Loading...
Times Advocate, 1994-05-25, Page 1SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 P.C. Inground Watering Systems $29.99 Save $20. SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Flowering Shrubs 1.994-pa Serving South Huron North Middlesex & Lamhton Since 1873 Wednesday„ May 25, 1994 r- ri ti Ii MO — IMI SUBSCRIBE, 1If you aren't subscribing to The' 'Times -Advocate, you're missing out. Use the coupon below and ' subscribe today.! 1 Name: 1 1 Address 1 City 1 Prov. 1 Postal Code 1 SUBSCRIPTION HATES: Canada 1 Within 40 miles - (65 km) addressed to non letter carnet addresses 530.00 plus 52.10 G S T Outside 40 miles - (65 km) or any letter 1 career address $60.00 + $4.20 G S T 1 Outside Canada -$99 00 rind sae 40 po.r.q.) 1 USE YOUR CREDIT CARD ❑000000❑ 1 0000p000 Card No. 1 I Expiry Date U Visa LJ Master Card ❑ Cheque enclosed 1 Return to; TIMES ADVOCATE 1424 Main St. Exeter, Ont. NOM 1 S6, rti ri reel rrtri — =IN 1 1 1' Inside Safe wells Get your water tested page 2 Babysltters Tell their story of crackdown page 3 Fourth straight Junior boys win H -P again page 18 Cadets 20 years in Huron Park page 21 O.P.P. run for Special Olympics EXETER - The EXETER O.P.P. will be holding their eighth annual Torch run for Special Olympics Tuesday May 31. Starting at 8:30 a.m. they will begin in Dashwood, then run north to Zurich, then on to Hensall and Exeter. The run will finish at around 10:30 a.m. at the South Huron hospital. O.P.P. arc asking for both moral and financial support. Donations can be made at the police station. Tax receipts will be issued for any donation over $10.00. Cheques can be made out to the Ontario Special Olympics. iillrnn Park pool lease renewed HURON PARK - Stephen Town- ship has renewed its Icasc agree- ment on the Huron Park Recreation Centre pool. Township council approved a by- law for a new two-year lease last Tuesday. The township will con- tinue to pay $445 for the use of the pool for the two months it is open each summer. The township main- tains the pool, and the Ontario De- velopment Corporation pays for the utility costs. Stephen building starts take off in April CREDITON - April marked a turnaround in building starts in Ste- phen Township. The building report, presented to township council last Wednesday, showed that 11 permits were issued in April, for construction assessed at $618,200. This brought the year- to-date total up to 23 permits worth $841,820. Included were building permits for two new single-family homes and one demolition permit. Negotiations may be 'too far apart' South Huron Emergency may close Monday EXETER - South Huron Hos- pital administration say they aren't Ino hopeful a deal will he "...I wouldn't be made by next week to keep the emergency department open. The hospital board of govern- ors received an offer from local doctors Thursday evening for a con- tract for emergency, standby staffing. Administrator Don Currcll said the deal was "just too far apart" from what the hospital budget could afford. "The likelihood of the emergency room closing at 8 a.m. May 30 is high," said Currell. A deal between the doctors and the hospital last fall guaranteed the physicians $60 per hour to be on call to the emergency department on weekdays. The hospital would have to top up the doctors wages to that mark, regardless of patient Toad. However, after the six- month trial period expired, the administration declared the arrange- ment too expensive, stating it would cost the hospital up to $250,000 a year. Last week, the doctors said they would prepare a new offer in an effort to keep the emergency ward open. Currcll said it is possible the wording of the doctor's new offer !night be interpreted more favourably, and so the hoard is asking for a clarification of the deal. "If our (original] interpretation's right, I wouldn't he too op- timistic," said Currcll, who would not elaborate on what the offer contained, or why it might he viewed with two different inter- pretations. "I don't believe in negotiating in the papers," said Currell. The hoard will he meeting with the doctors again this week in the hope an agreement can be reached. The hoard says it wants an emergency staffing arrangement similar to what the Goderich and Wingham hospitals made with their doctors. Such a plan, they say, will cost South Huron about $100,000 a year. Should no agreement he found, the emergency department will be closed to patients on weekdays as of Monday morning. The de- partment can he open on weekends through an arrangement with London-based doctors without a top -up contract, working for OHIP fees alone. too optimistic." Up...up...an GRAND BEND - Thousands of visitors to Grand Bend on the weekend were greeted with the spectacle of hot air balloons floating gently over the Lakeshore community. Five separate launches of 10 balloons made up the first ever Balloon Fest for Grand Bend. The event serves as a gentler preview to this weekend's Air Show - which will feature everything from World War II bombers and fighters, to the latest high-tech jets. See related storXto Bill would extend employee benefits. adoption rights Huron MPP supports discussion on bill for same-sex couple rights ZURICH - Huron MPP Paul Klopp supported the first reading of a hill that would sec same-sex couples entitled to employee benefits. "The first reading is basically to open up debate," said Klopp at his Zurich home Monday. "I don't have a big problem deciding we at least want to talk about an issue." Klopp agreed that an open vote on a first reading is an unusual thing for Queen's Park. The last time he can re- member such a situation was when Mike Farnan put forth a hill to require MPPs to work Sundays. "I think people arc open to have a discussion," said Klopp, who said his office is fielding a number of calls about the proposal - "the same as any issue". The hill made it past its first reading by a narrow margin Thursday when 10 NDP caucus members voted against it, as did all the Conservative members and rnost of the Liber- als. A few MPPs not present in the house may have wanted to avoid going on record over such a contentious issue, agreed Klopp. "hut there's times when I'm not in the house too." "Some see it purely as a social justice issue." Paul Klopp, MPP Huron How the NDP caucus divided over the hill to increase the rights of gay and lesbian couples proves that its not just an urban/rural issue. "Well one thing I've been hearing in the news is, well this is an urban issue, not rural," said Klopp. The NDP included a plan to extend employee benefit packages to same-sex couples in their official policy hook a number of years ago, said Kiopp. However, this bili also includes a provision to allow those couples to also adopt children, which he said may prove to be the more contentious ele- ment of the hill. "Some people phone and that's the main issue, the adoption is- sue," said Klopp, adding that those same callers are not as con- cerned about the benefit question. "Some see it purely as a social justice issue," he said, and noted some argue the bill is still only a first step for gay and lesbian couples. Klopp did say however, the hill is a long way from pass- ing its second or third readings in the house, before it can become iaw. A bright, sparkling holiday weekend for Crediton Crediton celebrated the long weekend with their annual fireworks display put on by Stephen township firefighters. Here a group of children anxiously awaiting the show pass the time with their sparklers.