facilities. -A commitment to develop a com- prehensive plan for child care ser- vices and a recognitjon of child care as a "basic public service". The Budget adds 56 million, for capital ex- pansion and other pressing problems, to the 526 million increase for child care initiatives already announced for this year. -A $25 million increase in shelter subsidies to social assistance reci- pients, some of whom "need to use their food money to pay tent". About 50,000 families will benefit frons this increased support. -A strengthening of community sup- port services to help people lead more independent lives, including funds for senior citizens, the disabled and the developmentally handicapped. -A proposal to extend the range of dental services available to children. Special funding will be available to local health pnits to provide necessary treatment to school -aged children with urgent dental care needs. -A confirmation of the Govern- . ment's commitmerft to improved housing. Over the next five years, $500 million will be spent to increase affor- dable housing. Through the Renter - prise program, 5,000 rental units will be built. Federal -provincial programs will provide 6,700 units of non-profit and cooperative housing, including at least 4,700 subsidized units for low- income families. -A new Investing in the Arts pro- gram, with funding of $10 million over four years, to provide incentives for fund-raising efforts and, to improve the financial strength f Ontario's arts organizations. -The provision of $5 million to im- prove the monitoring and testing of water quality, and 515 million for a biomedical waste treatment plan for hospitals. Over the next few weeks, as more specific details of the new programs are announced, I will be keeping you fully informed through my weekly column. Meanwhile, if you have any ques- tioneon the new budget you can call the Budget information line at (416) 963-0800 or toll free 1-800-387.5589. Two accidents Two minor accidents and one inci- dent of shoplifting were investigated by the Exeter police department this week. The first of the crashes occurred on Tuesday on the parking lot of the Royal Bank. Vehicles driven by Veronica Bedard, Zurich, and Wayne Regier, Dashwood, were both backing from parking spots when they struck ' each other. Damage was listed at 5100. The other collision was on Friday when a vehicle driven by Lisa Regier, Zurich, struck the rear door of the New Orlean's Pizza on Main St. Damage was established at *600. A 31 -year-old woman from Blyth faces a charge of theft after being ar- rested for shoplifting at MacLean's Hardware on Friday. She will appear in court on May 27. ■ GET BUS INSTRUCTION — Pre-school students at Exeter Public School received some early instruction on riding school buses, Thursday morning. Above, next year students Carly Riley, Chad Monteith, An- drew Atthill and Alicia Lawrence are shown with Constable John Marshall for the Goderich OPP detach- ment. T -A photo 4 ti