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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1998-01-07, Page 1SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Coming soon Nintendo 64 Games SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Film Developing 4.99 24 roll Inside Grassroots for a Greater Grand Bend See page 2 Ice time at the Rec Centre See Crossroads Second front Jr. D Hawks and Irish' dead even See page 12 Rates from Lake, Huron Water Supply increase STEPHEN - -The rate for water from the Lake Huron Water plant in Stephen' has increased two per cent bringing the cost from 1.115 cents per 1000 gallons to I . I4 cents -per 1000 gallons. , "The trial period for this ,will he six months. commerlcing,on lap. I. Stephen Township Adrninistrauir Larry Brown said the most signifi- cant rate increase is in the' water supplied by, Lake Huron Water Supply. He said even then. the two per tent increase is minimal and witinoteffect many people. . . , "It will have very little effect on anyone." he said. adding ;the,,,jp-; crease was due mainly because of ctn racrcasc in operating costs, such as. maintenance. The rate for removal of sludge by the Ontario Clean Water Agency has also increased. to $250 per toad: • stated the minutes. • The increase went into effect Jan. 1.1998. Cleaning up Grand Bend GRAND BEND-- The Village of Grand Bend docs not want. people . to get the idea they are a dirty place to visit. But how do they handle garbage in front of fast food cstah= Iishments where a lot of garbage, is stashed? • "Many barrels may suggest that we're volutne garbage users," said Mayor Cam Ivey. _ One concern is whether the few garbage cans at fast food restau- . rants ,arc being utilized. and i1' so. are they being emptied regularly? - "Ila ' there on - weekends and they're just packed," said Ivey. re- ferring to the cans besides (hese'es- tahlishments. •. C.iuncitlor Shirley Andraza asked if the village should supply and empty the cans.; or should that he the responsibility of thc businesses? She added supplying the service . wouldn't he fair to other businesses who are paying: the sarnc property taxes. - it was moved that council would address the Chamber of Commerce and Public Works on the matter. Council also suggested fast food restaurants use some type of recep- tacle to put the garhagc into and that garhagc be emptied from cans regularly. Businesses can voice their opinions on the -matter as well as receive more intimation at the next committee of the whole meet- ing. • Wednesday, January 7, 1998 Hensall fire under investigation Hensel! and Area Fire Department firefighters gathered outside .Stratford Memorials after a fire on Friday night on the Hensall .'S Main Street., HENS -ALL' - The cause of a Friday night, fire above Stratford"Me,norials on Main Street in Hen- sall is under investigation. according to Hensall and Arca Fire Department chief Ken Bruxer. ,''Wc haven't pinpointed anything yet. It's still un- der investigation," he said Monday afternoon. . The lire started at 7'45 p.m. in the apartments, which were under renovation. -- Six apartments arc in the upstairs arga but,no one was living there at • the time. The building was owned by Mike O'Connor. according to Bruxer. . Damage estimates were not complete at t press time but the building was insured: McBeath Funeral Horne, .located beside Stratford Memorials. re- ceived some tight smoke 'damage ,according to Bruxer. Firc trucks were at thc scene until nearly midnight and a tire check was done throughout the night. No, one was injured during the fire. Gas price committee in Goderich Exeter has the lowest gas prices while Hensall has the highest -prices in Huron County By Kate Monk T -A Reporter - EXETER - Two local members of parliament want to know why there is a difference in gas prices in southern 'Ontario and why . prices rise during holiday weekends. Hu- ron -Bruce MP Paul Steckle 'and Lamh(o►n-Kent-Middlesex • MP Rose -Marie Ur arc members of a committee currently seeking the .views of the public on gas prices, The committee will host a 'town hall' style meeting on Thursday at 2 p.m:: at the Hurtin County Mu- seum in Goderich and today at the Pctrolia'Council Chambers of Vic- toria Hall ,from 1-3 p.tn, Dan` McTeaguc, MP for Pick- ering -Ajax -Uxbridge , chairs the committee and Cambridge MP Jan- ko Pcric rounds out the committee. According' to Steckle, the MPs on the committee are "volunteers" and the Liberal party has not initiated the committee. They started work in early Novemhcr and arc hosting meetings through January. Steckle hopes a report will he completed in February. cc • "We • want to get to the "It's in bottom of this whole no- everyone's best tion that on long holiday interest that weekends or on special oc- we Continue to Best price around. Exeter gas stations were busy throughout the Christmas season with the lowest gasoline prices in the area last week. and among many people in the pub= fie who know this committee is working right now, it serves to in- dicate these people knowsomeone is on their case," he said. The differences' in gas prices be- tween, communities is also under scrutiny. "Why is gas selling for about 57.5 cents in Sarnia; Pctrolia, Wal- lacehurg and Chatham, while in London and Strath. roy it's only, 51 to 53 cents a litre'?" Ur" asked. "The big oil companies suggest it's due to 'local market conditions.; Then why is bread, meat or milk about the same price in Grand Bend and rasions gasoline prices tend to rise- and following the occasion they tend to fall. This leads me to he- level '� Iicvc it's not market lorces employed but rather some Forest as it is in other factors that arc playing into Bothwell and Glencoe?" the issue. That's' something the Within Stecklc's riding, a gas public has been seeking answers to Price survey last Wednesday be - for a long time," Stccklc said. twecn Exeter and Walkerton • Hc believes the activities of the showed Exeter had the lowest pric- committee kept market forces at es per like and Hensall was tied for work during this holiday season. the highest. Prices were as follows: "When you look at what hap- Exeter - 50.3, Hensall - 56.9, Sca- pened over the most recent holiday forth - 54.9 and 55.9, Brussels - season and the fact that gas prices 54.9 and Walkerton - 56.9. did not rise, in my opinion at least According to Steckle; there's a get service at the local variance - of - approximately seven cents per liter between north Lon- , don and Hensall. Steckle .is "also concerned about the loss of small independent gas- oline stations. "Down the road. it's (selling gas) going to he in fewer places and in the hands of fewer people and we're going to drive greater dis- tances to get our gasoline," he said. "We basically know what gas- oline could he sold ,for at -rea- sonable profit margins so small in- dependents can he there for. us. It's in everyone's best interest ilia( we continue to get service at the local level," he explained. Ur said the committee has al- ready met with representatives from the oil companies. 'Now it's lime to hear from the grassroots locally, those -most af- fected by gas prices," Ur said. . "Our committee wants to .hear from anyone with an idea, opinion or concern whether you own an in- dependent station, one connected with' the majors, or an individual citizen," Ur said. "It can be either an oral or written presentation, or both, with an informal, comfortable atmosphere." Province approves dissolving Public.. Utilities Commission By Kate Monk T -A Reporter EXETER - Al Leach, Ontario Minister"of Municipal Affairs, has approved Exeter's, restructuring proposal to annex part of 1 -fay Township and dissolve- -the Public Utilities Commission. The signed Order will he published in the On= tariff► Gazette. " The annexation of land was cf- feCtive Jan. 1 and included -Leet 1, Concession 1. Hay Township not subdivided by Registered Plan' 376. all of Walper Street and LciI 910. Registered Plan 376, Hay Town- ---ship. . January 1, 1999 is 'the date spec- ified in the minister's order fin- dis solving the Exeter PUC and ef- tablishing the Hydro -Electric Commission for the Town .of Exet- er.- The order also states the new- commission' will include the head of council and two other members who shall' be qualified electors un- der the Municipal Elections Act ap- pointed by the Exeter council. It -will be responsible for pro- duction, u,,�1 uent. distribution and supply of water as well as the dis- trihutiorr and" supply of electrical power. Employees uI' the PUC shall he- come- employees of the* Town of .Exeter or of the hydro -electric com- 'niission. All assets and liabilities, -rights and obligations of the public utilities commission of the Town of Exeter that relate to water and .elec- tricity ,shall become the assets and liabilities, rights and ohligations of the "Town ol.Exeter. While the minister's order makes the distiolving of the PUC and the fornration of the Hydro -Electric °Commission -official_ __many_re- structuring details will he worked out -through the year. , "There's still lots to be looked at."- 'Reeve - Roy Triebner said at Monday night's council meeting. Council will meet in -camera with the PUC on Monday night to dis- cuss restructuring.details. Discussions are ongoing re- -trading a possible merger of hydro utilities in Huron and Perth counties. Council plans strategy for police services contract EXETER - On .Monday nig'lit. Exeter Council discussed more de tails of,the proposed Ontario,Pro- vincial Police contract for the Town of Exeter. . Exeter could be facing a 25 per cent increase in the cost of po- licing. With a price tag of $549,470, council is taking -the mat- ter seriously. ';Before the meeting (with the OPP), we need to plan some kind .of attack on this. 1 don't know 'where we stand budget -wise. 1 don't think we have a lot to nego- tiate. We need to have a strategy," Councillor George Robertson said. adding, "lt's not like we're paying a $200 bill." , "It's a half -million dollar hill We need to look at this seriously." add- ed.Mayor Ben Hoogenhootn. , Council Bloused 'discussion on items that ,may change before the contract is signed. • Chief Administrative Officer Rick Hundcy said he received a tel- ephone call from the OPP about the re -location of the Goderich de- tachment office to Lucan which would change the contract costs. More accurate figures will be pro- vided by Jan. 26. - According to Hoogenhoorn, po- lice officers at the police services hoard meeting said council should encourage. Huron County to nego- tiate a county -wide OPP contract. Reeve Roy Triehncr said it's an- - ticipated • a county -wide' Contract ' would he cheaper. 'Deputy -Reeve Dave Urlin noted overtime may, he one item that will come in under budget. In 1997. the actual figure for overtime costs per officer was $10.00( but the 1998 contract includes the provincial av- erage of $22,5(0; "We should pay only the actual." said Urlin who asked 'Hundcy tc► • clarify the fact with the OPP. Triehncr said people are asking. "Are we getting' $50008) worth oI- • policing?" He said people arc concerne.' they are not seeing the "presence" of police officers in the town. "The OPP will have to address that as an issue." Triehncr said. Hoogenhootn countered Tri ehner's point with: statistics from , the police contract. • "Tire numbers show we: rc get ting 200 hours,(of police services) • more than we're paying for." he said. , Council discussed the contract further in -camera. et the flags fly Grand Bend will buy 100 village flags to be for sale at the village • GRAND BEND - One ' way to promote an arca is by displaying the area's togo on a flag. and that's just what Grand .Bend council has in mind. The village will be selling 3 -by - 6 -foot flags with a logo symbolic of the village to further enhance the arca. Grand Bend's The House of Flags has designed the logo which could he erected at such areas as the harbor front, the beach or upon GRAND BEND entry into,the village. "With 'the 2(8)1 Canada Summer Games corning 'we geed to ad- ' vertisc for Grand Bendr said Councillor Phil Maguire. insisting the project he initiated. "We have to show people there is a place called Grand Bend," he added. ' The village ordered .100 •flags at $75.90 each, which will Abe avail- able at the village office. Financial advice you can count on! George Godhf)It ('I,1 , CFP 496 Main Street Exeter ON 235-2740 When it comes to investment and tax strategies, retirement and estate planning, and more, we have the expertise and technology needed to help secure your financial future. Call .me today for financial advice you can count on! 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