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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-05-12, Page 2Wednesday, May 12, 1999 In the News 2001 Games fund-raising carnpaignlaunched in launched the 'Bend By Craig Bradford TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF GRAND BEND — Talk about a party. The Grand Bend Friends of the 2001 Canada Summer Games held a fund-raising launch party at Gables in Grand Bend Friday night. The evening of enter- tainment, food, draws, prizes and music by The Nomads was sponsored by Oakwood Inn, Gables and Lambton Heart & Stroke. The night raised about $17,000 to be added to the $195,000 the Friends have already gathered towards their $500,000 goal with two and a half years left to the Games. Olympic medal winning rower Marnie McBean was on hand to lend her support for the Games as were several dignitaries including London Mayor Dianne Haskett and CFPL Radio 98 morning person- ality Peter Garland who Thumbs up. Grand Bend Friends of the 2001 Canada Summer Games chairperson Hank Krech shows his approval of the turn out at Friday's fund - /raising kick-off party at Gables. (photolKim Pearce) emceed the affair. Grand Bend Friends of the Games (FOG) chair- person Hank Krech said 650 tickets were sold to the party and 550 people attended. "We're extremely pleased with the response to the kick-off," Krech said. "We never dreamed we would be sold out two weeks in advance. It was a good party. Everybody's saying let's do it again." Grand Bend is a partner of the Alliance London 2001 Canada Summer Games that includes London, St. Thomas, Woodstock and the University of Western Ontario. Grand Bend will host the sailing and beach volleyball events during the Games that are sched- uled for Aug. 11-25, 2001. FOG fund-raising plans for the 'Bend include putting Labatts beer kegs in all village bars to col- lect donations. FOG will celebrate the millennium with a `Night Under the Stars' fund-raising event at Oakwood I=nn on. Dec. 31. Fifa per cent of the pro- ceeds. to the 'annual Dave Scatchard invitational Charity Golf Tournament over the next two years will go towards the Games totalling about Life of the party. CFPL Radio 98 morning personality Peter Garland, left, emceed the Grand Bend Friends of the 2001 Canada Summer Games fund-raising kick-off party at Gables Friday night. Next to Garland is 2001 Alliance London co - chairpersons Phil Bowman and Libby Fowler and Olympic medal winning rower Marnie McBean. $40,000. This. year's tour- nament. is set for Jture- 94- 10 L10 at. Oakwood Ina Goff Club. Other notate donations to the FOG so, stir link $25;000- front the trend Bend Legien, from the Grand Wend Rotary elbli and $10,000 from the wand Ben& and Distriettepthnist Club. Kreclb said most of the . money raiHg'i flier i. been through iunda dons:. The nest phases er the campaign will: ifVDi1ae soliciting donations fes: UM alumni is the Grand Bend area' Edi frost lacah bu es 'FBA lis Pot ,the start of the campaign," Krech, said. The Games win leave a legacy fig each, partneri. Grand Blend will be left (photolKim Pearce) with a beach house facili- ty and a 500 m land' soaped boardwalk an . various beach: improve- ments. Thea Week. housek and boardwalkwilt cost about S250,000 or half of the: ifind rail ittg` goal; the rest of whish WM& to the goners& operation: of die Games. The Alliance hopes to raise atotal of $15 million. to host the Games. County -wide OPP service, merger talks hit another stumbling block It seems Us' borne Township and Exeter don't yet see eye to eye on how ow servicesienitesitilasuld be paid ByCraig Bradford TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — Councillors keep on coming up with hurdles to jump when it comes to South Huron amalgamation and coun- ty -wide OPP service. At their Monday night meeting, Exeter commit- tee of the whole discussed a letter sent to the town from Usborne Township outlining concerns over how the OPP would be paid for the county -wide service after Usborne, • Stephen Township and Exeter merge into, the Town of South Huron.. Usborne council feels Exeter should commit to the same level of service Usborne will get under the county -wide quote if policing would be billed by general Laxation since Sarnia native Glen Phillips, left, signs a book for Guy St. Dennis at the Lambton Heritage Museum, during Saturday's book launch of Lambton: An il- lustrated History of the County. Phillips, now of Dublin. Ireland, wrote the book as a reference text dedicatid to Lambton County history as part of the county's 150th anniversary celebrations. The book cost* $24.95 and is available locally *Qe i Bend's Ski Bound Books or at the museum. (photo/Kan Pearce) they believe the OPP will charge for the amount of time spent in each munic- ipality.. If Exeter wants more service than Usborne, township council feels the town should pay for the heightened service: Town councillors, voiced their disappaiatment Usborne councillors don't seem to understand how the OPP service is billed or delivered. "When I read this (let- ter) it made me think some people are- still thinking 'you and me' instead of we," Coun. Robert Drummond said alluding to the proposed merger. Drummond added he isn't prepared to accept a lessened police presence in town. Mayor Ben Hoogenboom • agreed with Drummond. 1 think (Usborne) is try- ing to nickel and dime us here," he said. Coun. Joe Hogan said the OPP assessment of service required is differ- ent in Exeter than it is in Usborne since the town has industrial and com- mercial propertW, and the township does not. Chief administrative officer Rick Hundey said one thing Usborne coun- cillors may not under- stand is municipalities have to pay for the OPP' presence even .if there area t any incident lisborne's belief the OPP will charge -an an incident only basis doesn't take into) ' account Community serrvice programs,. after gamation patrolling and other ' moil t . may. sdi . Eer shouirb stave to ''halo Usborne understand the unseen costs and that police sestvice costs must cone out of general taxa - that The keine is- expected t_ be discussed at the. nest aanalgamation meeting set for r .271. Council debates how. to spend windfall Continued from front page balance the books. Bell foresees the usual yearly surpluses drying up in coming yearsand suggested council either pass a small tax increase to set up a reserve to off- set that falling revenue to avert large tax increases down the road. Another suggestion she had was to spend some of the Special Circumstances Fund grant to increase revenues in '98's books or set up a '99 reserve. Hoogenboom said using tho► grant to pay for already planned projects like the arena roof would eliminate some estab- lished reserves and free up money to set up a sur- plus reserve. The issue is expected to be discussed further at the May 27 budget meet- ing Candidatesoffand raining Continued from *vanity., her Goderich campaign= oflfce Friday night, opened her Port. Elgin office Saturday morning and `mainstreetedr ih Fort Elgin. later in the day sere• was- off to Faisley and spent Saturday evening int/Mitten. Johns took Mother's Dim of W be with her family andthen rnainstreeted in Kincardine Monday morning with a campaign, stop in Tiverton' after. Alberta PC director of research and -development Laurie Pusher visited Johns Btyt;eatnpaign headquar- ters Monday to, review rural campaign strategies- and. compare• themwithurban strategies. On Titesday Johns visited: Seaforth, Walton; ands Brussels and ended the, ditit by attending the Huron - Perth Hospitals Partnershipmeeting in Clinton. Today Johns will campaign in Wingham, Teeswater and Paisley. NDP candidate'Tony McQuail, a Lucknow area farmer and' former executive assistant to Agriculture Minister Elmer Buchanan, held a publicity. raising `Solar Bike Tour' on Saturday from his campaign headquarters on South St. in Goderich to the Courthouse Square. The tour consisted of McQuail on a solar powered electric bike with a parade of children and their par- ents. McQuail blasted the Harris Tories for cuts to health and education and the shift in power from rural com- munities to Toronto. He also called for the cancellation of the tax break to those earning over $8Q►000 and to sink that money into health and education. Liberal candidate Ross Lamont of the Port Elgin area has started his campaign but has not visited the Exeter area yet.