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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1997-10-22, Page 8Page 8 Times -Advocate, October 22,1997 FAMIT.Y Happy birthday Pearl Friends and relatives of Pearl Merkley (nee Cann) gath- ered at the Exeter Villa last Wednesday afternoon to cel- ebrate her 95th birthday. Pictured with Merkley are her daughter Velma Bunker of Brampton and son Roy Merk- ley of Grand Bend. Craft show a success EXETER - Shirley Kerslake was the lucky winner of the door prize - a half bushel of apples at the Craft Show at Caven Pesbyterian Church on October 18.. Miriam Roushorne received the -basket donated by Faye Van Oss of - Unique Design Baskets; Bea Ersman, the bagel cutter donated by Jack Gordon, Elaine Parker the pot pourri candle donated by Cory Willboughy, Laurie Dykstra the baby blanket and boots donated by Helena Toorstra and Jean Easton the cap holder donated by Carl Mills of the Ye Olde Wood Mill. Helena Toornatra was the high bidder on the casserole carrier donated by Ruth Squire, Mariam Roushorne was the high bidder on the ice cream scoop donated by Beryl Elgie, Laurie Dykstra was the high bidder on the Christmas wreath donated by Mariam Roushorne, and Iap Drummond the high bidder on the L'II chimers and candles donated by Dorothy Simpson. The Christmas candle, placements and plaques donated by Dorothy Simpson was purchased by Laurie Dykstra, the scarf and earrings donated by Krafty Kreafions was purchased by Helena Toornstra, the jewellery doll containers donated by Dorothy Simpson was purchased by Ian Drummond, the covered hangers and the hodge podge kitten ornament, donated by Dorothy Simpson and Florence Hyde were purchased by Cathy Seip and Lois Learn. Grand Bend United Church hold Thanksgiving service GRAND • BEND - Grand Bend Seniors held their bi-weekly euchre at the Cegion Hall on October 8. Winners • were: ladies high, Mary Moser, ladies low, Simone Rinn. Ladies most lone hands, Lorna Nielson. Mens high won by Shriley Eagleson playing a mans card. Mens low, Henry Vander Burgt. There were eight tables in play. Next euchre will be October 22 at the Legion at 7:30 P.M. .A good attendance were out October 12 for Thanksgiving service at Grand Bend United Church. During the childrens time they collected the gifts brought in for the Childrens Aid Society of Huron County. In their story time they had an object lesson. Scriptures . were read by Bob Southcott. Choir anthem was "Thou visitest the earth." Flowers at the front of the church were placed in loving memory of Allen and Olive Miller by their family. There will be no service at Grand Bend United on October 19, so all who wish may attend the 122nd . anniversary service at Greenway United Church. THE BRADFORD EXCHANGF. THEii�Z�7/! OF PLATE COLLECTING. .,T.4. P.o1314.4 P44.0014" Plal..M. a Ih. .lama" 2..... .404 ct d olre.r A portion of the proceeds from this plate will be donated to "The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund," Kensington Palace, London We are now accepting orders $39.95 nhe{lecfions 386 Main St. Exeter, 235-4613, Fax: 235-3704 email reflectionseodyssey.on.ca Luncheon and bazaar enjoyed in Granton By Muriel Lewis Granton correspondent GRANTON - Many people en- joyed the excellent luncheon at the Granton United Church and the ba- zaar which followed at the Masonic Hall on Saturday, October 18. A number of Granton members attended the Kirkton Horticultural Society meeting held at the Com- munity Centre on Tuesday evening, October 14. Jim St. Marie was the guest speaker and showed many beautiful slides on container gar- dening. A fantastic plant auction followed with St. Marie as the auc- tioneer who knew everything about every plant that was sold. Sympathy from the community is extended to the family of Stan Bur- nett who died at University Hospi- tal on Oct. 15. There was no service at the Gran- ton United Church on Sunday, Oc- tober 19 because of the Anniversary service at Wesley United Church. Pastor Normalie Voakes led the service and the guest speaker was Peter Carberry, a retired policeman from the City of London whose ser- mon topic was 'called to serve'. Special music was provided by Anna, Grace 'and Karen Park from Edgewood who gave a lovely pres- entation on the piano, cello and vio- lin. At St. Pauls Anglican Church, Kirkton on Sunday, October 19 Rev. Glenda Meakin celebrated the Holy Eucharist and her message was about the cross and the crown. UCW The general UCW meeting was held at Granton United Church on Tuesday evening, October 14 com- mencing with refreshments. The president Doreen McRobert opened with a meditation 'six ears of corn' which was a story about sharing. Unit 2 was in charge of the pro- gram when Andrew Herbert was the guest speaker on the Scouting Jamboree which he attended at Thunder Bay in June. He also showed a video and several things he had made and collected while there. "The Give -Away Sale" - MIDNIGHT MADNESS f1,. 50 o off all /all sat/ire/(I)' (('loll('[' 2) It (1.)l!. 1n 111ll.11l. 60-700i► 0 all Sumner SIH( griankyou to all our O and faithfulcustomers Sale continues until November i0/P7 Open again March 7/987 Open 7 days a week 11/4 miles south of Grand Bend 238-2818 Doreen opened the business with prayer and plans were completed for the bazaar and luncheon. The beef supper on Nov. 2 was dis- cussed and tentative arrangements made for the next general meeting on Dec. 9. A thank you for a donation was read from the Bryanston Scouting movement. A sum of money was also ear marked to buy a television and VCR for the church. Some oth- er announcements of upcoming events were made before the close of themeeting and of special note was the fact that the food grains bean crop has been harvested and sold. Shah r MORE THAN A BED & BREAKFAST ti- large conference room (22 capacity) G heated indoor pool O Targe bedrooms - 0 dinner party facilities 4 comfortable country setting 10 a Perfect Country Get -Away RR1 CENTRALIA 228-9969 Fax 228-9968 g;muPre a t Our tuneral:ht make an appointment w>ith.ur . scussion of your wishes may �Y =' of your home o ins fur funeral home. sdiscusslon will be td merchandise desired, 1 Stand -Alone Utility Principles Must be Preserved Public services that work well are rarely the subject of much attention during elections, but even so, publicly owned, stand-alone utility commissions could become lost it the debate in this year's municipal campaign. With competition coming to the electricity industry and municipal government restructuring initiatives underway, stand-alone utility commissions are facing tremendous change. There is little doubt that the trend toward municipal amalgamation and.a competitive electricity system will change the shape, expand the services and increase the complexity of local utility commissions. But the more important question may be whether the principles underlying the stand-alone utility commission model survive into the next century. , The strength of the publicly owned, stand-alone utility commission model -- and why it is still touted as a model for the delivery of public services after more than 100 years -- is that it meshes sound business principles with public accountability. - In this sense, utility commissions are distinct in the municipal context. They have separate identities and independent administrative and financial operations, which prevents them from subsidizing the costs of other municipal services and vice versa. They operate on a non-profit, self-sustaining business basis, which means they fund their own operations without dipping into the local tax pool. They are mandated to provide service at cost to customers on user -pay terms: And, through elected or appointed utility commissions, which are.separate and apart from the municipality ,they are directly accountable to the ratepayers. Utility commission staff are dedicated exclusively to the utility and are specially trained to provide safe, high-quality service and to manage an increasingly complex business. Finally, utility staff and commissioners have no divided loyalties. The bottom line is that customers and their needs -- not profit or other municipal priorities -- are the bottom line. All of these principles -- user -pay, service at cost, customer accountability, dedicated management, financial and administrative independence -- ensure that publicly owned, stand-alone utility commissions serve the public interest. But in these days of downloading, off-loading and decreasing provincial transfer payments, municipalities are examining service delivery alternatives. Some municipalities have considered ending the independence of stand-alone utilities commissions, eliminating them or replacing utility management focused on utility operations with municipal officials in order to try to cut costs and realize efficiencies. Others are considering ways to reap a dividend, or profit, from the utility as a means of replacing decreasing provincial transfer payments By ending the independence of the stand-alone utility commission, the door is opened to cross -subsidization, which means that utility revenues could be used to subsidize other municipal services. In turn, cross -subsidization effectively ends the power -at -cost principle, and will result in higher, more unpredictable electricity rates in the future. Higher, unstable rates would have an extremely negative impact on our local and provincial economics. In addition to protecting customers from higher electricity rates, we need stand-alone utility commissions for four key reasons: First, because they are complex and unique businesses which require professional management distinct from that of the municipality and dedicated to your local utility operations; Second, because the trend toward amalgamation means that utilities will have to serve larger, more complex municipalities and may need to deliver a more diverse range of hard services; Third, because competition in the electricity system will demand even greater specialization in terms of skills and services, best provided by a stand-alone utility; and Fourth, because stand-alone utility commissions are the best means of ensuring that the value of this critical municipal asset can be best protected and enhanced in both the short and long terms. While the size and shape of stand-alone utility commissions may change in the future, the bedrock principles that make local utility commissions the best line of defense against rising electricity rates should be preserved. A Message from The Exeter Public Utilities Commission Chairman: Chan Livingstone Vice Chairman: Bev Skinner .41 Mayor Ben Hoogenboom y CROSSWORD2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 ■1■ 15 1111 16 ■1■ 17 1118 1111 19 111 20 111 21 22 11 23 24 11 25 11 26 27 28 11 29 11 30 31 32 11 33 34 11 35 ■■ 36 111 37 38 1 39 40 41 42 11 43 44 11 45 46 1� 47 11148 49 11150 51 11 52 1 53 54 11 55 11 56 57 58 11159 60- 1161 62 ■■ 63 1 84 65 i1 66 67 68 11 69 70 11 71 72 73 111 74 - • 75 .1111 76 ® 77 ■■■ 76 1111 79 ■■■ . ACROSS 62. Wind dir..I 23. Blue or White river 63. "The check is in the 26. Pea coverings 1. Go wild mail," et al. 27. Roman robes 5. Verboten 65. Kind o1 tire 29. Work on the set 10. Carte 68. Father of Seth 30. Bovine bunch 14. Got it! (2 wds.) 70. Intended 31. Computer operator 15. Vote to accept - 73. Garage sign 33. Rats • 16. Hal Holbrook on 74. When I'm 64" 37. Water mammals "Evening Shade" grandchild 39. Had a cookout 17 . The Patrol . . 75. Onetime SAG 40. Garfield's pal film) (1938 president 41. Moved on 18. Terrace At Le Havre 76. Blood vessel 43. Seaweed ash ' painter 77. Author O'Brien 45. Hearty dish 19. Leah's son 78. Like Betty Grable or 48. Disturb 20. Delight in Gwen Verdon 50. Wide-mouthed 22. Son of Judah 79. Genesis setting pitcher 24. Clear, as profit " 53: House 25. Dehisce 'DOWN 56. Litt with effort 28. With speed 67. Over• 30. Ben • -' 1. Ferris wheel, e.g. 58. Become aware of proceeds 32. Robbery 2. Wise _ owl 59. Anserine creatures 34. Foreman's defeater (2 wds.) 61. Dig in '74 3. The Garden State 64. Warbled 35. Sibilant letter 4. Jose Carreras, e.g; 66. Rose's beloved 36. Sidles 5. Scotsman's cap 67. Actor Sean 38. Jostle 6. Shakespearean 69. Goat's sound 42. Stink to high heaven commotion . 71. Not pos. 44. Gross receipts 7: U-2 singer 72. Give it a whirl 46. Fabricated 8. Bids "one club" 47. Laundry machine 9. North American 49. Agenda capital 51. Asian coin 10. Blanc of cartoon 52. Mauna voices 54. Abundance 11. Ciroumstance 55. Put money (on) 12. Bellybutton 56. Kind of hand 13. Oneness 60. Garbo or Borg 21. Before log or ride "The Give -Away Sale" - MIDNIGHT MADNESS f1,. 50 o off all /all sat/ire/(I)' (('loll('[' 2) It (1.)l!. 1n 111ll.11l. 60-700i► 0 all Sumner SIH( griankyou to all our O and faithfulcustomers Sale continues until November i0/P7 Open again March 7/987 Open 7 days a week 11/4 miles south of Grand Bend 238-2818 Doreen opened the business with prayer and plans were completed for the bazaar and luncheon. The beef supper on Nov. 2 was dis- cussed and tentative arrangements made for the next general meeting on Dec. 9. A thank you for a donation was read from the Bryanston Scouting movement. A sum of money was also ear marked to buy a television and VCR for the church. Some oth- er announcements of upcoming events were made before the close of themeeting and of special note was the fact that the food grains bean crop has been harvested and sold. Shah r MORE THAN A BED & BREAKFAST ti- large conference room (22 capacity) G heated indoor pool O Targe bedrooms - 0 dinner party facilities 4 comfortable country setting 10 a Perfect Country Get -Away RR1 CENTRALIA 228-9969 Fax 228-9968 g;muPre a t Our tuneral:ht make an appointment w>ith.ur . scussion of your wishes may �Y =' of your home o ins fur funeral home. sdiscusslon will be td merchandise desired, 1 Stand -Alone Utility Principles Must be Preserved Public services that work well are rarely the subject of much attention during elections, but even so, publicly owned, stand-alone utility commissions could become lost it the debate in this year's municipal campaign. With competition coming to the electricity industry and municipal government restructuring initiatives underway, stand-alone utility commissions are facing tremendous change. There is little doubt that the trend toward municipal amalgamation and.a competitive electricity system will change the shape, expand the services and increase the complexity of local utility commissions. But the more important question may be whether the principles underlying the stand-alone utility commission model survive into the next century. , The strength of the publicly owned, stand-alone utility commission model -- and why it is still touted as a model for the delivery of public services after more than 100 years -- is that it meshes sound business principles with public accountability. - In this sense, utility commissions are distinct in the municipal context. They have separate identities and independent administrative and financial operations, which prevents them from subsidizing the costs of other municipal services and vice versa. They operate on a non-profit, self-sustaining business basis, which means they fund their own operations without dipping into the local tax pool. They are mandated to provide service at cost to customers on user -pay terms: And, through elected or appointed utility commissions, which are.separate and apart from the municipality ,they are directly accountable to the ratepayers. Utility commission staff are dedicated exclusively to the utility and are specially trained to provide safe, high-quality service and to manage an increasingly complex business. Finally, utility staff and commissioners have no divided loyalties. The bottom line is that customers and their needs -- not profit or other municipal priorities -- are the bottom line. All of these principles -- user -pay, service at cost, customer accountability, dedicated management, financial and administrative independence -- ensure that publicly owned, stand-alone utility commissions serve the public interest. But in these days of downloading, off-loading and decreasing provincial transfer payments, municipalities are examining service delivery alternatives. Some municipalities have considered ending the independence of stand-alone utilities commissions, eliminating them or replacing utility management focused on utility operations with municipal officials in order to try to cut costs and realize efficiencies. Others are considering ways to reap a dividend, or profit, from the utility as a means of replacing decreasing provincial transfer payments By ending the independence of the stand-alone utility commission, the door is opened to cross -subsidization, which means that utility revenues could be used to subsidize other municipal services. In turn, cross -subsidization effectively ends the power -at -cost principle, and will result in higher, more unpredictable electricity rates in the future. Higher, unstable rates would have an extremely negative impact on our local and provincial economics. In addition to protecting customers from higher electricity rates, we need stand-alone utility commissions for four key reasons: First, because they are complex and unique businesses which require professional management distinct from that of the municipality and dedicated to your local utility operations; Second, because the trend toward amalgamation means that utilities will have to serve larger, more complex municipalities and may need to deliver a more diverse range of hard services; Third, because competition in the electricity system will demand even greater specialization in terms of skills and services, best provided by a stand-alone utility; and Fourth, because stand-alone utility commissions are the best means of ensuring that the value of this critical municipal asset can be best protected and enhanced in both the short and long terms. While the size and shape of stand-alone utility commissions may change in the future, the bedrock principles that make local utility commissions the best line of defense against rising electricity rates should be preserved. A Message from The Exeter Public Utilities Commission Chairman: Chan Livingstone Vice Chairman: Bev Skinner .41 Mayor Ben Hoogenboom y