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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-11-08, Page 1SE/P'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Video Games Rent 1 Get 1 14 Weekends Serving Exeter ar 18 73 . — r D 0 0 Wednesday,November 8 995 e 11111l Ole IIIIII ME MIN MB ' littfteRIMPI N you aren't subscribin to The • ' Times -Advocate, you're no out. 1 Use the coupon below and 1 subscnbe today! 1 Name: I Address City 1 Prov. s Postal Code Buesce ntoH RATES: Canada Within 40 miles - (65 km) addressed to non letter carrier addresses $33.00 phis $2.31 O.S.T. Outside 40 miles • (85 km) or any letter I carrier address $83.00 + $4.41 O.S.T. Outside Canada 499.00 flses..o vwual USE YOUR CREDIT CARD 00000000 1 00000000 Card No. ' Expiry Date 0 Visa Cl Master Card ❑ Cheque enclosed fetum to; TIMES ADVOCATE 424MO Main St. Exeter, Ont. N0M 1S6, . MNs• NMI NMI I i 1 1 Bill 7 Impacts public sector workers See page 5 .Mission to Mexico See Crossroads Second Front Classifieds pages 17-20 Experts page 21 Announcements pages 22 and 23 Store robbed EXETER - Louise's Unique In- teriors on Main Street was entered through the rear door and robbed of a CD player and cash on Saturday. On Friday a wallet containing cash and credit cards was taken from a vehicle parked at James and Main Streets. SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 ,a Video Rentals 1"1 X1.99 3fon. to Tburs. Protesters rally against program cuts Brenda Burke T -A staff EXE1 ER - A group of about 50 people gathered in the cold outside the Main Street office of Huron MPP Helen Johns Friday afternoon in protest of the provincial govern- ment's announcement to cut fund- ing to Ontario Second Stage Hous- ing programs. Similar protests took place at M.P.P. offices across the province. Because Johns was out of the prov- ince with her family at the time of the rally, protesters voiced their concerns to her constituency assist- ant, Angela Reid, and supplied her with more than 100 pairs of shoes in their "Walk In Our Shoes," dem- onstration. They also brought canned food including tuna to sym- bolize Tsubouchi's food budget for welfare recipients. In a letter dated Nov. I addressed "To Whom It May Concern," Johns wrote, "By this (announcement) it is meant that although housing will still exist for women and children who are suffering mental or phys- ical abuse, the government believes consulting services are duplicated elsewhere in the community....If services are not duplicated and there is need I will take this in- formation to Queen's Park. To date I have not heard back from Phoenix House with the details...Delivering cans of tuna and old shoes is not a way to get this government's atten- tion. Delivering facts, information and solutions will be more ben- eficial to your cause." In her letter, Johns stated she met with a counsellor/advocate of Phoe- nix House on Oct. 13 to discuss the government's announcement. Ex- plaining she could only evaluate the need for second stage housing in Huron County, Johns claimed she requested information con- cerning the number of Huron res- idents in Phoenix House and the oc- cupancy rate of the Exeter, Clinton and Goderich buildings for the past year as well as an analysis of al- ternate services including those em- ployees felt were missing. Arlene Timmins, executi ie di- rector of Phoenix Stage 2 Housing, said Johns visited the Exeter hous- ing complex only after Phoenix staff member Bonnie Baynham made numerous calls to her office. Johns then dropped by without warning, explained Timmins, and left without asking for the in- formation she claimed she re- quested. "I could have provided (the in- formation) within the hour if I knew," said Timmins, who added she sent the information to John's office on Tuesday. "I think senior politicians have to take responsibility for this (cuts) decision," said Timmins, adding the Phoenix board of directors was given no warning of the cuts, nor was it consulted. "This board's got two months to find some way to put structure in place," she said. "I think we have some real serious things to con- sider. Are we going to be able to stay open? We're not sure...It's like saying we're going to keep the hos- pital open but we're not going to have any doctors or nurses...How can an already stretched shelter provide the day-to-day support?" "None of us expected to have no staff, no directors," added Phoenix President, Pat Pietrek. When the program's funding is eliminated, which includes support from the Ministry of Community and Social Services, core services will be affected. Six employees are laid off as of Dec. 31 from the buBdings of Huron Phoenix, which hold 22 apartmentsfor women and children who are victims of abuse. Although the government will no longer pay to staff the program be- yond this date, the Ministry of Housing will continue to subsidize the buildings. Besides protesting Phoenix cuts, rally participants also included those concerned about cuts to SWAN (Stop Woman Abuse Now), Women Today and DELTA, a pro- gram for abusive men. Protesters also supported wife as- sault month. With cuts to Family benefits, Timmins was concerned about the safety of women who may end up remaining in abusive situations. "Are we making women sitting ducks because we can no longer provide them with safety and secur- ity?' Timmins called out to the pm - testers who huddled around her as passers-by honked their car horns. "These to me are short -thinking cuts with long-term costs...These are the shoes of scared women and children...I think that rights are be- ing taken away." I know a couple of girls that are thinking of giving up their kids be- cause they can't feed them," said protester Leeann Gardner, of Gode- rich. Johns' letter stated the govern- ment will soon be introducing a Victim's Bill of Rights and will continue to support the province's 98 emergency shelters with more than $50 million in funding. "This is a core service," she wrote, "and is vital to community needs in dealing with women who experience domestic violence." Protesters grip their placards in the bitter cold Friday as they demonstrate their disagreement with govemment cuts to housing programs. Grand Bend council offers overnight parking passes They will be available next tourist season GRAND BEND - The village of Grand Bend will of- fer overnight parking passes for a flat rate during the 1996 tourist season. Grand Bend council passed a recommendation put forth by the Parking and Law Enforcement Committee asking. the village to consider providing 35 overnight parking passes at the Huron and King Street municipal lot for a flat rate of $60. The committee's report noted the lot was not full this season and a flat rate with no daily fee would generate more revenue. Councillor Phil Maguire felt the $60 fee was low, however, Mayor Cam Ivey said they could re -assess the fee after a trial period. "From a practical standpoint it's only for one season. Lets try it and see of it works," said Ivey. The parking passes would be valid from April 1 to September 30, 1996. During the meeting council rejected the rec- "The isn't s that peopl peopl makin to change the beach closure hours from 12 midnight to six a.m. in an effort to control sleeping and noise on the beach. Currently the beach is only closed for six hours between two a.m. and six a.m. The committee's report also suggested a locked gate be erected at the Pine Street walkway ac- cess to the beach and a higher priority be given to beach patrol. The recommendations stem from noise complaints last season. Residents around the north side of the beach complained of people swimming and entering the beach area from the walkway on Pine Street after the bars closed between 1:30 and two a.m. The report indicated it was difficult to patrol the beach at this time because the bylaw officers were needed downtown. "I personally think this has some flaws with it. The problem isn't so much that there are people on the beach but that people on the beach are making noise," said Ivey. "We only have three bylaw officers to cover a large are. We are never going to solve the problem." problem o much there are le on the but that le on the each are ng noise" Cuts to winter road maintenance MTO says cuts will mean it will take a longer for roads to be completely cleared in the event of a major snowstorm Heather Mir T -A staff EXETER - Road safety is always a worry during harsh winters faced by Huron County residents but this year there may be more cause for concern. On Oct. 16, Minister of Trans- portation Al Pal- ladini announced large cuts to win- ter maintenance operations on On- tario roads. Across Ontario, the number of pa- trols on highways will be reduced by 40 per cent. Each patrol will cover an average distance of 190 kilometres, a 65 per cent increase over the current 115. Sand and salt spreaders will be cut by 12. 3 per cent and the number of plows will be reduced by 10.8 per cent. The cuts to winter road main- tenance will save the province about $6.5 million but Ontario Pub- lic Service Employees worry cuts will mean more highway accidents this winter, leading to increased ve- hicle insurance rates for all mo- torists. The impact for rural residents who depend on open highways for firefighting or am- bulance service may be more se- rious. An OPSEU brief to the minister on the impact of cuts stated road blockages, a result of reduced patrolling, will affect pub- lic safety. "If emergency services like am- bulance, police or fire fighters can't get through because roads are blocked, it's only a matter of time before someone dies. Motorists stranded in severe storttfs in sub- zero temperatures face an equally "Drivers have to be cautious and drive with due care and attention as they would in any snow storm." serious risk," stated the brief. OPSEU also expressed concern about the impact road closures may have on the'local economy. Roads are the foundation of the provincial economy. Closed roads may mean temporary factory closures when supplies become unavailable, re- sulting in lost wages and missed flights. The ministry office in Port Franks is responsible for winter road maintenance in the Exeter area extending to Elginfleld. Peter Ginn, of the MTO Chatham office, said the cuts won't affect south- western Ontario as much as other parts of the province. He said there has been virtually no reduction in the number of spreaders that are available. how- ever. there has been a decrease in the number of plows. According to Ginn, the cuts will impact the Es- sex -Kent area greatest. "What it will simply mean is it takes a little longer for us to get around the roads in the event of a major storm. In the case of minor storms, there will probably be no appreciable difference," said Ginn. Road patrolling is staffed by the MTO in two shifts per day. There is a gap of approximately three and a half hour between shifts but if weather is threatening an em- ployee, covered by overtime, works longer or artives early. In past, during emergency, weather-related road closures, the MTO has made an attempt in con- junction with police, fire de- partments or ambulances to send a plow ahead to allow the emergency vehicle to p1 though. This will still be available in the case of an "Drivers have to be cautious and drive with due care and attention as they would in any snowstorm."'sdd Ohs. We wa remember Above, five-year-old Scott Pfaff, of Exeter, stands at atten• tion in front of a remembrance wreath on Sunday. Below, from left to right, Corky Schroeder, Bryan Fink and Gerry Wurri,' all of the Royal Scots Moche, pause after playing in Hensall's Remembrance parade on Sunday.