HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-08-18, Page 2r
Exeter Time -Advocate
Wednesday, August 18, 1999
In the News
Former NDP candidate dies
ILDERTON -- Walter Vernon, the Perth -
Middlesex NDP candidate in the recent provincial
election, died unexpectedly on Aug. 4 after a short
illness, reports the St. Marys Journal Argus.
The 57 -year-old Vernon lived at RR1 Ilderton
with his wife Barbara Jean Newton and is also
survived by five children and three step -children.
Vernon held a Masters Degree in Education from
the University of Western Ontario. Prior to his
death, he worked at the Weable Centre for Adult
Education in London and other London area
schools.
The first-time candidate. finished third behind in-
cumbent MPP Bert Johnson and Liberal candidate
John Wilkinson in the provincial election, but was
hoping to make another attempt in the future.
Huron Bruce MP wants flag
burg outlawed
OTTAWA -- Huron Bruce MP Paul Steckle is
calling for flag burning to be outlawed after Amer-
ican citizens protesting the Supreme Court's ruling
on homosexual rights• burned a Canadian flag in
Ottawa, reports the Huron Expositor.
"I'm ashamed an American would be allowed to
come in and do this," he said, adding while people
may agree with the protesters' viewpoint, he can't
see anyone agreeing with the course of action they
took by setting the flag on fire.
Steckle said he has received a number of calls
from angry constituents regarding the incident.
He is planning to talk to Heritage Minister Sheila
Copps about the manner.
Steckle is hopeful a piece of legislation prevent-
ing flag burning couldbe adopted without follow-
ing the slower process of a private members bill.
He also suggested provincial flags _be_ included in
the new law or regulation. r Y
Sonic boom likely cause o
shake in Goderich
GODERICH -- A sonic boom was likely the cause
of a recent shake felt by Goderich residents, re-
ports the Goderich Signal -Star.
Everything from a small earthquake to drilling at
the mine have been offered as reasons for the
shake on July 28, but the noise which preceded
the shaking points to a sonic boom. -
"It (the bang) is probably a good indication that
it was a sonic boom," explained Southern Ontario
Seismic Network (SOSN) director Robert Mereu.
According to Mereu, the noise and shaking was
likely caused by an American jet crossing close to
the Great Lakes. That would also explain why
communities as south as Sarnia felt a similar.sen-
sation. k
"They (American planes) would never confess to
it because they are afraid of lawsuits resulting
from broken windows," Mereu said.
On the same day. the Goderich shake was felt, an
earthquake was also detected in Lake Ontario, 16
km south of Toronto.
According to Mereu, the quake in Lake Ontario
was so small people in Toronto didn't feel any ef-
fects.
Council weilin PVC's' �pti�ns
At
�- g
-► ST. MARYS -- Council is exploring other options
for their PUC after they heard the Huron Perth
PUC partnership lost Exeter, Goderich and -Strat-
ford, reports the St. Marys Journal Argus.
Council instructed their clerk -administrator Ken
Storey to collect information about selling or main-
taining their PUC independently.
They are also maintaining their membership in
the Huron Perth partnership until they come to a
final conclusion.
"If we pull out of the joint venture operating
company they (Huron Perth PUC partnership) will
be on shaky ground because we are one of' the
biggest ones, left," said St. Marys mayor Jamie
Hahn.
Hahn, who is also council's representative for
the PUC, wants to make sure the interests of the
town's eight full-time wire employees are kept
foremost with whatever decision is made.
Playground equipment removed
without warning or rec board OK
By Craig Bradford
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
EXETER -- Some Exeter
children may be wonder-
ing where their favourite
playground equipment
went to.
At Monday night's coun-
cil meeting, Deputy Reeve
Dave Urlin said he was
unpleasantly surprised to
find the wooden .play-
ground equipment outside
the South Huron Rec
Centre was dismantled
and removed at the end of
-July without warning or
the Exeter Recreation and
Parks Advisory
Committee's approval.
Urlin, a rec board mem-
ber, openly wondered why •
Exeter has a rec board if
staff aren't going to tell
the board about its day-to-
day operations.
He said several con-
cerned citizens have con-
tacted him about the miss-
ing equipment and he
wondered why nothing
was installed 'to replace
the equipment since its
removal comes in the. mid.;
die of summer right before
Exeter's biggest communi-
ty event, the Exeter
Rodeo.
Chief administrative offi-
cer Rick Hundey said staff
were told by a co
POLICE BRIEFS
Dashwood
the' wooden playground
equipment had serious
design flaws and posed a
risk to the welfare of chil-
dren playing on it. He said
staff acted to prevent pos-
sible injury to children.
"I just think it should
have been handled a dif-
ferent way," Urlin said.
"In my mind it was just
terrible."
Coun. George Robertson
later said he too had
received some complaints
about the removal of the
equipment and that noth-
ing was put up in its place.
Mayor Ben Hoogenboom
said the rec board will
meet for its regular
monthly meeting tomor-
row (Aug. 19) and at that
time may make a decision
to buy replacement equip-
ment to be installed for
next spring.
Clerk -treasurer
Elizabeth Bell said the
Exeter Lioness Club paid
for the wooden equipment
that was erected 12 years
ago.
She said other communi-
ty groups have donated to
the project over the years
including the move to
make it handicap accessi-
ble. Bell is a past president
of the Exeter Lioness Club.
Hoogenboom admitted
the matter should have
been handled differently
by town stag.
Reeve Roy Triebner said
some of the $240,000
Special Circumstances
grant the town received
from the province could
be used to buy new play-
ground equipment. '-11. te�
The grant has been ear-
marked by council to be
spent on capital projects
such as a new roof for the
Stec Centre. �.. r.
Where's the syru
gara e
break-in
DASHWOOD -- Thieves
walked off with prime
stuff after a break-in to a
garage off Fried St. in
Dashwood overnight Aug.
10-11.
Speakers, a: chainsaw
and tools were stolen.
Cameron Dickert, 2, left, and his sister Christine enjoy some pancakes at the
Zurich Firefighters; Breakfast on Saturday.All proceeds go towards the Babe
Siebert Memorial Centre (Zurich Arena) improvement project.
.1484 44441. r4ris iftflce examines lake Waier'
Continued from front page
breaking laws but are
affecting their neighbour-
hood.
He advised citizens to
phone their municipal
clerk who will start the
process of mediation
through the Huron Farm
Mediation Committee.
Lake Bevels to drop
by two metres
Climate change will
change the appearance of
the Lake Huron shoreline,
according to Patrick
Donnelly of the Lake
Huron Centre for Coastal
Conservation. Water lev-
els are the lowest since
the 1960s and are expect-
ed to lower by nearly two
metres in the next few
decades.
"Adaptations to (lower
lake levels) will have to
occur," he told the T -A.
"Climate change informa-
tion has to be considered
in long-term planning."
Donnelly said munici-
palities need to consider
the impact of lower lake
levels on marinas and
dredging operations.
The Lake Huron Centre
for Coastal Conservation
organized the conference
at Goderich District
Secondary School which
drew more than 120 par-
ticipants from Lions Head
to Camlachie. Donnelly
said this is the first time
citizens from such a wide
area met to discuss the.
lake.
Other topics at the con-
ference included tourism,
the Michigan perspective
on Lake Huron, bird
migration, marine her-
itage, recreational boat-
ing and local stewardship
initiatives.
The Lake Huron Centre
for Coastal Conservation
is a non-profit organiza-
tion dedicated to the con-
servation of Lake Huron's
natural shoreline environ-
ment.
To contact the centre,
call (519)523-4478 or
write P.O. Box 178, Blyth,
Ontario NOM 1HO..
tti
Sam Bradshaw of Ontario Pork explains the. hog
industry to citizens at a Lake Huron conference
Saturday in Goderich.