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Times-Advocate, 1996-04-03, Page 3Times -Advocate, April 3,1996 Page 3 Four convictions in Exeter court Ei ETER - In Provincial Court in Exeter on March 26, Judge R.G.Ii. Hunter handed out only four convictions while many other charges were remanded to later dates. Fined on two charges Freddy Vasquez of Kitch- ener was fined $800 for op- erating a vehicle while his blood alcohol content was over the legal limit and $200 for failing to attend court. At 10.40 p.m. on July 15, 1995, a vehicle'driven by Vasquez was found by Constable Brennan of the Exeter OPP on High- way 83 in Usborne township after it allegedly struck a house. When the officer arrived on the scene he found the accused resting in the car with glossy eyes and an odor of alcohol on his breath. At the Exeter detachment breathalizer tests recorded readings of 1.50 and 1.50. In addition to having his driving privileges suspended for one year, Vasquez was fined for failing to attend a court appearance in Exeter on September 26, 1995. A mischief fine Douglas Barrett of R.R. 3, Dungannon was fined $750 and placed on probation for 12 months after pleading guilty to a charge of mischief resulting from an incident on August 13, 1995. At that time, Barrett was alleged to have attempted to steal a steel power washer from Exeter Produce. He was observed at the time and damage to the sprayer was $364.60. After defence counsel Michael Donnelly said his client had already paid restitution of $200, Judge Hunter ordered that proof of full pay- ment be provided to the court within 90 days. Donnelly said his client has a very considerable record and has had a long battle with alcohol. While most of the previous charges have been alcohol related, this was the first property offence since 1991. Fined for unlawful possession • Judge Hunter imposed a fine of $500 against Daniel Gielnick of Dashwood after he pleaded guilty to a charge of having possession of a Honda generator knowing it was obtained unlawfully. The generator taken on December 4, 1995 from Lot 21, Concession 9 in Stephen township valued at $1,500 has since been returned. Gielnick was fined $200 in Goderich court on September 25,1995 for theft of $5 worth of diesel fuel. Possession of a narcotic Mark Vandenniewenhuizen of Arkona was fined $100 for having possession of a small quantity of marijuana. Police were called to a Main street residence in Zurich at 9.40 p.m. on January 26, 1996 and the accused was found to have the narcotic in his possession. ' Youth charged with threatening EXETER - Police responded to a call on Saturday from New Orleans Pizza where a male patron had threatened a delivery employee. A dispute arose over his presence at the establishment. According to Exeter OPP, a loca youth was later located, arrested and charged with threatening, Huron municipalities granted support Municipalities were to appoint a qualified i'1eat inspector, schedule in- spection times, and assign and pay the inspectors as well as contract vet- erinarians designated by the ministry to support the delivery of inspection services. While the health unit passed a resolution to support municipally - appointed meat inspectors, the Ontario Divisional Court agreed with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture that the application by OPSEU chal- lenging the authority of municipal councils to appoint meat inspectors was not of an urgent nature. "There is now no reason for municipalities to hold back from ap- pointing qualified meat inspectors. We are satisfied with today's ruling, now let's get the system up and running, " said OFA President Tony Mor- tis in a press release Friday. "Farmers, plant owners and workers have en- dured enough." A five-week OPSEU strike was nearly over by the time Neal councils could appoint municipal mean inspectors By Heather Mir T -A reporter EXETER - With negotiating tearn4 were on the brink of ending a five- week strike by Ontario Public Service employees, Huron County mu- nicipalities were finally given the support needed to hire their own meat inspectors. ,, According to the Huron County Health Unit, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,•Food and Rural Affairs agreed to supervise inspectors, pro- vided municipalities meet a set of guidelines. "Our concerns are still the same, but they are now being met by OMA - FRA," said Klaus Seeger, of the health unit. At least one area council held an emergency meeting to hire a municipal meat inspector. Usborne Township called a meeting on Thursday to pass a bylaw providing for the appointment of a meat inspector. Agreements were to be signed with Robert Fisher, Michael Veal, Dr. Donald Robert Atkinson and Dr. William D. Schaefer and council authorized the reeve and the clerk to sign the OMAFRA letter accepting the terms of its guide- lines. Support from the health unit was previously denied due to a lack of la- boratory back-up and unavailability of "Ontario Approved" meat stamps. Qualified veterinarians with meat inspection experience were not avail- able until last week because their appointments were revoked. Liability coverage was questioned if a claim was made against the health unit or a municipality. A motion carried by the Board of Health at its meeting fast Wednesday acknowledged support of municipalities that appointed meat inspectors and outlined several conditions. OMAFRA also provided municipalities with guidelines for supporting licensing functions at plants operating with municipal inspectors. Pro- gram monitoring was to be carried out by area managers and would in- clude ensuring all regulations were enforced and non-compliance would be reported. Updated on amalgamation EXETER- Council received an "amalgamation up -date" Monday night by the Town's Chief Admin- istrative Officer, Rick Hundey. The main committee created two sub- committees, the first of which will i) assess and define community needs, differences and political constituency, ii) assess and consid- er municipal roles, iii) assess and consider municipal -County rela- tionship, iv) assess and consider matters relating to forms of repre- sentation (number of councillors, wards, ptc.) and v) make recom- mendations to the Amalgamation Committee on these matters. The second sub-comtnittee'will have the following responsibilities: i) consider, in general, possible staffing implications of restructur- ing, ii) identify options for person- nel policy or guide -lines that may be followed in the event that down -sizing is necessary, iii) con- sider the working relationship of the municipality with other munici- palities, agencies (such as PVCs and the Ausable-Bayfield Conser- vation Authority) and agencies (such as BIAs) and iv) make rec- ommendations to the Amalgama- tion Committee. (The presentation was made to Council without invoking any re - Sponse.) The Exeter, Grand Bend, Stephen, Usborne Amalgamation Committee has been meeting for several months and as the study process unfolds, it is inevitable questions will arise. In order to answer these questions in a public forum, the communication sub -committee will submit a regular response to a "question of the week." • Are Exeter, Stephen, Usborne and the Grand Bend area setting up a regional government? The answer is an emphatic no. Most regional governments were formed during the 1970's, initiated under Provincial policy. This "top-down" effort to improve local government was undertaken to deal with the pressures and needs of rapid growth (in the greater Toronto area, for example). Regional governments were a response to different needs than those we face in Rural Ontario today. More important. the Regional government movement was clearly distinct from what is planned in our area. The South Huron - Grand Bend amalgamation project is locally initiated, It is not forced by the Province (or any other agency for that matter). Certainly, reductions in Provincial grants require that local government do a better job. But, the Province is not telling us how to respond. That is a local matter. Usborne, Stephen, Exeter and Grand Bend are committed to providing the best local municipal service possible while maintaining the best features of small government. In the end, we will have fewer local governments, and a larger municipality that is more efficient, and just as accountable and responsible as our present municipalities. ,♦ Ili,.:. rlQ,• ",t.ZI n<' r & UEISU'RE 'SHOW FI, APR. 1.2 1.00 . 10.00 p.m. ar SAT. APRI 3 Noon • 9 p.m, LI i:t i t i1: ( I INI( \)+ SUN. API 1A Noon • 5 p.m. SOUTH HURON REC CENTRE, Exeter, Ont. Admission Ticket: $5.00 - Includes a chance to win a $1,000 Travel Gift t Certificate from Ellison Travel Children 12 & Under FREE when accompanied by an Adult Presented by: EXETER OPTIMIST CLUB MANY I3RAWS PRIZES