HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-06-09, Page 44
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�xeber Times,Advocate
Wednesday, June 9, 1999
Vital park
Volunteers Becca Reid, left, Jessica Reid, BrookeWieske, Michael Reid and Exeter
Lioness members Judy McLeod and Audrey Zacher take a break for the photogra-
pher during their revitalization of Exeter's Victoria Park Saturday. Mike and Gerald
Reid of Reid Sand, Gravel Excavating donated the sand, machinery and time to
help improve the park. Park improvements include the repair and repainting of the
swing set, a sand box upgrade, fixing and slight expansion of tire play area, adding
benches, a tot/pre-schooler slide and spring riding toys including a white squirrel.
(photo/Kim Pearce)
1
Ono
Booting the loot
Beaubien wants hi er
.proftle or mral Ontat•io
By Kate Monk there will be all sorts of rumours going
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF around," he admitted.
Opening two new constituency offices in
Strathroy and Wallaceburg is first on
Beaubien's agenda.
"I feel the only way we can do it is by
having a constituency office in each county
because it's such a large riding," he said.
When askedabout the issues he'd like
resolved in the North Lambton and North
Middlesex area, Beaubien said he like to
see local solutions to restructuring discus-
sions.
"I would hope people would see fit to
work together," he said.
Although he is not in favour of bringing
in commissioners, he said that has to be
done if "nothing is getting done" on a local
level. He said the boundary discussions in
the Grand Bend area will likely require
provincial intervention because it involves
two counties:
Beaubien said he was grateful to the vot-
ers for re-electing him and anticipated a
tight race.
"We expected the race to be close
because we were gaining new counties in
Kent and Middlesex. But we worked hard
in both areas and it certainly came
through for us," he said.
Beaubien received 45 per cent of the
votes (19,561), O'Neill received 42.9 per.
cent (18,665), Lee received 9.6 per cent
(4,161) and Forbes received 2.5 per cent
(1,079). In the polls held in Grand Bend
and at the Lambton Heritage Museum,
Beaubien had 774 votes, O'Neill 473,
Forbes 65 and Lee 60.
LI
PETROA — Progressive Conservative
Marcel Beaubien, elected in the mega -rid-
ing of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, says rural
Ontario deserves more respect and as an
MPP he will make the rural voice heard at
Queen's Park.
Beaubien was an MPP in the last govern-
ment and defeated Liberal Larry O'Neill,
NDP Jim Lee and Freedom Party candi-
date Wayne Forbes of Grand Bend last
Thursday.
"I'm a pretty vocal guy," Beaubien told
the T -A Friday afternoon.
"We need members who aren't afraid to
voice their opinion and then stand up
because we have to start looking at treat-
ing rural Ontario in a different manner,"
Beaubien said. "In the past it's been given
a low key effort in some ministries."
He put the onus on rural people to do a.
better job of educating the province's
mostly urban population about rural
Ontario and agriculture.
While Beaubien said he does not have
aspirations of becoming a cabinet minister
and is a "constituency guy", he said he
would consider a post if Premier Mike
Harris asked him.
"If the big guy wants me to do something
above and beyond my regular duties, I
certainly would rise to the challenge," he
said confidently, adding he would consider
the agriculture portfolio if asked.
"Being the only francophone left in cau-
cus (following Noble Villeneuve's defeat),
Johnson wins second term
Hensall firefighters Doug Hulley and Greg Campbell ask for donations along
Hensall's King St. on Saturday.The firefighters were collecting`Tor Muscular
Dystrophy. (photo/Kim Pearce
Bike
Rodeo
at
McCurdy
McCurdy Public
School students from
kindergarten -Gr. 6
participated in a bike
rodeo on June 7.The
event was part of
Safe Kids Week activ-
ities. From (I -r):
Brandon Borden,
Michelle Underhill, .
Dylan Taylor, Stephen
Denomme and Kayla
Foran -Costain.
By Don Van Galen
JOURNAL ARGUS STAFF
Perth -Middlesex once
again followed the prevail-
ing trend, sending their
provincial representative
to the government benches
for the fifth consecutive
election.
Conservative Bert•.
Johnson's election victory
was among the first to be
declared across the
province, just 30 minutes
after the polls closed.
Overall, Perth -Middlesex
voters gave Johnson
22,046 votes with his near-
est competitor 'Liberal
John Wilkinson with
15,380 votes. The NDP
candidate, Ilderton's
Walter Vernon, received
3,045 votes and Family
Coalition candidate Pat
Bannon had 1,256.
Freedom Party candidate.
Robert Smink trailed the
pack with 520 votes.
The polls in the T -A cov-
erage area represented a
Johnson sweep.
In Lucan Johnson
received 801 votes com-
pared to 513 for
Wilkinson, 119 for Vernon,
64 for Bannon and nine for
Smink.
In Granton, there were
143 votes for Johnson, ,108
for Wilkinson, 23 for
Vernon, 12 for Bannon
and 8 for Smink.
Ilderton voters gave
Johnson 687 votes, while
Wilkinson was far back
with 397 votes. Vernon
received 100 votes, with
Bannon getting 31 votes
and Smink getting 13.
Denfield polls reported
124 votes for Johnson, 82
votes for Wilkinson, 20
votes for Vernon, 12 for
Bannon and 2 for Smink.
On election night, Tory
party faithful at the
Stratford Coliseum had to
wait for some time before
Johnson made his way
from his home in Listowel
where he was watching
the results from across the
province.
An .enthusiastic crowd of
about 150 cheered when
Johnson entered the room..
and took to the podium.
Johnson said he wasn't -
going to make any speech-
es.
"I want to savour this
wonderful eveninggand to
thank my supporters."
Later Johnson took some
time to talk to reporters
and he was asked if
'strategic voting' by labour
groups in favour of the
Liberals was a concern to
him during the campaign.
"I was concerned if it
had been• particularly
close. But I had some indi-
cation that the wish to
organize groups was not
always working out.
"Forty-three percent of
unionized employees did-
n't wish to participate in
strategic voting. I don't
think you can tell anyone
how to vote. As a cam-
paigner we would like to
put the issues in front of
people. Strategic voting
takes away the ability to
make judgements on
issues.
"The biggest issue in the
campaign was jobs," said
Johnson. "I think people
thought that if there was a
strong economy that we
could afford the health
care we deserve and the
education our kids look
forward to.
"They want to continue
on the course that we
started and cut taxes to
create jobs and stimulate
the economy."
Johnson said he wasn't
surprised by the results
locally or across the
province with the excep-
tion of the defeat 4of a few
high profile Tories such as
Minister of Agriculture
Noble Villeneuve.
He was asked if he would
consider serving as
Agriculture Minister if it
was offered. .
"I have some abilities
there ... If I were asked to
participate in cabinet I
would have to think 'very
carefully about it, because
it is an honour. But on the
other hand you are
spreading yourself thin.
You're doing that for
everyone in the province of
Ontario."
Neither is Johnson say-
ing if he will continue as
deputy speaker.
"I haven't put in any spe-
cial request. I think Mike
Harris has a fantastic abili-
ty to choose people that
'work well with him and
get the job done. I would
leave it up to him.
"Whether I served as
deputy speaker or water
boy, 1 guess I would want
to help the team as much
as I could."
With the larger riding —
130 kilometres long —
Johnson jokes he will
"drive ftster and live
faster," but he expects the
constituency office will
remain in Stratford which
is centrally located,
Johnson was coy about
running for a third term in
2003. "I'll cross that in on
my calendar pretty soon."
With files from the T -A