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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1997-10-15, Page 2Municipal Election 1997: .fin Open Letter to :kll Electricity and .Water Customers Dear Electricity and Water Customer: •• Some or the dchate during chis fall municipal election , impaign could focus on the Exeter Public Utilities .:ommisstuti, your stand- alone, publicly owned utilitycommission. We distributeelectrtcity and water services to about _ 2. 0O customers. including Large and small business. schools. a hospital and homeowners. With competition aiming to electricity industry and municipal restructuring initiatives underway. utility commissions are•nuw under intense scrunnv Opinions vary:abuut how: or whether chi: role Of ,rand -shine utility commissions should,Jhange. What yiiu should know as a customer is that your local stand-alone utthty commission is uniquely able to deliver a sate. secure and reliable supply of low-cost electricity and low cost water, and it does not receive funding from your municipal taxes. The strength of the stand-alone utility commission concept -- and why it ,:ontmues to he a model for the delivery of public services after more than 100 years •- is that it meshes sound business pnnciples with public accountability.- ," ccountability-," utility commissions operate on a non-profit. self-sustaining • business basis, separate and apart from the municipality-- without using tax dollars. . * we ate mandated to provide power at cost. so customers get the lowest possible rates. * our finances are on public record. so customers. can make value -tor -money calculations for themselves. • the professionals dedicated to utility operations are specially trained to provide safe. high-quality service and to manage an increasingly complex and changing business. • staff and utility commissioners have no divided loyalties or accountabilities. THE CUSTOMER. NOT PROFIT. iS THE BOTTOM LINE As changes take place in our municipality and in the electricity industry. please remember the Exeter Public Utilities Commission is dedicated to putting our customers first. A Message from The Exeter Pontic Utilities Commission Chairman: Chun Livingstone Vice Chairman: Bev Skinner Mayor: Ben Hoogenboom Page 2 .Times -Advocate, October 15, 1997 Regional wrap up Walkerton and Hanover to share police services HANOVE_'R - Hanover and Walkerton police services will soon become one. according The Saugeen City News. • Both police services believe amalgamation would mean bet- ter service. and shaved expens- es. in the new joint police ser- vice. administration would he looked after in- Walkerton; with communications .based in'Hano- ver. There will he no staff lay-. offs because of the amalgams= tion. Robson Scrap Metal Ltd. goes up in flames ST. MARY'S ••- Robson -Scrap. Metals Ltd. in Si. Mary's was totally engulfed in flames Tues- day morning. Oct. 7, said the. Journal Argug..The cause of the fire is still underinvestigation. "There were oxygen cylinders in the building. and there were • propane - and gasoline. in there. There were several explosions.' but nobody was injured and that's the main, thing." said Fire Chief Dennis Brownlee to the Journal Argus. - - - Brownlee said a damage esti mate has not yet been filed. as they are waiting •for the insu- rance adjuster's report. • Two Goderich committees to be amalgamated GODERiCH - Goderich coun- cil passed a motion that 'would see its committees amalgamated - with either' the administration committee, or the public works committee, stated the Goderich Signal -Star. The- plan, developed by the town's restructuring committee. would see the public works com- mittee handle property stan- dards, committee of adjustment. environment and works as well.. as parks and waterfront. The ad ministration committee would handle the Maitland Cemetery board. economic development. administration and personnel. recreation board • and tourist committee. Council could look after Perth's social services MITCHELL The Ministry of Community and Social Services has said it will consolidate the number of agencies delivering social services from 196 for so- cial assistance and 94 for child care to approximately 50 service boards, stated the Mitchell Ad- vocate. A recommendation will see Perth County social services de- partment take initiative in estab- lishing a consolidated program to include the separated commu- nities of Stratford and St. Mary's for deliver of assistance .programs. Rave reviews for multi -media WALKERTON - Bruce -Grey separate board's technology pro- gram gave favorable reviews of state-of-the-art multimedia vid- eo equipment. Walkerton superintendent Bill Parent reviewed the video edit- ing and animation equipment and how it effects students and teachers in the classroom. Parent's investigation found boys and girls use the technolo- •gy differently. He said boys tended to "press every button, explore every menu and try 'everything they could see on the screen," while girls "progressed very rapidly when given a set of instructions and expectations." • Emergency plan makes the grade By Kate Monk 7-A Reporter HURON PARK - On Thursday. McCurdy Puhlic School put its emergency evacuation .plan to the • test in a real life situation and gave it a passing grade. . A transformer ,servicing the - .scho rd, installed the previous day. . malfunctioned and had the potential to cause a sound explosion which could shatter windows and cause hearing damage' in the students. ' The decision was quickly made to .send the students home. - School staff initiated the emer-• - gency evacuation plan which ,in- volved ensuring each student would have, an adult waiting for them when they left the school. The first - priority was students ' who -would he riding buses. Special . needs students' who required taxis., • cars or wheelchair access 'vans were another concern. "Within 22 minutes, 99 per cent of the kids were taken care of." said McCurdy' •Principal Niall :Straw. "None of the kids left the building without having an adult waiting." • There was no electricity. in the schoOl and -the staff had tri rely on • the three mechanical phones to: call • the emergency: eyacuation contact people.. - •• Staff found a few glitches in the list. . According to Straw: emer gency forms -had been Set home .for parents to complete. hut not every- one identified an adult to contact:if the school was closed. • - • "We•need to. work on that.':"said Straw. adding the parents iivbo did return completed forms were great- ly appreciated. - • • Secretary Marina Morrissey said the exercise was exciting hut a little frustrating since she got a lot of an- swering machines or no Answer at 'the contact •numbers. Peciple wer- en't expecting an emergency calf near lunch time on a sunny day. Fortunately. Morrissey and other staff knew people in the com- munity. and were able to make the necessary.. contacts to take care of the 170. students: Straw said CFP!. helped by announcing the students would he sent home. - "We've. all 'done • plant hut haven't had to put them iprac , tire." explained Straw. He praised.the student. ing very responsible. The ki ere tremendous." "The parents were very r - standing and supportive. Onto io Hydro was great." said Straw.; add- ing the new' transformer was in -place by mid-afternoon. The. Huron County Board of Ed- ucation was apprised of -the situa- tion as -it progressed and rhe hoard's plant manager was on site- . McCurdy staff will evaluate .the day's.'proceedings to determine if the evacuation plan •should .he 'fine- trifled.- ' • Your kids are cornhvg home! McCurdy Public School secretary Marina Morrissey got re- acquainted with rotary dial telephones last Thursday during an emergency evac- uation of the school. With- out electricity, the current phones were inoperable and staff had to pull the mechanical phones out of the closet. Building a brighter future Children's Aid Society recognizes families who make a difference By Chantal! Van Raay T -A Reporter - •White taking care of children- in . need has been rewarding for the ._ Hendricks. it has also heen chat Bob and Linda Hendrick are fos- lenging. - . terparents They have'seen. the ' "The most difficuh thing about tears •of a fifteen -year -Old boy-, and fostering is how fast kids settle into —the excited-tantrums-ef a-tvio-year--your—home--Tttey--shotiid_he.-.more_ 'old child. apprehensive. Whatever situation For the past five years. the Hen- they're coming out of they're not as drick's _have cared for foster chil- settled as they should be. That hoth- dren like they were their very own. ere me because it doesn't seem .oat- • "There " are so many . kids 'out,. ural-" - there who need -foster parents." ex -Still. she sees" the rewards as plen- plained Linda Hendrick: "All you glut. have to do is go to a classroom ora "Watching the changes. Watching mall and see kids -who" need some- them learn how to cope and learn body. They need• love --and if they how' r.> make friends. and learning can't get - that at how to 'give. and - home, then they , "All you have to do is receive love. They .need oto get: it go to a classroom or a just become some; somewhere mall and see kids who one else." else..' . While it can The chit need somebody. They .sometimes he dif-' dren's Aid SO- need love and if they can t ficuh fora foster ciety• of Huron get that at home,.then they parent ,to. instill County .will be • need to get it emotional: growth recognizing fos- , somewhere else." in a foster child. ter families by . - physical growth is dedicating October 19 to the 25 as usually always •prevalent: explained • Canadian Foster Parent Week. -. Hendrick. The Hendrick's are only one of 'They're •healthier. they're- sleep - 60 foster families in Huron County mg better.. The world becomes a providing moral support. guidance. better place for them. They learn caring and stable homes for chil- how to trust other people." dren in need of temporary care. in Hendrick - believes fostering a their five years as foster parents child is rewarding. but not everyone they have homed ten • kids through' is suitedto the inevitable demands. the ages of two to 15. . Before. becoming ,a foster parent Letter doesn't answer questions a' Continued from front page lack of parking along Main St.: clearing snow from the Cecil Lewis property behind village hall in the winter for parking: business own- ers/employees to park behind their businesses instead of in front of them. Johnston said it's not the vil- lage's job to clear a private lot and its up to Lewis to give someone the okay to clear the lot. Bonus Lucan-Biddulph firefighters will receive a bonus for the their. jobs done well. Deputy Reeve Harry Wraith said the fire board decided to award the bonus because there was about S5.000 left in the 796/97 budget of about S30.000 after all wages were paid out. Each of the 25 firefighters will get a portion of 75 per cent of that $5.000. • Watery meeting Reymer will attend the next On- tario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) Lake Huron pipeline mu- nicipal users meeting at the plant north of Grand Bend on Oct. 22. Reymer willalso sit on a • com- mittee that will negotiate the trans- fer of the pipeline to the municipal- ities that use it. London accounts for over 95 per cent of the pipe- line's water usage. Look for a less than three per cent increase in water bills soon, Reymer said. handed down from OCWA likely because of the cost of the recently completed $34 mil- lion pipeline twinning project. one m. st go through a six week training course to see if they believe they're ready to foster other peo- ple's children. • "Some people don't understand the risks and challenges involved The)c discover this through the •six. week training program.' said Hen- drick. After the six-week program • a home study is completed by the Children's Aid Society. They check the safety of the home. and they make sure there -is a bed and a dresser for the child. They also make sure there is an appropriate fire plan. • Also, a police check is done on . every member of the' family. even those who no longer live in the home. V . 'They have to make. sure the fns= ter family does not have. alterior vr-s To the Hendrick family. rostering is a real challenge. hut- they loye what they do and enjoy seeing the differences - they are making in young people's'- lives. They es- pecially feel like they've achieved something when three of the Coster children they cared for sull keep in touch with them on a regular basis .'The kids are great.- she said. "I really love children and I' love to work with- them. It's 'great to see them learn and•discover the world they •live in. We live in • a world where kids need security and we -can provide that." • Still: Hendrick believes it is not always the foster child who needs the help hut it is oaten the family raising the child. " "As a group of foster parents we have said it's often not the children who should he in tester are. it's the family. In some areas, h)ster families ac- tually work with the entire family directly. explained Hendrick. • "In some other places._ people .will go into homes and teach the family how to keep a tidy hiiuse; and how to plan and cook meals." Hendrick added this is nit.• al- ways easy to do because it can be difficult to " go • into - someone's home and change the pattern they. have always had. • Still. she believes that tostenng. although a necessary evil. is some- thing that more people should con- sider "I really wish 'people would put themselves out to help these kids." she said. adding "We're not the birth -parents • but we do get in- volved. We're not -in, the business of taking other people's children. we just do whatever it takes to make their lives a little easier." Candidates to respond to questions fr Continued from front page three years. The neighbors intend to develop two sets of questions which they will submit in writing to each of the candidates with an tnvi- cation to respond within five days. The first set of questions will be submitted October 20 and the response.. published in the October 29 edition of the Times -Advocate. with the second set following on October 27 for a November 5 pub- lication. Brown suggests that having the responses in wnting offers a couple of positive opportunities. "The can- didates will have a chance to respond thoughtfully instead of being put on the spot. In addition they can make certain before they hand their answers in'that what they have wntten is. in fact, what they meant to say." The public will have access to the questions and answers in the Times -Advocate as well as on public bulletin boards and those retail outlets that agree to post the document.- Besides the .chance to compare 'apples to apples'. an added public bonus is that with answers in black and white. "the public has something to refer back to and hold the politi- cians accountable," says Brown. • Brown adds that an invitation is extended to organizations such as the Exeter Business Association. the S.H.D.H.S. Student Council. the South Huron Hospital Board and other interested groups to sub- mit questions of particular interest to them and they will be included in the delivery of questions and publication of responses. - 7-41E r 0 tt P ll 1 t 1 r I . I . r Internet: http://www.wcIon. ca/-advanced/bernard 236.4880 Beside Exeter Public School RNARO II. r .1,111,• 10 . I), ,• i . • \:.1.1•01111111. TOWNSHIP OF STEPHEN kESIDENTS 81 -WEEKLY GARBAGE AND BLUE BOX PICKUPS There will be NO garbage or Blue Box pickup the week of October.20 - next pickup will be week of October 27th Bi -weekly pick-up continues until April 1998 To all members of the Clinton Community - Credit Union Limited: NOMINATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTOR$ AND CREDIT COMMITTEE QUALIFICATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A member of the Credit Unionat least 18 years old by October 31st. 2. A Canadian citizen or a person Lawfully admitted to Canada for permanent residency. • 3. A•member who is regarded_in good standing on the_ records of the Credit Union. • • - 4. Qualifies under the Act. Regulations or Bylaws of the Credit Union. - 5.CComplies_aut risk management_polieiesjf he Credit,Union and Credit Union Central'of Ontario. 6: Will read and become familiar with the current bylaws of • Clinton Community Union Limited. 7. Will participate in training programs as may be prescribed from time to time by Credit Union Central of Ontano and at may be. pl-eseffberd by regulation. Nomination forms may be picked up at the head office in Clinton. Nominations close on Friday. October 31, 1997,at 5:00 p.m, There will be no nominations from the floor at the Annual Meeting' on Wednesday, January14, ,1998 beginning at 8:00 p.m. at the Town Hall. Clinton. For further information about the Board of Director or Credit Committe positions or nominating procedures contact Steve Tyndall. Treasurer/Manager. Murray Taylor 233-7527. Doug Mann 263-234a Pete McFalls 235-0368 or Mike Cregan. Branch Manager (Exeter Office) 235-0640, Dated this 20th day of August 1997 at Clinton. Ontano .}44, _ J.Murray Taylor Director Director N�Pete cFalls CLINTON COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION LIMITED 48 Ontario Street 118 Main St. North CLINTON 482-3466 Exeter 235-0640