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Times Advocate, 1984-08-22, Page 30i A BUSY BAND The Dashwood-Seaforth Community band was busy on the weekend appearing in the Crediton Summerfest parade, Saturday and in the Luton Fair parade, Sunday. T -A photo J_III I I II III I I IIIII I I I II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II I III 1 1 1 1 1 1 III I I I II I II I II 1 1 1 1 1 1 II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I II I II I I I II I I I II I II II I II I I I I I I II I II I II I III I I II I I I I II I III II I I I I I II I I I I II I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I III II I I IIII III II I II I I II I II I II I III((I))I II IIIII II I II II IIII 11111111 )nen 'tniti�t�is Hydro rates statement a virtual monopoly, sets its own rates. Why must a gas company live with rate in- crease recommendations by the Board, while Hydro re- mains exempt? The Board should make it clear to the government that it will not continue to be used in this way, recommending By Jack Riddell MPP that it have final responsibli- On behalf of the Ontario ty for approving rate Liberal Party, Julian Reed (L changes. Hydro has neither Halton -Burlington) recently the openness nor the political made a statement to the On- accountability necessary. tario Energy Board with respect to hydro rates. the gist of which was as follows. For a number of years, our party has actively pursued in the Legislature the matter of Hydro's expansion program, its associated costs, and its ef- fects upon electricity rates for Ontario consumers. Hydro's proposed 9.1 percent increase for 1985 ( almost double the in- flation rate) is totally unac- ceptable when millions of On- tarians are desparately try- ing to live within their means White Elephant" whose at this time of economic- power won't be needed for hardship. years. Examination should We have for years been fat include Hydro's deliberate ed with Hydro's conviction avoidance of the that it knows best, that what generationoalternative, and co - is good for Hydro -namely .the deliberate delay of they fco Ontant io.exTherne is been hydraulic program. Failing a for Ontario. There has been thorough and ex - the ever present threat that if amination, hearings independentare 9- �: Hydro is hamstrung in any exercise in, hefutarings way. the lights will surely go The government has cut off rout a few years down the all avenues of control of oad. Werbelievea[ what it Hydro, giving the Energy goodnecfor Hydro is not Board few powers, disban- that we cannot good for Ontario. dingthe Select Committee. that we afford the restricting the scope of the economichwaste of a state Public Accounts Committee within a state. Undoubtedly, Hydro'sinquity. growth and success since 1906 llydro blunders and empire has been a major factor in the building are mainly responsi- economic development of On- ble for dramatic rate tario- Because its success is increases. essential to our future While Hydro spends some development, we need to $22 billion on 12 new reactors. know what has gone wrong it prematurely shuts down ex - with government control of isting thermal plants, accoun- the Corporation over the last ting for over three thousand decade.megawatts. almost The Ontario Energy Board equivalent to a Darlington siz- has performed a useful func- ed plant. tion through its yearly rate It continues to be locked in - review, and we are concern- to multi -billion dollar ed about the Board's lack of uranium contracts, shrouded power as the regulatory body in secrecy, for which it pays responsible for reviewing almost triple the world price Hydro rate increases. for unneeded supplies. The We submit that the Board's contracts were bad to begin annual review is seen as little with. and they contribute to more than a charade, that On- high electricity rates. As the tartans have been falsely led world price for uranium con - to believe by the provincial tinues to drop, Hydro pays government that Hydro is ac- some $190 per kilogram for countable to the Board. uranium concentrates this Under the Power Corpora- year from a low of $30 per tion Act, the Board's report is kilogram in 1976. Hydro ex - not binding upon Hydro, mak- penditures for uranium will ing the Board simply ad- rise to $231 million in 1985, visory. Therefore Hydro. with $305 million in 1986 and $382 Of crucial importance is the Board's inability to examine the real reasons for spiralling Hydro rates - its grandiose ex- pansion program. It must be made clear to government that the credibility of the en- tire hearing process is at stake unless the Board has ac- cess to primary cost data. The Board needs to examine in particular the continuation of the Darlington nuclear pro- ject. Ten to twelve billion dollars will be sunk into this million in 1987, up from $145 million this year - to say nothing of $630 million in interest-free loans advanced by Hydro to Denison Mines Ltd. and Rio Algom Ltd. for mine expansion. Hydro's surplus uranium supplies will continue to in- crease, due to loss of two units at Pickering for three years. Immediate steps should be taken to correct the uranium oversupply. The contracts should be open for review by the Energy Board or a legislative committee. In addition, millions have been wasted by Hydro on long-term heavy oil contracts with Petrosar - neither in- vestigates by the Board or seen by the Minister. Final costs of cancellation of the contracts have yet to be determined. Next week: Hydro's bor- rowing program, etc. FLINTSTONES WIN — Darren Collett and Jack Jesney as the Flintstones won the comedy division prize in Saturday's Crediton Summerfest parade. Teachers convene Last week over 200 members of the Ontario Public School Teachers' Association met at the Con- stellation Hotel in Toronto for their Annual General Assembly. In a four day marathon delegates debated some 225 resolutions and passed a $6.000.000 budget that raised fees to 1.1 percent of salary. Mary Hill from the Carleton District was acclaimed the association's first woman president. in another unprecedented move bylaws were passed that permit occasional or supply teachers to become OPSTF members. Presently occasional teachers have no representative organization. Delegates also expressed concern about school bus safety. They asked that the Ontario Teachers' Federation request the Ministry of Education to "study and strengthen current legislation for maintenance, licensing, safety, operation and con- struction of school buses." Also adopted was a lengthy policy statement that will in- volve teachers in the in- troduction of computers and other micro -electronic equip- ment into the school program. The statement declares that "the educational process must enable students to func- tion fully as members of a technological society." Representatives for the Huron District were Wayne Nichols, Blair Fraser, Jim Chapman, Arnold Mathers and Dave Kemp. At present location Most want Pioneer Museuun renovations 'The majority of people pre- sent at a public meeting con- cerning the future of the Huron County Pioneer Museum would like the building to be renovated and left at its present, site. A se- cond public meeting was held after complaints were made about the first meeting not be- ing publicized well enough. Last Wednesday, approx- imately 45 people attended the meeting held at the Goderich Township Com- munity Centre. Museum con- sultants Chris Borgal, an ar- chitect from Blyth; Claus Breede, an archeologist and the director of the Bruce County Museum; and Frank Wolman, management con- sultant, informed the au- dience about the feasibility study which the museum is undergoing. Dave Johnston, Reeve of Bayfield and Chair- man of the Agricultural and Property Committee of Coun- ty Council chaired the meeting. The museum consultants will be handing in a list of recommendations to the Agricultural and Property Committee who, in turn, will make recommendations to County Council. The Ministry of Citizenship and Culture established an upgrading program which in- cludes 225 of the 600 museums in Ontario. The program Was originally set up as a five to six-year phase project to in- sure that all valuable ar- tifacts are housed in the pro- ' per conditions. The first phase of the pro- ject instructed museums to prepare a statement of pur- pose. This statement was to tell the Ministry why the museum existed. The second phase was a collections policy explaining what artifacts they do have. The next step was a conservation policy stating how the artifacts are looked after. The final phase is to look at how the museum has im- plemented what they have said would be done. As Breede stated, "Next year the bluff is up. You either produce or get kicked out of the pro- gram". (The Ministry of Citizenship and Culture funds approximately 30 percent of the museums operating costs.) The Ministry has also set up guidelines for space alloca- tion. At the present time, the' Huron County Pioneer Museum has nine percent of its space used for storage. The Ministry's goal is 38 per- cent so the group doing the study is proposing 28.5 per- cent of the space be used for storage. Approximately 89 percent of the building is now being used to display the artifacts. The Ministry's goal is 35 per- cent but the recommendation will be 58.5 percent. The reason for having a limited display area is simp- ly to allow for rotation of the Politics sparks YPC formation The 1984 federal election has been billed as one of the most important elections for Canadians. For young Pro- gressive Conservative sup- porters in Huron -Bruce, the election announcement meant the timing was right to form a Young Progressive Conservative (YPC) group in their riding. The youth group was organized by Jan Divok and Carolyn Wood, both of the Clinton area. And for incum- t ent Member of Parliament, Murray Cardiff, the forma- tion is a "tremendous boost" for his re-election bid. "A lot of young voters were interested in farming a YPC group because more young people are showing an in- terest in politics. We felt now was the time to organize YPCs to capitalize on the en- thusiasm of the upcoming election," says Kevin Camp- bell. Mr. Campbell is the president of the group and is associated with Ken Camp- bell Farms of RR 1, Dublin. "Though we're not as polished as the older PC sup- porters in Huron -Bruce, the needs of the young and old are sometimes different. There is a bit of generation gap," says Mr. Campbell. "Besides it's great to get together with other young people and talk politics." Some of the 50 YPCs are young farmers and the balance are college and university students. Their main concern is jobs. Though most of the YPCs have sum- mer jobs and will return to school in September; the odds are against young people get- ting jobs, says Mr. Campbell. "We're looking to the future. Most of us are in- terested in jobs and would like to see a government in power that could give jobs. Right now the market place is tight." Women's issues, an election issue for women and politi- cians alike, isn't a great con- cern of the YPCs, he says. "There's a different type of youth coming out of the educational system today -- the girls are just as ag- gressive as the guys. Our group has disagreements, but there's a left and right to every party." "The women in our group want to be treated as equals and I'm sure they are. Younger people have ac- cepted equality. But you can't push some people. It takes time for them to accept it. We have four women and four men on our executive. We didn't plan it that way." Recruitment is an ongoing process for the YPCs. There are some young -voters who are curious, but most join because they want to help and be involved with the election process, he says. Three young PCs will act as scrutineers for Mr. Cardiff, and the balance will assist in putting up cam- paign signs and man various compaign offices throughout Huron -Bruce riding. "We're campaigning for Murray Cardiff. But what we do must be cleared with the executive office. "Our policy is guaranteed education - how grants affect education. Grants provide for research and development and this in turn creates jobs. A few of our members are go- ing back to school and some are returning to work on the family farm -- it's the only way they can get into farm- ing." says Mr. Campbell. The YPCs was formed because young people were interested. "Some have par- ticipated in conventions and are involved in politics. The group just came together this year," says Mr. Cardiff. "Jobs are their concern, as it is a concern to all people. It's great to see young people take an active interest in politics and policy. I'm look- ing forward to their input. Young people are people we should be proud of." Mr. Car- diff says. Mr. Campbell is positive that the Conservatives will form the next federal govern- ment. "Mr. Cardiff's chances of winning are good. He's had many accomplishments and he could probably do more for Huron -Bruce if the PCs were in power. "The YPCs have a lot of en- thusiasm. They will be a tremendous boost for me," says Mr. Cardiff. frtifacts, giving the visitors a variety, and hopefully bring- ing them back. Problems facing the Poineer Museum include en- vironmental control for the artifacts and structural defi- ciencies. The attendance has alto been declining, dropping from a peak of 25,000 in 1970 to 12,000 In 1983. In order to preserve the ar- tifacts, It is necessary to keep them in an atmosphere which has a constant temperature. "At the Huron County Museti the temperature is uncontrolled. When it's winter outside, it's winter inside. When it's humid outside, it's humid inside," explained Breede. To cut the costs, micro - environmental control ( con- trol only areas which contain artifacts which need a cons- tant temperature) is being looked at. The structural problems in- clude the entire second floor being closed because it is un- safe. It also has a lack of pro- per fire exits. Borgal stated that there is only one fire ex- it in the building which meets the fire code standards. For a building which is 41,000 square feet, there should be approximately four exits on each floor. A new concept that was in- troduced at the meeting was establishing various satellite museums within Huron Coun- ty. For example, visitors may arrive half an hour early when they attend the Blyth Summer Festival. If some ar- tifacts which relate to the play were on display, people could pass the time by looking at the exhibits. The three options that the study group has to work with are: leave the museum at its present location in Goderich on North Street and renovate; construct a new building on the present site; or move the Huron County Museum out- side of Goderich. At both the first and second meeting, the public express- ed its feeling about the value of the building which houses the museum. They felt the 1856 building was in itself a major artifact, and to lose it would be losing a lot. They also stated that they would like to see the Museum re- main in Goderich as Goderich attracts more tourists. Borge, Breede and Wolman will be making out a detailed report in the near future with their recommendations. This report will be submitted to the Agricultural and Property Committee, who will then make their recommendations to County Council. `� } RIVER RATS SECOND — Taking second prize in the comedy class at the Crediton Summerfest parade were Derek Dinney, BJ Tideswelle and Gerry Beaver as the River Rats. T -A • hoto A PARADE WINNER — Cook's float powered by the Lorne Ross team from St. Marys was a winner in Saturday's Crediton Summerfest parade. T -A photo Facelift of harbour planned at Goderich A $17 -million facelift of the Goderich harbor could begin as early as autumn now that the federal transport depart- ment has given the go-ahead, Mayor Eileen Palmer said Monday. The town received word Monday that approval has been given for the multi - phased project. Bidding is ex- pected to begin in about a month and preliminary work could start later this year. The September 4 federal election is not expected to af- fect the harbor expansion plans because the expen- ditures are already in the departmental budget for the next three to four years, Palmer said. Included in the project is dredging of the harbor to make it accessible to sea- going vessels, reconstruction of an existing wharf plus con- struction of a new one and work on the breakwater. The work should be completed in 1986 or 1987. In February, a delegation of local government and business officials met with staff from then Transport Minister Lloyd Axworthy's of- fice to discuss the proposed expansion. Since then, the town has been checking periodically to see if there was any news. That news came Monday and "there's no doubt there will be economic stimulus to the community. The spinoffs will be immeasurable." In addition to the estimated 1,000 man years of labor in the construction of the harbor, there are 150 permanent jobs predicted because of expan- sions at focal companies and other harbor -related businesses One of the other benefits of the reconstruction project is reclaimed land, Palmer said. There already has been an in- quiry from Saskatchewan Potash. a company interested in building harborfront storage facilities. Currently, there is no land available for such a project. but the reconstruction should provide extra space. The dredging will increase the depth of the harbor chan- nel to eight metres from seven ( 26 to 23 feet) and make the harbor accessible to ships using the St. Lawrence Seaway. Until now, vessels had to leave the harbor only partly. filled in order to navigate the channel. Goderich Elevators estimated earlier it loses a potential $250,000 to $300,000 a season because ships cannot be loaded to capacity. One volunteer is better than SIGN UP FOR HOCKEY — Rob Turner signs up for the upcoming Exeter minor hockey ten forced men. season with Brian McLelland and Clarence Ferguson. T -A photo -African sroverb A SKYWALKER -- Jason and Tia Schultz appeared as Luke the Skywolker and a gypsy in Saturday's Crediton Summerfest parade. T -A photo 1111.E SCHOOL STUDY — Dashwood Zion Lutheran Vacation Bible School director Maxine Miller and Cathy Skinner check in with students Andy Palmer, Blake Schade, Com Sweiger and Derick Roder. T -A photo 1 FUN TIME •me o the i•'1 c 1 • ren register :. or t e vacation bi • e schoo at xeter Unite • urc are s own how to have fun with a parachute\by Al Beattie (left), Bob Laye and Tom Seip. The school was organized by Joanne McKnight and Diane Shopton. This is the first time men hove volunteered to help.