Times Advocate, 1992-10-07, Page 1Mired Fall
Bunches
995
Cash and C'atry t1
COUNTRY FIOWfRS
Exeter
(iaiser•Kneak
insurance
Service
Experience
Value
235-2420
Serving, South Hurn
North Middlesex & Lamhtnn
Inside
1
i1IAilrsoles
Seven years
for
Blessings Unlimited
page 2
Antiques
Rotary Club Show
raises
$5,000
page 17
OPP seize
and burn
$140,000 of
marijuana
from Hay
farm
EXETER - Acting on a tip from
hunters who were passing through
a bush lot, the Exeter OPP reaped a
harvest of marijuana plants from a
Hay Township farm.
Police say that 282Ibs of marijua-
na was seized, about a quarter of
which would have been marketable
as a narcotic with a street value of
about $140.000.
The OPP are not releasing the lo-
cation of the farm_as they say their
investigation into the find is contin-
uing and charges have not been
laid.
The seized plants were burned
with the approval of Health and
Welfare Canada, with a small sam-
ple retained for evidence.
Sexual
assault
suspect
deported
EXETER - The investigation into
a sexual assault reported by the Ex-
eter Police last week has been com-
pleted.
Police say there was enough evi-
dence to proceed with their investi-
gation into a complaint by a 27 -
year old woman who said a man
grabbed and fondled her in an alley
last friday - night However, -the
suspect in 'the investigation was de-
ported 10 Jamaica by the Jamaican
Consulate before any charges were
laid.
It is unlikely the teat will be al-
lowed back into Canada in' future
years.
No casino for
Grand Bend
WINDSOR - After a full year
of planning. it appears as though
the village of Grand Bend will
not be geeing a gambling casi-
no.
Tuesday at noon, .it was an-
nounced in Windsor, that Grand
Bend was not one of the com-
munities which was given per-
mission by the provincial gov-
ernment to build a casino.
Windsor will get the province's
gaming centre.
Entrepreneur Lloyd Giulia
and a group of business people
from the village have spent sev-
eral thousands of dollars, many
long hours and a lot of trips to
the United States to gather infor-
mation on casinos in the hope
that Grand Bend would become
a location for gambling.
Guillet was not in the area due
to a death in the family and
could not be reached for com-
mem.
The casino would have been
oiled Lakeview Casino and had
been described as a year-round,
24-hour operation which could
have employed as many as
5,000 people.
Plans had called for a cost esti-
mate to build of $60 million plus
another 640 million for a 200-
300 room hotel.
1
This OPP helicopter dropped in beside the tennis courts
near Exeter Public School Thursday afternoon, much t�
the surprise of the students. The helicopter picked up a
local OPP officer, flew him off for about half an hour and
returned later. OPP staff sergeant Don Mclnnes said h
would not comment on the activities of the helicopter,-
but did say it was not connected with the seizure of mari-
juana in Hay Township.
Since 1873
Wednesday, October 7, 1992
1!) cents,
Hospital in top 300, but reeve
questions emergency service
By Fred Groves
T -A staff
. GODERICH - Exeter's South
Huron Hospital may have been
placed on the list of the top 300
hospitals in Canada, but there is
some concern over how they han-
dle emergency situations.
At Thursday afternoon's Huron
County Council meeting, represen-
• tatives from the county's hospitals
.gave their annual reports, and fol-
lowing the presentation made by
South Huron's Lloyd Robison,
some concerns were voiced with
the hospital's performance.
"This past summer, there were 10
people involved in an accident and
there were eight patients brought to
Exeter. There were no doctors
present. They had to wait until they
got an intern from London," said
Hay Township reeve Lionel Wild-
er.
The former county warden who
lives near Zurich, said in extreme
emergency situations like this one,
doctors should make themselves
more available.
"My daughter laid on the stretch-
er for six hours until anyone had
-the sense to Ask her what was the
matter," said Wilder, who was
showing obvious signs of emotion.
When contacted after the meet-
ing, South Huron Hospital adminis-
trator Don Currell explained that in
this particular case, doctors at the
hospital could have treated the
most serious injuries first. Eight
patients in an emergency room all
at once, overwhelms those on duty.
Pat Down, the reeve of Usborne
Township, said she heard, through
the rumour mill, that internis from
the city would not be coming to
Exeter on weekends anymore.
Robison said this was not true
but he did add there seems to be
some hesitation on the part of local
Presentation to council tomorrow
New postage stamp features
Zurich hockey hero
ZURICH - A ,commemorative issue of stamps by
Canada Post will have a special connection for Zu-
rich residents - one of the stamps will feature a
sports hero of the communis'.
Tom Creech of Canada Post will be attending the
Zurich council meeting Thursday evening to make a
presentation to reeve Bob Fisher of an enlargement
of the stamp that not only celebrates 75 years of Na-
honal• klockey-.1.rogue-3tistory,_.but_also_leatures_a-.
portrait of Zurich's own Babe Sieben as he ap-
peared in his Montreal Maroons uniform.
The stamp depicts the 1917-1942 era of the NHL.
Illustrated along with Siebert are an early puck, a
stick and a pair of skates, and the blue line which
was introduced to the game in that period.
The second and third stamps depicts the six -team
years (1942-1967) and the expansion years (1967 to
present). The stamp issue, called Lightning on Ice,
will be available in a 25 -stamp booklet
Although born in Plattsville, Ontario, Albert
Charles "Babe" Siebert played minor hockey in Zu-
rich before breaking into the professional hockey
scene in 1925 with the Montreal Maroons. He
joined the New York Rangers in 1932, the Boston
pruins in 1934, and the Montreal Canadiens in
1936...
With his well-known thirst for body contact, -he
was an intimidating asset to the blue lines he de-
fended.
He was to have become the coactirot the Canadi- -
ens in 1939, but died that summer m a drowning
mishap.
The Zurich arena was named after Siebert as the
Babe Siebert Memorial Arena.
I
Cuts to police
budget :not going
to be easy,
council told
EXETER - While council was
somewhat pleased with the findings
of the police commission when its
report appeared two weeks ago,
some of the shine has worn off the
initial impressions. Council and
the police services board (mow have
the task of deciding how to go
about making the police budget
cuts approved by the commission,
if they can be made at all.
Town council appealed the police
services board budget to the Onta-
rio Civilian Commission on Polic-
ing in July. The decision agreed
with council in that the salary in-
creases granted the police chief and
police secretary were too great, and
that • the new cruiser should not
have been purchased without coun-
ciI permission.
Mayor Bruce Shaw acknowl-
edged to council Monday evening
that there were a few "logistical
problems" with the revision of the
budget. He said that while it is ap-
parent that salaries have to be ad
justed, is it up to the police board
or council to make thadecision.
ShaW also told council the Onta-
rio Police Association and the As-
sociation of Police Chiefs of Onta-
rio have both protested the results
of the Exeter hearing.
"They are unions of sons, and un-
ions don't like to see rollbacks lin
salaries'," said Shaw, who said
those appeals may have tomo effect
on council's decisions.
"I guess we're looking at the op-
tions as a council - if the police ser-
vices board are unwilling or reluc-
tant, to go ahead with those areas -
to make some changes," said Shaw.
The mayor, who also sits on the
three-member police services
board, asked if should there be a re-
payment of wages required from
the chief or secretary, over how
long a period will it be repaid?
Although it was not mentioned at
Continued un page 2
doctors who arc not willing to be
'called to the emergency room.
"We have a few doctors at the
age who are close to retirement and
they felt they've contributed to *the
community over the years and
they're reluctant to do that (emer-
gency room duty'. That's why we
being the interns in from London,"
said Robison.
Currell said doctors have been
coming from London for 15 years
and it is common practice for all
hospitals to use some kind of sup-
port system in which they rely on
other doctors.
"We're like all hospitals. 1f doc-
tors (close to retirement' don't want
to respond they don't have to,- that's
just normal. We've had residents
[doctors' from London for 15
years. it takes the workload off of
the doctors we have."
in an emergency situation, local
doctors have to give their permis-
sion for a patient to be taken to an-
other hospital.
"The problem is we can't bypass
Exeter and I wish the hell we
could," said Wilder.
Robison replied by saying that
[bypassing) is being looked into
and added, "all the doctors are sup-
porting it."
What South Huron is doing, is
looking into a similiar situation
like the one in Essex County where
Continued on page 2
Beware of travel
womotion, wan
Exeter fr officials
EXETER - Organizers of the
Exeter Fall Fair are warning fair-
goers to proceed with caution
when dealing with one of the
commerical exhibitors at last
weekend's event.
Complaints have been re-
ceived about Platinum Cruise, a
travel package promoter at the
fair. The company, which oper-
ates from a Kitchener address,
held a draw for a free trip to
Florida for fairgoers. However,
several people have already
been contacted and told they had
won the "free" top and have
been asked for their credit card
numbers for billing of additional
expenses.
Fair organizers say the trip is
likely a sales pitch for a Florida
condominium development.
After the complaints began to
come in, it was discovered the
Western Fair had problems with
the same outfit last year.
The company, which is appar-
ently Florida -based and outside
the jurisdiction of Canadian con-
sumer protection groups, bought
a booth at the fair.
"I guess were going to have to
scan screening the stuff that
comes through. We've never
done that before," said fair presi-
dent Wayne Shapton.
Shapton and the other fair offi-
cials are warning the public to
never give out their credit card
numbers over the phone, and to
always heed the advice of consu-
mer -groups: "if it sounds too
good ro be true, it usually is."
Careless storage
Owner of gun used in
shooting charged
EXETER - The owner of a revolver used in an accidental shooting last
weekend has been charged with careless storage of a firearm.
The gun, a .357 magnum calibre -pistol, was used to shoot a Huron Park
teenager in the chest after youths were handling it at a party.
Man Wurm, 14, was rushed to South Huron Hospital by his fnends, was
treated and sent to London in critical condition for surgery.
- Charged • with careless.swrage of.thc gun is Llon Averill. of 437. Main Si
S.
The l5 -year old young offender who was charged with criminal negli-
gence causing bodily harm, pointing a firearm, and use of a firearm in a
careless manner, appeared in court Thursday. His case has been remanded
to November 5.
Police have also charged another Exeter man with careless storage of a
firearm in an unrelated incident A resident complained to police of a
shotgun and shells stored in an unlocked car on September 26.
Charged is Michael Smith of 135 Thomas Street.
Science is Ii1ve at Precious Blood School, and so Is
this Giant Madagascar Millipede. Students were treat-
ed to a presentation last Wednesday on the wonderful
world of insects by Margaret Pickles (right) of the
Guelph Science is Alive company. From left we Melis-
sa De Young, Amber Doggett, and donne Hoogenboom.
*■Imar
4